Matt Gaetz could not stop it by withdrawing his nomination as the attorney general of Donald Trump’s incoming administration. The House Ethics Committee secretly voted to release the findings of its investigation of sexual misconduct allegations against former Rep Matt Gaetz. Gaetz resigned from the Congress on November 13 when Donald Trump announced him as his pick for the attorney general but the nomination faced stiff resistance and had a low chance to get cleared by the Senate — as Matt Gaetz was named in a sexual misconduct case.
The report is now expected to be made public after the House’s final day of votes this year, CNN reported citing sources.
What are the allegations against Matt Gaetz?
For years, Matt Gaetz faced allegations of sexual misconduct which involved at least one minor girl. Gatez reportedly paid two women for sex multiple times and one of them was 17 at that time. Gatez rubbished the allegations and even the Department of Justice did not pursue any charges against Gaetz.
Matt Gaetz released a statement reacting to the surprising vote concerning him when he is not a member of Congress any more. “I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED. Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me,” he said.
“Then, the very “witnesses” DOJ deemed not-credible were assembled by House Ethics to repeat their claims absent any cross-examination or challenge from me or my attorneys. I’ve had no chance to ever confront any accusers. I’ve never been charged. I’ve never been sued.”
“Instead, House Ethics will reportedly post a report online that I have no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body.”
Why the secret vote is surprising
In late November, there was a vote which said the results of the investigation should not be published. Now there’s this report of a new vote, which was not previously reported, and it was held in secret. The decision to release the report suggests that some Republicans ultimately decided to side with Democrats on the matter, and it is unclear if the committee will once again change course now that it has voted.
