Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson said Monday that she has “higher standards” than to date Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), adding that he is a “very unserious” lawmaker.”
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow asked Hutchinson on Monday to respond to comments made by Gaetz saying that he dated Hutchinson “for a few weeks when we were both single years ago.”
The former White House staffer refuted those claims and blasted him as someone she does “not hold in high regard in terms of trust.”
“And I do not think that Matt Gaetz has the best track record for relationships” Hutchinson told Maddow, adding, “I will say, on behalf of myself, I never dated Matt Gaetz. I have much higher standards in men.”
“Matt, frankly, is a very unserious politician,” she continued. “We see that today with the ruckus that he is causing on Capitol Hill with the spending negotiations.”
Maddow had mentioned an excerpt in Hutchinson’s new book, “Enough,” where she described numerous instances with the Florida Republican, including one where he told the former White House aide: “Has anyone told you — ever told you you’re a national treasure?”
In a separate instance, she wrote that during one night at Camp David, Gaetz had asked her to “escort him to his cabin,” claiming that he was lost.
“I don’t remember either of these events and based on Cassidy’s prior false statements, I doubt they occurred,” Gaetz said in a statement to the Hill, doubling down on his comments. “I did date Cassidy for a few weeks when we were both single years ago.”
“We parted amicably and remained friends thereafter,” he continued. “Even during President Trump’s post presidency, when she asked me to help her secure housing in South Florida because she was eager to continue working for President Trump.”
“It is sad to see Cassidy dishonestly turn against so many people who cared about her for fame and book sales,” Gaetz added.
Hutchinson noted that she gave the Florida lawmaker credit for “part of his statement,” adding that they did have an “amicable working relationship” and were “good friends at points.”
Her new book includes a series of descriptions from her time in the White House, including allegations that that Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani groped her during the former president’s Jan. 6, 2021, rally.