Republican Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida—one of the staunchest supporters of Trump's "Stop The Steal" propaganda campaign and who continued to object to election results even after the violent insurrection at the Capitol—went on the defensive after the riot was vehemently rejected nationwide.
Gaetz debuted his strategy during the debate before President Donald Trump's second impeachment.
Gaetz's defense for Trump's role in the Capitol riot was to admit the POTUS bore some responsibility, but then make false equivalencies between the insurrection and the Black Lives Matter protests after the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
During the impeachment debate, Gaetz claimed Democratic leadership in Washington had lit "actual fires" during the summer's BLM protests.
You can watch his defense of Trump here:
Gaetz's so-called "tantrum" involved him screaming on the house floor for several minutes.
"For months, our cities burned," Gaetz yelled.
"And they said nothing or they cheerlead for it... Now some have cited the metaphor that the president lit the flame—well they lit actual flames, actual fires!"
The only areas that burned for months were those affected by wildfires.
President Trump balked at providing disaster relief for those areas in the same manner he withheld pandemic aid for states not loyal to him personally.
Gaetz's outlandish claims earned him boos and jeers from other House members.
According to NBC News:
"As Gaetz began his speech, Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich., lifted his right hand and pointed his finger to his head and twirled it as if to signal that Gaetz is crazy. He later shook his head several times through Gaetz's speech."
Despite Gaetz's repeated protests, the House Of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump for inciting the insurrection at the Capitol.
Ten GOP members crossed the aisle and voted for impeachment.
From the House, Trump's impeachment goes to the Senate for conviction or acquittal which can be done even after his term ends.
Gaetz does not appear to be backing down, as he recently retweeted an article from The Daily Caller—a right-wing news and opinion website founded by Tucker Carlson—about how the left "lit actual fires."
Going forward, members of Congress who objected to the election results on January 6 are likely to face intensified scrutiny by both houses of Congress. Gaetz will undoubtedly be at the top of that list.
