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Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) filed a lawsuit against the House Ethics Committee in an effort to block the release of a report about the investigation into his alleged sexual and drug misconduct.

The former congressman, who stepped down last month after being nominated as Attorney General by President-elect Donald Trump, filed a temporary restraining order as leaked drafts of the Ethics Committee’s report began to circulate.

CBS congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane posted about the court filing on Monday, which is when the Committee report was reportedly due to be released.

“The Committee’s apparent intention to release its report after explicitly acknowledging it lacks jurisdiction over former members, its failure to follow constitutional notions of due process, and failure to adhere to its own procedural rules and precedent represents an unprecedented overreach that threatens fundamental constitutional rights and established procedural protections,” Gaetz’s attorneys said in the filing.

The Ethics Committee and its chair, Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS), were named as defendants in the suit.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied the allegations against him and said the committee has no jurisdiction over him since he resigned as a lawmaker.

Gaetz’s attorneys argued that the release of the report “concerning matters of sexual propriety and other acts of alleged moral turpitude constitutes irreparable harm that cannot be adequately remedied through monetary damages.”

On social media, there was a collective outcry over the attacks on the former lawmaker, while many called for the same scrutiny concerning current members of Congress.

Frieda Powers
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