On CNN, Rep. Matt Gaetz defends appearing on Infowars and bringing a Holocaust denier to State of the Union

Gaetz: “It's important to take a message even to people who say horrible, zany things,” and Holocaust-denier Chuck C. Johnson says “he is not a denier of the Holocaust”

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

From the February 2 edition of CNN's CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin:

JAKE TAPPER (GUEST HOST): I want you to be able to clear something up, because people have been criticizing you for your personal behavior for A, giving an interview to Infowars, which is a conspiracy theory website that, as you know, puts out the horrific claim that Sandy Hook was a false operation and those were all actors.

It's a horrible, horrible media organization. You gave them an interview. And then also, you brought to the State of the Union, or you gave a ticket to somebody who is a fairly notorious racist and Holocaust denier, who is so bad he was actually banned from Twitter. I want to give you an opportunity to clear -- clear up these facts.

MATT GAETZ: Sure, certainly, Jake. I don't just talk on platforms where people agree with me. I think it's important to take a message even to people who say horrible, zany things. Infowars is a platform that I think has spread lies and mistruths and I'm very critical of the work that they've done.

That said, people that watch that need to hear the truth, and so I'm willing to go on and discuss the truth on platforms that even spread conspiracy theories that I don't agree with.

And as to the State of the Union, I mean, I would refer folks to the statement of the individual that attended, saying he is not a denier of the Holocaust, not a white supremacist, detailing the donations he has given to the Simon Weisenthal Fund to actually go and hunt down Nazis living double lives, and bring them before courts so that they can face justice. And so, again, I don't agree with everything that Mr. Johnson says. I don't agree with everything that Infowars says.

Related:

Mediaite: GOP Rep. Defends Holocaust Denier He Invited to SOTU: ‘He’s Not a Holocaust Denier’

ThinkProgress: Republican congressman defends notorious Holocaust denier he invited to SOTU

Previously:

Alex Jones praises guest Rep. Matt Gaetz as “one of the strongest, most focused, eloquent, on target voices” defending Trump

Trolls Chuck Johnson and Mike Cernovich launching websites to harass journalists

A Guide To Donald Trump’s Relationship With Alex Jones