Rep. Matt Gaetz Mocked For Caring More About Twitter Bans Than Insurrection

David Moye
·Reporter, HuffPost

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has his priorities, and apparently, the fact that Twitter is banning politicians who violate its terms of services agreement angers him more than last week’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

On Monday — after Twitter permanently banned President Donald Trump’s account, @RealDonald Trump, for inciting violence — the Florida congressman falsely suggested the social media platform’s terms of services violate the First Amendment.

“We cannot live in a world where Twitter’s terms of service are more important than the terms in our Constitution and Bill of Rights,” he tweeted.

Many Twitter users questioned the lawmaker’s priorities — and also his understanding of the First Amendment, whose free speech protections do not apply to private businesses.

Gaetz was one of 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the election results even after the Capitol siege. He also baselessly blamed the raid on antifa instead of Trump’s supporters.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Latest Stories

  • Why Democrats won in Georgia

    A massive voter drive and GOP-infighting helped Democrats win two of the most important Senate races in modern American history.

  • Biden reportedly 'frustrated' with his coronavirus team as advisers worry 100 million vaccinations goal won't be met

    President-elect Joe Biden has said he'll get "at least 100 million COVID vaccine shots into the arms of the American people" during his first 100 days. But before his term begins, some advisers are reportedly worried this promise will ultimately be broken.Biden has "grown frustrated with the team in charge of plotting his coronavirus response" as there is increasing concern among some of his advisers that the 100 million vaccinations in 100 days goal won't be met, Politico reported on Monday."While some Biden advisers insist it's possible to make good on the 100-million vow, others are privately worried that the federal response is already so chaotic that it will take a herculean effort to pull it off," according to the report.Biden reportedly confronted COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients and his deputy to tell them "their team was underperforming," Politico says. Transition officials blame a "lack of long-term planning" by the Trump administration, which didn't come close to meeting its goal of vaccinating 20 million Americans by the end of 2020, as the vaccine rollout got off to a far slower-than-expected start in the United States."They're inheriting a mess," former Obama administration acting Medicare and Medicaid chief Andy Slavitt told Politico. "I think they're uncovering how bad it is."Biden, Politico notes, has suggested that whether the 100 million vaccinations goal is reached will be dependent on further COVID-19 relief legislation, previously saying "if Congress provides" additional funding for state and local governments, "we'd be able to meet this incredible goal." But Politico writes that some in the transition are "questioning whether Biden's first big pandemic pledge placed too much confidence" in the Trump administration, and allies are warning transition officials about "the overriding political consequences of breaking one of Biden's first major promises." Read more at Politico.More stories from theweek.com What Mike Pence should learn from Judas 7 scathing cartoons about Trump's Capitol riot Trump is reportedly 'gutted' about losing PGA Championship

  • On-duty Memphis police officer charged with kidnapping and killing a man

    Patric Ferguson, 29, was taken into custody on charges of kidnapping and killing 30-year-old Robert Howard after forcing him in the backseat of a squad car, police said.

  • After frosty few days, Pence, Trump appear to reach détente

    President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence appear to have come to a détente after nearly a week of silence, anger and finger-pointing. The two met Monday evening in the Oval Office and had a “good conversation,” according to a senior administration official. It was their first time speaking since last Wednesday, when Trump incited his supporters to storm the Capitol building as Pence was presiding over certification of November's election results.

  • Malaysia's PM Muhyiddin denies cancer rumours amid power struggle

    The office of Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is grappling with discontent in his ruling coalition, denied on Monday that he was undergoing treatment for cancer. Muhyiddin was declared free of cancer in June after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2018. "Rumours saying that the prime minister requires treatment for cancer are not true and are ill intentioned," Muhyiddin's office said in a statement.

  • Fears for Biden inauguration as FBI warns of 'armed uprising' and pro-Trump protests in 50 state capitals

    The FBI has intelligence that pro-Donald Trump supporters are planning armed protests in 50 state capitals around the time of Joe Biden’s inauguration, according to reports. The agency received information about an “identified armed group intending to travel to Washington DC on 16 January”, according to a briefing obtained by ABC News. Warning of a potential “uprising” if the president was removed from office prematurely, the FBI said groups were calling for the “storming” of state, local, and federal government courthouses and administrative buildings if Congress attempts to enact the 25th Amendment prior to Inauguration Day. Far-right social media users have discussed actions tied to January 20 for months, but the storming of the US Capitol "energised" the online chatter, said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League.

  • State Department to investigate after rogue employee reportedly changed site to say Trump's term ends today

    Twitter descended into total chaos Monday afternoon as a government website suggested President Trump's term was coming to an imminent end, and it sounds like it was all because of a rogue staffer.On Monday afternoon, Twitter users noticed a head-turning biography page for President Trump on the State Department website that declared "Donald J. Trump's term ended on" Jan. 11. Yes, that would be Jan. 11 as in today, more than a week before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. The site also claimed Vice President Mike Pence's term was ending Monday.As Twitter collectively raised its eyebrows and pondered wild theories that Trump would soon announce his resignation, BuzzFeed News came along with more information, reporting that a "disgruntled employee" at the State Department changed the pages. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has now ordered an internal investigation, according to the report."It's 100 percent not a hack," a diplomat told BuzzFeed. Links to the page on the State Department website now lead to a message that says "We're sorry, this site is currently experiencing technical difficulties. Please try again in a few moments."> Hey, @StateDept, what do you know that the rest of us don't?> > "Donald J. Trump's term ended on 2021-01-11 19:49:00." pic.twitter.com/Ntl1BSqsb9> > — Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) January 11, 2021Whoever this disgruntled employee might be, if their goal was to sow chaos, confusion, and plenty of memes that derailed just about everyone's Twitter feed for a good half-hour, well, mission accomplished.More stories from theweek.com What Mike Pence should learn from Judas 7 scathing cartoons about Trump's Capitol riot Biden reportedly 'frustrated' with his coronavirus team as advisers worry 100 million vaccinations goal won't be met

  • Oman sultan creates crown prince post, changes constitution

    Oman’s sultan announced a shake-up of the Gulf country’s constitution on Monday with changes that include the appointment of a crown prince for the first time and steps to boost government transparency, the state-run news agency reported. The move, one year after the death of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who pulled Oman into modernity and deftly navigated the region’s sectarian and political divides, comes as the government faces growing pressures at home. The constitutional amendments bring iconoclast Oman into closer conformity with other Gulf sheikhdoms and dispel fears of any destabilizing succession crisis in the future.

  • China condemns U.S. as Taiwan welcomes lifting of curbs on ties

    China condemned the United States on Monday for scrapping curbs on interactions with Taiwan officials, saying nobody could prevent China's "reunification", while Taiwan's foreign minister hailed the U.S. move as a sign of "global partnership". U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the change on Saturday, in the waning days of the Republican Trump administration before Democrat Joe Biden assumes the presidency on Jan. 20.

  • California prison break: Six inmates on run after improvised rope escape

    The "armed and dangerous" men used an improvised rope made of braided sheets to escape.

  • 7 Homes Designed by Major Architects Just Hit the Market

    Incredible properties by I.M. Pei, David Adjaye, and other legendary architects are for saleOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest

  • Trump's approval rating falls 11 points as a majority of voters hold him responsible for Capitol riot

    President Trump's job approval rating has dropped more than 10 points in a new Quinnipiac poll, and a majority of voters hold him responsible for the recent attack on the Capitol building.In a national poll released by Quinnipiac on Monday, Trump received a job approval rating of 33 percent, down 11 points from his 44 percent approval rating last month. This tied Trump's all-time lowest approval rating from Quinnipiac, as he also received a 33 percent approval rating in August 2017.This latest poll was conducted in the wake of Trump's supporters storming the Capitol building in a deadly riot, and found 56 percent of voters said they hold the president responsible for this, while 42 percent said they don't hold him responsible. Trump is now facing the prospect of a second impeachment, and 52 percent of voters in the poll said he should be removed from office, while 53 percent of voters said he should resign.Quinnipiac also found that 74 percent of voters believe that democracy in the United States is under threat, while only 21 percent said democracy is "alive and well" in the country."When it comes to whether American democracy is under threat, both Republicans and Democrats see a raging five-alarm fire, but clearly disagree on who started it," Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said.Quinnipiac's poll was conducted by speaking to 1,239 registered voters over the phone nationwide from Jan. 7 through Jan. 10. The margin of error was 2.8 percentage points. Read more at Quinnipiac.More stories from theweek.com What Mike Pence should learn from Judas 7 scathing cartoons about Trump's Capitol riot Biden reportedly 'frustrated' with his coronavirus team as advisers worry 100 million vaccinations goal won't be met

  • South Korea's Moon says will make 'last-ditch' effort for North Korea breakthrough

    South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday he remains committed to engaging with North Korea, and that cooperation on issues such as anti-epidemic work could help lead to a breakthrough in stalled talks in the last years of his term. Seoul will make efforts to jumpstart talks between the United States and North Korea as U.S. President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office, Moon said during his annual New Year's speech. "Dialogue and co-prosperity are key drivers of the peace process on the Korean Peninsula," he said.

  • FAA to crack down on unruly Trump supporters

    After video of unruly Trump supporters harassing lawmakers in airports and reports of distruptions on flights to and from Washington the same week Trump loyalists descended on D.C. and stormed the Capitol, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration vowed to take "strong enforcement action" . In a statement over the weekend, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said quote, "I expect all passengers to follow crew member instructions, which are in place for their safety and the safety of flight." Earlier this week, the flight attendants union said Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol should not be allowed to depart Washington on commercial flights after exhibiting quote "mob mentality behavior" on flights into the region. Alaska Airlines said on Friday it banned 14 passengers from future travel with the carrier after a number of passengers were quote "non-mask compliant, rowdy, argumentative and harassed our crew members" on a flight from Washington to Seattle last Thursday. American Airlines temporarily halted alcohol service on flights departing and arriving in Washington after last Wednesday's events. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was harassed on Friday by supporters of Trump and called a "traitor" at Washington's Reagan National Airport before departing on a flight.

  • Sriwijaya Air crash: Indonesia divers search wreckage as black box hunt resumes

    The first victim of Saturday's crash has been identified as flight attendant Okky Bisma.

  • Supreme Court rejects fast track for Trump election cases

    The Supreme Court on Monday formally refused to put on a fast track election challenges filed by President Donald Trump and his allies. The court rejected pleas for quick consideration of cases involving the outcome in five states won by President-elect Joe Biden: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The justices had previously taken no action in those cases in advance of last week's counting of the electoral votes in Congress, which confirmed Biden's victory.

  • Trump rioter in full body armour and carrying zip-ties ‘is bartender who broke into Capitol with his mother’

    Mr Munchel said his intention was not to fight with the police but ‘to show them that we can, and we will’

  • Putin hosts first post-war talks between leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia

    Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday brought together the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan for the first time since a war last year over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, an effort to resolve problems that risk undermining the deal that ended the conflict. A Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement in November halted the six-week conflict between Azeri and ethnic Armenian forces over the mountainous enclave and surrounding areas, locking in territorial gains for Azerbaijan. The enclave is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but both ethnic Armenians and Azeris regard it as part of their historic homelands and fought a much bigger war in the 1990s over it that left tens of thousands dead.

  • Female DIs Who Served at Marines' All-Male Boot Camp Say They Were Brought Out for VIP Visits, But Limited in Training Recruits

    The Marine Corps hit a milestone when three women completed drill instructor school at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.

  • Analysis: A GOP reckoning after turning blind eye to Trump

    At the heart of the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was a lie, one that was allowed to fester and flourish by many of the same Republicans now condemning President Donald Trump for whipping his supporters into a frenzy with his false attacks on the integrity of the 2020 election. Each time Trump promoted a conspiracy theory or openly flirted with extremist groups, Republicans assumed there were still some limits to how far he and his most loyal supporters would go.