Republican Sen. Mike Rounds has expressed his desire to access the House Ethics Committee report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz. This comes after Speaker Mike Johnson requested that the committee withhold the report from senators reviewing Gaetz for the position of attorney general. Rounds emphasized the importance of senators having access to such reports in the nomination process.
Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has also voiced his interest in reviewing the committee's findings on Gaetz. The former congressman has faced allegations of potential sexual misconduct, drug use, and other misconduct, which he has consistently denied.
Rounds cautioned that Senate Republicans may not automatically approve all of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet selections. He highlighted the constitutional responsibility of senators to thoroughly evaluate each nominee, ensuring that all relevant information is considered.
He stated, 'We review and we look at each individual and make sure that all of the relevant information that maybe even the president didn’t have is brought out in front of us.' Rounds further explained that senators must determine whether to support the president's choices or provide more advice than consent, as occasionally happens.
