Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida attended a secret New York Young Republican Club party Thursday, Newsweek reported.
Gavin Wax, president of the Young Republican Club, kept the location of the event under wraps to protect the safety of attendees from “violent left-wing attacks,” according to the New York Times. Wax also refused to disclose the expected number of guests. The Facebook event page indicated 65 guests were expected, the Times reported.
The New York Young Republican Club planned on having Sarah Palin as the keynote speaker, but had to reevaluate after she pulled out due to coronavirus concerns, the New York Times reported.
Soon after, Gaetz signed on to speak alongside James O’Keefe of Project Veritas, per The Daily Beast.
Last month, Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo put new coronavirus restrictions into place, including a cap of 10 people attending indoor and outdoor gatherings. The event was held nearby in New Jersey, which allows for 150 people in attendance to religious or political events as long as masks are worn and social distancing guidelines followed, according to Newsweek.
One attendee tweeted a picture alongside Gaetz, taunting Cuomo to “come and get me.”
Gaetz later retweeted the picture and caption.
Hey @NYGovCuomo, I’m at the @NYYRC with @mattgaetz. Come and get me. pic.twitter.com/tGte07GbRh
— Joel Fischer (@JFNYC1) December 4, 2020
The event website promised to check all guest’s temperatures before admitting them into the event and guaranteed refunds if there were to be cancellations due to the virus, according to Newsweek. (RELATED: Man Arrested After Allegedly Threatening To Assassinate Gov. DeSantis, Local GOP Politicians, Trump Supporters)
“There was no ban in place. We followed all proper New Jersey laws and regulations. It was a great event and we were happy to hold it,” New York Young Republican Club spokesperson told Newsweek.