Dem
47
GOP
53
There were a couple of interesting developments relating to Matt Gaetz yesterday. First, during a hearing, the House Ethics Committee was shown 27 PayPal and Venmo payments from Gaetz to two witnesses totalling over $10,000. The witnesses said that some of the payments were for sex. This was a brave thing for them to say since prostitution is illegal everywhere in the U.S. except a couple of counties in Nevada.
Then, the Committee voted against releasing its report on Gaetz, with all the Republicans on the evenly divided Committee voting against release. Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) told reporters: "There was not an agreement to release the report" and then scooted off. Ranking member Susan Wild (D-PA) gave reporters a different story. She said: "There was no consensus on the issue." Sources said that the Committee would continue its work and take up the issue again in December.
Meanwhile, Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) said he will introduce a privileged motion to try to force the Ethics Committee to release the report. Under House rules, the House would have to consider the motion within 2 days. Of course, the Republicans have a majority in the current House and the next one, so they could simply vote down the motion.
To a considerable extent, the damage has already been done. Unless they were hiding under a rock all week, every senator now knows that: (1) Gaetz paid two women for sex and (2) he had sex with a minor. It is not clear if one of the women he paid was a minor, but from a political perspective, it doesn't really matter if his sex with a minor was paid or not. It is still statutory rape, with or without prostitution on top of it.
Even more senators are now coming out against Gaetz. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) yesterday said: "I think it's an extremely difficult path. In fact, I just don't see a path forward at this point." That's a "no" vote and it doesn't sound like he is open to being talked out of it (but see next item). (V)