It does not seem Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), 38, would land a job at Fox News if he were to retire from Congress.
A spokesperson for Fox News told Mediaite, “No one with any level of authority has had conversations with Matt Gaetz for any of our platforms and we have no interest in hiring him.”
The media outlet was responding to a report by The Daily Beast where Gaetz said, “Yes. I’ve had many conversations with many people about life after Congress. These conversations have been very general in nature and have never included me soliciting or receiving an offer of employment.”
He added, “There is not a single conservative television station I haven’t had a passing conversation with about life after Congress. I have neither received nor solicited offers from any of them. But yes, I’ve talked to either executives, producers or hosts at Newsmax, OAN, Fox, Fox Business, Real America’s Voice and probably others I’m forgetting in this moment as I focus intently on refuting false accusations against me.”
Additionally, OAN’s founder and CEO Robert Herring told The Daily Beast, “Right now, I’m not really hiring anybody for talk shows. I think he is a great congressman, and I told [that ‘somebody’] to tell him to stay there. That’s what I want Congressman Gaetz to do.”
This came shortly after Axios reported that Gaetz has talked about not seeking re-election and potentially eyeing a job at Newsmax, citing three sources with knowledge of the conversations.
Following the reported discussion, a report by The New York Times came out on Tuesday suggesting the Department of Justice (DOJ) is probing “whether [Gaetz] had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him.”
The DOJ investigation was opened in the final months of former President Donald Trump’s administration, while William Barr was the attorney general, the Times reported.
“A variety of federal statutes make it illegal to induce someone under 18 to travel over state lines to engage in sex in exchange for money or something of value. The Justice Department regularly prosecutes such cases, and offenders often receive severe sentences,” the Times reported.
Gaetz called the allegations of sexual misconduct “false,” telling Axios, “They are rooted in an extortion effort against my family for $25 million … in exchange for making this case go away.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Fox News on Wednesday that if the allegations are true, then they would look to remove Gaetz from the House Judiciary Committee.