Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on Wednesday took a swipe at the House Ethics Committee for secretly voting to release their report into his conduct, but one section of his defense in particular left many observers scratching their heads.
While denying that he paid money to an underage girl in exchange for sex last decade, Gaetz did acknowledge that "in my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated -- even some I never dated but who asked."
This line sparked in instant frenzy on X, where many users questioned why Gaetz was sending big checks to women he supposedly wasn't dating.
"'I often sent funds to women'?" marveled Canadian journalist Stephen Tustin. "How do they get away with this? I wouldn't let this chud within 10 feet of a daughter, but the GOP will likely invite him to babysit their kids, for sure. And the right-wing custom content media will exonerate him."
"'In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated...'" recited Huffington Post journalist Jonathan Nicholson. "I... I think there's a name for that."
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"No man I ever dated 'often sent funds' to me," remarked MSNBC legal analyst Joyce Vance. "Nor did I send funds to men I dated. Gaetz is talking about a business proposition here, not a social life."
Professional statistician John Panaretos similarly couldn't make heads or tails of Gaetz's statement.
"But what is the meaning of this?" he wondered. "'In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated - even some I never dated but who asked.'"
Some of Gaetz's own followers also got in on the action.
"You sent funds to women you dated and did not date??" asked Twitter user Denise Rachel on Wednesday. "So many questions..."
