The debate over Donald Trump’s selection of former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who has been accused of sexual misconduct, to be U.S. attorney general continued Sunday, with Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin weighing in on undisclosed ethics issues. He called for the report to be released to the Senate.
Mullin told NBC’s Meet the Press that the Senate, which will oversee Gaetz’s confirmation hearing for attorney general, “should have access to that content,” but declined to say whether it should be made public. I avoided it.
Gaetz was on the floor of Congress on Wednesday, shortly after the president-elect made controversial personnel decisions, derailing plans by the Congressional Ethics Committee to announce a review of allegations against Gaetz, including sexual misconduct and illegal drug use. resigned. Gates has denied any wrongdoing.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson reiterated his position Sunday that the investigation should be kept out of public view. Gates had been under investigation for three years by the Justice Department on the same charges, but the investigation was concluded without any criminal charges being brought against him.
Johnson said the ethics committee’s jurisdiction does not extend beyond members of the House of Representatives. “Throughout the history of Congress and the history of the Ethics Commission, I think my understanding is that there have been two exceptions to this rule,” Johnson told CNN, adding that he doesn’t have the power to stop it. “We have exceptions,” he added. I don’t want to go down that path. ”
Mr. Trump’s selection of Mr. Gaetz was successful in stirring up anger among Democrats, but it is also seen by Republicans as a test to flex Mr. Trump’s willpower. Mullin previously described Gates as “unprincipled” after he allegedly showed a colleague nude photos of his sexual conquests.
But the senator said he has not yet decided whether to support Gaetz in a confirmation vote. “I’m going to give him a fair chance, just like any other individual,” Marin said.
The pending report will be made public in some form after other Republican leaders, including Sens. Susan Collins, John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, said they believed it should be shown. This seems highly likely.
Separately, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania, reiterated his advice to members of his own party not to “panic” everything President Trump does, saying the Republican Party “will not be able to do anything” for at least the next two years. He pointed out that he could “manage the table.”
Fetterman, who won decisive re-election in the state this month, said he looks forward to considering some of Trump’s nominees, but believes other candidates, including Gaetz, are “nothing more than a complete troll.” No,” he said.
For Democrats still trying to figure out the cause of this month’s disastrous defeat at the polls, their anger at Trump’s nomination “feels like the kind of freak he wanted.”
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“It’s not even Thanksgiving yet and you’re having a meltdown with every tweet and promise.”
Fetterman added that Democrats should be “more concerned” about whether Republicans “can govern for the next two years.” These are the things you really want to be interested in, not little tweets or, you know, random kinds of promises. ”
But Democratic Sen.-elect Adam Schiff told CNN that Gaetz is not only unfit to be the country’s top lawyer, he is truly disqualified.
“Are we really going to have an attorney general with credible allegations of involvement in child sex trafficking, possible illegal drug use, and obstruction of an investigation who has never served in the Department of Justice? It was just investigated by the Department of Justice,” Schiff said.
