During an appearance on CNN, Marc Short—best known for serving as Chief of Staff to Republican Vice President Mike Pence—criticized Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz after Gaetz told the crowd at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa over the weekend that Pence "will never be president."
Gaetz's remarks prompted Short to predict that the Florida Congressman will be in prison by 2024 on charges related to an ongoing child sex trafficking investigation.
Short said that he is "actually surprised that Florida law enforcement still allows him to speak to teenage conferences like that."
You can hear what Short said in the video below.
Short said:
“Well, I don’t know if Mike Pence will run for president in 2024. But I don’t think Matt Gaetz will have an impact on that. In fact, I’d be surprised if he was still voting.
"It’s more likely he’ll be in prison for child sex trafficking by 2024. And I’m actually surprised that Florida law enforcement still allows him to speak to teenage conferences like that."
"So I’m not too worried about Matt Gaetz, thanks.”
Gaetz has been the subject of an ongoing federal investigation regarding alleged sex crimes involving a minor.
Federal authorities are investigating Gaetz on child sex trafficking charges after it emerged the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched a probe into whether he paid a 17-year-old girl and took her across state lines for sexual purposes.
Gaetz denied allegations he violated sex trafficking laws and engaged in other sexual misconduct while in office by citing the age of consent. His supporters in Congress, particularly Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, have pushed back against the investigation even while they brand other Republican politicians as "pro-pedophile."
In May 2021, Gaetz's associate Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector in Seminole County, Florida, formally pleaded guilty to six federal charges, including sex trafficking of a minor.
He also pleaded guilty to producing a false identification document, identity theft, wire fraud, stalking, and conspiracy.
Short's remarks quickly went viral and many echoed his criticisms of Gaetz.
Gaetz also made headlines during his appearance at the Turning Point USA conference after he claimed that women who "look like a thumb" shouldn't concern themselves with advocating for abortion rights.
Gaetz said "women with the least likelihood of getting pregnant are the ones most worried about having abortions" at "pro-abortion, pro-murder rallies."
He suggested instead of marching at rallies, unattractive women should "march for like an hour a day" and "get the blood pumpin'."
