The House Ethics Panel has not agreed to release the report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), according to reports.
Following Wednesday’s meeting, Michael Guest (R-MS), Chairman of the House Committee on Ethics, told reporters that the committee did not reach an agreement to release the highly anticipated report on Gaetz, who resigned from Congress after President-elect Donald Trump tapped him to serve as Attorney General.
“There was not an agreement by the committee to release the report,” Guest said, according to Politico.
According to reports, many members refrained from providing details to the press. Others indicate that the report is still not completed and that they plan to finish it and meet again in December.
The evenly split committee would only need one Republican vote to make the release a reality. Notably, now that Gaetz is no longer a member of Congress, he is no longer subject to the committee’s orbit.
Guest previously told Politico that while he appreciated Johnson reaching out, it would not have a bearing on the committee’s decision.
“I appreciate Mike reaching out,” he said. “I don’t see it having an impact on what we as a committee ultimately decide.”
As Breitbart News detailed:
The Ethics Committee — which, lacking a legislative jurisdiction, provides its members no capability to extract campaign funds from the donor class — is not highly sought after by members of Congress and is generally seen as a chore. Its members usually serve by request of their party’s respective leader and are usually appointed for their loyalty to leadership — often in exchange for other favors quietly bestowed by leadership.
The fiery Gaetz has been a thorn in leadership’s side since arriving in Washington, consistently targeting entrenched interests and corruption in Washington. Most notably, Gaetz led the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Gaetz has denied wrongdoing and argues the Ethics investigation is retaliation for robbing McCarthy of his gavel.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is among those who has been outspoken about the ongoing ethics report saga on Gaetz, challenging her collegues to “put it all out there” if they are going to play the game.
“For my Republican colleagues in the House and Senate, if we are going to release ethics reports and rip apart our own that Trump has appointed, then put it ALL out there for the American people to see,” she said.
“Yes.. all the ethics reports and claims including the one I filed,” she continued, calling to release “all your sexual harassment and assault claims that were secretly settled paying off victims with tax payer money.”
“… the entire Jeffrey Epstein files, tapes, recordings, witness interviews but not just those, there’s more, Epstein wasn’t/isn’t the only asset. If we’re going to dance, let’s all dance in the sunlight,” she challenged. “I’ll make sure we do.”
While drama over Gaetz’s nomination for Attorney General dominates, many pointed to a now viral photo making the rounds on social media, as a paper shredding truck was spotted outside of the Justice Department, conveniently two months before the Trump administration comes to the swamp.
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