Trump cabinet latest updates: Matt Gaetz withdraws from attorney general nomination
Former Florida congressman withdrew from consideration as more details of ethics investigation leaked
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Your support makes all the difference.Matt Gaetz, the controversial Trump pick for attorney general has withdrawn his name from consideration for the role. In a statement on X, he said: “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.”
The former Florida congressman was the subject of investigations into drug use and sex with a minor, allegations which he has always denied.
Meanwhile, police have released a detailed investigative report into Pete Hegseth, the Fox News personality and military veteran Donald Trump has nominated to be America’s next defense secretary, after he was accused of sexual assault by a woman he met at a conservative conference in Monterey, California, in 2017, the latest resurfaced scandal to dog the incoming administration.
Hegseth told officers at the time that the encounter in question had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing. On Thursday, he told reporters on Capitol Hill “the matter was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared.”
The president-elect has meanwhile unveiled a new range of branded guitars and made further additions to his proposed cabinet, naming Matthew Whitaker and Peter Hoekstra his ambassadors to NATO and Canada, following the nominations of Linda McMahon, Dr Mehmet Oz and Howard Lutnick earlier this week.
Top Democrat on Ethics panel accuses Republican chair of ‘betraying the process’ on Matt Gaetz report
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Watch: Trump’s border czar pick Tom Homan tears up discussing Laken Riley murder during live TV interview
Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan tears up discussing Laken Riley murder
Donald Trump’s border czar pick Tom Homan teared up discussing the murder of Laken Riley during a live TV interview. Ms Riley, 22, never returned home from going for a run on the University of Georgia campus in February. The nursing student’s slain body was found later that day in a wooded area behind Lake Herrick, near UGA’s intramural fields on campus. Jose Ibarra, 26, who is not a US citizen, was arrested and charged with murder in Riley’s death, a case that quickly became a flashpoint in the national immigration debate. Ibarra was found guilty of Ms Riley’s murder yesterday (20 November) and sentenced to life in prison. Appearing on Fox News after the verdict, Homan explained why he gets so emotional explaining the danger of illegal migrant criminals to government officials.
Musk and Ramaswamy reveal plans to weaponize Supreme Court to push through mass firings and drastic cuts
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will be looking to the Supreme Court to unilaterally gut federal agencies and cut funding.
The two men – the world’s richest person and a wealthy biotech entrepreneur who briefly ran for president – have been tapped to lead a panel of outside advisers to make those recommendations.
Their newly created “Department of Government Efficiency” (or DOGE) will be guided by a pair of Supreme Court rulings that legal scholars have warned will turn the courts into weapons against federal regulations that right-wing groups have spent years trying to undermine.
Here’s more from Alex Woodward.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy reveal DOGE plans for mass firings and drastic cuts
Legal experts have warned that recent rulings could turn the courts into weapons against federal agencies
Trump allies rubbish allegations against nominees
Florida Representative Byron Donalds and attorney Alina Habba, two regular cable news spokespeople for the campaign that have conspicuously not been nominated to roles yet, were out on TV last night parroting the party line on Hegseth and Gaetz – and perhaps making a case for themselves with Trump in the process.
Much less helpful regarding Gaetz were Lindsey Graham and Carlos Gimenez, who were not exactly offering ringing endorsements of his candidacy.
Trump nominates Pete Hoekstra to be US ambassador to Canada
Here’s the transition team’s statement on its latest nominee:
“I am very pleased to announce that former Ambassador, and former Congressman, Pete Hoekstra, has been nominated as my United States Ambassador to Canada.
“Pete is well-respected in the Great State of Michigan - A State we won sizably. He represented Michigan’s 2nd District in Congress for nearly 20 years, where he was also Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and was a great help to our Campaign as Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party.
“I overhauled the disastrous NAFTA Agreement, the worst Trade Deal in the History of the United States, which was switched to the USMCA (Mexico/Canada), which no one thought could be done. We brought Trade with Mexico and Canada to a level playing field for our wonderful Farmers and Working Families.
“In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST. He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role. Thank you, Pete!”
Trump eyes right-wing radio host Dan Bongino to head Secret Service
The president-elect reportedly believes that Bongino is the right man to revitalise the Secret Service as the embattled security outfit seeks to rebuild its credibility after two near-miss assassination attempts on Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign.
This pick is not quite as mad as it might seem because the host of The Dan Bongino Show political podcast did previously serve as a Secret Service agent before becoming a pundit and Fox News regular (until last year).
Trump is also said to be considering Sean Curran, the current head of his security detail, and Robert Engel, Curran’s predecessor, for the position, which does not require Senate confirmation.
Josh Marcus has more.
Trump looking at right-wing radio host Dan Bongino to head the Secret Service: Report
The former Fox News personality previously served in Secret Service
House Ethics Committee votes against releasing Matt Gaetz report as chair accused of ‘betraying the process’
The congressional investigatory panel met on Wednesday to discuss whether to publish a report into Donald Trump’s controversial choice for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, examining allegations against him that he paid for sex with a minor in 2017 that it investigated in 2021 and 2022.
ABC News reports that the former Florida congressman sent two women who testified as part of the probe more than $10,000 in Venmo payments over two years, some of which they said were for sex.
Gaetz has always denied the accusations.
After meeting for two hours, committee chairman Michael Guest drew a backlash after telling reporters: “There was no agreement by the committee to release the report.”
Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the committee, said of Guest that he had “betrayed the process by disclosing our deliberations within moments after walking out of the committee”.
Gustaf Kilander has more.
Top Democrat accuses Republican chair of ‘betraying the process’ on Matt Gaetz report
House Ethics Committee to meet on December 5 to further discuss Gaetz report after deadlocked Wednesday vote
Pete Hegseth blocked woman from leaving room and sexually assaulted her after she said no, accuser claims in police report
A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Pete Hegseth, a Fox News personality and the president-elect‘s nominee to be defense secretary, after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report made public late on Wednesday.
Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing, the report said.
News of the allegations surfaced last week when local officials released a brief statement confirming that a woman had accused Hegseth of sexual assault in October 2017 after he had spoken at a Republican women’s event in Monterey.
Here’s the latest from Rhian Lubin.
Police report reveals graphic details about Hegseth sexual assault allegation
The police report said that Hegseth, tapped as Trump’s defense secretary, physically blocked the door to stop the woman from leaving his hotel room before sexually assaulting her
Truth Social: Trump turns guitar salesman after attacking Laken Riley’s killer and accusing Democrats of ‘dirtying up’ nominees
Good morning!
It was a fairly typical evening on the president-elect’s social media platform, where he unveiled his latest grift exciting product offering, a “Make America Great Again” axe selling for as much as $10,000, yours just in time for Christmas.
A very long way indeed from Woody Guthrie’s “This Machine Kills Fascists” model.
Otherwise, he was all politics, leaping on the murder of Laken Riley as evidence of the “migrant crime” he seeks to eradicate in the wake of Jose Ibarra’s sentencing and blasting Democrats for seeking to tarnish his cabinet selections by finding out the truth about their pasts before approving them for high office.
Explained: Cabinet confirmation process and recess appointments
Eric Garcia writes:
President-elect Donald Trump continues to push his friends and closest allies as nominees for key roles in government. The picks have sent shockwaves through the hall of Congress.
Trump has vowed to get them into their positions — and it’s been floated that he could do something that hasn’t been done in the nearly 250-year history of America to make it happen. How would he achieve this, when usually he would have to go through an official confirmation process? Through recess appointments.
Continue reading...
What’s the confirmation process for Cabinet picks — and what are recess appointments?
Eric Garcia details how Trump has previously hinted at using a never-used constitutional power. Would it be enough to get Matt Gaetz or Pete Hegseth through?
New York Post begs Trump to ditch ‘dreadful duo’ of Gabbard and Gaetz
Donald Trump’s decision to nominate controversial loyalists to his cabinet has caused a tidal wave of negative media coverage even by his typically friendly newspapers and criticisms from fellow Republicans.
Pointing to former congressman Tulsi Gabbard and outgoing congressman Matt Gaetz, the New York Post editorial board implored the president-elect to “rethink” his choices in an op-ed published on Tuesday. Gabbard was nominated as director of national intelligence while Gaetz was named as pick for attorney general.
“Gaetz and Gabbard are dreadful,” the board wrote. “They’re distracting chaos agents who won’t accomplish what Trump wants them to, and will most likely backfire on his agenda.”
Ariana Baio has the story.
New York Post begs Trump to ditch ‘dreadful duo’ Tulsi Gabbard and Matt Gaetz
Even media outlets who are friendly with the president-elect have raised eyebrows over Trump’s picks
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