Republican lashes out at Matt Gaetz by branding him a ‘scumbag’ and repeating sex and drug claims

A Republican member of the House of Representatives attacked two of his colleagues on Sunday after a tense weekend in Congress that resulted in the passage of military assistance to Ukraine.

Tony Gonzales of Texas was speaking to CNN when asked if President Mike Johnson would survive a motion to revoke his title by several lawmakers following his party’s far-right victory.

“He will survive,” Mr. Gonzales said, before launching into his tirade: “Look, I work with some real bastards.”

“Matt Gaetz, he paid minors to have sex with him at anti-drug parties,” Mr. Gonzales said. “Bob Good supported my opponent, a known neo-Nazi. These people walked around at night in white hoods. Now they walk around in white hoods during the day.”

His reference to Mr. Gaetz concerns unproven allegations about the Florida congressman’s behavior that have spread as the House continues an Ethics Committee investigation into the matter. Mr. Gaetz has vigorously and repeatedly denied any wrongdoing; the Department of Justice, after reviewing the case, declined to file charges against him. The agency charged an associate of Mr. Gaetz with sex trafficking following the investigation – that associate is now spending 11 years behind bars after pleading guilty.

Mr. Gonzales is far from the only Republican member to spread these allegations against Mr. Gaetz. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy recently did so at a conference at Georgetown University — Mr. Gaetz is credited with leading the effort to oust the former president last fall.

“I’ll tell you the truth, why I’m not a speaker,” Kevin McCarthy said. “It’s because a person, a member of Congress…slept with a 17-year-old.”

The accusation leveled at Mr. Good’s feet refers to the House Freedom Caucus chairman’s support for Brandon Herrera, Mr. Gonzales’s primary Republican opponent for the 2024 cycle. Mr. Herrera, a YouTuber, is a right-wing influencer who made jokes with overtly Nazi imagery, including one in which he called a German-made rifle a “ghetto blaster.”

Mr. Herrera responded on Twitter: “It’s the death spiral, ladies and gentlemen. He must be crying about me to his liberal friends, because the Republicans won’t listen to me anymore.”

Mr. Good and Mr. Gaetz did not respond to their colleague’s tirade. The independent has contacted their offices for comment.

The House held a rare weekend snap session Saturday and oversaw passage of four bills related to foreign policy and military assistance. Three main elements of the legislation included military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The Ukrainian portion of the bills was valued at approximately $60. 8 billion; Part of that will go toward replenishing U.S. stockpiles, while billions more will help Kyiv buy new air defense systems, munitions and other supplies.

Mr. Gaetz and a number of conservative Republicans have spoken out against additional military assistance to Ukraine, which for various reasons they say constitutes U.S. involvement in an unwinnable war. That faction failed to defeat the bill on Saturday, although the GOP chairman was forced to rely on Democratic votes to pass the Ukraine bill.

What’s in the comprehensive foreign aid package passed by the House:

Three pieces of legislation that are part of the Senate-passed supplemental national security package, as well as a parallel piece of legislation dealing with sanctions against Russia and Iran, passed the House on Saturday. Together, they will provide tens of billions of dollars in security and military assistance to U.S. allies in three regions.

Ukraine

The Ukrainian part of the bill is the largest. $60.8 billion is earmarked for Ukraine in the bills passed Saturday, with much of it earmarked for resupply of air defenses vital to Ukraine’s military. A Republican amendment to remove all non-defense spending from the bill failed.

Of the bill’s planned defense spending, $23 billion is set aside to replenish U.S. stockpiles depleted by Ukraine’s procurement efforts, while another $11 billion would be earmarked to support current U.S. operations in Eastern Europe. Nearly $14 billion was earmarked to help Ukraine purchase advanced weapons and defense systems.

A relatively smaller amount, $26 million, was provided for oversight efforts to ensure that U.S. contributions to Ukraine were disbursed properly and fairly.

Israel

Much of Israel’s $26.38 billion bill centers on the resupply of Israeli munitions needed for its defense as well as the siege of Gaza, where Israel is trying to eliminate Hamas militants. $4 billion is included for resupplying the Iron Dome defensive network, and $1.2 billion is included for the so-called “Iron Beam,” a ground-based laser system used to take out drones and missiles .

$3.5 billion is earmarked to help Israel procure weapons systems, while nearly $7 billion is earmarked for U.S. resupply and funding operations in the region.

Indo-Pacific

A final segment of the foreign aid program concerns Taiwan and other U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific region, such as the Philippines. This smaller bill ($8.12 billion) earmarks $3.3 billion for building undersea port infrastructure around the Indo-Pacific and includes about $4 billion in aid to Taiwan and to U.S. regional military partners. A little more than half a billion is also planned to directly strengthen American military assets in the region.