Police have released a detailed investigative report into Pete Hegseth, the Fox News personality and military veteran Donald Trump has nominated to be America’s next defense secretary, after he was accused of sexual assault by a woman he met at a conservative conference in Monterey, California, in 2017, the latest resurfaced scandal to dog the incoming administration.
Hegseth told officers at the time that the encounter in question had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing.
On Wednesday, the House Ethics Committee met to discuss whether to publish its own report into another controversial Trump pick, Matt Gaetz, whom it investigated in 2021 and 2022 over allegations that he paid for sex with a minor in 2017.
Gaetz has likewise denied the accusations against him.
After meeting for two hours, the panel’s chairman Michael Guest drew a backlash after revealing: “There was no agreement by the committee to release the report.”
The president-elect has meanwhile unveiled a new range of branded guitars and made further additions to his proposed cabinet, naming Matthew Whitaker and Peter Hoekstra his ambassadors to Nato and Canada, following the nominations of Linda McMahon, Dr Mehmet Oz and Howard Lutnick earlier this week.
Key Points
- Pete Hegseth sexual assault allegations detailed in police report
- House Ethics Committee votes against releasing Matt Gaetz report as chair accused of ‘betraying the process’
- Trump eyes right-wing radio host Dan Bongino to head Secret Service
- President-elect’s cabinet filling up with Project 2025 authors despite past disavowals
- Analysis: Why the Gaetz report blew up the Ethics Committee
- Vance and Hegseth visit Capitol Hill
How did Trump really feel about the whole Kristy Noem dog killer story?
16:40
Oliver O'Connell
An NBC News report on the Trump team’s plans for day one of the administration revealed this nugget about Donald Trump’s reaction to the story that South Dakota Governor Kristy Noem had once shot the family dog, Cricket.
Per NBC News:
A key figure in the effort [to secure the border] will be Trump’s choice for homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem. As governor of South Dakota, she hasn’t managed a bureaucracy remotely like the Department of Homeland Security, which employs more than a quarter-million people and whose portfolio also includes cyber threats and terrorism.
Noem campaigned for Trump, though a person close to Trump was surprised he tapped her for the job. Trump hadn’t “talked very favorably about her” after her book came out in the spring revealing she had killed her overly aggressive dog, Cricket, the person said.
Trump was incredulous that she would choose to write about the episode given people’s emotional attachment to their pets, the person added. He was surprised that she “didn’t understand what the reaction would be,” the person said. Trump is “no dog guy, but he’s like, ‘Good Lord!’”
‘Like nothing in history’: Trump set to roll out wave of controversial executive actions on day one in office
16:35
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump’s allies have promised a “shock and awe” plan for mass deportations within his first days back in the White House.
Now, Trump’s transition team is outlining a series of executive actions on immigration within hours of his return, what one campaign official told NBC News will be “like nothing you’ve seen in history.”
Trump is expected to sign up to five executive actions targeting immigration shortly after he is sworn into office on January 20, according to NBC News.
Alex Woodward breaks down what to expect.
Harris still a favorite to run in 2028 primaries, poll says
16:20
Oliver O'Connell
A survey conducted shortly after the 2024 presidential election indicates most Democratic voters would support Vice President Kamala Harris in 2028 as the party’s nominee if she were to run for president again.
It’s only been two weeks since Democrats lost the presidency to Republicans but some are looking to the future, hopeful that a potential new, or familiar, pool of candidates will reinvigorate voters.
Though names like California Governor Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg have emerged, Harris’s campaign seems to have made a lasting impact.
Ariana Baio looks at the numbers.
Watch: Trump team threatens Musk-financed primary challenges to GOP lawmakers who oppose Gaetz confirmation
16:17
Oliver O'Connell
Trump advisor tells @jonkarl the message to Senate Republicans who try to oppose confirming Matt Gaetz: "If you are on the wrong side of the vote, you’re buying yourself a primary. That is all. And there’s a guy named Elon Musk who is going to finance it" @ABC pic.twitter.com/fJpU62jHB9
— Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) November 21, 2024
‘Morning Joe’ hosts reveal main ‘takeaway’ from Trump meeting
16:00
Oliver O'Connell
Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski have revealed their main “takeaway” from their controversial meeting with Donald Trump.
The MSBNC husband and wife duo have been facing a backlash since they announced they had visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago last Friday in a bid to “restart communications” with the president-elect.
Colleagues, media pundits, politicians and the public all criticized the hosts for the meeting and the show’s ratings took a nosedive.
James Liddell reports on what the two said they learned from the meeting.
Katy Perry weighs in as Trump forms cabinet
15:50
Oliver O'Connell
just
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) November 21, 2024
watch
idiocracy
the
movie
that’s
all
The tweet currently has 8.6 million views as of 10:50 a.m. ET.
Idiocracy (2006), starring Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, and Terry Crews, is available to view or rent on most major streaming services.
Leaked DOJ investigation into Matt Gaetz alleges web of payments over three years
15:40
Oliver O'Connell
A bombshell leaked document from the Justice Department investigation into Matt Gaetz alleged there was a web of payments between the former congressman and friends and associates said to have been with him at drug-fueled sex parties.
The meticulously detailed diagram, obtained by the New York Times, was assembled by federal investigators during the sex-trafficking investigation into Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general.
It charts how Gaetz and associates, including convicted sex trafficker Joel Greenberg, allegedly sent thousands of dollars via Venmo to dozens of people who were reportedly involved in the sex parties between 2017 and 2020, according to testimony to federal and congressional investigators, the Times reported.
Rhian Lubin has the details.
Greene and Gaetz could be on the hook for legal fees for lawsuits against civil rights groups
15:35
Alex Woodward
Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz and controversial Georgia rep Marjorie Taylor Greene could be on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees for lawsuits against civil rights groups
Several major civil rights groups — including the NAACP, Women’s March, and League of Women Voters — are asking a judge to force Gaetz and Greene to pay them hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees over their bogus lawsuits.
The case started with a lawsuit from Gaetz in California, after a city canceled some of their political events. A judge blasted them for trying to blame the civil rights groups, calling their argument a “conspiracy theory that relies purely on conjecture.”
Now, after getting roped into their mess, those groups are demanding that they be on the hook for the legal fees they spent getting out of it.
“In short, the poorly conceived lawsuit filed against the NAACP is the definition of the word ‘frivolous,’” attorneys for the NAACP wrote.
Another day, another awkward revelation about a Trump cabinet nominee
15:25
Oliver O'Connell
As if there wasn’t enough to write about Robert F Kennedy Jr’s bizarre history of conspiracy theories and ignorance of science, over at CNN’s KFile, Andrew Kaczynski has cataloged the possible future secretary of Health and Human Services’s long history of scathing takes on Donald Trump and his supporters.
While more recently before endorsing the president-elect, Kennedy labeled him a “threat to democracy,” a “bully,” and a “terrible president”, back in 2016 he had worse things to say.
Per CNN:
But Kennedy’s harshest attacks date back to Trump’s rise in 2016, when on his radio show “Ring of Fire,” Kennedy applauded descriptions of Trump’s base as “belligerent idiots” and suggestions that some were “outright Nazis” and “spineless fellow travelers.” Kennedy also likened Trump to historical demagogues like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, accusing Trump of exploiting societal insecurities and xenophobia to amass power.
After Trump won in 2016, Kennedy concluded in one episode from December of that year that Trump was at least in one way not like Hitler, because, “Hitler was interested in policy.”
Ouch.
Kennedy apologized for his comments when reached by Kaczynski. He said: “Like many Americans, I allowed myself to believe the mainstream media’s distorted, dystopian portrait of President Trump. I no longer hold this belief and now regret having made those statements.”
‘Morning Joe’ viewer exodus continues amid fallout over hosts ‘kissing the ring’ at Mar-a-Lago
15:20
Oliver O'Connell
MSNBC viewers continue to give Morning Joe the cold shoulder following the revelation that hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski trekked to Mar-a-Lago to meet with President-elect Donald Trump.
The precipitous ratings drop comes at the worst possible time for the morning talk show. On Wednesday, parent company Comcast announced that it was spinning off most of NBCUniversal’s cable channel lineup amid rampant cord-cutting — including cable news networks MSNBC and CNBC.
A representative for MSNBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Justin Barangoa reports.
Vance returns to US Capitol as ‘sherpa’ for controversial defense pick Hegseth
15:08
Oliver O'Connell
VP-Elect Vance is back on Capitol Hill today to meet with GOP Senators serving as “sherpa” for Pete Hegseth, President-Elect Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary.
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) November 21, 2024
Trump’s cabinet is filling up with Project 2025 authors despite him saying he has ‘no idea’ what it is
15:00
Joe Sommerlad
Donald Trump said he has “no idea” who’s behind it.
Howard Lutnick, his presidential transition chair and the man he picked to be the secretary of commerce, said he wouldn’t touch it.
But the authors of Project 2025 – a 900-page playbook from a right-wing think tank for the next Republican president’s agenda – are all over Trump’s incoming administration.
And now, the president-elect is reportedly expected to appoint Russell Vought as the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, a key role that oversees spending across the administration.
Vought is also among the architects of the Heritage Foundation’s plan and wrote the chapter on transforming the executive branch.
Here’s more from Alex Woodward.
VP-elect JD Vance faces flack from own party for helping Democrats push through Biden judicial nominees
14:40
Oliver O'Connell
Trump’s point man on Capitol Hill has been annoying his Senate colleagues for ducking out of votes on Joe Biden’s nominees to judicial appointments, allowing them to pass unopposed while Vance focuses on transition priorities.
Gustaf Kilander has more.
Inside Trump and Musk’s controversial bromance: ‘They are having a blast’
14:20
Joe Sommerlad
The tech billionaire has taken part in calls with world leaders, he’s had meals with the Trump family and he has been a constant presence during the last two weeks as the president-elect begins to put together his next administration.
But others close to the incoming president have been surprised at the close relationship that appears to have developed between Trump and the world’s richest person.
Gustaf Kilander takes a closer look.
Leaked DOJ investigation into Matt Gaetz alleges web of payments over three years
14:00
Joe Sommerlad
A bombshell leaked document from the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into Matt Gaetz alleged there was a web of payments between the former congressman and friends and associates said to have been with him at drug-fueled sex parties.
The meticulously detailed diagram, obtained by The New York Times, was assembled by federal investigators during the sex-trafficking investigation into Trump’s pick for attorney general.
It charts how Gaetz and associates, including convicted sex trafficker Joel Greenberg, allegedly sent thousands of dollars via Venmo to dozens of people who were reportedly involved in the sex parties between 2017 and 2020, according to testimony to federal and congressional investigators, The NYT reported.
A copy of the chart was also provided to the House Ethics Committee, according to the paper.
Rhian Lubin has the latest.
Analysis: Why the Gaetz report blew up the Ethics Committee
13:40
Joe Sommerlad
Republicans have found themselves stuck pretty badly between a rock and a hard place, reports Eric Garcia from Congress.
Trump unveils latest merchandise grift: $10,500 signed American Eagle guitars in time for Christmas
13:20
Joe Sommerlad
Here’s more on the president-elect finding time to sell luxury items during a cost of living crisis rather than picking a treasury secretary, his latest venture following hot on the heels of the gold high-top sneakers, NFTs, “MAGADonald’s” T-shirts and Bibles he hawked to his acolytes on the campaign trail.
Nancy Mace’s accused of hypocrisy over pivot to transphobia
13:00
Joe Sommerlad
The South Carolina Republican appeared on Newsmax yesterday to promote her Capitol Hill bathrooms bill and declared: “It is offensive that a man in a skirt thinks that he’s my equal.
“He’s forcing his genitals into women’s restrooms.”
Which is interesting, as her views on the issue were not always quite so abhorrent:
https://t.co/9zCvAMz8fY pic.twitter.com/bQaNuLeSI7
— Hutch (@hutchinson) November 21, 2024
Bitcoin inches close to record $100,000 propped up by Trump’s pro-crypto stance
12:40
Joe Sommerlad
The world’s leading cryptocurrency has topped $96,000 for the first time, reaching a record-high value of just over $97,522.
Several digital coins, including bitcoin, have been on a record-breaking price rally of late amid what’s being called a “Trump bump” of crypto frenzy.
Vishwam Sankaran reports.
Fox News host Jesse Watters claims men shouldn’t wish other men ‘happy birthday’
12:20
Joe Sommerlad
Here’s James Liddell on the Fox presenter snearing about Joe Biden’s birthday yesterday, with Watters once more inadvertently revealing in the process that he is a man in desperate need of a hug.
Gaetz claims he had a ‘great day’ on Capitol Hill and is looking forward to confirmation hearings
12:00
Joe Sommerlad
The would-be attorney general joined Vice President-Elect JD Vance in DC yesterday to make his case for the job to Republican senators in person, afterwards assuring the press he had a wonderful time and could not wait to have his personal life poured over in the upper chamber of Congress.
GAETZ: Senators been giving me a lot of good advice. I'm looking forward to a hearing. Folks have been very supportive. They've been saying we're going to get a fair process. pic.twitter.com/dN9gIMj5b2
— Alan He (@alanhe) November 20, 2024
Nikki Haley issues scathing takedown of ‘Russian sympathizer’ Tulsi Gabbard and ‘liberal’ RFK Jr
11:40
Joe Sommerlad
The former United Nations ambassador in Trump’s first administration raised major concerns about Gabbard, who was picked as director of national security, and RFK Jr, who has been nominated Health and Human Services secretary, during her SiriusXM show Nikki Haley Live on Wednesday.
Here’s James Liddell on what she had to say.
Watch: Trump’s border czar pick Tom Homan tears up discussing Laken Riley murder during live TV interview
11:20
Joe Sommerlad
Musk and Ramaswamy reveal plans to weaponize Supreme Court to push through mass firings and drastic cuts
11:00
Joe Sommerlad
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will be looking to the Supreme Court to unilaterally gut federal agencies and cut funding.
The two men – the world’s richest person and a wealthy biotech entrepreneur who briefly ran for president – have been tapped to lead a panel of outside advisers to make those recommendations.
Their newly created “Department of Government Efficiency” (or DOGE) will be guided by a pair of Supreme Court rulings that legal scholars have warned will turn the courts into weapons against federal regulations that right-wing groups have spent years trying to undermine.
Here’s more from Alex Woodward.
Trump allies rubbish allegations against nominees
10:40
Joe Sommerlad
Florida Representative Byron Donalds and attorney Alina Habba, two regular cable news spokespeople for the campaign that have conspicuously not been nominated to roles yet, were out on TV last night parroting the party line on Hegseth and Gaetz – and perhaps making a case for themselves with Trump in the process.
Donalds: Are we now going to demonize people because of an allegation where the DOJ did not bring charges… If you compare a potential AG Gaetz vs the current AG Garland, we do know that Garland weaponized The Justice Department pic.twitter.com/rV9wEjszpJ
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 21, 2024
Habba: We're all for anybody and what they want to do in private. I don't care. We don't care. Do you know what we care about? Don't mess with our kids. Don't mess with our sports. Don’t get kneeling— Don’t kneel for the American flag pic.twitter.com/LeNjPwidqk
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 21, 2024
Much less helpful regarding Gaetz were Lindsey Graham and Carlos Gimenez, who were not exactly offering ringing endorsements of his candidacy.
Reporter: Senator Graham, how was your meeting? Do you have any concerns about Gaetz at all?
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 20, 2024
Graham: *closes car door* pic.twitter.com/lese8woRmn
Keilar: Do you think that Matt Gaetz would make a good attorney general?
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 20, 2024
Gimenez: It doesn't matter what I think, the president-elect of the United States thinks that he'll make a good attorney general. pic.twitter.com/947qLNslgH
Trump nominates Pete Hoekstra to be US ambassador to Canada
10:20
Joe Sommerlad
Here’s the transition team’s statement on its latest nominee:
“I am very pleased to announce that former Ambassador, and former Congressman, Pete Hoekstra, has been nominated as my United States Ambassador to Canada.
“Pete is well-respected in the Great State of Michigan - A State we won sizably. He represented Michigan’s 2nd District in Congress for nearly 20 years, where he was also Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and was a great help to our Campaign as Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party.
“I overhauled the disastrous NAFTA Agreement, the worst Trade Deal in the History of the United States, which was switched to the USMCA (Mexico/Canada), which no one thought could be done. We brought Trade with Mexico and Canada to a level playing field for our wonderful Farmers and Working Families.
“In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST. He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role. Thank you, Pete!”
Trump eyes right-wing radio host Dan Bongino to head Secret Service
10:00
Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect reportedly believes that Bongino is the right man to revitalise the Secret Service as the embattled security outfit seeks to rebuild its credibility after two near-miss assassination attempts on Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign.
This pick is not quite as mad as it might seem because the host of The Dan Bongino Show political podcast did previously serve as a Secret Service agent before becoming a pundit and Fox News regular (until last year).
Trump is also said to be considering Sean Curran, the current head of his security detail, and Robert Engel, Curran’s predecessor, for the position, which does not require Senate confirmation.
Josh Marcus has more.
House Ethics Committee votes against releasing Matt Gaetz report as chair accused of ‘betraying the process’
09:40
Joe Sommerlad
The congressional investigatory panel met on Wednesday to discuss whether to publish a report into Donald Trump’s controversial choice for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, examining allegations against him that he paid for sex with a minor in 2017 that it investigated in 2021 and 2022.
ABC News reports that the former Florida congressman sent two women who testified as part of the probe more than $10,000 in Venmo payments over two years, some of which they said were for sex.
Gaetz has always denied the accusations.
After meeting for two hours, committee chairman Michael Guest drew a backlash after telling reporters: “There was no agreement by the committee to release the report.”
Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the committee, said of Guest that he had “betrayed the process by disclosing our deliberations within moments after walking out of the committee”.
Gustaf Kilander has more.
Pete Hegseth blocked woman from leaving room and sexually assaulted her after she said no, accuser claims in police report
09:20
Joe Sommerlad
A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Pete Hegseth, a Fox News personality and the president-elect‘s nominee to be defense secretary, after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report made public late on Wednesday.
Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing, the report said.
News of the allegations surfaced last week when local officials released a brief statement confirming that a woman had accused Hegseth of sexual assault in October 2017 after he had spoken at a Republican women’s event in Monterey.
Here’s the latest from Rhian Lubin.
Truth Social: Trump turns guitar salesman after attacking Laken Riley’s killer and accusing Democrats of ‘dirtying up’ nominees
09:00
Joe Sommerlad
Good morning!
It was a fairly typical evening on the president-elect’s social media platform, where he unveiled his latest grift exciting product offering, a “Make America Great Again” axe selling for as much as $10,000, yours just in time for Christmas.
A very long way indeed from Woody Guthrie’s “This Machine Kills Fascists” model.
Coming Soon! The Limited Edition “45” Guitar. Only 1,300 of each Acoustic and Electric Guitars MADE — Some personally signed! https://t.co/DY4LkF4feh pic.twitter.com/0ghYmjLxKo
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 20, 2024
Otherwise, he was all politics, leaping on the murder of Laken Riley as evidence of the “migrant crime” he seeks to eradicate in the wake of Jose Ibarra’s sentencing and blasting Democrats for seeking to tarnish his cabinet selections by finding out the truth about their pasts before approving them for high office.
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 20, 2024
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 20, 2024
Explained: Cabinet confirmation process and recess appointments
08:00
Oliver O'Connell
Eric Garcia writes:
President-elect Donald Trump continues to push his friends and closest allies as nominees for key roles in government. The picks have sent shockwaves through the hall of Congress.
Trump has vowed to get them into their positions — and it’s been floated that he could do something that hasn’t been done in the nearly 250-year history of America to make it happen. How would he achieve this, when usually he would have to go through an official confirmation process? Through recess appointments.
Continue reading...
New York Post begs Trump to ditch ‘dreadful duo’ of Gabbard and Gaetz
07:30
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump’s decision to nominate controversial loyalists to his cabinet has caused a tidal wave of negative media coverage even by his typically friendly newspapers and criticisms from fellow Republicans.
Pointing to former congressman Tulsi Gabbard and outgoing congressman Matt Gaetz, the New York Post editorial board implored the president-elect to “rethink” his choices in an op-ed published on Tuesday. Gabbard was nominated as director of national intelligence while Gaetz was named as pick for attorney general.
“Gaetz and Gabbard are dreadful,” the board wrote. “They’re distracting chaos agents who won’t accomplish what Trump wants them to, and will most likely backfire on his agenda.”
Ariana Baio has the story.
Tommy Tuberville tells Steve Bannon 2020 election was stolen in offensive rant about Joe Biden
07:00
Gustaf Kilander
Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville questioned the validity of the 2020 election during an appearance on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast with an offensive rant in which he called President Joe Biden a “bedridden dementia patient.”
Bannon, President-elect Donald Trump’s former White House chief strategist, asked Tuberville about the Democrats, saying “They’re there to fully stop Donald Trump and hopefully take their plans to take the House in two years and impeach him, right?”
Tuberville said the Democrats’ plan “was accelerated because they stole the election from President Trump and they were able to get four years with a bedridden dementia patient.”
Read more:
Trump cabinet picks described as ‘world’s first nuclear-armed reality television show’
06:30
AP
There’s a common trait that President-elect Donald Trump is clearly prizing as he selects those to serve in his new administration: experience on television.
Trump loves that “central casting” look, as he likes to call it.
Read on...
Linda McMahon: How much does she actually know about education?
05:30
Oliver O'Connell
While Trump’s pick for education secretary is relatively unknown in academic circles, she is famous in another: the WWE ring.
Former wrestling mogul and billionaire Linda McMahon has stunned educators by being unveiled as Trump’s choice to run the Department of Education – or, perhaps, to lead the operation to scrap it altogether.
But how much education experience does she actually have?
Rhian Lubin takes a look at her qualifications:
VP-elect JD Vance faces flack from own party for helping Democrats push through Biden judicial nominees
05:00
Gustaf Kilander
Republican senators not attending the last few days of the legislative session are facing criticism from colleagues as Democrats work to fill as many judicial vacancies as possible before they lose the majority in January.
That includes Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, the Ohio Senator. Senate Republicans shared their ire after Vance and some other Republican Senators skipped some votes
