The House is set to vote Thursday evening on a Democrat-led effort to release a long-awaited Ethics Committee report concerning allegations against former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who was once considered for the position of Donald Trump's attorney general.
House GOP leadership is confident they will be able to prevent the report's release during the upcoming vote. If Democrats push for the vote, GOP leaders are prepared to refer the matter back to the Ethics Committee.
Despite concerns about attendance within their narrow majority, Republican leadership believes they have enough support to maintain the confidentiality of the Gaetz report, as per multiple sources.
Democrats intend to force the vote at the conclusion of today's voting series, scheduled for around 6 p.m. ET.
Meanwhile, the Ethics Committee is slated to convene behind closed doors at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the report. It seems unlikely that Republican members on the panel will approve the report's release during this meeting. However, if the panel were to decide on releasing the report this afternoon, Democrats would not proceed with their vote later in the evening.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has expressed his belief that the report should not be made public, citing that Gaetz is no longer a House member, thus falling outside the ethics panel's jurisdiction. Rep. Michael Guest, the Ethics Committee chairman, shares a similar view.
Democrats are utilizing a procedural tactic to compel GOP leadership to conduct a vote on the matter. Gaetz has consistently denied any allegations of misconduct.
