Former President Donald Trump has weighed in on the allegations against Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), and he hasn't exactly offered the strongest defense possible.
Trump released a brief, two sentence statement on Wednesday, in which he denied that Gaetz asked him for a pardon. This followed reporting from The New York Times that Gaetz, who has been the subject of a DOJ investigation focused on whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and violated sex trafficking laws, sought a "blanket pre-emptive" pardon for himself and allies "for any crimes they may have committed."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This was the entirety of Trump's statement, which reporter Ben Jacobs dubbed quite a "half hearted defense" of his ally in Congress, while other reporters rejected the notion that it counts as a defense at all. The New York Times' Maggie Haberman had previously reported that Trump wanted to defend Gaetz, but his advisers cautioned him against it.
"His first impulse was that he wanted to defend Gaetz," Haberman said on CNN, per Mediaite. "...Several of his advisers have told him that's a very bad idea."
The Times also reported that Trump's advisers "have urged him to stay quiet and sought to distance the former president from Mr. Gaetz."
And while Trump denied that Gaetz ever personally asked him for a pardon, the Times' original report said that Gaetz "asked the White House" and that "aides told Mr. Trump of the request," but that it's "unclear whether Mr. Gaetz discussed the matter directly with the president." Brendan Morrow
-
Cracker Barrel crackup: How the culture wars are upending corporate brandingIn the Spotlight Is it 'woke' to leave nostalgia behind?
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump lambasts crime, but his administration is cutting gun violence preventionThe Explainer The DOJ has canceled at least $500 million in public safety grants
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
