Speaker Johnson opposed release of Gaetz ethics report

U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) has come out against releasing the results of Congress's ethics investigation of U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL). 

Johnson, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, did so during a recent appearance on the Fox News Channel's Fox News Sunday. 

This all comes after President-Elect Donald Trump nominated Gaetz to be the next attorney general of the United States.

In response, many lawmakers - particularly the senators who will confirm or deny Gaetz's appointment - have requested access to the ethics probe.

Background

The House's Ethics Committee has been investigating Gaetz for three years now over allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor and of illicit drug use.

The New York Post recently published a report, stating:

A woman told the House ethics panel investigating Matt Gaetz that she saw the former congressman having sex with a minor at a Florida party, her lawyer said Friday. “My client testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Rep. Gaetz having sex with a minor at a house party in Orlando in 2017,” attorney Joel Leppard told NBC News.

Gaetz has denied these allegations.

Besides such reports as the one from the Post, the official results of the committee's investigation have not been released to the public, and Gaetz appears to be trying to keep it this way.

This is one of the reasons why it is believed that he resigned from Congress.

Johnson steps in

The House speaker has released a statement saying that he is opposed to releasing the ethics committee's report on Gaetz.

He said:

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, and I think that would be a terrible precedent to set.

Johnson has provided a more detailed explanation of his position.

He said:

What I have said with regard to the report is that it should not come out, and why? Because Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress. He is no longer a member. There’s a very important protocol and tradition and rule, that we maintain, that the House Ethics Committee’s jurisdiction does not extend to non-members of Congress. I think that would be a Pandora’s Box. I don’t think we want the House Ethics Committee using all of its vast resources and powers to go after private citizens, and that’s what Matt Gaetz is now.

It is unclear how this situation is going to play out.