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 Wednesday, the House Ethics Committee met to discuss whether to publish its own report into another controversial Trump pick, Matt Gaetz, whom it investigated in 2021 and 2022 over allegations that he paid for sex with a minor in 2017.
Gaetz has likewise denied the accusations against him.
After meeting for two hours, the panel’s chairman Michael Guest drew a backlash after revealing: “There was no agreement by the committee to release the report.”
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.
Key Points
- Pete Hegseth sexual sssault allegations detailed in police report
- House Ethics Committee votes against releasing Matt Gaetz report as chair accused of ‘betraying the process’
- Donald Trump turns guitar salesman after accusing Democrats of ‘dirtying up’ his cabinet nominees
- Trump eyes right-wing radio host Dan Bongino to head Secret Service
- President-elect’s cabinet filling up with Project 2025 authors despite past disavowals
Trump eyes right-wing radio host Dan Bongino to head Secret Service
10:00 , Joe SommerladThe 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
House Ethics Committee votes against releasing Matt Gaetz report as chair accused of ‘betraying the process’
09:40 , Joe SommerladThe 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
Pete Hegseth sexual sssault allegations detailed in police report
09:20 , Joe SommerladA 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
09:00 , Joe SommerladGood 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.
Coming Soon! The Limited Edition “45” Guitar. Only 1,300 of each Acoustic and Electric Guitars MADE — Some personally signed! https://t.co/DY4LkF4feh pic.twitter.com/0ghYmjLxKo
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 20, 2024
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.
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 20, 2024
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 20, 2024
Top Democrat on Ethics panel accuses GOP chair of ‘betraying the process’ on Gaetz report
08:30 , Oliver O'ConnellThe top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee has accused the panel’s Republican chairman Rep Michael Guest of having “betrayed the process” after a meeting of the panel resulted in no decision on whether to release the report into former Florida Congressman and attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Top Democrat accuses Republican chair of ‘betraying the process’ on Matt Gaetz report
Explained: Cabinet confirmation process and recess appointments
08:00 , Oliver O'ConnellEric 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?
New York Post begs Trump to ditch ‘dreadful duo’ of Gabbard and Gaetz
07:30 , Oliver O'ConnellDonald 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
Tommy Tuberville tells Steve Bannon 2020 election was stolen in offensive rant about Joe Biden
07:00 , Gustaf KilanderAlabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville questioned the validity of the 2020 election during an appearance on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast with an offensive rant in which he called President Joe Biden a “bedridden dementia patient.”
Bannon, President-elect Donald Trump’s former White House chief strategist, asked Tuberville about the Democrats, saying “They’re there to fully stop Donald Trump and hopefully take their plans to take the House in two years and impeach him, right?”
Tuberville said the Democrats’ plan “was accelerated because they stole the election from President Trump and they were able to get four years with a bedridden dementia patient.”
Read more:
Tommy Tuberville tells Steve Bannon 2020 election was stolen in rant about Joe Biden
Trump cabinet picks described as ‘world’s first nuclear-armed reality television show’
06:30 , APThere’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?
05:30 , Oliver O'ConnellWhile Trump’s pick for education secretary is relatively unknown in academic circles, she is famous in another: the WWE ring.
Former wrestling mogul and billionaire Linda McMahon has stunned educators by being unveiled as Trump’s choice to run the Department of Education – or, perhaps, to lead the operation to scrap it altogether.
But how much education experience does she actually have?
Rhian Lubin takes a look at her qualifications:
How much does Trump education pick Linda McMahon actually know about education?
VP-elect JD Vance faces flack from own party for helping Democrats push through Biden judicial nominees
05:00 , Gustaf KilanderRepublican senators not attending the last few days of the legislative session are facing criticism from colleagues as Democrats work to fill as many judicial vacancies as possible before they lose the majority in January.
That includes Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, the Ohio Senator. Senate Republicans shared their ire after Vance and some other Republican Senators skipped some votes Monday when Democrats worked late into the night to confirm their nominees to the federal bench.
Republicans worked to slow down the voting headed by outgoing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York to push through more than a dozen judicial nominees. However, the GOP Senators were unsuccessful as some members of their conference didn’t attend the session, which ended near midnight.
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:
JD Vance faces flack from GOP for helping Democrats push through judicial nominees
Trump nominates Pete Hoekstra as ambassador to Canada
04:45 , Gustaf KilanderI 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!
Pete Hegseth’s comments about women in the military met with outrage
04:30 , Oliver O'ConnellWomen 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.
In a recent podcast appearance, Hegseth said the nation’s military “should not have women in combat roles” and that men are “more capable” in those positions.
Alex Woodward reports.
Women veterans outraged with Trump’s pick Pete Hegseth to lead Defense Department
Matt Gaetz has a new nickname courtesy of Jimmy Kimmel
03:30 , Oliver O'ConnellLate-night host Jimmy Kimmel didn’t hold back while criticizing Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, referring to him as “Caucasian Diddy” as the former representative faces sexual misconduct allegations.
Ariana Baio has the story.
Jimmy Kimmel coins new nickname for Trump’s AG pick Matt Gaetz: ‘Caucasian Diddy’
Harris campaign accused of ‘malpractice’ for silence on Trump’s transgender attacks
02:30 , Oliver O'ConnellSeveral prominent Democrats have slammed the Harris campaign’s decision to stay silent over Donald Trump’s transgender attack ads, including one who described the inaction as “malpractice.”
During the 2024 presidential campaign, one of Trump’s most-aired attack ads against Kamala Harris ended with the statement: “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.”
The message landed with voters and prominent Democrats even tried to intervene, urging the Harris campaign to respond directly.
Rhian Lubin reports.
Democrats accuse Harris campaign of ‘malpractice’ for silence on Trump trans attacks
Alex Jones sues Sandy Hook families and ‘The Onion' for ‘Frankenstein bid’ to buy Infowars
02:00 , Oliver O'ConnellConspiracy theorist and right-wing media personality Alex Jones sued on Monday to challenge the sale of his Infowars platform to the parent company satirical news outlet The Onion and the families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook mass school shooting.
Jones alleged in a filing in Texas bankruptcy court on Monday that “conspiratorial negotiation and agreement” involving his bankruptcy trustee and a “flagrantly non-compliant Frankenstein bid” led to the Sandy Hook families and Global Tetrahedron, The Onion’s parent company, winning an auction last week for the site.
Josh Marcus reports.
Alex Jones sues Sandy Hook families and Onion over ‘Frankenstein bid’ for Infowars
Inside Trump and Musk’s controversial bromance
01:45 , Josh MarcusPresident-elect Donald Trump and fellow billionaire Elon Musk are “having a blast” together as they prepare to take the levers of the federal government come January.
Musk has taken part in calls with world leaders, he’s had meals with the Trump family and he has been a constant presence during the last two weeks as Trump begins to put together his next administration.
Others close to the incoming president have been surprised at the close relationship that appears to have developed between Trump and the world’s richest person.
On Tuesday, Trump accompanied Musk to a SpaceX launch in Brownsville, Texas. Also in attendance was Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty, a possible pick to be Trump’s Treasury secretary, according to Politico.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Inside Trump and Musk’s controversial bromance: ‘They are having a blast’
Trump feuded with NFL players in his first term. Now, some are busting out his dance moves
01:30 , Oliver O'ConnellIf the latest dance sweeping the sports world is any indication, Donald Trump and the NFL might get along much better in his second term in the White House than they did the first time around.
Several NFL players have taken a cue from the college ranks and even soccer pitches and mixed martial arts octagons and are celebrating big moments by hitting the “Trump dance.”
Read on...
Trump feuded with NFL players in his first term. Now, some are busting out his dance moves
Trump’s cabinet is filling up with Project 2025 authors despite past disavowals
01:25 , Josh MarcusDonald Trump said he has “no idea” who’s behind it. His presidential transition chair and the man he picked to be the secretary of commerce said he wouldn’t touch it. “They made themselves nuclear,” he said.
But the authors of Project 2025 — a 900-page playbook from a right-wing think tank for the next Republican president’s agenda — are all over Trump’s incoming administration.
Trump is reportedly expected to appoint Russell Vought as the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, a key role that oversees spending across the administration. Vought also is among the architects of the Heritage Foundation’s plan and wrote the chapter on transforming the executive branch.
He was among the authors of the blueprint’s playbook for the first 180 days of the administration, and his Center for Renewing American is on Project 2025’s advisory board.
Alex Woodward reports.
Trump eyes right-wing radio host Dan Bongino to head the Secret Service
01:20 , Josh MarcusDonald Trump is reportedly considering right-wing radio host Dan Bongino to head the Secret Service, as the embattled security outfit seeks to rebuild credibility after multiple near-miss assassination attempts against Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign.
The host of the Dan Bongino Show political podcast previously served as a Secret Service agent, and was a regular commentator and host on Fox News until last year.
Trump is also reportedly considering Sean Curran, the current head of the president-elect’s security detail, and Robert Engel, the former leader of his detail, for the position, which does not require Senate confirmation.
“President-Elect Trump is making decisions on who will serve in his second Administration. Those decisions will continue to be announced by him when they are made,” Karoline Leavitt, Trump-Vance Transition spokeswoman, told The Independent.
Trump looking at right-wing radio host Dan Bongino to head the Secret Service: Report
Dr Oz has a history of baseless medical claims — here are some of them
01:00 , Oliver O'ConnellRhian Lubin writes:
A decade ago, Dr Mehmet Oz was hauled in front of a Senate subcommittee where he faced a grilling over false claims he had been peddling about diet and weight loss on TV.
“The scientific community is almost monolithic against you,” then-Senator Claire McCaskill said, referring to products he had been touting as “miracle” weight loss cures.
Oz trained as a surgeon before he was a regular guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the early 2000s.
He went on to host his own program, The Dr Oz Show, where he spouted other dangerously misleading claims ranging from “magic” coffee beans to spur weight loss and selenium supplements to prevent cancer.
A 2017 paper published by the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics called him “a dangerous rogue unfit for the office of America’s doctor.”
Now, he is preparing to serve in Donald Trump’s second administration as the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator, working alongside vaccine-skeptic Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Here’s a look at some of his past baseless medical claims:
Dr Oz’s history of baseless medical claims as he’s picked to lead Medicaid, Medicare
Texas official offers 1,400-acre ranch to Trump to build his deportation camps
00:30 , Oliver O'ConnellThe Texas Land Commissioner has offered President-elect Donald Trump 1,402 acres along the U.S.–Mexico border near Rio Grande City to build deportation facilities as part of his mass deportation plan.
In a letter, sent to Trump on Tuesday, commissioner Dawn Buckingham offered up a recently acquired plot of land located in Starr County to build facilities that will help law enforcement coordinate, process and detain undocumented immigrants.
Ariana Baio reports.
Texas official offers 1,400-acre ranch to Trump to build his deportation camps
Trump’s latest branded venture? Guitars that cost up to $10,000
00:00 , APPresident-elect Donald Trump has endorsed a line of guitars, following up on the Bibles, sneakers, watches, photo books and cryptocurrency ventures launched during his third White House campaign.
Trump on Wednesday posted to Truth Social a photo of himself holding what he said was a “Limited Edition ‘45’ Guitar,” an electric model emblazoned with an American flag and eagle on the body, and Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan inlaid into the neck. Both acoustic and electric styles are available, for $1,250 and $1,500, respectively, as well as “Presidential” and “God Bless the USA” models and “Signature Edition” guitars, which — with a $10,000 price tag — also include Trump’s signature.
What’s not clear is the financial relationship between Trump and proceeds from the guitar sales.
Continue reading...
Donald Trump's latest branded venture is guitars that cost up to $10,000
Musk and Ramaswamy reveal plans to weaponise Supreme Court
Wednesday 20 November 2024 23:30 , Oliver O'ConnellElon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have revealed they 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 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.
Alex Woodward has the details.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy reveal DOGE plans for mass firings and drastic cuts
Watch: George Santos says what is happening to Gaetz is a ‘sham'
Wednesday 20 November 2024 23:22 , Oliver O'ConnellFmr Rep George Santos says it’s a “sham” what the House Ethics Committee is “trying to do to Matt Gaetz.”
— Brennan Leach (@brennanleach) November 20, 2024
Santos added that he hasn’t spoken to Trump about a pardon, or at all, since leaving office. pic.twitter.com/U8Yba7HeYG
ANALYSIS: Why the Matt Gaetz report blew up the Ethics Committee
Wednesday 20 November 2024 23:05 , Oliver O'ConnellEric Garcia writes:
Leave it to Matt Gaetz to start a fight in the House of Representatives even after he’s left.
On Wednesday, the House Ethics Committee met for more than an hour in the Longworth House Office Building to determine whether to release its report about the former Florida congressman and President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general.
Initially, members of both parties filed out of the committee close-lipped, as is usual in such scenarios. But as Committee Chairman Michael Guest of Mississippi headed out the building surrounded by reporters, he said, “There has been no agreement on the release of the report.”
That was enough to set off Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the committee, who moments later emerged to torch Guest.
Continue reading...
Full story: Trump's lawyers urge judge to ignore prosecutors and dismiss hush money conviction
Wednesday 20 November 2024 22:50 , Oliver O'ConnellA day after New York prosecutors said they will fight efforts to dismiss Donald Trump’s hush money conviction, the president-elect’s lawyers urged a judge to ignore them and dispose of the case before he takes office in January.
Echoing their arguments since Trump’s win, his lawyers said in a letter Wednesday to Judge Juan M. Merchan that continuing with the case will interfere with Trump’s preparations for returning to the White House and impede his ability to run the country.
Full story: Top Democrat on Ethics panel accuses GOP chair of ‘betraying the process’ on Gaetz report
Wednesday 20 November 2024 22:42 , Oliver O'ConnellThe top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee has accused the panel’s Republican chairman Rep Michael Guest of having “betrayed the process” after a meeting of the panel resulted in no decision on whether to release the report into former Florida Congressman and attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Top Democrat accuses Republican chair of ‘betraying the process’ on Matt Gaetz report
Strident Bluesky post by trans congresswoman Sarah McBride is fake, campaign says
Wednesday 20 November 2024 22:36 , Oliver O'ConnellA defiant social media post supposedly by incoming trans congresswoman Sarah McBride is actually fake, my colleague Io Dodds reports.
“They say I’m a pervert, a man dressed as a woman. They say I’m a threat to their children... we’re all just people trying to pee in peace,” said the now-deleted fake post on Bluesky on Wednesday, apparently in response to transphobic attacks from her soon-to-be colleagues Nancy Mace and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
But a spokesperson for McBride told The Independent that the message was not authentic, saying: “We have reached out to Bluesky to remove this.”
McBride’s real statement, posted on X (formerly Twitter), took a different tone, declining to criticise her attackers directly and calling their attempts to ban her from Congressional bathrooms an “effort to distract from the real issues facing this country”.
The Bluesky post appears to have been an excerpt from a real Instagram post by McBride from 2016, when she spoke out against North Carolina’s (later repealed) bathroom bill.
Bluesky, a relatively small social network whose membership has surged since the election, doesn’t provide any official verification badge to celebrities or politicians. Instead, it relies on users to verify their own accounts by linking them to a web domain that they control, such as an official campaign site or a .gov address.
Here’s McBride’s real statement from X that we reported on earlier:
I’m not here to fight about bathrooms. I’m here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families. pic.twitter.com/bCuv7pIZBY
— Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) November 20, 2024
Giuliani could be held in contempt after ‘brazenly defaming election workers again’
Wednesday 20 November 2024 22:30 , Oliver O'ConnellRudy Giuliani could be held in contempt of court for repeating false claims about two former election workers who won nearly $150 million for his defamatory statements about them.
Attorneys for Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss — who are also pressing a federal judge in New York to force the cash-strapped former New York City mayor to turn over his property — are asking the judge who presided over their initial defamation trial to sanction Giuliani for his ongoing baseless claims.
Here’s Alex Woodward’s latest report on Giuliani being his own worst enemy.
Giuliani could be held in contempt after ‘brazenly defaming election workers again’
Former agent turned podcaster Dan Bongino in running to lead Secret Service, report says
Wednesday 20 November 2024 22:25 , Oliver O'ConnellPer CNN:
Donald Trump is considering a right-wing media personality, people who have served on his US Secret Service detail, as well as others to run the agency that has been plagued by its failure to preempt two alleged assassination attempts on Trump this summer, sources familiar with the president-elect’s thinking tell CNN.
Podcaster Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent who was highly critical of the agency’s leadership as security failures around the alleged attempts on Trump’s life became clear, as well as Sean Curran, the head of Trump’s current detail, are among those being considered for the job.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, meanwhile, was unsuccessful in trying to set up a meeting with Trump this week.
George Santos is back... again
Wednesday 20 November 2024 22:22 , Oliver O'ConnellGeorge Santos, expelled from the House of Representatives by his colleagues but who clearly didn’t get the message, is back and weighing in on the Matt Gaetz ethics report.
Former Rep. George Santos says he doesn’t think ethics has the jurisdiction to release the Gaetz report, and is looking to confront Chairman Michael Guest.
— Juliegrace Brufke (@juliegraceb) November 20, 2024
He told reporters outside of Capitol Hill that he doesn’t think ethics has the jurisdiction to release the Gaetz report, and is looking to confront Chairman Michael Guest.
Expelled ex-Rep. George Santos is here.
— Emily Brooks (@emilybrooksnews) November 20, 2024
“I just came here for a very specific reason, and I think somebody needs to speak up … It's a sham what they're trying to do to Matt Gaetz. He's no longer a member of this body.” pic.twitter.com/SzkbK7vBMG
In August, Santos pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He is due to be sentenced on February 7 and faces a mandatory minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of 22 years in prison.
Democratic Rep releases text of resolution requiring Ethics panel to release Gaetz report
Wednesday 20 November 2024 22:16 , Oliver O'ConnellDem Rep. Sean Casten has released the text of his soon-to-be-filed privileged resolution, requiring the House Ethics committee to “immediately release to the public the committee’s report on its investigation into allegations against former Representative Matt Gaetz including any conclusions, recommendations, attachments, exhibits, or accompanying material.”
"..., including any conclusions, recommendations, attachments, exhibits, or accompanying material." 2/2
— Billy House (@HouseInSession) November 20, 2024
Nate Silver calls for Biden to step down, questioning his competence to finish the term
Wednesday 20 November 2024 22:13 , Oliver O'ConnellPolitical pollster and writer Nate Silver suggested President Joe Biden is unfit to remain in office for the next two months and should allow Vice President Kamala Harris to take over for the rest of the term.
In response to a Washington Post article that claims Biden, 82, has avoided public appearances and reporters’ questions since the election, Silver wondered if he is competent.
Ariana Baio reports.
Pollster Nate Silver calls for Biden to step down and questions his competence
Trump’s vow to undo Biden’s AI policy overshadows discussions on AI safety
Wednesday 20 November 2024 22:00 , APPresident-elect Donald Trump has vowed to repeal President Joe Biden‘s signature artificial intelligence policy when he returns to the White House for a second term.
What that actually means for the future of AI technology remains to be seen. Among those who could use some clarity are the government scientists and AI experts from multiple countries gathering in San Francisco this week to deliberate on AI safety measures.
Hosted by the Biden administration, officials from a number of U.S. allies — among them Canada, Kenya, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the 27-nation European Union — are scheduled to begin meeting Wednesday in the California city that’s a commercial hub for AI development.
Continue reading...
US gathers allies to talk AI safety, Trump's vow to undo Biden's AI policy overshadows their work
CREW says Gaetz GOP colleagues 'trying to hide damning findings to protect him’
Wednesday 20 November 2024 21:54 , Oliver O'ConnellCitizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) President Noah Bookbinder, a former federal corruption prosecutor, released the following statement:
It is unacceptable that the Republicans on the Ethics Committee voted to protect Matt Gaetz and block the release of the report about his potential wrongdoing. We do not know what is in the report, but now it is hard not to conclude that his colleagues are trying to hide damning findings to protect him. For this nomination process to have any integrity, they must do any work necessary to complete the report and release it when they meet again next month. I served as a counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee who was charged with reviewing FBI background checks for all nominees who came through the committee. The Judiciary Committee at that time would never have considered a nominee in this position, regardless of party, without receiving and reviewing the report of the Ethics Committee, and it should absolutely refuse to consider this nomination now until the report is released.
Nikki Haley speaks out against Gabbard as top intelligence officer
Wednesday 20 November 2024 21:45 , Oliver O'ConnellNikki Haley on her radio show today spoke out against Tulsi Gabbard taking top intelligence job — said it was “disgusting” that she took photos with Assad, and that DNI “is not a place for a Russian, Iranian, Syrian, Chinese sympathizer.”
— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) November 20, 2024
Haley calls RFK Jr. “a liberal Democrat”
Gaetz accused of sending $10k to women via Venmo and PayPal
Wednesday 20 November 2024 21:35 , Oliver O'ConnellMatt Gaetz allegedly paid more than $10,000 to women who later became witnesses in sexual misconduct investigations by members of Congress and the Department of Justice, a report claims.
The now-former Republican congressman made 27 Venmo and PayPal payments with descriptive memos like “being awesome” and “being my friend”, some of which were allegedly used in transactions for sex, according to records obtained by ABC News.
The receipts, which were said to have been displayed during closed-door testimony in a House Ethics Committee probe, reflect transitions between July 2017 and January 2019, when Gaetz was a newly elected representative.
Alex Woodward and Gustaf Kilander report.
Gaetz accused of sending $10k to women via Venmo with notes like ‘being my friend’
Confused?
Here’s Garrett Haake of NBC News: “Tl;dr Gaetz ethics drama isn’t over. House committee will meet again December 5 to again discuss the report’s possible release- but it’s not coming before then.”
Tl;dr Gaetz ethics drama isn’t over. House committee will meet again December 5 to again discuss the report’s possible release- but it’s not coming before then
— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) November 20, 2024
Ranking Democrat says GOP chair betrayed process of Gaetz ethics meeting
Wednesday 20 November 2024 21:20 , Oliver O'ConnellThe ranking member of the House Ethics Committee, Democratic Rep Susan Wild, accused Republican Chair Michael Guest of mischaracterizing what happened in the meeting.
She said they had agreed not to discuss what happened and said there was no consensus on the vote. She told reporters: “The chairman has since betrayed the process by disclosing our deliberations within moments after walking out of the committee and he has implied that there was an agreement of the committee not to disclose the report, that is untrue...”
Wild: The chairman has since betrayed the process by disclosing our deliberations within moments after walking out of the committee and he has implied that there was an agreement of the committee not to disclose the report, that is untrue.. pic.twitter.com/ImryY1GwRj
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 20, 2024
“There was no consensus on this issue. We did agree we would reconvene as a committee on December 5th.”
Ethics committee votes to complete Gaetz report, report says
Wednesday 20 November 2024 21:05 , Oliver O'ConnellPunchbowl News reports that the House Ethics Committee in fact held several votes regarding the Matt Gaetz investigation report.
A vote on releasing the report, which is not yet finalized, in its current state was deadlocked on partisan lines — there are five Democrats and five Republicans on the committee.
There was then a vote to complete the report into Gaetz which resulted in a majority decision to do so but not this was not a unanimous one.
There will be another meeting of the committee in December.
New: Ethics Cmte held several votes re Gaetz report
— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) November 20, 2024
- Release the report, which is not final yet, as is. This deadlocked on partisan lines.
- Cmte then voted to complete report. This was a majority but not unanimous
There will be another mtg in December @MZanona
Full story: New York Post begs Trump to ditch ‘dreadful duo’ Tulsi Gabbard and Matt Gaetz
Wednesday 20 November 2024 21:00 , Oliver O'ConnellDonald 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.
Ariana Baio has the full story.
New York Post begs Trump to ditch ‘dreadful duo’ Tulsi Gabbard and Matt Gaetz
Watch: ‘There was not an agreement by the committee to release the report'
Wednesday 20 November 2024 20:57 , Oliver O'ConnellHouse Ethics chair Michael Guest: “there was not an agreement by the committee to release the report” pic.twitter.com/pqpeJzzNHv
— Ellis Kim (@elliskkim) November 20, 2024
No agreement by House Ethics committee to release Gaetz report
Wednesday 20 November 2024 20:35 , Oliver O'ConnellHouse Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest tells reporters: “There was not an agreement by the committee to release the report” into former congressman Matt Gaetz.
Guest says “there was not an agreement by the committee to release the report” upon leaving the meeting. He did not say whether there was a vote.
— Juliegrace Brufke (@juliegraceb) November 20, 2024
The committee met behind closed doors for two hours today. There was no word as to whether the panel voted.
Here’s the scrum that ensued as they left the meeting:
Press covering House Ethics Committee meeting on Gaetz ethics report .... pic.twitter.com/gwSGw4bHH2
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) November 20, 2024
And here’s Rep Guest commenting about the meeting:
JUST IN: via/@scottwongDC:
— Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) November 20, 2024
House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest tells reporters there is “no agreement” on releasing the Matt Gaetz ethics report. pic.twitter.com/vdYxg8MSuT
COMMENT: Nobody can stop the juggernaut of war – not even Putin
Wednesday 20 November 2024 20:30 , Oliver O'ConnellForget Donald Trump’s ‘secret’ peace deal and internal Washington politics, let alone the Kremlin’s machinations – the war in Ukraine has taken on its own destructive dynamic, warns Mark Almond
