CNN
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Former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz will join One America News Network (OAN) as an anchor in January, the network announced Tuesday.
“Matt Gaetz has earned a reputation as a relentless defender of conservative values, taking on stubborn Washington bureaucrats and exposing government overreach,” the network said in a news release. . CNN reported Monday that Gaetz is expected to announce that he will be joining OAN as an anchor.
News of Gaetz’s move to the network comes less than a month after Gaetz withdrew his name as a candidate for attorney general after President-elect Donald Trump told Gaetz he didn’t have a vote in the Senate. It was done.
“I’m excited to join OAN’s forward-thinking team and be a part of this revolutionary work,” said Gaetz, who will host a one-hour political talk show in prime time weekday nights at 9pm ET. I couldn’t be more excited about it,” he said in a statement. expansion. ”
The Republican firebrand previously announced he would not return to Congress next year.
“I’m still going to join the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I’m not going to be in the 119th Congress,” he told conservative activist Charlie Kirk in an interview last month. Ta.
OAN President Charles Herring congratulated Gaetz on joining the network in a statement, calling the former congressman “an exceptionally talented and principled leader.”
“His insider access to America’s top policymakers and unwavering dedication to America First values will bring unparalleled insight and exclusive content to OAN viewers. We are excited to welcome them to the family,” added Herring.
The addition of Gaetz as OAN anchor is a major benefit for the far-right network, considering most of the channel’s personalities are relatively unknown.
The network suffered a major blow when DirecTV discontinued it in 2022. Other major distribution companies were reluctant to air the show, and OAN urged people to stream the network online instead.
OAN has established itself as perhaps the most extreme pro-Trump news outlet.
The little-noticed network regularly gives airtime to baseless conspiracy theories supporting Trump. The channel also worked closely with Russian operatives to produce a propaganda-style documentary during Trump’s first impeachment in 2019 over allegations that he pressured Ukraine to investigate a political rival.
Gates’ decision to withdraw his name as attorney general came as Democrats, among others, had called for the release of the House Ethics Committee report detailing the investigation into him, including allegations of sexual misconduct and other crimes. It came under bipartisan pressure.
Gaetz, who was first elected in 2016, has vehemently denied the allegations investigated by the Justice Department and the committee, including allegations that he had sexual relations with a woman in 2017 when he was a minor.
Since leaving Congress, Gaetz has used celebrity video messaging platform Cameo, where he sells personalized video messages.
“I served in Congress. Trump nominated me to be U.S. Attorney General (that didn’t work out). I once fired the Speaker of the House,” his bio in the cameo says, adding that last year is referring to his role in the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
This article was updated on Tuesday to reflect OAN’s announcement regarding new programming on GAETZ.
CNN’s Brian Stelter contributed to this report.
