Gaetz is part of a new generation of Republican elected officials in the Trump era: a strong, bombastic voice defending the President, his policies, and allies. He has a knack for publicity: At the start of the coronavirus crisis, he was wearing a gas mask on the floor of the Chamber, a trick that sparked widespread public reaction.
But he has been a minor player legislatively; he doesn’t pass many bills and has never been involved in high-risk negotiations. However, the media have fallen in love with the 38-year-old legislator. He is an ardent supporter of Roger Stone and lobbied Trump for his forgiveness.
Gaetz’s spending has already been reviewed. The Congressional Ethics Office recently withdrew an investigation into Gaetz’s office rental agreement after POLITICO reported in April that it had rented its office in Pensacola, Florida, to a friend, political donor and policy adviser. Both friend, local businessman Collier Merrill, and Gaetz said the rental agreement was reached privately and below market value.
POLITICO began examining the operations of Gaetz’s office in early June. In the Chamber’s disbursement report, which covers virtually all of the chamber’s expenses, Gaetz disclosed 14 separate payments of $ 2,000 to Presidential Communications and Strategies, a limited liability company that appeared to be registered by an unidentified agent in a small Wyoming town. The checks were sent to an apartment in Arlington, Virginia, according to sources familiar with the deal.
Payments went to Beattie, according to multiple sources familiar with the deal. Gaetz announced the hiring of Beattie as a speech writing consultant in April 2019, but he was never added to Gaetz’s roster of Congress, according to House disbursement records. Instead, Gaetz paid him through the Wyoming-based LLC.
“Speech writers”, “communications advisers” and political consultants fall into the category of outsourcing that individual legislators are prohibited from using taxpayer money to retain. Consultants can be hired for some services, including maintenance, cleaning, or technical assistance. In special circumstances, and with the prior approval of House officials, legislators may be allowed to hire consultants for legal matters.
The deal involving the speechwriting consultant appears to have started after Beattie was kicked out of the Trump administration after he appeared at the HL Mencken Club Conference. The Southern Poverty Law Center calls conference attendees “a band of white nationalists, pseudo-academic racists, and academics.” Gaetz announced on Twitter that he would hire Beattie, who has a doctorate in political science from Duke University, as a special adviser for speech writing last April.
There may be perceived benefits to staying off the government payroll, including that Beattie would not need to meet strict external revenue limits. Beattie did not respond to a request for comment. Notes left at the department to which the checks were sent went unanswered.
After ignoring inquiries about settlement payments with Beattie for six weeks, Gaetz’s office responded on Friday night through Chief of Staff Jillian Lane Wyant: “Although the contract deal was approved by the necessary House authorities , a second review by the Office of Finance determined that services could not be hired exactly that way, and our office is currently working through the best way to proceed with the House Ethics Committee and Finance.
“All funds were immediately returned to the House as soon as the review determined that this was not the correct way to structure this,” added Wyant. “This is nothing but a glorified clerical error, and while it is puzzling that Politico finds this newsworthy, it is disappointing that Politico is plotting to downgrade people who have made an innocent clerical error and are working to correct it.”
Gaetz was also circumspect about the television studio. On July 9, the Florida Republican Office said it uses its allowable allocation of taxpayer funds to pay $ 100 per month to “rent a camera to communicate with constituents and the nation.” He said the “hard costs” were covered by a private company, which then charges television networks every time they connect to the studio. Gaetz, they said, is not involved in the transactions.
The $ 100 fee is not evident in any of the congressman’s spending records, and his office did not respond to requests about the private company that is benefiting from his television appearances.
