GOP Rep. Van Orden says he would vote to release Gaetz report

Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden (Wisc.) said he would vote to release the House Ethics Committee report into allegations of misconduct against former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who President-elect Trump nominated to be attorney general.

“I think it’s very important that everybody has as much knowledge as possible so that they can make an informed decision,” Van Orden told CNN’s Manu Raju on Wednesday night.

Earlier Wednesday, the committee voted not to release the details of Gaetz’s report, even after experiencing significant pressure to release its findings.

The panel met behind closed doors and took multiple votes over releasing the information at all or in pieces. The report, which some lawmakers say is vital to the Senate voting to confirm Gaetz as attorney general, is reported to detail sexual misconduct claims against the former lawmaker.

Gaetz has also vigorously denied the allegation that he slept with a minor. He resigned from the House after receiving Trump’s nomination, effectively ending the investigation.

After the Ethics panel’s decision Wednesday, one Democrat is seeking to make the report public in another way.

Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) moved to force the committee to release its findings through a privileged resolution, which triggers a vote in the House within two legislative days if the committee doesn’t release the information.

The committee could also vote to release the report at a later date, and has a meeting scheduled for Dec. 5.

Van Orden, who has a fiery history with Gaetz, told CNN that it’s “a yes” that he would vote to release the report.

“If the rumors are true about Mr. Gaetz’s conduct, then there should be referrals to other agencies, and if they’re not, then there’s a whole lot of people that owe him an apology,” Van Orden said.