Key Democrat says the ethics report on Matt Gaetz should be made public

WASHINGTON — The top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee said Monday that the panel's report into GOP former Rep. Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, should be made public.

The bipartisan Ethics Committee had been investigating Gaetz, of Florida, off and on since 2021, probing allegations of sexual misconduct involving a 17-year-old girl, illicit drug use and accepting improper gifts. But the committee lost jurisdiction over Gaetz when he resigned from the House on Thursday and has not released any public report on its probe.

Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., the ranking member on the Ethics Committee, said the report should be released, a sentiment echoed by another committee member, Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md.

“It absolutely should be released to the public. And, well, it should certainly be released to the Senate, and I think it should be released to the public, as we have done with many other investigative reports in the past," Wild told reporters, adding, "There is precedent for releasing even after a member has resigned.”

The Ethics Committee plans to meet Wednesday to discuss the report, a source familiar with the meeting confirmed earlier Monday.

The details of the report have not been made public. Several Republican senators, who will consider Gaetz’s nomination once it is formalized next year, have said they want details of the ethics investigation — whether through access to the report itself or through an FBI background check on Gaetz.

On Friday, an attorney said his client testified privately before the Ethics Committee that she personally witnessed Gaetz have sex with a minor. Gaetz, 42, has denied all allegations.

Wild said she was "waiting to see what ... the other members of the committee are going to do before taking any further action."

The Ethics Committee had been scheduled to discuss the report at its regular meeting Friday, which was postponed after Gaetz resigned. CNN first reported that the committee will now meet Wednesday. A spokesman for the committee declined to comment.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who opposes releasing the Gaetz report, told reporters Friday he would “strongly request” that the panel not make it public because Gaetz is now a former member of Congress and the Ethics Committee has jurisdiction only over sitting members.

However, there is precedent for releasing ethics reports after or on the same day a lawmaker resigns from Congress. Two months after Rep. Bill Boner, D-Tenn., resigned in 1987, the Ethics Committee released an initial staff report detailing its investigation. And on the day Rep. Buz Lukens, R-Ohio, resigned from the House in 1990, the committee released its report into him.

Speaking to reporters Monday night, Johnson defended his earlier remarks, clarifying that he has not told committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., or the committee what to do.

"I have not dictated anything to the Ethics Committee. It is not my place to do so; I’ve been very clear," Johnson said when he was asked by NBC News. "I’m merely responding to the questions that every single media outlet in America is asking me: Do I think a report, if it exists, should be released? And the answer is no, because we have a rule on that."

Guest appeared to corroborate Johnson's story Monday, saying Johnson contacted him to let him know he'd told the media he didn't think the report should be released. But, Guest said, "Mike has not tried to weigh in one way or the other. He has not tried to influence the committee. He was only reaching out to me out of courtesy because he had made a comment to the press."

Guest confirmed that he has read the Gaetz report and said other members have had access to view it, but he would not discuss any details of the document or whether the committee will vote Wednesday to release it.

Told Monday that Ivey, the Maryland Democrat, had called Johnson's remarks about the Gaetz report inappropriate, Johnson replied: “Glenn Ivey has his opinion.”

A day earlier, on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Johnson said he has “not discussed one word about the ethics report,” with Trump, even though he spent time with him in recent days in Washington, at Mar-a-Lago, his home in Florida, and at a UFC event at Madison Square Garden in New York.

A number of Republican senators, including some who will have an opportunity to question Gaetz at a Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, have said they want to see the House report.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that senators should "absolutely" have access to the report.

"I believe the Senate should have access to that now. ... That should be definitely part of our decision-making," said Mullin, who served with Gaetz in the House and has publicly criticized his character.

"Once again, I go back to Article II, Section 2 in the Constitution. The Senate has to advise and consent these individuals," Mullin added. "In that process, we're going to give Matt Gaetz the same chances we'll give all President Trump's nominees."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com