Republicans

“I know he’s under fire in the Senate, but he’s under fire from squishy senators who have been against everything we want to do. And so I hope he holds the line all the way through. I’m defending him and we should all defend him. “You know, look, we’ve all had some indiscretions in our past and things like that. …

Newsweek reports: Expelled Congressman George Santos reappeared on Capitol Hill Thursday dressed in a Santa suit. Santos, ousted from Congress a year ago after a damning House Ethics report found that he engaged in fraud, was spotted at U.S. Representative Tim Burchett’s annual 15-minute Christmas party. Santos served as a congressman for 11 months before his expulsion. Burchett had hinted …

NBC News reports: President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday that former Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., had agreed to be nominated to be the next U.S. ambassador to China. Trump started a trade war with China during his first term and has vowed to impose tariffs of 60% or more on all Chinese goods imported in his next one. Perdue, 74, a …

The Hill reports: House Republicans on Thursday torpedoed a Democratic-led effort to release the Ethics Committee’s report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), sending the resolution back to the panel. The decision by the chamber leaves the future of the Gaetz Ethics report in question, with Democrats pushing for the body of work to be made public, and Republicans repeatedly …

The Washington Post reports: At Fox News, Hegseth had a reputation as a heavy drinker, according to six former Fox News employees who worked directly with Hegseth and saw him drinking on the job or visibly drunk at work events and who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation. Several years ago, during a St. Patrick’s …

“Donald Trump did all the vetting they needed to do on Pete Hegseth. And I just can’t believe we’ve have people on our side there saying, well, I’ve got to look at this. Got to look at that. What they’re doing is they’re throwing rocks at Donald Trump. They’re not throwing them at Pete Hegseth, they’re throwing them at Donald …

Politico reports: Sen. Joni Ernst isn’t ready to throw her weight behind Pete Hegseth’s bid to lead the Pentagon, she said Thursday on Fox News. Ernst (R-Iowa), who had a “frank and thorough” conversation with the Defense Department pick on Wednesday, was asked on “America’s Newsroom” if she’s not ready to vote yes on Hegseth amid allegations of sexual misconduct …

The Hill reports: House Republicans will have zero room for error in the 119th Congress — literally. That slim edge is already one of the closest in history. And it is set to narrow even more — and quickly — putting Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and his leadership team in a bind as they chart lofty goals for the next …

The New York Times reports: More than once during his early years at the network, Mr. Hegseth’s heavy drinking and raucous behavior at Fox News-related events escalated into episodes that were addressed by company officials or co-workers. Those incidents underscore concerns about his behavior that have imperiled his prospects to lead the Pentagon. At Fox News, the network’s human resources …

“I’ve heard everything about all of these people, none of it counts, no rumors, no innuendo. I’ve known Pete Hegseth for a long time. I served with him in Afghanistan. The people over there said nothing but great things about him. The allegations against Pete are all anonymous sources. I am not going to make ANY decision based on anonymous sources. …

NBC News reports: Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., is forcing a floor vote this week to require the House Ethics Committee to release a report on its yearslong investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. Casten introduced a resolution that would force the bipartisan ethics panel to act. Because the resolution is “privileged,” it must be brought to the floor within …

The Huffington Post reports: CNN’s Jake Tapper pointed out that the woman who accused Hegseth of sexual assault signed a non-disclosure agreement and is not allowed to speak publicly, even though police have confirmed Hegseth was involved in their investigation into the assault. “Do you think Pete should release her from the NDA so that I can ask her the …

The New York Post reports: A Tennessee state senator has been arrested on a DUI charge after he was filmed allegedly failing a sobriety test following a drunken hit-and-run crash in Georgia. Rep. Ken Yager, 77, was caught on camera stumbling around as troopers tried to make him walk in a straight line on Jekyll Island at about 5 p.m. …

The Hill reports: The hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus came out against “unpaid” disaster aid legislation in an official statement on Wednesday, urging “not one more cent to the Biden administration.” In the statement on Wednesday evening, the caucus urged their colleagues against passing “a whopping $100 billion unpaid disaster supplemental funding bill,” accusing Democrats of using the measure “to …

Axios reports: Vivek Ramaswamy told Axios’ Mike Allen at the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday that he’s “hopeful” that slashing the federal workforce could be “good for many of the individuals who make a transition from government service back to the private sector.” Ramaswamy believes that cutting the workforce will improve the “productivity” of the U.S. economy, “because I don’t …

CNN reports: President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday announced former Sen. Kelly Loeffler as his pick to lead the Small Business Administration. Loeffler, who briefly represented Georgia in the Senate, had fundraised for Trump during the 2024 race and raised several million dollars for his campaign over the summer when she hosted a debate watch party with Republican National Committee Chair …

NBC News reports: The conservative-majority Supreme Court on Wednesday dives into the culture war issue of transgender rights as it weighs whether states can restrict gender transition care for minors. President-elect Donald Trump and his allies repeatedly pushed an anti-transgender rights message during the recently concluded election. Among other things, he has pledged to restrict access to gender-affirming health care …

CBS News reports: President-elect Donald Trump is considering selecting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as his pick for defense secretary to potentially replace embattled Fox News host Pete Hegseth, three sources familiar with the transition told CBS News Tuesday night. Trump and DeSantis attended a memorial for fallen law enforcement officers Tuesday in Florida. This comes as Hegseth, who has been …

Mediaite reports: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) raised eyebrows on Tuesday when she posted to X that following President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter, she would like a “blanket pardon” from Trump. “If Democrats are going to play the pardon game then we should do the same thing,” Greene wrote, adding: “Trump can just blanket pardon all of …

Florida Politics reports: “Is Biden serious? Families in Florida and across our nation are waiting for disaster relief after their livelihoods were destroyed from hurricanes, but Biden flees to Africa and hands out tax dollars like candy. We need President Trump and his America first priorities in office ASAP,” U.S. Sen. Rick Scott posted to X. The Naples Republican was …