House Speaker Mike Johnson explained his opposition to releasing the House Ethics Committee report on Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., on Sunday.
Johnson, R-La., made the comments during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream. He argued that releasing such a report after Gaetz’s resignation could open a “Pandora’s box.” Gaetz resigned from Congress last week shortly after President-elect Trump nominated him to serve as U.S. attorney general.
Bream began by asking Johnson whether he was aware of the contents of the ethics report, which pertained to alleged sexual misconduct.
“I don’t know anything about the contents of the report because the way the rules work, of course, the speaker of the House can’t put a thumb on the scale or be involved in an Ethics Committee report. What I do know is that the comments about there being a precedent for releasing reports is not exactly accurate,” Johnson said.
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Speaker Mike Johnson is defending Gaetz from calls for the House Ethics Committee to release a report on the former representative. (Getty Images)
“There’s a very important reason for the tradition and the rule that we always have – almost always followed – and that is that we don’t issue investigations and ethics reports on people who are not members of Congress. I’m afraid that that would open a Pandora’s box because the jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee is limited to those who are serving in the institution. That’s its very purpose. And I think this would be a breach of protocol that could be dangerous for us going forward in the future,” he added.
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ABC News reported on Thursday that a woman testified to the ethics committee that she had sexual relations with Gaetz when she was 17 years old. The House investigation ceased when Gaetz resigned on Wednesday.
Gaetz told Fox News Digital in response to the new report, “These allegations are invented and would constitute false testimony to Congress. This false smear following a three-year criminal investigation should be viewed with great skepticism.”
Matt Gaetz has been nominated to serve as Trump’s attorney general. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The chief counsel for the House Ethics Committee declined to comment when asked by Fox News Digital.
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Fox News Digital also reached out to Gaetz’s congressional office for comment.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) had previously spoken to the woman, now in her 20s, according to ABC, as part of its years-long investigation into Gaetz related to accusations of sex trafficking and obstruction of justice.
The DOJ ultimately did not press charges, and Gaetz has consistently denied all wrongdoing.
Details of the matter could come out if Gaetz goes through the Senate confirmation process to lead the department that once investigated him.
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Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, suggested he would want to see the report.
“I think there should not be any limitation on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation, including whatever the House Ethics Committee has generated,” he told reporters.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and Tyler Olsen contributed to this report