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Will the House Ethics Committee Release Its Report on Matt Gaetz? Well...

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  November 18, 2024 7:15 PM

The past few days have been a whirlwind for the Republican Party following President-elect Donald Trump announcing he had selected Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) as his pick for Attorney General, a move which shocked many and certainly outraged Democrats and many RINOs. Trump made the announcement last Wednesday, with Gaetz announcing later that day that he was resigning from Congress, just before the House Ethics Committee was set to release its report on him. Will that report be released now that Gaetz has resigned? That remains to be seen, though we may be closer to finding out.

Last Friday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) asked the House Ethics Committee to not release its report. "I'm going to strongly request that the Ethics Committee not issue the report, because that is not the way we do things in the House," he said. "And I think that would be a terrible precedent to set." POLITICO, which first reported on those remarks, also reported how Johnson mentioned during CNN's "State of the Union that "the president and I have literally not discussed one word about the ethics report, not once."

Per Fox News' Chad Pergram, Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS), who chairs the House Ethics Committee, mentioned last week that the Committee would lose its jurisdiction if Gaetz were to resign, which he did. Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL), who is also on the Committee, said, "No, sure can't" when asked if they could release the report after Gaetz resigns.

What are Democrats saying, though?

Senate Democrats were particularly outraged by Trump nominating Gaetz, as well as that the report might not be made public. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), who currently serves as the Majority Whip and chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters on Thursday that he was calling on the House Ethics Committee "to preserve and share the report and all relevant documentation on Mr. Gaetz with the Senate Judiciary Committee," as he also noted that the timing "raises serious questions about the contents of the House Ethics Committee report."

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He also released a statement on Friday ranting and raving about how Trump "intends to weaponize the Justice Department to seek vengeance," as he lamented the nomination of Gaetz and others to the Department of Justice (DOJ). His statement left out that the Biden-Harris DOJ has already been weaponized, especially but not only against Trump. 

Also on Friday, in response to Johnson's urging the House Ethics Committee to not release the report, a Durbin spokesperson made clear that Durbin will still pursue members of the Committee having access, claiming that there was a "longstanding precedent" for releasing such a report even after the member resigned.

Where does that leave us on Monday, though?

Guest spoke with POLITICO, making clear that the panel will make its own decision about whether to release the report, though he also spoke to Johnson over the weekend. He has not heard from the Trump administration, though. "I appreciate Mike reaching out," Guest said about Johnson. "I don't see it having an impact on what we as a committee ultimately decide."

He also noted that all members of the panel currently have access to the report, while only he and Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) previously had access. The panel will meet on Wednesday. As the report also mentions, "Gaetz has repeatedly denied wrongdoing," with there being several allegations, including that he had sex with a minor.