Top GOP Leader Liz Cheney Calls Allegations Against Matt Gaetz “Sickening”

Rep. Cheney (R-WY) also called on the Republican party to be “focused on the future” after former President Trump continued to spread baseless election fraud conspiracies.

L: Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) speaks during a news conference with other Republican members of the House of Representatives at the Capitol on July 21, 2020 in Washington, D.C. R: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference being held in the Hyatt Regency on February 26, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. | Getty Images
L: Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) speaks during a news conference with other Republican members of the House of Representatives at the Capitol on July 21, 2020 in Washington, D.C. R: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference being held in the Hyatt Regency on February 26, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. | Getty Images

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) called sex trafficking allegations against Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) “sickening” during a recent nationally televised interview. Gaetz reportedly faces a criminal investigation over alleged sexual misconduct and sex trafficking.

During an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, moderator Margaret Brennan mentioned that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said it’s up to the Republican Party to “take responsibility” for whether Gaetz should resign. Brennan then asked Cheney, the GOP’s third-ranking member, if she was ready to call for Gaetz’s resignation, days after the House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use against him.

“You know, as the mother of daughters, the charges certainly are sickening,” Cheney said. “And as the Speaker noted, there's an ethics investigation underway. There are also criminal investigations underway. And I'm not going to comment further on that publicly right now.”

According to the New York Times, the Department of Justice is investigating Gaetz, 38, for potentially having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl. He allegedly paid for the minor to travel with him, which could violate sex trafficking laws. Gaetz has denied all allegations against him.

The investigation into Gaetz is reportedly part of a larger probe into former county tax collector Joel Greenberg, a close ally of the Florida lawmaker, who faces 14 charges in federal court, including sex trafficking of a minor.

Brennan doubled down and asked if Cheney was “surprised” about the allegations, but Cheney held firm and said: “I'm not going to comment further, Margaret.” Cheney did not call for Gaetz to resign; much of the Republican party has remained silent on the allegations against him. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) has called on Gaetz to resign.

Gaetz is a loyal ally of former President Donald Trump; earlier this year, the lawmaker tried and failed to get enough votes from other members of Congress to demote Cheney, who is currently a top Republican leader in the House. Gaetz traveled to Wyoming to rally voters to unseat her in the 2022 election. Cheney was one of 10 GOP House members including Kinzinger who voted to impeach Trump a second time after the January 6 Capitol insurrection. The Senate ultimately acquitted him for a second time.

Cheney also told “Face The Nation” that Republicans need to be “focused on the future” after Trump gave a speech on Saturday at his Mar-a-Lago club for a Republican National Committee event, where he continued to push baseless lies that the election was fraudulent. He also made critical remarks about multiple establishment Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who he called a “dumb son of a bitch,” and former Vice President Mike Pence.

“The election wasn't stolen. There was a judicial process in place. If you attack the judicial process and you attack the rule of law, you aren't defending the Constitution,” Cheney continued. “And for us as a party going forward, we have to embrace the Constitution and we also have to put forward positive solutions.”