Speaker Mike Johnson said he does not think the House Ethics report into Matt Gaetz should be released, as the former representative faces a Senate confirmation for attorney general.
“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. “And I think that would be a terrible precedent to set.”
Johnson said he plans to talk to House Ethics Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.), but does not know when yet, adding that he got back from Mar-a-Lago at about 3 a.m.
“The rules of the House have always been that a former member is beyond the jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee,” Johnson said, when asked if the public has a right to see the report. “And so I don’t think that’s relevant.”
The Ethics panel was previously scheduled to meet on Friday in regards to the report, but Guest said that the meeting had been postponed, though not canceled.
Donald Trump announced on Wednesday he would nominate Gaetz to be attorney general, and Gaetz quickly announced his resignation from Congress shortly after. The Ethics Committee has been investigating Gaetz for several allegations, including that he engaged in sex with a minor. The position would put Gaetz atop the Justice Department, which previously investigated Gaetz for the same allegations.
Senators have acknowledged Gaetz faces an uphill battle to be confirmed, and many also said they wanted to see the Ethics report as part of his confirmation hearing.
“I think it’s a terrible breach of protocol and tradition,” Johnson said, later adding that he is going to request that it not be released.
Johnson declined to answer when asked whether he talked to Trump about the matter: “I’m not talking to anybody about what I’ve said to Trump.”
“The speaker has no involvement or understanding of what’s going on with the Ethics Committee or what they’re investigating or when,” Johnson said. “I am responding to published reports that all of you have written about this.”