Republicans

“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 …

Newsweek reports: South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said Tuesday that it will be “difficult” for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, to defend himself against an allegation of sexual assault. Graham called the allegation “disturbing,” telling CBS News, “I think some of these articles are very disturbing. He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, …

The Hill reports: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) vented his displeasure Monday after two Democratic-appointed federal judges reversed their decisions to retire in what appear to be efforts to stop President-elect Trump from nominating their successors. McConnell called the unusual decisions to forgo retirement following Trump’s sweeping victory last month a “partisan” gambit that would undermine the integrity of …

“We’re gonna have to have some hard decisions. We gotta bring the Democrats in to talk about Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare. “There’s hundreds of billions of dollars to be saved, and we know how to do it, we just have to have the stomach to actually take those challenges on. “We have to have some real hard discussions. When you …

Florida Politics reports: Florida’s current Attorney General wants her immediate predecessor to be confirmed as the nation’s top lawyer, in the latest sign that Sunshine State Republicans are united behind President-elect Donald Trump’s pick. “Pam Bondi is a proven leader and fighter for justice,” said Ashley Moody in a statement accompanying a letter from 30 Attorneys General to Senate leadership. …

“I’ve always thought that we should respect the office of the president, but this president is not worthy of that respect. He has diminished, he has demeaned the office. In fact, he and his family are so full of slime that Nickelodeon is going to sue for trademark infringement. “This big guy is a liar, he is a crook, a …

The Detroit News reports: Republican Michigan state Rep. Josh Schriver said Monday that gay marriage should be “illegal again,” voicing opposition to a U.S. Supreme Court decision that set the standard for the nation and spurred same-sex weddings across the country nine years ago. Schriver of Oxford made his statement on the social media platform X, 27 days after the …

NBC News reports: Republican senators who met Monday with Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, brushed aside sexual assault and other allegations against him. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., called the allegations a “side issue” while lauding Hegseth’s ability to lead the Defense Department. “Again, they’re throwing disparaging remarks at someone who has earned a great deal of …

Courthouse News reports: With just weeks left in control of the Senate, Democrats implored the incoming Republican top brass Monday to respect the chamber’s longstanding responsibility of confirming White House officials, despite calls from the next administration to abandon the process. The call for bipartisanship in the next Congress, issued by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, comes just weeks after …

Florida Politics reports: Miami Republican state Sen. Ileana Garcia wants to end weather modification in the Sunshine State. It would prohibit the injection, release or dispersion of any substance or apparatus into the atmosphere within Florida’s borders “for the express purpose of affecting the temperature, the weather, or the intensity of sunlight.” Based on Garcia’s recent social media activity, her …