House ethics panel cancels meeting amid pressure to release Gaetz report

The House Ethics Committee won’t be meeting after all on Friday as pressure builds to release the findings of its report on Rep. Matt Gaetz.

Anticipation was high for the closed-door meeting after Donald Trump announced he was picking the Florida member of Congress to be attorney general.

But the meeting was abruptly canceled Thursday, according to a person familiar with the schedule granted anonymity to discuss non-public information.

It is unclear why the committee canceled a meeting that was scheduled before Gaetz resigned from Congress this week, three people familiar told POLITICO earlier. An Ethics Committee spokesperson declined to comment on Thursday night about the cancellation.

The committee, which operates privately, doesn’t disclose its agenda. The private powwow would have let them discuss what to do with the probe now that Gaetz is technically outside of its jurisdiction.

The news comes after lawmakers – including senators who take part in hearings on his eventual nomination and some House Republicans— said they want to see the findings of the report.

Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) told reporters this week that the panel would end its investigation into Gaetz once he was no longer a House member. But Guest sidestepped when asked if he would release the report.