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House Republicans on the ethics committee voted today to block the release of a report about sexual misconduct and illicit drug use allegations against Matt Gaetz, a former representative who is Donald Trump’s pick to be attorney general.
Democrats on the panel, which is evenly split along party lines, voted to release it. The committee last week halted a vote on the report’s release after Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress.
Senators in both parties have clamored to see the report — the result of a yearslong bipartisan investigation — as part of their vetting of presidential nominees, who normally require Senate confirmation. If the House declines to share it, a constitutional clash between the two chambers could result. Democrats on the ethics panel said they would reconvene next month to discuss the report.
The committee obtained a document in which federal investigators established a trail of payments from Gaetz to women, including some who testified that he hired them for sex. You can see it here.
Gaetz, who has gleefully disparaged some Republican senators whose votes he now needs, went to Capitol Hill today to win the support of key members. He was ushered to the meetings by Senator JD Vance, the vice president-elect.
Vance is planning on doing the same tomorrow for Pete Hegseth, the Fox News host tapped to lead the Pentagon. Both men have come under fire for allegations of sexual misconduct. Both vehemently deny the accusations. Far less has sunk previous nominees.
