Trump acolyte Matt Gaetz wins Florida primary despite criticism and sex trafficking investigation

The three-term Florida Republican is one of Mr Trump’s biggest defenders and fended off a challenge from his right

Representative Matt Gaetz, former president Donald Trump’s most vociferous defender in Congress, won the Republican primary in Florida’s 1st District despite criticisms from his challenger and an investigation into whether he was involved in trafficking underage girls.

Mr Gaetz won the primary after coming under intense scrutiny from Mark Lombardo, a primary challenger to his right. Mr Lombardo, who served in the Marines and has a business background, sought to turn Mr Gaetz’s best political asset in the solidly Republican district – his fidelity to Mr Trump – into a liability.

In one ad, Mr Lombardo highlighted how Mr Trump hadn’t held any major rallies for Mr Gaetz the way he has for other Republicans. He also hinted that Mr Gaetz may have been the informant who tipped off federal authorities before the FBI executed a search warrant at Mr Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago.

The ad also noted how Mr Gaetz had hired a former lawyer for disgraced child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and pointed out how the House select committee investigating the January 6 riot revealed that Mr Gaetz had asked for a blanket pardon, which Mr Trump did not grant.

Throughout his tenure in the House, Mr Gaetz has been known for ostentatious and attention-grabbing stunts. Early during the Covid-19 pandemic, he was seen wearing a gas mask on the House floor. He also appeared on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s InfoWars show.

Ahead of former Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s testimony before the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee, he famously threatened to blackmail Mr Cohen by tweeting “Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat.” After Representative Jamie Raskin lost his son, Mr Gaetz said that the Maryland Democrat was “unable” to do his job and said that “[t]he country shouldn’t have to go through all that with him.”

During Mr Trump’s first impeachment, Mr Gaetz led a group of Republicans to try and storm a hearing of the House Intelligence Committee a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or SCIF, where classified information is shared.

Mr Gaetz has also faced intense scrutiny after The New York Times reported that the Department of Justice is investigating him for trafficking teenaged girls, which Mr Gaetz has vociferously denied.