The US House Committee on Ethics is meeting on Capitol Hill on Wednesday as calls grow for it to release details of its investigation into Matt Gaetz over alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.
It is a closed-door hearing, and it is not clear whether the panel will discuss the Gaetz inquiry or its report with the public, the BBC’s US media partner CBS News reports.
Republican President-elect Donald Trump has nominated the former congressman to serve as his US attorney general – the nation’s top law enforcement official.
Pressure has since mounted on the ethics committee to release its findings, as members of the Senate are beginning to meet with Gaetz. He has denied any wrongdoing.
The committee was preparing to vote on the report’s release before Gaetz’s abrupt resignation, which came just after Trump’s nomination, the New York Times reported.
His departure cast doubt on whether the report will see the light of day, because he is no longer under congressional jurisdiction.
A representative for the ethics committee declined to comment on Wednesday’s meeting to the BBC.
Reporters and other members of the media have packed the hallway outside the room where members of the committee are meeting.
Gaetz, a lawyer, made a name for himself on Capitol Hill and cable news as a right-wing rabble rouser.
He is a staunch defender of Trump and led a successful effort to oust Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year, casting the lower chamber of Congress into chaos for weeks.
Some of Gaetz’s House colleagues have voiced support for his nomination, including Speaker Mike Johnson, who called him a “reformer” who would “bring a lot to the table”.
But Gaetz also has been dogged by allegations of impropriety in recent years.
The US justice department previously investigated him for allegations he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and violated sex trafficking laws. But the case was dropped and Gaetz, who denied the allegations, was never charged.
In June, the ethics committee announced it was investigating several allegations against Gaetz, including that he “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favours to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct”.
Two women testified to the committee that Gaetz paid them “for sex”, their lawyer, Joel Leppard, told CBS this week. One of the women also testified that she witnessed the then-congressman having sex with a minor during a party in 2017, the lawyer said.
Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has said the accusations are politically motivated.
“Lies were weaponized to try to destroy me,” Gaetz posted on X on Friday. “These lies resulted in prosecution, conviction, and prison. For the liars, not me.”
Trump showed no sign of backing down on his cabinet pick this week.
“Matt Gaetz will be the next attorney general. He’s the right man for the job and will end the weaponisation of our justice system,” Trump transition spokesman Alex Pfieffer said in a statement.
A group of 97 House members of the rival Democratic Party have signed a letter calling for the release of the ethics committee’s report.
Watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (Crew) also urged the panel’s leadership to release the findings, writing in a letter: “Nothing in the committee’s rules prevents you from doing so; in fact, the committee’s mission commands it.”
“We do believe that the American public deserves full transparency and accountability on this matter,” Virginia Canter, chief ethics counsel at Crew, told the BBC.
“There’s arguably no more important position in the federal government than the attorney general,” Ms Canter added.
At the very least, Crew argued, documents needed to be turned over to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which helps vet and confirm nominees.
Gaetz’s role as US attorney general is one of the Trump appointments that will require the US Senate’s approval. He is making efforts to meet those whose votes he will need, US media report.
Senators of both parties have spoken in favour of accessing the ethics report.
Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, demanded that the other committee “preserve and share” the report with his own panel.
“Make no mistake: this information could be relevant to the question of Mr Gaetz’s confirmation as the next attorney general of the United States, and our constitutional responsibility of advice and consent,” Durbin said.
Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican who also sits on the Judiciary Committee, said: “I think that if they want a speedy consideration of this nomination, we’ve got to have as much transparency as we can have.”
By BBC News
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