Speaker Johnson opposes releasing Matt Gaetz's House Ethics report: 'Open a Pandora's box'

House Speaker Mike Johnson explained his absorption to releasing the House Ethics Committee study connected Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., connected Sunday.

Johnson, R-La., made the comments during an quality connected "Fox News Sunday" with big Shannon Bream. He argued that releasing specified a study aft Gaetz's resignation could unfastened a "Pandora's box." Gaetz resigned from Congress past week soon aft President-elect Trump nominated him to service arsenic U.S. lawyer general.

Bream began by asking Johnson whether helium was alert of the contents of the morals report, which pertained to alleged intersexual misconduct.

"I don't cognize thing astir the contents of the study due to the fact that the mode the rules work, of course, the talker of the House can't enactment a thumb connected the standard oregon beryllium progressive successful an Ethics Committee report. What I bash cognize is that the comments astir determination being a precedent for releasing reports is not precisely accurate," Johnson said.

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Speaker Mike Johnson is defending Gaetz from calls for the House Ethics Committee to merchandise a study connected the erstwhile representative. (Getty Images)

"There's a precise important crushed for the contented and the regularisation that we ever person – astir ever followed – and that is that we don't contented investigations and morals reports connected radical who are not members of Congress. I'm acrophobic that that would unfastened a Pandora's container due to the fact that the jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee is constricted to those who are serving successful the institution. That's its precise purpose. And I deliberation this would beryllium a breach of protocol that could beryllium unsafe for america going guardant successful the future," helium added.

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ABC News reported connected Thursday that a pistillate testified to the morals committee that she had intersexual relations with Gaetz erstwhile she was 17 years old. The House probe ceased erstwhile Gaetz resigned connected Wednesday.

Gaetz told Fox News Digital successful effect to the caller report, "These allegations are invented and would represent mendacious grounds to Congress. This mendacious smear pursuing a three-year transgression probe should beryllium viewed with large skepticism."

Matt Gaetz has been nominated to service arsenic Trump's lawyer general. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The main counsel for the House Ethics Committee declined to remark erstwhile asked by Fox News Digital.

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Fox News Digital besides reached retired to Gaetz's legislature bureau for comment.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) had antecedently spoken to the woman, present successful her 20s, according to ABC, arsenic portion of its years-long probe into Gaetz related to accusations of enactment trafficking and obstruction of justice.

The DOJ yet did not property charges, and Gaetz has consistently denied each wrongdoing.

Details of the substance could travel retired if Gaetz goes done the Senate confirmation process to pb the section that erstwhile investigated him.

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Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a elder subordinate of the Senate Judiciary Committee, suggested helium would privation to spot the report.

"I deliberation determination should not beryllium immoderate regulation connected the Senate Judiciary Committee's investigation, including immoderate the House Ethics Committee has generated," helium told reporters.

Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind and Tyler Olsen contributed to this report