House Republicans twice blocked the release of a potentially damning report from the House Committee on Ethics about former Rep. Matt Gaetz on Thursday, burying sexual misconduct and drug abuse allegations that had in part derailed his push to be confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general.
In rapid fire deliberations, the House in near party-line votes of 206-198 and 204-198 moved the matter back to the purview of the Ethics panel.
Rep. Tom McClintock of California was the lone Republican to cross the aisle and double down in voting with Democrats to open the scandal to the public.
Reps. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) introduced the dueling measures Tuesday as privileged resolutions, which require a vote within two legislative days. Casten’s demanded the release of the report, while Cohen’s required both the release and preservation of documents.
“Resigning from Congress should not allow Members to avoid accountability for allegations as serious as those faced by Matt Gaetz. The Ethics Committee has often released reports on former Members,” Casten argued in defense of his resolution.
Interest in the House Committee on Ethics’ long-rumored investigation into sex trafficking accusations against the Sunshine State firebrand reached a fever pitch last month after Trump, 78, tapped him to serve as his next US attorney general.
Ultimately, Gaetz dropped out of the running not long after it became clear he faced an uphill Senate confirmation process. Trump then announced former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) as his pick for the role.
Prior to Congress’ break for Thanksgiving, the Ethics Committee met for a vote but opted against releasing the report despite the complaints of Democratic members of the bipartisan panel.
While the panel did not confirm what they were voting on, its Chairman Michael Guest (R-Miss.) and ranking member Susan Wild (D-Pa.) dropped strong hints they were mulling the potential release of the report.
The House Committee on Ethics met again prior to the vote on Casten’s resolution Thursday but did not release the report or disclose specific details of the meeting.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) had publicly opposed the release of the report and after Gaetz dropped out of consideration for the AG post, momentum to do so seemingly lost steam.
Witnesses had allegedly come forward to the committee with accusations that Gaetz paid for sex with two women and had sex with a then-17-year-old over seven years ago, according to multiple attorneys.
Gaetz has strenuously denied wrongdoing. He had roiled many of his Republican and Democratic colleagues in Congress alike last year by spearheading the effort to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)
Accusers had alleged that Gaetz sent Venmo payments in exchange for sex. The intercourse with the then-minor allegedly took place at a party in July 2017.
One of the accusers claimed to have witnessed Gaetz in flagrante delicto with the minor, according to Orlando-based attorney Joel Leppard, who represents the two accusers who weren’t minors at the time.
Leppard indicated that the witness said “her understanding was that Matt Gaetz did not know that [the 17-year-old] was a minor, and that when he learned that she was a minor, that he broke off things and did not continue a sexual relationship until she turned 18,” ABC News reported.
The Justice Department had investigated the claims against Gaetz but ultimately declined to press charges against him.
Typically, the ethics panel does not release reports on former members, but Cohen and Casten both cited exceptions in their resolutions and were adamant that the situation warranted it.
Gaetz had said that he doesn’t plan on returning to the lower chamber when the 119th Congress begins in January — despite winning his reelection last month.
