SC Missouri News

Chairman Michael Guest has issued a statement regarding the release of a report by the House Committee on Ethics concerning former Representative Matt Gaetz. The report was made public following Gaetz's resignation from Congress on November 14, 2024.

Guest expressed his belief that the Committee lost jurisdiction to release any substantive work about Gaetz after his resignation. "I believe, have publicly stated, and remain steadfast in the position that the House Committee on Ethics lost jurisdiction to release to the public any substantive work product regarding Mr. Gaetz after his resignation from the House on November 14, 2024," Guest stated.

Although he did not dispute the findings of the Committee, Guest noted that he did not support releasing the report. He criticized what he described as a deviation from established standards by releasing information about someone no longer under its jurisdiction. "While I do not challenge the Committee’s findings, I did not vote to support the release of the report and I take great exception that the majority deviated from the Committee’s well-established standards and voted to release a report on an individual no longer under the Committee’s jurisdiction, an action the Committee has not taken since 2006," he said.

Gaetz had resigned from Congress and decided against serving in future roles or seeking re-election for another term. Guest warned that publishing such reports post-resignation could lead to criticism and might be perceived as weaponizing committee processes. "The decision to publish a report after his resignation breaks from the Committee’s long-standing practice, opens the Committee to undue criticism, will be viewed by some as an attempt to weaponize the Committee’s process, and is a dangerous departure with potentially catastrophic consequences," Guest added.

Michael Guest represents Mississippi's Third Congressional District and is currently serving his third term in Congress. In addition to chairing the Ethics Committee, he is also part of both Appropriations and Homeland Security Committees.