Matt Gaetz ethics report to be released after ‘secret’ House committee vote: Live updates
President-elect taunts ex-House Capitol riot committee member on Truth Social and appoints Herschel Walker as top US diplomat to the Bahamas
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Your support makes all the difference.The results of an ethics investigation into now-former congressman Matt Gaetz will be made public after a secret vote to share the report in the final days of 2024.
Members of the House Ethics Committee voted again earlier this month, reversing a decision to withhold the findings of a long-running probe into allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.
The report is expected to be made public after the final day of voting in the House of Representatives as lawmakers prepare to leave Washington for the holidays, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has claimed ex-Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney “could be in a lot of trouble” after a House GOP subcommittee called for her to be investigated by the Justice Department over her stewardship of the panel that examined the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021, accusing her of witness tampering by “colluding” with Cassidy Hutchinson on her testimony.
The president-elect posted the taunt on Truth Social, thanking Congressman Barry Loudermilk, who led the subcommittee and produced the interim report, for “a job well done”.
Cheney herself has already rubbished Loudermilk’s report as “a malicious and cowardly assault on the truth”.
She added, witheringly: “No reputable lawyer, legislator, or judge would take this seriously.”
Trump-backed lawmaker roasted after apparently mistaking Star Wars prop for captured drone
Trump backs idea to make the Postal Service – which is included in the Constitution – private
Trump sues Des Moines Register and top pollster for survey released the day before the election
Judge refuses to toss out bribery charge against NYC mayor
LA Times staffers say billionaire owner’s pro-Trump meddling worse than previously reported
Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong is now prohibiting “editorials containing criticism” of Donald Trump “unless they are presented side-by-side with another opinion piece representing the ‘opposing view,’” according to a memo written by the newspaper’s editors.
As Oliver Darcy first reported in his Status newsletter, the staff memo reveals that Soon-Shiong’s “meddling” of the LA Times’ coverage – especially regarding the president-elect – has “grown more pervasive than previously realized.”
The memo, signed by several members of the LA Times’ opinion section, was sent to the newspaper’s executive editor, Terry Tang. It comes after Soon-Shiong killed an op-ed last month critical of Trump’s recent Cabinet picks and the incoming president’s suggestion that he may use recess appointments to circumvent the confirmation process.
Justin Barangoa reports.
LA Times staffers say owner’s pro-Trump meddling worse than previously reported
Editorials with Donald Trump are now only allowed if they present the ‘opposing view’
Watch: Biden in favor of stock trading ban for members of Congress
President Joe Biden has said he is in favor of a ban on stock trading by members of Congress.
Speaking with Faiz Shakir, an adviser for Senator Bernie Sanders, in an interview on the progressive nonprofit news site More Perfect Union, the president said he did not know how lawmakers could trade stocks in good conscience.
“I don’t know how you look your constituents in the eye and know because the job they gave you, it gave you the inside track to make more money,” Biden said.
House panel votes to release Matt Gaetz ethics report
Per CNN:
The House Ethics Committee secretly voted earlier this month to release its report into the conduct of former Rep. Matt Gaetz before the end of this Congress, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the matter.
The report is now expected to be made public after the House’s final day of votes this year as lawmakers leave Washington for the holidays, those sources said.
The vote, which has not previously been reported, amounts to a stark reversal for the panel after it had voted along party lines in late November not to release the results of the investigation. The decision to release the report suggests that some Republicans ultimately decided to side with Democrats on the matter, and it is unclear if the committee will once again change course now that it has voted.
Here’s what you need to know about the investigation into Matt Gaetz and the previous failed attempt by lawmakers to release the report:
House GOP blocks release of Gaetz ethics report on accusations of sex with minor
Republicans decline to release report after Gaetz ends bid for Senate-confirmed AG posting
DC lawmakers frustrated as officials reject drone conspiracies – but provide no real answers
The rash of mysterious drone sightings across New Jersey continues to cause panic down the US east coast — and on Capitol Hill, frustrations are bubbling.
Joe Biden’s administration, with just over one month left in office, is heading into the holiday season in full lame-duck mode. As rumors of a ceasefire in Gaza being “close” raise the hopes of some Democrats eager to see the president pull out a final legacy-defining win, more are becoming vocal about the failure of the broader administration to address what is quickly becoming a source of serious misinformation.
Read more:
DC lawmakers frustrated as officials provide no clear answers on drone sightings
ANALYSIS: From Iranian ‘mother-ships’ to federal conspiracies to a Star Wars prop, a lack of official information means the drone scare is generating more heat than light, writes John Bowden
Trump district Democrat won’t vote for funding bill that includes pay raise for Congress
MSNBC anchor admits Trump told her to ‘go f*** myself’ when she called for an interview
MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle revealed that President-elect Donald Trump told her to ‘go f*** myself” after she tried to set up an interview with him before the election to discuss his Madson Square Garden campaign rally.
While noting that Trump profanely brushed off her invitation for a sitdown, Ruhle also used this anecdote as an example of how much more accessible Trump is to the press than President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris, who she claimed are nearly impossible to contact due to buffers put up by their staffs.
Appearing on Lukas Thimm’s live variety stage show So Many Issues, Ruhle brought up the wild MSG rally in October, which was described as “an orgy of fascism” and sparked outrage after a right-wing comic called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” Ruhle said she “rolled the dice” and decided to call up Trump to see if he’d agree to talk to her about the fallout.
Read more from Justin Barangoa:
MSNBC host jokes Trump told her to ‘go f*** myself’ when she called for an interview
Stephanie Ruhle contrasted the relative ease that she had connecting to Trump with the beauracratic barries she’s faced when attempting to reach out to President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris
Biden attends mass on 52nd anniversary of death of wife and daughter
Per the White House:
The President, the First Lady, and their family are attending a private memorial mass at St. Joseph on the Brandywine Church.
Today is the anniversary of the death of President Biden’s first wife Neilia Hunter Biden and their one-year-old daughter Naomi.
Trump meets TikTok CEO as platform fights US ban
Donald Trump reportedly met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew on Monday to discuss the app’s potential ban by the US government.
The two men reportedly had a meeting at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, according to NBC News.
In the days leading up to the meeting, Trump had expressed some degree of sympathy for the company, saying he had a “warm spot” for the app, and promising that he’d “take a look” at the ban.
Read more:
Trump meets TikTok CEO as platform fights US ban
President-elect tried to ban TikTok in 2020 but changed his tone on it once he realized it could help him win
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