‘Let’s f—— go!’: Matt Gaetz’s ethics report will be released after all

Despite Matt Gaetz’s resignation from the House and withdrawal from consideration for the role of U.S. Attorney General, the House Committee on Ethics will still release the report on its investigation into his conduct.

Gaetz served in the House of Representatives from 2017 to 2024. During that time, the House Committee on Ethics opened an investigation regarding allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. The probe was re-opened shortly after the Department of Justice closed its investigation into Gaetz over allegations of child sex trafficking and statutory rape. Although the DOJ ultimately chose to drop the sex trafficking charges, the House began its own investigation into the allegations. After the probe was complete, the Committee was prepared to vote on whether to release the report.

However, days before the vote, Gaetz abruptly resigned from the House, partially due to his nomination by Donald Trump for U.S. Attorney General. His nomination sparked controversy, with House Democrats and Republicans deadlocking on whether to release the report. It was an unusual situation since the House typically refrained from releasing reports on former members, but the report was very relevant given his nomination to Trump’s cabinet. When Gaetz withdrew from consideration for Trump’s cabinet, many expected the report to be shelved. In a surprising turn of events, though, the House has voted to release it.

The House Committee on Ethics to release Matt Gaetz’s report

As reported by CNN, multiple sources have confirmed that the House Ethics Committee secretly voted to release the report on Gaetz’s conduct. The report is now expected to be made public following the final days of House votes before the holidays. Not only is it surprising that the House moved to release the report on a former member, but for the vote to go through, it means that some Republicans on the Committee must have caved and voted in favor of releasing the report.

Not much is known about the report’s content, but insiders claim it is highly critical of Gaetz. Additionally, many suspect that Gaetz’s resignation from the House and withdrawal from the Attorney General race was partially motivated by a desire to prevent the report’s release. However, it appears he will be held accountable after all. Gaetz quickly responded to the news with a long, angry X post vehemently denying the allegations and claiming he was “FULLY EXONERATED” by the DOJ investigation. In his post, he admits to sending money to women he dated but states adamantly, “I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18.” Gaetz also admits that he “partied, womanized, drank and smoked” but maintains he did nothing “criminal.”

The report’s release was a victory for those seeking to hold Gaetz accountable for his actions. One user responded to the news, “Let’s f*****g go!”

The report’s release is quite significant, considering how hard Republicans pushed for acceptance of Gaetz’s nomination as Attorney General and fought the report’s release. Now, the country will know precisely what these Republicans were defending and what kind of conduct they were perfectly content with a member of Congress exhibiting. Most importantly, as Americans read the report, they’ll do so with the knowledge that this was the man Trump nominated for a cabinet position.