US House panel: No agreement on release of report on Trump's attorney general nominee

The U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Committee failed Wednesday to scope statement connected whether to merchandise findings from its astir finished investigative study connected erstwhile Republican Representative Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for lawyer general.

The panel’s chair, Republican Representative Michael Guest, emerged from a lengthy committee meeting, saying, “There was nary statement by the committee to merchandise the report.”

He declined further comment. The different 9 committee members — 4 Republicans and 5 Democrats — besides did not remark immediately.

Gaetz was accused of intersexual misconduct and illicit cause usage earlier helium was picked by Trump to go the country’s apical instrumentality enforcement authoritative successful the caller medication that takes bureau connected January 20.

Two quality outlets, ABC News and The Washington Post, reported that the committee had obtained documents that showed Gaetz paid 2 women who appeared earlier the committee arsenic witnesses a full of much than $10,000 betwixt July 2017 and precocious January 2019. The women, who were implicit the property of 18 astatine the clip of the payments, told the sheet that immoderate of the wealth was for sex.

A Trump modulation spokesperson defended Gaetz successful a statement.

“The Justice Department received entree to astir each fiscal transaction Matt Gaetz ever undertook and came to the decision that helium committed nary crime. These leaks are meant to undermine the mandate from the radical to betterment the Justice Department,” with Gaetz astatine the caput of the agency, the spokesperson said.

Several U.S. senators, Democrats and Republicans alike, are demanding that the study beryllium released truthful they tin see the scope of Gaetz’s inheritance arsenic they undertake their constitutionally mandated relation of confirming oregon rejecting a caller president’s Cabinet nominees.

Hours aft Trump named him arsenic a nominee, Gaetz, 42, resigned from Congress, adjacent though helium had conscionable been reelected to a 5th term. His resignation ended the House Ethics Committee’s investigation, which had been nearing a conclusion.

It remained uncertain whether the sheet would divulge what conclusions lawmakers had reached. With the allegations hovering implicit him, Gaetz rapidly became Trump’s astir arguable enactment for his Cabinet, though the president-elect has continued to enactment him and has been making calls to lawmakers to bolster his chances of confirmation.

Gaetz was successful the Capitol Wednesday to conscionable with immoderate of the senators who volition determine his fate. The Senate has not voted to cull a statesmanlike nominee for a Cabinet presumption since 1989, with members of some governmental parties giving wide deference to caller presidents to capable top-level jobs with appointees of their choosing.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said helium met with Gaetz and Vice President-elect JD Vance, inactive a sitting senator, and told them determination would beryllium “no rubber stamps, nary lynch mobs” successful the confirmation process.

“These allegations volition beryllium dealt with successful committee, but [Gaetz] deserves a accidental to face his accusers,” Graham told reporters.

The Justice Department investigated the allegations against him but past twelvemonth declined to bring immoderate charges.

Senate Democrats connected the Judiciary Committee that volition see the Gaetz information asked the FBI to merchandise the evidentiary record from its investigation.

That worldly would see interviews with a pistillate who said she was paid to person enactment with Gaetz erstwhile she was 17. Gaetz has denied the accusations.

Representative Dean Phillips, a Democrat who antecedently served connected the House Ethics Committee, said Gaetz's concern — a erstwhile subordinate of Congress nominated for 1 of the astir almighty jobs successful the U.S. authorities — is an statement successful favour of releasing the report.

"He's not conscionable gone [from the House]. He's present been nominated for a precise important presumption successful this country, which is the main ineligible officer, if you will, of the country. It would look bizarre and incongruent with immoderate ethical rule to not merchandise it," Phillips said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who leads the constrictive Republican bulk successful the House, has said helium is opposed to the merchandise of the as-yet unfinished study by the House Ethics Committee due to the fact that Gaetz is nary longer a subordinate of Congress. But reports astir wrongdoing by different erstwhile members of Congress person been released successful a fewer instances successful the past.

Ultimately, the Senate, which Republicans volition power by astatine slightest a 52-48 borderline adjacent year, volition determine whether to corroborate Gaetz, who has ne'er worked astatine the Justice Department oregon served arsenic a authoritative astatine immoderate level of government.

But Gaetz, similar different Trump nominees for apical authorities jobs, has been a vocal protagonist of the president and his Make America Great Again agenda.

Gaetz, however, angered immoderate chap Republican lawmakers successful the House successful 2023 by spearheading the effort to oust then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who yet was replaced by Johnson.