Speaker Mike Johnson said he does not think the House Ethics report into Matt Gaetz should be released, as the former representative faces a Senate confirmation for attorney general.
“I’m going to strongly request that the Ethics Committee not issue the report, because that is not the way we do things in the House,” Johnson said. “And I think that would be a terrible precedent to set.”
Johnson said he plans to talk to House Ethics Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.), but does not know when yet, adding that he got back from Mar-a-Lago at about 3 a.m.
“The rules of the House have always been that a former member is beyond the jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee,” Johnson said, when asked if the public has a right to see the report. “And so I don’t think that’s relevant.”
The Ethics panel was previously scheduled to meet on Friday in regards to the report, but Guest said that the meeting had been postponed, though not canceled.
Donald Trump announced on Wednesday he would nominate Gaetz to be attorney general, and Gaetz quickly announced his resignation from Congress shortly after. The Ethics Committee has been investigating Gaetz for several allegations, including that he engaged in sex with a minor. The position would put Gaetz atop the Justice Department, which previously investigated Gaetz for the same allegations.
Senators have acknowledged Gaetz faces an uphill battle to be confirmed, and many also said they wanted to see the Ethics report as part of his confirmation hearing.
“I think it’s a terrible breach of protocol and tradition,” Johnson said, later adding that he is going to request that it not be released.
Olivia Beavers contributed to this report.