Donald Trump has been steadily rolling out the names in his new administration, featuring a mix of typical Republican politicians such as Representative Elise Stefanik and Senator Marco Rubio as well as more wild-card choices like Fox News commentator Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But no nomination has sparked as much fervor on both sides of the aisle as Trump naming Florida representative Matt Gaetz as his U.S. attorney general.
Gaetz, a loyal Trump ally, was an immediately contentious pick, due to his significant lack of legal experience compared to past attorneys general as well as his penchant for antagonizing his congressional colleagues, regardless of party affiliation. The Florida congressman has long been embroiled in numerous ethics investigations including a Justice Department probe into whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and traveled out of state with her, which could constitute sex trafficking. Though the federal government ultimately ended its inquiry without bringing any charges against Gaetz, the House Ethics Committee revived its investigation in 2023 after deferring to the agency.
But the news that Gaetz intended to withdraw his name from consideration has put the release of the committee’s final report even further into question. The panel, which also looked into whether Gaetz used illegal drugs or misused campaign funds, was set to vote November 15 on whether to publicize its report on the congressman. But that decision was quickly disrupted as Gaetz officially submitted his immediate resignation from the House last week, removing himself from the panel’s jurisdiction. The rescheduled meeting for Wednesday left more answers about the report’s fate than it answered. The Associated Press reports that the Republicans on the committee voted against releasing the report, pushing the issue back to a future meeting in December.
Though the committee can no longer enforce penalties on the now former member, many in Congress have urged the group to move forward with releasing the report, citing its increased importance now that Gaetz is Trump’s attorney general pick. Others argue that the committee’s findings are no longer relevant now that Gaetz has left the House. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Friday that he’s not in favor of releasing the report and he intends to relay his stance to the committee. “I’m going to strongly request that the Ethics Committee not issue the report because that is not the way we do things in the House, and I think that would be a terrible precedent to set,” he said, per CNN. Johnson has also denied discussing the report with Trump and insisted that his comments against the report’s release aren’t at odds with his earlier refusal to discuss the report because the panel works independently of the speaker.
Gaetz’s withdrawal has changed the situation for some in the chamber. Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick Durbin, who pushed for the report’s release, indicated his stance has shifted since Gaetz dropped his bid. “My interest in him, in his political future, our government’s future, is diminished dramatically by this decision. So there are lots of other things we need to do,” he said, per Politico.
However, Democratic Representative Sean Casten of Illinois, who filed a resolution intended to force a vote on the report’s release, said that Gaetz’s withdrawal doesn’t change anything. “While I welcome the news that Matt Gaetz is withdrawing from consideration for Attorney General, it remains important that the Gaetz report be made available to the American people,” he said in a statement.
While the committee’s final decision remains unclear, there is no official rule barring the release of an ethics report on a member that has resigned. Previously, the committee publicized reports on former representative William Boner in 1987, as well as Representative Donald Lukens in 1990. It’s also possible that the report will be leaked if the committee decides not to release it.
