House Ethics Chair Michael Guest said Monday that his panel will make its own decision about releasing the report into Matt Gaetz, regardless of Speaker Mike Johnson’s opinion that it should be kept under wraps.
Guest (R-Miss.) told POLITICO in a brief interview that he and Johnson had spoken over the weekend. He added that all Ethics Committee members can now review the report, when only he and Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the panel, previously had a copy of it, according to two people familiar with the matter.
“We did talk this weekend,” Guest said, noting Johnson shared the same views he has publicly — that the panel should not release the report. Guest has not heard from anyone in the Trump administration, he added.
“I appreciate Mike reaching out,” Guest said. “I don’t see it having an impact on what we as a committee ultimately decide.”
Both Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are pushing for access to the report after President-elect Donald Trump tapped Gaetz to be his attorney general last week. Gaetz resigned from the House hours after the announcement — amid rumors that the Ethics report could be released in the coming days — complicating the decision to publish the findings of the investigation.
Guest also said all members of the panel have access to the report, should they choose to review it. The panel investigated several allegations against Gaetz, including that he had sex with a minor. Gaetz has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
“The members have access to the report, so any member that wishes to view the report will have access to the report in the draft form,” Guest said.
Johnson told reporters Friday he planned to reach out to Guest, and publicly urged the Ethics Committee to not release its report.
