### Speaker Mike Johnson Denies Discussing Gaetz Ethics Report with Trump

In a recent interview, Speaker Mike Johnson clarified that he has not discussed the House ethics report on former Congressman Matt Gaetz with President-elect Donald Trump. Johnson's comments came amidst questions following his request to the committee last Friday to withhold the release of the report.

"The president and I have literally not discussed one word about the ethics report, not once," Johnson said during an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" with Jake Tapper. He emphasized that despite spending significant time with Trump recently in Washington, Mar-a-Lago, and at Madison Square Garden, the topic of Gaetz's ethics investigation did not come up.

This development follows a surprising move where Trump announced Gaetz as his pick for Attorney General. Gaetz subsequently resigned from Congress just hours after the announcement. The former representative has been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for allegations involving an underage girl. Although the committee was set to discuss the report last Friday, the meeting was postponed.

Earlier, Johnson maintained that his request not to release the report was consistent with his independent stance from the House Ethics Committee. He justified his request by citing protocol, stating that the committee's jurisdiction ends once a member resigns.

"There’s a very important protocol and tradition and rule that we maintain that the House Ethics Committee’s jurisdiction does not extend to non-members of Congress. I think that would be a Pandora’s box," Johnson said.

In another interview on "Fox News Sunday," Johnson refrained from committing to whether he would support recess appointments proposed by Trump to facilitate some of his controversial nominations without Senate confirmation. He expressed his hope for the Senate to fulfill its role in the advice-and-consent process, but left the door open to evaluating recess appointments if necessary.

Meanwhile, Sen. Chris Coons, appearing on the same Fox program, concurred that the House loses disciplinary power over Gaetz following his resignation. However, Coons argued that the ethics report should still be released, particularly because Gaetz has been nominated for a significant position such as Attorney General.

"It’s relevant because the Senate has a constitutional role. It’s called our advice and consent role to make sure that a president-elect mostly gets their choice, their nominees, but doesn’t get to put people in who are unqualified or who lack the requisite character and capabilities to lead an incredibly important agency like the Department of Justice," Coons said.