Matt Gaetz, Political Arsonist, Has New Powers. What Will He Do With Them?

Two years ago The New York Times reportedA Justice Department investigation into allegations that Mr. Gaetz had a sexual relationship and paid for the girl to travel with him was launched. This is a violation federal sex-trafficking laws. Mr. Gaetz refuted the allegations and has not been convicted.

Joel Greenberg (a Florida tax collector and Gaetz confidant) was last month arrested for cooperating in the sex trafficking investigation. sentenced to 11 years in prison. Mr. Gaetz’s sentence is still unclear. His lawyers tried to find out from the Justice Department what the meaning of the sentence was.

In the meantime, Mr. Gaetz has moved forward, being as offending as ever. He told conservative college students last summer that abortion supporters are less likely than others to become pregnant due to their unattractive nature. “Nobody wants to impregnate you if you look like a thumb,” he said. “These people are odious on the inside and out. They’re like 5-2, 350 pounds, and they’re like, ‘Give me my abortions or I’ll get up and march and protest.’”

But he is equally quick to be both surprising and to repel. Animal rights groups have given him praises for his opposition to federally funded animal research. His colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee said they consider him a productive member. He was seen recently on the House floor discussing with Dan Crenshaw (a Texas Republican who is a former member of Navy SEALs) how to provide veterans access to psychoactive drugs.

During House votes, he is usually silent and quiet, without any signs of discontent. Friends of Mr. Gaetz maintain that three terms of political seasoning on Capitol Hill, in addition to his 2021 marriage to Ginger Luckey, a sales analyst he met the previous year at Mar-a-Lago, former President Donald J. Trump’s private club in Palm Beach, Fla., have matured the congressman’s approach to politics and the way he conducts his personal life.

A Bombastic Adolescent

Republican colleagues remember how swiftly Mr. Gaetz sought to ingratiate himself in 2017, his first year in Congress, with Speaker Paul D. Ryan — how, at a dinner Mr. Ryan hosted for the new members, Mr. Gaetz showed exaggerated concern for a minor sports injury Mr. Ryan had suffered on his hand.

In convincing the House Steering Committee of his nomination to the Armed Services Committee, Mr. Gaetz displayed an impressive level of lawyerly skill. One member said that he was also a boorish. He boasted about his sexual conquests, and showed photos of them on House floor.