(Bloomberg) -- Speaker Mike Johnson urged the House Ethics Committee to keep confidential its findings on alleged sexual and other misconduct by Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for attorney general.
Johnson said on Friday that giving in to calls to release the report would open “a Pandora’s box,” setting a precedent for disclosing potentially derogatory information on former members of Congress.
Republican and Democratic senators are pressing for the results of the House’s investigation into allegations Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct, took illicit drugs and accepted improper gifts. Even some members of Trump’s own party are wary of approving Gaetz as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer.
The House Ethics Committee had planned a meeting Friday to consider findings of the investigation but canceled it after Gaetz was nominated and resigned from Congress earlier in the week.
“I believe it is very important to maintain the House’s tradition of not issuing ethics reports on people who are no longer members of Congress,” Johnson told reporters at the Capitol, after visiting Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday.
Johnson declined to talk about any conversations with Trump on the matter. The speaker said he has neither involvement nor “understanding” of what’s going on with the ethics panel, and that he’s responding only to published reports.
Gaetz’s resignation from the House meant that the committee no longer has jurisdiction to investigate him, igniting controversy over whether the findings could be made public or at least revealed to the Senate to inform its confirmation proceedings on the attorney general post.
The Justice Department launched a criminal investigation that included allegations Gaetz had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl in exchange for money but decided in February 2023 not to file any charges against him.
The House Ethics Committee’s probe also included allegations the congressman took illicit drugs and improper gifts. Gaetz has denied all allegations and said in September that he was no longer cooperating with the House probe.
Gaetz has been controversial even among Republicans. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whose ouster from House leadership was initiated by Gaetz, said the Senate would reject the Floridian’s nomination.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.