The Daily Beast is reporting that Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who has pledged not to take money from corporate PACs, is not above courting GOP megadonors.
The publication has obtained a video conference call organized by "Stop the Steal" fundraiser Caroline Wren in which Gaetz buttered up right-wing sugar daddies with "off-the-record" details about private conversations he'd had with former President Donald Trump.
The most interesting part of the video, however, was the way Wren advised donors to use their wealth to bend Republican lawmakers to their wills.
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Specifically, she talked about how she got an unnamed Republican congresswoman to oppose passing a continuing resolution to keep the government open with the help of a donor dangling the prospect of major campaign contributions.
"Would you write a max donation to her, take a screenshot, and text it to her and say I’m only doing this because you’re bravely standing up against the CR?" Wren said she advised the donor, who followed through and got the congresswoman on board.
Wren then suggested that this was a model for other interactions with members of Congress.
"Please use your money and recognize it as a tool to go back to these people and say hey I did this for a reason and if you don’t continue holding the line, then I will cut off my funding," she instructed.
