Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz criticized Fox News hosts Greg Gutfeld and Jeanine Pirro for "over-sexualizing" New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and speculating about the potential end of his own marriage after they cosponsored legislation.
Gaetz's comments were in response to Gutfeld's suggestion that a romantic connection could develop between Gaetz and Ocasio-Cortez. The speculation arose after the two lawmakers joined forces to introduce a bipartisan bill aimed at prohibiting members of Congress and their spouses from engaging in stock trading.
Gutfeld quipped about a potential "romantic comedy" scenario, where a "left-wing communist" Congresswoman and a right-wing male "who had faced false accusations of sexual misconduct" come together to fight political corruption and inevitably "fall in love."
Not to be outdone, Pirro chimed in with a remark of her own, expressing her desire to officiate Gaetz and Ocasio-Cortez's hypothetical wedding.
You can hear what they said in the video below.
Gaetz issued a response to the "childish" behavior of the two hosts during an episode of his Firebrand podcast that also featured Arizona Republican Representative Andy Biggs.
In defense of his legislative partnership with Ocasio-Cortez, Gaetz said:
"I have got a bone to pick with The Five. And it does seem a little childish to me that the media always has to over-sexualize everything that AOC is involved with."
"They wouldn't do that to men, and two people can engage in serious legislation that's not renaming some post office. We're trying to make our Congress more honest and more ethical — without that type of, I think, very childish and immature commentary."
"And then Judge Jeanine — Judge Jeanine, who starts out saying I am happily married. Judge Jeanine, who was sitting at my table at Mar-a-Lago the night I proposed to my wife."
"By the end of the Greg Gutfeld rant, she's bailed, and she's wanting to be the officiant for me and AOC. So shame on you, Judge Jeanine."
You can hear what Gaetz said in the video below.
Many have also criticized the Fox hosts for their remarks.
Others were more surprised that Gaetz—who was previously investigated for allegedly sex trafficking a minor and supported the January 6 insurrection—said something "normal and reasonable."
Despite their ideological differences, Gaetz has previously defended Ocasio-Cortez against baseless attacks.
In July 2020, he confirmed that Ocasio-Cortez maintains positive relationships with several Republican colleagues on non-political matters and clarified that she is not deserving of derogatory language.
Their proposed legislation, the Bipartisan Restoring Faith in Government Act, aims to restrict Congress members and their spouses, as well as any dependents, from trading individual stocks. Ocasio-Cortez and Gaetz, along with Pennsylvania Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick and Illinois Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, co-sponsored this bill.
The controversial practice of lawmakers trading stocks has faced increasing scrutiny in recent years, as certain members of Congress have allegedly made advantageous trades in particular stocks that they may have had direct influence over or privileged access to sensitive information about as a result of their various committee assignments.
