Trump Corruption

Politico reports: A former head of the FBI and CIA is raising objections over whether Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s picks to be directors of the FBI and national intelligence, respectively, are qualified to serve in the Cabinet. In a letter to senators on Thursday, William Webster, the only person to lead both the FBI and CIA, wrote that …

The Wall Street Journal reports: With Trump and his allies this year floating the use of American military force against Mexico’s drug cartels, Mexican officials have tried to learn whether he is serious or merely blustering to gain leverage in talks about shutting down the pipeline of migrants and drugs heading into the U.S. Mexico’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has …

Reuters reports: Guatemala is open to receiving citizens of other Central American nations who are deported from the United States, three sources familiar with the matter said, as the country looks to build a positive relationship with the incoming Trump administration. The U.S. has struggled to deport nationals from places such as Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti due to strained relations. …

Politico reports: “I don’t know exactly what [Trump will] do. But I can tell you this: The judiciary will be one of our strongest — if not our strongest — barrier against what he does,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told Playbook in an exclusive interview this week. Four years ago, Schumer launched a plan (along with President Joe Biden) …

The Washington Post reports: Fifty percent of voters from families with an income of less than $50,000 a year cast their ballots for Trump, according to the data, compared with 48 percent for Vice President Kamala Harris. Now, low-income Americans who voted for Trump say they are counting on him to keep their benefits intact even while his Cabinet picks …

The Daily Mail reports: When Donald and Melania Trump enter the White House next year on Inauguration Day, they’ll find it looks just like it did when they left it four years ago – even down to the Diet Coke button on the desk in the Oval Office. That’s all thanks to the staff of the White House residence. The …

“There are good and bad Indians. I’m obviously one of the good ones. I suspect this Sriram guy is too. “On the other hand, these two Indians pictured below were an intrinsic part of the censorship regime on social media. “I wish we could deport them!” – Felon Trump cultist Dinesh D’Souza, singling out two former Twitter executives who were …

The Hill reports: President-elect Trump on Wednesday announced Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera as his pick for U.S. ambassador to Panama. The announcement comes as Trump is sparking a feud with the U.S. ally over control of the Panama Canal. Cabrera must figure out how to navigate a tension filled relationship with the country amid the president-elect’s position on …

Politico reports: The country’s largest agricultural constituency backed Trump in November, bucking California’s deep-blue electorate over his campaign promises to “open the faucet” and deliver more water to the state’s parched, conservative-leaning Central Valley. But now it’s reckoning with an uncomfortable contradiction: Trump also campaigned on mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, who make up at least half of the state’s …

The New York Post reports: President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday trolled Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by promising to cut Canadians’ taxes if they agree to become “our 51st state,’’ while urging them to draft NHL great Wayne Gretzky to lead the country. “I just left Wayne Gretzky, ‘The Great One’ as he is known in Ice Hockey circles,” Trump …

Grand Rapids’ ABC affiliate reports: The city of Grand Rapids says the Donald J. Trump for President 2024 campaign has refused to pay more than $49,000 in bills for two rallies in the city this year. That is forcing the city to write off those expenses as uncollectable and to reevaluate policies for future campaign visits. “It’s highly unusual to …

So this happened last night: Trump first directed his Christmas message to the “wonderful soldiers of China” where he accused them of “illegally” operating in the Panama Canal while “the United States puts in Billions of Dollars in ‘repair’ money.” The president-elect then mocked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by referring to him as “governor,” and reiterated his goal to …

Rolling Stone reports: In the past few weeks, Trump has at times asked close allies about how much major corporations have donated to the inaugural committee, and has sometimes inquired about specific companies by name, a person with direct knowledge of the matter tells Rolling Stone. Earlier this month, when the president-elect asked about one big-name corporation and was told …

The Washington Post reports: It’s a little late for this year’s celebrations, but you can get a very early jump on next year and count down with the $38 Trump Advent calendar. Or trim the tree with a $95 Mar-a-Lago bauble or a $16 MAGA hat ornament, sold in nine colors. (A glass version of the hat ornament is $92.) …

Fox News reports: President-elect Trump has nominated John Arrigo for an ambassadorship. If confirmed, Arrigo, who is the vice president of the Arrigo Auto Group in West Palm Beach, Florida, would serve as ambassador to Portugal. “John is a highly successful entrepreneur in the automotive industry, and a champion golfer. For over thirty years, he has been an incredible leader …

Courthouse News reports: Federal courts do not have jurisdiction over a fraud and breach of contract suit filed by former CNN host Don Lemon against Elon Musk, a federal judge said in a ruling determining that Musk and X Corp. were citizens of California when the action was filed. Lemon’s suit — claiming that he and Musk had a deal …

ABC News reports: The Trump-Vance inaugural committee is on track to set a record in inauguration fundraising, with pledged contributions surpassing its fundraising goal of $150 million as of Monday, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The inaugural committee had roughly $70 million of that in the bank as of Monday, with the rest of the pledged contributions …

The Guardian reports: Toyota is donating $1m to Donald Trump’s inauguration. The report, per Reuters citing a company spokesperson, comes one day after Ford and General Motors said they would donate $1m each to the president-elect’s inaugural fund. The two US automakers will also provide vehicles to the 20 January event, the outlet reported. Trump’s proposed tariffs on goods from …

Law & Crime reports: Rudy Giuliani and his son, Andrew H. Giuliani, both plan to testify under oath that the former New York City mayor gifted four New York Yankees’ World Series rings to his progeny in an attempt to keep the championship jewelry from being turned over to the two Georgia election workers he defamed to the tune of …

The Washington Post reports: When veteran newsmen L. Gordon Crovitz and Steven Brill started their news site rating company, they were prepared for the inevitable cries of bias from both sides. What they didn’t anticipate was that NewsGuard, their company of some 50 employees, would become the target of congressional investigations and accusations from federal regulators that it was at …