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Just one GOP vote on the Ethics Committee could release the Gaetz report

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The House Ethics Committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday. And if members vote on whether to share their investigative findings about attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz, it would only take one Republican to trigger the release of the report.

The panel is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, and it only requires a majority vote in the private meeting to release the report. A tie would defer to the party that controls the House — meaning if all Republicans voted against releasing it, the report would not be published.

But it would only take one, combined with all Democrats, to share the report, either with senators or publicly.

Republicans on the committee have largely declined to comment on the upcoming meeting at all, let alone whether they would vote to release the report. But Democrats have made it clear they want to share the investigative findings, at least with senators who will consider confirming Gaetz to the powerful post atop the Justice Department.

“I think the Senate should have a chance to take a look at any evidence they think is relevant to the decision they have to make,” said panel member Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.). “They’ve got a constitutional obligation to have advice and consent on this nomination. It’s an important one.”

He said he’d also be open to letting the general public see the report.

Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee, indicated Monday night that she believes the report should be published. Other Democrats on the panel pointed to her comments, indicating they agreed with her. Two Democrats did not respond to a request for comment.

Republicans on the committee are still keeping quiet, however, on what should happen to the report. Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) told Blue Light News after GOP members met privately on Monday that he and Speaker Mike Johnson spoke over the weekend. The speaker shared his viewpoint on not releasing the report, according to Guest. He declined to discuss the subject of the Monday meeting, as did other members.

Asked about Wild’s belief that the report should be made public, Johnson said Tuesday: “I’ve made my position very clear.” In addition to his call with Guest, Johnson has said publicly that he doesn’t think it would be proper for the panel to release a report about a person who is no longer a member of the House.

Johnson also indicated he would not support giving the Senate Judiciary Committee access to the report.

“I have no idea about the contents of the report,” he added, when pressed on reported allegations, including that Gaetz had sex with a minor. “My job is to protect the institution. And I’ve made very clear that I think it’s an important guardrail for our institution that we not use the House Ethics Committee to investigate and report on persons who are not members of this body. Matt Gaetz is not a member of the body anymore.” Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing amid the investigations.

Lawmakers have hotly debated releasing the report after Gaetz resigned from Congress last week. There is precedent for Ethics releasing reports about former members, though typically the panel ends investigations and does not release reports about former members.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declined to comment on the report Tuesday morning. But other Democrats who aren’t on the panel are pushing for its release, too. A group of nearly a hundred House Democrats, led by Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.), sent a letter to the Ethics panel calling for the report’s public release.

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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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