The internet’s kangaroo court has sentenced Matt Gaetz to be mocked for his Captain Kangaroo zinger

By Starr Rhett Rocque

Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz belongs to the internet now.

Gaetz addressed the media regarding a key witness being blocked from testifying in House Democrats’ impeachment probe, and he seems to believe that kangaroo court and Captain Kangaroo are related.

Let’s start at the beginning.

Ambassador Gordon Sondland, a key witness in the Democratic impeachment probe, was blocked from testifying on Tuesday, and the typical fallout ensued. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who is leading the impeachment inquiry, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, and House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings announced they would subpoena Sondland for both his testimony and documents. Trump blocked their efforts. Then, they stated that this was strong evidence of White House obstruction and that the American people have the right to know if the president is acting against the nation’s best interests.

Republicans feel that the Democratic-controlled process is unfair, and multiple reps gave various news outlets their take on the situation.

Most memorable among these is Representative Gaetz. “What we see in this impeachment is a kangaroo court, and Chairman Schiff is acting like a malicious Captain Kangaroo,” he told ABC News.

The thing is, Captain Kangaroo was a popular long-running variety show for children that Baby Boomers and some Gen Xers are probably familiar with. His captaincy did not confer actual rank or any judicial authority.

Meanwhile the phrase “kangaroo court” is completely different. Kangaroo court is a term referencing a biased or hasty judicial proceeding that ends in extreme punishment, or an unauthorized trial by people who have chosen to take the law into their own hands, according to Encyclopedia.com. Among the many credible explanations for the idiom is that it refers to a judicial proceeding in which conclusions are being leapt to.

Gaetz may or may not be well aware that the television character and common phrase are different concepts. Perhaps he just saw the “Captain Kangaroo” comment as a clever zinger to match his kangaroo court claims, but the internet has convened a kangaroo court of its own and quickly ruled that the most entertaining version of this story is that he’s confused.

He has been sentenced to a litany of amusing Twitter memes. Enjoy:

 

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