A House Ethics Committee report on attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz is being made available to more members of Congress as pressure mounts to publicly release the document ahead of Senate confirmation hearings, according to a media report.
Last week, Gaetz was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump for the Cabinet position. The Florida Republican almost immediately resigned from Congress following his nomination, at least temporarily blocking the release of the report, which concerns allegations of sexual abuse and illicit drug use, days before it was set to go public.
On Monday, Republican House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest told Politico that the report had been made available for review by every member of the bipartisan panel. The document was previously available only to Guest, a Republican, and Representative Susan Wild, the committee''s ranking Democratic member, according to Politico.
"The members have access to the report, so any member that wishes to view the report will have access to the report in the draft form," said Guest, who also indicated that members were set to meet to discuss the report behind closed doors on Wednesday.
Newsweek reached out Monday via email for comment to the offices of Trump and Gaetz.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said last week he would "strongly request" that the ethics report on Gaetz never be released publicly. Some Republican lawmakers have been pushing for the document to be released regardless, given Gaetz''s new status as the attorney general nominee.
Guest said that Johnson had spoken to him over the weekend and reiterated his desire to keep the report under wraps. But Guest insisted that the speaker''s wishes would not have an "impact on what we as a committee ultimately decide."
Florida attorney Joel Leppard told Politico over the weekend that two women he represents allege that Gaetz paid them for sex at "sex parties" that he attended between 2017 and 2018. One of the women also claimed to have witnessed Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl. Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing.
"Matt Gaetz will be the next attorney general," Trump transition team spokesman Alex Pfeiffer told Newsweek earlier on Monday. "He''s the right man for the job and will end the weaponization of our justice system. These are baseless allegations intended to derail the second Trump administration."
If the former congressman does become the next attorney general, whether through Senate confirmation or during a recess appointment, he would be leading a Department of Justice (DOJ) that previously investigated allegations that he participated in child sex trafficking.
While the DOJ investigation ended last year without charges, both of Leppard''s clients testified as part of the criminal probe. They also testified before the House Ethics Committee.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she has covered the 2020 and 2022 elections, the impeachments of Donald Trump and multiple State of the Union addresses. Other topics she has reported on for Newsweek include crime, public health and the emergence of COVID-19. Aila was a freelance writer before joining Newsweek in 2019. You can get in touch with Aila by emailing a.slisco@newsweek.com. Languages: English.
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