Rep. Susan Wild, D-PA, skipped a crucial House Ethics Committee meeting after is was revealed that she was the source behind the leaked information about the panel’s controversial investigation of former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who has since secured a prime-time television slot at One America News Network.
Two sources told The Hill that Wild acknowledged leaking details about the committee’s three-year probe into Gaetz, which included sex trafficking allegations. Authorities launched an investigation into the allegations years ago, but it was dropped without any charges ever filed.
The committee’s own investigation ended when Gaetz resigned after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him as U.S. Attorney General, a position he later declined.
Wild’s chief of staff Jed Ober rejected implications about her absence.
“Rep. Wild was frustrated by the manner in which the report was handled and didn’t feel it was fruitful to participate in any further meetings on its ‘potential’ release. Characterizing it as anything more is inaccurate,’ he claimed.
The controversy intensified after Committee Chair Michael Guest said “there is not agreement by the committee to release the report.”
Wild herself publicly challenged this statement as “inaccurate” and accused Guest of having “betrayed the process by disclosing our deliberations within moments after walking out of the committee.”
Committee rules strictly prohibit unauthorized disclosures, and members take an oath to participate.
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will not disclose, to any person or entity outside the Committee on Ethics, any information received in the course of my service with the Committee, except as authorized by the Committee or in accordance with its rules.”
As the ethics controversy unfolds, Gaetz announced his next career move at conservative news network OAN, where he’ll host a nightly show at 9 p.m. Eastern.
“OAN is blazing a trail in media, embracing not just traditional news but the platforms where Americans are going—streaming, apps, podcasts, and social media. I couldn’t be more thrilled to join OAN’s forward-thinking team and be part of this revolutionary expansion,” Gaetz said.
The network praised Gaetz as “a relentless champion of conservative values, taking on entrenched Washington bureaucrats and exposing government overreach.”
Besides his prime-time show, he’ll co-host a weekly podcast targeting younger audiences.
The Ethics Committee, split between five Republicans and five Democrats, continues deliberating whether to release its findings.
Wild, who lost her reelection bid, will leave Congress in January after being the leak source. Her office declined to comment on whether she would attend future sessions discussing the Gaetz report.