From Jeffrey Epstein to Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and beyond, Republicans are reckoning with classic questions: Should powerful figures accused of sexual misconduct be immediately exposed, or should they be given the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise?
Call it a part two to the "Me Too" movement from nearly a decade ago, which saw sweeping structural and cultural changes — but it was also criticized by some on the right for what they saw as a rush to judgment. Many in that group point to the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as a high-profile example.
The landscape has changed again.
A new precedent has been set by the successful push to have the Department of Justice and beyond release an unprecedented amount of material about Epstein, the convicted sex offender — legislation that some Republicans and President Trump initially resisted, before all members of Congress except one voted to pass it.
Now, a number of Republicans are calling for the public disclosure of all the sexual misconduct investigations conducted by the notoriously secretive and slow House Ethics Committee.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) led that push in light of evidence emerging that Gonzales had an affair with a staffer who later died after setting herself on fire. Gonzales later admitted to the affair with his subordinate, which is against the House's code of conduct.
The House voted to refer Mace's resolution back to the House Ethics Committee, with just 37 Republicans voting alongside her on the resolution.
The Ethics panel, in a rare statement, warned that such a move could inadvertently harm victims and "chill victim and witness participation in ongoing and future investigations." Privately, some Republicans told me they worried about the impact such a release would have on members' due process, and whether it was appropriate to release materials from every investigation, when some may have been found to not be serious enough to warrant official reprimand.
But a number of Republicans fumed at the decision. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) said in a committee hearing right after the vote that she was "absolutely disgusted that we couldn't even get 50 members of Congress who want immediate transparency. Don't we all campaign on transparency? … We should be held to the highest standard."
Mace, who has centered her political identity on her personal stories of sexual abuse, tied the issue back to Epstein while tearing into her colleagues who voted against her resolution.
"You better not say Jeffrey Epstein's name if you voted against my resolution and bringing forth information about members of Congress who sexually harass women," Mace told me. "I don't want to hear it."
The massive Epstein files disclosure has altered the expectations of not only Mace, but many in the right-wing base who have long had suspicions that the wealthy and political elite regularly engage in sexual impropriety. It has led to the arrest of former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and pushed economist Larry Summers to resign from Harvard University.
But the releases also included allegations against President Trump that the Department of Justice (DOJ) said were "sensationalist," "unfounded and false." The DOJ criticized Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) after he read the names of six men whose names were initially redacted in the files — saying that several of the men had no connection to Epstein and were selected years ago for an FBI lineup.
It's not just the Epstein files that have altered the GOP's attitudes on due process and confidentiality in recent years. The Ethics panel in 2023 released its report on fraudster Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) before his federal trial, breaking with its tradition of waiting until criminal investigations are complete, and 105 Republicans joined with Democrats in voting to expel him from the chamber. And the Ethics Committee in 2024 opted to publicly release its report on allegations against former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) even after he had resigned from Congress and withdrawn his name from consideration to be Trump's attorney general.
When it comes to last week's vote that blocked the resolution to release all allegations of sexual misconduct against members, several Republicans clearly feel the pressure from their constituents on the issue. Reps. Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.) and Brian Mast (R-Fla.) made videos explaining their votes, and expressing hope that the Ethics panel could improve Mace's resolution to address their concerns.
"Allegations are not convictions. Investigations sometimes end with no wrongdoing found," Harrigan said in his video. "If those records are released without safeguards, someone who did nothing wrong, who has impeccable character, could still have their reputation permanently damaged. … This resolution opens the potential for partisan and personality warfare like we have never seen before."
The situation around Gonzales spurred division among Republicans, too, as suggestive text messages between Gonzales and the staffer emerged.
Should he resign (and further narrow the razor-thin GOP majority that already gives leadership headaches)? Or should he simply end his reelection bid (which he did last week following pressure from GOP leaders after he admitted to the affair)?
Asked why he is not calling on Gonzales to resign, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) expressed confidence in the Ethics panel.
"They have an element of new process. They do the investigations as quickly and efficiently and effectively as they can. We have good leadership there. I'm convinced that they'll do this as rapidly as possible," Johnson said.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Keep a civil tongue.