Misleading Posts Target GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz
Quick Take
Social media posts distort the facts around an 11-year-old, dismissed DUI charge against Rep. Matt Gaetz. They also leave the false impression that he “stole from dying people.”
Full Story
Posts about Rep. Matt Gaetz circulating on social media in recent days bend the facts to argue that the Florida Republican is part of the so-called “swamp.”
“Republican Matt Gaetz has had numerous DUIs and his dad got him off each time,” read the Facebook posts, accompanied by a mugshot of Gaetz. “He was part of a company that had to pay 75 million in hospice fraud. They stole from dying people. He is the swamp.”
Like many claims that gain traction on social media, the posts have some factual basis but are muddied by misrepresentation, exaggeration and speculation. We’ll start with the first part.
