U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz stopped at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport after TSA agent finds Taser on him
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz was stopped at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Friday after security discovered a Taser on him, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
An agent with the Transportation Safety Administration stopped Gaetz as he was headed to his flight and made him throw away the Taser, according to Punchbowl News reporters, who first reported the incident.
The Florida Republican told Punchbowl News reporter John Bresnahan that he thanked the TSA agent who found the Taser and that the agent gave him a fist bump and told him to “secure the border.”
A TSA spokesperson did not immediately respond to the Star-Telegram’s request for comment.
Friday’s events came just days after Sen. Ted Cruz proposed an amendment that would allow members of Congress, federal judges, Cabinet members and their family members traveling with them to receive security escorts and expedited, private screenings at airports if they have been threatened, Politico reported.
When asked about the need for the amendment, the Texas Republican told Politico it is designed to ensure the safety of politicians when they’re passing through public spaces in airports.
There are “serious security threats facing public officials,” Cruz said on Feb. 6, according to Politico’s report. “It’s important that we take reasonable measures to keep everyone safe.”
Cruz’s communications director, Darin Miller, told the Star-Telegram in an email that under the proposal there would be no protective treatment for officials unless they had received threats.
In Gaetz’s situation, “even if Rep. Gaetz were subject to a threat, he would be denied the protections allowed by this amendment because he had tried to bring a prohibited item through security,” Miller said.
This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 11:00 PM.
