Transparency in Government. Is that important? Do we have a right to know who is running our government? Personally, I think we do. I have always thought that we do. Any action and investigation done by any branch of our Government should be made public to the American people no matter which party is in power at the time. We are supposed to have a government by the people and for the people so we, the people, should have a right to know everything. Do we have a right to know about an official's personal life? If it involves criminal behavior and even criminal business behavior, then yes, we have a right to know. These investigations should not be held in secret. 

The House Ethics Committee has been investigating Representative Matthew Gaetz. He has appeared to have broken a number of laws such as sex with a minor which some people may call Statutory Rape. Paying for sex with a minor. Drug use. It has been stated that he even showed pictures of his underage conquest on the Floor of the House. Many of the allegations have been made by his fellow Republicans not by Democrats. I read the statement by Senator Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, who stated that Gaetz showed sexually explicit photos and videos of underage women he slept with to other lawmakers. It was stated he bragged he would crush ED medicine and chase it with an energy drink so he could go all night. The actions would be bad enough but then he used the floor of Congress like a male locker room. 

It is not like this was a secret investigation. On June 18, 2024, the Committee on Ethics of the House of Representatives issued a statement. In that statement, they stated: "Accordingly, the Committee is reviewing allegations pursuant to Committee Rules14(a)(3) and 18(a) that Representative Gaetz may have: engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he has a personal relationship and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct." They were investigating Matthew Gaetz on our dime. Everyone on that committee is employed by the people and everything they discovered should be reported back to the people. 

Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress before the committee had a chance to release that report. Now it looks like that report may never be released and, this is what I have a problem with. Congress may be intentionally withholding information they investigated and coming to conclusions from their employer, the American People. Speaker Johnson has stated now that Gaetz is a private citizen the report should not be released. That of course makes me think of that private citizen, Hunter Biden. You know that guy who had his hard drive stolen by Rudy Guliani and copied. The man who has been paraded virtually naked in front of the whole world by Congress because he was the President's son. Hunter Biden never held a position in the Biden or Obama administrations. He was never even appointed to any office. He was never elected to any office. To put it plainly he was never part of our Government. There was no way that Hunter Biden did anything to merit an investigation by Congress yet, they showed naked pictures of that man taken from his laptop, a private citizen, just to embarrass his father the sitting president of the United States.  Gaetz on the other hand is a elected member of Congress and should merit a congressional investigation. 

After everything that Gaetz has done, he was nominated to be the Attorney General by the Trump Administration. The Trump administration wanted to bypass the FBI investigation that is supposed to run background checks. In fact, I think the Trump administration would like to bypass all the FBI investigations for all of his appointments. I think the Trump administration would like to make them all recess appointments so that they could bypass the Senate confirmation process too. Why would he want that? Could it be that at least one of his appointments has similar allegations against them as Gaetz has? Could it be that many of them are not even remotely qualified to hold those cabinet positions? The people have a right to know. This whole process should be visible to the people because every one of them is supposed to be accountable to the people. Trying to bypass the FBI investigations and the Senate confirmation hearing is not transparency in government. It is just the opposite. It is trying to make sure that the people are actually left out of the system. 

Gaetz was not charged by the Department of Justice. Is that because the fact they didn't find enough evidence against him or, is it because the Justice Department just didn't do their job? The Justice Department was headed by Attorney General Merrick Garland who basically sat on his hands. No one should be above the law but because of Garland too many have escaped justice. The Department of Justice is supposed to act separately from the Executive Office even though it is part of the Executive Branch. I feel the appointment of Garland was maybe the worst thing Biden ever did. Even though Biden didn't interfere with the Department of Justice their inaction is part of his legacy. Before Biden leaves office I hope he releases all of the results from every investigation because the people and History have the right to know.