(Headline USA) The House Ethics Committee voted in secret to release the long-awaited ethics report into ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz, raising the possibility that the allegations against the Florida Republican who was President-elect Donald Trump’s first choice for attorney general could be made public in the coming days.
The decision by the bipartisan committee was made earlier this month, according to a person familiar with the vote who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday. CNN first reported the vote.
It’s a stunning turnaround for the often secretive panel of five Republicans and five Democrats.
Just last month, members voted along party lines to not release the findings of their nearly four-year investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct with minors and use of illicit drugs while Gaetz was in office.
Democrats had pressed to make the report public even though Gaetz was no longer in Congress and had withdrawn as Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department.
A vote on the House floor this month to force the report’s release failed; all but one Republican voted against it.
Gaetz posted Wednesday on social media to express his frustration.
The Biden/Garland DOJ spent years reviewing allegations that I committed various crimes.
I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED. Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me.
Then, the very “witnesses” DOJ deemed not-credible were…
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 18, 2024
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. “I live a different life now.”
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.
Gaetz noted that he was not charged with anything.
“I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED,” he wrote. “Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me.”
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
