Looks like GOP Congressman Matt Gaetz just got himself rung up for felony witness tampering
Donald Trump’s former longtime fixer Michael Cohen is set to publicly testify before Congress tomorrow about Trump’s life of crime. Trump has previously made public threats against Cohen’s family in an effort to intimidate him out of testifying, but after Speaker Nancy Pelosi made clear that she’d nail him if he tried it again, Trump has gone quiet about Cohen. Yet now one of Trump’s close House GOP allies has just committed one of the most brazen acts of witness tampering we’ve ever seen.
Here’s what Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz tweeted today at 4:12pm eastern time: “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.” Wow. We have no idea what Gaetz is referring to here, and whether any of it’s true. But make no mistake – this tweet is a felony, and it’s the kind you generally go to prison for. Assuming he ends up deleting it, here’s a screen capture:
Here’s the thing. The only reason Donald Trump hasn’t yet been indicted and arrested for his witness tampering tweets is that he’s able to hide behind the office of the presidency. We’re not saying he won’t be indicted in the end; it’s just that it’s complicated. However, members of Congress have no such protections to hide behind. We can guarantee that Pelosi is preparing to make a criminal referral against Matt Gaetz as we speak, even as Robert Mueller and his prosecutorial allies work on an indictment.
Matt Gaetz just ended his political career with this tweet, whether he knows it yet or not. It’s felony witness tampering, right there in the open. Gaetz must have seen Trump doing it and thought he could get away with it it too. Gaetz is severely mistaken. The only question is whether he’ll do prison time for this tweet, or whether he’ll be able to cut a resignation deal that doesn’t include prison time.
