House Democrats vowed to press forward with their plan to force the release of a long-awaited report into Matt Gaetz even after he withdrew from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general.
But there are early signs that House Republicans, some of whom had indicated prior to Gaetz’s withdrawal that they supported the Democratic-led effort, are no longer on board. And Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, the top Republican on the Ethics panel, told CBS Thursday that Gaetz's withdrawal “should end the discussion of whether or not the Ethics Committee should continue to move forward in this matter.”
Democrats introduced a measure on Wednesday that would theoretically force a House floor vote that would make the Ethics panel release the report. It’s still unclear whether that vote will be permitted under the House rules, but the vote could potentially occur as soon as the House returns from its Thanksgiving break in early December.
“While I welcome the news that Matt Gaetz is withdrawing from consideration for Attorney General, it remains important that the Gaetz report be made available to the American people,” Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.), one of the Democratic sponsors of the effort, said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), who introduced a similar measure, said he planned to press ahead, too.
Prior to Gaetz’s decision to withdraw from consideration, at least five House Republicans said they were prepared to support those efforts to force the report’s release. One GOP lawmaker who indicated they were planning to vote for the resolution, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said it’s “not a factor now.”
“Many of my colleagues told me they were voting yes” before Gaetz withdrew, the lawmaker said, adding that they would still vote for the resolutions if Gaetz indicates he’s returning for the next Congress.
It’s still unclear whether Gaetz could return to the House in January, since he was reelected in November, and there have been rumors that he plans to run for Florida governor in 2026, with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis term-limited. Gaetz did not immediately respond to a request for comment but has previously denied any intentions to mount a gubernatorial bid.
A resignation letter that he submitted to Speaker Mike Johnson and DeSantis had said he did not intend to serve again in the next Congress, though it’s unclear if he can reverse course now that he’s withdrawn from consideration for attorney general. A congressional aide indicated that Gaetz’s membership status for the 119th Congress is effectively up to his home state, telling POLITICO: “The official roll for the 119th Congress will be prepared with the Certificates of Election received from the States.”
Democrats are still trying to iron out if they can actually force a vote, and some Republicans are arguing their colleagues can’t trigger a vote on a report that is not a final Ethics Committee product. Guest said the report was still in draft form on Wednesday, though two people familiar with the matter disputed that assertion.
Democrats had argued the report needed to be released because Gaetz was up for the highest-ranking law enforcement position in the country, though other lawmakers may find the argument less persuasive now that Gaetz is out of contention.
Another unresolved question: whether the motions introduced by Casten and Cohen are eligible for the fast-track legislative process that would force a vote on the floor. Ethics panel attorneys are in the process of discussing parliamentary issues with the two lawmakers, according to a person familiar with the matter, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations.
The Democratic effort has already sparked one vow of procedural revenge from Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), who told POLITICO on Thursday that he would introduce his own privileged resolution to try to force the release of other Ethics Committee reports after Congress returns from the break in December. Bishop declined to say which members he will target but smiled when asked if it was Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.).
“If we’re going to release the report, let’s release a lot of reports. Let's go for full transparency,” added Bishop, who is retiring at the end of this term.
Meanwhile, it’s not just Republicans who are signaling they’re ready to move on from Gaetz.
“My interest in him, in his political future, our government's future, is diminished dramatically by this decision. So there are lots of other things we need to do,” said Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
Jordain Carney, Olivia Beavers, Ursula Perano and Katherine Tully-McManus contributed to this report.
