Matt Gaetz Recounts Bizarre, Humiliating Experience With AIPAC, Pro-Israel Operatives

Former U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz in recent podcast appearances, discussed his experiences at an AIPAC reception and a separate incident during a congressional trip to Israel, describing both events as deeply unsettling and indicative of undue influence by the pro-Israel lobbying group.

Gaetz recounted that at his first AIPAC reception, lawmakers were required to wear name badges with QR codes, and their primary task was to engage potential donors, hoping they would scan the code to make an immediate donation, which he found "demoralizing" and "freaking weird." He likened it to "scanning a can of tomato soup."

“At my first AIPAC reception, you had to wear a name badge with a QR code, talk to donors, and if they liked you, they scanned it to donate on the spot,” Gaetz said. “...Can you just imagine how demoralizing that is… hoping they would scan you like a can of tomato soup?"

The Congressman also revealed a separate incident from an "AIPAC trip" to Israel, where he returned to his hotel room unexpectedly and found a man in his hotel room at the King David Hotel, who claimed to be taking inventory but had no clipboard; he reported the event to congressional leadership, who dismissed his concerns as "regular."

“I was in Israel. I did not like the fact that I found someone in my room going through my stuff, who should not have been there at the King David Hotel when I came back to my room, when no one was expecting me,” the ex-congressman said. He was advised to never leave anything meaningful in his hotel room abroad, implying a culture of surveillance.

Gaetz criticized AIPAC for its significant influence on lawmakers, stating that questioning Israeli government decisions, such as those related to settlements or Gaza, was seen as deviating from a prescribed "script." 

AIPAC spokesman Marshall Wittman denied Gaetz’s hotel room story, calling it a "preposterously false allegation" and an attempt to smear those who support U.S.-Israel relations.

Gaetz has previously stated that there is significant pressure from congressional leadership and committee chairs for members to attend AIPAC-sponsored trips to Israel, which he views as a form of ideological indoctrination. The claims have been confirmed by other US congressmembers including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie.