House Republicans block 2 privilege resolutions demanding release of Matt Gaetz ethics report

The House Republicans blocked two resolutions put forward by the Democrats, demanding the House Ethics Committee to release a potentially damaging report on its investigation into former US Congressman Matt Gaetz. The twin privilege proposals were pushed by Democratic Reps. Sean Casten of Illinois and Steve Cohen of Tennessee.

During the voting 206 to 198 lawmakers voted against the motion to release the damming report of the scandals Trump’s former Attorney General pick was involved in. It is important to note that whenever a lawmaker pushes a privilege resolution, the floor needs to vote on the matter in two legislative days.

While all but one Republican voted to refer Casten’s resolution back to the Ethics Committee, Cohen’s proposal also met the same fate in a 204 to 198 vote. According to CBS News, Republican Rep. Tom McClintock of California was the only member to cross party lines. In a statement, following the voting, Casten accused his Republican colleagues of voting “to sweep these allegations under the rug and set an unfortunate precedent.” He pledged to continue pursuing the report’s release.

Republicans attempt to hide Gaetz’s wrongdoings

The saga started after President-elect Donald Trump announced last month that he intended to nominate Gaetz for attorney general. Shortly after the appointment, the Florida Republican resigned from the US House of Representatives. Before Trump announced Gaetz as the AG pick, the Ethics Committee was investigating allegations that Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. Gaetz, who has denied the allegations, withdrew from consideration after he struggled to garner support from the Senate.

Despite his withdrawal, calls grew for the release of the damming report. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, urged the committee to keep the report secret, arguing that a former member is beyond the panel’s jurisdiction and it would set a “terrible precedent.”

“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,” he said on November 15. “The House Ethics Committee’s jurisdiction is over sitting members of Congress. That’s an important rule,” Johnson furthered.

What the privilege resolutions entailed

In his proposal, Casten cited four instances in which the Ethics Committee released reports on its investigation into members after they had resigned. Last month, the bipartisan committee met to discuss whether the report should be released or not. However, the group remained evenly split along party lines about how to move forward.

The committee met again on Thursday to discuss its investigation into allegations against Gaetz, CBS News reported. In a statement, the panel said it is “continuing to discuss the matter.” However, the committee’s top Democrat, Representative Susan Wild of Pennsylvania, who wanted the report made public, did not attend the meeting.

With inputs from agencies.