House lawmakers voted Thursday against releasing the ethics committee’s report on an exhaustive, years-long investigation Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz.A close ally and confidant of President-elect Donald Trump.
Democrats forced the vote, while Republicans responded by voting to return the matter to the Ethics Committee, temporarily ending the debate over the report’s release. It remains unknown whether the report will be made public.
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The vote came shortly after a bipartisan ethics panel met privately for the second time in as many months to discuss whether to make public reports of Gaetz’s involvement in illegal drug use and substance abuse allegations. Sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old girlobstructing the House investigation and other claims.
But two and a half hours later, the panel did not release the report and said in a statement that “discussions on the matter are continuing.” Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, a Mississippi Republican, told reporters his panel would meet again before the end of the year.
Asked whether he would still vote to release the report, Guest said: “I’m not going to speculate on what the committee might do in the future.”
Other members of the panel from both political parties made no comment as they left the meeting. The committee’s Democratic leader, Rep. Susan Wild of Pennsylvania, did not attend the meeting and her office had no comment.
Gates has denied the accusations, which led to Some Senate Republicans say behind closed doors They won’t vote to confirm him as Trump’s attorney general.
Before Thanksgiving on November 20, the 10-member Ethics Commission reached an impasse over issuing a report to Gaetz. Trump announced his nomination to lead the Justice Department on November 13, the same day Gaetz resigned from Congress. .
But Gates withdrew his name on November 21 — a move that “should end discussions about releasing the report,” Guest said at the time.
After the Ethics Committee took no action, the full House took action Thursday night to place all lawmakers on the record. Two Democrats — Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois and Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee — forced the vote, resolution Focus on the Gates report.
Castan’s decision would direct the Commission to release its report to the public and Cohen’s decision would force the committee to preserve and release records of its review of Gaetz. Because the resolutions were introduced as “privileged” on Tuesday, they must be voted on within two legislative days.
But Republicans defeated the resolutions by voting to send them to the Ethics Committee.
Democrats had pushed for the release of the report, with Gaetz publicly considering running for Florida governor in 2026 or being nominated for another potential role in the Trump White House — a role that might not require Senate confirmation.
But Republicans do not want the report released, arguing that the ethics committee only has jurisdiction over current members of Congress, not former members.
house democrats Tried to do the same thing in September 1996urging the Ethics Committee to release an outside lawyer’s report on its investigation of then-Georgia Speaker Newt Gingrich. But the House rejected the resolution in a floor vote.
Democrats this time pushed back against Republican arguments that the ethics committee cannot release a report on a member who recently resigned. Kasten’s resolution cited multiple instances in which the ethics panel released reports on former lawmakers.
For example, on October 5, 1987, Democratic Representative Bill Boner of Tennessee resigned to become mayor of Nashville. The Ethics Committee issued a Preliminary staff report The following December, allegations that Boehner misused campaign funds, failed to disclose gifts and accepted bribes were reviewed.
In 2006, following the election of Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla. Resigned due to leaks He sent explicit electronic messages to at least one teenage former congressional aide, and an ethics panel released a report on the matter.
Casten’s resolution states, “Given the seriousness of the allegations against Representative Gaetz, the House Ethics Committee’s failure to publicly release its investigative report undermines the committee’s credibility and undermines the safety, dignity, and integrity of the House legislative process.” Integrity.
