Johnson argues Gaetz report should stay sealed as ex-Rep a "private citizen"
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson shakes hands with President-elect Trump onstage at a House Republicans Conference meeting on Nov 13 in Washington, DC. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) reaffirmed his view that the possibly damaging House Ethics Committee report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) should remain sealed.
Why it matters: Gaetz, President-elect Trump's controversial pick for attorney general, resigned from the House Wednesday — making him a "private citizen," Johnson argued. But senators tasked with confirming the president-elect's pick have made bipartisan calls to see the report.
- Axios reported Friday that Johnson said he'd ask the committee not to release their findings, saying it would set a "terrible precedent."
- But Johnson told CNN's Jake Tapper Sunday that the House speaker "is not involved in ethics committee work ... because the speaker can't put a thumb on the scale or have anything to do with that."
Driving the news: Johnson, appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," reiterated that releasing the report would be "a Pandora's Box," arguing there is a "very important protocol and tradition" that the committee's jurisdiction does not extend to "non-members."
- But Tapper noted the House Ethics Committee has released reports on lawmakers after their resignation in the past, pointing to former reps. William Boner (D-Tenn.) and Donald Lukens (R-Ohio).
- Johnson acknowledged there were "exceptions to the rule" but added, "I wasn't the speaker at that time — I'm the speaker now."
- But he added, "the speaker does not have the authority to stop the release of a report by the ethics committee."
State of play: The panel confirmed in June it had picked up the investigation into Gaetz where the Justice Department had left off.
- The committee had been investigating several allegations against Gaetz — all of which he has categorically denied — including sex trafficking, illicit drug use and accepting bribes, Axios' Andrew Solender reports.
- The panel had been set to vote on the release of its report on Nov. 15, which Johnson contended Sunday was in a "rough draft" form. The vote was canceled when Gaetz resigned from Congress on Nov. 13.
What they're saying: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Okla.), a Republican who has criticized Gaetz's alleged inappropriate behavior in the past, said in an interview aired Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the report should "absolutely" be released to the Senate.
- "I have no doubt that President Trump believes that Matt Gaetz is the right person to do the right job, but at the same time, the background of Matt Gaetz does matter," he said.
The bottom line: With or without the release of the report, Gaetz could face a difficult path to Senate confirmation.
- He's one of several MAGA-world nominees that have prompted discomfort on Capitol Hill and beyond.
- Asked Sunday if morality was still a priority among Republican leaders, Johnson characterized Trump's picks as "disruptors" meant to "shake up the status quo."
- Johnson added: "I think the Senate needs to do its job and get them appointed so that the president ... and JD Vance can begin that administration and run with it on day one."
Go deeper: Democrats hunt for ways to make Gaetz ethics report public
