Republicans

CNN reports: A lawsuit alleges Linda McMahon, who President-elect Donald Trump tapped to lead the Department of Education, knowingly enabled the sexual exploitation of children by a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) employee as early as the 1980s — allegations she denies. The suit alleges McMahon, her husband, the WWE and TKO Group Holdings, the league’s parent company, knowingly allowed employee …

The Hill reports: Senate Republicans are warning confirmation proceedings for former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) will be like “Kavanaugh on steroids,” referring to the contentious hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. “The most humane way not only to Mr. Gaetz but to the dignity of our process, the best thing to do is to convince the president …

Politico reports: Donald Trump wants to give former Rep. Pete Hoekstra another turn as a diplomat. Trump announced Wednesday that Hoekstra, who served as ambassador to the Netherlands during his first administration, is his pick for ambassador to Canada for his second. “In my Second Term, Pete will once again help me put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement. …

The Associated Press reports: Republican Nick Begich has won Alaska’s U.S. House race, defeating Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola to claim the seat once held by his grandfather. Begich was among the opponents Peltola defeated during her special and regular election wins in 2022, following the death of Republican Rep. Don Young. Wednesday marked the deadline for elections officials to receive …

“Look at a speech I gave holding up pictures of dead children who had been killed by chemical attacks. For her to say that Assad was not behind that? Literally, everything she said about that, were Russian talking points. “Every bit of that, that was Russian propaganda. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Tulsi Gabbard literally blamed NATO, our Western alliance that’s …

Politico reports: The House Ethics Committee on Wednesday did not agree to release the long-anticipated report into Matt Gaetz. “There was not an agreement by the committee to release the report,” Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) told reporters after the meeting ended. Other members declined to comment. Democrats have widely called for the report to be released. Many have speculated that …

First, a remind from our post on Monday… Indianapolis’s Fox affiliate reports: A current central Indiana county commissioner has pleaded guilty in a Nevada sexual assault case, days after being elected to his local County Council. John D. Jessup – a current Commissioner for Hancock County’s District 1 – pled guilty this week in a Las Vegas court to one …

The Associated Press reports: Louisiana’s plan to make all of the state’s public school classrooms post the Ten Commandments remains blocked under an order Wednesday by a federal appeals court in New Orleans. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a state request to temporarily stay an earlier order by U.S. District Judge John deGravelles in Baton Rouge while …

The Hill reports: Speaker Mike Johnson has announced that transgender women are not permitted to use bathrooms in the Capitol that match their gender identity, taking a stance on the hot-button issue that has overtaken the Capitol in recent days. The policy, a draft of which was obtained by The Hill — will also apply to bathrooms in House office …

USA Today reports: President-elect Donald Trump designated Matthew Whitaker, a conservative firebrand who filled in briefly as his acting attorney general in the first Trump administration, to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO in his second administration. Whitaker is a former U.S. attorney in Iowa. He served briefly as acting attorney general from November 2018 to February 2019, between Trump …

Semafor reports: Donald Trump may be interested in using steep new tariffs to pay for tax cuts next year, an idea that would force Congress to vote on his aggressive trade agenda. Republican lawmakers, however, are far from sold. Some are already panning the prospect. “I don’t like tariffs, number one. I think the consumer pays them. So they’re regressive. …

Raleigh’s NBC affiliate reports: The Republican-led North Carolina House advanced a bill Tuesday to earmark an additional $227 million in relief aid for victims of Hurricane Helene — a measure stuffed with unrelated provisions aimed at stripping power from the governor, attorney general and other incoming Democratic leaders. The effort comes on the heels of victories in this month’s elections …

Florida Politics reports: State Rep. Joel Rudman will run for Congress in former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz’s open seat. The Navarre Republican counts himself as a close ally of Gaetz, who has represented Florida’s 1st Congressional District since his election in 2016. Rudman first ran for office when his positions on COVID prompted people to challenge his medical license. In …

“He made some statements to me when he was a freshman that I found just kind of amazing and shocking, and I just had to look forward when we were in the committee room. I guess he thought he was a young guy and he was getting started, and I sponsored decriminalization of marijuana laws, and he came up to …

From the New York Post editorial board: While most of the cabinet picks have been excellent, and some of them risky but promising, Gaetz and Gabbard are dreadful. We plead that he rethink them. They’re distracting chaos agents who won’t accomplish what Trump wants them to, and will most likely backfire on his agenda. Gabbard backed the Iran deal, and …

Axios reports: President-elect Trump is looking more seriously at Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) for Treasury secretary — giving Trump three serious options for one of the few roles where he’s taking his time, transition sources tell me. Hagerty, a former private-equity investor who was Trump’s ambassador to Japan, is one of three apparent finalists, along with former Fed governor Kevin …

“First of all, no matter who President Trump picks, the media will hammer them every day. You know, we have all been around pretty long, Larry, it doesn’t make any difference. If you are a Republican, you have to fight your way through all this. “If you remember Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh, we are going to look at facts, …

ABC News reports: The House Ethics Committee obtained records, including a check and records of Venmo payments, that appear to show that then-Rep. Matt Gaetz paid more than $10,000 to two women who were later witnesses in sexual misconduct probes conducted by both the House and the Justice Department, according to documents obtained by ABC News. The Venmo records show …

ABC News reports: Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, allegedly paid for two women in 2019 to travel to New York to have sex, watch his appearance on Fox News, and attend the Broadway show “Pretty Woman,” an attorney for the women told ABC News. In an interview with ABC News’ Juju Chang, Florida attorney Joel …

The Independent reports: President-elect Donald Trump tapped Dr Mehmet Oz to serve as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator. The physician, TV personality, and failed Pennsylvania Senate candidate is the latest addition to Trump’s list of controversial cabinet picks. “I am very pleased to nominate Dr Mehmet Oz to serve as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services …