GOP lawmaker says tweet about Michael Cohen's 'girlfriends' isn't threatening

Matt Gaetz.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

While President Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen was testifying privately before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday afternoon, one of Trump's most ardent supporters, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), was accusing him of infidelity.

"Hey @MichaelCohen212 — Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends?" Gaetz tweeted. "Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she'll remain faithful when you're in prison. She's about to learn a lot..." Cohen is set to testify publicly before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, and is expected to accuse Trump of being involved in criminal activity. He was supposed to testify earlier in the month, but backed out, citing threats. Gaetz told reporters his "tweet speaks for itself. This isn't witness tampering. This is witness testing."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.