Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., says he's going to continue pushing to force the release of the report on the ethics investigation into alleged sexual misconduct and drug use by former Rep. Matt Gaetz despite the ex-congressman's withdrawal from the attorney general nomination.
Casten told Semafor that he isn't worried about the likelihood of some Democrats voting to withhold the report over concerns about the precedent releasing it might set.
"If there are Democrats who are alleged to have had sex with children, we should investigate that as well," Casten told the outlet.
According to Semafor, the Democrats who have already lost interest in releasing the Gaetz ethics report are wary of retaliation by the Republicans involving their own ethical issues.
Casten's push probably won't find support within the GOP either, considering at least one Republican who had previously said they would be in favor of releasing the report told the outlet they changed their mind.
During a Saturday appearance on MSNBC, Casten said House members would not want to "work in an environment where you can commit the crimes that Matt Gaetz is alleged to have committed, including — let's not sugarcoat this — allegations of having sex with a minor child."
"We have to remind the American people that in the House, we care about ethics," Casten said. "When you have elections, that we are the country that is not always perfect, but at least aspires to that vision that our founders laid out, where no one is above the law," he added. "And to do that, we need to release this report."
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he is against releasing the House panel's report, while Casten and Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., moved last week to force a vote on a resolution that sought a full House vote about the matter.
"Given how tight the balance of the House is and, quite candidly, how many members of the Republican caucus there are who, while they might turn a blind eye to sexual assault, genuinely do not like Matt Gaetz, there is the very real possibility of that being forced to be released through a House vote," Casten said, according to The Hill.