The House Ethics Panel will be meeting Wednesday as pressure mounts from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to not release the details of its investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.
Gaetz was nominated last week by President-elect Donald Trump to be attorney general. Senators weighing whether to confirm Gaetz have said they want to see the report, which included an investigation into whether he had a sexual relationship with a minor.
"I'm going to strongly request that the Ethics Committee not issue the report because that is not the way we do things in the House," Johnson said last week. "And I think that would be a terrible precedent to set."
Gaetz resigned following his nomination, ending the investigation against him. On the Sunday talk shows, Johnson expressed his support for Gaetz's nomination.
"The rules of the House have always been that a former member is beyond the jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee," Johnson said last week. "And so, I don't think that's relevant."
The panel is expected to vote on whether to release the report at its Wednesday meeting, Politico reported.
Two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, have already expressed their opposition to Gaetz's nomination. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told "Meet the Press" that senators should be able to see the report but said it was not necessary to make it public.
Gaetz was also investigated by the Justice Department for nearly three years over sex trafficking allegations involving a 17-year-old girl. In 2023, his office said that he had been told by prosecutors that he would not face criminal charges.
In a statement announcing his pick, Trump said, "Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations, and restore Americans' badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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