The House Ethics Committee 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.”
Gaetz was on Capitol Hill with Vice President-Elect JD Vance and others yesterday on a mission to lobby Republican senators ahead of January’s confirmation hearings.
Vance says Trump “deserves” a loyal cabinet for helping Republicans retake the Senate.
Trump has meanwhile made a further series of additions to his new cabinet, moving to make Matthew Whitaker his Nato ambassador and Peter Hoekstra his ambassador to Canada on Wednesday following the nominations of Linda McMahon, Dr Mehmet Oz and Howard Lutnick earlier this week.
Pete Hegseth sexual sssault allegations detailed 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.
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.
Top Democrat on Ethics panel accuses GOP chair of ‘betraying the process’ on Gaetz report
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Explained: Cabinet confirmation process and recess appointments
Eric Garcia writes:
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…
New York Post begs Trump to ditch ‘dreadful duo’ of Gabbard and Gaetz
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.
Tommy Tuberville tells Steve Bannon 2020 election was stolen in offensive rant about Joe Biden
Read more:
Trump cabinet picks described as ‘world’s first nuclear-armed reality television show’
There’s a common trait that President-elect Donald Trump is clearly prizing as he selects those to serve in his new administration: experience on television.
Trump loves that “central casting” look, as he likes to call it.
Read on…
Linda McMahon: How much does she actually know about education?
But how much education experience does she actually have?
Rhian Lubin takes a look at her qualifications:
VP-elect JD Vance faces flack from own party for helping Democrats push through Biden judicial nominees
Vance and President-elect Trump’s nominee to lead the State Department, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, were two of the GOP Senators who were absent.
Read more:
Trump nominates Pete Hoekstra as ambassador to Canada
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!
Source: independent.co.uk