Republican congressman Matt Gaetz claimed he is being targeted by a hitman in a bizarre speech in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
The Florida lawmaker, 39, who is currently the subject of an investigation into various crimes including sex with an underage girl, declared he had received a death threat on Twitter from a 'professional hitman'.
'I think someone may be trying to kill me. If they are successful, I would like my constituents and my family to know who stopped their arrest,' Gaetz said on the House floor.
The Republican went on to accuse the Department of Justice of blocking a request from the Capitol Police that the individual in question be arrested.
It is the latest development in what has been a tumultuous few months for the congressman who is accused of sex trafficking and corruption.
Republican congressman Matt Gaetz claimed he is being targeted by a hitman in a bizarre speech in the House of Representatives on Wednesday
'I think someone may be trying to kill me. If they are successful, I would like my constituents and my family to know who stopped their arrest,' Gaetz said on the House floor
In a later tweet, Gaetz claimed the Department of Justice blocked a recommendation from the Capitol Police that the individual who allegedly made the death threat be arrested
Following his stunning House speech on Wednesday, Gaetz took to Twitter later that evening to reinforce his message.
The Floridian published a tweet showing the video of his speech and said: 'A man traveled across the country with the explicit goal of killing me in Washington D.C.,' before alleging the Department of Justice prevented the arrest of the 'hitman'.
Gaetz claimed he received a direct message on October 8 via Twitter from a user which read: 'I lived in Portland. Portland has ordered a hit on you. I accepted the contract. Have a good day.'
He went on to say he was told by a source that the Capitol Police recommended the arrest of the individual, who had purportedly traveled to D.C., but it was later blocked by the Department of Justice.
'It is just yet another example of the Department of Justice having a double standard,' Gaetz declared, before alleging the DOJ blocked his arrest due to his ethnicity and a disdain for Republicans.
'If my name weren't Gaetz, if it were Omar or Talib, you bet this person would have been arrested. Because that's what the Capitol Police recommended.
'But the Department of Justice doesn't seem to care so much when
