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Ethics panel to meet as pressure builds for Gaetz report release

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Members of a secretive panel overseeing a long-running investigation into Matt Gaetz are set to privately meet on Friday, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The House Ethics Committee meeting was scheduled before Gaetz (R-Fla.) resigned from Congress this week, the people said. The committee doesn’t disclose its agenda — but the highly anticipated closed-door powwow would let them discuss what to do with the probe now that Gaetz is technically outside of their jurisdiction.

Speaker Mike Johnson announced that Gaetz had resigned Wednesday night, hours after President-elect Trump nominated the Florida firebrand to become attorney general. Johnson attributed the resignation to Gaetz wanting to allow his seat to be filled quickly, but House Republicans have speculated that he did so in order to avoid an Ethics Committee report that they believe was poised to be released in a matter of days.

The panel has been investigating several allegations, including that Gaetz engaged in sex with a minor. Gaetz has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

Multiple members of the notoriously tight-lipped panel, which is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, declined to comment to Blue Light News on the investigation or the report. And leadership on both sides largely refused to weigh in on whether the committee should release the report.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries punted a question from Blue Light News about the report to its top Democrat, Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild.

“That’s a question that would be best directed to Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the Ethics committee,” he said.

And Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) also dodged similar questions about the report’s release: “I’m not aware of any report. I know there are a lot of people talking about what may have happened, but the Ethics Committee doesn’t share with the rest of us what they’re working on.”

But some lawmakers, including those responsible for ultimately voting on Gaetz’s forthcoming nomination as attorney general, are making it clear that they want to see the findings.

“I want to see everything,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the chamber’s Judiciary Committee, which will first consider and hold confirmation hearings on Gaetz’s nomination.

Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, led by Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) sent a letter to the House Ethics Committee on Thursday asking them to hand over documents related to the investigation, including the report.

Some House Republicans agree they want to see the report if Gaetz is going to continue pursuing the attorney general position. Though they don’t hold any power over his confirmation or over the Ethics Committee, Gaetz had a lot of enemies among his former House colleagues.

Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.) told reporters after Gaetz’s nomination that there were “better choices” than Gaetz and if he pursues the nomination that the report “needs to come out.”

But the chair of the House Ethics Committee, Michael Guest (R-Miss.), told reporters Wednesday before Gaetz’s resignation had been announced that the probe would end if Gaetz was no longer a member of the House.

“Once the investigation is complete, the Ethics Committee will meet as a committee. We will then return our findings. If Matt Gaetz is still a member of Congress, then that will occur. If Matt has resigned, then this ethics investigation, like many others in the past, will end again,” Guest said.

Asked Thursday if he would release the report, Guest sidestepped the question and pointed to his Wednesday remarks.

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Congress

Massie files to run in 2028 after losing House primary

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GOP Rep. Thomas Massie filed on Monday to run for his Kentucky House seat in 2028, less than a week after losing a primary fight against a challenger backed by President Donald Trump.

Massie became the latest victim of Trump’s revenge tour last week when former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein successfully ousted him in a primary that shattered electoral spending records.

Trump repeatedly railed against Massie, who has broken with the president on several high-profile issues in recent months, including the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran. Massie also helped lead the congressional effort to force Trump to release the federal government’s files on deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Advertising spending in his primary fight — the most expensive on record — surpassed $32 million as pro-Israel interest groups poured millions into the effort to unseat Massie, who has been an outspoken critic of Israel during his time in Congress.

Massie said in a Monday afternoon statement that the move would allow him “to raise funds to continue my political operations supporting my position as a current office holder and as a potential candidate for federal office,” adding that he had not yet decided which office to seek.

Trump also succeeded in pushing out other Republicans who challenged his leadership in Louisiana and Georgia last week, with GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Brad Raffensperger both losing to Trump-endorsed opponents.

The president also forced out several Indiana state lawmakers who opposed his nationwide redistricting efforts earlier this month, once more proving his iron grip on the party.

But Republicans in Congress and GOP operatives are fretting that Trump’s laserlike focus on vengeance could imperil the party’s legislative agenda ahead of this fall’s midterm elections and potentially cost the GOP control of Texas Sen. John Cornyn’s seat. Trump handed down an eleventh-hour endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last week, more than two months after promising to weigh in on the ugly primary fight.

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Khanna expresses disappointment about Massie’s defeat

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Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) expressed disappointment Sunday morning that Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) lost his primary last week.

Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Khanna said of his reaction: “Sadness, disappointment. Thomas is a real friend. He’s a good man.”

Khanna and Massie are very much on opposite ends of the classic left-right ideological spectrum, but they came together to introduce the Epstein Files Transparency Act, requiring the release of files in the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. They also joined together to attempt, unsuccessfully, to block U.S. involvement in Iran.

Those efforts, as well as other votes, led President Donald Trump to repeatedly denounce Massie and campaign on behalf of Ed Gallrein, Massie’s challenger in their Kentucky congressional district. Gallrein won the primary last week with approximately 55 percent of the vote.

Speaking to host Kristen Welker, Khanna offered his analysis of Massie’s defeat.

“He was taken out for two reasons,” Khanna said. “One: He had the courage to go after some very powerful people in working with me to get the Epstein Transparency Act passed. As you mentioned, that’s historic bipartisan legislation that finally got justice for the survivors. And he had people spend millions of dollars and had the president of the United States after him.

“And second, he worked with me to stop this war in Iran. So for taking on the Epstein class and taking on war, he basically lost his state. And I admire his courage in taking those positions.”

With talk this weekend of a possible deal with Iran, Khanna said it is time for the war to come to an end.

“The answer to your question is yes. I do believe we need a negotiated deal,” he told Welker.

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Congress

Absent congressmember Tom Kean Jr. starts working the phone

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Rep. Tom Kean Jr., whose two-and-a-half month disappearance has stoked speculation about his health and political future, has begun more actively communicating over the phone.

On Thursday, Kean began calling Republican county chairs in his 7th Congressional District, one of the most competitive in the country in this year’s midterms. The two-term Republican also gave a “lengthy” interview to New Jersey Globe on Thursday afternoon, the first he has granted since he last voted on March 5.

Kean did not respond to a text message from Blue Light News and his voicemail was full Thursday night.

But Kean, 57, gave no details to the Globe on his undisclosed illness, which has kept him out of public view since early March. He said he’s expecting to make a full recovery, that it would not affect his cognitive health, that he plans to run for reelection and that he will publicly discuss his health at an unspecified later date.

“My doctors are confident that I’m on the road to a full recovery,” Kean told New Jersey Globe. “I understand the need for public transparency, and I appreciate the support of my constituents.”

Kean added that he plans to return to voting and campaigning in the next couple weeks. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), chair of the House GOP’s campaign arm, told reporters Thursday he spoke to Kean and he will be back voting in June.

Kean’s lengthy absence has drawn national media attention, with reporters staking out his home in the wealthy 7th Congressional District, where he faces an extremely competitive reelection, with four Democrats competing in the June 2 primary to take him on in November. His campaign and office staff had repeatedly said that he expects to make a full recovery and would return to work “soon.”

But few people — even Kean’s two fellow New Jersey House Republicans — had recently reported speaking to him. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that he spoke to Kean last month.

Kean called Republican chairs in his district on Thursday.

“He sounded good to me. Sounded just as normal as always,” said Carlos Santos, the Republican chair of Union County, where Kean lives.

Santos said that he did not ask Kean about his ailment, and that Kean did not disclose it. But he said Kean confirmed he’s running for reelection and that he has his support.

Tracy DiFrancesco, the GOP chair of Somerset County, also spoke with Kean.

“It was just a simple conversation. He sounded just like Tom always sounds. He sounded perfectly fine. He’s basically back. Hopefully we’re going to see him very soon,” she said. “I think he’s doing well and we’re excited to get back on his campaign.”

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