Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) suggested that Senate Republicans could call the witnesses involved in former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s sexual misconduct case if the House Ethics Committee does not release its report.
Gaetz is facing an uphill battle to be confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general, and his past alleged misconduct has been the main catalyst for the complications in his appointment.
The former congressman has been connected with a sex trafficking investigation and an allegation that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl. The House report is expected to shed light on Gaetz’s involvement.
Cornyn told the Wall Street Journal that he “absolutely” supported a full background check into Trump’s nominees but that they did not need to depend on the committee to release its report because they “roughly” know who the witnesses are and can call them to testify before the Judiciary Committee.
“In order to do our job, we need to get access to all the information, but also to protect the president against any surprises that might damage his administration,” Cornyn said.
All 47 Senate Democrats are highly likely to vote against Gaetz’s confirmation, leaving little room for Senate Republicans to dissent. Centrist Republican Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have already signaled they are hesitant about voting to confirm him.
Only two other senators would have to vote against his confirmation for him to be denied. The process could be avoided if Trump can make Gaetz a recess appointment.
Other Senate Republicans, such as Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and James Lankford (R-OK) have called to either read the ethics report or to question Gaetz about the allegations.
“Any time there are allegations, you want to make sure they’re properly vetted,” Ernst told the outlet. “So we’ll have that discussion.”
Ernst also said Gaetz “does have an uphill climb, but I look forward to visiting with him about it.”
Grassley alluded to the recess appointment process, saying it would be “a lot faster if you give us all the information that we want.”
Gaetz and Trump have been lobbying Senate Republicans to help the former through his Senate confirmation. But some have still shown insistence that the allegations are examined more closely.
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Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) said Gaetz called him to ask, “Will I get a fair shake?”
Kennedy replied, “Absolutely. Just come on over to the Judiciary Committee, answer all the questions, tell everybody what your plans are, and we’ll all take it from there.”