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QAnon theory claims Matt Gaetz's sex trafficking allegations 'part of plan' by liberals to malign MAGA patriots

'The left is trying really hard to get Gaetz out of Congress, sounds more like their panicking,' said one QAnon follower on the Telegram messaging app

Republican Rep Matt Gaetz from Florida is currently surrounded by scandals and controversy. The Congressman was slammed by his critics after shocking allegations emerged about his relationship with a teenage girl. The Donald Trump ally is now facing an inquiry by the Justice Department over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him.

But the silver lining for Gaetz is that maybe, just maybe, he hasn't lost the support of one core group of followers - QAnon theorists. According to their latest conspiracy theory, the investigations into sex trafficking allegations against Gaetz are part of a wider 'plan' by liberals against MAGA patriots. 

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The investigation, which is reported to have been launched in the final months of the Trump administration, is an ongoing one. The outcome will determine whether Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws. The Florida rep has continuously denied that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old ever since the news broke out. 

The Gaetz conspiracy

QAnon followers have reduced the very serious allegations against Gaetz into a conspiracy theory. They have long believed that high-profile lawmakers and other elites are guilty of child sex trafficking - that these so-called elites have a well-organized, clandestine global sex trafficking ring. The group also believes that these left-leaning liberal elites linked to the Democratic Party will pay for their crimes when they were uncovered in what they refer to as the "Storm".

Now, one might think that in Gaetz's case, the allegations fit certain aspects of this QAnon belief system. But the very fact that he is Republican is actually playing in his favor. Since QAnon theorists are convinced that it is indeed Democrats and liberal Hollywood elites who are involved in a sex trafficking scandal, not conservatives, they believe Gaetz is being framed.

One tweet about the QAnon cult supporting Gaetz despite the allegations, said: "Q followers voice their support of Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, who has been accused of sex trafficking a minor. Supporters of the Q theory often defend their conspiracy-based movement by claiming that they are anti-pedophilia and anti-sex trafficking activists," linking to image snippets from QAnon message boards with comments like "The SMEARING of MAGA Patriots has no end."

Part of a greater plan

It has been suggested by QAnon-ers that accusations against the Republican were actually part of a much greater plan to tarnish the reputations of those speaking up against liberal elites. They believe he is, infact, innocent, and rubbish the allegations reported in the media. 

According to a highly detailed report in Vice, one member of a prominent QAnon Telegram channel alleged that the Republican was working "with [the] FBI to catch an extortion racket". Another suggested, "The deep state media is using Matt Gaetz to distract us from the recent Ghislaine Maxwell drops and information."

Going through the many comments shared by QAnons can leave one baffled. "Anything to ruin a reputation and cast doubt," one QAnon supporter wrote on Telegram. "Set up. Got to love the crap they pull with these unarmed [sic] sources," another user wrote. "This is a smear by [Nancy] Pelosi," added another.

Playing the blame game was also the QAnon conspiracy defense. "The left is trying really hard to get Gaetz out of Congress, sounds more like their [sic] panicking!!!". "I believe Matt," said another QAnon follower Laura Miller, who added, "He will weather the storm. 3 unnamed sources?? Can you say hearsay???"

Twitter reactions

It is safe to say that Twitter has a lot of mixed reactions after QAnon theorists started taking Gaetz's side. After looking into the QAnon messages boards on Tuesday night, March 30, NBC News reporter Ben Collins tweeted, "For some reason, QAnon people are refusing to take their dream scenario coming true - a sitting congressman being investigated for child trafficking - at face value. They love Gaetz's inscrutable double agent story because it sounds like 5D chess." 

To which one user wrote, "The whole purpose of a lot of conspiracy theories is that they're an easy way of making dumb people feel smart." Another replied, "Absolutely true. On top of that, it gives them something to condescend to others about bc they feel so 'enlightened' and that anyone who disagrees with them is uninformed and obsessed with MSM lol"

Travis View, co-host of the QAnon Anonymous podcast that exposes the lies advocated by QAnon followers, says believers are backing Gaetz's claim that he is the victim of an elaborate scheme to extort him and his family. 

"The majority of QAnon followers I've seen on Telegram, Gab, and other platforms buy into Gaetz's accusation that he is the victim of blackmail. They also often believe that these accusations are the product of a smear campaign," View reportedly said. "Since Gaetz has been a staunch Trump ally, and QAnon followers still believe that Trump is the savior of mankind, they're willing to give him the benefit of the doubt."

Gaetz had taken to Twitter to say that it is all an extortion scheme. "Over the past several weeks my family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name," he wrote on Twitter, adding, "We have been cooperating with federal authorities in this matter and my father has even been wearing a wire at the FBI’s direction to catch these criminals. The planted leak to the FBI tonight was intended to thwart that investigation. No part of the allegations against me are true, and the people pushing these lies are targets of the ongoing extortion investigation. I demand the DOJ immediately release the tapes, made at their direction, which implicate their former colleague in crimes against me based on false allegations."