Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., has resigned from his position after being selected by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as attorney general. As a result, the House Ethics Committee no longer has jurisdiction over Gaetz, halting the release of its report on allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.
House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., explained that once a member resigns to take on a new role, such as Gaetz becoming attorney general, the committee loses jurisdiction over them. This is a common practice for the Ethics Committee when dealing with former members.
While typically reports are not issued once jurisdiction is lost, there have been exceptions in the past. For instance, reports on former members like Rep. John Murtha and Rep. Bob Boner were released after their departures from office.
There is a potential avenue to compel the release of the Gaetz report through a parliamentary maneuver known as the 'question of privileges of the House.' This would involve a lawmaker arguing that withholding the report undermines the House's integrity, leading to a vote on the matter.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., expressed confidence in the bipartisan nature of the Ethics Committee and deferred to their decision-making process. He emphasized the importance of maintaining bipartisanship in handling such matters.
As the situation unfolds, the fate of the Gaetz ethics report remains uncertain, with the possibility of a parliamentary maneuver looming as a potential means to push for its release.
