President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, faced growing scrutiny from his fellow congressional Republicans on Thursday, with one saying he “absolutely” wants to review an unreleased report examining allegations of sexual misconduct.
A lawyer representing an alleged victim also called for the report to be made public.
Senator John Cornyn, who holds a top spot on the committee that will consider Mr Gaetz’s nomination next year, said he and other lawmakers should get access to the report by the House of Representatives Ethics Committee, which examined allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.
“I don’t want there to be any limitation at all on what the Senate could consider,” Mr Cornyn told reporters. When asked if that meant he wanted to see the ethics report, he replied: “Absolutely.”
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Mr Gaetz is one of a series of nominations by Mr Trump this week who lack the experience normally seen in candidates for high-level jobs. He would need to be confirmed by the Senate – where Republicans will have a majority of at least 52 of the 100 seats – to get the job, and a handful of that number have expressed scepticism at the choice.
Mr Gaetz (42) resigned his House seat on Wednesday, which would end the Ethics Committee investigation. He has denied wrongdoing. According to several news outlets, the panel had intended to release the report on Friday, and a source familiar with the committee’s work said it was due to meet then. A committee spokesperson declined to comment.
Mr Gaetz also was investigated by the justice department for nearly three years over sex trafficking allegations involving a 17-year-old girl. His office said in 2023 that he had been told by prosecutors that he would not face criminal charges.
A lawyer representing the alleged victim said the ethics panel should immediately release the report. “She was a high school student and there were witnesses,” John Clune, the lawyer, posted on X.
Mr Cornyn is currently the number two Republican on the judiciary committee, which would handle Mr Gaetz’s confirmation. The panel’s top Democrat, Dick Durbin, also called for the House panel to release its report.
“It’s premature to count votes – but a lot of questions,” Mr Cornyn said of Mr Gaetz’s prospects.
Mr Gaetz is widely disliked by his former colleagues in Congress, where he led an effort last year to force out Kevin McCarthy as speaker, which left the chamber without a leader for several chaotic weeks. Several have questioned whether he is the right choice to lead the justice department.
“He was not just disruptive; he was destructive,” Republican senator Kevin Cramer told reporters. “Matt Gaetz has a very long, steep hill to get across the finish line.”
He predicted that lawmakers would be able to see the ethics report, even if it is not released to the public.
Other Republicans said they were inclined to vote for Mr Gaetz.
“The voters of America voted for president Trump’s agenda, and so he needs to be able to build the team he needs and wants to build,” said incoming Republican Bernie Moreno, who was elected last week.
Mr Trump has raised the possibility of circumventing the Senate to install his personnel picks.
Mr Gaetz, who is known for making provocative statements, has never worked for the justice department or as a prosecutor at any level of government. On Wednesday he mused about abolishing the FBI, which serves as the main federal law enforcement agency.
Mr Trump’s inner circle has described the attorney general, the country’s top law enforcement official, as the most important member of the administration after the president, key to his plans to carry out mass deportations, pardon January 6th rioters, and seek retribution against those who prosecuted him over the past four years.
Mr Trump faced two federal criminal indictments following the end of his four-year term in 2021 and has vowed to radically reshape the justice department when he returns to power on January 20th.
His power to enact his legislative agenda was boosted after the Republicans secured a majority in the US House of Representatives, extending their hold on the lower chamber and delivering a governing trifecta in Washington that could give Mr Trump sweeping power.
A House Republican victory in Arizona, alongside a win in slow-counting California earlier on Wednesday, gave the Republicans the 218 House victories that make up the majority.
Republicans had already won the White House and regained a majority in the Senate, so their victory in the House provides them with the last component of their governing trifecta.