As Matt Gaetz’s ethics report reaches the public, four key questions remain

The House Ethics Committee initially opened an investigation into the then-representative. Matt Gaetz more than three years ago, and members of the panel publicly acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations against the Florida Republican. However, it was an open question whether the public would ever see the results of the investigation.

Gaetz made a discreet effort to keep the information secret. Last month, for example, Gaetz quickly resigned from Congress, leading to speculation that he was resigning in hopes of short-circuiting the ethics process. Shortly thereafter, House Republicans rejected a Democratic attempt to unearth the results, and Floridians likely breathed a sigh of relief.

If so, then it was premature. NBC News reported last week that members of the House Ethics Committee voted to publicly release their report on Gaetz. It marked an about-face from last month, when the same panel, made up of an equal number of Democrats and Republicans, was unsure whether to release its findings.

The Floridian attempted to obtain an injunction to stop publication of the committee’s report and failed. Shortly afterwards, the expected document became public. My MSNBC colleagues Hayley Miller and Clarissa-Jan Lim reported:

MSNBC released the entire 42-page document online, painting a pretty brutal picture of a Republican who “regularly” paid women for sex during his tenure on Capitol Hill. In the same report, Gaetz is accused of using or possessing illegal drugs, including cocaine; accepting unauthorized gifts; and helping a woman he had sex with obtain an expedited passport.

Awaiting that outcome, the Floridian, who has long denied any wrongdoing, issued a written statement last week admitting that he “probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more when I was younger” than he did was younger, adding, “In my single days, I often sent money to women I dated – even some I never dated but who asked for it.”

Still, he insisted that he never had “sexual contact” with minors and that the federal criminal investigation he faced had not resulted in any charges.

So what happens now? A few questions hang over us.

1. Did Donald Trump not know or care? In case anyone has forgotten, it was just last month that the president-elect announced his intention to nominate Gaetz to head the Justice Department as the country’s next attorney general. The result was a fiasco – Gaetz withdrew from consideration after just eight days – and evidence of a chaotic transition process.

But given the new allegations, Trump’s decision is even harder to defend: He chose Gaetz as the country’s top law enforcement official, despite the House Ethics Committee’s investigation. Was the president-elect unaware of the investigation and the possibility of brutal results, or did he simply not care?

2. Will Gaetz retaliate? Just last week, the former Republican congressman suggested in an online statement that he was prepared to take steps to expose “any ‘me too’ arrangements paid by members of Congress.” It is not yet clear how or whether Gaetz will implement this or whether there are lawmakers who have reason to be concerned about such disclosures.

3. Will the House Ethics Committee report derail Gaetz’s future ambitions? The day before the panel’s results were released to the public, the Florida Republican, who will host a show on One America Now next month, spoke at a conservative event and said he was considering a run for statewide office in 2026 to. Trump spoke at the same rally and said that Gaetz still had “a great career” ahead of him.

In theory, given the scandalous allegations surrounding the former congressman, it is difficult to imagine Gaetz launching a successful campaign for governor or senator. In practice, Florida has ignored scandals surrounding Trump and Republican Sen. Rick Scott over several election cycles, making it seem difficult to rule out the possibility.

4. Why did House Speaker Mike Johnson try to keep the Ethics Committee report from the public? While the ethics panel traditionally operates independently, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters in mid-November that he would “strongly request” that the committee keep its findings secret. The Louisiana Republican added that he was worried about setting a “terrible precedent” by releasing a report about a former member of Congress.

But in fact, Congress has already released ethics reports on former members of the House and Senate, raising questions about why the sitting House speaker was so adamant about shielding Gaetz.

Overall, there is no reason to believe that the release of the House Ethics Committee’s findings will necessarily end the larger controversy.