There’s one little victory regarding the nomination of Matt Gaetz as attorney general: House Ethics won’t release the report on his alleged misdeeds, which the former Florida Republican congressman has denied—some of the allegations involved trysts with women who weren’t 18 years of age. House Speaker Mike Johnson urged members not to release the report. Today, that body obliged. With Gaetz resigning from Congress shortly after his AG nomination, the inquiry into his activities ceased (via Axios):
The House Ethics Committee will not release its report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) after Republicans on the panel voted against making the findings public.
Why it matters: Gaetz is President-elect Trump's nominee to run the Justice Department as attorney general. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) publicly opposed the report's release, arguing it would break precedent because Gaetz has resigned from Congress.
"There was not an agreement by the committee to release the report," Ethics Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) told reporters leaving Wednesday's meeting.
The 10-member panel, which is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats — voted along party lines, according to person familiar with the matter, falling short of the majority vote needed to compel the report's release.
The larger issue is that this report is likely to be leaked. This can happen in numerous ways, not least being a “hacker” who allegedly obtained a copy. It’s going to drop—it’s just a matter of when. Gaetz’s nomination has triggered the Left, with the ladies of The View going mad over the prospect of him becoming our leading law enforcement official. Yet, this time, co-host Sunny Hostin, through clenched teeth, was forced to read a legal note in a recent episode (via Mediaite) [bold text indicates the note read on-air]:
NEW: The View host Sunny Hostin fumes as she is forced to read a legal note just minutes after presenting the Matt Gaetz allegations as a “fact.”
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 20, 2024
Hostin: They discussed the fact that once [Gaetz] finds out that she's 17, he stops having s*x with her.
Hostin 3 min later: Matt… pic.twitter.com/USvYjnWqKZ
Matt Gaetz has long denied all allegations, calling the claims, quote, “invented,” and saying in a statement to ABC News that “this false smear following a three-year criminal investigation should be viewed with great skepticism.” The DOJ investigation was closed with no charges being brought.
Goldberg then announced, “We’ll be right back,” as the show cut to commercials.
Minutes prior, as the co-hosts of The View discussed the sexual misconduct allegations against Gaetz, Hostin said, “Within the Department of Justice, you know, you have the sex crimes unit, which is what I was a part of. Child sex crimes and child trafficking. How could you nominate someone with allegations of child trafficking or trafficking across state lines and having sex with a 17-year-old?”
Goldberg responded, “I’m saddened by it because all of those women who will have to get some defense of what’s happened to them, that’s who they’re going to, and this is someone who will just say, ‘It’s not a big deal.’ All of those little kids who, you know, get abused, they got no recourse now because this is what’s in charge.”
It's unknown if Gaetz can be confirmed, but Trump is reportedly “all in” on the man, and as president-elect, has the right to pick anyone as he sees fit. Let the vetting process begin and we’ll regroup from there.