Matt Gaetz ethics report finds ‘substantial evidence’ he violated statutory rape law: Live updates
Gaetz stands accused of buying and using illegal drugs, including from his office on Capitol Hill, according to the report
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Your support makes all the difference.The House Ethics Committee report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida has been released, with the panel having “determined there is substantial evidence” that the former congressman and attorney general nominee violated a statutory rape law.
“The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” the report states.
Before its release, Gaetz sued the committee to block the release of the report that found that he paid thousands of dollars to more than a dozen women — including a 17-year-old girl — for sex.
In a federal lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., the Republican accused the committee of making an “unconstitutional” attempt to “exercise jurisdiction over a private citizen” by releasing a report “containing potentially defamatory allegations.”
He asked for a judge to issue an emergency order to block the report’s release, but drafts had already been published in several news outlets Monday morning.
Publishing the report would mark an “unprecedented overreach that threatens fundamental constitutional rights and established procedural protections,” attorneys for the former congressman wrote.
Biden admin looks to lock in legacy on immigration and death penalty
The Biden administration is using its waning days in office to make a final mark ahead of the incoming Trump White House.
It announced Friday it would forgive another $4.28 billion in student debt for 54,900 borrowers who pursued careers in public service, bringing Biden’s total to some $180 billion of forgiveness overall, the largest sum of debt forgiveness from any president in U.S. history.
At the same time, the administration said it would scrap further forgiveness proposals from the U.S. Department of Education, noting “uncertainty around the implementation” given Trump’s impending inauguration.
“The Department at this time intends to commit its limited operational resources to helping at-risk borrowers return to repayment successfully,” Education Secretary Migual Cardona wrote in official notices.
Josh Marcus has the full story.
Biden admin wants to lock in migration and death penalty policies as it drops others
Administration announced intention to drop student loan proposals and a proposed rule on transgender sports bans
ICYMI: Lara Trump will not run for the Senate
Lara Trump dropped out of the running for the Senate on Saturday evening, teasing a “big announcement” to come in January.
Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law was floated as a possible replacement for Marco Rubio, the president-elect’s choice for secretary of state.
Two weeks ago Trump announced she was also stepping down from her role as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
Rhian Lubin has the full story.
Lara Trump drops out of running for the Senate, teases ‘big announcement’
Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law was floated as a possible replacement for Marco Rubio, the president-elect’s choice for secretary of state
Fascism is ‘not a word that regular people use:’ Sen. John Fetterman, when discussing Trump’s election win
The president-elect welcomes a ‘commonsense revolution'
Donald Trump said a “commonsense revolution” is coming soon to America.
“Woke has to stop. It’s destroying our country. Woke is bulls***,” Trump said, citing the renaming of ships and military bases that were named after Confederate figures. “We will get critical race theory and transgender insanity out of our schools,” he said.
In his second term, Trump promised taxes will be slashed, wages will be increased, violent crime will end and America’s “once-great cities” will be rebuilt.
“We are finally going to build up our country, defend our land and protect our citizens,” the president-elect promised.
“Together we will fight, fight, fight, and together we will win, win, win!” Trump said at the conclusion of his speech.
Before walking off the stage, he did his signature “Trump dance” as the Village People’s “YMCA” played.
Trump lays out anti-trans policies that he will sign on ‘day one'
“With the stroke of my pen, on day one I will stop the transgender lunacy,” Donald Trump told the Phoenix crowd.
He said he plans to stop “gender mutilation,” keep transgender Americans out of the military and “keep men out of women’s sports,” he said.
WATCH: Donald Trump Threatens To Retake Panama Canal
Former GOP chair suggests Musk is steamrolling ‘too old’ Trump
The former chairman of the Republican Party turned the tables on Donald Trump’s long-running criticism of Joe Biden and suggested it’s now the president-elect who may be “too old” to hold his own — especially against his new “best buddy” Elon Musk.
Michael Steele hit out amid lawmakers’ harsh rebukes of Trump after the tech billionaire appeared to play a major role earlier this week via X to kill the first bipartisan stopgap government funding deal floated by Republican House speaker Mike Johnson.
Trump issued a statement agreeing with his billionaire backer only after Musk launched the initial attacks, leading some to mock Trump as Musk’s obsequious vice president.
Read the full story.
Former GOP chair suggests Musk is steamrolling ‘too old’ Trump
Michael Steele suggests Donald Trump may be ‘too old’ to handle the challenges facing him, leaving an opening for Elon Musk to take charge
Trump’s threats to retake the Panama Canal continue
Donald Trump also once again threatened to reclaim the Panama Canal.
“We’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we’re being ripped off everywhere else,” he said.
The canal would help with “rapid deployment” of the Navy, he said, adding that the fees being charged by Panama are “ridiculous, highly unfair.”
He repeated the same claim that he wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday: former President Jimmy Carter “foolishly gave it away for one dollar.”
Read more about Trump’s threats to retake the Panama Canal here:
Trump threatens to retake Panama Canal in Truth Social post
Trump accused Panama of charging American vessels ‘exorbitant prices’ to use the vital waterway
Trump repeats tariff threats during AmericaFest speech
“The golden age of America is upon us!” Trump declared.
He praised the post-election stock market, “small business optimism,” and a surge in bitcoin.
Trump also said he informed Mexico and Canada that they have to “stop pouring illegal drugs and aliens into our country,” he said. The president-elect has threatened to impose hefty tariffs on the neighboring countries if they don’t stop the flow of drugs and migrants into the U.S.
Trump then said the European Union has “treated us very badly,” saying they don’t take our agricultural products or cars but “we take ours.”
We’re not going to let the E.U. turn the U.S. into a “dumping ground,” the president-elect continued.
Earlier this week, threatened to levy tariffs against the E.U. in a Truth Social post: “I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas. Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way.”
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