#matt gaetz resigns from congress

[herinfluencerdeer]

REPUBLICANS TO HUDDLE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS TO ELECT MCCONNELL'S SUCCESSOR WEDNESDAY

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[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Mike Luckovich

* * * * *

Lessons from our success!

November 22, 2024

Robert B. Hubbell

Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal from consideration for Attorney General is instructive on many levels. Most of the lessons learned should fortify us for the battles to come.

Lessons include:

Public pressure works. Although the proximate cause of Gaetz’s withdrawal was a lack of support among GOP Senators, that lack of congressional support was the first derivative of public outrage over Gaetz’s reprehensible conduct. We must repeat that public pressure with respect to Pete Hegseth, Robert Kennedy, and Tulsi Gabbard, among others. Everyone who called their Senators or otherwise raised the alarm about Gaetz deserves a pat on the back.

Just because Trump wants something doesn’t mean he can get it. Those who oppose Trump sometimes accept the myth that he can accomplish everything and anything he wants. Not so. On Wednesday, Trump expressed public support for Gaetz’s nomination as Attorney General. On Thursday, he told Gaetz, “You don’t have the votes.” If we resist, we can win. Timothy Snyder advises us, “Do not obey in advance.” To that admonition we should add, “Do not concede before the battle is over.”

Trump was bluffing about recess appointments. Like most bullies, Trump relies on bluffing to get most of what he wants. When challenged, he retreats. Trump threatened to use recess appointments (and the Adjournment Clause) to force nominations through the Senate. However, he allowed Gaetz to drop out as soon as it was clear that Gaetz did not have the votes for confirmation. See The Bulwark, ‘You Don’t Have the Votes’: How Trump Barred the Gaetz

If Trump were serious about forcing the Senate into an involuntary adjournment, he would not care whether Gaetz had the votes. The fact that Trump cared whether Gaetz had the votes for confirmation shows that Trump was bluffing about forcing recess appointments.

Every defeat suffered by Trump weakens the illusion that he is invincible. Part of Trump's bluffing strategy depends on the fiction that he is invincible. But every time Trump loses a battle, the illusion of his invincibility becomes weaker. That should give us hope in the battles over Hegseth, Kennedy, and Gabbard.

Trump has other corrupt and corruptible candidates to replace every nominee we defeat. That’s okay. Trump immediately replaced Gaetz with Pam Bondi, former Attorney General of Florida. Bondi supported Trump's claims that the 2020 election was rigged and dropped an investigation against Trump University’s fraudulent practices after Trump donated $25,000 to her campaign. See NYTimes, New Records Shed Light on Donald Trump’s $25,000 Gift to Florida Official. Per the Times,

[In September], a check for $25,000 from the Donald J. Trump Foundation landed in the Tampa office of a political action committee that had been formed to support Ms. Bondi’s 2014 re-election. In mid-October, her office announced that it would not be acting on the Trump University complaints.

There is no bottom to the supply of corrupt and corruptible Trump loyalists who can (and will) replace every corrupt and corruptible nominee or appointee who takes office in the Trump administration. That’s okay. The point is to resist, disrupt, and expose the corruption. We need to keep it up, every day!

As I replied to a friend who alerted me to Matt Gaetz’s announcement on Twitter that he was withdrawing, “One down. Fourteen to go.”

Will Matt Gaetz rejoin the House of Representatives? Maybe.

Matt Gaetz resigned from the 118th Congress, which ends on January 3, 2025 at 11:59 a.m.

Gaetz was elected to the new Congress (the 119th), which begins on January 3, 2025, at Noon.

In his letter of resignation, Gaetz said that he “does not intend” to take his seat in the 119th Congress. Saying that you “do not intend” to do something is not the same as a “resignation.”

What if Gaetz changes his mind and shows up on January 3, 2025, to be sworn into the 119th Congress? Gaetz could easily say, “I didn’t intend to be sworn into the 119th Congress because I thought I would be the Attorney General. That didn’t happen, so I changed my mind.”

If that happens, the answer to “What comes next isn’t clear.” See HuffPo, So, Matt Gaetz Won’t Be AG. Can He Go Back To Congress?

I don’t know what will happen. I am simply noting that Gaetz has a plausible path back to Congress—which would presumably resurrect the House Ethics investigation. Query whether that investigation would need to begin from scratch. The 118th Congress is not the 119th Congress.

New questions about Pete Hegseth emerge

On Thursday, news organizations obtained a copy of a police report investigating a reported sexual assault by Hegseth in 2017 at a conservative conference. See AP, Police report reveals assault allegations against Hegseth, Trump's pick for defense secretary. The police report is linked in the AP article. It contains graphic descriptions of the reported assault.

The conclusion of the report states, “I recommend this report be forwarded to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for review.” That recommendation does not exonerate Hegseth, as he claimed in statements to the press on Thursday. See ABC News, Hegseth says he's 'completely cleared' in sex assault case. The police report doesn't say that.

Hegseth later entered into a non-disclosure agreement with the woman who reported the assault. Hegseth paid the woman an undisclosed amount of money to enter into the non-disclosure agreement. Hegseth’s attorney claims that the the woman “was the aggressor” and that she fabricated the story of rape in order to “save face” with her husband, who was staying at the hotel with his wife when the sexual assault took place.

More evidence will be gathered, including the investigation from local prosecutor to whom the case was referred for review. And since Hegseth has made public statements about the alleged assault despite the non-disclosure agreement, it may be that the woman he allegedly assaulted is free to speak to Senate investigators and the media.

The incident took place while Hegseth was in the middle of a divorce from his second wife and fathering a child with his then-girlfriend, who is now his third wife. If Hegseth was an active duty military officer at the time, it is likely he would have been discharged—possibly dishonorably.

Equally troubling are Hegseth’s public statements that express strong sympathy for white nationalist views and animosity toward fellow Americans who do not share those views. See Jonathan Chait in The Atlantic, Pete Hegseth Might Be Trump’s Most Dangerous Nominee.

Chait writes,

In his [Hegseth’s] three most recent books, Hegseth puts forward a wide range of familiarly misguided ideas: vaccines are “poisonous”; climate change is a hoax (they used to warn about global cooling, you know); George Floyd died of a drug overdose and was not murdered; the Holocaust was perpetrated by “German socialists.” [¶¶]

The Marxist conspiracy has also, according to Hegseth, begun creeping into the U.S. military, the institution he is now poised to run. His most recent book calls for a straightforward political purge of military brass who had the gall to obey Democratic administrations: “Fire any general who has carried water for Obama and Biden’s extraconstitutional and agenda-driven transformation of our military.” [¶¶]

In the most chilling passage of his three books, Hegseth declares his fellow citizens to be enemies:

The clearest through line of all three books is the application of Hegseth’s wartime mentality to his struggle against domestic opponents. American Crusade calls for the “categorical defeat of the Left,” with the goal of “utter annihilation,” without which “America cannot, and will not, survive.” Are the Crusades just a metaphor? Sort of, but not really: “Our American Crusade is not about literal swords, and our fight is not with guns. Yet.” (Emphasis—gulp—his.)

Hegseth bears tattoos that are associated with the white supremacist movement. He is unfit to serve in the military, much less serve as Secretary of Defense. Call your Senators to let them know how you feel about a man accused of rape (allegations he papered over with a non-disclosure agreement) and who views his fellow Americans as the enemy.

You can reach your Senators by entering your home state in the dialog box at U.S. Senate: Contacting U.S. Senators.

+

Women, in particular, are in disbelief that their fellow Americans did not rise to defend their status as full citizens under the Constitution. And after the reprehensible effort by the House to stigmatize trans people, everyone who is not straight, white, and in a same-sex marriage is understandably looking over their shoulder to see if the morality police are following them.

Yesterday, Heather Cox Richardson addressed an op-ed in the WSJ by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. See November 20, 2024 - by Heather Cox Richardson. The Musk-Ramaswamy op-ed distressed many readers. (See the Comments to Today’s Edition Newsletter date 10/21/24.)

Professor Richardson criticizes the Musk-Ramaswamy op-ed and planned “Department of Government Efficiency” in her usual professional, historical, and classy way—which is why she is a national treasure.

Me, not so much. I will say it directly: Musk and Ramaswamy are like a couple of twelve-year-old boys who know nothing about the world but are confident that they can make the world bend to their will because they are twelve-year-old boys who don’t know any better.

They have been put in charge of a fake “department” that can make recommendations that are dependent entirely on members of Congress—who will think twice about cutting two trillion dollars from programs that directly impact their constituents. To underscore this point, Musk has been on a diet of humble pie for over a week—repeatedly failing to persuade Trump and US Senators that Musk’s favorite candidates for the cabinet should be appointed. If Musk were a baseball player, his batting average would be perfect—0.000.

I am not saying that Trump will fail in his effort to cause chaos and inflict pain. He will do so intentionally and negligently in abundance. But the Dynamic Duds of Musk and his sidekick Vivek will be engaged in the equivalent of a kindergarten production of “Wheels on the Bus” while the adults are across town at the opera house watching Wagner’s Ring cycle.

Musk and Ramaswamy are designated psychological terrorists. Their purpose in the new administration is to issue baseless but ominous pronouncements that will garner press coverage and create the illusion that Trump is doing something. They will hold live hearings. Indeed, they will livestream them on Twitter so that Musk can fabricate viewer numbers that do not match reality. Musk and Ramaswamy will slap one another on the back as they congratulate themselves for the masterful production of “Wheels on the Bus.”

Their job is to upset us. Don’t let them. They are jesters in the classic sense of the word. Their job is to mollify the petulant and bored king. Do not let them fool and distract us. The real action is in the Oval Office and the Capitol. Let’s focus our resistance on those venues—which are ultimately accountable to the American people, as the Matt Gaetz withdrawal demonstrated today.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[luimnigh]

I remember Trump's first term being regularly punctuated by resignations of cabinet members, to the point where they began to be measured in Mooches, aka 11 days, after Anthony Scaramucci, the White House Communications Director, who only lasted that amount of time.

Matt Gaetz has lasted Negative 5.45 Mooches:

Also he resigned from Congress already so he's gone entirely.

[phoenixfeathersinfall]

The cabinet picks are starting to come out...

Susie Wiles for Chief of Staff

Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense

Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence.

Marco Rubio for Secretary of State.

Matt Gaetz for Attorney General. (He has resigned from Congress.)

Kristi Noem for Secretary of Department of Homeland Security.

Mike Huckabee for ambassador to Israel.

Steve Witkoff for Special Envoy to the Middle East

Elise Stefanik for ambassador to the UN

Lee Zeldin for EPA administrator

John Ratcliffe for CIA director

Bill McGinley for White House Counsel

Tom Homan for border czar

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy heading up a new agency, the Department of Government Efficiency.

USA Tumblrinas...the clown car is filling up and we can hear the squeaking shoes and honking noses of these largely incompetent and dangerous folks already. But most of them are, in fact, elected officials, which means they represent us. Start keeping track of them as you're able; you can tell them NO.

And remember: there is hope. Take a look at this video. Lawrence Tribe, one of the most prominent legal scholars in the country reminds us that the guard rails are not gone. That civil society has a very important function as we begin these uncertain days. That it's time to get involved.

[darkmaga-returns]

Has Matt Gaetz Been Set-up for Eviction from Public Life?

Paul Craig Roberts

I have had a horrible thought. Of all of Trump’s appointees, Matt Gaetz and Robert Kennedy will be the most difficult to get confirmed. And Gaetz has resigned from the House of Representatives where he is the most effective member against the ruling establishment. Was his appointment as Attorney General a trick to get him out of public life?

Robert Kennedy’s appointment was said to be in doubt because  he would be hard to confirm, but so would Gaetz. Gaetz’s high profile powerful position  scares to death the corrupt Justice (sic) Department, the corrupt FBI, the corrupt Democrats, and the corrupt ruling elites.

Perhaps the Senate will let Trump have his appointments without confirmation as recess appointments, so non-confirmation is not an issue.

It is revealing that there were no confirmation worries about Trump’s appointments of his Zionist war cabinet. Some claim that it is not a war cabinet, that Stefanik, Waltz, Rubio, and Hegseth have been cured of their Zionism by Israel’s massacre of Palestinians. Perhaps, but I have not heard a recantation from a single one of the “die-for-Israel” crowd. Certainly, Huckabee, sent by Trump as ambassador to Israel, and Witkoff, sent by Trump as his Special Envoy to the Middle East, will not take exception to Israel’s claim to title to Palestine. So how are they going to bring about any Israeli restraint? Isn’t it curious that Trump didn’t appoint anyone inclined to rein-in Israel?

That the Democrats stood down from stealing the presidency in 2024 doesn’t mean they didn’t steal House and Senate seats. The Republicans barely did well enough to change a thin Democrat Senate majority into a thin Republican majority, and it seems there was little, if any, change in the House. In contrast, when Reagan won in 1980 the Republicans captured 12 Democrat seats in the Senate. It is suspicious that Trump’s convincing win did not carry over into Congress.

Trump is taking Republican members of Congress as appointees into his administration. Republican governors can appoint replacements until the next election, but the appointed replacements might be vulnerable as they were not elected. Matt Gaetz was secure in his base. Will his appointed replacement be as secure?

We can be thankful that Trump has appointed some officials who fight for the correct causes.  We can keep hoping that Trump will make a difference.

[s1eepingsapphic]

Is this a joke?

Thursday, November 14th, 2024

Hi friends, this is a (occasional) daily segment where I share with you the most baffling headlines out of the Trump Administration. I will also accompany sources to provide the level of threat and if possible, background on what this means for all of us.

Matt Gaetz

Yesterday I posted about the Trump Administration selecting Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as the pick for Attorney General. After his nomination, Matt Gaetz resigned effective immediately. Friends, they are trying to paint this as he is confident he will receive the position and assisting the house in having a filled seat by Jan. 3rd. However, as many news sources are reporting, this is very convenient timing for the senator who is an alleged pedophile and has faced human sex trafficking investigations, with a report from the Ethics Committee to be released sometime this week.

What does his resignation mean?

The Ethics Committee investigation will likely end, as he is no longer a member of congress.

With resignation, Florida will have a special election to replace. This number could increase with Trump selecting Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz.

Will he become attorney general?

“Republican senators have already expressed doubts that Gaetz could get confirmed as attorney general, as the pick gets fierce pushback across the party.” (X)

“Gaetz's combative style has earned him enemies in Congress, and his reputation could prove an obstacle to his confirmation in the Senate. Some senators greeted his nomination with surprise.” (X)

Who would replace Matt Gaetz?

Call To Action:

We simply can’t afford to assume that all of this will fail on its own. Email your senators. Show them YOU know the facts and that someone like Matt Gaetz can not be the AG for an already corrupt elect-administration.

[fulminare-aeternus]

🖕😎🔥

IN RELATED NEWS:

[ridenwithbiden]

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST. BLAMING THE 'DYSFUNCTION' THEIR OWN PARTY CREATES "Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who announced last month he would not run for re-election, will resign from Congress early, he confirmed in a statement Friday.

Gallagher’s departure before the end of his term in January is another blow to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Republicans, who have been struggling to govern and demonstrate stability in this Congress.

2 sources familiar with the matter told NBC News of Gallagher's plan to resign early Friday. The Wisconsin Republican then released a statement announcing that he will depart April 19.

Gallagher informed Johnson of his decision earlier this week. Johnson, in a post on X, praised Gallagher's "extraordinary work in the House" and for "courageously exposing the threat Beijing poses to the U.S."

His resignation could cause more headaches for House Republicans. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., who also is not seeking re-election, is resigning from Congress on Friday, cutting the GOP’s minuscule majority to 218-213. When Gallagher leaves, the majority would further shrink to 217-213, meaning Republicans could only afford a single defection on any vote if Democrats vote together.

Gallagher’s decision to leave April 19 also means that there will not be a special election to fill his seat. Under Wisconsin state law, vacancies after the second Tuesday in April are filled in the general election, so Gallagher’s replacement will be decided in November and his seat will remain empty until January.

A source close to Gallagher said the decision to leave was in the works and not related to anything happening in House lately. Gallagher has a young family that he and his wife hope to grow and the House schedule is not conducive to that, the source said.

Gallagher, 40, an Iraq War veteran, is the chairman of the select committee investigating the Chinese Communist Party, and serves on the Intelligence Committee. It’s highly unusual for a committee chairman to resign in the middle of the term.

But Gallagher, an institutionalist first elected to Congress in 2016, has grown frustrated with his own party. He was one of three Republicans who voted against the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last month.

He is one of several top Republican chairmen who are not running for re-election in November following a tumultuous House session.

Earlier Friday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., filed a motion to oust Johnson from the speakership over his handling of funding the government, though no vote is scheduled yet. It follows a similar motion, made by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., that successfully toppled then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., last fall.

Meanwhile, shortly after the House passed its final government funding package for fiscal year 2024 on Friday, retiring Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, said she would step down as chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, setting off an early battle among Republicans to succeed her in the powerful post. Unlike Gallagher and Buck, Granger said she will serve out her House term, which ends in January.

In his statement, Gallagher said he worked closely with GOP leaders on the timing of his announcement — shortly after the House voted to avert a shutdown — and looks forward to Johnson naming a new China committee chairman.

"I will forever be proud of the work I did on the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, chairing the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, and chairing the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party," Gallagher said. "It has truly been an honor to serve in the House of Representatives."

[yetisidelblog]

@upontheshelfreviews 

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@tenaflyviper

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@ifihadaworldofmyown

@justice-for-jacob-marley

@voicetalentbrendan

@thebigdeepcheatsy

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@what-is-my-aesthetic 

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@bogleech

[pinkladyofficial]

Matt Gaetz was once Matt Gaetz was once under investigation for sex trafficking. Now he could lead the Justice Department

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump's selection for attorney general, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, is facing significant scrutiny due to his involvement in a sex trafficking investigation by the very Justice Department he is now poised to lead. Gaetz, who has also been investigated by the House Ethics Committee for allegations of sexual misconduct, resigned from Congress on Wednesday, effectively ending the probe into his actions.A staunch ally of Trump, Gaetz has been at the center of numerous controversies, raising doubts about his confirmation as the nation's top law enforcement official. Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, including claims of involvement in a sex trafficking scheme involving underage girls, asserting that the Justice Department's investigation ended without federal charges.If confirmed, Gaetz would be responsible for overseeing the Justice Department during a period of intense scrutiny, especially following Trump's repeated attacks on the department. The president has expressed anger over two criminal cases brought against him: one accusing him of attempting to overturn the 2020 election and the other involving the mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Trump, who has framed these legal battles as politically motivated, promised to exact retribution on his enemies should he return to office.The announcement of Gaetz’s selection sent shockwaves through the ranks of House Republicans. While some Republican lawmakers, such as Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho, questioned whether Gaetz could secure Senate confirmation, others like Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska expressed doubt about Gaetz's credibility as a candidate.Although it is unlikely that Gaetz would be confirmed in time to oversee special counsel Jack Smith’s ongoing investigations—both of which are expected to conclude before Trump takes office—Smith is anticipated to leave his position, potentially releasing public reports on his work. It is unclear when these reports might be made available.In a statement released Wednesday, Trump said Gaetz would work to root out "systemic corruption" at the Justice Department and return it to its "true mission" of fighting crime and upholding the Constitution. On social media, Gaetz expressed enthusiasm, stating, "It will be an honor to serve as President Trump's Attorney General."In a post hours before the announcement, Gaetz further vowed to take aggressive action against what he described as a "weaponized government," suggesting the abolition of federal agencies like the FBI and ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) should be on the table. If confirmed, Gaetz would oversee both agencies.The reaction from some Republicans has been one of skepticism, with concerns about whether Gaetz can secure the votes needed for confirmation, especially given his controversial history.

For more

[ivankahasbeentreatedsounfairly]

By The Editorial Board

The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate from the newsroom.

Nov. 14, 2024

Donald Trump has demonstrated his lack of fitness for the presidency in countless ways, but one of the clearest is in the company he keeps, surrounding himself with fringe figures, conspiracy theorists and sycophants who put fealty to him above all else. This week, a series of cabinet nominations by Mr. Trump showed the potential dangers posed by his reliance on his inner circle in the starkest way possible.

For three of the nation’s highest-ranking and most vital positions, Mr. Trump said he would appoint loyalists with no discernible qualifications for their jobs, people manifestly inappropriate for crucial positions of leadership in law enforcement and national security.

The most irresponsible was his choice for attorney general. To fill the post of the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, the president-elect said he would nominate Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida.

Yes, that Matt Gaetz.

The one who called for the abolishment of the F.B.I. and the entire Justice Department if they didn’t stop investigating Mr. Trump. The one who was among the loudest congressional voices in denying the results of the 2020 election, who said he was “proud of the work” that he and other deniers did on Jan. 6, 2021, and who praised the Capitol rioters as “patriotic Americans” who had no intention of committing violence. The one whose move to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023 paralyzed his own party’s leadership of the House for nearly a month.

Mr. Gaetz, who submitted his letter of resignation from Congress on Wednesday after his nomination was announced, was the target of a yearslong federal sex-trafficking investigation that led to an 11-year prison term for one of his associates, though he denied any involvement. The Justice Department closed that investigation, but the House Ethics Committee is still looking into allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, improper acceptance of gifts and obstruction of government investigations of his conduct. Kevin McCarthy, the former House speaker, blamed Mr. Gaetz for his ouster, on the grounds that Mr. Gaetz “wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old.”

This is the man Mr. Trump has selected to lead the 115,000-person agency that he has called the most important in the federal government, a position whose enforcement role could cause the most trouble for any president with corrupt intent. Even for Mr. Trump, it was a stunning demonstration of his disregard for basic competence and government experience, and of his duty to lead the executive branch in a sober and patriotic way. It will now be up to the Senate to say he has gone too far and reject this nomination.

Mr. Trump’s list of appointments is just getting started but already includes two other unqualified nominations that he announced this week: former Representative Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, and Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense.

Ms. Gabbard, who previously represented Hawaii in the House and regularly appears on Fox News, is not only devoid of intelligence experience but has repeatedly taken positions in direct opposition to American foreign policy and national security interests. She has appeared on several occasions to side with strongmen like President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Mr. Hegseth, a co-host of “Fox & Friends,” is perhaps even more unqualified, given the gravity — not to mention the budget — of the post he would assume. He enjoys some support from enlisted service members and veterans, but outside of serving two tours as an Army infantryman in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as time in Guantánamo Bay, Mr. Hegseth has no experience in government or national defense.

“He’s never run a big institution, much less one of the largest and most hidebound on the planet,” the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal wrote Wednesday. “He has no experience in government outside the military, and no small risk is that the bureaucracy will eat him alive.” The board went on to call Mr. Hegseth a “culture warrior” at a time when there are much bigger security issues for the Pentagon to be focused on.

It’s far from certain Mr. Hegseth could even obtain the security clearances required for the job. He has said he was one of a dozen National Guard members removed from service at President Biden’s inauguration in 2021 because of concerns that he was an extremist — possibly because of a tattoo he wears that is popular among white supremacists.

These are some of the most consequential roles in government, protecting the country from military and terrorist threats, investigating domestic criminal conspiracies, and prosecuting thousands of federal crimes every year. Yet to fill them Mr. Trump has resorted to people whose only eligibility for office is an apparent willingness to say yes to his every demand.

Mr. Gaetz in particular has joined Mr. Trump in expressing a commitment to exacting vengeance against anyone they believe has done them wrong. Mr. Trump began his campaign by saying “I am your retribution,” and Mr. Gaetz broadcasts nothing so much as that. He has no business leading an agency with the role of combating crime, fraud, violations of civil rights and threats to national security, among many other things.

In Mr. Trump’s first term, the department was protected by career prosecutors and other civil servants who understood that their primary obligation was to the dictates of the Constitution, not to the whims of the president. But Mr. Trump has promised to purge people like that from his second administration.

The possibility of extreme appointments like these was the reason the Constitution gives the Senate the right to refuse its consent to a president’s wishes. Last week, Republicans won control of the chamber. Now they will be confronted with an immediate test: Will they stand up for the legislative branch and for the American system of checks and balances? Two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, have already expressed strong skepticism of Mr. Gaetz’s nomination, and others have declined to express their support.

Mr. Trump clearly expects the Senate to simply roll over and ignore its responsibilities. He wants to turn the leaders of major important agencies into his deputies, remaking the federal government into a Trump Inc. organization chart entirely subordinate to him. He recently demanded that the Senate give him the ability to make recess appointments, a way of bypassing the Senate’s consent process when the chamber is adjourned for 10 days or more.

Even Republican senators refused to consent to that demand during his first term, to preserve their constitutional role, and on Wednesday Senate Republicans voted to reject as their leader Rick Scott of Florida, who said he would have no problem allowing recess appointments. Instead they chose John Thune of South Dakota, who is far more likely to uphold his chamber’s right to refuse consent of president nominations.

In Mr. Trump’s second term, senators will immediately be confronted with an extreme set of appointments even worse than those of the first term. That makes all the more important that they preserve the ability to say no.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/14/opinion/editorials/matt-gaetz-nomination-senate.html

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Steve Brodner

* * * *

Kevin McCarthy will step down at the end of December.

          Disgraced former Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced that he will resign from Congress at the end of 2023. McCarthy is a miserable, universally loathed person who deserted America during its hour of need. He voted against the impeachments (plural) of Trump; he objected to the count of the electoral ballots on January 6; he led the rehabilitation of Trump after January 6 by making the first pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago to visit the failed president.

          Kevin McCarthy was a well-known liar whose inability to speak the truth was too much for the likes of Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert. To the extent that he served as a mentor and left a legacy, he is responsible for bringing Marjorie Taylor Greene into the House GOP leadership. That legacy will haunt him forever.

          There is little else to say except that his absence will further complicate the ability of Speaker Mike Johnson to pass the “must-pass” legislation necessary to enact a budget. Or, as Marjorie Taylor Greene said about the GOP’s shrinking majority, “Hopefully, nobody dies.”

          McCarthy’s only accomplishments as Speaker came with majority support from Democrats and minority support from Republicans. In effect, Hakeem Jeffries was the “real” Speaker of the House during Kevin McCarthy’s tenure. That is how the history books should be written. A fitting epitaph for a man whose only goal was to obtain the Speakership to advance his personal glory, not because he had any plan or sense of duty to the American people. Good riddance.

Fake Electors held to account.

          There were two positive developments on Wednesday regarding accountability for “fake electors.” In Nevada, the state Attorney General announced the issuance of two felony charges each against six false Trump electors. The defendants include the Nevada GOP Chair, the state GOP vice chair, the Clark County Republican Party, and a GOP national committeeman. See Talking Points Memo, Six Fake Pro-Trump Electors Indicted In Nevada.

          In Wisconsin, a civil suit brought by two legitimate Biden electors against ten fake Trump electors was settled. The fake electors settled the suit by agreeing to withdraw their fake certifications, admitting that Joe Biden won the election, and admitting that they were not duly elected electors. See Talking Points Memo, Wisconsin Fake Electors Admit It Was All A Sham!

          Both actions will help discourage similar actions in the future. Importantly, the Wisconsin electors claim they were misled by Trump lawyer Ken Chesebro. The settlement agreement included text messages between the fake electors in which they refer to their effort as a “possible steal” of the election—by Trump!

The Senate rejects aid bill for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan.

          The Senate voted 49-51 on the supplemental funding bill for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. All Republicans voted against the bill; Chuck Schumer voted “No” when it became clear the bill would not reach the 60-vote threshold, a procedural move that will allow Schumer to call for another vote on the bill. See The Guardian, Senate Republicans block funding bill that included aid for Ukraine and Israel.

          Senate Republicans are holding out for stricter immigration reforms before providing support for the bill. House Republicans are conditioning their support for a similar bill for aid to Israel on drastic cuts to the IRS budget.

          If we didn’t know better, it’s almost like Republicans want Putin to win his war on the Ukrainian people. The Director of the Office of Management and Budget told Congress that the US will run out of money to fund Ukraine’s defense sometime in December.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[meandmybigmouth]

IMAGINE IF THESE FUCKS WER ALL HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR LIES AND BETRAYAL OF AMERICA!

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Martin Pengelly at The Guardian:

Matt Gaetz, the former Florida representative who this week withdrew from consideration to be US attorney general under Donald Trump, said on Friday he would not seek to return to Congress.

“I’m still going to be in the fight but it’s going to be from a new perch,” Gaetz told the rightwing podcaster and radio host Charlie Kirk. “I do not intend to join the 119th Congress.” Gaetz is a dedicated far-right controversialist and staunch Trump loyalist who last year played a key role in the removal of Republican Kevin McCarthy as House speaker, the first such move ever orchestrated by a speaker’s own party. Picked for attorney general during a plane ride with Trump, Gaetz was seen as likely to carry out the president-elect’s agenda of revenge on his political enemies and pardons for allies, including those convicted over the deadly 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol by supporters of Trump who sought in vain to overturn his 2020 loss to Joe Biden. Gaetz swiftly resigned his US House seat, which he had held for nearly three full terms on Capitol Hill.

Former Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) will NOT be returning to Congress. Could being a right-wing media pundit be next on his job list? Or could it be in the 2nd Trump Administration in a different role? Stay tuned.