‘Absolutely’: GOP Senator John Cornyn Wants House Ethics Committee to Release Matt Gaetz Report

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on Thursday that he did not think there should be “any limitations” on his committee’s vetting process for attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz, while expressing his interest in reviewing a reportedly “highly damaging” report from the House Ethics Committee regarding the Florida congressman.

Former-and-future President Donald Trump’s announcement that he intended to nominate Gaetz to head the Department of Justice sent shock waves this week even amidst breaking news about Trump’s other controversial nominees. The firebrand from Florida’s deep-red Panhandle practiced law for only a short period of time, and has no prosecutorial or judicial experience.

Gaetz has also burned many a bridge during his tenure in the House. Last year, he instigated a plot that ousted former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the speakership. Moreover, Gaetz’s alleged entanglement in a sprawling series of schemes and crimes led to a House Ethics Committee investigation.

Gaetz announced he was resigning from his House seat Wednesday, in advance of a House Ethics meeting planned this week to vote on whether to release a report on allegations that Gaetz “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.” Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing.

With Gaetz resigning, the fate of the committee’s report remains uncertain, since they no longer have any jurisdiction over him. But numerous commentators have noted that the committee does still have the power to release the report if at least one Republican on the bipartisan committee crosses party lines.

An attorney representing the woman at the center of the accusations posted a tweet calling for the report to be released “immediately” on Thursday, writing that his client “was a high school student and there were witnesses.”

Cornyn himself voiced support for the report’s release when he spoke to a gathering of Capitol Hill reporters Thursday.

“I think there should not be any limitations on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation, including whatever the House Ethics Committee has generated,” Cornyn said.

When asked by ABC News senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott, “So you want to see it?” about the report, Cornyn replied, “Absolutely.”

CNN congressional correspondent Manu Raju also asked Cornyn about Gaetz getting through via a recess appointment, something Trump has aggressively pushed to have for his nominees. Newly-elected Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) had signaled some support for allowing some recess appointments but not as an across-the-board procedure.

Cornyn took a similar stance. “I don’t think we should be circumventing the Senate’s responsibilities,” he told Raju. “But I think it’s premature to be talking about recess appointments right now.”