House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Sunday “of course” the House Ethics Committee should release its report on the misconduct allegations against former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who resigned from Congress last week when President-elect Trump tapped him to be attorney general.
That Ethics Committee investigation came to an abrupt end Wednesday, when Gaetz resigned from the House.
The Ethics panel postponed a vote on Friday on whether to release the report.
It remains unknown what path the panel will follow with its Gaetz report.
Johnson has said it’s not within the Ethics Committee’s power to release the report because Gaetz is a former member, not a current one.
Hakeem Jeffries (D-N), the House Minority Leader. Y. stated on Sunday that it is “natural” for the House Ethics Committee to publish its report regarding the accusations of misconduct against the former Representative. Gaetz, Matt (R-Fla. ), who quit Congress last week after being appointed attorney general by President-elect Trump.
When asked about Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La) on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Jeffries responded, “Of course it should be released.”. arguing against the report’s release.
Jeffries added, “And that’s not just Democrats saying that.”. Senate Republicans who are on the Senate Judiciary Committee or in that chamber have stated time and again that they want access to all information in order to decide whether the nominee for attorney general is qualified to hold that position. “”.
The Senate’s role as a check and balance and as a distinct and equal branch of government is very evident. Motherhood, baseball, and apple pie are all hallmarks of America, according to Jeffries.
The Ethics panel has been looking into Gaetz for years, looking into claims of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use, among other things. He has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, and the Department of Justice, which looked into whether he had sex with a 17-year-old in the past, decided not to prosecute him.
Gaetz’s resignation from the House on Wednesday marked the abrupt end of that Ethics Committee investigation. A vote on whether to release the report was postponed by the ethics panel on Friday. Former members of Congress are not under the Ethics panel’s purview.
What course the panel will take with its Gaetz report is still unknown. As they go through the screening process, a few Republican senators have pushed for the Senate Judiciary Committee to have access to the report and the conclusion of the investigation.
According to Johnson, the Ethics Committee does not have the authority to make the report public because Gaetz is a former member rather than a current one.
