Illinois Dem ups pressure on House to release Gaetz report: 'We care about ethics'

Congressman Sean Casten (D-Ill.) hammered former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) over accusations about his sexual assault allegations and reported drug use detailed in the House Ethics report that he is pushing to have released.

“None of us would want to work in an environment where you can commit the crimes that Matt Gaetz is alleged to have committed, including — let's not sugarcoat this — allegations of having sex with a minor child,” Casten fumed during a Saturday MSNBC appearance.

He urged the House Ethics Committee to release the details of the investigation despite Gaetz’s resignation from Congress and withdrawal from the attorney general nomination.

“We have to remind the American people that in the House we care about ethics,” he emphasized. 

“When you have elections, that we are the country that is not always perfect, but at least aspires to that vision that our founders laid out, where no one is above the law," Casten added. "And to do that, we need to release this report.”

In recent weeks, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he was against releasing the report while some Democrats say the report should be brought to light. Last week, Casten and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) moved to force votes on a resolution requesting an on record vote from members about what should be done with the information.

“Given how tight the balance of the House is and, quite candidly, how many members of the Republican caucus there are who, while they might turn a blind eye to sexual assault, genuinely do not like Matt Gaetz, there is the very real possibility of that being forced to be released through a House vote,” he said.