Gaetz Nomination Sparks Senate Showdown

United States: Republican U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin on Sunday urged the House of Representatives to release an unpublished ethics probe concerning a sexual impropriety allegation involving Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump’s nominee for the attorney general position, as reported by Reuters.

Bipartisan Pushback

Gaetz, 42, resigned from the GOP-dominated lower house on Wednesday morning, shortly after Trump announced him as his pick and two days before the lower house ethics panel was ready to release its report, which investigated the accusations of involvement in sex trafficking and using drugs illicitly. Gaetz denies any wrongdoing.

On NBC show “Meet the Press”, Mullin said that the Senate must see the report because the chamber controls the appointments of Trump to key positions.

“The Senate should have access to that,” Mullin said. To whom should it be presented: should it go public? “Well, I suppose that will be a subject of the bargains.”

Gaetz is one of several cabinet nominees selected by Trump last week who do not have the typical backgrounds that other contenders for such administrative positions would have. He would have to be approved by the Senate – Trump’s Republicans will control at least 52 of the 100 seats in the chamber. Some have raised eyebrows over the decision.

Ethics Committee Report Under Fire

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Friday that the ethics committee should not publish its report. He stood by that on Sunday.

“The speaker does not have the authority to stop the release of a report by the ethics committee, but I’ve just simply said what I believe is an obvious point, that we don’t want to go down that road,” Johnson said on CNN.

After calling Gaetz unprincipled in the past, Mullin stated on Sunday that “the background of Matt Gaetz does matter.”

However, he stated that he had not yet decided whether to support or oppose Gaetz.

“I’m going to give him a fair shot just like every individual,” Mullin said.

Senate Scrutiny

The Justice Department investigated Gaetz for almost three years involving sex trafficking allegations concerning the girl. According to Gaetz’s office, in 2023, he was informed by the prosecutors that he would not be charged with the crimes.

The girl’s lawyer on Thursday said that the report should be publicly released.

Mullin also seemed more than willing to offer up Trump the ultimate end run around the Senate as a last resort should lawmakers fail.

Using the recess appointment method, the president bypasses the upper chamber, which often frustrates efforts meant at shaping the political destiny of the country. Such power Trump has publicly asked Republican lawmakers to provide to him as he would be free to appoint anybody of his own choice.

Most of the Democrats in the Senate have strongly come out in the kitchen opposing the consideration of Gaetz as a bio-techno nominee, as reported by Reuters.

“The Senate has a constitutional role,” said Democratic Senator Chris Coons on Fox News Sunday. “It’s called our advice and consent role to make sure that a president-elect mostly gets their choice … but doesn’t get to put people in who are unqualified or who lack the requisite character and capabilities to lead an incredibly important agency like the Department of Justice.”