Hakeem Jeffries is one of the many people to have called for the public release of the House Ethics Committee’s investigation into Matt Gaetz, just days after he was put forward by Donald Trump as his administration’s attorney general.
Last week, the president-elect nominated the controversial politician to serve in the high-ranking position despite the committee’s ongoing investigation into his conduct, including allegations around sex trafficking and sexual relations with a minor. Trump said at the time of Gaetz’s nomination that he is “a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney” who will “focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice.”
The government probe into Gaetz’s conduct — which also looked into alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use — has been ongoing for three years, but it came to an abrupt end when he resigned from Congress immediately after his attorney general nomination (not fishy at all), a move which stripped the committee of its jurisdiction in investigating former congresspeople. However, calls for the investigation to be made public despite Gaetz’s resignation have ramped up, and while it would be a rare move, the committee releasing the probe into a former congressperson would not be unprecedented.
One person leading these calls is Jeffries, the Democratic politician who was recently asked whether the House Ethics Committee should publicly share the details of their Gaetz investigation. It seems a simple question requires a simple answer, with Jefferies responding to the question with a simple “Yes.” While he didn’t mince words with that reply, Jeffries elaborated on his position when asked the same question on NBC News. “Of course they should release it,” Jeffries said, “and that’s not just Democrats saying that.”
Jeffries went on to say that those involved in confirming Gaetz’s nomination as attorney general have “repeatedly” made clear that they “want access to all available information so they can make a decision about whether the nominee for attorney general is qualified to serve in that office.” That seems like a pretty stock standard approach when vetting someone for a new job, especially when the person has an allegedly murky history, and when that job is to be the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. It’s worth noting that if confirmed, Gaetz would be made the leader of the very same branch of government that launched an investigation into him… so that’s fun.
While it seems like a no-brainer for the investigation to be released, not everyone agrees with Jeffries. For his part, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson — recently pictured feasting on McDonald’s with the biggest Mc-Donald of them all — said he would “strongly request that the Ethics Committee not issue the report” into Gaetz, saying it’s “not the way we do things in the House.” Also advocating for Gaetz is Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was probably pining for an invite to the McDonald’s feast and who praised Trump for his “incredible choice” in nominating Gaetz for attorney general.
It’s one of multiple head-scratching choices made by Trump for his second term cabinet, with dog terminator Kristi Noem put forward as Homeland Security secretary, anti-vaxxer RFK Jr. nominated as the head of Department of Health and Human Services, and Elon Musk as the co-head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. Oh, Trump also picked — I kid you not — television’s Dr. Oz to lead the Centers For Medicare And Medicaid Services. So that’s fun!
