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Sen. Cornyn to Gaetz: Everything Will Eventually Come Out

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Thursday, 21 November 2024 08:36 AM EST

Sen. John Cornyn, a senior Judiciary Committee Republican, says he has warned former Rep. Matt Gaetz that there will be no secrets held back about the sexual misconduct allegations he has been facing when his confirmation hearings are held for attorney general.

"All I said to him was that there are not going to be any secrets here. Everything's eventually going to come out," the Texas Republican, who met with Gaetz and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance on Wednesday, told CNN.

Cornyn added that he told Gaetz that "transparency is a good thing, because if it keeps just dripping out a little at a time, then that's going to make things more difficult."

The senator said he believes that Gaetz listened to his warnings.

"I think he seems like a pretty intelligent guy, so I think he understood what I was saying," said Cornyn.

The House Ethics Committee on Wednesday did not reach an agreement on whether to release its report on its findings on Gaetz to the Judiciary Committee.

A source told The Hill that the panel took several votes about whether to release the report. A vote to release the report as-is failed, as did a vote to publish only the exhibits that are associated with it.

But committee members did vote to formally complete the report. The committee is scheduled to meet again on Dec. 5 to further consider the matter, said Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, the panel's top Democrat.

Cornyn, when pressed on whether he is skeptical or undecided about Gaetz, told CNN that as he describes himself as "experienced in confirmations," adding that he does not "make decisions without — before the process proceeds."

But he said that the Judiciary Committee owes Gaetz a "fair process," and also owes that to President-elect Donald Trump.

"We've just got elected with a pretty strong majority, and that's what the Constitution requires," said Cornyn.

Gaetz and Vance also met Wednesday with six other Republicans on the Judiciary Committee: Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Mike Lee of Utah, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, John Kennedy of Louisiana, and Ted Cruz of Texas, reports CBS News.