Several of President-elect Trump’s Cabinet picks may face early tests that could determine whether their nominations are viable in the Senate.
First up: The House Ethics Committee will meet Wednesday amid controversy over whether to release the results of an investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who is Trump’s pick for attorney general.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has said the report must remain under wraps, citing Congressional precedent to only release findings for current members. Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress after his nomination last week, which came days before the Ethics Committee was set to release the report.
However, the GOP senators who will vote on Gaetz’s nomination are adamant that they view the report, even if the results are concealed from the public.
“Absolutely I believe the Senate should have access to that,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said Sunday on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.”
Complicating matters, the lawyer who testified to the House Ethics Committee about allegations of sexual misconduct against Gaetz will be going on a media offensive, according to an interview with Politico Playbook.
Gaetz denies the allegations and the Department of Justice declined to bring charges against him.