Johnson Claims Matt Gaetz Is Now A “Private Citizen” And Therefore His Ethics Report Should Remain Sealed

Axios reports:

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) reaffirmed his view that the possibly damaging House Ethics Committee report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) should remain sealed. Gaetz, President-elect Trump’s controversial pick for attorney general, resigned from the House Wednesday — making him a “private citizen,” Johnson argued. But senators tasked with confirming the president-elect’s pick have made bipartisan calls to see the report.

Johnson, appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” reiterated that releasing the report would be “a Pandora’s Box,” arguing there is a “very important protocol and tradition” that the committee’s jurisdiction does not extend to “non-members.” But Tapper noted the House Ethics Committee has released reports on lawmakers after their resignation in the past, pointing to former reps. William Boner (D-Tenn.) and Donald Lukens (R-Ohio).

Read the full article. Near the end of the clip below, Tapper asks Johnson if “as a man of God” he has any concerns about the alleged underage sex and drugs and confirmed adulterous affairs of Trump nominees Gaetz, Hegseth, and Kennedy. Johnson basically shrugs and says he looks forward to the trio “shaking up the status quo.”