If this rumor is true, then he will be missed on the Hill. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) might not run for re-election in 2022. The Florida Republican has been one of President Trump’s biggest defenders. He was the point of the lance when it came to shredding Democratic Party narratives on Russiagate and the shoddy impeachment pushes that were lobbed against the Trump White House over the past couple of years. Gaetz has called out the traitors in the Republican Party as well. He's an attack dog, and one we need—but he could be looking to exit Congress for another gig: media.
Axios had the scoop. Mr. Gaetz could be looking to amplify his reach even more by becoming a media personality for Newsmax. That’s the rumor. The publication said they have three sources who could corroborate the claim, but we all know how anonymous sources have turned out over the years. The days of Woodward, Bernstein, Deep Throat and midnight rendezvous in parking lots in Rosslyn where solid and credible information on the Nixon administration was fed to The Washington Post are over. Yet, I could see Gaetz doing this. With Fox News angering their viewers for apparently getting soft, there’s an opportunity for these lesser-known networks to gain some traction (via Axios):
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has privately told confidants he's seriously considering not seeking re-election and possibly leaving Congress early for a job at Newsmax, three sources with direct knowledge of the talks tell Axios.
Why it matters: Gaetz is a provocative figure on the right who's attracted attention by being a fierce defender of former President Trump. The Republican also represents a politically potent district on the Florida panhandle.
What we’re hearing: Gaetz has told some of his allies he’s interested in becoming a media personality, and floated taking a role at Newsmax.
One of the sources said Gaetz has had early conversations with the network about what a position could look like.
The backdrop: Many Republicans turned to the network after Fox News called Arizona early for President Biden.
Some critics now say Fox is not conservative enough for their tastes, providing an opening for Newsmax and the One America News Network (OANN).
Gaetz has previously toyed with the idea of running for higher office.
I know he’s not a favorite in the GOP at all, but former Republican congressman and Ohio Governor John Kasich had a show, "Heartland," on Fox News for years. For most of the 2000s, Kasich was behind a Fox News host desk. In 2007, he called it quits, opting to return to public life, which he did when he was elected governor of Ohio in 2010.
Not saying Gaetz and Kasich are the same. They’re not. Just noting that ex-members of Congress have taken this route before.