The House Ethics panel will meet Wednesday and possibly vote to release a report investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), whom Donald Trump appointed as his attorney general, according to two people familiar with the discussion.
The meeting comes as Gaetz’s confirmation is in doubt, with some Republican senators wary of the controversial Florida Republican as the nation’s top law enforcement official.
Speaker Mike Johnson is pressuring Ethics Committee members to keep the report secret, saying Friday that he is “going to strongly request” that the report not be released because “that’s not the way we do things in the House of Representatives”. , and I think that would be a terrible precedent to set.
Johnson continued that stance in interviews on the Sunday shows and endorsed Gaetz for attorney general.
Members moved Wednesday’s meeting from last week, where lawmakers were widely expected to vote on whether to release the report.
Whether or not to release the report, which some senators have said would be key to deciding whether to confirm Gaetz, puts significant pressure on the historically bipartisan Ethics Commission. Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin told Meet The Press on Sunday that the Senate “absolutely” should be able to see the report, but he said that doesn’t necessarily mean it should become public.
Gaetz, a fierce and loyal Trump supporter, faces a difficult road to confirmation in the Senate. GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she “doesn’t think it’s a serious nomination.” And fellow Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine said she was “shocked” by the choice.
Republicans will hold 53 Senate seats in the next Congress, meaning they can only afford three defectors during the confirmation process.
Joel Leppard, who represents two people who testified before the House Ethics Committee, told ABC News on Friday that his client saw Gaetz having sex with a minor at a party and told the committee about the incident in their testimony. And he’s making the rounds on cable Monday to call for the report’s release.
“Ultimately, I hope it puts a lot of pressure on the panel to release the report,” Leppard told Playbook Sunday. “My clients have been through this several times and really don’t want to testify again, especially on the floor of the Senate.”
Gaetz has denied all allegations.
