Fox News host Sean Hannity offered help to Rep. Matt Gaetz shortly after the Florida Republican found himself in trouble for a tweet about Michael Cohen.
They conversed via text message on Feb. 27, one day after he was accused of threatening Cohen during a congressional hearing in 2019, during which the longtime personal lawyer to President Trump testified about his former boss.
The conversation between Hannity and Gaetz, both vociferous Trump supporters, was included as a part of a House Ethics Committee report released last week. The panel ruled that the tweet “did not violate witness tampering and obstruction of Congress laws,” but Gaetz’s tweet “did not meet the standards by which Members of the House should govern themselves,” and he was reprimanded for breaking House rules.
In the tweet posted on Feb. 26 when Cohen testified in front of the House Oversight Committee, Gaetz said, “Hey @MichaelCohen212 — Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she’ll remain faithful when you’re in prison. She’s about to learn a lot …” Gaetz later deleted the tweet.
A day later, Gaetz and Hannity exchanged text messages in which the Fox News host said he was “smart” to delete the tweet and suggested he lay low for “a while.”
Hannity provided Gaetz with the contact information for Cohen and his lawyer, Lanny Davis. Gaetz sent a draft of an apology text to Hannity for approval before sending a nearly identical version to Cohen and Davis that same day.
“Mr. Cohen, this is [Congressman] Matt Gaetz,” the text read, with brackets around comments that he sent to Cohen and Davis, which were not mentioned in his first draft to Hannity. “I am writing to personally tell you I’m sorry for the tweet that I sent which many believe was threatening to you. It was never my intent to threaten you [in any way]. While you don’t know me, that is not [who I am and] how I operate. I do not wish any harm to you or your family. I was upset at what was transpiring and chose my words poorly. I will work to be better, as I know you said today you will as well. Have a good evening. – Matt.”
Davis responded by calling Gaetz “a hypocrite” while Cohen thanked him for the apology. Davis, in a subsequent text, apologized for lashing out and suggested that Gaetz post the apology publicly, which he did.
Earlier in the conversation between Gaetz and Hannity, Gaetz said, “F—ers are coming for my law license! You were right. We all spend out time in the barrel.”
Hannity responded, “Run this s— by me!!!” and assured Gaetz that he won’t lose his law license.
Gaetz was cleared of wrongdoing by the Florida Bar after lawyers filed a grievance against him over his tweet. The Florida Bar decided not to pursue any disciplinary actions against Gaetz after investigating his tweet.
Neither Fox News nor Gaetz responded to requests for comment.
