Trump cabinet latest: Pam Bondi, impeachment trial lawyer, tapped as new attorney general pick after Gaetz
Former Florida congressman withdrew from consideration saying his candidacy was ‘becoming a distraction’ as more details of House Ethics Committee investigation into his past leaked
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump’s has announced that former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi, who represented him at his first impeachment trial in the Senate in 2019, is his new pick to lead the Department of Justice (DOJ) following the withdrawal of ex-congressman Matt Gaetz.
“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore,” the president-elect wrote in a statement on Thursday evening.
“Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.”
Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for the role on Thursday, saying his candidacy was “becoming a distraction”.
“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,” he wrote on X.
He was the subject of investigations into drug use and sex with a minor, allegations which he consistently denied but which reportedly led Trump’s team to consider him “blackmail-able”.
Meanwhile, police have released a detailed investigative report into Pete Hegseth, the Fox News personality and veteran Trump has nominated to be America’s defense secretary, after he was accused of sexual assault.
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Robert F Kennedy Jr, the incoming Trump administration’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, is under fire after disparaging comments he made about the president-elect in 2016 on his radio show Ring of Fire re-emerged on Thursday.
During one broadcast, Kennedy read approvingly from an article that claimed the Trump coalition was made of a group of genuine Nazis buoyed by “a much larger group of opportunists and spineless fellow travellers whose primary function is to turn a blind eye to things.”
“And, you know, he’s not like Hitler,” he added, arguing: “Hitler had like a plan, you know, Hitler was interested in policy...
“I don’t think Trump has any of that. He’s like non compos mentis. He’ll get in there and who knows what will happen.”
RFK Jr responded to that bombshell by lashing out at the media, telling The Daily Mail: “Like many Americans, I allowed myself to believe the mainstream media’s distorted, dystopian portrait of President Trump.
“I no longer hold this belief and now regret having made those statements.”
Here’s Josh Marcus with more on Kennedy’s original comments.
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The president-elect spent his campaign suing news organizations for billions of dollars.
In office, he could strip press freedoms and kill legislation that aims to protect sources, Alex Woodward reports.
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Trump’s new AG pick didn’t pursue lawsuit against Trump University – after he donated $25k to her campaign
The incoming Trump administration didn’t waste time on Thursday unveiling Pam Bondi as Matt Gaetz’s replacement.
She served as Florida’s attorney general from 2011 to 2019, is both an experienced public official and a long-time Trump ally who served on his first impeachment defense team but is no stranger to controversy herself:
On CNN last night, Ana Navarro has this to say about her:
“I know Pam Bondi very well. Pam Bondi, like many other Republicans, is a mainstream Republican who turned MAGA.
“I will tell you, she is not an ogre. She is not a jerk. She is not a person who purposely wants to come across as being the kind of person that Matt Gaetz wants to come across as being.
“She has been an early loyalist of Donald Trump back in the 2016 primaries. She was a loyalist of him even though Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio were running. I think with Pam Bondi, he gets loyalty, which matters a lot to him.
“And she hasn’t committed statutory rape or been accused of it.”
Here’s Josh Marcus on what you need to know about her.
Trump’s AG didn’t sue Trump University after $25K donation
Former Florida official has lengthy record of high-profile prosecutions, as well multiple moments of ethical scrutiny
Can Gaetz return to Congress after failed attorney general bid?
Matt Gaetz responded to praise from Vice President-Elect JD Vance last night by hinting darkly that he might return in another form like some sort of ghastly extraterrestrial super-villain.
Here’s Josh Marcus on the prospect of him slipping seamlessly back into Congress.
Can Matt Gaetz return to Congress after failed attorney general bid?
If former Florida representative returns to Congress, that could mean release of House ethics inquiry into sexual misconduct allegations
Trump team believed Gaetz was too ‘blackmail-able’ to be attorney general, report says
Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for the role on Thursday, saying his candidacy was “becoming a distraction” in light of the intense media coverage of the past investigations into his alleged drug use and sex with a minor, accusations he has consistently denied.
“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,” he wrote on X.
It’s fair to say that Senate Democrat John Fetterman was not altogether surprised by the development:
This is what Trump had to say publicly in tribute to Gaetz yesterday:
However, behind the scenes, his team had reportedly been forced to conclude that their man was too “blackmail-able” for further consideration.
Here’s more on that from Gustaf Kilander.
Trump team believed Gaetz was too ‘blackmail-able’ to be attorney general: report
Former Florida Congressman may be up for major role in Trump’s second White House, avoiding Senate confirmation process
Donald Trump names Pam Bondi as new AG pick after controversial first choice Matt Gaetz withdraws
Good morning!
If you’re just catching up to the whirlwind events of yesterday, Donald Trump’s has announced that former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi is his new pick to lead the Department of Justice (DOJ) following the departure of ex-congressman Matt Gaetz.
“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore,” the president-elect wrote in a statement on Thursday evening.
“Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.”
Gaetz was highly complimentary about Bondi’s choice (but then what else could he say?), although his praise was dwarfed by that of an excessively grovelling Lindsey Graham.
Republican senator Mike Rounds told CNN yesterday that Bondi would be subjected to the same scrutiny by Congress as Trump’s other cabinet picks but questions have already been raised on that point...
Here’s the full story from Mike Bedigan and Alex Woodward.
Trump names Pam Bondi as new AG pick after first choice Matt Gaetz withdraws
‘Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again,’ Trump wrote in a statement on Thursday evening
Trump cabinet latest: Who will get confirmed and who will work across the aisle?
Donald Trump is nearly done with his slate of initial Cabinet nominees as his incoming White House and broader administration begin to take shape.
And while a few notables are making headlines and could face real opposition to their respective confirmations, more are expected to sail smoothly through the Republican-controlled Senate.
Most reflect one of two schools of the Republican Party, now both totally subservient to Trump. Some are MAGA diehards, like Matt Gaetz and Kristi Noem. Others are more aligned with the party’s center, like Marco Rubio. Figures who fall into both camps may find opportunities for common ground with Democrats over the next four years — a valuable prospect if the opposition party is able to win control of one or both chambers of Congress in the future.
A number of Cabinet positions remain outstanding: Trump has yet to name his picks for Agriculture, HUD, Treasury and Labor. But his choices for the most prominent positions are now all named, and some are much more bipartisan — or more antagonistic — than a layperson might expect.
John Bowden reports.
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Rhian Lubin takes a look.
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Hegseth’s comments about women in the military met with outrage
Women veterans, service members and advocacy groups are outraged by recent remarks from Donald Trump’s pick to lead the nation’s military branches, a veteran and former Fox News host who does not want women serving in combat.
Pete Hegseth, who Trump has nominated to be the next secretary of defense, has been widely derided for a lack of qualifications to lead the country’s largest federal agency and its 3 million service members and civilian staff members.
Here’s retired General Mark Milley giving his blunt response to Hegseth’s nomination:
Alex Woodward reports.
Women veterans outraged with Trump’s pick Pete Hegseth to lead Defense Department
Trump’s pick for the Pentagon is signalling a ‘dangerous regression’ for women in the armed forces, they say
Full story: Matt Gaetz drops out of consideration for attorney general
Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetzannounced on Thursday that he would end his bid to be Donald Trump’s attorney general.
“I had excellent meetings with senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback — and the incredible support of so many. 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,” tweeted Gaetz.
John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.
Matt Gaetz drops out of contention for attorney general after fierce backlash
Former congressman and Trump loyalist said investigation into allegation he had sex with minor was a ‘distraction’
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