Dems help GOP quash vote to release sexual misconduct reports
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Rep. Nancy Mace attends a House Oversight Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol on March 4. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
House Democrats largely voted with Republicans on Wednesday to defeat a measure that would have forced the House Ethics Committee to release all of its records related to sexual misconduct investigations into House members.
Why it matters: The cause is one that has been championed by lawmakers in both parties, but Democratic leadership made the case privately to their members that this was too haphazard a way to go about it.
- Leadership informed members ahead of the vote that they would personally vote no out of a desire to protect victims and avoid publicizing unverified allegations, multiple sources familiar with the matter told Axios.
- They did not formally whip the vote, however, allowing individual members to vote their consciences.
What happened: The House voted 357 to 65 to refer the measure, forced to a vote by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), to the Ethics Committee, effectively quashing it.
- 175 House Republicans and 182 Democrats voted for referral, while 38 Republicans and 27 Democrats voted against.
- The Democrats who voted against referral included several centrist, swing-district lawmakers such as Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), as well as progressives like Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).
What they're saying: Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.), the chair of the Ethics Committee, said in a statement ahead of the vote that his panel is "deeply committed to delivering appropriate transparency and accountability in all cases of ethical misconduct."
- "We believe the forced disclosures ... could chill victim cooperation and witness participation in ongoing and future investigations," he said.
- That, he continued, "could have a negative impact on the Committee's ability to investigate and eliminate sexual misconduct in the House."
The other side: Mace said in a statement after the vote, "Both parties colluded today to protect predators."
- She forced the vote in response to allegations that Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) had an affair with a staffer, which he denies.
- "Every Member who voted against this resolution voted to protect the cover-up instead of the victims," Mace said.
- "This is the establishment in action, always protecting itself, never the victims. Ask yourself why. Remember their names when they ask for your vote."
