Former Rep. Matt Gaetz is the least popular of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks, and faces growing calls for the House Ethics Committee to release the report of its probe into him.
In a letter to House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest, Mississippi Republican, and the panel’s top Democrat Susan Wild of Pennsylvania, nearly 100 House Democrats argued that the gravity of the allegations against Mr. Gaetz outweighed the panel’s precedent of halting investigations and releasing findings on a member after they leave Congress.
Mr. Gaetz’s resignation from Congress last week effectively ended the panel’s investigation and likely release of the report. But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called on the committee to release the report to the Senate ahead of the upper chamber’s confirmation hearings.
“Given the seriousness of the charges against Representative Gaetz, withholding the findings of your investigation may jeopardize the Senate’s ability to provide fully informed, constitutionally required advice and consent regarding this nomination,” the lawmakers wrote. “Representative Gaetz’s abrupt resignation from Congress should not circumvent the Senate’s ability to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities.”
Mr. Trump tapped the Florida Republican to serve as attorney general, sparking immediate backlash from Democrats and some grumbling from fellow Republicans.
A Morning Consult poll released Tuesday showed that 41% disapprove of the Gaetz pick, compared to 34% who approve. The survey found that he is the sole nominee facing more opposition than support from voters.
Overall, voters approve of Mr. Trump’s preferred cabinet pics by a 54% to 38% margin. President Biden received similar marks four years ago, when 60% approved of his nominations, and 28% disapproved.
The Morning Consult survey showed that his nomination faces more pushback than Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., whom Mr. Trump wants to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Mr. Kennedy, the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, has the support of 44% of voters, compared to 39% who oppose him.
Mr. Gaetz, 42, has been a diehard Trump supporter and a thorn in the side of both parties, which could come back to haunt him in his Senate confirmation hearings next year.
He led the rebellion in the House GOP conference, bringing down former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican.
He also has been dogged by the ethics probe that centered on allegations that he had sex with a minor.
The Department of Justice, which Mr. Gaetz will lead if confirmed, investigated the allegations but opted against pursuing charges.
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk, who has become a key Trump ally over the past several months, came out in support of Mr. Gaetz, saying he will be a “Hammer of Justice.”
“Matt Gaetz has 3 critical assets that are needed for the AG role: a big brain, a spine of steel and an axe to grind,” Mr. Musk posted Tuesday on X. “He is the Judge Dredd America needs to clean up a corrupt system and put powerful bad actors in prison. Gaetz will be our Hammer of Justice.”
The tech billionaire said the allegations against Mr. Gaetz are “worth less than nothing.”
“Under our laws, a man is considered innocent until proven guilty,” the billionaire wrote. “If AG [Merrick] Garland (an unprincipled douchebag) could have secured a conviction against Gaetz, he would have, but he knew he could not. Case Closed.”
Mr. Gaetz will reportedly be returning to Capitol Hill Wednesday and Thursday with Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and some other controversial Cabinet picks, like Pete Hegseth, Mr. Trump’s pick for Defense secretary, to meet with key Republican senators.
• Alex Miller contributed to this report.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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