The House Ethics Committee has decided against releasing its report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), following a vote by Republican members of the panel to keep the findings private.
Gaetz has been nominated by President-elect Trump to serve as attorney general, a position that would make him the nation’s top law enforcement official. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) publicly opposed making the report available, citing concerns that doing so would violate precedent since Gaetz is no longer a member of Congress.
“There was not an agreement by the committee to release the report,” Ethics Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) said as he left Wednesday’s meeting.
The committee, consisting of 10 members evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, voted along party lines, according to a source familiar with the proceedings. Without a majority vote, the report cannot be made public.
Gaetz stepped down from his congressional seat soon after Trump announced his nomination, sparking questions about whether the Ethics Committee’s findings might still be disclosed.
Several Senate Republicans have expressed interest in reviewing the report, which centers on allegations of misconduct involving minors, as they prepare to assess Gaetz’s suitability for the role of attorney general.
Gaetz has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has labeled the investigation as politically motivated, arguing it was retaliation for his role in ousting former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
Gaetz has also pointed out that the Department of Justice declined to press charges after conducting its own investigation into the matter.
Meanwhile, Gaetz’s supporters, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), have strongly opposed any move to release the report.
President-elect Trump has been actively working to secure Senate confirmation for Gaetz. He has reportedly made personal calls to skeptical Republican senators, urging them to back the former congressman despite the controversy.
While the Ethics Committee has withheld the report for now, several Republican lawmakers speculate that its findings may eventually be leaked to the public.
{Matzav.com}