Democrat on Ethics Committee says it’s "essential" for Senate to have Gaetz report

 Rep. Glenn Ivey, a Democrat on the House Ethics Committee, applauded the Senate Judiciary Committee’s request to be sent a report on the investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general.

The Judiciary Committee requested in a letter Thursday that the Ethics Committee preserve and “transmit all relevant documentation on Mr. Gaetz,” including its final report on allegations of sexual misconduct against the Florida lawmaker.

The Ethics Committee had been set to release the report Friday, but Gaetz abruptly stepped down from the House, throwing into question whether the report will be made public before he faces confirmation hearings in the Senate for his post as attorney general.

“The Senate certainly had a right to request (the Gaetz report). I can’t talk about our internal deliberations, but the information that they’ve requested, I think it’s totally reasonable for them to have, and in fact, I think it’s essential for them to get that kind of information before they make a decision of this magnitude,” Ivey said.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, the incoming chairman of Senate Judiciary, was noncommittal yesterday about requesting the report as part of the vetting process. Several other members, including Republicans, said they wanted to see the report to make a determination about Gaetz.

Republicans on the ethics panel canceled a scheduled Friday meeting with Democrats that was expected to address the long-awaited report, according to two sources familiar.