Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) may end his relationship with Congress. But Congress isn't done with him. Gates, who was nominated by President-elect Trump to be attorney general, also appears to have not finished dealing with Congress.
Gaetz held talks with Trump to become attorney general last week on a flight to Florida, just hours after the president-elect met with House Republicans in Washington. Mr. Trump then nominated Mr. Gaetz as his nominee, and the Florida Republican resigned.
What was not known at the time was that the House Ethics Committee was about to release a report investigating Gaetz's allegations of “sexual misconduct” and “illicit drug use.” Gaetz stopped cooperating with the House investigation over the summer. The FBI had been investigating Gaetz for years, but closed the investigation in February.
The Ethics Committee canceled a scheduled meeting on Friday that was scheduled to release information about Gates' autopsy. But since Gaetz is no longer a member of Congress, the committee likely has no power to act.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Potential Release of the Ethics Committee Report on Gates
The unexpected nomination of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) by President-elect Trump for attorney general raises some tough questions. What will happen to the Ethics Committee's report regarding the allegations of misconduct by the lawmaker? (Tama Mario/Getty Images)
House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-Mississippi) said Wednesday when asked about the Gaetz investigation before the Florida Republican resigned.
“A report will be released once the investigation is complete, assuming Mr. Gaetz is still a member of Congress at that time. Technically, the Ethics Commission loses jurisdiction at that point, but once we lose jurisdiction, the report will no longer be issued,” Guest said.
Other ethics committee members tried to avoid discussion about Gates.
“I'm not going to comment on that. I'm on the Ethics Committee, so I don't get into that,” said Rep. John Rutherford (R-Fla.).
“Can you still release the report?” asked Rachel Scott of the ABC.
“No, that's not possible,” Rutherford replied, turning to Scott.
Close margin: Trump wins support from House Republicans in second term
The House Ethics Committee generally operates this way regarding unresolved investigations involving former members of Congress.
But it's not a hard and fast rule.
Fox discovered that after the late Rep. John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania) died in 2010, the Ethics Committee released information about an investigation into his potential influence.
The House Ethics Committee reportedly released its findings on former Reps. John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania) and Bill Bonner (D-Tennessee) after they left office. (Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images | CQ Roll Call, via Getty Images)
The Ethics Committee also released a 699-page report on former Rep. Bill Bonner (D-Tenn.) after he retired in 1987. The commission found that Mr. Bonner used campaign funds to travel to Hong Kong and may have used his position to gain influence. defense contractor.
The Ethics Committee investigated former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Florida), who was arrested in 2006 for sending inappropriate messages to the House Page. Foley abruptly resigned from the House. But the Ethics Committee convened a number of bipartisan congressional leaders in private depositions to determine what they knew about Foley's activities.
That being said, there is a way to withdraw the Ethics Commission report on the floor.
What happens to the Gateshouse Ethics Report?
There is a mechanism called the “parliamentary privilege issue''. Under this process, members could come to the floor and argue that keeping the Gaetz ethics report secret would undermine the dignity and integrity of the House. The House would need to vote on such a motion. If the floor debate is successful, the ethics committee could be forced to release its report.
You seriously asked Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D.Y.) if Democrats would try to remove the Gates report from the Ethics Committee.
Pergram: “Can you imagine a scenario where Democrats somehow try to get rid of this ethics report through congressional maneuvering?”
I asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (New York) if his party plans to find a way to remove the Gates report from the Ethics Committee. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Jeffries: “The Ethics Committee is an incredibly bipartisan committee. It's the only committee in Congress that has an even voice. And the Ethics Committee is made up of principled people. “And at this point, I'm going to follow whatever course they choose,” and I hope they take a bipartisan course. ”
The Senate Judiciary Committee will examine Gaetz's qualifications, conduct a background check and ultimately hold a confirmation hearing before a floor vote on his nomination. There is also a possibility that the nomination will be blocked.
Senate Majority Whip and Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) formally requested a report from the House Ethics Committee, which will review Gaetz's fitness for office.
Matt Gaetz's nomination rocks Capitol Hill
“The order and timing of Mr. Gaetz's resignation from the House of Representatives raises serious questions about the contents of the House Ethics Committee's report,” Durbin said. “This information may be relevant to Mr. Gates' confirmation as the next U.S. attorney general and the issue of his constitutional responsibility for advice and consent.”
Democrats weren't the only ones trying to pry into the report.
“I don't think there should be any limitations on the Senate Judiciary Committee's investigations, including those created by the House Ethics Committee,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) seemed eager to reveal the findings of the Gaetz report, saying there should be “no limits” on what the Senate Judiciary Committee can investigate. . (Reuters)
Congressman Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) serves on the Ethics Committee. He suggested that the committee should consider sending its report to the Senate.
“I think the Senate certainly had the right to request it. I can't speak to our internal deliberations, but I think the information the Senate requested was completely reasonable,” Ivey said. spoke. “In fact, I think it's essential that they have that information before they make a decision.”
On Friday, Johnson said he “does not control the ethics committee.”
The Hitchhiker's Guide to What the Republican Senate Means and the Future of the House of Representatives
However, Mr Johnson went further than previously on the release of the report.
“We should uphold the tradition of not publishing reports on former members of the House of Commons because it would open up a dangerous Pandora's box,” Johnson said.
Johnson reaffirmed that when asked about the release of the report during an appearance on Fox News Sunday.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) warned against making the ethics committee's findings public, citing precedent and the possibility of opening a “pandora's box of danger.” (Getty Images)
“I think this is a breach of protocol and could be dangerous for us in the future,” the chairman said.
The Senate Judiciary Committee may subpoena the Ethics Committee report. And, as suggested earlier, there is a way to remove the report from the panel through a vote on the floor of the House of Commons. If such a scenario were to play out, many Republicans would find themselves in a bind. They may be concerned that voting to release the report will put them in a bad position with President-elect Trump. Not to mention the future attorney general.
But Gaetz is not liked by former members of Congress. In fact, some Republicans may despise the former Florida lawmaker more than Democrats. Part of the reason is that Gaetz single-handedly led to the vote to remove former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) last year. This maneuver led to three weeks of chaos in the House of Commons.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Mr. Gaetz is no longer a member of the House of Representatives. But it doesn't matter. The fight over ethics reports has only just begun. And it's wreaking havoc as if Gates were still a member.
