Trump forced to switch as Gaetz bails
Bondi is new pick for Attorney General
Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for November 22, 2024:
Hegseth faces questions during stops with Senators.
Dems pick up more votes in two California House races.
House and Senate leave a lot of work for after Thanksgiving.
CABINET. President-elect Donald Trump unveiled a new choice for U.S. Attorney General last night, hours after ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) withdrew his bid, buffeted by multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. In the end, it didn’t matter that Gaetz had Trump’s support, as it was clear that he faced major headwinds among Republicans in the Senate.
SUNSHINE. Trump wasted no time replacing Gaetz, tapping former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was one of his attorneys for his first impeachment trial. Unlike Gaetz, Bondi has all sorts of legal experience, and at first glance will not present the same controversy as Gaetz.
GAETZ. "It is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction," Gaetz said in a written statement as he bowed out of what was going to be a difficult confirmation fight. "There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle," the Florida Republican added.
CAP HILL. The decision came a day after Gaetz came to Capitol Hill - shepherded by Vice President-elect JD Vance - and met with a number of GOP Senators about his nomination. From what we have been told at the Capitol, the message sent to Gaetz in those meetings was not a positive one.
NOT SHOCKED. "From everything that had built up to this point, it doesn't surprise me," said Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN). Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) called the Gaetz choice ‘problematic,’ as GOP Senators clearly weren't sure the fight to approve Gaetz would have been worth their effort.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Just as Senators were blindsided by the Gaetz pick, many were told by reporters that Gaetz had given up. But I noticed a GOP theme right away. "I respect his decision," said Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). "I respect former Representative Matt Gaetz’s decision," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). "I respect Gaetz decision," tweeted Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA).
NO LOSS. As I have mentioned, Gaetz has a lot of enemies inside the GOP, as some Republicans openly celebrated his demise - still angry about how Gaetz helped lead the effort to depose former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) summed up his feelings about Gaetz this way, using a photo of McCarthy for emphasis: “Justice has been served.”
RULE OF THUMB. With Gaetz gone, could there be more controversy over Trump’s Cabinet picks? Of course. The next logical trouble spots are RFK Jr. for health secretary, Tulsi Gabbard for DNI, and Pete Hegseth for Defense.
DEFENSE. Hegseth was on Capitol Hill yesterday, repeating the meetings that Gaetz had a day before - and was also accompanied by Vice President-elect Vance. “I had an outstanding meeting,” said Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), who flashed a thumbs-up with Hegseth and Vance.
SEXUAL ASSAULT. But like Gaetz, there are extenuating circumstances involving Hegseth, as new details emerged about an incident involving Hegseth and a woman at a GOP conference in Monterey, California. The police report from October 12, 2017 is titled this way: “Rape: victim unconscious of the nature of the act.”
REPORT. The incident was first reported by a nurse at a local health care facility, after a woman requested a sexual assault exam. The police report says the woman ‘believes something may have been slipped into her drink,’ and that she believed she was sexually assaulted by Hegseth.
QUESTION. It’s not often you hear this question to a nominee in the halls of Congress. “Did you sexually assault a woman in Monterey, California?” one female reporter asked. Hegseth said he had nothing to hide. “The incident was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared.”
NINE ELEVEN. It's also been revealed that Hegseth raised money for noted 9/11 conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer. I’m sure that will go over well in a building which was hit by a hijacked plane on 9/11.
ELECTION UPDATE. The decision by Matt Gaetz to withdraw puts a question mark around his seat in the next Congress. Obviously, he was elected in November, as Gaetz could show up on Jan. 3 and claim his House seat. On the other hand, if Gaetz returns, he might also face a significant ethics investigation.
LETTER. When Gaetz resigned from the House last week, he indicated that he was not returning for the 119th Congress in order ‘to pursue the position of Attorney General.’ I’m not a lawyer, but since Gaetz is no longer pursuing that job - it seems to leave an opening for him to return in January.
CALIFORNIA. The numbers still aren’t final for the U.S. House next year. The latest vote counts on Thursday continued to edge in favor of Democrats in two undecided GOP House seats in California. The deficit keeps growing for Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA), as she now trails by 480 votes in CA-45. In CA-13, Rep. John Duarte (R-CA) saw his lead slashed to just 194 votes.
GOP 219 wins + 2 leads = 221 seats
Dem 213 wins + 1 lead = 214 seats
SENATE UPDATE. While the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania was called by the Associated Press earlier this month, Democrats have held out hope that a recount and the processing of all sorts of miscellaneous ballots would help save the seat of Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA). But it didn’t pan out.
KEYSTONE. Casey did cut his deficit to Republican Dave McCormick down to 16,000 votes - but it wasn't enough, as Casey conceded defeat officially on Thursday. Republicans will have a 53-47 edge in the Senate next year, a net gain of 4 seats. The GOP gained more seats in the Senate than in the House.
WORLDWIDE THREATS. One of the oddest things to happen this week was how two top national security officials refused to testify at scheduled 'worldwide threat' hearings in the House and Senate. The decision by FBI Director Christopher Wray and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas angered lawmakers in both parties.
SENATE. "The American people deserve transparency and accountability," fumed Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who called the refusal to testify a 'shocking departure' from past precedent. "This is Mayorkas & Wray giving the middle finger to the American people," said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO).
TRUMP. What do I think is going on here? My gut instinct tells me - and I admit that I could be wrong - my gut tells me that this has to do with not wanting to get ripped by GOP lawmakers - and not make news tied to Donald Trump.
DAN COATS. For those who don't remember - back in 2019, Trump's Director of National Intelligence got in all sorts of hot water for his testimony. Dan Coats simply gave honest answers about how U.S. Intelligence viewed various threats - and Trump belittled his answers on Twitter.
JET FUMES. The House and Senate have gone home for a Thanksgiving break. Lawmakers aren’t due back until the first week of December, and they have plenty on their plate to get done before Christmas. Let’s quickly go over the to-do list, which hasn’t really changed since the elections:
Major defense policy bill (NDAA)
Farm Bill extension
12 government funding bills for 2025
December 20 shutdown deadline
Disaster relief for hurricane victims
KICK THE CAN. Like a high school senior who keeps finding reasons to delay work on college admissions applications and essays, Congress is adept at procrastination. And this year is no different. More in my column for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
JUDGES. Before the Senate left town, Democrats teed up even another seven votes on federal judges nominated by President Biden. Those votes will resume on December 2. Despite procedural stalling tactics this week by GOP Senators, Democrats were able to confirm another six judges.
MACED. Watching the almost endless tweets this week from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) about transgender bathroom use in the Capitol has been really weird. It almost seemed like the attention that Mace won with her tweets - and from the press corps - was like a personal elixir. I’m not saying she’s right or wrong - my observation is that it just doesn’t seem like a healthy situation.
SOCIAL MEDIA. As you might imagine, Mace's efforts to prevent a new transgender member of Congress from using the women's bathrooms on Capitol Hill generated a lot of social media support and scorn. Mace made this post on Friday morning that caught my eye:
I've lost almost 30 pounds in the last 12 months due to PTSD from a deeply traumatic event. So keep mocking my looks and attacking women who've survived abuse and who wear that abuse on the inside and out. The raging Radical Left's bullying, death threats and words will NEVER stop me from protecting those who are most vulnerable, our women and girls.
MCBRIDE. The target of Mace's ire, Delaware Democrat Sarah McBride, has refused to take the bait from Mace. "I'm not here to fight about bathrooms," McBride said, promising to follow the new House rules and stay out of the women's room.
NEXT YEAR. Democrats have praised McBride for trying to ignore the barbs and what they say is ‘bullying.’ But I just wonder about next year, when McBride will be on the House floor and in committees with Mace and other Republicans. It might not be the best of situations. Something to watch.
MAILBAG. Yesterday was the office lottery for the newly-elected House freshmen lawmakers for the 119th Congress. That brought some questions about how it takes place. It's sort of like musical chairs. One person leaves (whether by retirement or defeat), their office becomes available, and someone else grabs it.
FROSH. The new House members are at the bottom of the pile. They get to pick through offices in the three House buildings that no one else wanted to claim. And so, that leads to yesterday's office lottery - where the new members picked a number to figure out the selection order.
NUMERO UNO. Getting the first pick was New York Democrat Laura Gillen, who flipped a GOP seat on Long Island. Stunned by her luck, she celebrated by giving high-fives to others in the audience. Gillen picked an office on the fourth floor of the Cannon building.
HISTORY. Republican Tom Barrett of Michigan was only interested in getting one office - 1232 Longworth. Why? That was the office occupied by his great-grandfather, Louis Rabaut, who was a member of the House from Michigan for 24 years. Barrett got his wish.
CAPITOL CHRISTMAS. It’s not yet Thanksgiving, but the Capitol Christmas Tree for this year is set to arrive today. The tree has had a long ride - it is an 80-foot Sitka Spruce from the Tongass National Forest in Alaska.
RAP SHEET. A Utah man has been sentenced to just over 2 years in jail for his actions on Jan. 6. Zach Rash joined other rioters in overwhelming police lines outside the Capitol. Later, he used a stun gun to attack officers inside the Lower West Terrace Tunnel. He initially claimed he didn't do that - but later pleaded guilty.
MUSE OF HISTORY. November 22, 1929. The final day in session for the Senate on this date didn't start with a focus on pending legislative business, but rather there were sharp words about the investigation of a local murder in Washington. On the floor, Sen. Coleman Blease of South Carolina denounced the 'debauchery' and 'general corruption' of D.C. "I have no son and I have no daughter to go through the temptations and the vileness and the filth of this city," Blease said.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House is back for votes on December 3.
The Senate returns for votes on December 2.
Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree.
Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com
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There was something about a $25,000 bribe Bondi took that let the convict-elect get away with some crime, but it’s just one of ten thousand disgusting things the republicans have done.
But at least every unaccompanied little girl in a congressional bathroom will be safe.
I think the race is on to see who gets tired of the other first - trump or musk.