Image source, Getty Images

Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin has led an open letter to the FBI, requesting the "complete evidentiary file" of the investigation into Matt Gaetz and the allegations against him, which include sexual and financial misconduct, all of which he denies.

In the letter from Democratic senators, they say: "The grave public allegations against Mr. Gaetz speak directly to his fitness to serve as the chief law enforcement officer for the federal government."

They add it is their "duty" to carefully look at Gaetz's background before voting on him, and that is "crucial" for them to review all of the information available because of the role Gaetz has been nominated for - attorney general.

Gary O'Donoghue
Senior North America correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill

It's only two weeks since the election, and yet an embattled nominee for one of the top jobs in government is wearing out shoe leather along Senate corridors, in an attempt to persuade fellow Republicans he's worthy of the job.

Matt Gaetz is unquestionably the most controversial of Donald Trump's picks so far - and that's among a pretty controversial bunch.

When you think about some of the reasons nominees in the past have failed to get the approval of the Senate - not paying tax on a driver, employing an undocumented immigrant as a nanny - the allegations, sexual and financial, against Gaetz seem daunting for his prospects.

But of course, things have changed - changed so much that the rules of what is politically possible are unrecognizable from the past.

True, the Senate retains some sense of its own independence - six-year terms help stiffen backbones for sure - but Donald Trump's wholesale capture of the Republican Party means anyone who chooses to resist brings down the wrath of the whole Maga movement on their heads - and most don't want that.

Sitting House Speaker Mike Johnson has argued against the release of the Ethics Committee's report on Matt Gaetz.

In a Sunday appearance on Fox News, he said it could "open Pandora's box" if the panel started issuing reports about those who are not members of the chamber.

As a reminder, Gaetz resigned his House seat last week after being named as Trump's pick for attorney general in the upcoming White House administration. His departure from Congress means he is no longer under congressional jurisdiction.

"We don't issue investigations and ethics reports on people who are not members of Congress," Johnson said. "I think this would be a breach of protocol that could be dangerous for us going forward in the future."

He also told reporters that he would "strongly request" the report not be made public because the House rules outline that "a former member is beyond the jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee".

Members of the committee are expected to meet today, and may hold a vote then on releasing the report.

Image source, Getty Images

Cai Pigliucci
Reporting from Capitol Hill

I'm still here at the Capitol, hoping to learn more about what senators are thinking about Trump's cabinet picks.

Matt Gaetz just walked out the side door of the so-called Strom Thurmond room, where he was meeting various Republican senators, mostly from the Judiciary Committee.

A bunch of us reporters ran after him to try to chat, but to no avail. Too many corridors and stairs here!

And then just a moment later, JD Vance walked back into the room, with Republican Senator John Kennedy following a few minutes later.

We'll keep watching and waiting and keep you posted.

Image source, BBC / Cai Pigliucci

Cai Pigliucci
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Another senator, this time Marsha Blackburn - who also sits on Judiciary Committee - just came out of a meeting with Gaetz and Vance.

She towed the party line, saying they had had a great conversation, and that she looks forward to getting all the nominees "out of committee and getting them confirmed."

Shortly after her, JD Vance walked out of the room, reporters again shouted questions at him and he walked on.

It’s clear that Gaetz is prioritizing meeting with senators on the Judiciary Committee where he will need to get confirmed first, before he gets confirmed by the senate.

Image source, Getty Images

Another moderate Republican who has expressed concerns about Matt Gaetz's appointment to be Attorney General is Maine Senator Susan Collins.

While on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Collins told reporters she did not meet Gaetz - who is meeting a handful of senators to confirm their support for his nomination.

She told reporters she was "shocked" by the nomination, considering the allegations against him, including around drugs, bribes and sex, all of which the former congressman denies.

You can read more about those allegations here.

Because the incoming Senate Republican majority will be slim, the Trump administration will need every Senate vote it can get to get its cabinet nominations confirmed.

Many top appointments require a Senate majority vote.

With that in mind, much attention is focused on the potential votes of moderate Republicans such as Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski to see if they back Trump's appointments, particularly some of the more controversial ones.

On Capitol Hill today, Murkowski told reporters she did not plan to meet with one of those controversial selections, attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz, ahead of a vote.

When asked if she has concerns about Gaetz's nomination, she did not reply to reporters.

Matt Gaetz will need 50 votes in the Senate when his nomination comes to a vote after Donald Trump takes office on 20 January.

If four Senate Republicans vote against his nomination and all the Democratic and independent senators do the same, then his nomination will fail.

A name can also be withdrawn from consideration if leadership believe it doesn't have sufficent support.

The confirmation hearing for Gaetz would require some of these salacious allegations being considered in public.

On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump was asked by a reporter if he was reconsidering Gaetz’s nomination. Trump said one word: "No”.

Image source, Gett

We have another bit of White House team nomination news to bring you.

Donald Trump has announced he is picking former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to be US Ambassador to Nato.

"Matt is a strong warrior and loyal Patriot, who will ensure the United States' interests are advanced and defended," Trump said in a statement. "Matt will strengthen relationships with our Nato Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability - He will put AMERICA FIRST."

Cai Pigliucci
Reporting from Capitol Hill

We've just seen JD Vance pass us in the hallway here at the Capitol.

We asked a few questions, but he didn't stop to chat.

Image source, EPA

Cai Pigliucci
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Image source, BBC / Cai Pigliuci

Senator Josh Hawley just walked out of his meeting with Matt Gaetz.

He told reporters that Gaetz seemed "cheerful", and he he emphasized, like many Republicans have, that they should let the process play out and allow Gaetz to go through confirmation hearings.

Asked if he was a bad pick because of the controversy around Gaetz, Hawley said "Listen the president is entitled to his cabinet, entitled to his picks".

He added "Let’s let him have his shot to answer all this".

Hawley said they didn't discuss the allegations against Gaetz in the meeting.

Asked if anything could change Hawley's vote he said "Oh, I doubt it".

So far, Gaetz has been meeting with allies in the Senate. The real test will be whether he can convince those who are more on the fence.

Image source, Getty

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham says he had a "very good" meeting with Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump's pick for Attorney General, and that he is "committed" to allow his Senate confirmation hearing to move forward.

Gaetz's nomination has been controversial, as the former congressman has been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations of him having sexual relations with an underage girl.

While presidents can nominate their pick for attorney general, the nominee must undergo a Senate confirmation hearing before they officially hold the position.

In a statement, Graham says he fears "the process surrounding the Gaetz nomination is turning into an angry mob, and unverified allegations are being treated as if they are true."

"I have seen this movie before," he says.

Graham then urges all of his Senate colleagues "not to join the lynch mob" and give the confirmation process a chance to move forward.

"After years of being investigated by the Department of Justice, no charges were brought against Matt Gaetz. This is something we should all remember," he says.

On and off since 2021, the secretive House Ethics Committee has investigated Matt Gaetz over various allegations, including that he had sex with an underage teenage girl, used illicit drugs, accepted bribes, misused campaign funds and shared inappropriate images on the House floor.

A woman who attended a 2017 party with him has testified to the House committee that she saw the then-congressman having sex with a minor, her lawyer has said.

The same lawyer alleged on Monday that this witness and another woman were paid by Gaetz to have sex with him.

The Floridian has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, casting the probe as an attempt to smear his name by powerful enemies he has made in politics.

He also points to the fact that the Department of Justice ended a separate three-year federal sex-trafficking investigation last year by deciding not to bring charges against him.

"Lies were Weaponized to try to destroy me," Gaetz posted on X on Friday.

Joel Greenberg, Gaetz's one-time friend, was the lone person charged in the DoJ's sex trafficking investigation. He cooperated with investigators and reportedly told prosecutors information about multiple others, including Gaetz.

Greenberg is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence after agreeing to plead guilty to multiple federal charges, including under-age sex trafficking, wire fraud, stalking, identity theft, producing a fake ID card, and conspiring to defraud the US government.

Cai Pigliucci
Reporting from Capitol Hill

I'm here at the Capitol today, as JD Vance, Marco Rubio and Matt Gaetz meet with the lawmakers who will ultimately get to vote on Donald Trump's cabinet picks.

We’ve just had a readout of Senator Lindsey Graham's meeting with former Congressman Gaetz, the controversial pick for attorney general.

Graham said he had a “very good meeting” with Gaetz, and wants to allow the confirmation process to move forward.

Reporters are now huddled around this corridor on the senate side of the Capitol waiting for Graham, Gaetz, and VP-elect JD Vance to walk through, as Vance continues to push president elect Trump's nominees to republicans who appear concerned. We're told by security here that we need to move to one side once they come over. There's a lot of cameras at the ready and reporters furiously messaging on their phones, but no timing yet of when they'll pass by us.

Graham also said, "I fear the process surrounding the Gaetz nomination is turning into an angry mob, and unverified allegations are being treated as if they are true." He's referring there to what could be in the House Ethics Committee report on Gaetz.

Over on the House side, it's possible that the Ethics Committee will vote today on whether or not to release the report. But the committee is very secretive and operates behind closed doors.

We’'ll bring you updates on that as we get them.

Image source, Getty Images

Vice-president-elect JD Vance is on Capitol Hill this morning to help make the case to his former colleagues that they should confirm Trump administration nominees.

Many cabinet and cabinet-level posts require senate confirmation to be approved for their posts.

Vance, who currently serves in the US Senate, is taking meetings with some senators today to urge them to back Trump-appointees and confirm the candidates.

Vance posted on social media about his hopes for the White House team he and the president-elect are working to assemble.

"Donald J. Trump just won a major electoral victory. His coattails turned a 49-51 Senate to a 53-47 Senate," he said on X, referring to Republicans' win of the US upper legislative chamber from the Democrats, who currently hold the majority.

"He deserves a cabinet that is loyal to the agenda he was elected to implement," Vance added.

Caitlin Wilson
US live editor

Just over two weeks since his campaign win, Donald Trump has already named his picks for several top positions in his second-term White House. But the president-elects choices don't automatically get these new jobs - they first have to be confirmed by a Senate vote.

Luckily for Trump, Vice-President-elect JD Vance is a sitting senator who already works closely with many of those who will vote on their cabinet picks in January, after the inauguration.

Vance is showing his support of some of those picks - including secretary of state nominee Marco Rubio and attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz - to his colleagues today, as they visit the Capitol and meet Republican senators together.

Rubio is already familiar with the Senate side of the complex - he has represented Florida as a senator since 2011.

But most eyes will be on Gaetz during today's tour. He is Trump's pick to be America's next top law enforcement officer as the attorney general.

He too knows Capitol Hill well - he was a congressman in the House of Representatives until last week. He had been the subject of an investigation by a congressional ethics panel into a number of allegations involving drugs, bribes and sex.

As Vance introduces Gaetz to the senators who will have the power to approve or deny his new job, the House Ethics Committee is expected to meet later this afternoon to vote on whether or not to release the report that has come out of their investigation.

We'll be bringing you all the latest from reporters and analysis on the Hill and beyond, stick with us.