Three Reasons Why Mike Johnson Won't Release The House Ethics Report on Matt Gaetz

(Associated Press)

House Speaker Mike Johnson has come under fire for refusing to release the House Ethics Committee Report on Matt Gaetz who abruptly resigned from Congress last week after being appointed as Attorney General by President-elect Donald Trump. Gaetz's appointment was announced shortly before report was to be released.

Johnson has come under scrutiny for his decision by Fox News anchor Shannon Bream and Senate Republicans such as Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin who want the House to share the report with the Senate.

But I suspect Johnson isn't going to budge for three reasons.

First, Johnson wishes to do President-elect Trump's bidding. Trump wants retribution, and he wants Gaetz to dish out that retribution and Johnson isn't about to cross him. I mean Johnson wants to continue to tag along with Trump's entourage at UFC events. I also think Johnson knows that Senate Republicans, whatever their concerns about Gaetz, aren't going to want to be on Trump's bad side either and will eventually back down. Johnson just does a better job at playing the role of a quisling.

Second, Johnson wouldn't be Speaker if Gaetz hadn't engineered Kevin McCarthy's ouster earlier this year while pouring cold water on Marjorie Taylor Greene's subsequent attempt to oust Johnson only months later. Is it any wonder that Johnson called Gaetz "one of the brightest minds of Washington or anywhere"?

Finally, Johnson has no desire to release the report because no good can come of it for Republicans. Word has it the report contains witness accounts of Gaetz having sex with minors. The release of the report will make Gaetz even more of a scuzzball than he already is and will reflect poorly on Johnson's leadership. 

This is what happens when you have a Speaker of the House who is answerable to Donald Trump rather than to the American people and our Constitution.