Republicans on ethics panel vote to block Gaetz report

Republicans on the House Ethics Committee fell in line behind GOP leaders and voted not to release the results of their investigation into Donald Trump’s attorney general pick, Matt Gaetz, despite growing calls from the Senate GOP to make the findings public ahead of his confirmation hearing.

Republicans on the House Ethics Committee fell in line behind GOP leaders and voted not to release the results of their investigation into Donald Trump’s attorney general pick, Matt Gaetz, despite growing calls from the Senate GOP to make the findings public ahead of his confirmation hearing. The GOP’s decision to block the findings — against the will of Democrats on the panel — raises major questions about what happens to the highly secretive information that the ethics panel has already collected on Gaetz. The committee did vote to meet again in December, when Republicans on the panel hope to have a finalized report, according to two people familiar with the discussions. But until then, pressure is ratcheting up across the Capitol to release the contents of the report as Gaetz makes his case directly to GOP senators who will determine his future as attorney general. And with just weeks left to go in the current Congress, Democrats must now plot their next steps. Some Democrats are trying to create his own pressure point: Democratic Rep. Sean Casten, who is close to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, announced Wednesday that he would offer a privileged resolution to attempt to make the report public. Before he could, another Democrat, Rep. Steve Cohen, made a similar effort to pry loose the report through a floor vote. Any House member can file a privileged resolution to force the ethics report to be released by saying it’s relevant to the “dignity and integrity” of the House – which gives the measure special powers to be considered. But it must still pass strict procedural rules to reach the floor. It’s unclear whether Cohen — who formally declared his plans on the floor on Wednesday — has drafted a measure that will pass those procedural standards. But if it does, then Speaker Mike Johnson will be forced to bring it to the floor within two legislative days. Privately, though, Democrats believe the GOP will block the measure from actually receiving a vote.