Things got awkward for Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz after he was called out for continuing to parrot former Republican President Donald Trump's "Big Lie" the 2020 general election was stolen.
Speaking during an interview with anchor Bob Solarski on northwest Florida ABC-affiliate WEAR-TV, Gaetz insisted that the 2020 election was rife with fraud and corruption and declared that Trump won the election over the actual victor, President Joe Biden.
But Gaetz appeared visibly flustered when Solarski told him that he can't claim that the election was stolen without providing actual evidence that it was.
You can watch what happened in the video below.
When asked if he was "still maintaining the 2020 election was stolen," Gaetz was emphatic in his belief that Trump won not only the election but the Electoral College (which went to Biden).
Solarski's response was straight and to the point:
"You can't say that without saying there was a gigantic conspiracy across this country and supervisors and election offices to make this happen and we haven’t still seen any evidence that proves that."
A defiant Gaetz claimed that judges have not had "the courage" to take up cases challenging the election results but seemed taken aback by Solarski's blunt observation.
The clip of the exchange soon went viral and many criticized Gaetz for continuing to lie so openly and brazenly about the election results.
Claims that the election was stolen essentially ignore the findings of Trump's own intelligence agencies, which have long determined the election was both free and fair.
In fact, a statement from the Trump administration's own Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), part of a joint statement from the Election Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council and the Election Infrastructure Sector Coordinating Executive Committees, affirmed the agencies found "no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised."
Gaetz has said he is "proud" of people who made "legitimate arguments about election integrity" on January 6, the day a mob of former Trump's supporters stormed the United States Capitol on the false premise the 2020 election had been stolen.
He went on to say he and others who have backed Trump's "Big Lie" are "ashamed of nothing," ignoring the numerous audits and affirmations from independent organizations and state and federal agencies that have discredited Trump's allegations.
Gaetz has shown no sign that he will walk back his remarks anytime soon.
Appearing with Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene on a podcast hosted by Steve Bannon, Trump's chief strategist, Gaetz attempted to redirect the blame for the attack by repeating false claims that the government and the police had orchestrated it.
Pledging to get to "the truth" of "the federal government's involvement" with the attack, Gaetz continues to share unfounded conspiracy theories even while he remains in the crosshairs of the House Select Committee's ongoing investigation into the attack and the extent of Republican lawmakers' involvement.
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