Although the House of Representatives voted along party lines in November not to release its ethics report to former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), it now turns out that they reportedly conducted another secret vote in early December and came to a different conclusion .
She plan to publish it:
The report is now expected to be released after the House’s final day of voting this year as lawmakers leave Washington for the holidays, these sources said.
Gaetz retired from Congress after being appointed attorney general by Donald Trump. However, he withdrew from the race soon after when some senators announced they would not vote for his confirmation.
Related: Matt Gaetz Retreat: Why It Happened and What’s Next
Mike Johnson clashes with Jake Tapper over Gaetz’s nomination, arguing the ethics report shouldn’t be made public
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) previously spoke out against the release of the report:
What I said about the report is that it should not be published. And why? Because Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress. He is no longer a member.
There is a very critical protocol, tradition and rule that states that the jurisdiction of the House Ethics Committee does not extend to non-members of Congress. I think that would be a Pandora’s box. I don’t think we want the House Ethics Committee to utilize all of its extensive resources and authority to prosecute private citizens.
“The president and I have literally not said a word about the ethics report. Not once.”
.@SpeakerJohnson lays out why he opposes the release of a House Ethics Committee report on the attorney general’s choice of former Rep. Matt Gaetz. pic.twitter.com/gQbvi7LoMh
– State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) November 17, 2024
The move is unusual:
The decision to release the report suggests that some Republicans have ultimately decided to side with Democrats on the issue, and it is unclear whether the committee will change course again after the vote.
It is extremely uncommon for an ethics report to be released after a member leaves Congress, although it has happened a few times in the past. The committee revisited the issue behind closed doors earlier this month after a feud over the report went public before Thanksgiving.
The ethics committee investigated allegations of drug abuse and sexual misconduct made against Gaetz. Gaetz has vigorously denied all allegations and described the investigation as a witch hunt. A federal investigation into his activities ended with no fees is brought against him.
Gaetz recently announced that he will be joining the One American News Network in January and said that despite leaving Congress, he wants to continue fighting for conservative causes and Donald Trump:
“I will still take part in the fight, but it will be from a new perspective. I have no plans to join the 119th Congress,” he told Charlie Kirk an interview last month.
“I will fight for President Trump. I will do whatever he asks of me, as I always have. But I think eight years in the US Congress is probably enough time,” he said.
The report could be published as early as Thursday.
