Sen. Mark Wayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said Sunday that the Senate has “absolutely no obligation” to the House Ethics Committee's report investigating allegations of misconduct by former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who resigned from the House. He said they should be able to access the site. Congress nominated him last week after President-elect Trump nominated him to be attorney general.
Mullin said the results of the ethics investigation will need to be factored into the decisions senators make as they move forward with Gaetz's confirmation process.
Asked in an interview on NBC News' “Meet the Press” whether the House Ethics Committee should release its report on Gaetz, Mullin said, “Of course.” “I believe the Senate should have access to that.”
“Now, should we make it public or not?'' Marin continued. “That will be part of the negotiations, but it should definitely be part of our decision-making.”
In the interview, Marin was asked about past comments criticizing Gates. That includes when Marin said in a previous video: These are the girls he slept with,” adding, “Matt Gaetz is this type of person.”
Mullin acknowledged that he had a difficult relationship with Gaetz in the past, but said Gaetz should be given a “fair chance” like any other candidate.
“There's no question that there have been disagreements between Matt Gaetz and I, and it's no secret. Going forward, I respect President Trump's right to appoint these people, but Under Article 2, Section 2, Congress must give its advice and consent, subjecting Matt Gaetz to the same scrutiny as any other person. I'm going to give you a fair chance.”
“I had to put aside my personal situation with Matt and look at the facts. If he's qualified, he's qualified,” said Mullin, who investigated him last week. He added that he didn't even know Gates was a lawyer until then.
Marin said he trusts Trump to “pick really, really good people,” noting that ability has served him well in business and politics.
“So there's no question that President Trump believes that Matt Gaetz is the right person to do the job, but at the same time, Matt Gaetz's background is also important and the next decision the Senate makes. “It must be done within the constitutional authority that we have.” And we're going to do our due diligence there. ”
The Ethics Commission has investigated Gaetz for years, investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use. He has strongly denied allegations of wrongdoing, and the Justice Department, which previously investigated whether he had sex with a 17-year-old, declined to charge him with the crime.
But the Ethics Committee investigation ended abruptly on Wednesday when President Trump resigned from the House of Representatives shortly after nominating Gates to be attorney general. The Ethics Commission has no jurisdiction over former members of Congress.
It remains unclear what path the committee will take with the Gates report. Some Republican senators have called for the Senate Judiciary Committee to be granted access to the report and findings as it moves forward with its scrutiny process.
But Chairman Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said it was not within the Ethics Commission's authority to release the report because Gates is a former commissioner and not a current one.
