WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� The House Ethics Committee voted in secret to release the long-awaited ethics report into , raising the possibility that the allegations against the Florida Republican who was President-elect Donald Trump's first choice for attorney general could be made public in the coming days.
The decision by the bipartisan committee was made earlier this month, according to a person familiar with the vote who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday. CNN first reported the vote.
It's a stunning turnaround for the often secretive panel of five Republicans and five Democrats. Just last month, members voted along party lines to not release the findings of their nearly four-year investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct with minors and use of illicit drugs while Gaetz was in office.
Democrats had pressed to make the report public even though Gaetz was no longer and had to lead the Justice Department. A vote on the House floor this month to force the report's release failed; all but one Republican voted against it.
Gaetz lashed out Wedneday on social media against the latest development, again denying any wrongdoing. He criticized the committee for its move after he had left Congress, saying he would have 鈥渘o opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life,鈥� Gaetz posted on X, the website formerly known as Twitter. 鈥淚 live a different life now.鈥�
Most Republicans have argued that any congressional investigation into Gaetz ended when he resigned from the House. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also requested that the committee not publish its report, saying it would be a terrible precedent.
While ethics reports have previously been released after a member鈥檚 resignation, it is extremely rare.
Gaetz has noted that the Justice Department鈥檚 separate investigation against him into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls ended last year without federal charges.
, a fellow Republican who served as the tax collector in Florida鈥檚 Seminole County, admitted as part of a with prosecutors in 2021 that he paid women and an underage girl to have sex with him and other men. The men were not identified in court documents when he pleaded guilty. in late 2022 to 11 years in prison.
Farnoush Amiri And Lisa Mascaro, The Associated Press
