Republicans defeated an effort by Democrats to force the release of an ethics report on MAGA rabble-rouser Matt Gaetz.
The House Ethics Committee has been investigating allegations that Trump’s former Attorney General Gaetz had sex with a minor and used illegal drugs while he was a federal employee.
Multiple reports showing that Gaetz paid two girls more than $10,000 for sex and that he inquired whether they brought “party favors” — slang for drugs — led to the demise of his AG nomination, as Republican senators raised many reservations about his past .
Gaetz has repeatedly denied all allegations and compared the Ethics Commission’s investigation to a smear campaign against him.
After a high-stakes ethics committee meeting earlier Thursday, the bipartisan panel said it would not publish the report.
“The Committee met today to discuss the matter of Representative Matt Gaetz. The committee continues to discuss the matter. No further statements will be made other than in accordance with the committee and House rules.”
But Democratic Reps. Sean Casten of Illinois and Steve Cohen of Tennessee had both introduced resolutions to force a vote on releasing the committee report.
Those resolutions were voted down by Republicans in the House of Representatives on Thursday evening, which was a blow to the Democrats’ plan.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (L), President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to become attorney general, walks with newly elected Vice President JD Vance (R) as they arrive for meetings with senators at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 20 2024 in Washington, DC The next day, Gaetz withdrew his nomination for AG
The House of Representatives Ethics Committee met Thursday to discuss ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz awaits report on allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use
The House of Representatives Ethics Committee decided Thursday not to release the Gaetz report
Many Democrats have called for its release, while Republicans say publishing the report on the former lawmaker is no longer important since he withdrew his nomination for attorney general on Nov. 21, just over a week after he was nominated and resigned his seat in Congress.
Two weeks ago, the panel deadlocked on whether to release the file, decided to take no action and scheduled a follow-up session for today.
The Thursday afternoon meeting again revolved around the discussion of whether to publish the potentially harmful file, although they ultimately opted against it for the time being.
Gaetz’s longtime rival, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who ousted Gaetz from power last year, has said the former Florida Republican was looking for an excuse to get out of Congress and get away from the potentially disastrous report .
“Matt wanted out,” McCarthy told NewsNation on Wednesday. “He wanted (the) excuse to resign even though other people were nominated, but they didn’t resign from Congress.”
Due to the committee’s decision, the report should not see the light of day.
However, Democrats still tried to bring the report to public attention by forcing votes on its publication in the House of Representatives.
Its release would break with a past precedent set by the panel, which no longer has jurisdiction over Gaetz after he resigned from Congress one day after being named the nation’s top law enforcement official.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., previously spoke out strongly against the report’s release, saying he strongly advises against it, but the committee decided to vote on it anyway.
The impressive testimony of Orlando-based attorney Joel Leppard, who represents two women who claim to have information about Gaetz’s allegedly grim past, fueled demands from lawmakers and the public to see the file.
Gaetz allegedly partied, used drugs and paid women for sex repeatedly between 2017 and 2019 while serving in the House of Representatives, Leppard alleges.
Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (C) and wife Ginger Luckey Gaetz talk with another guest at the America First Policy Institute Gala held at Mar-a-Lago on Nov. 14, 2024 in Palm Beach.
Joel Leppard of Leppard Law represents two women making allegations against Rep. Matt Gaetz
The allegations were at the center of the House Ethics Committee’s investigation into the ex-lawmaker, as the women reportedly testified before the panel.
According to Leppard, the Republican attended as many as ten “sex parties” where illegal drugs and “group sex situations” were present.
Both women represented by Leppard allege Gaetz paid them for sex through Venmo, the attorney alleges.
Gaetz paid more than $10,000 dollars to two women on Venmo between 2017 and 2019, ABC News reports.
“She testified (that) in July 2017, at this house party, she was walking toward the pool, and she looked to her right, and she saw Representative Gaetz having sex with her boyfriend, who was 17,” Leppard said Monday.
One of the witnesses claims she saw her friends having sex with Gaetz at a party in July 2017 at a gaming table thought to be an air hockey table.
The unnamed witness also says her friend was 17 years old at the time.