Florida Representative Matt Gaetz has been lambasted on the internet after claiming a protestor blowing a whistle--an actual one, that is, not a figurative one--amounts to assault.
The incident happened during a disastrous joint press conference Gaetz held with other far-right lawmakers who are insisting that Congress's attempts to hold people accountable for participating in the Capitol riots in January is "persecution."
The lawmakers ending up fleeing the scene because non-violent protestors--armed with nothing but whistles--showed up, which Gaetz characterized as "assault." But liberals are the "snowflakes," right?
Gaetz was joined by fellow far-right crackpots Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Representative Louie Gohmert of Texas, and Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona. The lawmakers were gathered to pressure the Department of Justice to issue status updates on people who have been detained for participating in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, calling them "political prisoners."
That is, of course, a very interesting way of describing people who joined a mob that erected a gallows in front of the Capitol and openly stated they intended to murder former Republican Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
So, unsurprisingly, the event drew protestors, and chaos quickly ensued when one of them blew a whistle to drown out the Representatives' rhetoric.
In a tweet seen below, Gaetz posted a video of an altercation between the whistle-blowing protestor and a reporter from a far-right news outlet Right Side Broadcasting Network.
In the video, the reporter claimed the protestor was "physically harming" her by blowing his whistle and commanded him several times to back up. The protestor replied by telling her to get away from him, and continued blowing his whistle.
The video has all the drama and intrigue of two children sniping at each other on a playground, but Gaetz had a different take. In his tweet, Gaetz wrote:
"BREAKING: Masked whistle man assaults @RSBNetwork eporter. Behold the tolerant, pro-speech Left"
Gaetz's flare for the cry-baby melodramatic did not sit well with most people on the internet. On Twitter, people raked Gaetz over the coals for his overwrought portrayal of the incident.
Gaetz is presently under federal investigation for trafficking underage girls for sex, which he was questioned about repeatedly at today's presser, causing him to run away.
Poor, triggered little snowflake...
@GregAbbott_TX/X
