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Jimmy Williams
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., urged the House Ethics Committee on Friday to withhold the findings of its investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., now President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general.
Johnson argued that releasing the report, which allegedly details accusations of sexual misconduct, drug use, and other improprieties, would breach House tradition.
“The rules of the House have always been that a former member is beyond the jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee,” Johnson said. “I’m going to request, strongly request, that the Ethics Committee not issue the report.”
The bipartisan Ethics panel had investigated Gaetz intermittently since 2021 but lost jurisdiction when he resigned from Congress earlier this week. Historically, however, reports on former lawmakers have been released, as in the cases of Reps. Bill Boner, D-Tenn., and Buz Lukens, R-Ohio, in the 1980s and 1990s, respectively.
Johnson dismissed such precedents, saying, “If it’s been broken once or twice, it should not have been.”
Ethics Report’s Role in Gaetz Confirmation
Gaetz’s appointment as attorney general will require Senate confirmation. Republican senators have indicated a desire to review the Ethics report, which focuses on allegations of sexual misconduct, improper gifts, and obstruction.
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., have called for the Ethics Committee to preserve and hand over all materials from the Gaetz investigation.
“Gaetz shouldn’t be able to resign away an ethics investigation involving allegations of grave misconduct, especially when he will be nominated to be our country’s top law enforcement officer,” said Josh Sorbe, a spokesperson for the Judiciary Committee Democrats.
Republicans, who will control the Judiciary Committee next year, expressed confidence that an FBI background check would reveal necessary details if the report is not released.
Meeting Canceled, Questions Remain
The Ethics Committee, chaired by Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., had been scheduled to meet Friday to discuss the report’s release. However, the meeting was canceled, according to a source with direct knowledge.
Johnson declined to say whether he discussed the report during his Thursday meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago but later warned that its release could “open Pandora’s box.”
Gaetz’s Legal History Looms Large
The Ethics Committee report follows years of scrutiny for Gaetz. He was previously under federal investigation for alleged sex trafficking but was not charged. The Ethics probe delved into related allegations of misconduct, including illicit drug use and obstruction.
As Gaetz prepares for a contentious confirmation process, his past and the Ethics report’s potential content could become a focal point.
“This is a serious role, and serious allegations deserve serious consideration,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. “The Judiciary Committee must have all the facts.”
The debate over the report’s release highlights the broader stakes of Gaetz’s nomination, as the Senate Judiciary Committee prepares to fulfill its constitutional duty of advice and consent.
