OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz says Joe Biden’s U.S. Department of Justice refused to arrest a man who allegedly threatened to kill him and then traveled to Washington, D.C.
Gaetz detailed the incident during a speech on the House floor and said he had just learned additional details about the threat.
“I thank the gentleman for yielding because I think someone may be trying to kill me,” Gaetz said.
“And if they are successful, I would like my constituents and my family to know who stopped their arrest. Madam Speaker, on October 8, 2021, a Twitter handle, styled, CIA Bob is at your door, tweeted to @RepMattGaetz, ‘Looky here, pal. I lived in Portland. Portland has ordered a hit on you. I accepted the contract. Have a good day,’” Gaetz added.
“Following this tweet, this individual traveled to Washington, D.C., and the Capitol Police recommended his arrest,” Gaetz continued.
“That’s information that was just shared with me by the investigations and threat assessment section of the Protective Services Bureau, and specifically, George [last name], and George shared with me that the Capitol Police recommended the arrest of this individual and that the Department of Justice refused to do so, declined to do so,” he said.
“And on the eve of the Attorney General testifying before the Judiciary Committee tomorrow, it is just yet another example of the Department of Justice having a double standard,” Gaetz added.
“If my name weren’t Gaetz, if it were Omar or Tlaib, you bet this person would have been arrested because that’s what the Capitol Police recommended. But the Department of Justice doesn’t seem to care so much when it’s Republicans.”
WATCH:
BREAKING: A man traveled across the country with the explicit goal of killing me in Washington, D.C.
Capitol Police recommended arrest. They were blocked by DOJ. https://t.co/4nxMzJVycZ pic.twitter.com/ZejSezYHOC
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) October 20, 2021
Transcript:
I thank the gentleman for yielding because I think someone may be trying to kill me. And if they are successful, I would like my constituents and my family to know who stopped their arrest. Madam Speaker, on October 8, 2021, a Twitter handle, styled, CIA Bob is at your door, tweeted to @RepMattGaetz, ‘Looky here, pal. I lived in Portland. Portland has ordered a hit on you. I accepted the contract. Have a good day.’ Following this tweet, this individual traveled to Washington, D.C., and the Capitol Police recommended his arrest.
That’s information that was just shared with me by the investigations and threat assessment section of the Protective Services Bureau, and specifically, George [last name], and George shared with me that the Capitol Police recommended the arrest of this individual and that the Department of Justice refused to do so, declined to do so. And on the eve of the Attorney General testifying before the Judiciary Committee tomorrow, it is just yet another example of the Department of Justice having a double standard.
If my name weren’t Gaetz, if it were Omar or Tlaib, you bet this person would have been arrested because that’s what the Capitol Police recommended. But the Department of Justice doesn’t seem to care so much when it’s Republicans.
