Matt Gaetz's past behavior isn't role-model material. 

By his own admission, Gaetz, in his 30s was "playing too hard....womanized, drank, and smoked more than I should have."

But that doesn't excuse CNN for its double standard on the subject.

At the end of a segment on today's CNN This Morning regarding the House Ethics Committee's impending release of its report on its investigation of Gaetz, host Kasie Hunt, speaking of Gaetz's activities, dubiously wondered, "in his 30s?" Hunt was apparently suggesting that the 30s are too old to still be a hard partier. 

Annie Linskey of the Wall Street Journal agreed, saying, "I know. Maybe in your 20s."

Not so surprisingly, CNN never mentioned two other men who were still partying hard at an advanced age.

By his own admission, Hunter Biden didn't get sober until 2019--when he was 49.

And then there's Ted Kennedy, who was 37 at the time of Mary Jo Kopechne's death at Chappaquiddick.

At age 53, there was Kennedy's infamous "waitress sandwich" with fellow Dem Senator Chris Dodd. The episode's label might be lighthearted, but the details are anything but. 

Kennedy was still going on Spring Break at age 59, when he accompanied his nephew William Smith to a Florida bar, leading to Smith's prosecution [and ultimate acquittal] for rape.

Of all the panelists, it was, interestingly, Republican strategist Brad Todd who had the toughest takes on Gaetz. Todd said of him:

"In a town full of reptiles, Matt Gaetz is the least popular snake," adding "He's about to be a footnote in history. This may be the last story we write about him."

Maybe so, but today's story was CNN's way of kicking Gaetz on his way out the door--while conveniently omitting mention of other notorious miscreants. 

Here's the transcript.

CNN This Morning 
12/19/24
6:15 am ET

MIKE JOHNSON: Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress. He is no longer a Member. There's a very important protocol and tradition and rule that we maintain, that the House Ethics Committee's jurisdiction does not extend to non-Members of Congress. I think that would be a Pandora's box. 

KASIE HUNT: That was House Speaker Mike Johnson urging the Ethics Committee to keep a report into Matt Gaetz under wraps a month ago. But now, the committee seems ready to open that Pandora's box. Sources tell CNN the panel authorized the report's release in a secret vote earlier this month. It is now expected to be made public any day now before Congress leaves Washington for the holidays. 

The report caps a years-long probe by the Ethics Committee into allegations that Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct, used illicit drugs, and, quote, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor. Gaetz posted on X, denying any wrongdoing, writing, "I was charged with nothing, not even a campaign finance violation. My 30s were an era of working very hard and playing too hard. It's embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank, and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now."

Gaetz also reiterated his innocence in an interview last month after his bid to be the next Attorney General fell apart. 

MATT GAETZ: Like, if the things that the House Ethics report were true, I would be under indictment and probably in a prison cell. But of course, they're false. 

HUNT: Oka-a-a-y.

. . . 

BRAD TODD: In a town full of reptiles, Matt Gaetz is the least popular snake. [Laughter] You know, it's . . . The lesson in all of this is Matt Gaetz made no friends. He helped nobody with their objectives in the U.S. House. And so, therefore, no one's ready to stand up for him right now. He also had bragged about his exploits, according to Markwayne Mullin and others. So it's no surprise, I think, that these members of the Ethics Committee, they don't want to be on the hook for this. They want the world to know what they know because they don't want to be accused of covering up for him. 

Something else happened, though. Ballots dropped in the 1st District of Florida yesterday. Absentee ballots did, in the special election to replace Matt Gaetz. He's about to be a footnote in history. This may be the last story we write about him. 

KATE BEDINGFIELD: And I would imagine they're also, the same people are trying to kind of put a political nail in his coffin, too, right? There's been discussion of does he run for governor someday? I would imagine that these members of the Ethics Committee looked at the report and said, you know what? We need to make sure that we do everything that we can to ensure that there's no great political revival here. 

Just judging by Matt Gaetz's own response, I mean, the detail that he goes into in responding to what he expects will be in this report just gives you a little bit of an idea what's expected to be in there. 

HUNT: Yeah. Is it just me, like, for most of us, is this stuff, I mean, the partying too hard, we'll set aside the more, you know, problematic allegations. Like, your 30s? 

ANNIE LINSKEY: I know. Maybe your 20s. 

BEDINGFIELD: I'm much younger. I'm like, 35, okay.