House votes to keep Gaetz ethics report under wraps

• Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) forced a vote on the matter, which the House voted to refer back to the Ethics panel.
• A sizable number of lawmakers have called for the report's release, even after Gaetz resigned his House seat when President-elect Trump tapped him as his attorney general nominee.
• Gaetz later withdrew himself from consideration.

Catch up quick: There has been a dispute over whether releasing a report dealing with the actions of a former member would break precedent, with some conservative members advocating for a wide range of sealed ethics reports to become public if Gaetz's does.

• The panel deadlocked in November on whether to release its report, thus keeping it under wraps.
• The panel was investigating Gaetz for a litany of allegations including sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, all of which he denies.
• Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) came out against the report's release following Gaetz's resignation.

What's next: While Gaetz is no longer in Congress, he is widely expected to run for Florida governor in 2026.

Go deeper: Matt Gaetz says he won't return to Congress next year