Matt Gaetz apologizes and deletes tweet about Michael Cohen

Hours after Rep. Matt Gaetz sent a menacing Tweet aimed at Michael Cohen, the Panhandle Republican apologized and deleted the post from his Twitter feed.

Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, said Tuesday night that he “should have chosen words that better showed my intent. I’m sorry.” However, he maintained that he was not attempting to threaten Cohen, who was scheduled to testify before Congress on Wednesday about his long career working as the fixer and lawyer for President Donald Trump (that testimony started this morning).

Gaetz’s apology came in response to a reminder posted by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to “be mindful that comments made on social media or in the press can adversely affect the ability of House Committees to obtain the truthful and complete information necessary.”

Early in the day, Gaetz tweeted to Cohen: “Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she’ll remain faithful when you’re in prison. She’s about to learn a lot..”

Legal and ethics experts immediately questioned whether Gaetz’s message could be construed as witness tampering.

Despite the apology, Gaetz remained critical of Cohen, retweeting an interview in which he suggested Cohen would lie to Congress about his work for Trump.