The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted against expediting the release of an ethics probe into former Representative Matt Gaetz, who had previously dropped out of consideration to become Donald Trump’s attorney general. The probe focused on allegations of sexual misconduct with a teenage girl and drug use. Gaetz, who denied any wrongdoing, resigned from Congress in November after being considered for the attorney general position.
The House Ethics Committee, consisting of equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats, met but did not reach a decision on what to do with the findings of its investigation into Gaetz. There were questions regarding whether the committee should release its findings since Gaetz had already resigned, effectively removing its jurisdiction over him. Democrats, led by Representative Sean Casten, called for a full House vote to release the findings.
The committee had previously deadlocked along party lines on releasing the investigative findings, with the top Republican expressing reservations due to the report’s incomplete status. The top Democrat on the committee also noted a lack of unanimity on how to proceed with the probe. The decision to block the release of the probe’s findings has sparked debate over the handling of ethics investigations involving former members of Congress.
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