Susan Wilder absent from ethics committee meeting after Gates leaks to media

Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), the top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee, skipped a meeting of the committee last week after she was found to have leaked information to the media about an investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) Source.

It’s unclear whether Wilder voluntarily skipped Thursday’s gathering or was asked not to attend, what information she leaked and to whom, and how the team tracked her to being the leaker. Two sources said Wilder eventually admitted to the panel that she leaked the information.

Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) served as the acting ranking member during Thursday’s meeting, sources said, noting that an acting senior member will be available whenever the panel member is absent. members in their place.

It’s unclear whether the Pennsylvania Democrat, who will leave Congress at the end of the year, will appear at future Ethics Committee meetings. Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., the group’s chairman, told reporters Thursday’s meeting was not the group’s last.

Wilder’s chief of staff, Jade Ober, said in a statement to The Hill that the congresswoman did not attend last week’s meeting because she was “frustrated” by the handling of the Gates report, adding: To describe her absence as “more” is “inaccurate”.

“Rep. Wilder is frustrated with how the report has been handled and does not believe attending any further meetings regarding its “potential” release will be fruitful. To describe it as anything else would be inaccurate. There will be no further announcement,” Ober said.

Wilder’s office declined to comment when asked whether the congresswoman would attend future ethics committee meetings related to the Gaetz report. A spokesman for the ethics committee declined to comment.

Wilder was noticeably absent from last week’s Ethics Committee meeting, the only member of the committee who did not enter and exit the committee room packed with reporters. Punchbowl News later reported she would not attend.

The panel met to discuss the investigation into Gaetz, which has become the subject of controversy after the Florida Republican, nominated by President-elect Trump to serve as attorney general, resigned from the House and was withdrawn from Cabinet consideration. Then said he would not be sworn in in the next Congress. Whether to release the report has become a heated debate on Capitol Hill.

The group broke off Thursday’s meeting without releasing the report. In a subsequent statement, the group said “discussions on the matter are continuing.”

The ethics committee, known for operating in secrecy, has been investigating Gaetz for about three and a half years, looking into allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use. However, the investigation ended abruptly after Gaetz resigned from the House because the panel had no jurisdiction over the former congressman.

Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.

Various information has been leaked in recent months about the years-long investigation into Gaetz, including the logistics of the meetings, the voting that took place during those rallies, and the panel’s planned release of its report just days after he announced his resignation Take a vote.

Any leaks by members and staff violate the committee’s rules: Panel members are sworn not to leak unauthorized information.

“I solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will not disclose to any person or entity outside the Ethics Committee any information received in the course of my service on the Committee except as authorized by the Committee or in accordance with its rules, Affidavit wrote.

Wilder, who has been the top Democrat on the Ethics Committee since 2022, will not return to Congress next year after losing her re-election bid to Republican Ryan Mackenzie.

The congresswoman’s dissatisfaction with the committee was evident after a meeting last month about the Gaetz report. As the guest exited the crowd, he said “the committee did not agree to release the report,” and Wilder later called the report “inaccurate” in remarks to the media.

She accused Guest of “betraying the entire process by disclosing the results of our deliberations shortly after exiting the committee,” which is why she made the comments to the media.

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