US House committee withholds report on Trump attorney general pick Gaetz

Matt Gaetz has faced allegations of activity trafficking a 17-year-old girl, supplier use, and misappropriating run funds.

A legislature morals sheet that investigated allegations of forbidden behaviour by Matt Gaetz, United States President-elect Donald Trump’s prime for lawyer general, has parted without releasing its study connected nan erstwhile congressman.

Gaetz was nan taxable of a long-running investigation by nan United States House Committee connected Ethics, which polices lawmakers’ conduct.

The panel’s investigation, launched successful 2021, probed respective instances of alleged forbidden activity involving Gaetz, an ex-lawmaker from Florida, including nan activity trafficking of a 17-year-old girl, supplier use, misappropriating run costs and different illicit activities.

The US Department of Justice past twelvemonth closed an investigation into activity trafficking allegations against Gaetz without filing criminal charges.

Gaetz was first elected to nan House of Representatives successful 2016 and won re-election this month. But nan 42-year-old resigned soon aft Trump named him arsenic his prime for lawyer wide connected November 13.

His resignation came conscionable days earlier nan morals sheet was group to ballot connected whether to merchandise its report, creating uncertainty complete its fate, fixed that Gaetz is nary longer a personnel of Congress.

After a astir two-hour closed-door gathering connected Wednesday, nan 10-member panel, which is evenly divided betwixt Republicans and Democrats, departed without reaching a decision.

“There is not an statement by nan committee to merchandise nan report,” Republican president Michael Guest told reporters pursuing nan meeting.

While nan committee members voted on statement lines, elected officials from some parties person called for nan study to astatine slightest beryllium shared pinch nan US Senate, which votes connected furniture nominations, arsenic they hole to see whether to corroborate Gaetz arsenic lawyer general.

Some Republicans person based on against releasing nan report, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said making it nationalist would group a “terrible precedent”.

The apical Democrat connected nan Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Dick Durbin, connected Wednesday released a nationalist missive addressed to FBI Director Christopher Wray demanding entree to nan files relating to nan “alleged activity trafficking of minors”.

“In bid for nan Senate to execute its law work successful this instance, we must beryllium capable to thoroughly reappraisal each applicable materials that speak to nan credibility of these superior allegations against Mr. Gaetz,” Durbin’s missive said.

Gaetz has many times denied wrongdoing and labelled nan investigations politically motivated.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies