Democratic Rep. Sean Casten has taken a significant step on the House floor to push for a vote on releasing the House Ethics Committee report regarding allegations of misconduct by former congressman Matt Gaetz, who was once considered for the position of attorney general under Donald Trump's administration.
Democrats had previously attempted to force a vote on this issue before the Thanksgiving recess break, but the procedural move faced a setback. Casten has now reintroduced the resolution to prompt a floor vote within two legislative days.
The upcoming vote could result in various outcomes, including tabling the resolution, referring it to committee, or a direct vote on the merits of releasing the report.
Both Republicans and Democrats are skeptical that enough GOP members will defy House Speaker Mike Johnson's stance on the matter, leading to doubts about the report's potential release. Johnson has argued against the report's release, citing Gaetz's departure from the House and the ethics panel's lack of jurisdiction over him.
Casten has presented a privileged resolution on the floor, urging the ethics panel to promptly disclose its findings on the allegations against Gaetz, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
It is worth noting that Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for attorney general amid bipartisan pressure, particularly as Democrats pushed for the release of the House Ethics Committee report on him.
