Senate Republicans say they want details of Gates ethics probe

(Bloomberg) — Pressure is mounting on the U.S. Senate to learn details about the House’s sexual misconduct investigation into Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump’s controversial attorney general pick, even as the president-elect Some members of the party are also wary of the nomination.

Lawmakers were stunned on Wednesday when Trump appointed Gates, a polarizing and embattled House member, as the nation’s top law enforcement official. Several Republican senators expressed concern that Trump could only afford to lose four Republican votes for any nominee.

“We should get all relevant information by any means necessary,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Wednesday.

Cornyn, who has previously feuded with Trump, suggested the Senate needs to review the House ethics report during the confirmation process.

“We can get it in a number of ways,” Cornyn told reporters. “We can subpoena it.”

Gaetz, a Florida Republican who resigned following Trump’s announcement on Wednesday, has been the subject of a long-running ethics investigation, the results of which will reportedly be released on Friday. Gates, 42, has denied wrongdoing.

Members of the House Ethics Committee are scheduled to meet on Friday, a person familiar with the matter said.

North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer said he and his fellow Republicans would insist on seeing the report, even if it is viewed privately and not released to the public. He said the timing of Gates’ resignation made the report even more important to his confirmation.

Senate Democrats plan to use their final weeks in office to try to open up the House’s sexual misconduct investigation into President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz.

“I call on the House Ethics Committee to preserve and share the report and all related documents regarding Mr. Gates with the Senate Judiciary Committee,” Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said in a statement Thursday.

Tom Rust, chief counsel and director of staff for the House Ethics Committee, declined to comment Thursday on the progress of the investigation or the committee’s response to Durbin’s request.

Durbin cannot force the release of the report on his own, and it’s unclear whether he can use his chairmanship to subpoena the report. That would likely require a majority vote from his committee.

However, the House can ignore the subpoena.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said late Wednesday that Gates had submitted his resignation letter, but Gates’ office has not responded to a request for comment.

The Ethics Commission said in June that its members were continuing to investigate allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct, used illegal drugs and accepted inappropriate gifts. Gates said last September that he would no longer voluntarily cooperate with the investigation.

Trump’s decision to nominate Gates as the nation’s top law enforcement officer surprised and confused lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. That will test Trump’s influence with Senate Republicans, who will take control of the chamber in January and must confirm the president-elect’s nominees.

Republicans are expected to hold a 53-47 majority, so just four Republican senators can block his confirmation unless he can attract Democratic votes. Several Republican senators expressed doubts about the choice, exposing future confirmation challenges.

Gates, a lightning rod within his own caucus, has been dogged by scandals, including a Justice Department investigation into claims he had sex with a 17-year-old girl in exchange for money. He has denied the accusations and was told last year he would not face charges.

When asked about the choice by reporters on Wednesday, Cornyn said: “I’m trying to come to terms with it.” Another Republican senator, Susan Collins of Maine, said the choice was completely unexpected and said Adds that an FBI background check is part of any confirmation process. Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski said she does not believe Gates is a serious candidate for the job.

“We cannot allow valuable information from a bipartisan investigation to be withheld from the American people,” Durbin said. “Make no mistake: This information may be relevant to Mr. Gates’ confirmation as the next U.S. Attorney General and our constitutional advice and consent responsibilities.” related.”

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