WASHINGTON — Republicans on the House Ethics Committee voted Wednesday against releasing a report on the panel’s long-running investigation into President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the top Democrat on the panel said.

Rep. Susan Wild of Pennsylvania said the ethics panel, which is evenly split between the two parties, voted at a lengthy closed-door meeting, and no Republican joined Democrats who wanted to release the report.

Wild said she was compelled to speak up after the panel’s Republican chairman, Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, characterized what had transpired at its session. He had said there was no agreement reached on the matter.

“It was not my intention to make any comment,” Wild said. But she said she did not want “the American public or anyone else to think that Mr. Guest’s characterization of what transpired today would be some sort of indication that the committee had unanimity or consensus on this issue not to release the report.”

The impasse on the panel comes as Gaetz launched an effort to personally secure his embattled nomination, meeting behind closed doors Wednesday with Republican senators who have heard questions about the sexual misconduct and other allegations against him.

At least one Republican senator decried the scrutiny as a “lynch mob” forming against Gaetz, who if confirmed would become the nation’s top law enforcement official.

“I’m not going to legitimize the process to destroy the man because people don’t like his politics,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., as he left the private senators’ meeting .

“He deserves a chance to make his argument why he should be attorney general,” Graham said. “No rubber stamp, no lynch mob.”

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who is supportive of Gaetz’s nomination, emerged saying, “If you have concerns, that’s fine. But don’t make up your mind yet. Let the guy testify first.”

As the senators met in the out-of-the-way Strom Thurmond Room, Hawley said Gaetz was in a “cheerful” mood. The former Florida congressman met with different senators over the course of about four hours.

It was the start of a personal push by Gaetz, who has long denied the mounting allegations against him, to shore up the Senate support needed to be confirmed as the nation’s attorney general. He brings with him wide-ranging proposals to rid the Department of Justice of those perceived by Trump to have “weaponized” their work against the president-elect, his allies and conservatives in general.

Trump himself told senators that he hoped “to get Matt across the finish line,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.C, who was with the president-elect and others for a SpaceX rocket launch Tuesday with billionaire Elon Musk in Texas.

Cramer said from his observation of Trump’s plans, “None of these people including Matt Gaetz are nominated as a diversion to the others. He wants them. He knows what he wants, he says what he wants and he’ll see it through to some conclusion.”

Gaetz is being shepherded by Vice President-elect JD Vance, an Ohio senator. His meeting with Senate allies was largely a strategy session where he emphasized the need to get a hearing where he could lay out his and Trump’s vision for the Justice Department.

It follows a meeting Gaetz had at the start of the week with the conservative House Freedom Caucus, whose members have expressed enthusiasm for his approach to wholesale changes, which have instilled a climate of anxiety and dismay at the department.

Vance reminded the GOP senators that Trump’s presidential victory had coattails that boosted their ranks to the majority. “He deserves a Cabinet that is loyal to the agenda he was elected to implement,” the outgoing Ohio senator posted on social media.