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Who is Matt Putz? NJ Gov Phil Murphy slams Matt Gaetz for attending superspreader gala maskless amid Covid-19

'I hope you're watching Matt – you are not welcome in New Jersey, and frankly, I don't ever want you back in this state,' Murphy said

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy had some strong words for Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and a group of New York City Young Republicans who had a celebration in Jersey City in violation of Covid-19 rules. 

The event that Matt Gaetz was part of was held on December 3 on the occasion of The New York Young Republican club’s 108th annual gala event. The photos from the gala event show a tightly packed crowd – with no masks – surrounding Gaetz, who represents part of the Florida Panhandle and was reportedly the guest of honor at that event.

"That guy in the middle, the tall, handsome fella in the gray suit, that is Representative Matt Putz - oh sorry, Matt Gaetz, and based upon his past performances, it is obvious being a knucklehead is not beyond the pale for him," Murphy iterated in a news conference. "He was actually Sarah Palin's backup act for this event." Murphy called out the Republican a "fool," and then addressed him directly saying, "I hope you're watching Matt – you are not welcome in New Jersey, and frankly I don't ever want you back in this state.”

After that, Murphy took to Twitter and again blasted Gaetz for attending the event. He also posted a picture of Gaetz wearing a gas mask before going on the House floor to discuss Covid-19 that he tweeted on December 3. Murphy wrote in his tweet, “Last night, the @NYYRC allegedly snuck into Jersey City to hold a ‘gala fundraiser’ – ignoring our social distancing and mask rules. It is beyond the pale that anyone would willingly endanger people in another state. Jersey City law enforcement is investigating this matter. It is also beyond the pale that Rep Matt Putz – I mean @RepMattGaetz – would participate in this. What a fool.”

Murphy slammed the New York Young Republicans for having the gala event in New Jersey and said that they “snuck” into Jersey City as they couldn’t find a venue that would take them in New York City, a report mentions.  New Jersey City officials had mentioned that they were probing the event and could take legal action against the organizers. "In Jersey City we take Covid enforcement very seriously, and this event appears to be an egregious violation of the governor’s executive orders, including capacity limitations and mandatory mask-wearing," Mayor Steven Fulop of New Jersey said in a statement. The location of the gala event called Maritime Parc was ordered closed after the violation of Covid rules was brought to notice by Governor Murphy. Fulop tweeted a photo showing a health department's notice ordering that the venue submit a written operational plan of how the restaurant aims "to comply with Governor Phil Murphy's Executive orders."

After Gaetz was lambasted by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, he tweeted a couple of tweets in response. "You’re gonna regret this tweet when you move to Florida like the rest of New Jersey," Gaetz tweeted in direct response to Murphy's tweet where he posted a photo of Gaetz. In another tweet, Gaetz wrote, “Thank you for calling me handsome, Governor! I’m only considered handsome in New Jersey, though. In Florida, I’m barely a roundup 6.” 

New York Young Republicans Club President Gavin Wax wrote in favor of the event by taking to Twitter. “The nihilist left is self projecting when they call the @NYYRC a "death cult". We are the exact opposite. We embrace life and living while you all cower in your pods worried about a disease with a 99%+ survivability rate,” he said in one tweet, referring to a pandemic. “The left wants you to live in a world where socializing and being with friends and loved ones is a crime and a sin. They claim isolation is a virtue. It's sick,” he wrote in another tweet. People on social media also took to Twitter, to slam Matt Gaetz after he was seen at that gala event. Some people brought up the fact that Matt Gaetz was tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies, showing that he had the virus at one point.A user wrote, “I will now officially put NJ on my very short list of the first places I’ll visit when covid is under control. Well said @GovMurphy !!!” Another concurred“#MattPutz @mattgaetz had #COVID19 earlier this year, too, in case you forgot.” 

Who is Matt ‘Putz’ aka Matt Gaetz?

Born in 1982, Matt Gaetz is a lawyer and politician. He is serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 1st congressional district since 2017. Gaetz hails from Republican Party and before serving in Congress, he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives. The politician has been mired in many controversies in the past. From drunk driving arrest and speeding tickets to Covid-19 to security breaches at House of Representatives SCIF, the controversies have flared up year after year on various matters. In 2018 Gaetz received backlash for inviting the controversial internet troll Chuck Johnson to the State of the Union address who has been deemed as an alt-right Holocaust denier.
 
In October 2019 Gaetz organized a "storming" of a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility on Capitol Hill by about two dozen Republican congressmen. This was done in an attempt to sit in on and hear the deposition of a Pentagon official during the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. At that time, the congressmen's cell phones and other devices put the secure facility at risk as reported by various publications. 
 
More recently, in November 2020 Matt Gaetz who is close to Trump reportedly contracted the coronavirus. Now after he attended the New Jersey restaurant that hosted a political gala organized by New York Republican club, Matt Gaetz was termed as Matt ‘Putz’  by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy who has severely slammed him for flouting Covid-19 rules.For the unversed Putz means “stupid or worthless person” that the governor as alluded to the Republican politician on his recent act.