The House Ethics Committee on Wednesday did not agree to release the long-anticipated report into Matt Gaetz.
“There was not an agreement by the committee to release the report,” Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) told reporters after the meeting ended. Other members declined to comment.
Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress last week, hours after President-elect Donald Trump tapped him to be attorney general. The Florida firebrand told GOP leadership the abrupt resignation was meant to allow them to fill his seat more quickly, but several Republicans theorized it was actually to avoid the coming release of the Ethics Committee report. Typically, once a member resigns they are no longer considered under the panel’s jurisdiction, though the Ethics Committee has released reports on former members at least twice before.
The investigation centered on multiple allegations against Gaetz, including that he had sex with a minor. He has denied any wrongdoing.
The panel was under intense pressure heading into the vote. While multiple GOP senators said they would like to see the report as they consider Gaetz’s nomination, Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters last week that he would strongly urge the committee to not release the report. He softened that stance slightly this week, saying he wasn’t trying to — and couldn’t — dictate the committee’s decision.
Democrats have widely called for the report to be released. Many have speculated that the report could be leaked to the media, or a lawmaker could attempt to read it into the congressional record, which would give access to the public.
One rank-and-file Democrat, Rep. Sean Casten (Ill.), said Wednesday he’d file a privileged resolution aimed at forcing a vote of the full House to release the report on Gaetz — a step that would maneuver around the cumbersome and slow committee process.
Any lawmaker who disclosed the report could face immediate consequences, like censure or expulsion.
While Gaetz allies in the House, and some of his critics, have said they don’t believe the report should be released, that’s not a universal position among Republicans. Many have called for the report to be published or at least shared with the Senate as the chamber considers his attorney general nomination. Multiple GOP senators have said they want to see the report, as nearly a dozen have sidestepped questions about whether they would vote to confirm him.
Anthony Adragna contributed to this report.