Fact Check: Real Mug Shot of Trump Attorney General Nominee Matt Gaetz Is Trailed by False Rumors
Claim:
An image authentically shows an arrest mug shot of Matt Gaetz.
Rating:
Following U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's Nov. 13, 2024, announcement that he would nominate Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to his cabinet as attorney general, years-old claims related to this potential top law officer's alleged criminal record reemerged on social media platforms. Many social media posts, including the X post below, incorporated what appeared to be a mug shot of Matt Gaetz.
As Snopes has previously written, this is an authentic police photo of Matt Gaetz taken after an arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) in October 2008. In a 2019 article, Snopes determined that image was real, as has been acknowledged by the congressman himself. It was reported on in depth by the Tampa Bay Times in 2014:
It was the night before Halloween in 2008 when Gaetz, then 26, drove back from the Swamp, a nightclub on Okaloosa Island. He drove a 2001 BMW SUV registered to his state senator dad.
\Near midnight, Okaloosa County Deputy Chris Anglin clocked Gaetz going 48 in a 35 mph zone. Anglin later reported that Gaetz fumbled for his license and registration, his eyes were watery and bloodshot, and he swayed and staggered when he got out of the car.
Smelling alcohol, Anglin asked Gaetz if he had been drinking. Gaetz replied no. Minutes later, he admitted he had consumed two beers. Twice, Anglin conducted an eye test. Twice, Gaetz's eyes didn't follow the prompt. Gaetz, who had recently begun practicing law, declined any field sobriety tests. He was arrested and refused the breath test.
A controversy ensued when charges against Gaetz, whose father was a member of the Florida State Senate at the time, were dropped and his license was reinstated. This occurred despite a Florida law requiring a year-long suspension for refusing to take a breathalyzer test.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, "A field officer for the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles declared there was no evidence that Gaetz refused a breath test. Yet the refusal was clearly documented in [the arresting officer's] affidavit and arrest report."
The arresting officer, Okaloosa County Deputy Chris Anglin, resigned a month after the Gaetz arrest under pressure from his superiors, who cited disciplinary issues. The question of whether Gaetz's father's political connections played an improper role in these outcomes, Snopes wrote in 2019, has dogged Gaetz for years. Gaetz, for his part, has dismissed such allegations as "tabloid journalism."
Several false claims, including that there exist up to seven DUI arrests on Gaetz's record and that his roommate allegedly died under suspicious circumstances, have long been associated with this photo. While those claims are false, the authenticity of the mug shot is not in question. For that reason, this claim is true.
Sources:
"Florida Lawmaker Files Bill That Would Ban Release of Arrest Mug Shots." The Bradenton Herald, https://www.bradenton.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article34599507.html.
Grayer, Hannah Rabinowitz, Holmes Lybrand, Annie. "Trump Picks Rep. Matt Gaetz to Serve as Attorney General | CNN Politics." CNN, 13 Nov. 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/13/politics/matt-gaetz-attorney-general/index.html.
Kasprak, Alex. "Yes, Rep. Matt Gaetz Was Arrested for One DUI. Memes Added Extra Spin." Snopes, 12 July 2019, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/matt-gaetz-mug-shot/.
"Matt Gaetz's Talk of Mug Shot Raises Questions about DUI Arrest." Tampa Bay Times, https://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/lawmakers-talk-of-mug-shot-raises-questions-about-dui-arrest/2166023/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.
