Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) outside the House Republican Conference at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call Inc. | Getty Images
The Senate Judiciary Committee asked: F.B.I. The “full evidence file” of a preliminary investigation into allegations of sex trafficking of underage girls by Matt Gaetz, the next U.S. attorney general nominated by President-elect Donald Trump, was released Wednesday.
“The serious public allegations against Mr. Gaetz speak directly to his suitability to serve as the federal government’s top law enforcement officer,” the Judiciary Committee’s request said.
In a letter to FBI Director Chris Wray, the committee’s Democratic majority said Gaetz’s colleague Joel Greenberg was arrested in 2021 on “sex trafficking charges that Gaetz was also investigating.” He pointed out that he had pleaded guilty.
“The Senate has a constitutional duty to provide advice and consent to presidential candidates, and in considering Mr. Gaetz’s nomination, we are committed to considering all information necessary to fulfill this duty,” the letter said. It’s important,” it says.
The Justice Department closed its investigation into Gaetz last year without filing charges.
The 42-year-old Republican, who until last week served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, has denied any wrongdoing. If the Senate confirms him as attorney general, he will lead the Justice Department.
Gaetz is a Trump supporter who gained notoriety in Congress for his inflammatory statements and high-profile actions.
The House Ethics Committee had been investigating Gaetz for sexual misconduct and other allegations until he resigned last week and was removed from the committee’s jurisdiction.
The committee convened behind closed doors Wednesday afternoon to discuss its report on the Gaetz investigation.
Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-Mississippi) said after the meeting that “there was no agreement to release the report.”
He told reporters earlier Wednesday that the report was incomplete and “has not gone through the review process.”
Trump’s selection of Gaetz to be the nation’s top law enforcement official has sparked anger and panic among Trump’s critics and concerns some of his allies in the Senate, whose support is needed to confirm the nomination.
President Trump has asked Republican senators to allow appointments to be made during recess, allowing them to bypass the Senate confirmation process.
But Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia is slated to become the No. 4 Republican in the next Congress. He predicted Wednesday that efforts to bypass the Senate through recess appointments would lose momentum after “huge discussions” with colleagues.
“The issue of recess appointments will probably go away and it won’t be an integral part of how the president moves through his Cabinet,” Capito said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
The U.S. Constitution gives the president the power to make nominations for various roles in the federal government with the “advice and consent of the Senate,” meaning the Legislature votes to approve them. This process often involves candidates answering questions from senators during public committee hearings.
However, the Constitution also allows the president to fill vacancies while the Senate is in recess. Doing so would avoid the risk of nominees being rejected by the Senate and prevent lawmakers from engaging in delaying tactics.
Other presidents have used that power, but even those who have made great use of it, such as Bill Clinton and George W. No high-level appointments were made.
