Members of the House Committee on Ethics deadlocked on releasing a report of its investigation into attorney general-designate Matt Gaetz, the panel’s chairman said Wednesday.
Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.) told reporters that the 10 members reached “no agreement on releasing the report” into the probe of whether Gaetz violated congressional rules against sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, among other transgressions.
Prior to the committee’s closed-door meeting, which lasted more than two hours, Guest said he had “reservations” about releasing the report, which he said was an “unfinished work product” and still in the “final review” stages.
Guest did not clarify whether the committee had voted on either releasing the report or transmitting it directly to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is expected to consider Gaetz’s nomination to lead the Justice Department early next year.
Unlike all other House committees, the Ethics panel is equally divided between Republicans and Democrats, meaning only one GOP vote was needed for the Gaetz report to be made public.
