Republican senators offer early support for Trump’s FBI pick Kash Patel – Reuters Source Link Excerpt:
Several Republican U.S. senators said on Sunday they would back President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Kash Patel to head the FBI, an early show of support for a loyalist who has called for the bureau to be purged of those who oppose Trump’s agenda.
Patel, nominated by Trump on Saturday, also has advocated for a campaign of retribution against Trump’s perceived enemies.
Patel, 44, could face a challenging confirmation process with the U.S. Senate. During Trump’s first term, Patel, who advised both the director of national intelligence and the defense secretary, drew animosity from some more experienced national security officials, who saw him as volatile and too eager to please the then-president.
While some Democrats on Sunday voiced concerns that the law enforcement agency would become politicized and a tool for Trump to pursue adversaries under Patel, several senior Republican senators praised Trump’s pick.
‘Should Be Disqualified!’ — Conservatives Slam Trump’s DEA Pick Chad Chronister for Being a Woke, Democrat Donor, Pro-Vaccine ‘Tyrant’ Who Arrested a Pastor During COVID | The Gateway Pundit– www.thegatewaypundit.com Source Link Excerpt:
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) Facebook
President Donald Trump’s recent announcement of Sheriff Chad Chronister as his nominee for Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator has sparked a fierce backlash among conservatives, who are raising serious concerns about Chronister’s record, particularly his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic and his perceived alignment with leftist policies.
On Sunday, Trump announced his nomination of Chronister with a glowing endorsement:
I am pleased to nominate Sheriff Chad Chronister for Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). For over 32 years, Sheriff Chad Chronister has served the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and received countless commendations and awards for keeping his community SAFE.
A proud graduate of the FBI National Academy’s 260th Session, Chad is Co-Chairman of the Regional Domestic Security Task Force for Region IV Tampa Bay, Council Member of the Florida Attorney General’s Statewide Council on Human Trafficking, Chairman of the Criminal Justice Sub-Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Hillsborough County Public Safety Coordinating Council, and Vice-Chairman of the Hillsborough County Public Schools Citizen Oversight Committee.
Trump scores early win on judges thanks to Senate Republicans– www.washingtonexaminer.com Source Link Excerpt:
President-elect Donald Trump will come into office next year with four extra slots to fill on the federal bench, thanks to a deal Senate Republicans struck with Democrats.
Republicans agreed to relent on their procedural warfare waged in recent days in an attempt to thwart the confirmation of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees to lifetime appointments in his final weeks in office.
In exchange for the GOP allowing lower-level district court nominees to receive quicker votes, Senate Democrats will not move forward with confirming four higher-level circuit court picks and saving the positions for Trump to fill.
After Matt Gaetz announced he was removing his name from consideration for Attorney General nomination, President Trump quickly announced his replacement, Pam Bondi, and many are suggesting that was the intention from the start. Did Trump open with the less palatable Gaetz to make it easier to get the more effective Bondi confirmed? After all, Pam Bondi was the former Attorney General for Florida, and she built a reputation as being a highly effective prosecutor.
Trump said of the selection, “I am proud to announce former Attorney General of the Great State of Florida, Pam Bondi, as our next Attorney General of the United States. Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was very tough on Violent Criminals, and made the streets safe for Florida Families. Then, as Florida’s first female Attorney General, she worked to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs, and reduce the tragedy of Fentanyl Overdose Deaths, which have destroyed many families across our Country.”
Was Trump Doing His 4-D Chess Thing With His Attorney General Picks? – PJ Media– pjmedia.com Source Link Excerpt:
Trump wasn’t caught off-guard by Gaetz’s withdrawal, naming the nominee to replace him just hours later, which Matt covered:
Hours after Matt Gaetz took his name out of consideration for Attorney General, President Trump announced his new pick for the position.
“I am proud to announce former Attorney General of the Great State of Florida, Pam Bondi, as our next Attorney General of the United States,” Trump announced in a post on Truth Social. “Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was very tough on Violent Criminals, and made the streets safe for Florida Families. Then, as Florida’s first female Attorney General, she worked to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs, and reduce the tragedy of Fentanyl Overdose Deaths, which have destroyed many families across our Country.”
Pam Bondi is an absolutely brilliant choice for attorney general. Her experience as Florida’s AG makes her highly qualified to take over the Department of Justice and get rid of the Merrick Garland Swamp rot that is infesting it. She’s very no-nonsense and knows how to throw a legal punch. The open borders people are already dyspeptic. My Townhall colleague Sarah Arnold laid out why Bondi has the lefties melting down here. This is from her post:
MSNBC is melting down over Pam Bondi as Attorney General:
“We should all fear [her] because she’s competent.”
Sarah has some more choice video in the article, including a clip of Bondi taking a shot at Dem beta male Mark Cuban.
Given Pam Bondi’s close personal and professional relationship with Donald Trump, why wasn’t she his first choice? Since we’re having fun with the 4-D chess idea, we have to wonder if the plan always was to eventually have her be the nominee. Perhaps nominating Gaetz first was merely a way to get the Dems so worked up that they’d be more amenable to Bondi once he bowed out.
That’s how this game works, isn’t it?
Again, this is just a lot of spitballin’ here. Like I said at the top, we’re just having some quick fun.
“But Kruiser,” some of you are saying, “why would Gaetz resign from Congress if that was the plan?”
I hear that there will be an open Senate seat in Florida once Trump’s next Secretary of State is confirmed.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
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Top Conservative Senators Vow To Support All Trump Cabinet Nominees– trendingpoliticsnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) have both vowed to support all of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees and called for confirmation hearings to be scheduled immediately.
“A majority of voters decided that the America First agenda championed by Donald Trump and J.D. Vance is a playbook for American greatness. As a part of that playbook, President Trump has already put together a strong, very strong list of qualified Cabinet members,” Tuberville, who was a highly successful college football coach before running for office, told his colleagues on the Senate floor Wednesday.
“At defense, he’s tapped Pete Hegseth, a veteran who served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is an Ivy League educated businessman background. That’s what we need in the Pentagon right now to restore order in our finances. At HHS, he’s assigned Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who has single-handedly brought attention to the many public health crises facing Americans. He’s Harvard educated, has authored multiple books, and has a four-decade career in public health and environmental law,” he continued.
Biden-Harris admin approves landmines for use in Ukraine | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com Source Link Excerpt:
The Ottawa Convention, an international treaty against the use of landmines, has been signed by 164 countries.
After authorizing the use of long-range, American-made ATACMS missiles to take out targets in Russia, the Biden-Harris administration has authorized land mines for use in Ukraine. These antipersonnel mines are intended to aid Ukraine in their defense against attacker Russia, but there has been substantial criticism levied as a result.
The Ottawa Convention, an international treaty against the use of landmines, has been signed by 164 countries. Mines deployed in Vietnam and other areas have remained active for decades after the end of a conflict, rendering the land unusable. Ukraine wanted them anyway in an effort to fend off Russia, which invaded their neighbor in February 2022.
In reaction to the authorization of US ATACMS missiles, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that retaliations against Ukraine and the US could be forthcoming as a result. The Biden-Harris administration has been backing Ukraine since the beginning of hostilities and has spent billions in both aid and weapons. Russia is widely perceived to be winning the conflict.
Matt Gaetz news: House GOP reject releasing ethics report– www.ctvnews.ca Source Link Excerpt:
House Ethics Committee Republicans voted Wednesday against releasing the panel’s long-running investigation into U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the top Democrat on the panel said.
The outcome, however, is only a temporary reprieve for Gaetz, who faces allegations of sexual misconduct, as he works to personally secure his embattled nomination to be the nation’s top law enforcement official.
The House panel expects to meet again Dec. 5 to reconsider releasing its findings.
“There was no consensus on this issue,” said Rep. Susan Wild of Pennsylvania, the panel’s ranking Democrat, who said the vote fell along party lines on the evenly split committee.
With a clear understanding of the reason for the sudden revival of a bill called the PRESS Act, President Donald Trump posted “REPUBLICANS MUST KILL THIS BILL!” The bill would “protect” the press from being spied on by the Federal government. Critics believe the bill goes too far in protecting the press to the point of allowing it to commit unaccountable crimes.
Some of those actions include colluding with America’s enemies, political parties, or engaging in intentional slander to incite violence and economically destroy political opposition, as many already suspect the MSM is guilty of doing. Tom Cotton summed it up when he posted “The PRESS Act would shield journalists and leakers from consequences – even when their actions endanger American lives and security.”
Trump Urges Congressional Republicans To Block Bill Protecting Journalists From Government Spying– dailycaller.com Source Link Excerpt:
President-elect Donald Trump directed congressional Republicans on Wednesday to block a bipartisan bill aimed at shielding journalists from government surveillance.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump shared a PBS News segment outlining the bipartisan bill’s intent and its current status in Congress. “REPUBLICANS MUST KILL THIS BILL!” Trump wrote.
The Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (PRESS) Act, which passed the House earlier in 2024 with bipartisan backing, seeks to establish the first federal press shield law in the United States. Democratic Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin and Republican California Rep. Kevin Kiley, who co-sponsored the bill, hailed its passage in January.
“House passage of the PRESS Act in a unanimous vote moves America closer to establishing our first federal press shield law ever. The PRESS Act will greatly strengthen the meaning of the constitutional promise of press freedom,” Raskin said. “This awesome bipartisan vote at a time of party polarization underscores the binding power and universal appeal of freedom of the press as a leading constitutional principle. This is a significant victory for the people and our First Amendment values.”
Senate can call Gaetz investigation witnesses in lieu of ethics report– www.washingtonexaminer.com Source Link Excerpt:
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) suggested that Senate Republicans could call the witnesses involved in former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s sexual misconduct case if the House Ethics Committee does not release its report.
Gaetz is facing an uphill battle to be confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general, and his past alleged misconduct has been the main catalyst for the complications in his appointment.
The former congressman has been connected with a sex trafficking investigation and an allegation that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl. The House report is expected to shed light on Gaetz’s involvement.
Cornyn told the Wall Street Journal that he “absolutely” supported a full background check into Trump’s nominees but that they did not need to depend on the committee to release its report because they “roughly” know who the witnesses are and can call them to testify before the Judiciary Committee.
“In order to do our job, we need to get access to all the information, but also to protect the president against any surprises that might damage his administration,” Cornyn said.
Trump Nominates Howard Lutnick for Commerce Secretary– legalinsurrection.com Source Link Excerpt:
President-elect Donald Trump nominated Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, to head the Commerce Department.
“He will lead our Tariff and Trade agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative,” said Trump. “In his role as Co-Chair of the Trump-Vance Transition Team, Howard has created the most sophisticated process and system to assist us in creating the greatest Administration America has ever seen.”
Lutnick joined Cantor Fitzgerald in 1983.
Lutnick, who was 29 at the time, became president and CEO of the investment firm in 1991 and chairman in 1996.
But the CEO has a sad story. It breaks your heart.
Cantor Fitzgerald had offices on the 101-105th floors of the World Trade Center’s North Tower.
On September 11, 2001, Lutnick did not go to work right away because he took his son to his first day of kindergarten.
