Matt Gaetz will not return to Congress after withdrawing his attorney general nomination – live
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.”
Key events
Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is reportedly set to lead a new House subcommittee that will work with the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, according to CNBC.
A source familiar with the situation told the network that Greene, along with Republican House Oversight Chairman James Comer, 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.”
Republican Derek Merrin has officially conceded the race for Ohio’s 9th congressional district to his Democratic opponent – veteran congresswoman Marcy Kaptur.
In a video statement posted to X, fourth-term state representative 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, who was endorsed by 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.”
Incoming Senate judiciary chair Chuck Grassley praised president-elect 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.
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.
For the full story, click here:
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.
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.
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.
For the full explainer, click here:
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.
Here are other developments in US politics:
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The Senate will not vote on four of Joe Biden’s appellate court nominees in order to hasten the processes of other nominations.
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Former health secretary Tom Price says he expects Trump to implement block grants for Medicaid.
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