Matt Gaetz apologizes for tweet, faces an inquiry

Florida U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz apologized Tuesday night after an intense backlash against a tweet many saw as a threat to former Trump attorney Michael Cohen the day before his testimony in Congress.

But now the Florida Bar is looking into whether he violated conduct rules, and a fellow congressman is questioning whether he’s guilty of witness-tampering.

“The Florida Bar is aware of the comments made in a tweet yesterday by Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is a Florida Bar member, and I can confirm we have opened an investigation,” spokeswoman Francine Walker said in an email.

The investigation, first reported by The Daily Beast, comes after Gaetz apologized directly to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“Speaker, I want to get the truth too,” Gaetz wrote. “While it is important [to] create context around the testimony of liars like Michael Cohen, it was NOT my intent to threaten, as some believe I did. I’m deleting the tweet & I should have chosen words that better showed my intent. I’m sorry.”

Gaetz, R-Pensacola, one of President Trump’s most vocal backers in Congress and who often emulates the president’s acerbic Twitter persona, had tweeted Tuesday "Hey @MichaelCohen212 - Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she'll remain faithful when you're in prison. She's about to learn a lot...”

Some legal scholars saw the tweet as potential witness tampering against Cohen, once one of Trump’s closest confidants. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to multiple charges of bank and tax fraud and campaign finance law violations, the latter of which he said were done at Trump’s request.

Cohen’s attorney, Lanny Davis, said in a statement, called Gaetz’s comments “a new low.”

“We will not respond to Mr. Gaetz’s despicable lies and personal smears, except to say we trust that his colleagues in the House, both Republicans and Democrats, will repudiate his words and conduct,” Davis said.

Speaking outside his office to reporters Tuesday, Gaetz said his tweet was not witness tampering but “witness testing,” according to CNN. He later told The Daily Beast the tweet was “challenging the veracity and character of a witness. We do it everyday. We typically do it during people's testimony.”

“This is what it looks like to compete in the marketplace of ideas,” he added, according to the Beast.

But Tuesday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned Gaetz, without directly stating his name, that attempting to interfere with testimony via social media is severely frowned upon – and could lead to an investigation if the comments were found not to be protected by House rules.

"Comments made on social media or in the press can adversely affect the ability of House Committees to obtain the truthful and complete information,” Pelosi wrote. “… the Committee on Ethics should vigorously monitor these types of statements, which may not be protected by the speech or debate clause.”

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, DNew Jersey, called Wednesday for an investigation of Gaetz, citing the U.S. code on witness tampering.

“One of my colleagues, a duly elected member of Congress, has taken to Twitter to intimidate a witness,” Pascrell wrote on Twitter. “This is grossly unethical and probably illegal. … House Ethics must investigate this disgrace and stain on our institution.”

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