(Washington) The President of the American House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, persisted on Sunday, despite pressure, in his opposition to the publication of a parliamentary report on the actions accused of Matt Gaetz, chosen by Donald Trump as future attorney general of the United States.
Posted at 12:06 p.m.
Matt Gaetz, elected from Florida to the House of Representatives, resigned Wednesday evening shortly after the announcement of the choice of president-elect, which caused a stir due to the very controversial nature of the character and his lack of legal experience.
He is accused of having had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, which he denies, and was the subject of a federal investigation which ended with a dismissal of the case, he assured in 2023.
His resignation effectively ended the House Ethics Committee’s investigation into alleged sexual offenses, illegal drug use, embezzlement of campaign funds and various professional misconduct.
The Republican president of this assembly, Mike Johnson, reaffirmed Sunday that the publication of the report was no longer necessary.
PHOTO J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson
“To my knowledge, this report is not yet finished, it is still in a rough draft and was not ready to be published,” he said on CNN.
Since Matt Gaetz has left Congress, I don’t think it would be appropriate to publish it.
Mike Johnson, Speaker of the US House
He also expressed his opposition to the transmission of the report to the Senate, which decides on presidential appointments.
“The Senate has a rigorous review and oversight process, but it does not need to rely on a report or a draft report,” argued Mike Johnson.
Conversely, Adam Schiff, a Democrat elected to the House and one of Donald Trump’s fiercest opponents, considered it necessary for the Senate to have access to the conclusions of this commission.
PHOTO ALLISON ROBBERT, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Adam Schiff, elected Democrat to the House of Representatives
“Are we really going to have an attorney general against whom there are credible accusations of involvement in the sexual exploitation of minors, potential illicit drug use and obstruction of an investigation? », asked, also on CNN, the man who has just been elected senator from California.
“If the Senate were to confirm his appointment without having seen the report of the ethics commission or to authorize emergency appointments [sans validation parlementaire, NDLR]this would amount to abdicating its constitutional responsibility, said Adam Schiff.
According to him, by such controversial choices, Donald Trump deliberately seeks to “establish that the members of the American Congress do not resist him on anything. If they confirm Matt Gaetz, they will do whatever he wants.”
