Matt Gaetz's own aides would reportedly share embarrassing videos of him in GOP circles

Matt Gaetz.
(Image credit: MANDEL NGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Long before his recent scandal escalated, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) was "regarded as a grenade whose pin had already been pulled," Politico reports. In other words, he had a reputation for a raucous, sometimes "reckless," personal lifestyle. Unfortunately for Gaetz, his own aides reportedly didn't care much about keeping that side of the lawmaker under wraps.

The aides would regularly send embarrassing videos of Gaetz to other GOP operatives, two people familiar with the videos told Politico, which may be one reason why few Republicans are offering him support these days.

Of course, reports indicate Gaetz was not particularly shy about his actions himself, even boasting about them and sharing inappropriate photos on the House floor, so his aides may have just been taking cues from their boss. Read more at Politico.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.