The House Ethics Committee will vote on Thursday on whether to issue a long-awaited report investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and potential illegal activities involving a former Florida Republican congressman. Matt Gaetz will be published.
The report detailed allegations that Gaetz was involved in illegal drug use, embezzlement of paychecks and sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old girl, and allegations of obstruction of a House investigation. Gaetz has consistently denied the claims.
The move comes weeks after Gaetz’s resignation from Congress and his withdrawal as a potential Trump administration nominee when it became clear he did not have enough support from senators to survive the hearing. Democrats, led by Senators Sean Casten and Steve Cohen, tried to force the release report through a privileged privilege, arguing that transparency is crucial.
Casten sent to The House two days before the voteHe said the withholding of the report would “undermine the credibility of the commission and impede the safety, dignity and integrity of its legislative activities.”
But if the plan with the chair and Mississippi Republican Michael Guest, the vote were to fall flat, it follows the argument that the board’s investigative jurisdiction ends when a member of Congress leaves.
“He is no longer a member,” Guest he told reporters on Thursday. “He is no longer confirmed by the Senate, because he specifically resigns to be a lawyer leader.”
But if a committed vote happens – the possibility because of ” 50-50 ideological split – a full house floor vote will be held on Thursday night, with all lawmakers on the record.
The decision would either grant or withhold public access to the report, which has been years in the making, and which allegedly contains detailed findings about sexual abuse of an underage girl and potential drug use.
The report’s potential revelations could have significant political ramifications, especially since Gaetz is rumored to be under consideration Florida’s presidential election in 2016 or seeking another role in the incoming Trump administration.
The study, which has been going on for years, has gained additional scrutiny after the Gaetz Society Joel Greenberg admitted in 2011 “ to pay women and underage girls for sexual services.