Rep. Michael Guest (R-Mississippi), chairman of the House Ethics Committee, said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said the committee's report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Mississippi) He said that it would not affect whether or not the book will be published. Florida) vacated its House seat last week after being named attorney general by President-elect Trump.
Johnson asked the Ethics Committee not to release the Gaetz report because Gaetz is no longer a member of Congress, saying it would be a “gross violation of protocol, tradition and the spirit of the rules.”
Mr. Guest said Monday that he spoke with Mr. Johnson over the weekend. According to Politico.
“I'm grateful that Mike reached out,” Guest told the magazine. “I don’t think that will influence our final decision as a committee.”
Mr. Trump has nominated a number of controversial figures to his cabinet, but none has drawn more backlash than Mr. Gaetz, a far-right firebrand and ardent Trump supporter.
At the Justice Department, he will take over the agency that previously investigated him on sex trafficking charges. The investigation did not result in charges, but the House Ethics Committee launched its own investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use. Gates has denied the allegations of wrongdoing.
Two women testified before the House Ethics Committee that Gates paid them for sex, according to their lawyers.
Democrats and some Republicans say the report's findings should be made public to senators considering his nomination.
The Ethics Commission postponed a meeting on the report last week but is now scheduled to meet on Wednesday, sources told The Hill. Guest told Politico that the report was not available to all committee members.
Mr. Johnson has rapidly moved into Mr. Trump's inner circle following his election victory this month and is trying to use his influence to block the Gaetz report.
“I'm going to urge the Ethics Committee not to issue a report, because that's not the way the House operates and I think it would set a terrible precedent,” he told reporters Friday. Ta.
Prime Minister Johnson said in an interview on CNN's “State of the Union” on Sunday that he had not spoken to President Trump about the report.
“The president and I have literally never discussed a single word about the ethics report, and we never have.” We spent a lot of time together,” Johnson said. Said.
