House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Monday that he has not spoken to Trump about a draft report on the House Ethics Committee’s investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz — members on both sides of the aisle are urging the speaker to release the draft despite Gaetz’s resignation. and the committee’s lack of jurisdiction over former members.
“I have not discussed the ethics report with President Trump. And as you know, I’ve spent a lot of time with him,” said Johnson, R-La. “He respects the house and the parameters, and he knows that I would not violate any of those rules or principles, so it has not been discussed.”
The speaker also said he had not discussed the report with Trump’s advisers.
“They are busy filling the Cabinet,” he said. “This was not the subject of our discussion.”
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a news conference for House Republicans after a leadership meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Nov. 13, 2024.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
Johnson reiterated his position against publishing the draft report. He also dismissed any precedent for firing a member after leaving Congress, saying the House is in a “different era.”
“I’ve been really clear. There’s a very important principle underlying this, and that is that the House Ethics Committee has jurisdiction over members of Congress — not former members, not private citizens, not someone who has left the institution,” he said. he said “I think that’s a very important parameter for us to maintain. I think it’s important for the organization itself.”
Johnson said he would not allow senators to see the report under “the same principle.”
-ABC News’ John Parkinson, Isabella Murray and Lauren Peller
