Getty ImagesThe Congressional Ethics Committee has failed to reach an agreement on whether to release a report on alleged sexual misconduct by Donald Trump’s nominee to head the US Justice Department, Matt Gaetz.
The House committee met behind closed doors for two hours Wednesday, as calls grew for details of its investigation into former Florida congressman Gatz, whose nomination for attorney general has proven controversial.
“There was no consensus on this,” Democratic Rep. Susan Wild told reporters, adding that a vote had been taken but the bipartisan committee remained divided along party lines.
He said they will meet again on December 5. It’s unclear whether they can release the report to Gatz, who has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Pressure has mounted on the ethics committee to release its findings, as Senate members begin meeting with Gaetz ahead of hearings when they will vote on whether to confirm him as attorney general.
“They’re going great,” Getz said of Wednesday’s meetings. “The senators are giving me great advice. I look forward to the hearing.”
According to the New York Times, the Ethics Committee was preparing to vote on the release of the report before Gaetz’s sudden resignation from the House, which came shortly after Trump’s nomination.
His departure raised doubts about whether the report would see the light of day, as he is no longer under the jurisdiction of Congress after his resignation and the committee only investigates members of the House.
Committee Chairman Michael Guest, a Republican, told reporters Wednesday that he had “some reservations” about releasing the report because it was still going through the review process.
He told CNN that the committee would consider releasing it publicly or sending it directly to the Senate Judiciary Committee, but it was uncertain whether it would leave the committee at all.
Reporters and members of the media packed the hallway outside the room where committee members met Wednesday. Most of the lawmakers remained silent as they were mobbed by reporters on their way out of the meeting.
Speaking to MSNBC afterward, Congressman Marc de Saulnier, a Democrat, said he was confident “we’ll get to the right solution.”
Getz, 42, is a lawyer who made a name for himself on Capitol Hill and as a right-wing rabble-rouser on cable news. He is a staunch defender of Trump and successfully ousted Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year.
Some of Gaetz’s former House colleagues have supported his nomination, including Speaker Mike Johnson, who called him a “reformer” who would “bring a lot to the table.”
But Gaetz has also faced accusations of impropriety in recent years.
The US Department of Justice previously investigated allegations that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl and violated sex trafficking laws. But The case was dismissed and Getz, who denied the allegations, was never charged.
In June, the Ethics Committee announced that it was investigating several allegations against Gaetz, including that he “engaged in sexual misconduct and drug abuse, accepted inappropriate gifts, granted special privileges and favors to those with whom he had a personal connection, and obstructed government investigations of his conduct.
Two women testified to the committee that Gaetz paid them “for sex,” their lawyer, Joel Lippard, told CBS this week. A woman also testified that she saw the then-congressman having sex with a minor during a party in 2017, the lawyer said.
Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and said the allegations are politically motivated.
“An attempt was made to destroy me by weaponizing lies,” Gaetz posted on X on Friday. “These lies have resulted in prosecutions, convictions and even jail time. For the liars, not for me.”
Trump showed no sign of backing down on his Cabinet picks this week.
“Matt Gaetz will be the next attorney general. He is the right man for the job and will dismantle the weaponization of our justice system,” Trump transition spokesman Alex Pfeiffer said in a statement.
Meanwhile, senators from both parties have spoken out in favor of access to the ethics report.
Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, demanded that another committee “save and share” the report with its panel.
“Make no mistake: this information may be relevant to the question of Mr. Gaetz’s confirmation as the next Attorney General of the United States, and our constitutional obligation to advise and consent,” Durbin said.
Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican who also sits on the Judiciary Committee, said: “I think if they want to move quickly on this nomination, we should have as much transparency as we have.”
North American Correspondent Anthony Zurcher gives a sense of the presidential election in his twice-weekly US Election Inspin newsletter. Readers in the UK can Sign up here. Those outside the UK can. Sign up here.
