JUST IN: Top Democrat Rep. Caught Red-Handed As Gaetz Ethics Report Leaker

The House Ethics Committee has been deliberating on whether to release its findings regarding former Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who faced allegations of sexual misconduct and other violations. In November, Gaetz resigned from Congress and withdrew his nomination for U.S. Attorney General amid accusations.

The Ethics Committee, which is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, voted on whether to release the report. The vote resulted in a deadlock along party lines, with Republicans opposing the release and Democrats, including Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA), advocating for it. The Ethics Committee’s investigation has been a focal point, with debates over the appropriateness of releasing such reports after a member’s resignation. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had also expressed concerns that releasing the report could set a harmful precedent.

Despite previous instances, it’s quite uncommon for ethics reports to be released following a member’s resignation. However, last month, an “unknown and unauthorized third party” accessed sealed depositions related to the Gaetz investigation.

Gaetz’s resignation from Congress resulted in the committee losing jurisdiction over the matter, however. Amid a series of damaging leaks, Democrats on the Committee, led by Rep. Wild, the Committee’s top Democrat, vigorously pushed for the report’s release. It has since been revealed that Rep. Wild was responsible for leaking the Gaetz report.

NEWS: Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee, will NOT attend today’s Ethics meeting, sources familiar with the matter tell me & @bresreports. The panel is about to meet again on its long-awaited Matt Gaetz report.

There was a dispute over comments made…

— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) December 5, 2024

On top of this, Wild was notably absent from last week’s panel meeting following revelations that she was the source of leaks to the press about the investigation into former Rep. Gaetz according to sources who spoke to The Hill. It is still uncertain whether Wild chose to skip the Thursday meeting or was advised not to attend. Details of what specific information she disclosed, to whom, and how the committee identified her as the leaker have not been clarified. However, two sources reported that Wild ultimately admitted to the panel that she had leaked the information.

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— Susan Wild (@wildforcongress) August 23, 2022

During Thursday’s meeting of the House Ethics Committee, Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) served as the acting ranking member in the absence of Rep. Wild, according to a source familiar with the proceedings. The future attendance of Rep. Wild, who will be leaving Congress at the end of the year, at Ethics Committee meetings remains uncertain. Meanwhile, Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS), the chair of the committee, informed reporters that Thursday’s meeting would not be the last for the group.

In a statement to The Hill, Wild’s chief of staff, Jed Ober, explained that the congresswoman missed last week’s meeting due to her frustration with the handling of the Gaetz report. Ober stated, “Rep. Wild was frustrated by the manner in which the report was handled and didn’t feel it was fruitful to participate in any further meetings on its ‘potential’ release. Characterizing it as anything more is inaccurate. There will be no further statement.”

When questioned last week on whether the panel should publish its report on Gaetz, Wild affirmed with a “yes.” Regarding the idea of solely releasing the report to the Senate, Wild stated, “Either you are going to disclose it or you’re not going to disclose it.”

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