The House Ethics Committee, during its upcoming meeting on Wednesday, is expected to weigh the release of a potentially damaging report into allegations of sex trafficking, corruption and drug use against President Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Matt Gaetz. 

The committee was scheduled to put the issue to a vote during its meeting last Friday, but the gathering was postponed without explanation. All eyes will now be on the upcoming meeting for guidance over the fate of the report, which details the findings of a years-long investigation into Mr. Gaetz, including allegations that he was involved in sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl. 

The panel, which evenly represents Republicans and Democrats, only needs a majority vote to determine whether the report is released. In the case of a tie, the decision would be made by the House. 

In light of Mr. Gaetz’s nomination, the report has sparked a fierce debate on the Hill, with many Democrats, and even some Republicans, calling for its release as the Senate considers whether to vote him in as attorney general. His confirmation hearings, which will be held by the Senate Judiciary Committee, will take place after Trump’s inauguration. 

Speaker of the House Johnson has urged the committee to keep their findings private, given that their jurisdiction over Mr. Gaetz ended when he resigned from Congress shortly after his nomination. Although the committee is still legally allowed to release the report should it vote to do so, it’s a rare move that Mr. Johnson has claimed would set a “terrible precedent” and be akin to opening a “Pandora’s box.”   

On the other hand, the top Democrat on the Ethics Committee, Susan Wild, told reporters on Monday that the files “absolutely should be released to the public” as the committee has “done with many other investigative reports in the past,” noting that “there is precedent for releasing even after a member has resigned.” Nearly 100 House Democrats issued a letter on Tuesday calling on the committee to “immediately release” the report. 

Several Republican senators, including those who will be tasked with questioning Mr. Gaetz during his confirmation hearing, have also expressed interest in reading the report. Senator Mullin said on Sunday that “the Senate should have access” to the report, which “should be definitely part of our decision-making.” 

Trump’s nomination of Mr. Gaetz to serve as head of the Department of Justice sent shock waves through Washington, with lawmakers expressing a mixture of praise and incredulity. A reporter from the Hill, speaking with sources who were in the room of a pending leadership election in the House, said that the announcement elicited audible gasps from the rank-and-file Republicans in the room. 

The Department of Justice launched an investigation into the sexual misconduct claims against Mr. Gaetz in 2021, before deciding in 2023 not to bring charges. Mr. Gaetz has denied ever having sex with a minor nor having paid for sex. 

The Ethics Committee investigation stayed open and was later broadened to include “additional allegations” that the committee determined warranted investigation, including illicit drug use, accepting improper gifts, dispensing special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and seeking to obstruct government investigations of his conduct. 

However, the investigation officially ended upon Mr. Gaetz’s resignation from Congress — which he filed on Wednesday shortly after his nomination — given that the committee’s jurisdiction is limited to active members of Congress.