Speaker Johnson says he’s going to request Ethics Committee not release Gaetz report

House Speaker Mike Johnson has announced that he plans to strongly request the House Ethics Committee not release its investigative report on Matt Gaetz, following weeks of deliberation over allegations involving the former Florida congressman. The request comes shortly after Johnson’s visit with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, signaling a potential shift in his position on the issue. Gaetz, who resigned from Congress earlier this week, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing regarding the allegations.

In a Friday statement, Johnson said that the release of the report would set a damaging precedent for the House and called for the Ethics Committee to refrain from publishing the findings. His comments marked a departure from earlier remarks, in which he had claimed that the Speaker’s office had no role in the Ethics Committee’s work. Despite this, Johnson clarified that he felt it was crucial to uphold the tradition of not issuing ethics reports on former members of Congress.

“I’m going to strongly request that the Ethics Committee not issue the report,” Johnson said. “That is not how we do things in the House. It would be a terrible precedent to set.” He further explained that, since Gaetz had already resigned, the Ethics Committee no longer had jurisdiction over him, and releasing such a report would only serve to undermine the institution’s practices.

The investigation into Gaetz had been ongoing for months and centered on several serious allegations, including accusations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, and corruption. Although Gaetz has denied all charges, the timing of his resignation — just days before the Ethics Committee was expected to vote on releasing the report — has raised eyebrows.

While Johnson’s position is clear, the matter is far from settled. The House Ethics Committee had scheduled a meeting to vote on whether to release the report, but that meeting was abruptly canceled after committee Republicans met privately the night before. At the heart of the issue is whether the committee still has the authority to release the report on a former member, as it traditionally investigates sitting members of Congress.

Some members of Congress, especially Democrats, have expressed concerns about the timing of Gaetz’s resignation and whether it was an attempt to avoid scrutiny. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, has publicly questioned the wisdom of allowing a nominee for attorney general, someone with an ongoing ethics investigation, to move forward without the public knowing more about the allegations. “It defies belief that anyone could become the chief law enforcement officer of the United States with an outstanding House Ethics Committee investigative report that doesn’t get released,” Raskin told CNN.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, which will play a key role in vetting Gaetz for the role of attorney general, has also weighed in on the matter. On Thursday, Senate Judiciary Committee staff requested that the House Ethics Committee preserve and transmit all relevant documentation related to Gaetz, including the report. They emphasized that, given Gaetz’s nomination, the Senate had a legitimate interest in accessing the findings before proceeding with his confirmation hearings.

“There is longstanding precedent for releasing ethics investigation materials after a member resigns, whether in the House or Senate,” said Josh Sorbe, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. “The now former congressman shouldn’t be able to resign away an ethics investigation involving allegations of grave misconduct, especially when he will be nominated to be our country’s top law enforcement officer.”

The Ethics Committee’s investigation, which began in 2021, focused on several serious allegations against Gaetz, including accusations of sexual misconduct, improper gifts, and obstruction of justice. Gaetz has denied all allegations, but the committee’s findings could have serious implications for his confirmation as attorney general.

While Speaker Johnson’s request to withhold the report is significant, it is not without controversy. Some have argued that blocking the report’s release could deprive the public of critical information, especially given Gaetz’s potential role in the U.S. government. “The public has a right to know the full scope of the allegations against Gaetz, especially now that he is being considered for the top law enforcement position in the country,” said Rep. Glenn Ivey, a Democrat who serves on the Ethics Committee.

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who served on the committee for seven years, also expressed concerns about the timing of Gaetz’s resignation. She suggested that the move might have been designed to avoid scrutiny just as the Ethics Committee was preparing to release its findings.

Despite the mounting pressure, Johnson remains firm in his stance. “The House has a tradition that we don’t investigate people who are no longer members of Congress,” he said. “I think that tradition should be maintained, and I think most people will understand that position.”

As the situation continues to unfold, both parties are closely watching the Ethics Committee’s next steps. With Gaetz’s nomination to serve as attorney general still on the table, the report’s release — or lack thereof — could have significant ramifications for the confirmation process and for the public’s trust in the institutions charged with holding elected officials accountable.