House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, recently voiced his opposition to releasing the House Ethics Committee report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida. Johnson argued that releasing the report after Gaetz's resignation could potentially open a 'Pandora's box.'
During an appearance, Johnson stated that he was not privy to the contents of the ethics report due to the rules governing the Ethics Committee's independence. He emphasized that the tradition and rule of not issuing investigations and ethics reports on individuals who are no longer serving in Congress are crucial to maintaining the committee's jurisdiction and purpose.
Reports surfaced that a woman testified to the ethics committee alleging sexual relations with Gaetz when she was 17 years old. The House investigation came to a halt following Gaetz's resignation from Congress. Gaetz vehemently denied the allegations, labeling them as 'invented' and 'false testimony.'
The Department of Justice had previously interviewed the woman as part of its investigation into Gaetz regarding accusations of sex trafficking and obstruction of justice. Despite the DOJ not pursuing charges, Gaetz has consistently maintained his innocence.
Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas and a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, expressed interest in reviewing the House Ethics Committee report. He emphasized the importance of not limiting the Senate Judiciary Committee's investigation and suggested that the report should be included in their review.
The controversy surrounding the House Ethics Committee report on Gaetz continues to unfold, with differing perspectives on the release of the report and its potential implications for future proceedings.
