Evening summary
Thank you for reading along with the Guardian’s liveblog as we cover the slew of nominations to various cabinet positions that Trump announced today. Here are some of the key moments from the day in US politics.
Trump’s choice to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is surgeon Marty Makary. He has advocated for re-examining the use of hormone replacement treatment in menopausal women, reducing overuse of antibiotics and reforms to medical education. Makary also raised concerns about a number of public health issues during the Covid pandemic, touting the protection from natural immunity and opposing Covid vaccine mandates.
Donald Trump nominated hedge fund executive Scott Bessent to lead the US treasury. In a statement on Friday Trump said, “Scott has long been a strong advocate of the America First Agenda … he will help me usher in a new Golden Age for the United States, as we fortify our position as the World’s leading Economy … while always, and without question, maintaining the UD Dollar as the Reserve Currency of the World.
Vivek Ramaswamy appeared to confirm he and Elon Musk will try to stop the flow of funds that go to Planned Parenthood. “The federal government shouldn’t be in the business of giving away free money to non-governmental organizations. That should be obvious,” a Thursday post on X by Ramaswamy read.
Tom Homan, Donald Trump’s pick for “border czar”, sent a message specifically to the Los Angeles city council: “If you don’t help, get the hell out of the way,” Homan said on Newsmax on Wednesday.
Donald Trump has been granted permission by the New York Judge Juan Merchan on Friday to seek dismissal of his hush money criminal case. The permission follows his presidential victory on 5 November and multiple sentencing delays surrounding the case of which he was found guilty earlier this year.
After resigning from congress and withdrawing from consideration to be the next US attorney general, Matt Gaetz is taking his talents to Cameo, an app that lets users pay for personalized video messages from celebrities and other notable figures like Gaetz and George Santos. The news website Semafor first reported the move on Friday.
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Donald Trump is considering tapping Richard Grenell, his former intelligence chief, to be a special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Reuters reports. While there is currently no special envoy dedicated solely to resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump is considering creating the role, according to the four sources Reuters spoke to, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Trump vowed on the campaign trail to swiftly end the conflict, although he has not said how he will do it. His strategies will continue to be questioned if Grenell is confirmed since some of his stances could give Ukraine’s leaders pause.
During a Bloomberg roundtable in July, Grenell advocated for the creation of “autonomous zones” as a means of settling the conflict, which began after Russia invaded Ukrainian sovereign territory. He also suggested he would not be in favor of Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the immediate future, a position he shares with many Trump allies.
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NFL veteran Scott Turner picked to lead housing and urban development
Donald Trump said on Friday he has picked NFL veteran Scott Turner to serve as housing and urban development secretary. This will be the athlete and motivational speaker’s second time as a member of the Trump administration; he first served as the executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council.
Turner, a Republican, has been involved in politics for more than a decade. After playing for the team now known as the Washington Commanders (Trump used the team’s old name in his statement), Turner made a failed bid for Congress in California before being elected to the Texas House in 2012, the Texas Tribune reported.
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Trump confirms pick of Marty Makary to lead FDA
Trump’s choice to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is surgeon Marty Makary.
The FDA is the world’s most influential drug regulator with a more than $7bn budget. It is responsible for approving new treatments and ensuring they are safe and effective before entering the biggest and most lucrative market. It has regulatory authority over human and veterinary drugs, biological medicines, medical devices and vaccines.
The agency is also responsible for maintaining safety standards for the food supply, tobacco, cosmetics and products that emit radiation.
Makary’s most recent book, Blind Spots, was published in September. In interviews promoting the book, he spoke against what he called “massive overtreatment” in the US that he called “an epidemic of inappropriate care”.
He has advocated for re-examining the use of hormone replacement treatment in menopausal women, reducing overuse of antibiotics and reforms to medical education. Makary also raised concerns about a number of public health issues during the Covid pandemic, touting the protection from natural immunity and opposing Covid vaccine mandates.
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Dave Weldon has been a doctor for 40 years, served in the US army and had stints on House subcommittees dealing with issues related to the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including enacting a ban on patents for human embryos.
Trump said in a statement: “The current Health of Americans is critical, and CDC will play a big role in helping to ensure Americans have the tools and resources they need to understand the underlying causes of disease, and the solutions to cure these diseases.
“As a father of two and a husband of 45 years, Dave understands American Family Values, and views Health as one of utmost importance. Dave will prioritize Transparency, Competence, and High Standards at CDC. Dave will proudly restore the CDC to its true purpose, and will work to end the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and Make America Healthy Again!”
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Dave Weldon, former Florida representative, named as Trump's pick for CDC director
Donald Trump has announced Dave Weldon as his choice to serve as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, a sweeping US agency with a $17.3bn budget used as a public health model around the world.
Weldon, 71, is a medical doctor and former lawmaker who served in the US House of Representatives, representing Florida.
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Sebastian Gorka returns to White House with counterterrorism brief
Sebastian Gorka, the controversial adviser from Trump’s first term, is making a return to the White House – after Trump has named him as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism.
Gorka – a former Breitbart writer and longtime rightwing Maga supporter – was let go from the White House in 2017. Now Trump has decided to give him a job in his new administration and praised what he called Gorka’s “more than 30 years of national security experience”.
Born in the UK to Hungarian-born parents, Gorka spent much of his career in the Hungarian ministry of defense working on issues of counter-terrorism. Since he became a fixture of the Trump campaign and administration, numerous experts have raised questions about his formal credentials and his work in the field of counter-terrorism, and noted his connections to the “alt-right” in the US and fringe rightwing groups in Hungary.
Trump picks Alex Wong as deputy national security adviser
Donald Trump has chosen former state department official Alex Wong to serve as deputy national security adviser.
Wong, who served as deputy special representative for North Korea during the first Trump administration, “helped negotiate my Summit with North Korean Leader, Kim Jong Un”, Trump said in a statement.
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Dr Janette Nesheiwat picked as surgeon general
We’re not yet done with job announcements. Amid the Friday night flurry, Trump has also named his pick for surgeon general – Dr Janette Nesheiwat.
Nesheiwat is a double board-certified medical doctor, a regular Fox News contributor and the author of Beyond the Stethoscope: Miracles in Medicine.
In a statement, Trump described her as a “fierce advocate” for preventive medicine and public health. He added: “Her expertise and leadership have been pivotal during some of the most challenging Healthcare crises of our time.
“Dr Janette provided on-the-ground medical treatment to Americans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Joplin tornadoes. She is also a member of Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Assistance, Relief Team, and has provided lifesaving care during crises in Morocco, Haiti, and Poland.”
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Trump names Lori Chavez-DeRemer as pick for labor secretary
Donald Trump has picked Lori Chavez-DeRemer as labor secretary. Chavez-DeRemer lost her Oregon congressional seat to Democrat Janelle Bynum in the 2024 election.
Chavez-DeRemer had narrowly won the seat in 2022, which was the first election held in the district after its boundaries were significantly redrawn following the 2020 census.
Announcing Chavez-DeRemer on Friday night, Trump wrote in a social media post:
I look forward to working with her to create tremendous opportunity for American Workers, to expand Training and Apprenticeships, to grow wages and improve working conditions, to bring back our Manufacturing jobs …
“Lori’s strong support from both the Business and Labor communities will ensure that the Labor Department can unite Americans of all backgrounds.
Labor secretary is a post that needs Senate confirmation.
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Donald Trump has praised Russ Vought as a “cost cutter” in a statement after nominating him for the OMB.
The president-elect wrote on Truth Social: “He did an excellent job serving in this role in my First Term - We cut four Regulations for every new Regulation, and it was a Great Success!”
Trump went on to say Vought is “an aggressive cost cutter and deregulator who will help us implement our America First Agenda across all Agencies”.
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Russ Vought named as Trump's pick for Office of Management and Budget director
Donald Trump has chosen Russ Vought, a key architect of Project 2025, as his choice for director of the Office of Management and Budget, a powerful agency that helps decide the president’s policy priorities and how to pay for them.
Reuters reports that Vought, who was OMB chief during Trump’s 2017-2021 term, would play a major role in setting budget priorities and implementing Trump’s campaign promise to roll back government regulations.
Here’s more on Vought from Reuters:
Since Trump left office, Vought has been deeply involved in Project 2025, a series of detailed policy proposals for Trump’s second term drawn up by hundreds of high-profile conservatives.
Among other measures, Project 2025 calls for a broad expansion in presidential power by boosting the number of political appointees and increasing the president’s authority over the justice department.
The project also proposes enforcing laws that make it illegal to mail abortion pills over state lines, criminalizing pornography and eliminating the Department of Education.
The project’s authors, Vought included, have also advocated for the reclassification of parts of the federal workforce that would give Trump the authority to fire tens of thousands of government employees.
During his election campaign, Trump repeatedly denied he had any links to Project 2025, even though many of its authors were former officials from his first administration. With Vought’s selection, the president-elect has now tapped several former aides with Project 2025 links for key administration roles.
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Trump nominates Scott Bessent to lead US treasury
In a statement on Friday, Donald Trump said:
Scott has long been a strong advocate of the America First Agenda … he will help me usher in a new Golden Age for the United States, as we fortify our position as the World’s leading Economy … while always, and without question, maintaining the UD Dollar as the Reserve Currency of the World.
As a lifelong Champion of Main Street America and American Industry, Scott will support my Policies that will drive US Competitiveness, and stop unfair Trade imbalances, work to create an Economy that places Growth at the forefront, especially through our coming World Energy Dominance.
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Here is some more on Scott Bessent, Donald Trump’s projected pick to lead the US treasury, from Reuters:
Bessent has advocated for tax reform and deregulation, particularly to spur more bank lending and energy production, as noted in a recent opinion piece he wrote for The Wall Street Journal. The market’s surge after Trump’s election victory, he wrote, signaled investor “expectations of higher growth, lower volatility and inflation, and a revitalized economy for all Americans.
Bessent follows other financial luminaries who have taken the job, including former Goldman Sachs executives Robert Rubin, Hank Paulson and Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s first Treasury chief. Janet Yellen, the current secretary and first woman in the job.
While Bessent’s nomination is not official, he appears to have risen to the top of Trump’s short list of treasury heads, a position that is being closely watched by Wall Street.
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After resigning from congress and withdrawing from consideration to be the next US attorney general, Matt Gaetz is taking his talents to Cameo, an app that lets users pay for personalized video messages from celebrities and other notable figures like Gaetz and George Santos. The news website Semafor first reported the move on Friday.
As my colleague Martin Pengelly reports:
On Friday, Gaetz began by charging $250 a video but soon raised that price to $500…Other disgraced political figures who have turned to Cameo include Rod Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor who was jailed for trying to sell Barack Obama’s US Senate seat, a sentence commuted by Trump, and Rudy Giuliani, the New York mayor turned Trump attorney now facing financial and legal ruin.
Read more from Martin here.
Scott Bessent expected to be named as Treasury secretary
Donald Trump’s cabinet is continuing to take shape with the expected nomination of Scott Bessent to lead the US treasury, reports from Bloomberg, the Washington Post and other outlets say. Bessent runs the hedge fund Key square group and was an economic adviser to Trump during his campaign.
If Bessent, 62, is confirmed, he will be assuming the role of the nation’s highest-ranking economic policy official and will be tasked with bringing to life Trump’s economic promises like extending his 2017 tax cuts.
The announcement is still not final but all signs are pointing to Bessent over other options that were floated like Apollo global management inc. executive Marc Rowan, former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh and Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty.
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Trump plans to fire Jack Smith's team - report
Donald Trump plans to fire the team of prosecutors who helped Jack Smith, the special counsel to the US department of justice, bring two federal cases against Trump for his alleged interference in the 2020 election, the Washington Post reports.
Smith announced his plan to resign and end his two-year-long prosecution of Trump before the president-elect takes office on 13 November.
In 2023, Smith indicted Trump for allegedly plotting to overturn his 2020 election defeat, and for conspiring to hide classified documents. Neither case made it to trial before Trump’s election victory last week, making it virtually impossible for Smith to continue his investigation. Justice department policy prohibits the prosecution of sitting presidents, and Trump has vowed to fire Smith within “two seconds” of becoming president again.
Now Trump is turning attention to the mid- and upper-level prosecutors who assisted Smith, calling them “SleazeBags” and “deranged” in social media posts.
Read the rest of the Post’s reporting on how Trump plans to go after these attorneys here.
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A niche law from 1907 that made it illegal to cheat on your spouse in the state of New York has been repealed, the Associated Press reports.
The misdemeanor once could have landed adulterers in jail for three months. Kathy Hochul signed a bill on Friday repealing the statute. The New York governor said it was “silly” for the state to have such a rule in place. Adultery bans are law in several states, though charges are rare and convictions even rarer. Some states have also moved to repeal their adultery laws in recent years.
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When asked for his response to cities refusing to assist in deportations, Tom Homan, Donald Trump’s pick for “border czar”, sent a message specifically to the Los Angeles city council: “If you don’t help, get the hell out of the way,” Homan said on Newsmax on Wednesday.
“If I gotta send twice as many officers to LA because we’re not getting any assistance, then that’s what we’re gonna do,” Homan continued.
The comments came hours after the LA city council unanimously voted to pass a “sanctuary city” ordinance that blocks any city resources or personnel from being used to assist in enforcing federal immigration laws.
The policy was introduced in 2023 but passed as the next Trump administration takes shape. And while the ordinance does not prevent deportations and other government actions from happening on LA’s soil, it’s meant to “build a firewall between federal immigration enforcement and city agencies,” the LA Times reports.
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Vivek Ramaswamy appeared to confirm he and Elon Musk will try to stop the flow of funds that go to Planned Parenthood.
“The federal government shouldn’t be in the business of giving away free money to non-governmental organizations. That should be obvious,” a Thursday post on X by Ramaswamy read.
The post was a quoted reposting of a story from LifeNews, an anti-abortion digital news site, that bore the headline Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy Call for Defunding Planned Parenthood Via DOGE.
The pair will lead what they plan to call the “department of government efficiency” and have made prior comments about defunding organizations like the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Education, Forbes reported.
Read more of the Guardian’s coverage about the concerted efforts to topple Planned Parenthood and deliver blows to women’s healthcare here.
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Senate majority whip Dick Durbin calls for 'customary FBI background check' on Pam Bondi
Dick Durbin, the US Senate majority whip, has released a statement on Donald Trump’s nomination of Pam Bondi as the next attorney general, calling for the Senate judiciary committee to follow convention rules on customary FBI background checks.
Durbin said:
Serious questions have been raised about Ms Bondi’s conduct as Florida’s Attorney General and President-elect Trump’s personal attorney. The Trump transition team is moving forward with an Attorney General nominee without the customary FBI background check. After the controversial announcement and awkward withdrawal of Matt Gaetz, the Senate and the Senate Judiciary Committee should insist that President-elect Trump, like prior Presidents-elect of both parties, follow the rules.
The Committee must uphold its constitutional responsibility of advice and consent on this critical position.
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Interim Summary
Here’s a look at where things stand:
Donald Trump has been granted permission by the New York Judge Juan Merchan on Friday to seek dismissal of his hush money criminal case. The permission follows his presidential victory on 5 November and multiple sentencing delays surrounding the case of which he was found guilty earlier this year.
In a statement filled with multiple falsehoods, the Donald Trump campaign hailed Merchan’s decision to grant Trump permission to seek dismissal of his hush money criminal case. Calling the decision a “decisive win”, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung falsely claimed the case – which found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts of falsified business records – was a “hoax.”
Donald Trump is expected to offer Kelly Loeffler, the former Georgia Republican senator, the position of agriculture secretary, CNN reports. According to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the outlet, Trump is set to meet with Loeffler at Mar-a-Lago on Friday afternoon.
Melania Trump’s office has appointed Haley Harrison, a longtime aid, as her new chief of staff ahead of her husband Donald Trump’s second term in the White House. In a statement on Friday, Trump’s office said: “She has a strong understanding of White House operations, and as Chief of Staff, Mrs. Harrison will oversee and manage the East Wing’s team.”
In a new interview on Friday, Matt Gaetz revealed that he will not be returning to Congress next year. Speaking to conservative talk show host Charlie Kirk, Gaetz, who withdrew his attorney general nomination yesterday, said: “I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” CNN reports.
More than half of Americans, 53%, approve of Donald Trump’s plans and policies for his second presidential term, a new Pew Research survey has found. The survey, which was conducted between November 12 and 17 and among 9,609 adults, also found that 59% of Americans said they are very or somewhat confident in Trump to make good decisions about economic policy.
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Pam Bondi, a staunch Donald Trump loyalist and his pick to be attorney general, is continuing to receive support from Republicans on her nomination.
In a post on X, senator John Cornyn of Texas wrote: “An excellent nomination by Donald Trump for attorney general.”
Missouri senator Josh Hawley said Bondi will “be a fabulous AG” who will “be a fantastic partner in this effort to clean up the FBI and DOJ.”
Similarly, senator Mitt Romney said Bondi “will be a highly capable leader at DOJ.”
Melania Trump appoints new chief of staff
Melania Trump’s office has appointed Haley Harrison, a longtime aid, as her new chief of staff ahead of her husband Donald Trump’s second term in the White House.
In a statement on Friday, Trump’s office said:
Mrs. Harrison has maintained an integral role and exceptional leadership on the First Lady’s team over the past seven years. She has a strong understanding of White House operations, and as Chief of Staff, Mrs. Harrison will oversee and manage the East Wing’s team while strategically liaising with other parts of government.
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Former Georgia senator Kelly Loeffler expected to be tapped as agriculture secretary
Donald Trump is expected to offer Kelly Loeffler, the former Georgia Republican senator, the position of agriculture secretary, CNN and The Hill report.
According to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the outlet, Trump is set to meet with Loeffler at Mar-a-Lago on Friday afternoon.
Loeffler, who is co-chairing Trump’s inauguration events, was previously appointed to the Senate by Georgia’s governor Brian Kemp and then lost in 2021 to Raphael Warnock, the Democratic senator.
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Karl Rove, a Republican strategist, has rebuked Donald Trump for bringing “chaos” back.
Martin Pengelly reports for the Guardian:
As Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump’s first nominee for attorney general, withdrew after eight days amid allegations of sexual misconduct and more, and as Trump’s new pick, Pam Bondi, faced scrutiny of her own, a leading Republican strategist rebuked the president-elect for bringing “chaos” back to Washington.
“Inadequate vetting, impatience, disregard for qualifications and a thirst for revenge have created chaos and controversy for Mr Trump before he’s even in office,” said Karl Rove, once known as George W Bush’s “Brain”, in the Wall Street Journal.
“The price for all this will be missed opportunities to shore up popular support for the incoming president. But at least it’ll make great TV.”
For the full story, click here:
Trump campaign on judge's hush-money case dismissal permission: 'Decisive win'
In a statement filled with multiple falsehoods, the Donald Trump campaign hailed New York judge Juan Merchan’s decision to grant Trump permission to seek dismissal of his hush money criminal case.
Calling the decision a “decisive win,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung falsely claimed the case – which found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts of falsified business records – was a “hoax.”
Repeating Trump’s unfounded claim that he “won a landslide victory,” Cheung added that the “American people have issued a mandate to return him to office and dispose of all remnants of the witch hunt cases” – another unfounded claim propelled by Trump in his attacks against his political enemies.
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Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican representative, is reportedly set to lead a new House subcommittee that will work with the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, a government body that Trump claims he’ll create, to be led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, according to CNBC.
A source familiar with the situation told the network that Greene, along with James Comer, the Republican House oversight chairman, have already met with Ramaswamy and his team, and they are “already working together”.
In a statement to CNBC, Greene said she was “excited to chair this new subcommittee designed to work hand in hand with President Trump, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and the entire DOGE team”.
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Republican Derek Merrin has officially conceded the race for Ohio’s ninth congressional district to his Democratic opponent and veteran congresswoman, Marcy Kaptur.
In a video statement posted to X, Merrin said that he had called and congratulated Kaptur for winning two more years in Congress.
“I want to thank each and every person who supported our campaign,” he said. “We ran a strong race and I’m proud of the effort we made for NW Ohio.”
Merrin, a fourth-term state representative who was endorsed by the president-elect, Donald Trump, lost by about 2,300 votes – or 0.7% of the vote – according to the Associated Press.
“Guys, they spent over $10m against us” Merrin said in the video. “Democrats propped up a third party candidate to siphon votes from us, they hit us hard for almost 100 days in the media, and, that’s life, man, that’s politics.”
He continued: “We were fortunate enough to have the money to get our message out, and outside groups were able to talk about Marcy’s record, and it was mainly a fair fight that way – and Marcy Kaptur got more votes than we did, and I accept that.”
Merrin did not rule out the possibility of running for Kaptur’s seat again in the future, but stated that his immediate plans are to rest and recharge with his family.
“We stood up for our constitution, we fought for lower taxes, fiscal responsibility, set a vision out for more prosperity in northwest Ohio and we weren’t able to win,” Merrin said, “but our message and team across America won.”
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Chuck Grassley, the incoming Senate judiciary chair, praised Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, in a statement.
“Pam Bondi is a longtime prosecutor & effectively led FL large AttyGeneral’s office for 8yrs” wrote Grassley, the Republican senator from Iowa and the oldest member of the senate at 91 years old.
He went on to describe Bondi as “well regarded” and “experienced” noting that he got to know her during Trump’s first term.
“Will learn more as we vet her nom in judic Cmte” he added.
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There are several actions Joe Biden can take to protect civil liberties before Donald Trump takes the White House.
The Guardian’s Gloria Oladipo reports:
In less than two months, Donald Trump will take office, threatening several areas of American life and international policy. The president-elect has pledged to take aim at LGBTQ+ rights, specifically for transgender and gender-non-conforming people. He has promised to conduct mass deportations and raids as a part of a far-right approach to US immigration. And he is expected to roll back data collection practices on police misconduct and stifle any hope of passing police reform in Congress – specifically the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
Trump will largely be able to roll out his agenda, outlined in the 900-plus-page Project 2025 document, as Republicans took control of Congress during the 2024 general election. Joe Biden’s actions in his remaining time in office could be a crucial buttress against the expected impacts of the next four years.
Six experts spoke with the Guardian about what the US president could do in his remaining time to protect the most vulnerable people.
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Gaetz will not return to Congress next year, says 'I'm still going to be in the fight'
In a new interview on Friday, Matt Gaetz revealed that he will not be returning to Congress next year.
Speaking to conservative talk show host Charlie Kirk, Gaetz, who withdrew his attorney general nomination yesterday, said:
“I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” CNN reports.
The former Florida representative went on to add:
“There are a number of fantastic Floridians who’ve stepped up to run for my seat, people who have inspired with their heroism, with their public service. And I’m actually excited to see northwest Florida go to new heights and have great representation… I’m going to be fighting for President Trump. I’m going to be doing whatever he asks of me, as I always have. But I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress.”
Gaetz was elected in 2016 and served up until two weeks ago when he resigned following his nomination by Donald Trump to serve as attorney general.
However, swamped by public scrutiny over his sexual assault allegations and a House ethics committee investigation into the claims, Gaetz retracted his name this week.
In a statement about his nomination withdrawal, Gaetz said:
“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.”
With New York judge Juan Merchan indefinitely postponing Donald Trump’s criminal hush money case, attorneys on both sides are debating over its future.
Victoria Bekiempis reports for the Guardian:
Trump’s lawyers on Tuesday asked Merchan to throw out the case, contending that dismissal was necessary “in order to facilitate the orderly transition of executive power”.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead attorney and choice for deputy US attorney general, and Emil Bove, the president-elect’s pick for principal associate deputy attorney general, complained that Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg’s team “appears to not yet be ready to dismiss this politically motivated and fatally flawed case, which is what is mandated by the law and will happen as justice takes its course”…
Prosecutors disagreed that Trump’s case should be dismissed simply because appeals wouldn’t be decided before his inauguration. While they respected the presidency and understood the logistical issues, “no current law establishes that a president’s temporary immunity from prosecution requires dismissal of a post-trial criminal proceeding that was initiated at a time when the defendant was not immune from criminal prosecution, and that is based on unofficial conduct from which the defendant is also not immune.”
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In a brief court decision issued on Friday, New York judge Juan Merchan wrote:
“It is hereby ordered, that defendant’s request for leave to file a motion to dismiss…is granted.”
With Donald Trump set to return to the White House in two months, no new sentencing date in his hush money case has been given.
Merchan has asked Trump’s lawyers to file a formal motion for dismissal by December 2 and for Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg to respond by December 9.
Trump was originally scheduled to be sentence on November 26. However, Bragg’s office asked Merchan to consider suspending the proceedings during Trump’s presidency and instead issue a sentencing once he has completed his four-year term and is no longer in office.
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New York judge grants Trump permission to seek dismissal of hush-money case
Donald Trump has been granted permission by a New York judge on Friday to seek dismissal of his hush money criminal case.
The permission follows his presidential victory on November 5 and multiple sentencing delays surrounding the case of which he was found guilty earlier this year.
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More than half of Americans approve of Donald Trump's plans and policies - survey
More than half of Americans, 53%, approve of Donald Trump’s plans and policies for his second presidential term, a new Pew Research survey has found.
The survey, which was conducted between November 12 and 17 and among 9,609 adults, also found that 59% of Americans said they are very or somewhat confident in Trump to make good decisions about economic policy.
54% of Americans expressed confidence in his stance on law enforcement and criminal justice, 53% each on immigration and foreign policy, 45% on his abortion policies and 41% on his ability to unite the country.
Meanwhile, more Democrats are pessimistic about the future of their party than in any other year, with 49% of Democrats and Democratic leaners feeling that way. 43% of Americans said they believe the Democratic party represents them at least somewhat well.
On the other hand, 86% of Republicans and Republican leaners say they are optimistic about the GOP’s future, with 50% of Americans saying the GOP represents them at least somewhat well.
Republicans hail Pam Bondi's attorney general nomination, calling it a 'good pick'
A handful of other Republicans from Florida are celebrating Donald Trump’s nomination of Pam Bondi as attorney general.
The state’s current attorney general Ashley Moody took to X and wrote, “Congratulations to my friend, Pam Bondi. Pam will be an excellent US attorney general.”
Daniel Webster, a House representative serving the state’s 11th congressional district called Bondi’s nomination a “good pick.”
Meanwhile, the state’s chief financial officer Jimmy Patronis wrote: “I’m so happy for my dear friend Pam Bondi to be selected as our next US attorney general by@realDonaldTrump. She’s an incredible legal talent who served Florida well and also did great work defending the President when the Left was coming after him for Russia, Russia, Russia!”
Florida’s Republican representative Carlos Gimenez is hailing Pam Bondi’s nomination as attorney general, writing on X:
“President Trump has put our sunshine state at the heart of his administration & we are all so proud!
President: Florida
Secretary of State: Florida
Attorney General: Florida
Chief of Staff: Florida
National Security Advisor: Florida.”
Bondi previously served as the state’s attorney general from 2011 to 2019. Prior to her state attorney general role, she spent more than 18 years as a prosecutor in the Hillsborough county state attorney’s office.
The other Florida natives who have been nominated by Trump include Marco Rubio, Susie Wiles and Michael Waltz.
Republican senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota remains skeptical of Pete Hegseth’s nomination for defense secretary.
Speaking to NBC about Hegseth’s sexual assault allegations, Cramer, a member of the House’s Armed Services Committee, said:
“It’s a pretty big problem, given that we have…sexual assault problem in our military.”
Cramer did not say whether the allegations would impact his vote, NBC reports, but did add:
“You know, this is why you have background checks. This is why you have hearings. This is why you have to go through the scrutiny. I’m not going to prejudge him, but yeah, it’s a pretty concerning accusation.”
On Wednesday, police released a 22-page report dating back to 12 October 2017. It includes allegations from a woman who told police that she was sexually assaulted by Hegseth after drinking at a hotel bar in Monterey, California following a Republican women’s event where Hegseth spoke.
According to the report, Hegseth assaulted the woman after he took her phone, blocked the door to a hotel room and prevented her from leaving.
Hegseth has denied the allegations, saying he was “completely cleared.”
If confirmed by the Senate, Pam Bondi will assume the nation’s highest law enforcement role under Donald Trump’s administration as attorney general.
The Guardian’s Abené Clayton reports on Bondi’s background:
Bondi has been a chair at the America First Policy Institute, a thinktank set up by former Trump administration staffers, and served on Trump’s first transition team.
The 59-year-old has been a longtime Trump ally – she was considered during his first term as a potential candidate for the nation’s highest law enforcement role.
Trump was told by advisers that she was a good alternative to Gaetz because she has allies across the Republican party as well as inside Trump’s world, according to people familiar with the matter, the Guardian reported on Thursday.
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Trump’s pick of Pam Bondi for attorney general doesn’t end transition drama
Good morning,
Despite Matt Gaetz withdrawing his name as Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee and Trump’s controversial pick of Pam Bondi as his replacement, the drama does not end for the new era of the incoming president.
Gaetz’s withdrawal came after multiple meetings with Republican senators on Wednesday who later informed Trump’s team that they continued to oppose his nomination, according to those familiar with the matter.
The controversy over Gaetz’s nomination, which has been met with public scrutiny over his sexual assault allegations, shows that Trump is not all-powerful over the Senate, despite the incoming Republican trifecta next year.
With Gaetz out of the picture, the attention remains on another one of Trump’s controversial nominations: Pete Hegseth for defense secretary.
Since his nomination, the former Fox host has been met with widespread controversy over his own sexual assault allegations. He has also written about the US military taking sides in a “civil war” and argued that “we shouldn’t have women in combat roles.” It remains to be seen whether Hegseth can pass the scrutiny of the public eye and secure a Senate confirmation.
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