--- title: Matt Gaetz: What a Damning Ethics Report Could Mean for Him description: Gaetz allies are bracing for the release of the report, as he plans to host a right-wing talk show and maybe join a Democratic-led law firm canonical: https://time.com/7202513/matt-gaetz-ethics-report/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-12-18T18:56:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:50:13.704Z article:section: Politics og:title: What a Damning Ethics Report Could Mean for Matt Gaetz og:description: A House committee has reportedly voted to release a potentially damning report in the coming days into Matt Gaetz, who some see as a potential leader in a post-Trump GOP. og:url: https://time.com/7202513/matt-gaetz-ethics-report/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt14f1db3b1def6e15/698b24c4457a523ff3d71e97/GettyImages-2162319295.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: 2024 Republican National Convention: Day 2 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What a Damning Ethics Report Could Mean for Matt Gaetz twitter:description: A House committee has reportedly voted to release a potentially damning report in the coming days into Matt Gaetz, who some see as a potential leader in a post-Trump GOP. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt14f1db3b1def6e15/698b24c4457a523ff3d71e97/GettyImages-2162319295.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What the Release of an Ethics Report Could Mean for Matt Gaetz > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Senators React to Gaetz Decision to Withdraw From AG Consideration [Watch (HLS stream): Senators React to Gaetz Decision to Withdraw From AG Consideration](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HetnHmAO.m3u8) (2:34)  _Published 2024-11-22. Senators from both sides of the aisle were quick to react after Matt Gaetz withdrew Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general._  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Dec 18, 2024 6:56 PM UTC  Former Rep. Matt Gaetz is seen at the Republican National Convention on July 16, 2024 in Milwaukee Former Rep. Matt Gaetz is seen at the Republican National Convention on July 16, 2024 in Milwaukee Joe Raedle—Getty Images  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Dec 18, 2024 6:56 PM UTC _This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up_ [_here_](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/signup?nln=dc-brief&source=dc%5Fonsite) _to get stories like this sent to your inbox._ If you want to understand both political parties’ unmooring at this moment, you might look at perhaps the most unlikely of proxies: none other than Matt Gaetz, the [bomb-throwing](https://time.com/6319898/matt-gaetz-kevin-mccarthy-speaker/) former House member and [failed](https://time.com/7178910/donald-trump-cabinet/) nominee to become Donald Trump’s newest Attorney General. [Multiple](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/us/politics/matt-gaetz-ethics-report-release.html?smid=url-share) [media](https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/18/politics/matt-gaetz-ethics-report-committee/index.html) outlets reported Wednesday that the House Ethics Committee had secretly voted to release its report into Gaetz in the coming days. Recall that Gaetz [resigned](https://www.axios.com/2024/11/14/matt-gaetz-resigns-congress-ethics-committee) from the House in November just hours before the chamber's ethics panel was set to release a reportedly damning [investigation](https://www.axios.com/2024/12/11/johnson-calls-for-disciplinary-action-over-gaetz-ethics-report-leaks) of his conduct related to [sex](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/11/20/gaetz-investigation-house-ethics-committee-vance/), [minors](https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/21/politics/matt-gaetz-second-sexual-encounter-minor/index.html), [cash](https://abcnews.go.com/US/gaetz-allegedly-flew-2-women-new-york-paid/story?id=115983498), [drugs](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/20/us/politics/matt-gaetz-house-ethics-report.html), and lewd [conversations](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/matt-gaetz-bragged-erectile-dysfunction-meds-gop-1234840914/). The questions around Gaetz's conduct played a key role in Gaetz withdrawing his bid to be the nation's top law enforcement official. Gaetz quickly responded with a lengthy statement declaring his innocence against baseless allegations, and, as he often does, deflecting by attacking members of his own party. "My 30’s were an era of working very hard—and playing hard too," [he wrote on X.](https://x.com/mattgaetz/status/1869406920768917618) "It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now. But at least I didn’t vote for CR’s that f--k over the country!" Even from afar, he’s still gumming up an [imperiled](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/12/18/congress/conservative-demands-for-johnson-00195119) continuing resolution to keep the government’s lights on. And yet it's hard to know whether the report's release will change the swaggering Florida Republican's unique standing in the political firmament. Last week, One America News Network [announced](https://apnews.com/article/gaetz-oann-talk-show-conservative-adac07541f20a797fbab9c8f8695128d) Gaetz would host a nightly gabfest on its unflinchingly [pro-Trump](https://www.wsj.com/articles/one-america-news-walks-back-voter-fraud-claims-as-part-of-defamation-settlement-11652212946) platform, one that is [dwarfed](https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/04/16/smartmatic-oann-one-america-news-network-lawsuit-settlement/) in viewership by Fox News and Newsmax but nonetheless punches well above its weight in the MAGAverse of loyalists to the past and future President—[including](https://www.nytimes.com/article/oann-trump.html) Trump himself, who has [amplified](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/when-fox-news-disappoints-trump-has-a-backup-the-conspiracy-peddling-oann/2020/06/10/c2a6ec8e-ab1f-11ea-9063-e69bd6520940%5Fstory.html) its conspiracy theory-laden broadcasts. Then, a day later, Politico [reported](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/11/matt-gaetz-john-morgan-law-firm-00000146) that Gaetz was in talks to join the nation’s biggest personal-injury law firm that is led by a major donor to Democrats, one who loudly [complained](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/florida-playbook/2024/07/03/john-morgan-biden-debate-00166354) about President Joe Biden’s chase of a second term and ultimately stopped [giving](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4785500-democratic-donor-wont-fundraise-harris/) to the party’s ticket. The fact that two organizations with such diametrically opposed views of the U.S. political landscape can both find possible utility in someone like Gaetz speaks volumes—particularly as the broad strokes of the allegations against him have been public knowledge for years. Like Trump, Gaetz thought he could simply wave away allegations against him and there would be no consequences. His exit from his government job meant the government no longer could use its watchdog to test him, right? For a minute, that worked. The House ethics panel initially decided that they were not ready to release the report on the allegations against Gaetz. But at least some of the committee decided otherwise in a secret bipartisan vote, perhaps seeing it as an attempt at ending this coddling of Gaetz-style nihilism. Despite all this, Gaetz may still be the Republican Party’s next act in a post-Trump era. Furthermore, some believe Gaetz packs a political skillset that Democrats should exploit for their own advantage. Both could be true. Both could be trumped up. But that both ideas are being taken seriously speak to the deep uncertainty confronting the two big parties in this country. It’s why the cabal on K Street’s lobbying corridor are widening their guest lists this holiday season on the off-chance their collective assumption is dead wrong. It’s why the consulting firms who are hiring are hedging their bets between GOP stalwarts and MAGA loyalists. And it’s why some of those same firms are not shedding their Democratic heavies—just yet. Republicans barreled back to power last month in large measure thanks to Trump and his deep-pocketed friends like [Elon Musk](https://time.com/7177802/elon-musk-donald-trump-2024-election/). The GOP will have the [White House](https://time.com/7172052/how-donald-trump-won-2024/), the [Senate](https://time.com/7173135/republicans-win-senate-2024/), and the narrowest of margins in the [House](https://time.com/7174039/republican-house-majority-control-government-trifecta/)—one that could shrink even more if Trump prevails in [moving](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/11/14/trump-cabinet-house-republicans-narrow-majority/76306065007/) incumbents into the roles of [national security adviser](https://foreignpolicy.com/projects/trump-presidential-transition-personnel-cabinet-policy-issues/?article%5Fanchor=trump-mike-waltz-national-security-advisor-china-ukraine-views) and U.S. [representative](https://time.com/6046674/elise-stefanik-liz-cheney-republican/) at the United Nations. “Enough already,” joked House Speaker Mike Johnson of Trump’s raiding of his fragile caucus majority. Democrats are [pushing back](https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/11/13/democrats-2024-defeat-identity-politics-message-column-00189118) on any suggestion of a GOP mandate over Washington come next year. But unlike eight years ago when the rank-and-file activists on that side joined [The Resistance](https://time.com/5126427/state-union-resistance-watch-party/), that mobilization is not coming together this time. In fact, the Democrats are pretty [beaten down](https://time.com/7198411/donald-trump-opposition/), and it only makes sense that someone like Democratic [superdonor](https://time.com/6997640/joe-biden-press-conference-2/) John Morgan, who claims his Morgan & Morgan is the biggest personal-injury law practice in the land, would try to [land](https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-ag-failure-matt-gaetz-in-talks-for-surprise-job-under-dem-megadonor/) someone like Gaetz. The political footing is so uncertain right now that anything is really fair game. Trump is in his final march and it’s not clear if the movement he sparked survives past him. The Reagan Revolution petered out once he flew home to Simi Valley. Similarly, there was never much clamour within the GOP for a post-presidency role for either Bush 41 or 43\. Trump clawed his way back to power, but it’s not evident that anyone—Vice President-elect [J.D. Vance](https://time.com/7024414/jd-vance-2024-interview/), son [Don Jr.](https://time.com/3990496/donald-trump-children/), anyone in the MAGA [orbit](https://time.com/7027643/vance-vp-debate-maga-moderate/), really—can replicate his fervor. For a sect of the traditional GOP, releasing the Gaetz findings could potentially purge one possible heir. It’s just as dusty on the Democratic side. Biden’s [exit](https://time.com/7001028/why-joe-biden-stepped-down/) from stage left and Kamala Harris’ subsequent loss yielded a big unknown for where that party goes. Biden has all but [vanished](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/09/biden-absent-washington-00192575) from the conversation in Washington as he and his team count down their final days in power. Harris has started to lay the groundwork for a next act, telling campaign allies gathered two weeks ago at her D.C. residence “we do not let anything defeat us.” “We are not having a pity party” she added. A passionate [debate](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/12/12/what-can-next-dnc-chair-actually-do-reverse-democratic-fortunes/) about the future of the Democratic National Committee and its nominally independent partners is only heating up. No one is exactly banging down the doors of Barack Obama, whose braintrust [joined](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/09/13/kamala-harris-barack-obama-advisers-campaign/) the Harris effort and have since [joined](https://www.yahoo.com/news/column-lots-blame-harris-dismal-110005955.html) the [pile-on](https://www.newsweek.com/kamala-harris-van-jones-david-axelrod-1975504), let alone Bill or Hillary Clinton. Heck, a former Democratic House member with a reputation as a [Russia-sympathetizing](https://apnews.com/article/gabbard-trump-putin-intelligence-russia-syria-a798adaf9cd531a5d0c9329f7597f0f6) [Syria apologist](https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/12/10/tulsi-gabbard-dni-russia-syria-views-assad-meeting/) is [poised](https://apnews.com/article/trump-tulsi-gabbard-intelligence-director-russia-putin-0f661dd39bd16e248b16c049e6aa26c5) to become the spy mistress in the Trump Administration. And Morgan, that big-law litigator who wants to hire Gaetz after tossing $1 million toward Biden? He says Harris’ days in politics are [done](https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/kamala-harris-john-morgan-donor-campaign-b2654162.html). See the mess afoot yet? So the realization that Gaetz—a [troll](https://time.com/5228970/rep-matt-gaetz-wants-to-make-trumpism-the-new-normal/) of the first order and a foil for Establishment-minded stalwarts in both parties—is seen as a possible anchor for the current moment is telling. Republicans see him as a sycophant who came within striking distance of becoming the general in a courts-based campaign of retribution against Trump’s political foes. Democrats have good reason to see Gaetz as an altogether disgraced public servant. Again, two truths can hold steady. The nation may soon mostly see him as an unindicted crook, if the [rumblings](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/18/us/politics/matt-gaetz-sex-allegations-house-ethics.html) about the contents inside the ethics panel are to be heeded. On Dec. 12, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska sent up her own distress flare from inside the Republican Party’s [remaining](https://time.com/7014204/adam-kinzinger-dnc/) wing of MAGA holdouts: “I don't think I've made any secret of the fact that I'm more of a Ronald Reagan Republican than I am a Trump Republican.” No champion of Gaetz, she nonetheless is still entertaining some of Trump’s many, many other dubious noms, such as “[compromised](https://time.com/7176696/gabbard-russia-connection-trump-intelligence/)” former Rep. Tusi Gabbard and [accused](https://time.com/7199646/pete-hegseth-nomination-trump-republican-senators/) sexual assaulter Pete Hegseth. Understanding she is to expect arrows from her own right flank, Murkowski merely leaned into her identity as a political survivor and a steady voice against mob mentality. “You can call me whatever you want to call me,” she [said](https://www.newsweek.com/republican-says-trump-warning-gop-dont-get-naughty-list-2000086). What else might they call her? A reliable weathervane, even a preemptive one. She may be prescient when discussing how Trump’s nominees—Gaetz at the fore, more to come—could expect to be treated. "I think we're getting a little bit of a preview now of what it is going to mean to be allegiant to \[the\] party, and I don't think that is going to help us as a Republican Party," Murkowski said. "I think it's going to energize and charge up the Democrats." Which is why Democrats are at least curious how someone like Gaetz straddles so many factions all at once. _Make sense of what matters in Washington._ [_Sign up for the D.C. Brief newsletter_](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/signup?nln=dc-brief&source=dc%5Fonsite)_._ ## Transcript Well, I mean, there's a sense of relief about it, of course. I think he did a pretty noble thing, frankly, honorable thing by getting out himself. I thought his statement was appropriate, and I look forward to a new nominee that we can get fully behind. Simple math, I think, was made clear that there's not a path. And if there's not a path, you're just spend a lot of political capital for losing cause, and it wouldn't have been worth it. Could reports still be released? You know, I leave that up to the House at this point. There's no other reason, you know, for it to be released other than if he was still a House member or, you know, a nominee for a high position. So I'd leave that up to the House. The main message for me here is that my Republican colleagues who did the interviewing, and made an assessment, obviously, sent a message. So the big question for the Senate as an institution. Will we exercise our constitutional responsibility for advice and consent? I see this is a good sign that the Senate will do that. Very respectful for him to make that decision, I think, thinking with all the you know, we're all thinking about the administration coming in. We want to be positive and supportive every way we can make sure they're successful. I think every American should want that. And you don't want to start out with cloud where you have to defend something all the time, and I think it's very respectful. I'd like to remind everybody that, you know, when the side that wins, they get to pick the people. And, you know, I hope and I expect that there's going to be enough that we can work together, and I'm looking for that. And then there's gonna be some picks that are unacceptable. But I also want to remind you that they have the majority in the Senate, and they are going to have the ability to, you know, wherever they want. That's the reality. Math is mass. President elect Trump has nominated a number of candidates to serve in his cabinet, who have faced a series of questions and issues. Given the abrupt withdrawal of former Congressman Matt Gates, there was some discussion about whether the next nominee would be someone who would easily be confirmed or not, whether the next nominee would fit more within the mainstream of who served in the past as attorneys general. Many of Trump's nominees in his first administration. Got bipartisan votes. His Secretary of Defense nominee got 98 votes. So Um, it is not impossible for his nominees to be confirmed, um but they need to be more in the mainstream and without the degree and level of baggage that former Congressman Gates Borough. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7202513/matt-gaetz-ethics-report/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7202513/matt-gaetz-ethics-report/"},"headline":"What the Release of an Ethics Report Could Mean for Matt Gaetz","datePublished":"2024-12-18T18:56:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:50:13.704Z","description":"Even a damning ethics report might not disrupt Gaetz's place in the post-Trump GOP","url":"https://time.com/7202513/matt-gaetz-ethics-report/","keywords":["The D.C. 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