Impatient Rep. Matt Gaetz Tries Shake Up Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON — Matt Gaetz hadn’t even been sworn in to Congress on Jan. 3 and the Fort Walton Beach Republican was already rattling cages on Capitol Hill.

He and a number of fellow Republican upstarts were challenging a behind-the-scenes effort by some GOP leaders to gut a congressional ethics office. The move ultimately collapsed when President-elect Trump tweeted his displeasure with the move.

“Never underestimate the power of a Donald Trump tweet,” an ebullient Gaetz said as he read a text that the office would stay put. Later that afternoon, he would raise his hand on the House floor and officially become a member of Congress.

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It was an early indication that neither Gaetz’s status as a freshman nor his relative youth — he turned 35 last week — would prevent him from speaking his mind or making waves in a town he wants to shake up.