DONALD Trump said a CNN news report claiming he had refused to meet with Republican Florida Representative Matt Gaetz was “completely false.”
The former president released a statement accusing “Fake News CNN” of making “the whole thing up”, saying they should instead probe Representative Eric Swalwell over “honey trap Chinese spy”.
The 45th President wrote was responding to CNN’s report, which cited “two people familiar with the matter,” claiming close aides to Trump advised “not to stick his neck out to defend Gaetz.”
In a statement issued on Monday night, Trump said: “Fake News CNN, relying on Ann anonymous sources, meaning they probably made the whole thing up, wrote a very dishonest story claiming Congressman Matt Gaetz asked for a meeting with me at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, and was denied.”
“This is completely false.”
“Why doesn’t CNN investigate and write about lightweight Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell, who had a torrid and physical relationship with the Chinese spy Fang-Fang, but is somehow on the once-prestigious House Intelligence Committee.”
Representative Eric Swalwell thinks that his anti-Trump work may have spurred the story of an alleged Chinese honey trap for which a Republican leader wants him “removed from Congress.”
The Democratic rep has been tied to an expose about Chinese national Fang Fang, or Christine Fang, that was published by Axios.
Fang allegedly targeted aspiring politicians from 2011 to 2015, with a reported focus on Swalwell.
Swalwell, who is married, is one of the youngest members of the House and someone who Fang reportedly helped with funding.
He has not been accused of having a sexual relationship with Fang, nor any wrongdoing.
Trump’s statement finished: “Swalwell, who ran for President and dropped out with a record-setting 0% in the polls, has been compromised and is a national security threat to the United States – he should be removed from the Committee immediately!”
Republican Representative Matt Gaetz is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice over alleged sexual misconduct.
Gaetz, who has vehemently denied the accusations, is also being probed by the House Ethics Committee to further investigate the claims against him.
The vocal Trump supporter was in Florida over the weekend where he spoke at the Save America Summit, a “Women for America First” event.
The event was hosted at the Trump National Doral Miami, a Florida golf resort associated with the former president.
On Monday, Gaetz, denied CNN’s claim that Trump had not wanted to see him.
In a tweet, the Republican wrote: “This is a total lie. I am on a pre-planned vacation with my fiancée. I was welcomed at Trump Doral days ago. No such meeting was denied nor sought. Gabby, ‘unnamed sources’ lied. When can we expect a retraction?”
Trump senior adviser Jason Miller also denied CNN’s claim.
He wrote: “This @CNN story is complete fake news. No such scheduling or meeting request was ever made, and therefore, it could never have been declined. Take note that this story has zero on-the-record sources. It’s literally made-up. We are demanding a full retraction. #FakeNews.”
Trump last week also released a statement denying that Gaetz had asked him for a presidential pardon, contrary to an earlier report from The New York Times.
The Times report claimed that Gaetz had suggested “blanket pre-emptive pardons for himself and unidentified congressional allies for any crimes they may have committed.”
The article cited two unidentified people with knowledge of the discussions.
Trump wrote in his statement: “Congressman Matt Gaetz has never asked me for a pardon.”
“It must also be remembered that he has totally denied the accusations against him.”
It comes after it was revealed two staffers have left Matt Gaetz’s office after news of the sex-trafficking probe and Venmo scandal surfaced, reports say.
Gaetz’s Legislative Director Devin Murphy reportedly resigned last Friday after the congressman allegedly gave $900 to his accused sex trafficer pal, who then transferred the money to a porn star and two other women.
Gaetz has been urged to step down from his role by colleagues amid the investigation, however a representative told The Hill on April 2 that he has no plans to step down and rumors of his resignation are “false,” adding that it is “very safe” to say he does not intend to quit.
