U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., made a splash at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference being held this year at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, located just outside of D.C. in National Harbor, Md.
Fresh off his spirited opposition to now-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., which resulted in a number of key concessions, Gaetz is ready for more bold action as he told attendees that it seemed like every time he turned around, federal agencies are engaged in surveillance or monitoring, before suggested the elimination of these agencies.
“I don’t care if it takes every second of our time and every ounce of our energy,” he said. “We either get this government back on our side, or we defund and get rid of — abolish the FBI, CDC, ATF, DOJ. Every last one of them if they do not come to heel!”
.@mattgaetz is ready for BOLD action.
“We either get this government back on our side, or we defund, and get rid of, abolish the FBI, CDC, ATF, DOJ, every last one of them, if they do not come to heel!” pic.twitter.com/F7Q5IBnljj
— CPAC (@CPAC) March 3, 2023
The acronyms stand for the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and the Department of Justice.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the Justice Department quietly ended a sex trafficking investigation involving Gaetz without charging him with any crimes — it was first reported back in March 2021 that the GOP lawmaker was under investigation for his role in the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl, but there was little progress and the allegation was allowed to fester for nearly two years.
On Friday, Gaetz took a victory lap of sorts, according to the Washington Examiner.
“If you don’t mind me saying so, I think vindication looks pretty good on me!” he said to a cheering crowd.
One of the concessions secured during the speaker’s race was the formation of the “Weaponization of the Federal Government” committee, on which Gaetz now serves.
BizPac Review has a crew on the ground at CPAC 2023 and they captured footage of Gaetz taking selfies with attendees.
Clearly enjoying himself, Gaetz protested after one such photo that the attendee was not smiling and insisted that they retake the photo. He then declared, “That’s way better!”
We are live from @CPAC as @mattgaetz takes pics from his fans pic.twitter.com/KTTenNOxHP
— BPR (@BIZPACReview) March 3, 2023
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.