This afternoon, the House Ethics Committee deadlocked along party lines in a vote on whether to release a damning report of its investigation of ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz, who was nominated last week to serve as U.S. Attorney General by President-elect Donald J. Trump.

Statement of Common Cause President at CEO Virginia Kase Solomon

Ethics Committee Republicans have chosen to put their party before their country in voting to withhold a damning report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz. This vote is irresponsible and inexcusable. Gaetz has been nominated to serve as our nation’s top law enforcement officer, yet Committee Republicans have voted to withhold the results of their investigation which has been widely reported to include numerous allegations of criminal conduct including sex crimes and illegal drug use.

The vote came at a time when Senators from both parties requested the report from the Committee as they review the nomination of the former Congressman who resigned from the House shorty before the Ethics Committee was expected to release its report.

Gaetz has no business serving the government in any capacity. His nomination to serve the nation as U.S. Attorney General.is an insult to the American people and a threat to rule of law in our nation. The Senate should unanimously reject Gaetz’s nomination and it should carefully guard against any of the reported efforts by President-elect Donald Trump to bypass the Senate confirmation process for his nominees.