Gaetz's glare stings House GOP — but his future's safe for now

The general reluctance to admonish Gaetz, even among some of his biggest foes, comes as GOP lawmakers and even some Democrats have called on New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign in the wake of multiple sexual harassment allegations. But Republicans say Cuomo’s case is different because the New Yorker's accusers were on the record. “With Gaetz, it’s just hearsay. If you had multiple 17-year-olds coming out and saying 'he paid me to travel with him,' I think that it’d be different,” said one GOP lawmaker, who only would discuss the allegations on condition of anonymity. “It looks terrible,” the member added. “But again, we don’t know if it’s true or not.” Still, Republicans are coming under increasing pressure to distance themselves, and their party, from Gaetz. At least two GOP moderates have so far returned or donated contributions that they received from the Florida Republican, a sign that ties to Gaetz could be toxic in key swing districts. A third Republican, freshman Rep. Mike Garcia of California, wants to let the legal process play out, but said if Gaetz is indicted or resigns, he would donate the campaign funds to a women’s shelter.
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