One of the saddest subplots of the drama surrounding the Justice Department investigation of Matt Gaetz for allegedly paying women for sex and, separately, sleeping with a minor and transporting her across state lines, is the one in which it appears the Florida congressman spent four-plus years kissing Donald Trump’s ass for nothing. All signs point to this being the case based on the fact that (1) the ex-president did nothing to come to the Republican lawmaker‘s defense for more than a week after the news broke and (2) when did he go on the record, it was with an extremely underwhelming statement noting that Gaetz has denied all the allegations against him and saying that the congressman had never personally asked him for an anticipatory pardon. (According to The New York Times, Gaetz asked the White House for “blanket preemptive pardons for himself and unidentified congressional allies for any crimes they may have committed,” according to two people familiar with the discussions.) Obviously, this would be nothing to write home about if Trump were the type of person to refrain from wading into controversy, or if he had a history of condemning accused sex offenders, which of course he does not. Instead, he’s been known to speak glowingly about notorious sexual predators like Roger Ailes, whom he called “the greatest” long after Fox News’ parent company paid tens of millions in settlements related to sexual-harassment allegations against the former CEO.

All of which has got to be deeply wounding to Gaetz, who has proudly served as one of Trump’s chief footstools over the last four years and even offered to quit Congress to defend the 45th president during his second impeachment trial (the offer was apparently declined). And now, he reportedly can’t even get a sit-down with the guy. Per CNN:

Rep. Matt Gaetz, who’s facing a federal investigation into sex trafficking allegations, was recently denied a meeting with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate as the ex-president and his allies continue to distance themselves from the Florida congressman. Two people familiar with the matter said Gaetz tried to schedule a visit with Trump after it was first revealed that he was being investigated, but the request was rejected by aides close to the former president, who have urged Trump not to stick his neck out to defend Gaetz.

The interference by Trump’s aides signals that Gaetz finds himself increasingly isolated as he weathers a potentially career-ending scandal just months after he offered to leave his plum job in Congress to join the 45th president’s impeachment defense team…. Speaking to deep-pocketed GOP donors at his Palm Beach club on Saturday, Trump omitted Gaetz as he name-checked many of his top Republican defenders—from South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, according to two people familiar with his remarks. Trump's failure to mention Gaetz was viewed as conspicuous to some in the crowd, given the congressman’s outsized loyalty to the former president and the litany of other Republicans Trump called out during his speech.

After repeated requests for comment from CNN about the meeting snub, Trump spokesman Jason Miller claimed in a tweet Sunday night that Gaetz did not request a sit-down “and therefore, it could never have been denied.” Gaetz’s spokesman similarly denied the story, saying “Rep. Gaetz was welcomed to Trump Doral this week” and claimed he “has not sought to meet with President Trump himself,” adding that the congressman has “been mostly relaxing with his fiancée this week during recess.” Which…doesn’t really sound believable, given Gaetz’s slavish devotion to the president. After Democrats won back the House in 2018 and started increasing the pressure on the administration, Gaetz, per the Times, “emerged as a standout in what he called the ‘warrior class’ of lawmakers who made it their mission to protect the president.” When the president’s former fixer, Michael Cohen, was called to testify against him in 2019, Gaetz threatened to expose what he claimed were extramarital affairs by Cohen. During the first impeachment proceedings against Trump, Gaetz led dozens of Republicans into investigation hearing rooms and refused to leave, calling the process a “sham” and attacking Democrats for holding the proceedings behind closed doors (where GOP lawmakers were allowed if they were on the relevant committees). In a stomach-turning passage from his book, Firebrand: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the MAGA Revolution, Gaetz wrote, “The president has called me when I was in my car, asleep in the middle of the night on my Longworth Office cot, on the throne, on airplanes, in nightclubs, and even in the throes of passion (yes, I answered).”

None of which paints a picture of a guy who would find himself within miles of Trump and not request a meeting in the hopes of posting a photo to Twitter with a caption à la “Great conversation with President Trump! He’s still working tirelessly on behalf of this great country!”

On Friday, Gaetz delivered a last-minute speech at a pro-Trump women’s conference, a move that was seen by the ex-president’s aides “as a blatant attempt to reach Trump and his supporters,” according to CNN. One person “directly involved with Trump’s postpresidential operation” said 45’s staffers “were under the impression that Gaetz went down there to try and run into Trump or people around him.” In other news re: the Florida congressman having almost no friends in Congress:

Gaetz has already faced calls from one Republican colleague, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, to resign his congressional seat and has received virtually no support from within Trump’s orbit. The Florida firebrand, who is known for having few friends inside Washington, is also at risk of losing his committee assignments depending on investigators' findings, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told Fox News last week.

On Sunday, Gaetz tweeted, “Firebrands don’t retreat, especially when the battle for the soul of our country calls,” which, aside from everything else, sounds weirdly cribbed from Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign slogan.

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