Former Ethics panel chair ‘wouldn’t be at all shocked’ if Gaetz report released

Former GOP Rep. Charlie Dent (Pa.), who led the House Ethics Committee from 2015-17, said he “wouldn’t be at all shocked” if the report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) misconduct was released, even after the panel voted Wednesday to keep it confidential.

Dent joined CNN’s Kasie Hunt on Thursday morning to discuss the ongoing dilemma about Gaetz, whom President-elect Trump has selected to be attorney general. The committee voted to not release Gaetz’s report, though members are considering other avenues of making the information public.

Some lawmakers are toying with the idea of making it public through a privileged resolution, which would trigger a vote in the House if the committee doesn’t release the information.

“There are plenty of House Republicans who are going to want to vote for this — we all know that they have great disdain for Matt Gaetz,” Dent said. “So, I wouldn’t be at all shocked if this is released one way or the other.”

The report, which some lawmakers argue is vital to the Senate’s process of deciding whether to confirm Gaetz as the Justice Department’s leader, is expected to detail sexual misconduct claims against the Florida Republican.

Dent, who said he has experienced several cases that were referred to the Justice Department, said he believes the report is “pretty nasty.”

“I don’t know what’s in this report. This is really messy, and Matt Gaetz did not resign because this report was going to be clean,” Dent said.

The committee could also vote to release the report at a later date, and has a meeting scheduled for Dec. 5. The panel has faced significant pressure to release its findings.

There is a precedent for releasing investigations even after a member has resigned from Congress, as some lawmakers have noted. Dent highlighted the previous cases Thursday.

“There’s nothing shocking here in terms of what the committee could do,” he told Hunt. “So, what’s unusual about this whole thing is, usually when a member of Congress resigns due to scandal, they go away quietly … rebuilding their lives. … They don’t get elevated to the attorney general of the United States.”

“That’s why this is so different,” Dent said.

Dent said he believes the committee will “get to it,” or that the information will be made public one way or another.