Democrats Revive Efforts To Release Gaetz’s Ethics Report Despite Him No Longer Being a Lawmaker

Democrats are reviving their effort to have Congressman Matt Gaetz’s ethics report released to the public, despite the fact that Mr. Gaetz is no longer a member of the House and has withdrawn his name from consideration to lead the Justice Department. Some Republicans in the past have said the report should be released regardless of Mr. Gaetz’s current employment status. On Tuesday, Congressman Sean Casten introduced a resolution on the House floor that would compel the Ethics Committee to release the findings of their years-long investigation into Mr. Gaetz, who resigned from the House on the day he was nominated by President Trump for attorney general. He was previously investigated by the Justice Department for allegedly using illegal drugs and having sex with a minor. “The Committee on Ethics has, on many occasions, released its reports on former members,” Mr. Casten, who is an Illinois Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday. “Resigning from Congress should not allow Members to avoid accountability for allegations as serious as those faced by Matt Gaetz. Withholding this report from the American people would impede the dignity and integrity of the legislative proceedings of the House.” The Ethics Committee is due to meet again on Friday for a closed-door meeting where they will discuss the Gaetz report. At their most recent meeting in November — when Mr. Gaetz was still the attorney general nominee — the committee declined to take action on releasing the report, though they did finalize it. A spokesman for the committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr. Casten’s resolution is a privileged one, meaning that Speaker Johnson must put it on the floor for an up-or-down vote within three legislative days. The resolution will receive a vote by Thursday at the latest. “Withholding this report from the American people would impede the dignity and integrity of the legislative proceedings of the House,” Mr. Casten argued. Mr. Johnson and other congressional leaders previously opposed the efforts to release the report on Mr. Gaetz while he was the nominee for attorney general. During that fight, many senators said they wanted to read the report before making a decision on how to cast their votes, though Mr. Gaetz withdrew his name shortly after he began meeting with senators. Other Republicans who have no love for Mr. Gaetz — including Congressman Max Miller, Congressman Don Bacon, and others — said the report should be released. Some said that they would vote to release it if it came to the House floor. Mr. Gaetz’s withdrawal from public life, however temporary it may be, likely takes some heat off of GOP lawmakers to force the disclosure of the report. The former Florida lawmaker has seemingly returned home to the panhandle to fish and spend time with his wife, according to her own social media posts, though he could make a return to Washington in a position that does not require Senate confirmation, including a senior advisor position either in the White House or at the Justice Department.

Democrats Revive Efforts To Release Gaetz’s Ethics Report Despite Him No Longer Being a Lawmaker

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