House Republicans on Thursday blocked a Democratic-led effort to release the Ethics Committee's report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), sending the resolution back to the committee.
The chamber's decision leaves the future of the Gaetz Ethics Commission report in doubt, with Democrats seeking to release the reports, which Republicans have repeatedly resisted.
The issue has been the subject of intense controversy since the former congressman, who was nominated by President-elect Trump to be attorney general, resigned and withdrew his name from consideration, saying he did not intend to take the oath of office in January. It has become. —A series of events that happened in just nine days last month.
Despite Thursday's vote, the Gates report could still see the light of day. Members of the House Ethics Committee discussed the issue for about 2 1/2 hours behind closed doors just before the floor vote and said they would continue discussions on the issue.
“The committee met today to discuss the matter of Representative Matt Gaetz. The committee continues to discuss this matter. We have no further statement other than to comply with committee and House rules.” writes the committee.
House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-Mississippi) told reporters after Thursday's rally that this would not be the group's last meeting.
Last month, after the Ethics Committee refused to release its report on Gates, Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) urged the committee to create a committee. The government moved to force a vote on a separate resolution that would force the government to do so. Former Congressman's Public Access Initiatives. Both men renewed their efforts this week after Gaetz withdrew his name from the list for attorney general, setting the stage for Thursday's vote.
But Republicans have moved to send those resolutions back to committee, which would avoid Congress having to vote directly on whether to release the report.
The chamber voted 206-198 to send Kasten's resolution back to the Ethics Committee and 204-198 to send Cohen's resolution to the Ethics Committee.
Thursday's Ethics Committee meeting was the second time in the last month that the committee, which usually works in secret, has met to discuss the Gates report.
The group has been investigating the Florida Republican for about three and a half years on charges of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use. Gaetz was also accused of accepting improper gifts, granting special privileges or favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and attempting to obstruct a government investigation into his conduct.
But the investigation ended abruptly after Gaetz resigned from Congress last month because the committee has no jurisdiction over former members.
Gates has denied any wrongdoing.
The group refused to release the Gaetz report on Nov. 20 after the vote on the issue was tied along partisan lines. Democrats called for the report to be made public, saying it was important to make the information public as Gaetz works toward Senate confirmation as attorney general. Republicans, on the other hand, argued that the issue was moot because Gaetz was no longer a member of Congress.
However, there is some precedent for making ethics committee reports available to former members of Congress. In 1987, the committee released a report on former Rep. William Bonner (D-Tenn.) after he resigned from the House. And in 2011, the Senate Ethics Committee released a preliminary report on former Sen. John Ensign (R-Nevada) after he left the Senate.
The debate over Gates' report was thrown another curveball when he withdrew his nomination for attorney general as his candidacy became increasingly hopeless due to Republican opposition. .
The Justice Department also investigated Gates for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl. He has denied the charges, and the police department has declined to prosecute him.
