Congress deadlocks over report on Trump's future attorney general

Photo: Chip Somodevilla Getty Images via Agence France-Presse J.D. Vance (left) and Matt Gaetz

Agence France-Presse in Washington

Published at 6:42 p.m.

• United States

The American parliamentary commission that investigated the actions attributed to Matt Gaetz, chosen by Donald Trump as Minister of Justice, split on Wednesday over a finding of disagreement concerning the publication of its report.

Matt Gaetz, a Florida congressman, resigned Wednesday night shortly after the president-elect’s pick was announced, which caused a stir due to his controversial nature and lack of legal experience.

His resignation effectively ended the House Ethics Committee’s investigation into alleged sexual offenses, including a relationship with a minor that he denies, illegal drug use, misappropriation of campaign funds and various misconduct allegations.

Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, say the report is moot because the investigation is closed. But elected officials from both sides are calling for it to at least be sent to the Senate, which decides on presidential nominations.

During a closed-door meeting on Wednesday, the two camps failed to reach an agreement.

“There is no agreement within the committee to release the report,” the Republican chairman of the committee, Michael Guest, was all he could tell reporters after the meeting.

Matt Gaetz is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, which he denies, and has been the subject of a federal investigation that has been closed.

In a public letter Wednesday to FBI Director Christopher Wray, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dick Durbin, demanded the release of the file on this investigation into the accusations of “sexual exploitation of a minor.”

“For the Senate to fulfill its constitutional duty in this matter, we must be able to examine in detail the material evidence on the credibility of these serious allegations against Mr. Gaetz,” argue the Democratic members of this committee.

The Ethics Committee’s investigation launched in 2021 focuses in particular on accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior — prostitution is illegal in Florida in particular — and drug use.

This congressional investigation was interrupted when the federal investigation was opened and then resumed when it was abandoned in 2023.