House Democrat cheers Gaetz’s offer to resign, help Trump with trial

Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle (Pa.) poked at GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla.) on Wednesday, saying he backed Gaetz’s offer to resign his seat to defend former President Trump in his Senate trial.

“I strongly support my colleague Matt Gaetz doing this,” Boyle tweeted, sharing a tweet about Gaetz’s remarks. 

I strongly support my colleague Matt Gaetz doing this. https://t.co/8VbpLc9NK2

— US Rep Brendan Boyle (@RepBrendanBoyle) February 3, 2021

The Democrat weighed in after Gaetz said during an appearance on Trump ally Stephen Bannon’s radio show that he would step down from Congress to defend Trump in his upcoming impeachment trial if asked to do so.

“Absolutely. 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. I would leave my House seat, I would leave my home,” Gaetz said.

The Florida Republican added that he views the “cancellation of the Trump presidency and the Trump movement as one of the biggest threats” to his district.

Gaetz, one of Trump’s most vocal defenders in the House, has blasted Republicans who criticized the former president or voted to impeach him following the deadly riot on Capitol Hill last month.

After House Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney voted in favor of impeaching Trump, Gaetz led a push for her to be removed from Congress, even traveling to her home state of Wyoming to lead a rally calling for her ouster.

Ten House Republicans, including Cheney, voted to impeach Trump for inciting insurrection during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6. That has sparked infighting among Republicans, with the Senate impeachment trial set to begin next week.

House Republicans are set to meet Wednesday to discuss Cheney’s future in leadership. Gaetz told The Hill that the conference would consist of “those who want to drive out the populists, those who want to drive out the establishment and those who simply want peace.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) defended Cheney on Tuesday, calling her “one of the strongest and most reliable conservative voices in the Republican Party.”