Matt Gaetz Consulted Sean Hannity About Tweet Threatening to Reveal Dirt on Michael Cohen

Congressman Matt Gaetz exchanged messages with Fox News personality Sean Hannity following the Republican’s tweet threatening to release dirt on former Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen. The House Ethics Committee has formally admonished Gaetz for the tweet.

In February last year, Gaetz sent a tweet in advance of Cohen’s appearance before the House Oversight Committee. It was in that hearing that he strongly criticized his former boss, President Donald Trump.

“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 wrote on Twitter.

The House Ethics Committee's investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz revealed that the Panhandle Republican went to Fox News star Sean Hannity for advice. The House report includes this text exchange between Gaetz and Hannity that happened in February 2019 https://t.co/9MNzA3TO2h pic.twitter.com/TtZ8VgelvP

— POLITICO (@politico) August 24, 2020

Gaetz later deleted the tweet amid widespread controversy but the House investigation revealed that he contacted Hannity about the issue.

“Fuckers are coming for my law license. You were right. We all spend our time in the barrel,” Gaetz messaged.

“Run this shit by me!!! You won’t lose the license,” Hannity said, and he went on to give Gaetz advice on dealing with the issue, receiving effusive praise from the Republican congressman.

“Just say you were upset at what was transpiring and meant it as a question, not a statement. And u would never threaten anyone. In retrospect it was poorly written and you wish u didn’t send it. That’s a CYA,” Hannity advised.

Gaetz told Hannity he was “the most powerful man in the media” and “your caring matters a great deal to me.”