House Ethics Committee Reverses Course, Votes to Release Matt Gaetz Report

The House Ethics Committee will release its report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz.

This comes after an earlier vote to keep it private.

What changed their minds?

The investigation includes allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.

The decision comes after Gaetz resigned from Congress and withdrew from consideration for attorney general.

And it wasn’t just the Democrats that voted this in.

A bipartisan vote by the committee paved the way for the report’s release.

Initially, the panel shelved the report after President Donal Trump named Gaetz as his pick for attorney general.

But it seems that Gaetz’s resignation has changed the outcome.

BREAKING: House Ethics Committee Secretly Votes to Release ‘Damaging’ Lawfare Report of Matt Gaetz Before End of Congress – Gaetz Respondshttps://t.co/V2FDWmNZxS pic.twitter.com/0iMn1yQMOv

— The Gateway Pundit (@gatewaypundit) December 18, 2024

The Washington Post reports:

The House Ethics Committee is set to release its report on former congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) this week, a reversal for the panel that last month voted along party lines not to release the results of a long-running investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.

The panel voted this month to release the report, which will be made public as soon as House lawmakers take their final vote for the year, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential deliberations. CNN first reported on the panel’s secret vote to release its report.

The committee’s turnaround was the culmination of a contentious debate over whether to release the report after Gaetz had resigned from Congress and withdrawn from consideration for attorney general. A majority vote of the committee is required to publicly release a report, meaning that at least one Republican lawmaker joined with Democrats on the matter.

The 10-member panel initially voted to table the report after Trump named Gaetz as his pick for the nation’s top law enforcement official. The Florida lawmaker submitted his resignation shortly thereafter — and days before the committee was expected to meet to vote on the release of the investigation.

AP News adds:

Gaetz lashed out Wedneday on social media against the latest development, again denying any wrongdoing. He criticized the committee for its move after he had left Congress, saying he would have “no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body.”

“It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life,” Gaetz posted on X, the website formerly known as Twitter. “I live a different life now.”

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Most Republicans have argued that any congressional investigation into Gaetz ended when he resigned from the House. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also requested that the committee not publish its report, saying it would be a terrible precedent.

While ethics reports have previously been released after a member’s resignation, it is extremely rare.

Now that they’re pushing to release this report on Gaetz, this could boomerang.

Rep. Tim Burchett want to now do the same for every Congressman.

Will we see them panic after hearing that?

Rep. Tim Burchett reacts to the decision to release the Matt Gaetz Ethics report: "I'm gonna push for the Ethics Committee to release all the findings they have on EVERY Congressman!" pic.twitter.com/0WEu8CzObA

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) December 18, 2024

Here’s the Republicans that voted to release it:

These republicans on the House ethics committee voted to release their report ethics report on Gaetz. Primaries coming.
Really Chairman Guest, you can’t stand with MAGA? 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/A3OnIpm8te

— Leigh10021 (@tarheel_texas) December 18, 2024