A secret vote held earlier this month by the House Ethics Committee has decided that the report into the conduct of former GOP lawmaker, Mike Johnson’s Christmas ruined at least.
According to multiple sources the report will soon be made public despite the fact that the committee had previously voted to shelve it on of Gaetz no longer being a member of congress. It’s unusual but not unheard of for a report like this to be published after an individual has left Congress. The results of this “secret vote” indicate that some Republicans must have also voted in favor of the report being released.
Mike Johnson won’t be happy
Out of everyone though, one of the most opposed to the report being released is House Speaker Mike Johnson – he’s been trying to keep Gaetz secret for a while and so far he’s been pretty successful. He made his opinion on the matter clear as crystal back when Gaetz was still in the running to be Attorney General: “I’m going to strongly request that the Ethics Committee not issue the report, because that is not the way we do things in the House.” Sorry Johnson, looks like you won’t be getting your way on this one.
Mike explained his reasoning for wanting to keep the report under wraps, citing House rules that “a former member is beyond the jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee.” But such a thing can and has happened before. Besides, politicians on both sides have expressed their desire to see the contents of the report, clearly Johnson is outnumbered.
Matt Gaetz and the ethics report
The controversy surrounding the report ramped up in November, when President-elect Donald Trump announced Gaetz as his choice for Attorney General. While many were concerned about whether or not he was qualified for the role, there were also concerns regarding the allegations against him. The Florida Representative had been accused of sex trafficking, sexual misconduct involving minors, and drug use.
At the time Gaetz was under investigation by the House Ethics committee but just two days before the report was due to be released he resigned from his role meaning he was no longer under House jurisdiction. He had also been the subject of a three year investigation by the Justice Department although not much came of it. His decision to resign looked like a blatant attempt at shielding himself from whatever that report contains and thus far he’s managed to get off scot-free.
When will the ethics report be released?
Right now there hasn’t been a specific date given although it doesn’t look like there’s much Gaetz or Mike Johnson can do to stop it from happening at this point. Gaetz has already confirmed that he won’t be returning to congress anytime in the near future while Johnson has no power over the . Soon enough we’ll hopefully get to see exactly what kind of person Matt is.
Published: Dec 18, 2024 01:28 pm