Speaker Mike Johnson's shock response to whether Matt Gaetz ethics report on underage sex allegations should be released

Mike Johnson called Matt Gaetz 'one of the brightest minds successful Washington' portion insisting a study connected the erstwhile Florida congressman's alleged intersexual misconduct with underage girls should beryllium kept secret.

The Speaker of the House went connected aggregate Sunday shows to claim House Ethics Committee should not merchandise the study on Gaetz aft helium was chosen by President Trump to caput the Justice Department.  

'He's 1 of the brightest minds successful Washington oregon anyplace for that matter,' Johnson said astir Gaetz, who has been accused of having enactment with a insignificant astatine a location party in Orlando successful 2017. 

'He knows everything astir however the Department of Justice has been weaponized and misused.'

Johnson believes that Gaetz strikes fearfulness not due to the fact that of the allegations against him but due to the fact that helium could hole a breached system.  

'And helium volition beryllium a reformer. And I deliberation that's wherefore the constitution successful Washington is truthful shaken up astir this pick,' Johnson said.

Gaetz, 42, resigned his spot successful the Republican-controlled House connected Wednesday, hours aft Trump unveiled his prime of the lawmaker and 2 days earlier the House Ethics Committee was expected to merchandise its report, which besides looked into allegations of amerciable cause use. He denies immoderate wrongdoing.

On Fox News Sunday, Shannon Bream asked him whether it should beryllium released, with the caveat that the tendency for accusation isn't confined to liberals, arsenic Republican Texas Senator John Cornyn besides wants the study out. 

Johnson believes letting the study travel retired would acceptable a unsafe precedent going forward.  

'I'm acrophobic that would unfastened a Pandora's container due to the fact that the jurisdiction of the morals committee is constricted to those serving successful the institution.' 

He said the contented holding things unneurotic being breached could spot the House of Representatives spell aft anyone they deem undesirable.  

'With respect to the study there's a precise important crushed for the contented and the regularisation that we person astir ever followed and that is we don't contented investigations and morals reports connected radical who are not members of Congress,' helium said. 

His comments came arsenic Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin became the latest GOP Senate subordinate to inquire that it beryllium astatine slightest fixed to the Senate arsenic grounds successful confirmation hearings.

'I anticipation that the Ethics Committee volition instrumentality by our contented and protocol for the reasons I conscionable articulated. I deliberation this would instrumentality america down a way determination wherever I don't cognize however we'd return,' Johnson continued . 

'If the House Ethics Committee and its resources, which are significant, substantial, could beryllium utilized to analyse radical who are not successful the House, past wherever would that end?'

Ultimately, Johnson had thing but praise for his longterm House workfellow Gaetz and afloat endorsed him for the job.

'The crushed that Matt Gaetz is specified an breathtaking prime to truthful galore radical is due to the fact that helium volition spell successful and betterment the Department of Justice. It desperately needs it.' 

Mullin told NBC's 'Meet the Press' that the Senate, which holds the authorization to corroborate oregon contradict Trump's nominations to high-level positions, needs to spot the report.

'The legislature should person entree to that,' Mullin said, declining to accidental whether helium believed the study should beryllium made public.

John Cornyn said that helium simply wants to person each the disposable accusation earlier voting.  

'The President's relation is to marque the nomination, but we request to person implicit vetting of the nominees, not lone truthful we cognize that the nominee is qualified, but besides to support the president,' Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Thursday. 

He 'absolutely' wants to reappraisal the House Ethics Committee's study connected Gaetz's conduct.

Cornyn adjacent floated the thought of taking ineligible enactment to reappraisal the report's contents. 

'There's assorted ways we tin glean entree to it, we tin subpoena it,' helium told reporters. 'I don't I don't deliberation immoderate of america privation to alert blind.'

Following Donald Trump's information of Gaetz to service arsenic lawyer wide connected Wednesday determination person been expanding bipartisan calls for the study connected his alleged intersexual misconduct and cause usage to beryllium released. 

That would interruption with Ethics Committee norms arsenic Gaetz resigned his spot successful Congress instantly aft being nominated, meaning the committee nary longer has jurisdiction implicit the erstwhile Florida Republican. 

But advocates for the report's merchandise accidental that its contents are pertinent to whether oregon not Gaetz gets confirmed by the Senate, and truthful it should beryllium released. 

Speaker Johnson pushed backmost connected that Friday, saying helium wants the Ethics Committee to refrain from publishing the perchance damaging file. 

'I'm going to powerfully petition that the Ethics Committee not contented the study due to the fact that that is not the mode we bash things successful the House, and I deliberation that would beryllium a unspeakable precedent to set,' Johnson said coming retired of his office.

The Ethics sheet was acceptable to conscionable Friday to determine whether to merchandise the report.

However that gathering was scuttled aft Gaetz's abrupt resignation. 

His exit comes arsenic allegations resurfaced Thursday astir a woman who reportedly testified to the committee that Gaetz had enactment with her erstwhile she was 17. 

The pistillate - present successful her 20s - talked astir Gaetz and her having enactment erstwhile she was a insignificant successful precocious schoolhouse portion 'representing that she was an adult,' sources told ABC News.

The FBI had investigated akin claims against Gaetz, but the DOJ opted not to indict him implicit claims helium enactment trafficked a minor.

Trump's prime of the embattled erstwhile congressman to oversee the Justice Department, FBI, DEA, ATF and related agencies has shocked Republicans and Democrats. 

And the bombshell claims could derail his hopes of taking the helm arsenic lawyer general. 

Already reports bespeak that Republicans successful the Senate are not connected committee with Gaetz becoming AG. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, sources accidental that Gaetz already has astatine slightest 30 Republicans readying connected voting against his nomination. 

Gaetz is 1 of a bid of Cabinet nominees tapped by Trump past week who deficiency the resumes usually seen successful candidates for high-level medication jobs. 

He would request to beryllium confirmed by the Senate -- wherever Trump's Republicans volition person a bulk of astatine slightest 52 of the 100 seats -- to get the post. A fistful person expressed skepticism astatine the choice.