The House of Representatives voted to block the immediate release of the ethics report involving former Rep. Matt Gaetz.
The vote was 206 to 198 — with all but one Republican, Rep. Tom McClintock, voting to refer the report back to the Ethics Committee.
The House Ethics Committee investigated allegations of sexual misconduct involving Gaetz, along with accusations of illicit drug use and the alleged acceptance of improper gifts. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and the Department of Justice announced last year it would not bring charges against him.
“Today, the majority of the House of Representatives took the easy way out,” said Rep. Sean Casten. “They could have ensured a vote on whether or not former Members should be held accountable when they face serious and credible allegations of sexual misconduct, including having sex with minors. Instead, the House voted to sweep these allegations under the rug and set an unfortunate precedent that, if you are ever facing scrutiny, resigning from Congress can make your problems go away.
Gaetz resigned from Congress in November, days before the potential release of the report. His resignation set off a debate in Washington about whether the report should still be released since he was no longer a sitting member of Congress.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson said the report shouldn't be released, claiming it set a bad precedent.
"The rules of the House have always been that a former member is beyond the jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee," he said in November.
However, there was mounting pressure to release the report from Democrats and some Republicans as Gaetz was the nominee to be the next attorney general. The former congressman ultimately decided to withdraw his name from consideration, saying the nomination had become a distraction.
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