Democrats on Senate Judiciary committee ask FBI to release records from probe into Trump's AG pick

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee – which will be tasked with considering President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, next year – are asking for the Justice Department to turn over materials it collected in its investigation into whether Gaetz committed sexual misconduct and other alleged crime.

The department opted not to charge the Florida Republican. But its review of the allegations against him was also of interest in a probe by the House Ethics committee, which is now facing calls to release a draft report on its findings.

In a Tuesday letter to FBI director Chris Wray, Democrats led by Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin asked for criminal investigation’s “complete evidentiary file,” including formal notes from FBI interviews of witnesses.

“As you are aware, President-elect Trump has announced his intent to nominate Mr. Gaetz to be Attorney General,” the Democrats said. “The Senate has a constitutional duty to provide advice and consent on presidential nominees, and it is crucial that we review all the information necessary to fulfill this duty as we consider Mr. Gaetz’s nomination.”

Wednesday’s letter to the Justice Department comes on the heels of a request last week by Senate Democrats that the House committee turn over its report and the evidence it assembled. The House Ethics committee is meeting Wednesday afternoon to discuss the report, but it’s unclear what action, if any, it will take towards releasing it.

The new Democratic request to the FBI said that the “grave public allegations against Mr. Gaetz speak directly to his fitness to serve as the chief law enforcement officer for the federal government.”

Gaetz has vehemently denied the allegations investigated by the Justice Department and the committee, including the claim that he had sex with a woman in 2017 when she was a minor. A spokesperson for Gaetz told CNN last week that “Merrick Garland’s DOJ cleared Matt Gaetz and didn’t charge him.”

The Justice Department has historically not provided access to investigatory materials, a US official familiar matter told CNN, though the Democratic letter cites precedent where some records from other probes, such as the Hillary Clinton email investigation, were shared with lawmakers.

The FBI confirmed to CNN that it received the letter but declined to comment.