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Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Okla.) said Sunday the Senate should “absolutely” have access to the findings from a House Ethics Committee investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz.
“I believe the Senate should have access to that,” Mullin told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “Now should it be released to the public or not? I guess that will be part of the negotiations. But that should be definitely part of our decision making.”
President-elect Donald Trump nominated Gaetz to serve as his attorney general last week, a decision that sent shockwaves through the Justice Department. If confirmed, Gaetz would be tasked with overseeing the agency that investigated him on allegations of sex trafficking.
Gaetz, who served as a congressman from Florida beginning in 2017, resigned his House seat last week, which effectively shuttered the committee investigation just days before lawmakers were scheduled to vote to release their findings. The body was looking into claims of sexual misconduct and drug use.
Mullin said Sunday the Senate should be given access to the unreleased report as it weights Trump’s nominees, although he stressed that despite his disagreements with Gaetz in the past, he would give him full consideration.
“There’s no question that Matt Gaetz and I have had our differences, and that’s no secret,” Mullin told NBC. “I do respect President Trump’s right to appoint these individuals. I’m going to give him a fair shot just, like every individual.”
“If he’s qualified, he’s qualified.”
Democrats have responded furiously to the Gaetz nomination, among others as Trump quickly fills senior roles and cabinet positions with loyalists and allies. Other Republicans have also expressed doubt about his prospects, threatening his chances even though the GOP holds a cushier majority than many expected.
Trump has already tried to strong-arm Republican leadership to let him make so-called recess appointments without their approval.
“Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more,” he wrote on Truth Social earlier this month. “This is what they did four years ago, and we cannot let it happen again. We need positions filled IMMEDIATELY!”
Mullin added Sunday that he would vote to support such appointments — bypassing the Senate — “if it became the last option.”
“It is very difficult to get there,” he said. “The appointment would be temporary, meaning it would only be at least two years or until the next Congress goes in. And so we’d still have to go through the confirmation period anyway.”
“So it would be absolute last resort,” he went on. “But if that’s what we have to do to get the confirmation through, then absolutely let’s do it. But I would say that would be last option.”
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