Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) got reminded of allegations that he tried to obtain a presidential pardon from disgraced ex-president Donald Trump and presented with the receipts by MSNBC host Ari Melber during a Monday appearance on The Beat.
Melber made reference to a December 2020 meeting at the White House where Trump discussed strategy with top advisers for how they could successfully overturn the results of the presidential election which was won by Joe Biden. He then asked Gaetz what he had suggested Trump do about the election. The Florida Republican replied, “Nothing. I was seeking to understand the process because this was unprecedented.”
Melber: “Did you hear anything in that meeting that you considered unconstitutional or illegal?”
Gaetz: “No.”
The host then inquired, “Then why after that meeting did you seek a pardon for yourself and others who attended that meeting?”
That’s when Gaetz began suggesting he never did any such thing:
“That’s been misreported What I’ve suggested is that there were various groups of people that President Trump was considering pardoning for a variety of reasons, and I was very involved in a number of pardon negotiations.”
Melber brought out the receipts, citing testimony given under oath to the Jan. 6 House Select Committee:
“They all testified under oath that you specifically requested a pardon,” he said, before playing snippets of testimony, including from former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. and former White House senior adviser Eric Herschmann.”
Gaetz went into full spin mode:
“Cassidy Hutchinson is a known liar. There’s testimony she’s given that directly results in perjury. So, I would certainly take exception with her testimony. I do not remember it the same way Eric Herschmann does. I did have conversations with Eric Herschmann about different groups of people that could potentially receive pardons, even including some of the people who may have committed a technical violation of federal law but that weren’t engaged in violence on Jan. 6.”
The congressman then suggested that he only sought pardons for others, not himself:
“I had a lot of conversations with [former White House Presidential Personnel Office Director John] McEntee about pardons for other folks and different groups of people. Whether or not some lawmakers would’ve fallen within those groups, I think, you know, could be debated and discussed. But when it comes to, you know, was I asking for something specifically for me and only me under those circumstances? The answer would be no.”
It should be noted that Gaetz also reportedly sought a pardon from Trump for allegations that he had sex with an underage girl and took her across state lines in direct violation of federal law.
