Matt Gaetz 'too creepy' even for Newsmax -- a network that welcomes accused sex abusers and deadbeat dads: columnist

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) floated the possibility of joining Newsmax shortly before his sex trafficking scandal broke into the open, but the right-wing network quickly shot down that rumor.

But the Florida Republican would have been right at home there, according to The Daily Beast's Molly Jong-Fast.

"In 2017, at least a dozen women came forward with allegations of sexual harassment against Mark Halperin, who now hosts a weekend show on Newsmax," Jong-Fast wrote. "When Halperin talked about the allegations against Matt Gaetz, the serial sexual harasser said, 'everybody's entitled to a presumption of innocence' and 'while there are anonymous allegations in TheNew York Times and elsewhere, let's see what the facts actually are. Let's try to take a breath and give him a chance.' Yes shockingly, the guy with all the sexual harassment allegations thinks we should give the guy with the sex trafficking allegations a chance. It's like asking an arsonist to assess a fire."

"And then there's Greg Kelly, who is sort of the poor man's Tucker Carlson," she added. "Greg is most famous for complaining that Trump's impeachment was racist against 'white folk.' Greg also accused Biden of making up his lifelong stutter as a 'phony little campaign gambit for sympathy.'"

Kelly was investigated for rape in 2012 by Manhattan district attorney Cy Vance, who eventually dropped the case, and Newsmax host Rob Schitt, a "Fox & Friends" reject, was arrested in 2009 on alleged domestic violence charges, which were also dismissed.

"Disgraced Fox News star Bill O'Reilly, who paid $32 million to settle sexual harassment claims just before signing what turned out to be his final contract for Rupert Murdoch's Big Lie Machine, is now a frequent guest on Newsmax, though notably he's not listed as a contributor," Jong-Fast wrote.

Newsmax also employs Jeffrey Epstein's former lawyer Alan Dershowitz, along with serial child support cheat Jason Miller, as well an assorted cast of Trump sycophants, "morons" and other fringe characters, Jong-Fast wrote.

"It's hard to ignore the fact that Newsmax has so many deeply problematic white men who have worn out their welcome at famously woke Fox," she wrote. "Are there no other conservative lawyers on the planet? Are Halperin's hot takes really so good that Ruddy couldn't replace him with someone who hasn't left a trail of traumatized women in his wake?"

"If Gaetz is too creepy for Newsmax, he's about the only guy who is," Jong-Fast wrote.