House Speaker Mike Johnson has clarified that he has not discussed the House Ethics Committee report on sexual misconduct allegations against Matt Gaetz with President-elect Donald Trump. Johnson emphasized that there has been no conversation between him and Trump regarding the report, despite recent interactions.
Johnson has been vocal in his opposition to the release of the report, citing Gaetz's resignation from Congress as a reason to withhold it. He pointed out that the report is still in a rough draft form and argued that it would not be appropriate to release it now that Gaetz is no longer a sitting member of Congress.
Democrats have been advocating for the report's public release, while some GOP senators have expressed interest in reviewing it before confirming Gaetz as the next attorney general. Johnson's stance on the matter has raised questions about potential pressure from Trump to prevent the report's release.
Notably, Johnson highlighted the importance of maintaining ethical standards within the House Ethics Committee's processes. He drew parallels to previous instances where ethics reports were released after a member had left Congress, citing examples from 1987 and 2011.
While the Ethics Committee had initially planned to vote on releasing the report before Trump's announcement on Gaetz, the situation has since evolved with differing opinions on the appropriate course of action.
Johnson's statements provide insight into the ongoing discussions surrounding the handling of the ethics report and its implications for Gaetz's nomination as attorney general.
