President-elect Donald Trumphis choice for attorney general, rep. Matt Gaetzcould face a “humiliating” confirmation hearing, according to former White House ethics counsel Richard Painter.

Trump announced that he did chose the Republican from Florida to serve as his attorney general on Wednesday, prompting Gaetz to quickly resign his House seat.

On his Truth Social platform, he said Gaetz, a Trump loyalist, would “remove systemic corruption from the DOJ and return the Department to its true mission of fighting crime and upholding our Democracy and Constitution.”

But Trump’s choice to favor a brand with limited legal experience that has faced legal problems of its own over more seasoned candidates shocked. republicans and legal expertsand likely faces a tough road to Senate confirmation.

Gaetz was previously investigated by the DOJ for sex trafficking, although the investigation ended in 2023 without charges being brought against him.

His resignation on Wednesday puts an end to the investigation by the House Ethics Committee in sex trafficking, sexual misconduct, illegal drug use and other charges against Gaetz. Gaetz has denied all allegations.

The commission was reportedly supposed to vote on whether to issue a report outlining the investigation’s findings this week, but now it is unclear if that could still happen. Gaetz and the committee have been reached for comment by email.

It is “essential” that the report and all other relevant information about the nominee be provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Painter, a University of Minnesota professor and former White House associate adviser during George W. Bush administration, he said Newsweek Thursday.

“If all relevant information is not provided, the Senate committee may well refuse to hold a hearing or postpone a vote on the nomination,” he said.

The ethics commission report “is critical to the confirmation process,” he said, as is any information the DOJ has about Gaetz.

“It is absolutely critical that that report in its entirety be provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Republicans and Democrats “He can read the report and ask Mr. Gaetz questions about the content of the report in the confirmation hearing,” Painter said. “To confirm an attorney general without all the background information would be gross negligence.”

Painter said some of the report’s content could remain private after it was turned over to the Senate committee, but Gaetz would likely face questions about it during a confirmation hearing.

“This could be quite humiliating for the president-elect, for the Republicans if there are problems,” he said.

“Now, I don’t know what’s in that report. They could exonerate him, but I think keeping this report secret would be a very, very bad decision by Republican leadership at the House”.

Trump “will need the support of the Senate to confirm these nominees,” Painter added. “We’ve had Republican-controlled Senates in the past that have rejected Republican presidential nominees, and it could happen this time if the administration doesn’t provide all relevant information about each candidate.”

Senate Republicans “are not going to risk losing an election in two years by covering for a candidate when there is information that is being kept from the public,” he added.

“So I think it’s very, very important that we have transparency here and full disclosure, either the release of the report by the House of Representatives, which would probably be the best way to handle this, or alternatively, handing over the report to the Senate. Judiciary Committee so that concerns can be addressed in the open confirmation hearing.”