The House of Representatives voted to block the release of an ethics report examining the conduct of former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, the congressman who was briefly nominated for the role of attorney general in the incoming Trump administration.
House Republicans defeated two efforts brought by Democrats to publicly release the results of a potentially damaging investigation conducted by the House Ethics Committee into the former congressman, who has faced accusations of sexual misconduct and drug use—accusations Gaetz has long denied.
Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) spearheaded the first effort, introducing a resolution that would have released the “latest draft of its report and a summary of its findings to the public.” Lawmakers voted primarily on party lines to oppose the measure, with only with only Rep. Tom McClintock, a Republican, siding with the Democrats.
Some members of Congress booed after the resolution was voted down, Roll Call reported. In a statement issued after the vote, Casten admonished his colleagues for taking “the easy way out.”
“The House voted to sweep these allegations under the rug and set an unfortunate precedent that, if you are ever facing scrutiny, resigning from Congress can make your problems go away,” Casten said.
The House also blocked another resolution brought by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) which would have required the chamber to preserve all records and findings from the investigation, sending it back to the Ethics Committee.
In his own statement, Cohen’s office called the move a “parliamentary maneuver designed to prevent the release” of the report. The Tennessee representative promised to continue exploring ways to release the document.
The votes came only hours after the House Ethics Committee also voted to keep the report under wraps, at least temporarily. The committee of five Republicans and five Democrats has remained deadlocked on the matter for weeks.
Gaetz resigned from his position in the House of Representatives shortly after his nomination was announced by Trump. His resignation came only days before the Ethics Committee was set to vote on the release of the potentially damaging report.
Although both Democratic and Republican senators called for the committee to release the full report, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) opposed its release, insisting it would set a “terrible precedent.”
The Ethics Committee launched its probe into Gaetz’s conduct in 2021, but placed the investigation on hold while the Florida representative faced a Justice Department investigation over possible criminal charges for sex trafficking.
The Justice Department eventually declined to press charges against Gaetz, and the House reopened its own investigation in 2023.
The details of the report remain under seal, but some witnesses who testified before the committee have since revealed some details about where the investigation was headed.
In November, a Florida attorney told ABC News he represented two women who testified before the Ethics Committee. The women reportedly told the committee Gaetz paid them for sex using Venmo. One of the women also testified that she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old woman, although she also stated that the former congressman ended his relationship with her when she found out she was a minor.
Gaetz has long denied any wrongdoing, but also withdrew his name for consideration for the top job at the Justice Department.
