WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — The House Ethics Committee voted to make public its report on the conduct of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), a major shift after initially deciding to hold the document back. According to sources familiar with the matter, the report will be made public after the House adjourns to conclude its legislative session for the year.
The secretive vote was taken this earlier part of the month as weeks of internal debate and public scrutiny went by. Rare is this move as this will be an ethics report concerning a lawmaker who is already out of Congress. One of the close allies of President-elect Donald Trump, Gaetz is an attorney who resigned from the House last month after he emerged in consideration for the job of U.S. Attorney General.
The Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Gaetz on alleged sexual misconduct, drug abuse, the misuse of state ID records, as well as the improper usage of funds for his campaigns. Another matter under inquiry was how Gaetz could share unauthorized images or videos on the House floor and probably receive a bribe or other illegitimate gifts. Gaetz has denied all such claims and termed it a “witch hunt.”
The fact that they voted to make the report public-after first voting along party lines to prevent it-is an indication that some Republicans have joined with Democrats in a vote to make the report public, but it is unclear whether the committee will stick by that decision or reconsider by the time of the scheduled release. It is very unusual since ethics reports are rarely released after members leave Congress.
Gaetz responded to the news of the committee’s vote by repeating that he had been “fully exonerated” in a separate Department of Justice investigation. In a statement on social media, he noted that he “never had sexual contact with anyone under 18” and attributed the scrutiny to his earlier lifestyle, saying he “partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La) was also against the report’s release, suggesting that by Gaetz resignation from the Congress, it has now become irrelevant. At the same time, however, he admitted not being able to exercise control on this committee, since the latter has been working without House leaders’ interference.
Gaetz, who was re-elected to his Florida seat just before resigning, has no intention of returning to Congress. Instead, he said he will stay active in politics by continuing to support Trump’s presidency. Gaetz recently announced that he will become a contributor with One America News Network, starting in January.
The Ethics Committee did not respond to requests for comment.
