Rep. Matt Gaetz says he's had 'many conversations' with right-wing TV networks about a career after Congress amid sex trafficking and extortion scandal - but Fox says it has 'no interest in hiring him'
Rep. Matt Gaetz has claimed he's had 'many conversations' with right-wing TV networks about a career after Congress as a scandal involving allegations of sex trafficking and an apparent extortion plot.
The Florida lawmaker and close ally of Donald Trump told the Daily Beast Wednesday he had spoken with 'executives, producers or hosts' at all conservative TV stations including Newsmax, OAN, Fox, Fox Business and Real America's Voice.
Fox News instantly denied the claims saying it had 'no interest in hiring him' and denying the congressman had spoken with anyone with authority on the matter.
'No one with any level of authority has had conversations with Matt Gaetz for any of our platforms and we have no interest in hiring him,' the outlet said.
The network, which was a longtime favorite of Trump's before it fell out of favor when it was first to call Arizona for Joe Biden on election night, sought to distance itself from Gaetz after he appeared on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tuesday night.
In the bizarre interview he denied he had sex trafficked a 17-year-old girl and claimed he was the victim of an extortion plot by a former DOJ official, as he appeared to try to rope Carlson into the saga.
Carlson later said the segment was 'one of the weirdest interviews I've ever conducted.'
Rep. Matt Gaetz has claimed he's had 'many conversations' with right-wing TV networks about a career after Congress as a scandal involving allegations of sex trafficking and an apparent extortion plot
It emerged Tuesday that Gaetz is under investigation by the Department of Justice over claims that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid her to travel with him across state lines.
The New York Times first reported it, citing three unnamed sources who said the alleged relationship happened two years ago and that a probe was launched in Trump's final months in office.
Gaetz fired back in a tweet storm and in interviews with Axios and Fox Tuesday denying all of the allegations and accusing former Justice Department official David McGee of trying to extort him and his family for $25 million over the probe.
Gaetz claimed he and his father - former Florida State Senator Don Gaetz - contacted authorities and were working with the FBI, with Don backing up his son's claims Wednesday that he wore a wire to try to expose McGee's apparent plot.
McGee denied he was extorting Gaetz and said he had no involvement in the DOJ sex trafficking probe into Gaetz other than being one of 'a thousand people who have heard the rumors' about the congressman's alleged actions with underage girls.
On Wednesday, yet another twist emerged in the complex saga as bombshell text message screenshots, an email and a printout with the heading 'Project Homecoming' purporting to show the alleged extortion plot surfaced.
The documents, which were in the possession of Gaetz and shared with the Washington Examiner, claim to show the congressman was being extorted by d McGee and former Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent to help rescue American hostage Robert Levinson from Iran.
The alleged plot tries to enlist Gaetz's financial backing - to the sum of $25 million - to pay to free Levinson, who was captured 14 years ago in Iran and whose family said they were told he was dead.
Fox News instantly denied the claims saying it had 'no interest in hiring him' and denying the congressman had spoken with anyone with authority on the matter
The Florida lawmaker and close ally of Donald Trump told the Daily Beast Wednesday he had spoken with 'executives, producers or hosts' at all conservative TV stations including Newsmax, OAN, Fox, Fox Business and Real America's Voice
In exchange, Gaetz would be given credit for Levinson's release and would be given a presidential pardon, with investigations into his alleged sex trafficking being dropped, the documents say.
The documents also claim to provide greater detail into the allegations against Gaetz, describing 'compromising pictures' showing the congressman in a sex orgy with underage prostitutes and the testimony of at least one underage girl who says she was paid for sex with the 38-year-old.
They claim that Gaetz, who has not been charged with any crime, is about to be indicted on undisclosed charges.
Just hours before the allegations of both sex trafficking and extortion surfaced, a report from Axios had revealed Gaetz was considering retiring from Congress and taking a media job at Newsmax.
Gaetz had reportedly told friends he was considering not seeking re-election in 2022 and could even leave Congress before the end of his term as he was in early conversations about a job at the outlet.
Gaetz told The Daily Beast Wednesday he had inquired with many networks about a possible foray into media including One America News Network and Fox News.
'Yes. I've had many conversations with many people about life after Congress. These conversations have been very general in nature and have never included me soliciting or receiving an offer of employment,' he said.
The network, which was a longtime favorite of Trump's before it fell out of favor when it was first to call Arizona for Joe Biden on election night, sought to distance itself from Gaetz after he appeared on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tuesday night (above)
Gaetz claimed to have had discussions with every right-wing TV station about 'life after Congress.'
'There is not a single conservative television station I haven't had a passing conversation with about life after Congress. I have neither received nor solicited offers from any of them,' he said.
'But yes, I've talked to either executives, producers or hosts at Newsmax, OAN, Fox, Fox Business, Real America's Voice and probably others I'm forgetting in this moment as I focus intently on refuting false accusations against me.'
OAN's founder and CEO Robert Herring confirmed to The Daily Beast that Gaetz had been inquiring about a gig on a conservative TV station but said he thinks the congressman should 'stay' in politics.
'Somebody did call me and say that Congressman Gaetz might be looking for a job, possibly at Newsmax,' he said.
'Right now, I'm not really hiring anybody for talk shows. I think he is a great congressman, and I told [that 'somebody'] to tell him to stay there.
'That's what I want Congressman Gaetz to do.'
Herring did not say when he had received the call or who from.
Two sources also told the Beast Gaetz had made it known to OAN that he was interested in a TV gig when paid a visit to the right-wing network's HQ in San Diego back in February for an interview with Dan Ball.
Gaetz denied he had sex trafficked a 17-year-old girl and claimed he was the victim of an extortion plot by former DOJ official David McGee (above)
On Wednesday, documents claimed to show the congressman was being extorted to help rescue American hostage Robert Levinson (pictured) from Iran
But the sources offered different opinions over whether Gaetz's chances of bagging a job with the network are likely to be dashed following the revelation of the DOJ probe.
While one said he would 'probably not' be considered for a job at the network now, the other said the network could look past it, the Beast reported - instead painting Gaetz 'as a victim of the so-called deep state.'
Gaetz's future with Newsmax, the first outlet linked to a potential job offer for Gaetz, is unclear with several insiders telling the Beast they 'highly doubt' he could get a job in light of the scandal.
A Newsmax spokesperson told the outlet: 'We don't comment on talent discussions or future programming plans.'
Fox, meanwhile, took a tougher stance in trying to distance itself from the congressman.
Gaetz regularly appears on the network reportedly racking up on average 90 minutes of screen time a month in the last year.
He appeared on Carlson's show Tuesday night within hours of news of the DOJ sex trafficking probe surfacing where he tried to drag the host into the saga.
Gaetz brought up a previous allegation of sexual misconduct against Carlson, which he has denied, saying he was 'not the only person on screen right now who's been falsely accused of a terrible sex act.'
He then went on to suggest Carlson and his wife had met a woman involved in the allegations.
When Carlson asked about his alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, Gaetz said such a person 'doesn't exist'.
Trump and Gaetz together. Gaetz is a staunch Trump ally and even proposed to his now-fiancée at Mar-a-Lago in December
'The person doesn't exist. I have not had a relationship with a 17-year-old. That is totally false,' he said.
However, Gaetz then recalled a dinner with Carlson, his wife and 'a friend of mine' who he said has since been 'threatened' by authorities to 'cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme.'
'I can say that actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there and I brought a friend of mine, you will remember her,' he said.
'And she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn't cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay for play scheme that she could face trouble and so I do believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to smear me.'
Carlson said he didn't remember what Gaetz was talking about: 'I don't remember the women you're speaking of or the context at all honestly.'
Following the segment, Carlson told his viewers: 'You just saw our Matt Gaetz interview. That was one of the weirdest interviews I’ve ever conducted.'
A source familiar with the matter told CNN Wednesday Carlson was 'p**sed' off about the exchange which may have made him a witness in the DoJ investigation into sex trafficking.
Florida State Attorney for Palm Beach County Dave Aronberg said on Morning Joe on Wednesday morning: 'He may have made Tucker Carlson a witness because on his show, he said 'Hey, you remember the woman I was with. She was overage.'
Gaetz is a staunch Trump ally and even proposed to his now-fiancée at Mar-a-Lago in December.
