'The fact I have eyes' led Gaetz to insult female abortion rights activists

WASHINGTON — While U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz remains staunchly unapologetic for personal insults he directed at women standing up for abortion rights, a couple of his opponents, including one woman he directly attacked, have reaped benefits from his words.

Gaetz, Northwest Florida's self-styled "firebrand" well known for his controversial comments even before his 2016 election to Congress, last weekend told a group of young conservative activists that abortion rights protesters "are just disgusting."

"Why is it that the women with the least likelihood of getting pregnant are the ones most worried about having abortions?" Gaetz asked the cheering crowd.

"Nobody wants to impregnate you if you look like a thumb. These people are odious from the inside out," Gaetz told those gathered for the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit. "They're like 5′2,″ 350 pounds, and they're like, 'Give me my abortions or I'll get up and march and protest.' "

Turning Point statements:: Florida congressman Matt Gaetz to abortion rights protesters: 'Nobody wants to impregnate you'

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He continued.

"I'm thinking, march? You look like you've got ankles weaker than the legal reasoning behind Roe v Wade. They need to get up and march for like an hour a day, swing those arms, get the blood pumping, maybe mix in a salad."

Asked what prompted him to make the comments, Gaetz answered "mostly the fact that I have eyes."

"I was sharing an observation in the company of political activists," he said. "They seemed to enjoy it."

The congressman added that he is yet to see "a whole lot of evidence" that would disprove the validity of his statements.

In the days since the comments were made, the story of a woman who calls herself Olivia Julianna — using her first and middle names publicly for privacy reasons — has been circulated in several national publications.

Gaetz had gone after the 19-year-old Julianna personally when she called him out for his statements on Twitter, the Washington Post reported. He posted an image of her alongside the comments he made at the summit.

The Post reported that within a day of her encounter with Gaetz, Julianna wrote him a thank you note, having used his insult to raise about $115,000 for the nonprofit Gen Z for Change.

“Dear Matt, Although your intentions were hateful, your public shaming of my appearance has done nothing but benefit me,” the note said, according to the Washington Post.

By early Thursday, Newsweek was reporting Julianna's total raised stood at more than $570,000 for Gen Z for Change, a group that supports abortion rights. And by Friday the Miami Herald had the number at $1 million.

Mark Lombardo, a Vietnam War veteran and retired Fed Ex executive who has pledged to spend $1 million of his own money to defeat Gaetz in Florida's First Congressional District Republican primary, was also quick to use Gaetz's comments against him with an ad of his own that ran for the first time Thursday.

"I don't care who you are or what your political persuasion, it doesn't further anyone's agenda when you degrade another human being," Lombardo said when asked about the ad. "It (Gaetz's diatribe) was disgusting."

Lombardo was quick Friday to disassociate himself from any dealings with the Lincoln Project, a group of Republicans that has actively campaigned against Donald Trump and pro-Trump candidates like Gaetz. The Lincoln Project has also aired a commercial using Gaetz's words against him.

“Matt, you seem like a guy that enjoys spending time with a woman. So why are you so angry at them? Are you mad because you have to pay for sex? Allegedly,” the Lincoln Project ad states, referencing an investigation of Gaetz for allegedly engaging in sexual relations with a 17-year-old girl.

Gaetz has denied the allegations and no charges have been filed.

Along with Lombardo, Gaetz is being challenged in the Aug. 23 Republican Primary by Greg Merk, a former military pilot who served in both the Air Force and Navy.

The candidate who emerges victorious will take on the winner of a Democratic Party primary featuring Rebekah Jones and Peggy Schiller.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Congressman Matt Gaetz stands by abortion rights insults