Will a “very damaging” report on Matt Gaetz see the light of day?

The House Ethics Committee was scheduled to vote Friday on whether to release a “highly damaging” report on Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, the PunchBowl News website reported Thursday. Gaetz challenged that scenario by abruptly relinquishing his seat after being nominated for U.S. attorney general by Donald Trump. In principle, the Chamber no longer has any jurisdiction over him. She could have chosen to expel him after the report was published.

The Ethics Commission opened an investigation in 2021 into allegations that Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and used illegal drugs, as well as allegations that he misused identification records from the State, converted campaign funds for personal use, accepted impermissible gifts under House rules, and shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, among other transgressions.

The investigation was paused during the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into allegations that Gaetz had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and may have violated federal sex trafficking laws. The department closed its investigation last year without bringing charges against Gaetz.

The news of Gaetz’s appointment was greeted with shock by many elected Republicans in Congress. Senators from the Grand Old Party doubt that the Trumpist troublemaker can be confirmed by the upper house of Congress, as required by the Constitution, and are putting pressure on Trump’s entourage to reverse his decision.

Journalist Marc Caputo of the Bulwark site quotes a Trump adviser on why the president-elect made this controversial decision at will: “None of the [candidats] didn’t have what Trump wanted, and they didn’t talk like Gaetz. Everyone else talked about the attorney general position as if they were applying for a judicial appointment. They were talking about their legal theories and their constitutional bullshit. Gaetz was the only one to say “yes, I’m going to go over there and start cutting off fucking heads.” »

In one analysis, the New York Times describes Gaetz’s nomination, along with those of Fox News host Pete Hegseth to the Pentagon and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to head National Intelligence, as “a power grab.” I will come back to this in a future post. In the meantime, we have to wonder if the report from the House Ethics Committee will ever be published or if it will be leaked. We know that Gaetz did not only have friends within the Republican group.

(AFP Photo)