Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Thursday demanded the House Ethics Committee share its pending report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Justice.
“I am calling on the House Ethics Committee to preserve and share their report and all relevant documentation on Mr. Gaetz with the Senate Judiciary Committee,” Durbin, who is expected to be the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee next year, said in a statement.
He added; “We cannot allow this valuable information from a bipartisan investigation to be hidden from the American people. Make no mistake: this information could be relevant to the question of Mr. Gaetz’s confirmation as the next Attorney General of the United States.”
Once a member resigns from Congress — as Gaetz did on Wednesday — the Ethics Committee loses jurisdiction over pending investigations. This means the report likely won’t be formally released, though it could leak.
Gaetz’s nomination to the role stunned Congress on Wednesday, as many Republicans cast doubts on his ability to be confirmed by the Senate. Republicans are expected to hold a narrow 53-47 effective majority next Congress as they try to confirm Trump’s Cabinet picks.