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Today's recap
Here’s where things stand:
The House ethics committee is meeting today vote on whether its long-awaited report investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and potential illegal activities involving former Florida Republican congressman Matt Gaetz will be made public.
Democrat Adam Gray won a seat in California’s 13th congressional district on Tuesday, unseating Republican congressman John Duarte. The result concludes what was the last remaining undecided US House contest in the 2024 cycle.
Republican House majority leader Steve Scalise hinted that the party wants to pass legislation to enact Trump’s priorities within days of his inauguration..
Pete Hegseth is continuing his quest to convince Republican senators that he is qualified to lead the defense department. His nomination has been rocked by a sexual assault allegation, and reports of his excessive drinking, financial mismanagement and marital infidelities
Iowa’s Joni Ernst – said she was not yet ready to vote for his confirmation, and called for “a very thorough vetting process”.
During the House hearing on the assassination attempt against Donald Trump, a screaming match broke out between the acting director of the US Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, and the Republican congressman Pat Fallon, after Fallon accused Rowe of endangering Trump for a photo-op.
Rowe acknowledged an “abject failure” by the agency in preventing the first assassination attempt against Trump.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are expected to meet with Republicans in the Capitol to discuss their Department of Government Efficiency – which is not actually a department, nor a part of the government.
The Bahamas has rejected Donald Trump’s proposal to take in people deported from the US, saying it has “reviewed and firmly rejected” the plan from the incoming administration.
“Since the prime minister’s rejection of this proposal, there has been no further engagement or discussions with the Trump transition team,” according to a statement statement from the Bahams.
Read more:
House ethics committee to vote on release of Matt Gaetz report
The House ethics committee is meeting today vote on whether its long-awaited report investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and potential illegal activities involving former Florida Republican congressman Matt Gaetz will be made public.
The report in question details allegations that Gaetz engaged in illicit drug use, misuse of campaign funds and sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old girl, and allegations of obstructing the House investigation. Gaetz has consistently denied the claims.
The move comes weeks after Gaetz’s resignation from Congress and his withdrawal as a potential Trump administration nominee when it became clear he did not have enough support from senators to survive a confirmation hearing. Democrats, led by Representatives Sean Casten and Steve Cohen, attempted to force the report’s release through privileged resolutions, arguing that transparency is crucial.
Casten’s resolution, sent to the House two days before the vote, said that withholding the report would “undermine the committee’s credibility and impede the safety, dignity, and integrity of legislative proceedings”.
But should the committee side with chair and Mississippi Republican Michael Guest, the vote would fall flat, following the argument that the panel’s investigative jurisdiction ends when a member leaves Congress.
“He’s no longer a member,” Guest told reporters on Thursday. “He is no longer going to be confirmed by the Senate because he withdrew his nomination to be the attorney general.”
But if the committee vote comes to an impasse – a possibility due to the 50-50 ideological split – a full floor vote would be brought to the House on Thursday night, putting all lawmakers on record.
The decision would either grant or hide public access to a report that has been years in the making, and which allegedly contains detailed findings about claims of sexual misconduct involving an underage girl and potential drug use.
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Democrat Adam Gray won a seat in California’s 13th congressional district on Tuesday, unseating Republican congressman John Duarte. The result concludes what was the last remaining undecided US House contest in the 2024 cycle.
Gray won by a margin of fewer than 200 votes according to a tally completed this week.
Duarte defeated Grayin 2022 by just 564 votes, one of the closest margins in the country.
Democrats now hold 215 seats in congress, and Republicans have a narrow majority with 220 seats.
Ro Khanna, a Democratic congressman from California, said he was ready to collaborate with the Department of Government Efficiency.
He did not exactly say if he would join the congressional caucus formed to assist DOGE, which is not a formal department. Here’s what Khanna wrote, on X:
I’m ready to work with @doge , @elonmusk + @VivekGRamaswamy to slash waste. I have a track record of doing so. I led the charge to get TransDigm to refund $16 million after investigative reporting exposed price-gouging. Let’s look to the Truman Committee and ensure Americans get their money’s worth with DOD spending.
NBC News reports that a Secret Service spokesman defended acting director Ronald Rowe from Republican congressman Pat Fallon’s claim that he compromised security by attending a ceremony to commemorate 9/11.
Rowe was at the event in New York attended by Joe Biden and Donald Trump “to honor the victims of that tragic day, including the members of the Secret Service who were killed. All detail personnel were present and had complete access to their protectees during the memorial,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
NBC also reports that Fallon accused Rowe of starting their shouting match in a congressional hearing meant to explore Trump’s attempted assassination in July, saying “he started screaming, he wouldn’t answer questions.”
Independent Maine senator Angus King is raising pointed questions about the suitability of Pete Hegseth as a potential Pentagon leader as he makes the rounds on Capitol Hill this week, telling the Guardian that some of Trump’s candidates “thus far do not appear to have the requisite background or experience for the important posts in question.”
King, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee which would confirm a new Defense Secretary, has not committed to supporting Hegseth’s nomination and noted that he is not meeting Hegseth today, though stopped short of an outright rejection.
As an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, King’s vote is not expected to be decisive.
“Senator King will hear all nominees make their case when they come before the committees of jurisdiction and make his decisions on each as they come to the Senate floor,” his office tells The Guardian.
Here’s the moment acting Secret Service director Ronald Rowe and Republican congressman Pat Fallon got into it at a hearing looking into the assassination attempt targeting Donald Trump:
Secret Service chief Ronald Rowe Jr. got into a screaming match with a GOP lawmaker over 9/11 during an otherwise cordial hearing. https://t.co/SK6rnmRGdj pic.twitter.com/eKwBOkO1mN
— POLITICO (@politico) December 5, 2024
While details remain closely guarded, House speaker Mike Johnson revealed the incoming non-department Department of Government Efficiency initiative spearheaded by tech billionaire Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy would be “bipartisan.”
During an afternoon press conference, Johnson claimed several Democratic colleagues have already expressed interest in the government efficiency project, though he did not specify who.
“Government is too big. It does too many things, and it does almost nothing well,” Johnson said.
Earlier in the week, Democratic congressman Jared Moskowitz announced he would join the DOGE caucus, making him the first lawmaker from the party to support the effort.
“I will join the Congressional DOGE Caucus, because I believe that streamlining government processes and reducing ineffective government spending should not be a partisan issue. I’ve been clear that there are ways we can reorganize our government to make it work better for the American people,” Moskowitz said.
According to Johnson, the day unfolded with a series of closed-door meetings, beginning with Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, who chairs the newly formed caucus. They discussed a newly released 60-page report mostly focused on targeting federal staffers who telework.
Screaming match between Secret Service chief and Republican congressman at Trump rally shooting hearing
During the House hearing on the assassination attempt against Donald Trump, a screaming match broke out between the acting director of the US Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, and the Republican congressman Pat Fallon.
Fallon displayed an enlarged photo from a commemoration of the September 11 attacks in New York, which both Joe Biden and Trump attended this fall. Fallon accused Rowe, who was standing directly behind Biden and Kamala Harris in the photo, of taking the place of the special agent in charge and endangering the president’s security for the sake of a photo op.
Rowe replied that the special agent in charge was just out of the picture’s view, and he accused Fallon of politicizing the September 11 attacks.
“I actually responded to Ground Zero. I was there going through the ashes of the World Trade Center,” Rowe said.
Fallon interrupted, telling Rowe, “I’m not asking you that.” He then suggested that Rowe, who is not expected to stay on as director once Trump takes office, stood where he did to “audition” for keeping his job, if Harris won the presidency.
The exchange devolved into shouting, with Rowe yelling at Fallon, “Do not invoke 9/11 for political purposes!”
“I’m not,” Fallon replied. He accused Rowe, “You endangered president Biden’s life, vice-president Harris’ life, because you put those agents out of position.”
Rowe denied that charge, telling Fallon, “You are out of line.”
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The EV credit is a product of Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act – a boost of investment into clean energy and climate action – and was created to make EV’s more affordable.
Rolling the credit back will further stall US EV transition, critics say.
The Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in July killing the subsidy may hurt Tesla sales a little but would be “devastating” to its US EV competitors, like General Motors.
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After meeting with incoming senate majority leader John Thune, Elon Musk told reporters he thinks we should get rid of all tax credits for electrical vehicle purchasers.
“We just need to make sure we spend the public’s money well,” Musk said.
Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will soon head the non-government agency Department of Government Efficiciency, are in meetings all day with Republicans on Capitol Hill.
Senator Rick Scott of Florida has doubled down on his support for Pete Hegseth.
“I admire people who are willing to put on the uniform and lead troops into battle,” Scott told reporters after a meeting with Trump’s pick for secretary of defense. “When he goes in the Department of Defense, he will walk in with the mentality that he’s going to take care of our warfighters.”
CNN’s Jake Tapper questioned Scott earlier this week over support for Hegseth in light of sexual assault accusations against him. Scott denounced the anonymous accusers, but when Tapper asked if Hegseth should release his accuser from their non-disclosure agreement so she could be interviewed, Scott said “absolutely not.”
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The day so far
Pete Hegseth is continuing his quest to convince Republican senators that he is qualified to lead the defense department. His nomination has been rocked by a sexual assault allegation, and reports of his excessive drinking, financial mismanagement and marital infidelities. Today, a Republican senator whose views on Hegseth are seen as key to his chances of getting the job – Iowa’s Joni Ernst – said she was not yet ready to vote for his confirmation, and called for “a very thorough vetting process”. Hegseth has insisted he is not dropping out of contention for the job, telling reporters in the Capitol that he has Donald Trump’s support, and won’t go anywhere until that changes.
Here’s what else is going on today:
Ronald Rowe, the acting Secret Service director, acknowledged an “abject failure” by the agency in preventing the first assassination attempt against Trump.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are expected to meet with Republicans in the Capitol to discuss their Department of Government Efficiency – which is not actually a department, nor a part of the government.
Republican House majority leader Steve Scalise hinted that the party wants to pass legislation to enact Trump’s priorities within days of his inauguration.
Should Republican senator Joni Ernst decline to support Pete Hegseth for defense secretary – a decision that could strike a fatal blow to his chances of winning Senate confirmation – it won’t be without risks.
Politico heard from an unnamed Republican senator who hinted that Ernst could face a primary challenge orchestrated by Donald Trump if she rejects his appointee to lead the Pentagon:
“If Joni votes no, she’s going to have a hard time with her reelection campaign,” said one GOP senator, noting that during any floor vote Hegseth, Trump “will be taking names.”
The Republican House majority leader Steve Scalise told CNBC that lawmakers will be sharing ideas with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy about how to downsize government during their meeting today.
“One of the things we’re going to be talking about with Elon [Musk] and Vivek [Ramaswamy] today, a lot of our members have ideas, have been working on various committees on things to do just that, to cut government waste, to identify and root out a lot of inefficiencies in government. And we’re going to be working hand in hand,” Scalise said.
He singled out federal employees who work from home, saying they were undercutting the governments ability to function:
It’s a refreshing idea that we’re going to actually make government work better and make your taxpayers go further. There are probably 75% of federal employees here in Washington that still are not showing up to work under the excuse of Covid. Covid’s been over for years, and yet you might wait right now, months and months, to get a passport renewed. Some people are waiting years to get a tax return process from three years ago because those employees aren’t showing up for work, so it’s hurting families all across this country. You know, those are the kind of inefficiencies we’re going to be looking at all across the board.
In a sign of how quickly House Republicans would like to move on accomplishing Trump’s priorities, Scalise said they are working with the president-elect’s transition teams on a bill that will be ready “for January”. Trump will be inaugurated on the 20th of that month.
Embattled defense secretary nominee Hegseth says as long as Trump supports him, 'I'll be here'
Speaking to NBC News as he traversed the Capitol between meetings with Republican senators weighing his nomination for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth said that he would continue standing for the job as long as he had Donald Trump’s support.
“As long as [President-elect Trump] supports me, which he told me this morning. I’ll be here,” Hegseth told the network.
The acting director of the US Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, laid out a series of changes that the agency is enacting following the attempted assassination attempt against Donald Trump at a campaign rally in July.
Rowe told the House task force examining the assassination attempt that the Secret Service has created an aviation unit for drone surveillance of potential threats, expanded the use of counter-drone systems, streamlined communication at protective sites and increased security of Trump throughout the rest of the presidential campaign.
“Let me be clear, there will be accountability, and that accountability is occurring,” Rowe told the task force at a hearing this morning. “It is essential that we recognize the gravity of our failure. I personally carry the weight of knowing that we almost lost a protectee and our failure cost a father and husband his life.”
Rowe offered his condolences to the family of Corey Comperatore, who was fatally shot by the gunman who attempted to assassinate Trump during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Donald Trump’s proposals to remake the US government have picked up support from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who today said he was hopeful about the incoming president’s deregulation agenda. Here’s more on what the billionaire had to say, from the Guardian’s Joseph Gedeon:
Amazon’s billionaire founder, Jeff Bezos, is the latest tech mogul to offer a new wave of support for Donald Trump’s incoming presidency, endorsing the former president’s plans to reduce government regulation and signalling a willingness to collaborate.
Speaking at the New York Times’s DealBook Summit on Wednesday, the entrepreneur and Washington Post owner described himself as “very optimistic this time around” about Trump’s economic and tech strategy.
“I am very optimistic that President Trump is serious about this regulatory agenda,” Bezos said. “If I can help him do that, I’m going to help him, because we do have too much regulation in this country.”
The intervention marks a dramatic reversal from their previously antagonistic relationship. During Trump’s first term, the former president repeatedly attacked Bezos, criticising Amazon and the Washington Post for alleged tax avoidance and biased reporting.
Bezos also defended his recent controversial decision to prevent the Washington Post from endorsing the Democratic candidate, vice-president Kamala Harris, a move that reportedly cost the newspaper about 10% of its subscriber base. He described the decision as “far from cowardly”, arguing that the paper needed to maintain some form of independence.
Musk, Ramaswamy expected on Capitol Hill to stump for Department of Government Efficiency
Elon Musk has arrived at the Capitol for a meeting with lawmakers to promote the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), his Donald Trump-sanctioned effort to downsize the US government:
The Tesla CEO arrived with his son:
Biotech entrepreneur and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who co-chairs DOGE along with Musk, is also expected to be around.
From the Associated Press, here’s more on what the new department, which is not really a department and not actually in the government, may do:
Billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are expected on Capitol Hill on Thursday, meeting with legislators behind closed doors about President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to “dismantle” the federal government.
Trump tapped the two business titans to head his Department of Government Efficiency, tasked with firing federal workers, cutting government programs and slashing federal regulations — all part of what he calls his “Save America” agenda for a second term in the White House.
“I think that’ll be a great start to the whole process,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who will chair a House Oversight subcommittee in the new year as part of “building the bridge between Congress and DOGE.”
Washington has seen this before, with ambitious efforts to reduce the size and scope of the federal government that historically have run into resistance when the public is confronted with cuts to trusted programs that millions of Americans depend on for jobs, health care, military security and everyday needs.
But this time Trump is staffing his administration with battle-tested architects of sweeping proposals, some outlined in Project 2025, to severely reduce and reshape the government. Musk and Ramaswamy said they plan to work alongside the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, headed by Trump’s nominee Russ Vought, a mastermind of past cuts.
Acting secret service director acknowledges 'abject failure' in first Trump assassination attempt
The acting director of the US Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, criticized the events surrounding the first assassination attempt against Donald Trump as an “abject failure”.
“July 13 was a failure of the Secret Service to adequately secure the Butler Farm Shows site and protect President-elect Trump,” Rowe told the House taskforce examining the assassination attempt.
“That abject failure underscored critical gaps in Secret Service operations, and I recognize that we did not meet the expectations of the American public.”
Rowe took over as acting director of the Secret Service after his predecessor, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned amid bipartisan criticism of her agency’s handling of security at Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which left the president-elect wounded and one attendee dead.
Since its formation shortly after the Butler rally, the House taskforce has conducted 46 transcribed interviews and reviewed roughly 20,000 pages of documents, chair Mike Kelly said.
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Key senator says she's still unsure about confirming Hegseth after meeting
Republican senator Joni Ernst, a sexual assault survivor and combat veteran whose views on Pete Hegseth are seen as crucial to his chances of being confirmed as defense secretary, declined to say how she would vote on his nomination.
Ernst met with Hegseth yesterday, and told Fox News this morning that she was not yet ready to say yes to confirming him.
“I think for a number of our senators, they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared, and that’s why we have to have a very thorough vetting process, and that’s why I was happy to sit down with Pete and have that conversation with him yesterday,” Ernst said.
“So, again, all I will say at this time is that we did have a very thorough discussion over a number of those issues. And the vetting will continue. I am certain, through the next month or so, until we approach that hearing date.”
Pete Hegseth has continued promoting his nomination for defense secretary on X, writing:
Maybe it’s time for a [defense secretary] who has…
Led in combat. Been on patrol for days. Pulled a trigger. Heard bullets whiz by. Called in close air support. Led medevacs. Dodged IEDs.
He has also retweeted favorable messages from Republican senators including Utah’s Mike Lee:
We’re going to confirm @PeteHegseth !
And North Dakota’s Kevin Cramer (who does not say exactly how he will vote on Hegseth’s confirmation):
The importance of a warrior for the war fighter cannot be overstated. The Secretary of Defense must be clear-eyed, mission-oriented, and vigilant on behalf of the men and women they lead. I appreciate @PeteHegseth’s willingness to serve. The scrutiny of the nomination process and transparency matter. I look forward to his hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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Hegseth says Trump 'supports us fully' as he arrives on Capitol Hill
As the defense secretary pick arrived on Capitol Hill this morning for more meetings with Republican senators who will decide his fate, Pete Hegseth told reporters he has Donald Trump’s full backing.
“I spoke to Trump this morning, just a few minutes ago. He supports us fully,” Hegseth said.
Asked about his meeting yesterday with senator Joni Ernst, Hegseth said it was “constructive” and “candid”, but did not elaborate. The Iowa lawmaker and combat veteran’s support is seen as vital to Hegseth’s prospects of confirmation, but Ernst has said little about their meeting yesterday.
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The New York Times also heard from two former employees of conservative group Concerned Veterans for America, which Hegseth led around 2015 as it struggled financially.
The former employees told the Times they remembered Hegseth as a good boss. The Times also reported that even though the group was in debt, Hegseth did not have full control over its spending:
Although he was listed as the chief executive officer, Mr. Hegseth did not have sole control over its finances. The organization was supported by a network of donors and operatives led by the billionaire industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch, and people familiar with it said its finances were overseen at least partly by officials at that network’s umbrella organization at the time, Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce.
Two former employees said they remembered Mr. Hegseth as a powerful voice for the organization who spoke emphatically about veterans’ issues and encouraged his audiences to vote.
Mark Lucas, who took over running of the nonprofit briefly after Mr. Hegseth left, said he found a well-run organization with knowledgeable and well-connected staff. “I didn’t inherit anything from Hegseth that was a problem,” he said.
Matt Schuck, who booked some of Mr. Hegseth’s media appearances in late 2013 and early 2014, said he was a good boss. “I never saw anything out of the ordinary. I never saw him drinking heavily.”
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Hegseth 'upset' after husband of woman he was having affair with showed up at Fox News party – report
Fox News human resources investigated Pete Hegseth after the husband of a woman he was having an affair with attended an employees-only Christmas party held by the network eight years ago, the New York Times reported.
Hegseth would go on to marry the woman, Jennifer Rauchet, who at the time of the incident was a producer on the show Fox & Friends. The episode threatens to be yet another troubling incident that could sour Republican senators on his candidacy for defense secretary.
Here’s more about what happened, from the Times:
The “Fox & Friends” Christmas party at a New York bowling arcade in 2016 was a low point. Mr. Hegseth, who was married to his second wife, with whom he had three children, was having an affair with Ms. Rauchet, a producer on the show.
Her husband, suspecting an affair, showed up at the party even though the event was limited to Fox News employees, and Mr. Hegseth, who had been drinking, was upset to see him, according to people with knowledge of the incident.
Employees reported that Mr. Hegseth caused a disturbance, a complaint that the human resources department addressed directly with him, according to one of the people with knowledge of the situation. After Mr. Hegseth and Ms. Rauchet disclosed their relationship to Fox News in late 2016, Ms. Rauchet was transferred to a comparable job within Fox News.
The Times also reported on an incident where Hegseth was so intoxicated at a Fox News colleague’s wedding that his friends had to get him a ride home so he could make it to work on time:
The following December, Mr. Hegseth got so drunk at a wedding of a Fox News producer that he struggled to stand upright in a men’s bathroom, according to two people with direct knowledge of the episode who declined to be named for fear of retribution. Friends asked a producer who was there to get Mr. Hegseth a ride home so he could make it to the set by 6 a.m., they said.
Timothy Parlatore, Mr. Hegseth’s lawyer, said that “neither of these allegations are true.”
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Fate of Hegseth nomination rests with key senator as more details of bad behavior emerge
Good morning, US politics blog readers. Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, will be back once again on Capitol Hill today to try to convince Republican senators that he’s the right man to lead the Pentagon. Reports of excessive drinking, financial mismanagement and poor treatment of women, as well as a sexual assault allegation, have dogged his nomination over the past days, with several conservative lawmakers expressing doubts over approving him for the job. But the most important voice in determining his fate has not piped up yet: Iowa’s Republican senator Joni Ernst. The army veteran and sexual assault survivor met with Hegseth yesterday but said little publicly about their talk. Her views on him will be pivotal in determining whether the former Fox News host’s nomination advances, or goes the way of Matt Gaetz.
Meanwhile, the New York Times has uncovered more details of incidents Hegseth was involved in while employed by the conservative network. These include another story of him drinking to excess, as well as an incident at a Christmas party eight years ago that led to an investigation from Fox News’s human resources department. We’ll see what Republican senators have to say about that throughout today.
Here’s what else is going on:
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be together in public again at 6pm ET to light the national Christmas tree outside the White House. The pair have not been seen together much since Harris lost last month’s presidential election to Trump.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are heading to the Capitol today to promote the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency”, their unorthodox, Trump-sanctioned idea to cut spending and downsize Washington’s federal organs.
The House committee investigating the attempted assassination of Trump will hear testimony from acting Secret Service director Ronald Rowe Jr, and will also mark up its final report.
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