The House Ethics Committee will meet on Wednesday to discuss whether or not to publish a report into Donald Trump’s controversial choice for US attorney general, Matt Gaetz, examining allegations against him that he paid for sex with a minor in 2017 that it investigated in 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, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
Gaetz has always denied the accusations and resigned from the House of Representatives last week, ending the committee’s jurisdiction over him.
That has not stopped it from facing pressure to reveal its findings just as Gaetz joins Vice President-Elect JD Vance and others on a mission to Capitol Hill lobby Republican senators ahead of January’s confirmation hearings.
Trump has meanwhile made a further series of additions to his new cabinet, moving on Tuesday to nominate former WWE boss Linda McMahon as education secretary, TV’s Dr Mehmet Oz as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator, Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary, and Matthew Whitaker as NATO ambassador.
Key Points
- House Ethics Committee to meet today to discuss Matt Gaetz report
- Gaetz sent more than $10,000 in Venmo payments to women who testifed in Ethics probe, report says
- Vance, Gaetz, Hegseth and more heading to Capitol Hill to court Republican support
- Donald Trump nominates former WWE boss Linda McMahon as education secretary
- Trump taps Dr Oz to run Medicare and Medicaid
- President-elect names Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary as ‘consolation prize’ for missing out on Treasury
Senate Judiciary Democrats ask FBI for complete evidentiary file on Gaetz
17:39
Oliver O'Connell
Senate Judiciary Democrats request the complete evidentiary file from the FBI regarding the investigation of former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz, “including documents memorializing interviews, in the closed investigation of former Congressman Matt Gaetz’s alleged sex trafficking of minors.”
Gaetz has denied all the allegations against him.
The FBI should turn over the complete files of its investigation into Matt Gaetz. pic.twitter.com/u8md8RuTpL
— Senate Judiciary Committee (@JudiciaryDems) November 20, 2024
Pete Hegseth’s comments about women in the military met with outrage
17:30
Oliver O'Connell
Women veterans, service members and advocacy groups are outraged by recent remarks from Donald Trump’s pick to lead the nation’s military branches, a veteran and former Fox News host who does not want women serving in combat.
Pete Hegseth, who Trump has nominated to be the next secretary of defense, has been widely derided for a lack of qualifications to lead the country’s largest federal agency and its 3 million service members and civilian staff members.
In a recent podcast appearance, Hegseth said the nation’s military “should not have women in combat roles” and that men are “more capable” in those positions.
Alex Woodward reports.
Who is Matthew Whitaker, Trump’s pick to be NATO ambassador
17:15
Alex Woodward
Trump’s pick for NATO ambassador is an anti-abortion crusader who has routinely attacked the Biden administration through legal groups tied to the former president.
When Jeff Sessions resigned in 2018, Trump tapped Matthew Whitaker as the acting attorney general, overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections — a probe that he had repeatedly criticized.
While running for Senate in 2014, he told a group of college students he was “100 percent pro-life” and supported a bill that would grant so-called fetal personhood, which would grant constitutional protections to fetuses beginning at conception — effectively outlawing abortion.
“I don’t want to criminalize females who find themselves in crisis,” Whitaker said at the time. “But at the same time, I do believe life begins at conception.”
Whitaker has also said that judges need to have a “biblical view of justice” and questioned the judgment of a secular judiciary.
As a member of the board of America First Legal, he said the group “strongly believes in the Constitutional and God-given right to life” and is “pleased” that the Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to Roe v Wade.
“America First Legal looks forward to engaging on this very important case, and will work to assist all states that are protecting the unborn,” he added.
Whitaker also is co-chair of America First Policy Institute, which has offered up a raft of policy proposals to the incoming Trump administration.
Through America First Legal, Whitaker has also criticized the Biden administration’s approach to the US-Mexico border (“showing a blatant lack of respect for American sovereignty and the rule of law”) and filed legal briefs defending Trump in his classified documents case under special counsel Jack Smith.
Democratic rep points out worrying trend with Trump picks: ‘World’s first nuclear-armed reality television show’
17:00
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.
Continue reading...
Just in: Trump attorney ask judge for ‘immediate dismissal’ of criminal hush money case
16:55
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump’s attorneys now claim that moving forward with his criminal hush money case, despite a jury reaching a verdict, would “interfere” with his presidency and should warrant the “immediate dismissal” of the case altogether.
In a letter to New York Justice Juan Merchan on Wednesday, one day after Manhattan prosecutors urged the judge to keep the case alive, Trump’s defense attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove claim that tossing the verdict is “what is mandated by the law and will happen as justice takes its course.”
“Immediate dismissal of this case is mandated by the federal Constitution, the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, and the interests of justice, in order to facilitate the orderly transition of executive power following President Trump’s overwhelming victory in the 2024 presidential election,” they wrote.
Blanche and Bove were both just nominated by Trump to serve in high-ranking roles at the Justice Department.
How the GOP now loves what it used to loathe
16:40
Oliver O'Connell
Kelly Rissman writes:
Republicans have changed their tune on a few of their stances now that Donald Trump is the president-elect.
The so-called “Trump dance” is everywhere in sports arenas. Calls for “free speech” are drowning out previous threats against jailing members of the press.
In the weeks since Trump’s election victory, some social media users have pointed out his party’s hypocrisy now that he is set to return to the White House in January.
From school lunches to keeping sports out of politics, here are all the things the Republicans used to loathe that they now love:
Gaetz sent more than $10,000 in Venmo payments to women who testifed in ethics probe, report says
16:23
Oliver O'Connell
Per ABC News:
The House Ethics Committee obtained records, including a check and records of Venmo payments, that appear to show that then-Rep. Matt Gaetz paid more than $10,000 to two women who were later witnesses in sexual misconduct probes conducted by both the House and the Justice Department, according to documents obtained by ABC News.
The Venmo records show that between July 2017 and late January 2019, Gaetz -- who was first elected in 2016 -- allegedly made 27 Venmo payments totaling $10,224.02 to the two witnesses, who were over the age of 18 at the time.
The payments, which sources said were displayed during closed-door testimony, ranged from $100 to more than $700 each.
Jimmy Kimmel coins new nickname for Matt Gaetz
16:17
Oliver O'Connell
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel didn’t hold back while criticizing Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, referring to him as “Caucasian Diddy” as the former representative faces sexual misconduct allegations.
Ariana Baio has the story.
Trump names nominee for NATO ambassador role
16:00
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump has named his choice as the US ambassador to NATO.
The president-elect released the following statement:
I am pleased to announce that former Acting Attorney General, Matthew G. Whitaker, from the Great State of Iowa, will be the United States Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Matt is a strong warrior and loyal Patriot, who will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended. Matt will strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability - He will put AMERICA FIRST.
I have full confidence in Matt’s ability to represent the United States with Strength, Integrity, and unwavering Dedication. I look forward to working closely with him as we continue to promote PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, Freedom, and Prosperity around the World.
Matt is also the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, and is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a B.A., MBA and J.D., where he played football, and received the Big Ten Medal of Honor.
Whitaker served as acting United States Attorney General from November 2018 to February 2019. He was appointed to that position by then-President Trump after Jeff Sessions resigned at Trump's request.
Whitaker had previously served as chief of staff for Sessions from October 2017 to November 2018.
NY Post calls on Trump to ditch ‘dreadful duo’ Gaetz and Gabbard
15:50
Oliver O'Connell
Despite voicing approval for most of Donald Trump’s cabinet picks for his second administration — and cheering on the coming Department of Government Efficiency, to be led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy — The New York Post has a blunt message regarding Tulsi Gabbard and Matt Gaetz: “Ditch this dreadful duo.”
The NY Post Editorial Board calls on Donald Trump to “ditch” Tulsi Gabbard and Matt Gaetz. pic.twitter.com/q0UkmksGBd
— Republican Voters Against Trump (@AccountableGOP) November 20, 2024
The editorial board writes that the “distracting chaos agents” won’t accomplish what Trump intends them to and “will most likely backfire on his agenda.”
With Gabbard as the proposed director of national intelligence, the Post notes that while they have some affinity over wanting to limit foreign escapades, the former Democrat representative disagreed with Trump on key first-term moments — pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal and killed Qassem Soleimamni.
She has also been “sympathetic to dictators in Syria and Russia, instead blaming the victims of violence like Ukraine and Israel” and while they say Trump understands the Teddy Roosevelt maxim of speaking softly and carrying a big stick, Gabbard speaks softly and carries no stick.
“There’s a real fear that Gabbard won’t provide Trump with the intelligence he needs, but rather downplay threats with the intention of isolationism,” the Post writes.
As for Gaetz, the editorial board calls him “even worse”.
“Gaetz may provide the disruption, but he has neither the ethics nor the discipline to rebuild a proper system that will pursue fair prosecutions,” the Post says. “The congressman may have convinced Trump that he is the subject of ‘lawfare,’ but it’s obvious all he wants is an escape hatch.”
Noting his resignation ahead of the release of an ethics report over allegations of sex with an underage girl and drug-fueled parties, the board writes: “His own colleagues say he’s a sleaze.”
By nominating the pair, the Post says Trump is wasting important political capital “out of stubbornness, not necessity” when the Senate would quickly confirm almost every other member of the cabinet.
“There’s no need to go to the mattresses over Matt Gaetz.”
In conclusion, the editorial board notes that any battle over nomination provides ammunition for Trump’s opponents and puts the Republican Congress at risk in 2026, potentially grinding the agenda to a halt.
How much does Trump education pick Linda McMahon actually know about education?
15:30
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 reports.
Vance tells Senate Republicans Trump ‘deserves a cabinet that is loyal'
15:24
Oliver O'Connell
Vice President-elect JD Vance has posted a not-so-subtle dig at incoming Republican senators saying Donald Trump’s electoral victory provided the coattails for them to take the majority in the upper chamber of Congress.
Therefore, the president-elect “deserves a cabinet that is loyal to the agenda he was elected to implement.”
Donald J. Trump just won a major electoral victory. His coattails turned a 49-51 senate to a 53-47 senate.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) November 20, 2024
He deserves a cabinet that is loyal to the agenda he was elected to implement.
There have been significant rumblings about the qualifications and quality of some of Trump’s choices for cabinet posts within Republican ranks in the Senate — most notably over his pick for attorney general, former congressman Matt Gaetz.
Vance is currently on Capitol Hill trying to ensure enough support for the confirmation process.
Trump biopic star says that actors have begun to distance themselves from him
15:10
Oliver O'Connell
The Apprentice star Sebastian Stan has admitted that other actors have been afraid to do appearances with him as they didn’t want to discuss Donald Trump.
Stan stars as Trump in a controversial biopic about the president-elect, which focuses on his early days as a real estate tycoon and his relationship with lawyer Roy Cohn, played by Succession’s Jeremy Strong.
The movie, which received mixed reviews and was released prior to the US election on November 5, received strong backlash from Trump himself, branding the creative team involved “human scum”.
Stan has now said that there has been so much of a row around the film that other actors are now starting to distance themselves from him.
Greg Evans reports.
Giuliani defamation victims file contempt motion against him for repeating same false statements
14:59
Oliver O'Connell
The two Georgia election workers who were defamed by Rudy Giuliani, winning a court case against him for which they were awarded $148 million, have filed a motion for contempt against the former New York City mayor after he repeated defamatory statements about them:
Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss say Giuliani, who acted as a personal lawyer for Donald Trump, should be held in contempt of court for repeating his false claims about them during recent podcast episodes.
On his livestreams, Giuliani has recently said the women were “quadruple counting the the the ballots” and “passing hard drives” — claims that were central to the original $148 million defamation judgment against him.
“I’m sorry they’re going to sue me again for saying it but what am I going to do but tell the truth,” he said on his broadcast this month.
The “hard drives” of which Guliani spoke was in fact a pack of ginger mints.
In the filing, Moss and Freeman say Judge Beryl Howell should consider an evidentiary hearing in Washington, D.C. to determine the appropriate punishment for his defiance of court orders.
Watch: Lincoln Projects says ‘President Musk’ really running the show
14:50
Oliver O'Connell
Everyone knows who is running this show. pic.twitter.com/9azESXwTYO
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) November 19, 2024
Graham says he won’t be part of ‘lynch mob’ against Gaetz
14:45
Oliver O'Connell
Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters he met with Vice President-elect JD Vance and Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz this morning.
The South Carolina Republican said: “I think Matt is very, very smart guy, and these allegations will be dealt with in committee, but he deserves a chance to confront his accusers, and the process is turning into a lynch mob, and I'm not going to be part of that.”
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) just told reporters he met with VP-elect JD Vance & Matt Gaetz this morning.
— Sam Lisker (@slisker) November 20, 2024
“I think Matt is very, very smart guy, and these allegations will be dealt with in committee, but he deserves a chance to confront his accusers, and the process is turning…
RFK Jr helps chef who posted Nazi symbol publish children’s cookbook
14:40
Joe Sommerlad
Seriously, could we just get one normal day with this guy?
Trump attorneys to file motion to dismiss defamation case by exonerated Central Park Five
14:30
Alex Woodward
Last night, Trump’s attorneys said they will be filing a motion to dismiss the defamation lawsuit from the now-exonerated Central Park Five. During his debate with Harris, Trump falsely said they had killed someone. He never apologized for any of his statements about the group.
Now, his attorneys claim their lawsuit should be thrown out under anti-SLAPP laws (which is ironic because Trump has been accused of doing the same thing), and that their case is an “attempt to stifle constitutionally protected speech.”
“President-Elect Trump’s statements during the 2024 Presidential Debate were not intended to defame Plaintiffs but to explain his rationale for actions taken decades earlier, grounded in his opinions on public safety and the criminal justice system,” attorneys wrote.
Here’s our initial reporting on the case:
RFK Jr once said Covid-19 pandemic ‘feels very planned to me’
14:20
Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect’s nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services once suggested that the Covid-19 pandemic was a globalist plot, you might not be altogether surprised to learn.
Here’s Gustaf Kilander with the details.
Vance, Gaetz and Rubio arrive on Capitol HIll to lobby for AG nomination
14:15
Oliver O'Connell
VP-elect Vance just arrived to Capitol Hill with 2 of President-elect Trump’s cabinet picks — former Rep Matt Gaetz and Sen Marco Rubio
— Kelly Phares (@kellyfphares) November 20, 2024
Gaetz and Vance are expected to meet with Senators today about his nomination to be AG pic.twitter.com/a7EFOubyBV
John Fetterman says he is willing to confirm Dr Oz: ‘Do you think he’s my first choice?’
14:00
Joe Sommerlad
The Pennsylvania Democratic senator who beat Dr Oz at the October 2022 midterms tells our own Eric Garcia he is prepared to confirm his erstwhile opponent, albeit through gritted teeth.
Trump campaign slams 'known peddler of fake news’ Michael Wolff
13:40
Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect’s team has just issued this stinging dismissal of the author of the hit Trump books Fire and Fury, Siege and Landslide (2018-21), writing in a statement:
“A number of us have received inquiries from the disgraced author Michael Wolff, whose previous work can only be described as fiction. He is a known peddler of fake news who routinely concocts situations, conversations, and conclusions that never happened.
“As a group, we have decided not to respond to his bad faith inquiries, and we encourage others to completely disregard whatever nonsense he eventually publishes. Consider this our blanket response to whatever he writes.”
The above is undersigned by the following names, all senior members of Trump’s staff.
- Susie Wiles
- Chris LaCivita
- Danielle Alvarez
- James Blair
- Taylor Budowich
- Justin Caporale
- Steven Cheung
- Tony Fabrizio
- Vince Haley
- Brian Hughes
- Jason Miller
- Tim Murtaugh
- Tim Saler
- Andrew Surabian
- Travis Tunis
Trump transition team ‘quietly’ looking at alternatives to Pete Hegseth after he ‘wasn’t honest’ about past
13:20
Joe Sommerlad
Donald Trump’s transition team is said to be “upset” with Pete Hegseth because he “hasn’t been honest” about the sexual misconduct allegation from his past – prompting insiders to consider other options to lead the Pentagon.
Hegseth was tapped last week to become Trump’s defense secretary but now those in the president-elect’s inner circle are “quietly preparing a list of alternative” candidates, Vanity Fair reported.
“It’s becoming a real possibility,” a source told the outlet.
Here’s more from Rhian Lubin and Katie Hawkinson.
Trump demands the Senate stop doing its job confirming judges before he takes office
13:00
Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect has called on Republican senators to grind the business of the upper chamber of Congress to a halt in order to stop Democrats from confirming any more judges before the end of President Joe Biden’s term.
Senate Democrats held votes late into the night on Monday to confirm Biden’s picks to the federal bench, prompting this angry Truth Social post from Trump:
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 19, 2024
There was also internal GOP annoyance with Vice President-Elect Vance, secretary of state nominee Marco Rubio and others who skipped those Monday votes, enabling Chuck Schumer’s Democrats to greenlight Biden’s choices with less opposition.
“If we don’t show up, we lose,” huffed North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis, according to The Hill.
“I don’t care what the reasons were. We have fewer than 15 scheduled legislative days. You have to show up. Period. End of story. There’s nothing more important.
“We’ve got potentially dozens we could have shoved down our throat – except for us being here.
“We’ve got to talk to these folks like adults and show up.”
Gustaf Kilander has more.
Morning Joe suffers ratings nosedive after hosts met Trump at Mar-a-Lago
12:40
Joe Sommerlad
Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski’s house call on the president-elect appears to have gone down extremely badly with their viewers, as well as pundits on both sides of the political divide.
James Liddell has the latest.
From ‘magic’ weight-loss coffee beans to red onion stopping cancer: Dr Oz’s history of baseless medical claims
12:25
Joe Sommerlad
Oh boy.
Here’s Rhian Lubin to look at the TV doctor’s long history of questionable quackery, from “miracle cures” to weight loss gimmicks and hydroxychloroquine advocacy during the pandemic.
WWE fans react to Trump picking ‘totally unqualified’ Linda McMahon as education secretary
12:10
Joe Sommerlad
If you’re not familiar with McMahon, here’s a starter pack:
Meet Trump’s new Secretary of Education nominee Linda McMahon pic.twitter.com/5IAWechZ6w
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) November 20, 2024
Linda McMahon to become the first Secretary of Education to have been a playable character in WWF No Mercy for the Nintendo 64. pic.twitter.com/n84BVSnQxT https://t.co/1hE0fZz8AJ
— Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) November 19, 2024
For more, here’s our resident wrestling buff Greg Evans with the insiders’ response to Trump’s choice.
Watch: Trump’s incoming border czar threatens prosecution for hiding illegal immigrants
11:55
Joe Sommerlad
incoming Trump border czar Tom Homan threatens people in blue states with prosecution if they hide migrants from ICE pic.twitter.com/VenTqWTKdv
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 19, 2024
Manhattan prosecutors reject Trump’s attempts to derail hush money conviction
11:25
Joe Sommerlad
In New York, Manhattan prosecutors have urged the judge overseeing Trump’s criminal hush money trial to reject his attempts to toss out his conviction and derail his sentencing.
But District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his team do not oppose a delay in the proceedings so they can address Trump’s upcoming arguments to dismiss the case, according to a letter to New York Justice Juan Merchan on Tuesday.
Trump’s sentencing was initially scheduled for next week, on November 26, roughly three weeks after he won the 2024 presidential election.
He will return to the White House on January 20, potentially upending the multiple criminal and civil cases against him.
Prosecutors have also floated delaying a sentencing hearing until 2029, “after the end of Defendant’s upcoming presidential term.”
While prosecutors are “mindful of the demands and obligations of the presidency” and understand that Trump’s return to the White House “will raise unprecedented legal questions,” they also “deeply respect the fundamental role of the jury in our constitutional system.”
Bragg’s office has asked to respond to Trump’s motion to dismiss the conviction no later than December 9.
“This is a total and definitive victory for President Trump and the American People who elected him in a landslide,” Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement.
“The Manhattan DA has conceded that this Witch Hunt cannot continue. The lawless case is now stayed, and President Trump’s legal team is moving to get it dismissed once and for all.”
Here’s Alex Woodward’s report.
Vance, Gaetz, Hegseth and more heading to Capitol Hill to court Republican support
10:55
Joe Sommerlad
Vice President-Elect JD Vance is due on Capitol Hill today leading a delegation of Trump administration nominees that will reportedly include Matt Gaetz, Pete Hegseth, Elise Stefanik and Doug Collins in order to lobby Republican senators and try to tie down their support ahead of the upcoming cabinet confirmation hearings, according to CNN.
Both Trump himself and Gaetz have reportedly been hitting the phones as part of their effort to secure the latter’s place as attorney general, with Missouri Senator Josh Hawley saying the ex-Florida congressman had implored him “to give him a shot” at the role.
Meanwhile, veteran GOP senator Chuck Grassley, who is set to be the next chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has stirred the pot by urging the House Ethics Committee to publish its report on Gaetz, perhaps suggesting he’ll use it to oppose his nomination.
“I think that if they want a speedy consideration of this nomination… we’ve got to have as much transparency as we can have,” Grassley said.
“You’ve heard my colleagues, especially on the Republican side, say that they have some questions… and I think it would help faster consideration, the extent to which they would make as much available as they can.”
Here’s more.
House Ethics Committee to meet today to discuss Matt Gaetz report
10:45
Joe Sommerlad
The House Ethics Committee will meet later today to discuss whether to publish its dossier on Matt Gaetz, Trump’s controversial candidate for attorney general, after it investigated him in 2022 over allegations he paid for sex with a minor.
It emerged on Tuesday that a hacker reportedly gained access to a computer file that contained damaging testimony made about the former Florida congressman.
The file is said to include testimony from a woman who claimed that she had sex with Gaetz in 2017 when she was 17, as well as corroborating evidence by a second woman who said that she witnessed the incident, a source told The New York Times.
It comes amid ongoing concerns over Gaetz’s nomination.
The 42-year-old previously faced a Justice Department probe into allegations he sex-trafficked a minor but this has since been closed.
The Ethics Committee likewise investigated allegations of sexual misconduct against Gaetz, with pressure now mounting for its report to be released ahead of the upcoming Senate confirmation hearings.
Mike Bedigan reports.
Trump watches SpaceX launch in Texas with Elon Musk and Ted Cruz
10:30
Joe Sommerlad
This is how the president-elect and his new tech bro billionaire buddy spent their Tuesday.
.@elonmusk greets President @realDonaldTrump on Starbase!! pic.twitter.com/fkMIubPHzp
— Margo Martin (@margomartin) November 19, 2024
President Trump has arrived to watch the SpaceX launch with @elonmusk! pic.twitter.com/D5awPUUQTC
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) November 19, 2024
.@SpaceX Starship pic.twitter.com/hiliGwkW9p
— Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) November 19, 2024
Trump names Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary as ‘consolation prize’ for missing out on Treasury
10:10
Joe Sommerlad
The last of yesterday’s major nominees was Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, whom Trump has chosen as his preferred commerce secretary, a gig CNN reporter Kristen Holmes characterised as a “consolation prize” for Lutnick missing out on the chance to be treasury secretary.
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 19, 2024
Co-chair of Trump’s transition team along with McMahon, Lutnick had been under consideration to lead the Treasury, a role that has still yet to be filled and which is reportedly the cause of much disagreement behind the scenes among Trump’s courtiers at Mar-a-Lago – or even a “knife fight”, as Holmes put it.
Here’s more from Gustaf Kilander.
Trump names Dr Oz to lead Medicare and Medicaid
09:50
Joe Sommerlad
The president-elect also announced yesterday that he had tapped Dr Mehmet Oz, the TV personality and failed Pennsylvania Senate candidate, to serve as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator.
Here’s his statement on that one:
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 19, 2024
Kelly Rissman reports.
Donald Trump nominates former WWE boss Linda McMahon as education secretary
09:30
Joe Sommerlad
Good morning!
Donald Trump has made a further series of additions to his new cabinet, among the most surprising of which was his move on Tuesday to nominate former WWE boss Linda McMahon as education secretary.
Here’s his statement explaining the choice:
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 20, 2024
Gustaf Kilander has the full story.
Could the stock market be the last guardrails to corral Trump’s wildest whims?
09:10
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump has so far chosen only the most loyal supporters to join his cabinet, signaling that he intends to surround himself with officials who will carry out his agenda without question.
But there is one force that could keep some of his plans at bay — the stock market.
Rhian Lubin explains.
08:30
Oliver O'Connell
Joe Scarborough, Trump and 20 years of sick conspiracies about the death of ‘Morning Joe’ host’s aide
Since announcing their post-election meeting with Donald Trump, Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski have Related News & Content
