Tag Archives: matt-gaetz

Mid-Day Snapshot · November 22, 2024

“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.

THE FOUNDATION

“The great principles of right and wrong are legible to every reader; to pursue them requires not the aid of many counselors. The whole art of government consists in the art of being honest.” —Thomas Jefferson (1775)

IN TODAY’S DIGEST

EXECUTIVE NEWS SUMMARY

Douglas Andrews, Thomas Gallatin, & Jordan Candler

Government & Politics

Gaetz out, Bondi in for attorney general: Democrats who think they dodged a bullet when the disruptive Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for attorney general might soon be disabused of that notion. Donald Trump acted quickly by nominating Pam Bondi to the top job instead. Bondi, Florida’s first female AG, served two terms in that post, and she too sounds committed to rooting out the weaponization of government. Back in June, Bondi said, “We talk about the weaponization of the FBI, the CIA, the ATF, and the IRS. It all starts at the top with Merrick Garland.” Said Trump after nominating Bondi: “For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans — Not anymore. Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again. I have known Pam for many years — She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!” Gaetz, too, was gracious toward his replacement, calling her “a stellar selection” as well as “a proven litigator, an inspiring leader, and a champion for all Americans.”
Disgraceful Bob Casey finally concedes: Better late than never, we suppose, but incumbent Pennsylvania Democrat Senator Bob Casey has finally, begrudgingly, kickingandscreamingly done the right thing. As the AP, which called the race two weeks ago, tells it, “A statewide recount showed no signs of closing the gap and [Casey’s] campaign suffered blows in court in its effort to get favorable ballots counted.” (By “favorable,” the AP means “illegal,” at least according to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.) “I just called Dave McCormick to congratulate him on his election to represent Pennsylvania in the United States Senate,” said Casey in a statement. “As the first count of ballots is completed, Pennsylvanians can move forward with the knowledge that their voices were heard, whether their vote was the first to be counted or the last.” Indeed, their voices were heard, but Casey’s reputation for decency suffered irreparable harm when he chose to drag out the inevitable in the (vain) hope that his fellow Democrats could cheat him across the finish line. Senate Republicans will now take a 53-47 lead into the 119th Congress — which, importantly, is a margin just big enough to withstand the occasional RINO-ism of “moderate” Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski.
Wray and Mayorkas give the middle finger to the American people: Two witnesses, two hearings, two days, two cowardly cancellations. That will be at least part of the legacy of simpering soon-to-be-former FBI Director Chris Wray and sniveling soon-to-be-former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who both decided that they had better things to do than testify before the Senate Homeland Security Committee about a range of threats, from presidential assassination attempts by Iran to terrorist penetration of our southern border. But they didn’t just stiff Congress. They also stiffed the American people — especially the families of murder victims Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray, and Rachel Morin, and all the other families who’ve been victimized by illegal immigrant predation. And the opprobrium was bipartisan. In addition to Republican denunciations of the duo, Democrat Chairman Gary Peters called it “a shocking departure from the custom of transparency,” adding, “Secretary Mayorkas and Director Wray’s refusal to speak publicly about their department’s work will only increase the concerns that many Americans have about our nation’s security at a challenging time … and will deal a serious blow to trust in our government.” He’s telling us. But good on the chairman for calling these bums out.
Biden admin spent hundreds of millions to combat “misinformation”: According to a new report from fiscal watchdog OpenTheBooks, the Biden administration has spent $267 million since 2021 to combat so-called “misinformation.” That’s far more than the $7 million spent under Donald Trump. OpenTheBooks called the government’s effort to combat “misinformation” a waste of taxpayer money. “Learning to think critically and discern truth from lies is an important life skill, but the federal government has proven it is not capable of addressing that need responsibly,” the report stated. “It’s the worst possible arbiter of truth … because it makes the state a gatekeeper of speech.” Furthermore, the report said the government gave money to outfits that often used it to push ideological agendas: “Americans simply cannot trust that continued grant and contract spending and various bureaucratic programmatic activities involved in ‘misinformation’ will not be ideologically motivated to silence critics.” OpenTheBooks CEO John Hart advised, “The best way to counter ‘misinformation’ isn’t with more mandates but with more transparency, more information and more speech. Our founders understood that the best way to purge falsehood from the public square was through more speech, not less.”

Two-Tiered Justice

No justice for vile racial arsonist Jussie Smollett: Once again, a leftist has managed to slither out of a much-deserved prison sentence. Whether it’s antifa anarchists or Black Lives Matter thugs or Trump inauguration rioters, leftists always seem to avoid justice. In this case, as Fox News reports, “The Illinois Supreme Court decided Thursday that the special prosecutor’s decision to retry Smollett on charges violated his rights.” For this injustice, we have Chicago’s top prosecutor, Kim Foxx, to thank, as Smollett’s lawyers successfully contended that she’d refused to live up to a sweetheart non-prosecution deal she’d made with Smollett. As National Review’s Andy McCarthy writes, “Foxx is responsible for the Illinois supreme court’s stunning reversal of Jussie Smollett’s conviction for staging an ostensibly racist and homophobic attack on himself (designed to defame Trump supporters) and then filing a false report about it — causing Chicago police to waste valuable time and resources.” Smollett is a bad actor and a slam-dunk hate-hoaxer, and our criminal “justice” system’s failure to hold him accountable is precisely the sort of two-tiered justice that the incoming Trump Justice Department will be expected to root out and correct.

Immigration

Trafficking migrant children: Some 448,000 unaccompanied migrant children (UCs) were interdicted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement between 2019 and 2023. The Department of Health and Human Services transferred these UCs to sponsors as they were supposedly awaiting appearances in immigration court. However, Donald Trump’s incoming border czar and former ICE Acting Director Tom Homan observed that HHS has subsequently lost contact with over 300,000 of these UCs. Even more disturbing are reports that some of these kids are being sex-trafficked by their sponsors. When HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra was questioned by Congress on Wednesday about reports of UCs being pimped out, he effectively played dumb, saying either that he was unaware of the reports or that he questioned their validity in some instances. Apparently, the Biden administration only cares about keeping the U.S. border open so illegals can flood in, but it doesn’t care what happens to those migrants once they are in.
Biden’s parting immigration gift: Speaking of illegal immigration, the Biden administration aims to allow as many illegal aliens into the country as possible before Donald Trump takes office. The administration will be launching a new ICE Portal app next month that will allow as many as 100,000 illegal migrants to skip in-person check-ins with ICE officials. Making matters worse, the app, unlike ICE’s in-person meeting, does not run any criminal background checks on these individuals. They could be hardened gangsters like the one who was just found guilty of murdering Laken Riley. Evidently, the Biden administration couldn’t care less either about the welfare of the American public or about the welfare of migrants being trafficked by criminal cartels; all it cares about is giving the American public a big middle finger on its way out the door.

Bearing Arms

PA 2A win: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court shot down a challenge to the state’s prohibition on local firearm ordinances. “The General Assembly’s authority over municipalities is supreme,” Justice Kevin Brobson wrote. “Municipalities may do only those things which the legislature has expressly or by necessary implication permitted.” The court further observed that the state constitution “does not provide that the right to bear arms shall not be questioned in some parts of the Commonwealth but abridged at will in others” and that “regulation of firearms is a matter of statewide concern.” The challenge to the law had been brought back in 2020 by then-Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kennedy and other city leaders, who argued that local municipalities should be free to impose their own gun regulations based on safety concerns. The court rejected the notion that statewide gun laws make it more difficult for local municipalities to address violent crime, saying, “Preemption laws do not mandate or encourage gun violence.” The court concluded, “The need for uniformity in gun regulation outweighs the local interests in enacting laws specific to their communities.” This is a big Second Amendment win for residents of the Keystone State.

Headlines

Police report gives details, timeline of the sexual assault claim against Pete Hegseth (NPR)
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy call for defunding Planned Parenthood via DOGE (LifeNews.com)
Californians need $1,000 more to pay 2025 gas prices (Newsweek)
U.S. delivers military planes to Vietnam in rare sale since Cold War (Newsweek)
Russia tested a new intermediate-range ballistic missile on Ukraine (NPR)
Russia threatens to attack new U.S. base in Poland with “advanced weapons” (NY Post)
Brazilian police indict former President Bolsonaro and aides over alleged 2022 coup attempt (AP)
Humor: Cheer up, libs: Here are 10 things you can still be thankful for this year (Babylon Bee)

For the Executive Summary archive, click here.

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FEATURED ANALYSIS

Gaetz Out, Bondi In!

Mark Alexander

Let me preface this analysis by disclosing that I have never been a supporter of former Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL). But this week, we learned some great things about Donald Trump’s incoming leadership temperament. I first noticed these changes after the Butler, Pennsylvania, assassination attempt. This is shaping up to be a challenging but very good presidential term.

Until Trump’s nomination of Gaetz last week, I have only mentioned him once in the past four years — and then just a brief reference as a “showboat” member of the House.

Until Trump made his AG announcement, I was tracking with his nominations. “Trump needs to clean up the DOJ and its pockets of corrupt deep state actors,” I noted. “But that will take somebody with impeccable character and gravitas, and I believe Gaetz has substantial deficits on both counts.”

One of many reasons I think Gaetz was the wrong nominee: He has been under investigation by the REPUBLICAN House Ethics Committee since they took control of the House for a list of issues. Among the allegations is the case of a minor who may have been sexually trafficked by Gaetz. His close friend Joel Greenberg has already pleaded guilty in connection with that case.

As I wrote last week, “I do not know the facts, but Gaetz’s quick resignation from Congress closed the ethics investigation, preventing release of the House report on Gaetz two days before it was scheduled to drop.” That timing was, at best, suspect, given reports that the victim and witnesses spent days testifying before the Ethics Committee. The assumption is that the Senate would have requested the release of the report during its confirmation hearings, which then opened the prospect of a recess appointment.

Yesterday, Gaetz was on Capitol Hill knocking on Senate Republican doors for support, with the help of JD Vance dutifully supporting a Trump nominee. About 12 hours later, Gaetz suddenly withdrew his name from consideration.

This withdrawal came a day after the House Ethics Committee decided it would not release the Gaetz report, so that may have figured into Gaetz’s removing himself from consideration.

More likely, Gaetz’s clock ran out because more details are being released by the attorney of Gaetz’s alleged victim(s), now affirming their testimony of multiple accounts of underage girls being flown to New York and the Bahamas by Gaetz for sex parties (trafficking). There is currently a civil suit by an alleged victim, which is making those accounts public.

For his part, 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.” To be clear, the day after his nomination was announced, I wrote, “If Gaetz had an ounce of integrity and humility, he never would have allowed his name for consideration.”

According to Trump: “I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”

That response is both conciliatory and necessary, especially for the Gaetz “true believers.” Notably, Trump didn’t pull out his first-term torch to go after Gaetz’s accusers.

Two points I would make in the wake of this unforced error by Trump.

First would be that Trump had a blind spot on this one, but I think letting Gaetz go says something VERY positive about Trump and those advising him: He is teachable this time around. He didn’t deploy his “everybody go to hell” scorched-earth strategy but instead let Gaetz go quietly.

Second, in multiple conversations with friends who are high-level Trump campaign supporters, there is concurrence that this is the BEST news we have heard since Trump won the election two weeks ago.

To be clear, I get why Trump appointed Gaetz. He wanted a bomb dropper at DOJ.

One of the things I like best about Trump: The day he arrived in DC, he dropped a bomb on the Beltway status quo in Congress and its special interests. He dropped a bomb on the regulatory behemoths and their bureaucratic bottlenecks. He dropped a bomb on the trade and national security institutions and alliances that had failed miserably over the previous eight years. And he dropped a bomb on all the pundits and mainstream media outlets.

This is what America needed then and needs again now. But Gaetz was not and never has been a bomb — he was and remains a dud.

So, where does Gaetz go from here?

At the moment, Trump, congressional Republicans, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are free of the Gaetz controversies. However, there is speculation that he might return to the House seat to which he was recently reelected. But in his resignation from the House, he declared, “I do not intend to take the oath of office for the same office in the 119th Congress.” He could return since no special election has been scheduled to replace him, though that would reactivate the House Ethics investigation. I would hope there was no deal cut with DeSantis to appoint Gaetz to the Senate seat being vacated by Marco Rubio.

Finally, as for who Trump would nominate next for AG, I was thinking maybe Josh Hawley (R-MO) or former federal prosecutor Trey Gowdy.

But within hours of shaking off Gaetz, he nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is highly qualified in terms of experience, tenacity, character, and integrity.

Trump noted: “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. For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans — Not anymore. Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again. I have known Pam for many years — She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!”

Follow Mark Alexander on X/Twitter.

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MORE ANALYSIS

Emmy Griffin: The ‘Rise’ of Bluesky, the Left-Wing X Knockoff — Leftists have created an extreme anti-free speech echo chamber in protest of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
Douglas Andrews: Liberty Is on the Line in the Daniel Penny Case — If the 26-year-old Marine vet is convicted of manslaughter, it’ll send a terrible message to those who would defend themselves and others.
Nate Jackson: Jaguar’s Ad Drives Customers Away — The company is retooling and deliberately working to shed its former customer base: straight men with money.
Brian Mark Weber: Native Americans Move Right — After years of statist condescension and paternalism, Native American peoples voted nearly two-to-one for Donald Trump this time around.
Mark Alexander: Profiles of Valor: Reconciliation Among Warriors — “I’ll always be the first person on the battlefield … and I’ll be the last person off.”
Ron Helle: Circling the Drain — Quite often, we Christians get caught in the downward vortex of this physical world we live in.
In Brief: Trump 47 Is Transforming What a Cabinet Means — He is appointing communicators, not administrators.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion.

BEST OF VIDEOS

Matt Gaetz Withdraws From AG Consideration — The reasoning behind Gaetz’s withdrawal is fairly evident: He did not have enough support from the Senate.
Daniel Penny Trial — The medical examiner disregards drugs in Jordan Neely’s death.
Is ‘Avoiding Politically Hostile Homes’ Commonplace? — Rep. Byron Donalds grills FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell over the agency’s response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
The U.S. Housing Shortage — Patrick Bet-David explains the U.S. housing shortage and discusses solutions to fix it.
Narcissism, Cancel Culture, and Mob Destruction — Dr. Drew Pinsky believes that narcissistic traits are a primary driver of mob behavior, cancel culture, and scapegoating.
PopCon #71: Cultural Winds Deliver Wins — Trump’s election remains a polarizing cultural subject both at home and abroad. While scores on the Right rejoice, many on the Left are embracing radical reactions.

SHORT CUTS

Non Compos Mentis

“It seems like unless you have a sexual misconduct allegation, you can’t be in the cabinet.” —”The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg

“Elon Musk is the actual vice president. … JD Vance — you know, he’s kind of an interim.” —Whoopi Goldberg

“I literally just got out of meetings with members of Congress & used the bathroom on my way out. Trans women are women — full stop. We’re every bit as ‘biologically female’ as cis women & [Mike Johnson’s] statement doesn’t change the fact that women’s spaces include trans women.” —Montana State Rep. Zooey Zephyr

“They’re not doing this to protect people. They’re endangering women. They’re endangering girls of all kinds.” —Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez regarding sex-exclusive bathrooms

Non Sequitur

“We support gay marriage, and voted for the Respect for Marriage Act twice. However, if you think protecting women is discrimination, you are the problem. We don’t care if you’re trans, if you have balls we don’t want you in the women’s bathroom.” —Congresswoman Nancy Mace (“And this is where Mace demonstrates her limited understanding of the issue & how we got here. America decided men could become women because they first decided husbands could become wives. Men and women became interchangeable because husbands and wives became interchangeable. ‘Trans women are women’ only makes sense to people who first believed ‘love is love.’” —Allie Beth Stuckey)

For the Record

“The preamble of the United States Constitution uses the active verb ‘provide’ when it comes to the common defense. The more passive word ‘promote’ is used when it comes to our general welfare. However, successive governing regimes (and this is bipartisan) have deemed it more important to ‘provide’ for general welfare, and the result has been an exploding leviathan called the federal government.” —Allen West

“If vetting is important when it comes to people crossing our border — and it is — it is equally important when it comes to those who would have power and authority over us in some of our most important cabinet positions. … Yes, Washington is ripe for change and the bureaucracy needs to be shaken up, but it must be done the right way, for the right reasons and with the right people.” —Cal Thomas

And Last…

“I find it hard to believe Matt Gaetz dropped out because he’s worried about taking up too much attention…” —Ian Haworth

“Many of the troubles in public life over the past 30 years could have been avoided if these overage, overstimulated, undisciplined boys would just have kept their [genitals] in their pants.” —John Podhoretz

“For a misogynist Trump sure does pick a lot of strong women to serve in his cabinet.” —Kevin Sorbo

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MEMES & CARTOONS

For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union.

For more of today’s cartoons, visit the Cartoons archive.

“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.

Pam Bondi to be next Attorney General after Gaetz drops out | Denison Forum

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Pam Bondi to be next Attorney General after Gaetz drops out

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at First Horizon Coliseum, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Greensboro, NC. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz was always going to be the most difficult of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet selections to get through the Senate confirmation process. He was nominated under a shroud of investigations by the Department of Justice in 2020 and, more recently, the House Ethics Committee on accusations of illicit drug use, paying for sex—including sex with a minor—and obstruction of government investigations. Gaetz’s conduct gave reason to doubt his worthiness to be the government’s top attorney, despite the charges being dropped in his DOJ case and the House investigation not yet concluded when he had resigned to pursue the AG nomination.

There was some speculation that his nomination was part of why Trump broached the topic of recess appointments last week. Yet, Gaetz was in Washington on Thursday morning, working with Vice President-elect JD Vance to build support for his approval. Eventually, however, it became clear that such approval wasn’t coming.

After the race in Pennsylvania was finally called in favor of Republican Dave McCormick, the GOP will have a fifty-three-seat majority in the Senate, with only fifty votes needed for Trump’s nominations to be approved. Thursday’s conversations confirmed that at least four Republicans were already firm in their opposition, with several more inclined to vote no. Given that no Democrats were expected to vote in Gaetz’s favor, that left intervention from Trump as his only viable path to the position.

Faced with that reality, Gaetz chose to withdraw from consideration, posting on X that:

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. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.

News broke Thursday evening that Trump has already pivoted to former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi for the cabinet position. So, who is Pam Bondi, and will her path to confirmation be any simpler than that of Gaetz?

Who is Pam Bondi?

Pam Bondi has been a prominent figure in Republican circles for some time now and was elected attorney general in Florida in both 2010 and 2014. After serving the maximum two terms, she left in 2019 to help defend Trump in his first impeachment trial after he was accused of attempting to tie the offer of further military assistance for Ukraine with help in investigating Joe and Hunter Biden.

Bondi then continued her role as part of Trump’s legal team during the 2020 election before leaving to become the chair of the Center for Litigation at the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank staffed with several former Trump administration officials. She resumed her role working more closely with Trump in the buildup to the 2024 election and spoke at one of his final rallies earlier this month.

The President-elect said of Bondi,

“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans—Not anymore. Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again. I have known Pam for many years — She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!”

And many of those she will have to convince in order to succeed where Gaetz did not seem to agree with Trump’s assessment.

Will Bondi be approved?

Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) predicted that Bondi “will be confirmed quickly because she deserved to be confirmed quickly.” Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) echoed those sentiments, stating that “She’ll be an incredible Attorney General.” Sen. Tommy Tubberville of Alabama and Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota were similarly effusive in their praise.

And while, as of this writing, the senators who led the charge against Gaetz’s approval have yet to comment, the prevailing opinion seems to be that Bondi will be confirmed. Should that happen, she will become yet another of Trump’s former and current allies to be given a prominent role in his Cabinet.

Of all the qualities that come up most frequently with Trump’s Cabinet picks, loyalty and trust seem to be among the most common. And it’s understandable why he would prize those characteristics, given the opposition he’s faced in the past. Yet, loyalty and trust are only valuable insofar as they enable someone to speak hard truths and be heard.

If Trump surrounds himself with people who will simply tell him what he wants to hear, he is likely to fail as president. However, if he surrounds himself with people who can deliver honest critiques in a way he can trust, he is set up to succeed.

And that same principle applies to each of us as well.

What kind of God are you looking for?

When you think about the inner circle of people who have the most influence on your life, how would you describe them? Are they people who tell you what you want to hear, or people you can trust to tell you what you need to hear?

And, even more importantly, when you go to God for guidance, which of those two outcomes are you most hoping for? Do you want a God that will affirm your desires or a God that will guide you to a life he can bless, even if it requires walking down some paths you would prefer not to tread?

I’m guessing most of us would like to say we want the latter relationship with the Lord, but is that truly reflected in the way you live? Do you surround yourself with people God can use to speak his truth into your life? And do you pray looking for a particular answer, or are you open to whatever the Lord wants to say?

Be honest in how you answer those questions, as there are few people more damaging to lie to than yourself.

So take some time today to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal which is true for you, even—and especially—if you may not want to hear his answer. Then make whatever changes are necessary to build a relationship with him and with others based on productive trust rather than empty loyalty.

Let’s start today.

Friday news to know:

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote of the day:

“If we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and self-seeking and pleasure and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God, and I believe many a man is praying to God to fill him when he is full already with something else.” —DL Moody

The post Pam Bondi to be next Attorney General after Gaetz drops out appeared first on Denison Forum.

Mid-Day Snapshot · November 19, 2024

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“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.

THE FOUNDATION

“In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” —Thomas Jefferson (1798)

IN TODAY’S DIGEST

EXECUTIVE NEWS SUMMARY

Douglas Andrews, Thomas Gallatin, & Jordan Candler

Politics

The Pennsylvania Pilfer has been stopped: “Pennsylvanians deserve to have their voices heard, and the worth of someone’s vote is not determined by how long it takes to be counted.” So said sleazy Bob Casey, the soon-to-be former senior senator from Pennsylvania, in a strange non sequitur that signals his ongoing unwillingness to concede an election that was called by the Associated Press nearly two weeks ago. Republican challenger Dave McCormick’s lead had, ahem, mysteriously shrunk from around 26,000 votes to around 17,000 votes in recent days, but now, in a decisive setback for Pennsylvania’s cheaters, Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro is doing the right thing and siding with the high court’s ruling yesterday against counting faulty ballots. As Shapiro put it, “Any insinuation that our laws can be ignored or do not matter is irresponsible and does damage to faith in our electoral process. The rule of law matters in Pennsylvania.” Image that. An elected Democrat standing up for the Rule of Law. Said the McCormick campaign, “Bucks County and others blatantly violated the law in an effort to help Senator Casey. Senator-elect McCormick is very pleased with this ruling and looks forward to taking the Oath of Office in a few short weeks.”
Wisconsin GOP’s Eric Hovde concedes Senate race to Tammy Baldwin (Just the News)
Trump naming former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy to be transportation secretary (AP)
Lame-duck Senate nomination battles: Soon-to-be Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer recently called for a spirit of bipartisanship in the wake of Donald Trump’s landslide election victory and the flipping of the Senate majority to the Republicans. However, with roughly two months left before Trump takes office, Schumer has undermined his “get along” rhetoric by seeking to ram through as many of Joe Biden’s judicial nominees as possible. Soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader John Thune called out Schumer’s gambit and has vowed to lead Republicans in doing everything they can to slow-walk the process. As Thune recently stated, “If Sen. Schumer thought Senate Republicans would just roll over and allow him to quickly confirm multiple Biden-appointed judges to lifetime jobs in the final weeks of the Democrat majority, he thought wrong.” Senate Republicans will force Democrats to have roll-call votes on routine procedures, which will drag the Senate’s business to a crawl. The GOP can’t prevent the Democrat majority from confirming judicial nominees, but it can work to limit the total number of confirmations.
FBI bottlenecks for Trump appointees: In the wake of Donald Trump’s resounding electoral victory, corrupt FBI senior brass were reported to be “stunned” and “shell-shocked.” But now, having taken a few deep breaths, they’re back to conspiring against Trump — in this case, against his cabinet nominees. The Washington Times reports, “An official at FBI headquarters in Washington is warning that the bureau’s security clearance division is politicized and can’t be trusted to screen President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees for top administration jobs. … The official said the security clearance process has been ‘contaminated by the political agendas of [security division] officials and other executives in the FBI.’” The SecD, as The Times adds, has already been credibly accused by whistleblowers of weaponizing its office and of targeting and retaliating against conservative and pro-Trump FBI employees. Nonetheless, the FBI cites the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, which names the bureau as “one of the appropriate agencies responsible for candidate background investigations for Presidential appointees.” Will the FBI obstruct, or will it finally bow to the will of the American people?
Oprah’s cash haul: Kamala Harris’s campaign shelled out a reported $1 million for a town hall event hosted by Oprah Winfrey, which aimed to pump up Harris in her failed presidential election bid. Oprah pushed back on the claim that she had been paid to shill for Harris, explaining, “I did not take any personal fee. However, the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story.” Well, it turns out that the fee collected by Oprah’s production company, Harpo Productions, was not merely $1 million; rather, the total bill came in at around $2.5 million, over double what was originally reported. While it may be technically true that the Harris campaign did not personally compensate Oprah, the fact that her production company was paid a whopping two and a half million dollars for what amounted to a 90-minute infomercial does suggest that some folks were getting a fat payday. Evidently, the Harris campaign was throwing around cash like nobody’s business, and celebrities like Oprah were more than willing to receive it.

Security

How far will Trump go to carry out mass deportations? “Promises made, promises kept.” That simple phrase has been a mantra for Donald Trump, and it will surely be tested during the next four years as Trump tries to make good on his promise of mass deportations of the Biden-Harris administration’s millions of illegal immigrants. How will the Trump administration undertake such a massive operation? Trump himself gave us a sense of this yesterday when, as Axios reports, he confirmed that he’s “planning to declare a national emergency and use the U.S. military to carry out mass deportations.” Shortly after the election, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton posted a statement to that effect on Truth Social, to which Trump posted a one-word, all-caps, three-exclamation-point reply: “TRUE!!!” Think about it: Does an unchecked invasion of one’s country by more than 10 million illegal immigrants — many of them military-age males, many of them in need of taxpayer-funded social services, and most of them relatively unskilled — constitute a national emergency? The answer seems obvious.
The Trump Effect: Haitians are fleeing Springfield: The residents of Springfield, Ohio, are getting relief from the Biden-Harris migrant crisis even before Donald Trump takes office. Springfield became the symbol of Biden’s border malfeasance due to the influx of some 20,000 Haitian migrants that inundated the small town, straining its social services and leading to housing and other issues. However, since Trump’s election victory, a number of Haitian migrants in Springfield are reportedly fleeing the town of 60,000 over deportation fears. According to the cofounder of the Haitian Community Alliance, Jacob Payen, “People are fully aware of the election result, and that is why they are leaving; they are afraid of a mass deportation. Several of my customers have left. One guy with his family went to New Jersey; others have gone to Boston. I know three families that have gone to Canada.”
Biden and Harris bushwhack Israel: The peace-loving citizens of the Jewish state are no doubt pleased that the anti-war candidate won the American presidential election two weeks ago. Unfortunately, Donald Trump won’t take office for two more months — which means that whoever’s calling the foreign-policy shots within the Biden-Harris administration still has plenty of time to make mischief. A case in point would be a recent sanctions regime slapped upon Israel by Team Biden-Harris, coupled with a handsome monetary gift to Israel’s enemies. The Washington Free Beacon reports, “The Biden-Harris administration on Monday unveiled sweeping new sanctions on Israeli Jews, just days after it awarded another $230 million in taxpayer funds to the Palestinians. The back-to-back announcements signal that diplomatic relations between Israel and the outgoing White House will continue to sour until President-elect Donald Trump retakes office next year.” As one senior GOP congressional source put it, “They took a campaign break from scapegoating the Jews, but now that Kamala has lost, the State Department’s intifada caucus is back in charge during the Biden going out of business sale.”
Undersea cables cut in Baltic Sea; sabotage suspected: The two most recent nations to join NATO, Sweden and Finland, have reported that undersea cables in the Baltic Sea were severed within a day of each other. Sabotage is suspected, with a spokesman for the telecommunications company Telia Lithuania stating, “We can confirm that the internet traffic disruption was not caused by equipment failure but by physical damage to the fiber optic cable.” A Finish cable company, Cinia, also reported that a cable between Finland and Germany had been severed. The CEO of Cinia did not directly blame sabotage but certainly hinted at it, saying, “At the moment, there is no way to assess the cause of the cable break, but such breaks without external impact do not happen in these waters.” The prime suspect is Russia, and the U.S. has been warning about Russia targeting undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, especially after Sweden and Finland’s entry into NATO. That said, evidence has yet to be collected to make any conclusive determination.
Ukraine fires first U.S.-made missile into Russia (Daily Mail)
Putin signs Russia’s nuclear doctrine update into law (Newsweek)
Satire: In last-ditch attempt to prevent Trump from taking office, Democrats start World War III (Babylon Bee)

Misc.

“Unknown and unauthorized third party” has gained access to Matt Gaetz depositions (CBS News) | Ethics Committee will meet Wednesday to discuss results of Gaetz probe (Just the News)
Republican to introduce transgender bathroom ban at the U.S. Capitol (ABC News)
Wife of prominent trans writer hacked father to death with ice ax after Trump’s election night victory (NY Post)
DOJ will push Google to sell Chrome to break search monopoly (Bloomberg)
Forty-five Hong Kong pro-democracy activists are sentenced to jail in city’s biggest so-called national security trial (NBC News)
Budget travel icon Spirit Airlines files for bankruptcy protection after mounting losses (CNBC) | Humor: Spirit Airlines announces it will tell you why it went bankrupt for an added fee of $50 (Babylon Bee)

For the Executive Summary archive, click here.

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Standing Firm

Since the dawn of our nation, Liberty has been threatened by those who promote tyranny and seek to empower themselves. We rise every day tasked with a mission to “support and defend” our Constitution and the Liberty it enshrines. The future of Liberty rests on all our shoulders, and with God’s help, we will keep moving the line forward.

Today, please support The Patriot Post’s mission so that we can continue to grow our ranks and meet the enemies of Liberty with strength and resolve.

Thank you for all you do to sustain Freedom for the next generation.

FEATURED ANALYSIS

The Trouble With Recess Appointments

Nate Jackson

Republicans won the White House and the Senate, so why are we already talking about recess appointments for Donald Trump’s administration?

Matt Gaetz, that’s why.

Gaetz is the ultimate disruptor, argued our Douglas Andrews last week in explaining what Trump may be thinking in nominating the Florida congressman to serve as attorney general. Frankly, however, Gaetz is a terrible pick. Disruption is one thing, but the attorney general — the guy tasked with upholding and enforcing the Rule of Law at the Justice Department — should be above reproach.

Gaetz is not.

Multiple Republican members of the House said that Gaetz crudely boasted of his sexual conquests, made possible in part by drugs and energy drinks, sometimes even sharing nude pictures and videos of the female subjects of his promiscuous escapades. Gaetz denies it. Maybe Gaetz is telling the truth, and they’re all lying. I doubt it.

Worse, it’s not just high school-level braggadocio at issue here. The Justice Department that Gaetz aims to lead opened an investigation into allegations that he engaged in sex trafficking, including sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old girl in exchange for money. “No part of the allegations against me are true,” he said in 2021, countercharging that the investigation itself was punishment for his effectiveness as a firebrand in the House. He has his defenders on just this point.

He also said, “Every investigation into me ends the same way: my exoneration.” That’s not exactly true. The DOJ eventually declined to press charges, but investigators did not exonerate him. It seems they simply couldn’t produce sufficient evidence to prove the allegations beyond a doubt in court.

The House took up a bipartisan ethics investigation, but Gaetz’s nomination and subsequent resignation came just days before the report on that investigation was due to be released. Some of it has already been leaked, and the committee may still decide to release the whole thing. That leak is that two women told the House panel that Gaetz paid them for sex. One of them said she witnessed him engaging in intercourse with a 17-year-old in 2017 — after he had been elected to Congress.

In any case, Senator John Cornyn says the Judiciary Committee would call the same witnesses in confirmation hearings.

Does Gaetz deserve the presumption of innocence? Legally, absolutely. Does that mean he should be entrusted with leading the DOJ? Sorry, but I’m just not on board with this one.

All that brings me back to Trump’s call for recess appointments, “without which,” he said, “we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner.” Which people? Again, Gaetz, though Pete Hegseth, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Tulsi Gabbard may also prove difficult to confirm.

First of all, Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution grants the president “Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate.” Presidents have always made recess appointments, so this shouldn’t be controversial, right?

Heh.

Trump’s team also points to Article II, Section 3, which gives the president “on extraordinary Occasions” power to “adjourn” either or both the House and Senate “to such Time as he shall think proper.” In other words, long enough to make recess appointments. Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy argues that the clause was “never before used for this purpose” and shouldn’t be now.

In Federalist 76, Alexander Hamilton touted the importance of the Senate confirmation process, calling it “an excellent check upon a spirit of favoritism in the President” that would “prevent the appointment of unfit characters.” (Then again, maybe Hamilton isn’t the ideal witness against Gaetz.) McCarthy rightly notes that the Framers built the system “to avoid vesting too much uncheckable power in the president’s hands.”

That said, the Constitution granted the president power to make recess appointments primarily because of the reality of 18th-century travel. According to the Congressional Research Service, “Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Senate was, on average, in session less than half the year.” A president shouldn’t be hamstrung by this, the Founders reasoned.

In the ensuing years, politics dictated various behaviors. Sometimes, recess appointments spared senators from making difficult votes on controversial nominees, while presidents benefited from having their picks in place without the Senate headache. There were also fights, and the Senate often declared pro forma sessions as a passive-aggressive way to avoid recesses and block recess appointments.

Barack Obama infamously tried to declare the Senate in recess anyway so he could make recess appointments, but the Supreme Court in 2014 sided with the Senate. In NLRB v. Noel Canning, all nine justices agreed, “The Senate is in session when it says it is.”

Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune said of confirmation hearings, “I’m willing to grind through it and do it the old-fashioned way.” The president’s nominees do deserve a hearing and an up-or-down vote.

Yet aside from Republican infighting, Democrats can either stonewall nominees or filibuster approval of a recess. Thune warned he won’t stand for that. “We must act quickly and decisively to get the president’s Cabinet and other nominees in place as soon as possible to start delivering on the mandate we’ve been sent to execute,” he said over the weekend, “and all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments.”

There’s certainly a lot of posturing now, and we’ll find out exactly how that plays out come January. But a good barometer for whether something is a good idea is to reverse the roles. If a Democrat president advocated that the Senate deliberately take recess so as to allow him to appoint a questionable person to lead the DOJ, would Republicans balk?

Another question: If a president’s nominee can’t even gain the support of the president’s party, is that person really still the only person who can do the job?

Follow Nate Jackson on X/Twitter.

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MORE ANALYSIS

Douglas Andrews: They’re Dancing the Trump Dance — The NFL’s woke management is gnashing its teeth, but the players are joyfully dancing the Trump dance.
Emmy Griffin: WaPo’s PA ‘Stop the Steal’ Concession and Cultural Friendly Fire — Some Democrats are finally calling out the party radicals.
Jack DeVine: Cabinet-Building, Trump Style — Trump will need the best team he can get, and some advice from the peanut gallery (us) might help him … and the nation.
Thomas Gallatin: Biden Gets Bold on Ukraine — He finally gave Ukraine permission to use U.S. long-range missiles against targets within Russia.

Reader Comments

Editor’s Note: Each week we receive hundreds of comments and correspondences — and we read every one of them. Click here for a few thought-provoking comments about specific articles. The views expressed therein don’t necessarily reflect those of The Patriot Post.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion.

BEST OF VIDEOS

‘Morning Joe,’ Then and Now — First, Donald Trump was Adolf Hitler. Now, the MSNBC hosts are meeting him at Mar-a-Lago.
Rape Allegation Against Pete Hegseth Emerges — Megyn Kelly and Glenn Greenwald discuss the allegation of sexual assault against Trump’s defense secretary pick, which has emerged now that he’s in line for a top job.
Originalism, the Supreme Court, and Constitutional Law — Georgetown University professor Randy Barnett discusses the current state of America’s constitutional system and his mission to restore its original meaning.
Free-Range Parenting: A Mom’s Guide to Raising Independent Kids — Parents are more scared than ever. The media warn of “stranger danger.” Lenore Skenazy says this is foolish.
A Cop’s Family Tragedy Inspired a Life-Saving Device — In the wake of a harrowing tragedy, Tim Pearce invented a device that’s changing the way law enforcement trains to survive a gunfight.
Humor: Make America Fun Again — Everyone is doing the Trump dance!

SHORT CUTS

The BIG Lies

“There isn’t evidence that these kids are a threat to safety or fairness.” —MSNBC’s Jen Psaki on boys playing girls sports

“There is no evidence [gender-confused athletes] pose any threat to safety or fairness.” —”comedian” John Oliver

Non Compos Mentis

“Illinois has enshrined protections for gender-affirming care to meet this moment — and because of that, you will have a home here always.” —Illinois Governor JB Pritzker

Friendly Fire

“I think there’s a lot of Democrats going around, especially in the House, justifying how we did by saying, ‘Oh we did a little bit better than Harris.’ … We should have cleaned up, from president of the United States to local school board. Democrats should have swept this, and yet we got defeated across the board. So, seriously, we lost big.” —Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA)

A Blind Squirrel Finds a Nut

“Our military and the role of the military is in the Constitution for a reason and I think we’re really at risk of politicizing the military in a way that we can’t put the genie back in the bottle.” —U.S. Senator-elect Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) on getting politics (DEI) out of the military

Non Compos Mentis, Continued

“There’s no question I consider [Tulsi Gabbard] someone who is likely a Russian asset, who would be … a direct line to our enemies.” —Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

“We take pride in the fact we are not rushed.” —California Secretary of State Shirley Weber (Some two weeks after the election, California still has roughly 10% of the vote to count. Florida was basically done after a few hours.)

A Broken Clock Is Right Twice a Day

“Elected Democratic officials in Philadelphia and three other counties — Bucks, Centre and Montgomery — voted … to defy … court decisions at the request of lawyers for Democratic Sen. Bob Casey… These Democrats’ decisions will almost certainly be overturned on appeal, but the mere attempt to defy judicial rulings is corrosive to democracy and invites similar behavior in future elections.” —Washington Post editorial board

“Trans people deserve to be treated with dignity, and the law should protect them from discrimination in areas such as employment and housing. But the realities of human biology raise legitimate questions about any notion that trans women should always and everywhere be treated exactly like cisgender women.” —Washington Post editorial board

Re: The Left

“Progressives are correct about the power of [Joe] Rogan and his cohort of bro podcasters, but they don’t understand how thoroughly anathema their ideology and cultural sensibility are to this kind of programming. … How is the party of policing what people say to ensure that the discussion always stays within a narrow set of guardrails going to create — or even tolerate — freewheeling heterodox media voices?” —Rich Lowry

Belly Laugh of the Day

“I went out last night to get a Subway sandwich and a group of muscular 60 year old men dumped raw milk on my head and yelled THIS IS MAHA COUNTRY.” —Cabot Phillips

And Last…

“We expect certain agencies to be deleted outright. We expect mass reductions in force in areas of the federal government that are bloated.” —Vivek Ramaswamy

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MEMES & CARTOONS

For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union.

For more of today’s cartoons, visit the Cartoons archive.

“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.

What are recess appointments, and why does Trump want them? | Denison Forum

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What are recess appointments, and why does Trump want them?

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., speaks before Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, at a campaign event Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) Recess appointments

With the election finished and the Republicans in control of both the presidency and Congress, much of the national attention has shifted to what the government will look like going forward. To that end, President-elect Donald Trump’s picks to fill out his administration have led the news in recent days.

Most of his early picks garnered praise—or at least acceptance—by the bulk of his fellow Republicans. However, more recent selections like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the US Health and Human Services leader, Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, and Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense have been a bit more controversial. Yet each of their paths to office looks simple when compared with Matt Gaetz—Trump’s choice for attorney general.

Shortly after news broke that Gaetz would be Trump’s pick for AG, he resigned from the House, where he’d served as the representative for Florida’s 1^st congressional district since 2017, which some have seen as a sign of confidence that he will be approved for the position. Yet, Gaetz’s resignation also means that he’s no longer under the jurisdiction of the House Ethics Committee, which was mere days away from releasing the report of their investigation into Gaetz on allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, and a number of other accusations.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn—one of the party’s leading figures and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee—has since spoken for many in arguing that the report should be part of the deliberations into whether Gaetz will be approved for the post of attorney general.

Concerns that his preferred choices will not be approved could be part of why, earlier this week, Trump urged Senate leaders to be willing to agree to recess appointments in order to expedite the process.

But what are recess appointments, and why has the notion proved so controversial in recent days?

What are recess appointments?

Recess appointments are a constitutional provision that allows the president to appoint officials without Senate approval while the congressional body is not in session. In the nation’s early days, it could take senators weeks to travel to Congress, and the legislature would only meet for a short period of time before going into recess. In that environment, it made sense to give the president the authority to make appointments on his own when the situation warranted a quick decision.

But despite the circumstances being drastically different in modern times than in the late 1700s, recess appointments continued to be a tool used by both Republican and Democratic presidents to circumvent the Senate. That began to change, however, in 2014 when the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that President Obama had stepped beyond his authority in recess-appointing four members of the National Labor Relations Board. Justice Antonin Scalia went so far as to say the practice’s “only remaining use is the ignoble one of enabling the President to circumvent the Senate’s role.”

The Court also set a ten-day minimum for how long the Senate would need to be in recess before any such appointments could be made without their approval. Ever since, the Senate has routinely scheduled “pro forma” sessions every few days during recess periods. Pro forma sessions are where a single representative will show up for a few minutes to start a session before then closing it without doing anything.

So while it is within Trump’s authority to ask the Senate to go on recess, actually taking that route seems unlikely.

To start, it would mean essentially shutting down the legislature for at least eleven days at the start of his presidency, thereby limiting how much he could accomplish in his first weeks back in office. Moreover, at least fifty senators would have to agree to go into an extended recess in order to clear the way for him to be able to make recess appointments. Considering that’s the same number needed to simply approve his recommended candidates, the most likely scenario is that his call for recess appointments was more of an attempt to set the tone for the next four years.

While there is some merit to establishing that precedent early, if Trump attempts to proceed with his insistence on recess appointments, he may also learn that what can be done and what should be done are not always the same. And that’s a lesson that each of us would do well to remember, particularly when it comes to our relationship with God.

Pursuing a life God can bless

The difference between “Can I do this?” and “Should I do this?” may seem subtle, but what it reveals about our focus and frame of mind is often quite telling. For example, if I finish dinner and see ice cream in the freezer, I’m far more likely to ask, “Can I have some?” than “Should I have some?” In that circumstance, whether or not it’s best for me to have a delicious dessert matters far less than if I can get away with eating one.

While that’s a relatively minor example, the principle is important to recognize. And that’s particularly the case when we’re asking the question of God, as it reveals whether our focus is more on what we want or what he wants for us.

You see, in most circumstances, there are multiple choices we could make that will not necessarily put us outside of God’s will or lead us into sin. However, just because God doesn’t punish us for the choice doesn’t mean that he will bless it.

One of the primary temptations we face as Christians is to settle for living in God’s permissive will rather than striving for a life he can actively bless.

It’s easy to think that, so long as I’m not sinning, I must be doing the right thing. But God wants far more for us. He wants us to live a life that he can bless, but that means asking him what we should do rather than what we can do. It means prioritizing what he wants for us over what we want for ourselves. And it means learning to rely upon his guidance in every facet of our lives rather than just those we’re comfortable surrendering to him.

So which question will you ask of God today? Will you settle for what you can do, or pursue what the Lord says you should do?

The decision is yours. Choose wisely.

Friday news to know:

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote of the day:

“God never gave a man a thing to do, concerning which it were irreverent to ponder how the Son of God would have done it.” —George Macdonald

The post What are recess appointments, and why does Trump want them? appeared first on Denison Forum.

Mid-Day Snapshot · November 14, 2024

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“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.

THE FOUNDATION

“The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society; and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust.” —James Madison (1788)

IN TODAY’S DIGEST

EXECUTIVE NEWS SUMMARY

Douglas Andrews, Thomas Gallatin, & Jordan Candler

Government & Politics

John Thune wins Senate majority leadership: South Dakota Senator John Thune, who made history 20 years ago by knocking off then-Minority Leader Tom Daschle, beat out Texan John Cornyn and Floridian Rick Scott for the Senate’s majority leadership post. Thune, 63, beat Cornyn in the second ballot, 29-24, and is the youngest of the three men by nearly a decade. This signals that the GOP understands the importance of passing the torch to its next generation of leadership. But Thune has also been at Mitch McConnell’s hip since his arrival in DC, so there’s some consternation among MAGA Republicans about whether he’ll drag his feet on some elements of the Trump agenda, such as foreign policy. But sources indicate that he’s made peace with the president-elect, which might be why Trump refused to endorse the MAGA candidate, Scott. That decision by Trump to stay out of the race seems smart, and it’s in keeping with his ability to mend fences and build relationships whenever necessary. Now if only House Republicans could learn to behave themselves.
House GOP sticks with Johnson: While there were rumblings that some House Republicans, particularly in the Freedom Caucus, would raise opposition to Mike Johnson retaining his speakership, they proved unfounded as he received unanimous support in a voice vote yesterday. Prior to the vote, Johnson met with Donald Trump, who told reporters afterward that he was with Johnson “all the way.” Johnson sent a letter to Republican lawmakers noting, “The mandate that has been delivered shows that a majority of Americans are eager for secure borders, lower costs, peace through strength, and a return to common sense.” He added, “With unified Republican government, if we meet this historic moment together, the next two years can result in the most consequential Congress of the modern era.” Representatives Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Tom Emmer (R-MN) also retained their roles of majority leader and majority whip, respectively. Republicans are expected to retain at least a two-seat majority.
Trump nominates Gabbard as DNI: “The mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6 to try to stop Congress from carrying out its constitutional responsibilities were behaving like domestic enemies of our country. But let’s be clear: The John Brennans, Adam Schiffs, and the oligarchs in Big Tech who are trying to undermine our constitutionally protected rights and turn our country into a police state with KGB-style surveillance are also domestic enemies — and much more powerful, and therefore dangerous, than the mob that stormed the Capitol.” So said then-Democrat Tulsi Gabbard just days after the events of January 6, and she’s been headed in the right direction ever since. Gabbard joined the Republican Party last month, and yesterday Donald Trump appointed the Army Reserve lieutenant colonel as director of national intelligence. Said Trump, “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights, and securing Peace through Strength.”
Rubio officially nominated for State: On Wednesday, Florida Senator Marco Rubio was officially named by Donald Trump as his nominee for secretary of state. Upon his nomination, Rubio released the following statement: “Leading the U.S. Department of State is a tremendous responsibility, and I am honored by the trust President Trump has placed in me. As Secretary of State, I will work every day to carry out his foreign policy agenda. Under the leadership of President Trump, we will deliver peace through strength and always put the interests of Americans and America above all else. I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the U.S. Senate so the President has his national security and foreign policy team in place when he takes office on January 20.” Rubio is expected to be easily confirmed by the Senate, and he will undoubtedly work hard on Trump’s America First agenda.
Happy Joe hosts a fascist at the White House: Has Joe Biden ever looked happier than he has since November 5? He’s been seen smiling ear-to-ear, including yesterday when he hosted President-elect Donald Trump at the White House for a two-hour meeting. Why, it’s almost as if he wanted to tell his fellow Democrats, “I told ya so.” As the New York Post reports, “The pair discussed plans for a peaceful transition of power when Trump takes the oath of office for a second time on Jan. 20. Biden, 81, wore a broad smile as he told Trump ‘welcome back’ after congratulating the Republican on his election win and saying he was ‘looking forward’ to ‘having a smooth transition’ and promising Trump would be ‘accommodated’ with everything he needs.” All this is quite a turnabout for Biden, who spent the past four years lumping Trump in with Mussolini and Hitler while calling him “an existential threat to our democracy.” (It’s a republic.) “Politics is tough,” said the 78-year-old Donald Trump in response, “and in many cases, it’s not a nice world. But it is a nice world today, and I appreciate it very much.” Kamala Harris could not be reached for comment.
GOP’s Hovde isn’t conceding the Wisconsin Senate race: Eric Hovde, the Republican candidate for Senate in Wisconsin, is contesting the result of his contest last week against incumbent Democrat Tammy Baldwin. That seemed odd until we read this: “Like many of my supporters, I was shocked by what unfolded on election night. At 1 a.m., I was receiving calls of congratulations, and based on the models, it appeared I would win the Senate race. Then, at 4 a.m., Milwaukee reported approximately 108,000 absentee ballots, with Sen. Baldwin receiving nearly 90 percent of those ballots.” What are the odds? We saw this playing out on election night, and we noticed that a similar attrition was happening to Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan and fellow GOPer Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania, who’s seen his lead over incumbent Bob Casey continue to shrink despite the outstanding vote supposedly coming from red districts. Casey has refused to concede his loss to McCormick despite being behind by around 30,000 votes. Why, it’s almost as if Casey knows something the rest of us don’t. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of all this in all three “blue wall” states.
Pennsylvania Senate contest headed toward a recount, and possibly litigation (AP)
Harris paid handsomely to sit with Jew-hating Sharpton: We’re not sure what the future holds for Kamala Harris, but she could always write a book. Like, maybe, How to Blow a Billion Bucks in 100 Days. She did just that, and, adding insult to injury, she managed to blow the election as well. How did Harris blow all that cash? Part of the answer can be found in the way she paid to play. As The Washington Free Beacon reports, “Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign donated $500,000 to Al Sharpton’s nonprofit organization just weeks before the anti-Semitic MSNBC host — who once said that ‘diamond merchant’ Jews have the ‘blood of innocent babies’ on their hands — conducted a friendly interview with Harris.” Alas, appearance fees and celebrity appeal will only take a moribund candidacy so far. Clearly, it wasn’t far enough.
Peanut tests negative for rabies: Peanut the squirrel was a social media star until a week before the election, when New York officials seized and euthanized him over a supposed rabies concern. He has since tested negative for the disease. The story blew up after the New York Department of Environmental Conservation took Peanut and a raccoon named Fred from the house of Mark Longo, who runs an animal rescue sanctuary out of his home in rural Pine City. Officials cited complaints that Longo illegally kept wild animals, calling it a safety concern. After being seized, both animals were euthanized to be tested for rabies after one of the DEC officers was bitten by Peanut. Both tested negative. The whole episode was a classic example of government abuse and overreach. Longo, who documented the saga on social media, responded to the test results, stating, “It’s no real big shocker to me, considering I lived with Peanut for seven-and-a-half years and Fred for five months. I’m not foaming at the mouth. I knew the test results were going to be negative.” DEC officials said they are conducting an internal investigation into the handling of the situation.

Security

CIA leaker nabbed in Cambodia: CIA official Asif Rahman was arrested by FBI agents in Cambodia on Tuesday. Rahman has been charged with violating the Espionage Act for his role in leaking classified documents related to Israel’s planned response to Iran’s missile attack earlier this year. Rahman is accused of willfully retaining and transmitting these documents that are tied to national defense intelligence information. The classified documents that were leaked online via the Telegram app were from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which analyzes U.S. spy satellite images. This leak also exposed the degree of spying the U.S. has engaged in against our closest ally in the region.

Misc.

ABC brass scramble to bring in pro-Trump voices to “The View” and other shows (NY Post)
FBI reportedly raids Polymarket CEO’s home after betting platform predicts Trump win: “Political retribution” (Fox Business)
The Onion buys Alex Jones’s Infowars at auction — with help from Sandy Hook victims’ families (NY Post)
Mattel faces backlash over “Wicked” dolls directing consumers to pornography website (Christian Post)
Humor: Ten government positions DOGE will be eliminating first (Babylon Bee)

For the Executive Summary archive, click here.

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FEATURED ANALYSIS

Gaetz Is the Ultimate Disruptor

Douglas Andrews

Aside from the Liberty-loving brother- and sisterhood here at The Patriot Post, one of the things that sets us apart is our willingness to disagree on the issues of the day.

Donald Trump, more than anyone or anything, puts this tolerance to the test. Take National Review, for example: Is there anyone in that esteemed house who dares really support that knuckle-dragging Trump?

Here, though, our boss, Mark Alexander, gives us a bit of a leash, even if he might disagree with our particular take. And that makes for a stronger, more vibrant editorial shop.

Consider Trump’s nomination yesterday of Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz for attorney general. “Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department,” said Trump in a Truth Social post.

My boss, to put it kindly, isn’t a Gaetz fan, and he rejects the Gaetz appointment wholesale. He writes:

In 2017, as Trump was entering office, I praised him for being a bomb dropper. “The day he arrived in DC, he dropped a bomb on the Beltway status quo in Congress and its special interests. He dropped a bomb on the regulatory behemoths and their bureaucratic bottlenecks. He dropped a bomb on the trade and national security institutions and alliances that failed miserably over the previous eight years. And he dropped a bomb on all the pundits and mainstream media outlets.” This is what the Beltway needed then, and needs again now.

I was tracking with Trump’s appointments until yesterday, with the farcical nomination of Gaetz for attorney general. Trump needs to clean up the DOJ and its pockets of corrupt deep state actors. But that will take somebody with impeccable character and gravitas, and Gaetz has proven to be anything but that.

Gaetz has been under investigation by the REPUBLICAN House Ethics Committee since they took control of the House. Among the claims being investigated is the case of a minor who says she was abused by him. I do not know the facts, but given decent instincts, the Gaetz “creep factor” is unavoidable. His resignation from Congress yesterday effectively closes that investigation, days before the House was scheduled to drop its report on Gaetz.

So, why Gaetz? He mirrors the worst of Trump’s character and personality flaws, and perhaps Trump, in his righteous indignation toward those corrupt actors at DOJ who have targeted him, has a blind spot when it comes to his own reflection. Gaetz is not a bomb; he’s a dud.

We in our shop agree on this much: Donald Trump couldn’t possibly have made a more controversial selection for AG. Gaetz might be the most hated man in Washington — not only because he loves the camera but also because he seems to be an equal-opportunity critic of both Republicans and Democrats.

But it’s not just Gaetz’s iconoclasm. That “child sexual trafficker” thing has been hanging over his head for a couple of years now, courtesy of the FBI. But The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway put the lie to this vile smear campaign a long time ago.

What? You can’t believe the FBI would do such a thing? Please. This is the same FBI, after all, that slow-walked its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s internationally compromised homebrew email server; that concocted the Russia collusion hoax out of thin air; that lied on a FISA warrant application so it could spy on Donald Trump and his entire campaign team; that entrapped a bunch of “pro-Trump” rabble in a phony kidnapping plot against Michigan’s Democrat governor less than a month before the 2020 election; that sat on Hunter Biden’s laptop for nearly a year before the 2020 election; that colluded with Facebook and pre-Musk Twitter to censor the New York Post’s laptop bombshell two weeks before the election; that helped push the Gang of 51’s “Russian disinformation” letter even though it had already authenticated the laptop; that targeted parents who attended school board meetings because they were concerned about CRT and other hard-left ideologies being taught in their children’s schools; that targeted “radical-traditionalist Catholics” in their churches; that repeatedly targeted peaceful pro-life activists; that unlawfully seized the cellphone of a Trump-allied congressman and retired brigadier general; that gave two Republican senators a phony “defensive briefing” about Russian disinformation when they were investigating Hunter Biden’s business dealings with Ukraine and other countries; that placed numerous agents provocateur at the January 6 protest-turned-riot and continues to stonewall Congress about it; that conducted an armed raid of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home and rifled through the first lady’s underwear drawer because of a documents dispute with the National Archives; that intentionally screened out conservatives and Trump supporters in its hiring practices; and that cracked down on pro-Trump agents and patriotic whistleblowers within the Bureau.

If you still think the Bureau would never, not in a million years, concoct a child sex-trafficking smear to silence a staunch Trump defender and a harsh early critic of the Russia collusion hoax, well, I can’t help you.

Put another way: We know for a fact that the FBI is corrupt and that it targets conservatives. And yet we’re willing to take the Bureau’s word for it that a fearless and sharp-elbowed Trump defender and Russia collusion critic with an American Conservative Union lifetime rating of 91.6 is a child sex trafficker? Doesn’t anyone else think that if the Bureau had a real case against Gaetz, he’d have been indicted long ago? Or at least drummed out of Congress?

As Hemingway reported more than two years ago: “18 months after he was accused of being a pedophile and child sex trafficker, the Washington Post published another anonymously sourced report. ‘Career prosecutors recommend no charges for Matt Gaetz,’ said the article, published quietly on a Friday. … The damage was already done by the initial report, written by reporters who regularly regurgitate political leaks from Department of Justice and FBI sources.”

Remarkably, though, Gaetz keeps being resoundingly reelected by the people of Florida’s 1st Congressional District. Maybe, instead of reflexively believing what the FBI and the Democrats and the Leftmedia are serving us, we should ask ourselves: If Gaetz is such a creepy child sex trafficker, why did the people of FL1 just reelect him by a 66-34 margin?

What is it that they know about Matt Gaetz that the rest of us don’t?

Having said all this, I’m as shocked as anyone by the Gaetz pick. I think we can all agree that Trump will burn a LOT of political capital here. But I don’t like convicting a man on such flimsy evidence. If we’ve learned anything about Trump, it’s that he doesn’t play it safe. He obviously thinks Gaetz is worth the risk. He must understand that we’re at war with the Left and that he needs a wartime consigliere. Either that, or he’s playing 3-D chess so that his backup pick, former Missouri AG and current Senator Josh Hawley, sails through without a fuss.

Or perhaps the Gaetz gambit is Trump’s way of shining a bright light on the weaponization of government — which Gaetz will surely do at his confirmation hearings — while at the same time removing Gaetz from Congress and thereby removing the foremost legislative thorn in the side of the man he gave his full-throated endorsement to yesterday, Speaker Mike Johnson.

Or maybe Trump just thinks this take-no-prisoners throat-puncher is exactly the right chemotherapy for the corrupt and swampy DOJ.

In any case, Gaetz tendered his resignation from Congress yesterday, which puts an official end to the ethics probe he’s been under since 2021, when Democrats controlled the House Ethics Committee. As if that’ll help. I put the odds of an ethics report leak at 99.9%.

I thought Trump’s nominee for CIA director, John Ratcliffe, would’ve been a great attorney general. But Trump obviously thought he needed him to clean up the intelligence services. Utah Senator Mike Lee, too. And Hawley. But no matter. Gaetz is Trump’s guy.

Eight years ago, Trump picked Jeff Sessions for AG. Multiple fake scandals and two impeachments later, we might ask: How’d that work out? Ultimately, he replaced Sessions with Bill Barr, a solid conservative and a brilliant legal mind who came up through the Reagan and Bush administrations, who warned about a fraudulent election on the horizon, and who did absolutely nothing about it.

Here in our humble shop, we’ve spent the last few years railing against the weaponization of government. Now, finally, we have a chance to do something about it. And we have a guy whom Donald Trump chose above all other candidates, despite all his apparent baggage.

Ask yourself: Why would a pragmatic builder like Trump burn so much political capital on such a controversial pick? Answer: Because he knows we’re at war with the Left and because he knows that he needs a wartime consigliere.

Wartime consigliere, n., a wingman. See Obama, Barack; and Holder, Eric.

Or, like Bill Clinton says: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Trump isn’t inclined to be fooled again.

Donald Trump won a national election in colossal fashion nine days ago. He deserves to put together his cabinet as he sees fit. And, at the very least, his pick for attorney general will have a chance to clear his name and make his case. Getting Matt Gaetz confirmed by the Senate is going to be a very heavy lift. But, if it somehow happens, Gaetz will then get on with his own heavy lifting — that of de-weaponizing the Department of Justice.

For that reason alone, we should hope it so.

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SHORT CUTS

The BIG Lie

“Border crossings were lower during the Biden administration than they were during the Trump administration. We just didn’t put forth policies like family separation that were designed to be cruel. … [Trump’s] saying, ‘We’re going to lead with fear and cruelty rather than effectiveness.’” —Democrat strategist Christy Setzer

Non Compos Mentis

“[Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth] clearly does not know anything about the military.” —”The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg

Dumb & Dumber

“A number of factors went into Donald Trump’s win. But, once again, the question is being asked: Is America ready for a woman in the White House?” —PBS’s Amna Nawaz

“What do we know about who we are as a country this year? That America is still not yet ready to elect a woman to lead our country. … What is it going to take … for this country to ever elect a woman president?” —The 19th News editor-at-large Errin Haines

“When it came down to white women choosing between their race and their gender, I think we see how that played out.” —Errin Haines

“What are the racism and sexism in our electorate that is allowing us to continually vote for somebody who’s proven that he is misogynist in both his own personal behavior, but also in his policy priorities, has tapped into racial resentment within our communities, and that these things aren’t disqualifying? And for white women, in particular, we have seen, time and again, it’s not disqualifying enough in part because they have a racial privilege that is being protected by this brand of politics.” —Rutgers University Professor Kelly Dittmar

“Since the day Donald Trump began campaigning, he tapped into white male grievance politics.” —Kelly Dittmar

Lack of Self-Awareness Award

“If you support eliminating the Department of Education, you do not support our students. Period.” —Education Secretary Miguel Cardona (“You threatened to withhold lunch funding for underprivileged kids if local school districts didn’t force boys into locker rooms with girls.” —Katie Pavlich)

Friendly Fire

“We thought Donald Trump was an idiot. We thought his campaign made no sense, and it turns out they were smarter than us.” —CNN’s Van Jones

For the Record

“Progressives consider whatever new boutique obsession they’ve come up with at any given moment to be the great moral issue of our time, indeed always to be the moral equivalent of the fight for civil rights.” —Rich Lowry

“The fact that she managed to spend $1 billion in three months — including millions in handouts for her celebrity rental-friends — and end up in debt tells you everything you need to know about what a Kamala Harris presidency would have looked like.” —Ian Haworth

“The biggest undiagnosed issue at the heart of American leftism is arrogance: the deep-seated belief that you have to be ignorant in order to vote for a Republican.” —Ian Haworth

“Every society has elites, but when the system becomes too stratified, when normal people can’t relate to the policies being foisted on them, when people sense that their personal interests aren’t driving their leaders, they respond with upheaval. Luckily for elite Americans, the upheaval here has been peaceful.” —Neil Patel

“Regarding the Democratic Party, I would not liken it to a bankrupt company. A company in bankruptcy needs to reorganize and do its business more efficiently. The Democratic Party is very efficient. Its problem is it’s selling the wrong product.” —Star Parker

And Last…

“When all you have is a hammer, you can convince yourself that everyone is at least a little racist.” —Noah Rothman

“Many don’t even particularly like Trump. They just dislike insanity more.” —Neil Patel

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