Former U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz is quietly urging Republican senators to give him a chance to prove he’s fit to be attorney general amid mounting calls from top Republicans to access a House Ethics Committee report expected to detail allegations of sexual misconduct conduct involving a former congressman.
Gaetz himself has been making phone calls to GOP senators and visiting with his loyalists in the GOP House of Representatives.
The pressure is mounting ahead of Wednesday’s planned meeting of the Ethics Committee of the House of Representatives, where the fate of the report is expected to be discussed.
If the committee decides to vote on whether to release the findings, it would only take one Republican to break with his party leadership for it to be released.
But privately, Republicans on the panel are signaling they may bury the report as Gaetz and Trump make direct appeals.
Although Gaetz is no longer a member of the House of Representatives, his now-former colleagues are treading with caution when it comes to a sensitive report about allegations of misconduct, including “sexual misconduct and drug use” that could mar his future as Trump. state attorney. Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, including that he ever had sex with a minor or paid for sex.
With the fate of the panel’s report up in the air, GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, who will become the Senate Judiciary chairman in the next Congress, told CNN that his panel would make it easier to move forward with fast-track confirmation hearings in the new year if the Ethics Committee should release their report, given the Republican interest in seeing it.
It’s a key signal that the Senate GOP may be pursuing potentially damaging information against Gaetz even as pressure on Capitol Hill from Trump and Gaetz himself mounts to proceed with the confirmation.
“I think if they want to quickly consider this nomination … we need to have as much transparency as possible,” Grassley said.
“You’ve heard my colleagues, especially on the Republican side, say they have some questions … and I think that would help expedite consideration, to the extent that they would make as much available as they can.”
Grassley declined to say whether he had spoken to Gaetz or Trump about the nomination.
Sen. John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana, is expected to be among the senators Gaetz and Vance will meet with during their trip to the Hill on Wednesday.
Vance is expected to bring some of Trump’s other cabinet members to the meeting with senators, including former Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth, who is slated to lead the Defense Department; Elise Stefanik, Trump’s pick for ambassador to the United Nations; and Rep. Doug Collins, Trump’s pick to serve as veterans affairs secretary, three sources familiar with the plans told CNN.
Gaetz called GOP senators — including Sen. Lindsey Graham, currently the top Republican on the judiciary — and his former House colleagues, visiting the House Freedom Caucus for a private meeting Monday night.
In a call to GOP Sen. Josh Hawley last week, Gaetz urged him “to give him a chance,” Hawley told CNN. The Missouri Republican said he wants to let Gaetz address the allegations at his confirmation hearing next year.
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Hawley, who sits on the Senate Judiciary panel, also declined to say whether he wants to see the House Ethics report on Gaetz, saying he expects the information to leak one way or another.
Still, House Republicans and Democrats alike — including some with the power to seriously obstruct his nomination for attorney general by releasing a potentially explosive ethics report — have signaled they have no interest in meeting with the lightning rod figure who could become Trump’s top law enforcement official. They see Gaetz as someone in a powerful position who could make life miserable for anyone who opposes him – regardless of whether he holds the title of attorney general or not.
That includes GOP Rep. Mike Simpson, a known outspoken opponent of Gaetz. When asked how Gaetz would lead the department, the senior Republican paused before looking at his spokeswoman.
“Should I say?” Simpson said with a laugh, turning to face her. “I think no comment is a great comment,” his spokeswoman said. Pressed on the matter, Simpson added, “Put it this way, if I were in the Senate, I’d like to see the report.”
Even House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, who lashed out at Gaetz in the House when he first tried to block Kevin McCarthy from becoming speaker, downplayed their tense history.
“Matt and I got along great. He’s on my board. We’ve worked together for years. I didn’t get along with him that day, but absolutely not, we’ve been good ever since,” Rogers said.
But when asked if Gaetz should become attorney general, Rogers said, “that’s the president’s decision.”
Republicans and Democrats across the Capitol describe Gaetz as someone who is carefully calculated and always works five or ten steps ahead of those around him. They believe that, like Trump, he maintains an enemies list. Even members who said they were not afraid of retaliation from Gaetz would not respond, even without names attached, if they believed he was qualified.
“Anyone who thinks they can predict or anticipate what Gaetz will do doesn’t know Gaetz,” said one Republican lawmaker who has worked with him for years. Asked if Gaetz could use the office to seek retribution against his enemies, the member said, “Somebody would be right to say, ‘Oh my God, is he going to do that?’ Because that’s his style.”
Rep. Tim Burchett, who is a close ally of Gaetz, said he has noticed some members have been more critical since the Florida congressman left the House.
“I see some people are shooting at him now because he’s not here. But they didn’t do that while they were standing here next to him,” he said, adding, “He’s incredibly calculating.”
Democrats on the panel also have access to the report. But for now, even these representatives are handling information very carefully.
“I really think they should have an opportunity to look at the evidence and make their own decision,” Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey of Maryland told reporters, arguing that it was central to the Senate’s “deliberation and consent” role.
Asked if he had read the report, which is now available to members, Ivey said he “wouldn’t go into detail.”
“It’s available. The key thing is that the Senate should have a chance to look at it, not us,” he said.
Meanwhile, nearly 100 House Democrats are calling on the House Ethics Committee to “immediately” release the report.