Republicans

CBS News reports: Pete Hegseth, the Army veteran turned Fox News host selected by President-elect Donald Trump to be defense secretary during his second term was investigated for an alleged sexual assault in 2017, Monterey, Calif. officials confirmed. The incident allegedly occurred somewhere between a minute before midnight on Oct. 7, 2017 and 7 a.m. on Oct. 8, 2017 at …

The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports: “I’m willing to grind through it and do it the old-fashioned way,” Thune told South Dakota reporters Wednesday afternoon as part of a press call when he was asked about the possibility of recess appointments for Trump’s cabinet members. Recess appointments are a process under which Senate leadership would dismiss the chambers and allow …

“It’s my understanding that it’s not supposed to go public. So if it’s not supposed to under the rules, it shouldn’t go public. “There are very few people who have the cross-examination skills he does, and I want someone in the Justice Department who’s not going to say moms and dads in school board meetings need to be investigated. “I …

Federalist CEO Ben Domenech writes on his Substack: Matt Gaetz is a sex trafficking drug addicted piece of shit. He is abhorrent. His eyes are permanently rimmed with the red rings of chemical boosters. In person, he smells like overexposed Axe Body Spray and stale Astroglide. The fact that he boasted on the floor to multiple colleagues in the House …

Axios reports: The Republican-led House Ethics Committee cancelled a planned meeting regarding its investigation of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), two sources familiar with the matter confirmed to Axios. Republican members of the committee — which is split 50-50 between the two parties — met Thursday night, both sources confirmed to Axios. The panel had been set to vote on …

The New York Times reports: President-elect Donald J. Trump has tapped Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota to run the Interior Department, leading the new administration’s plans to open federal lands and waters to oil and gas drilling.  Governor Burgum, 68, has longstanding ties to fossil fuel companies and acted as a liaison between the Trump campaign and the oil …

The Military Times reports: President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday announced former Georgia congressman Doug Collins as his pick to be the next Veterans Affairs Secretary, filling another key Cabinet post with a military veteran. The announcement of Collins, 58, came as a surprise to many within the veterans community, since he had not been mentioned in recent reports for candidates …

ABC News reports: The woman who was at the center of a yearslong Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations surrounding Rep. Matt Gaetz testified to the House Ethics Committee that the now-former Florida congressman had sex with her when she was 17 years old, sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News. Over the summer, the House Ethics Committee …

The Washington Examiner reports: Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) plans to run for a sixth term in the Senate, buoying Republicans’ hopes of retaining her seat in 2026. Collins would be one of the most vulnerable incumbents heading into a less favorable Senate map for Republicans next cycle. She could also face political headwinds with President-elect Donald Trump returning to the …

“I think it is critically important that we root out the partisan bias that under Joe Biden has infected the Department of Justice, as it infected the FBI. Joe Biden has weaponized our law enforcement and used it to target his political enemies. That has to end. “As for that particular nomination, look, we have a process under the Constitution …

The Washington Post reports: In January 2017, Tulsi Gabbard, then a Democrat representing Hawaii’s 2nd District in the House of Representatives, took a trip to Syria on a “fact-finding mission” that perhaps raised more questions than it answered. And, she divulged, she met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose regime is backed by Iran and Russia and stands accused of …

“There are rumors that have come up to the Hill of a secretive project within the Department of Defense involving the manipulation of human genetics with what is described as non-human genetic material for the enhancement of human capabilities, hybrids. “Are any of you familiar with that? Yes, or no?  Are there any accounts of UAPs emerging from or submerging …

The Hill reports: “I don’t think either she [Tulsi Gabbard] or Matt Gaetz ought to have a confirmation hearing until they have both had full field FBI investigations,” John Bolton told NewsNation anchor Blake Burman. “And then I think the Chinese would say, ‘Maybe they are serious.’” When Burman clarified, asking whether Bolton was calling for Gabbard to be investigated, …

“You’re finding all the swamp creatures coming out right now. Everybody’s got an opinion up here. But at the end of the day, President Trump was elected by an enormous vote, and he deserves a team around him that he wants. It’s not up to us to determine that. “We’ve got 53 votes in the Senate. We can confirm with …

Florida Politics reports: Florida’s Governor hasn’t always rushed to set up Special Elections, but on Thursday, he is saying two Congressional seats will be filled with all possible speed. The seats in question in Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts were held by Matt Gaetz, who will need Senate confirmation to become Attorney General, and Mike Waltz, who will advise …

The New York Times reports: The House Ethics Committee, which has been investigating allegations that Representative Matt Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, was prepared to vote to release a highly critical report about Mr. Gaetz on Friday. Mr. Gaetz, a Florida Republican, abruptly resigned from his House seat late Wednesday, effectively ending the ethics investigation that …

Politico reports: GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz resigned from the House Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson announced, the same day that Donald Trump announced that he had tapped the Florida firebrand to be his attorney general. Republican senators have already expressed doubts that Gaetz could get confirmed to that powerful Cabinet spot, as the pick gets fierce pushback across the party. The …

Semafor reports: House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul was detained by police at Dulles International Airport earlier this month in an incident that he described as “the result of a poor decision” to mix Ambien and alcohol. A McCaul spokesperson confirmed the recent incident, describing the congressman as “a nervous flyer” who took the popular sleep aid Ambien and …

NPR reports: Entering the Senate chamber during votes, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, reacted to the news that President-elect Trump will nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to be attorney general. “Obviously the president has the right to nominate whomever he wishes,” Collins said. “But this is why the Senate’s advise and consent process is so important.” “I’m sure that there will …

The Washington Examiner reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) won his party’s nomination for a second term as speaker, teeing him up for a vote early next year even as rumors swirled earlier this week that some GOP lawmakers might prop up a challenger to his bid. Despite those efforts, no lawmaker publicly challenged Johnson for the position, allowing him …