The House Ethics Committee met on Wednesday (November 20) but did not reach a decision on whether to release a report examining allegations of sexual misconduct against former Representative Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general.
The panel, which is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, met behind closed doors for over two hours. The Republican chair, Michael Guest, told reporters that there was "no agreement" on releasing the report. The committee had been investigating claims that Gaetz may have engaged in sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, and obstructed the House probe. Gaetz has consistently denied these allegations.
The Justice Department had launched its own inquiry into accusations that Gaetz engaged in a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, but the department closed its investigation last year without filing charges. Two women testified to congressional investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex and that he was seen having sex with a 17-year-old, according to their lawyer.
As the Ethics Committee is evenly split between the two parties, it would take one Republican siding with every Democrat on the panel to have the report released. However, prominent Republicans, including the House speaker, Mike Johnson, have cautioned against releasing the report on Gaetz, who resigned his seat immediately after Trump announced his nomination as attorney general.
Democrats have appeared open to the idea of releasing the report. Nearly 100 House Democrats signed a letter requesting the Ethics Committee's findings be released, noting that there was some precedent for issuing reports on former members who resigned amid scandal. Representative Sean Casten, who led fellow Democrats in signing the letter, indicated on Wednesday that he would introduce a privileged resolution to require a full House vote on releasing the report. Casten would need the support of only a handful of Republicans to get the resolution approved in the House, where Gaetz has made enemies on both sides of the aisle.