House Halts Democrat Initiative to Compel Release of Gaetz Ethics Report

December 5, 2024 TruthUSA

The votes came in response to the House Ethics Committee’s choice not to make the report public.

On December 5, the House of Representatives hindered two Democrat-led attempts to compel the release of the House Ethics Committee’s report concerning former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).

In a vote that primarily followed party lines, the House supported motions introduced by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) to send the report back to the Ethics panel.

With a tally of 206–198, a vote led by Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) to mandate a floor vote for the public release of the committee’s report was rejected. A separate motion from Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) was similarly blocked with a vote of 204–198.

Members of the Ethics panel, for their part, have opted against releasing the report publicly after failing to reach a consensus during a meeting on November 20, where the votes ended in a 5–5 split along party lines.

This resolution, which was met with criticism from Democrats as being partisan, aligns with the committee’s usual practice regarding former members of Congress: Historically, reports on members no longer in Congress have not been released.

Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.) had previously stated that the report concerning the former congressman was unfinished and had not been reviewed.

“I have some concerns about releasing any incomplete work product,” Guest, the committee chairman, informed reporters prior to the meeting, adding that “it has not undergone the review process.”

Gaetz, a long-standing ally of President-elect Donald Trump, gained national attention in November after Trump nominated him for the position of Attorney General at the Department of Justice (DOJ). He resigned from Congress shortly after Trump made the announcement.

As a vocal critic of several congressional members, Gaetz’s nomination as attorney general faced swift backlash in the Senate.

The nomination also reignited the House Ethics Committee’s extensive investigation regarding allegations against Gaetz.

The panel originally opened its inquiry in April 2021, focusing on allegations of illicit drug use, sharing inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misusing state identification records, misappropriating campaign funds, and accepting a bribe.

Some of these allegations were subsequently dropped, while Gaetz maintains that he is innocent.

Ultimately, Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for the DOJ position and later declared that he would not return to politics. He remains eligible to reclaim his seat in the next Congress.

Since then, Gaetz has been somewhat vague regarding his future career steps.

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