With hours to go until Michael Cohen testifies in an open congressional hearing, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) had a message for him ― and a bizarrely threatening one at that. On the heels of reports that Cohen, former personal attorney to President Donald Trump, would be painting a deeply unflattering picture of the president in his testimony Wednesday, Gaetz called him out over Twitter. “Hey [Michael Cohen] - Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends?” he asked in the since-deleted post. “Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she’ll remain faithful when you’re in prison. She’s about to learn a lot ...” Whether or not Cohen is having an extramarital affair is not widely known, nor particularly relevant. Many observers pointed out that what Gaetz had done could be potentially considered witness tampering, a violation of federal law carried out in full view of the public.

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow responded by sharing multiple links to the legal statute (“Obstruction by Intimidation, Threats, Persuasion, or Deception”) that Gaetz may have violated, before asking a question surely on others’ minds: What now?

So... what happens next here? I mean, I presume the Congressman says within the hour that his twitter account was hacked by a hostile actor trying to get him arrested. But then what? — Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) February 26, 2019

Cohen’s attorney Lanny Davis said in a statement that he would not respond to Gaetz’s comments “except to say we trust that his colleagues in the House ... will repudiate his words and his conduct.” “I also trust that his constituents will not appreciate that their congressman has set a new low,” Davis said. Speaking to The Daily Beast’s Sam Stein, Gaetz insisted he’d done nothing untoward. “No, it is challenging the veracity and character of a witness,” he said of the tweet. “We do it every day. We typically do it during people’s testimony.” He added: “This is what it looks like to compete in the marketplace of ideas.” He denied threatening Cohen again Wednesday.

Matt Gaetz says it was “absolutely not” his intent for his Cohen tweet to be threatening. pic.twitter.com/sYXJyvF42a — Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) February 27, 2019

But on Tuesday the congressman had a more cryptic reply to Vox reporter Alex Ward, who also asked him about the tweet. “Watch tomorrow,” Gaetz told Ward in a text message. “Will do ― anything I should be prepared for?” Ward said. “Fireworks,” the congressman replied. Cohen is scheduled to testify before the House Committee on Ethics and Government Reform, where he will be asked about his dealings with the Trump Organization, including any possible tax violations or criminal acts. Cohen worked for over a decade as Trump’s loyal “fixer” before agreeing to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. He has also cooperated with federal prosecutors in New York. Cohen now stands as a major threat to the Trump presidency, and Republicans are expected to largely paint him as a liar at Wednesday’s hearing. The hearing was previously rescheduled from Feb. 7 due to “ongoing threats” against Cohen and his family by the president, Davis said. Gaetz deleted his original tweet late Tuesday and apologized, writing, “I should have chosen words that better showed my intent.”

Speaker, I want to get the truth too. While it is important 2 create context around the testimony of liars like Michael Cohen, it was NOT my intent to threaten, as some believe I did. I’m deleting the tweet & I should have chosen words that better showed my intent. I’m sorry. https://t.co/Rdbw3sTQJD — Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) February 27, 2019