The House Ethics Committee voted earlier this month in secret to release the report compiled from the investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz. The ex-Florida congressman has responded to the decision.
The panel had voted last month not to release the report when Gaetz was still President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, CNN reported. Gaetz withdrew himself from nomination a few days before the committee was going to discuss the report’s release, Fox News reported.
That decision was down party lines with five Democrats and five Republicans serving on the committee. The latest vote indicates that a Republican switched their vote, allowing it to be released, Fox News reported.
Gaetz resigned from Congress when Trump nominated him for the appointment so he is not a member of Congress despite being reelected in November.
The report is the culmination of a years-long investigation into allegations against Gaetz ranging from supposed sexual misconduct, illegal drug use “shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gifts,” CNN reported.
He denied all the claims against him.
On Wednesday, Gaetz took to X.com to say he was “FULLY EXONERATED,” despite saying that he “often sent funds to women I dated.”
He also said, “It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now.”
The Justice Department decided not to prosecute Gaetz because they didn’t have enough to have a strong case and that some witnesses may not have done well under cross-examination, The New York Times reported.
Gaetz has been tapped to become an anchor on One America News Network in January.
The report will be released after the final votes of the year are cast on Thursday, Fox News reported.
Typically an ethics report is not released after a congressperson leaves office, but it is not unheard of, Fox News reported.
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