Trumpworld refuses to defend Matt Gaetz -- won't even do it anonymously: report

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has spent years as one of Donald Trump's most passionate defenders, but he has become so politically toxic with all of his emerging scandals that Trumpworld wants noting to do with him.

"As The Daily Beast reported late last week, advisers to the ex-president implored Trump to not publicly defend Gaetz, at least until more was known about the veracity of the allegations regarding a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and the federal probe. For the most part, Trump has privately agreed with that advice, and various Trumpworld luminaries, members of the Trump family, and top Republicans and conservative media stars have shut the hell up about the Gaetz scandal," The Beast reported on Friday evening.

"None of the 16 former senior Trump admin officials, ex-campaign brass, longtime GOP operatives, and sources close to the ex-president contacted by The Daily Beast were willing to defend Gaetz on the record. Not a single one would even do so anonymously," The Beast reported.

Also on Friday, the House Ethics Committee announced an investigation into the Florida man on six different areas of potential misconduct.

"The Committee is aware of public allegations that Representative Matt Gaetz may have engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gift, in violation of House Rules, laws, or other standards of conduct," the press release stated. "The Committee, pursuant to Committee Rule 18(a), has begun an investigation and will gather additional information regarding the allegations."

Read the full report.