Lawmakers urge House ethics committee to release Gaetz report ahead of Wednesday's meeting

Some Senate Republicans and nearly 100 House Democrats on Tuesday encouraged the House Ethics committee to release its report on its investigation into allegations that former Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor.

The House committee is expected to discuss the results of the investigation at a committee meeting on Wednesday, and whether it will publicly release the report now that Gaetz has resigned from Congress after being nominated for attorney general.

Gaetz has strongly denied the allegations, and a separate Justice Department investigation that concluded last year did not result in any charges.

“We are writing today to request that you immediately release the Ethics Committee’s report into allegations of serious misconduct by former Congressman Matt Gaetz,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote Tuesday in a letter. “Given the seriousness of the charges against Representative Gaetz, withholding the findings of your investigation may jeopardize the Senate’s ability to provide fully informed, constitutionally required advice and consent regarding this nomination."

Multiple Senate Republicans, who would need to confirm Gaetz in January, have also indicated that they support releasing the report, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has urged the House panel not to release it because Gaetz has left Congress.

Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley on Tuesday said that releasing the report would speed up the confirmation process.

“I would suggest if they want a speedy consideration of this … it would help faster consideration, the extent to which they would make as much available as they can,” Grassley said, according to The Hill.

Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma have also called for the report to be released.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.