After Matt Gaetz ducked the release of a long-awaited Ethics Committee report by resigning from the House, Democrats and Republicans in both chambers say the report investigating allegations that Gaetz sex trafficked a minor should come out anyway.
President-elect Donald Trump shocked Washington on Wednesday when he nominated Gaetz to be the next attorney general. And in the hours after that announcement, Gaetz shocked everyone again when he made it clear he intended to resign, reasoning that he was now in line for that cabinet position.
But it didn’t take long for reports to emerge that the real reason Gaetz was resigning was to dodge the release of the ethics report.
Sources with knowledge of the Ethics Committee’s intentions confirmed to NOTUS that panel members were supposed to vote on Friday on releasing the report.
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Normally, once a member resigns, the Ethics Committee would immediately halt its investigation — and wouldn’t release any report. But given Gaetz’s status as a nominee to be America’s top law enforcement official, lawmakers are saying a report into allegations that Gaetz had sex with a minor and used illegal drugs is highly relevant.
Sen. John Cornyn, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee — which would hold Gaetz’s confirmation hearing for attorney general — told reporters on Thursday that he “absolutely” wants to review the Ethics Committee report on Gaetz ahead of his confirmation process.
“There should not be any limitation on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation, including whatever the House Ethics Committee generated,” Cornyn said.
Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin seconded Cornyn’s sentiment, telling MSNBC on Wednesday that it was “absolutely essential” for the report to be released so that senators could fully investigate Gaetz’s “background and qualifications” for the position.
Republican Rep. John Duarte of California was also clear that, yes, the Ethics Committee should still release the report.
“If he’s going to stand any chance of being our attorney general, then we need to know what we know,” Duarte said. “We cannot have an attorney general who’s got an ethics report hanging out there over his head. That’s got to become public, or he’s going to be compromised as attorney general.”
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York agreed, saying, “If he’s up for attorney general, we should know what’s in the report.”
While most members stuck to the reasoning that the report was pertinent because Gaetz was now trying to be attorney general, some lawmakers simply suggested they wanted the report to be made public because it’s about Gaetz.
“Karma comes around,” Rep. Greg Murphy said, adding that it was “suspect” that Gaetz resigned on Wednesday when the report’s release was going to be voted on come Friday.
But he questioned if the Ethics Committee could release the report because Gaetz is no longer a member.
“He’s no longer a member of the House. You know, I don’t take any joy in tearing somebody down, but someone who’s caused so much chaos in the last couple of years, as I said, ‘Karma comes around,’” Murphy said. “I don’t necessarily feel the need to see it myself. I can already, given the circumstances, imagine the difficulties in it.”
Rep. Don Bacon gave an emphatic “yes” when asked if he believed the report should be released.
“After two years of the saga, I think it would be nice to know what’s in the report,” Bacon said.
Some lawmakers wanted to establish a new standard for ethics reports in these circumstances — that is, that they should be released to senators who are tasked with confirming Gaetz.
“Look, the Ethics Committee should follow its process,” Rep. Mike Lawler said. “But I certainly believe that the information that was gleaned in that investigation, you know, should be available to the Senate during a confirmation process.”
Speaking generally about all cabinet secretary positions, Rep. Austin Scott said he believes anyone who is up for attorney general should receive a “deep dive that looks into all aspects of their character and their quality.”
While there were some lawmakers who believe the report should not be released, the attorney for the minor Gaetz is accused of having sex with is urging the committee to release the report.
“Mr. Gaetz’s likely nomination as Attorney General is a perverse development in a truly dark series of events,” attorney John Clune said on X. “We would support the House Ethics Committee immediately releasing their report. She was a high school student and there were witnesses.”
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Reese Gorman is a reporter at NOTUS.
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