The House Ethics Committee report on Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz is now available to all ten members of the bipartisan committee.
Previously, the report’s findings were only made available to Republican committee chairman Michael Guest and his Democratic counterpart, Susan Wild, Politico reported Monday.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson recommended the investigation not be made public since Gaetz resigned from Congress after being nominated by President-elect Trump to become the nation’s next chief law enforcement officer. Guest told Politico he’d spoken to Johnson and the committee will decide whether or not to share its findings when it convenes Wednesday. He doesn’t anticipate Johnson’s opinion “having an impact” on his panel’s decision.
Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee want access to the House Committee’s findings as they consider confirming Gaetz’s appointment.
The Wall Street Journal reports a witness told the House Ethics Committee she saw Gaetz have sex with a minor at a party in 2017. Witnesses reportedly testified the teenager was a paid sex worker. Gaetz joined the House of Representatives at the start of that year. He was a member of Congress when the alleged act occurred.
Former Gaetz wingman Joel Greenberg cooperrated in a Justice Department investigation of Gaetz that hasn’t resulted in charges. He pleaded guilty to sex trafficking and received an 11-year prison sentence that began in 2021.
Greenberg penned a letter in 2021 confessing he helped facilitate Gaetz’s sexual encounters with a teenager and other women, according to the Daily Beast. Gaetz, 42, has denied paying to have sex with a minor.
