Matt Gaetz said he would jump at the chance to defend Donald Trump in the Senate impeachment trial saying he would give up his seat in the House if that’s what it takes.
“If the president called me and wanted me to go defend him on the floor of the Senate, that would be the top priority in my life,” Gaetz told Steve Bannon on his podcast.
He continued: “I would leave my House seat, I would leave my home, I would do anything I had to do to ensure that the greatest president in my lifetime—one of the greatest presidents our country has ever had, maybe the greatest president our country has ever had—got a full-throated defense that wasn’t crouched down, that wasn’t in fear of losing some moderate Republican senator but that was worthy of the fight that he gave to the great people of this country for four years.”
Trump’s impeachment defense team fell apart a week before the trial when five members quit over a disagreement about his legal strategy and legal fees. David Schoen and Bruce Castor will now lead his defense in the trial.
“The President so far has gotten a low-energy defense,” Gaetz said after confessing that some Republican members in the House checked to see if they could represent the former president.
At least one House Democrat is throwing his support behind Gaetz’s offer to resign.
Pennsylvania Rep. Brendan Boyle tweeted: “I strongly support my colleague Matt Gaetz doing this.”
