Gaetz faces rocky road to confirmation as pressure builds for release of House ethics probe
CNN
Top Senate Republicans are withholding support for President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general, while Democrats and at least one prominent GOP senator call for the release of an ethics report into the former congressman.
Top Senate Republicans are withholding support for President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general, while Democrats and at least one prominent GOP senator call for the release of an ethics report into the former congressman. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he “absolutely” wants to see the House Ethics Committee’s findings on Gaetz. “I think there should not be any limitations on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation, including whatever the House Ethics Committee has generated,” he said. A long-awaited report from the ethics panel was expected to be released as soon as Friday, according to two sources familiar with the discussions. But Gaetz resigned from Congress after Trump announced his intent to nominate the Florida Republican to be attorney general and it is now uncertain if the information will ever be made public. Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. The Gaetz nomination could set up a major clash between Trump and the new Senate GOP majority as the president-elect has vowed to get his nominees installed. Sen. John Thune, the incoming Senate majority leader, will face an early test over the controversial nomination and can only afford three defections if Republicans end up with 53 seats. Trump has pushed to keep all options on the table to greenlight his nominees, including recess appointments, which would bypass the typical Senate confirmation process.
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