Trump stuns GOP with Gaetz pick for AG
Gaetz resigns from House to speed replacement
Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for November 14, 2024:
Thune elected as new Senate GOP Leader.
House Republicans to change ‘motion to vacate.’
GOP almost to an official House majority.
TRUMP CABINET. It was like old times on Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol. Donald Trump did something so outlandish that many GOP lawmakers didn't know what to say or how to react. Republicans gave answers that made no sense, with some lawmakers walking away from reporters as fast as they could. And the day was then capped off by a surprise GOP resignation in Congress. It’s not hard to tell that the overwhelming news cycles of Donald Trump are back.
MATT GAETZ. The wild events began with Trump announcing that he was picking Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) for the post of U.S. Attorney General. It landed like a giant lead weight on Capitol Hill. "Will you vote for him?" Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) was asked. "We'll see," said Johnson, who seemed stunned at the unfolding events.
NO COMMENT. Republicans were shocked. You could almost see their minds desperately searching for something to say. "I'm just now getting information," said Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC), not interested in talking. "Everybody will have their hearing," said Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) as he jumped aboard the subway.
CAPITOL. The Gaetz news broke just as the Senate was having a vote, as the hallways basically exploded. "I was shocked at the nomination," Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told reporters. “This one was not on my bingo card,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who called Gaetz an ‘unserious candidate.’
NOT LAUGHING. From the sidelines, Democrats were not amused. "What's next, George Santos as FBI Director?" said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA). "People voted for cheaper eggs, not whatever the f@#€ this is," tweeted Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM).
RESIGNATION. A few hours later, the next shoe dropped, as House Speaker Mike Johnson suddenly announced that Rep. Gaetz had submitted his resignation from the Congress. "He issued his resignation letter effective immediately," Johnson told reporters. "That caught us by surprise a little bit."
SPECIAL. The reason Gaetz resigned was supposedly to make it easier to fill his seat in the 119th Congress more quickly. Speaker Johnson says he'll talk today with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) about setting the date for a special election - trying to limit the damage to the slim House Republican majority.
SHRINKING. Earlier on Wednesday, Trump playfully told Republicans that they should learn to deal with an extremely small majority in the House. "Get used to one (seat) for a little while," Trump told House GOP lawmakers. (We didn’t know at the time that he had already told the Speaker about his plans for Gaetz.)
MAJORITY. As of now, Trump has tapped three House members for jobs in his administration: Gaetz, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY). It isn’t really what GOP leaders want. "We've asked the President," said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, "Please, no more House members after Matt Gaetz."
MAJORITY UPDATE. Republicans last night clinched what should have been a majority of seats for the U.S. House in the 119th Congress, as the AP declared Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) the winner in Arizona, giving the GOP 218 seats. But because of the resignation of Matt Gaetz, Republicans are at 217 seats for the new Congress - and that's not a majority of 434 seats. The GOP is still favored to take control.
GOP 218 wins + 4 leading minus Gaetz = 221 seats
Dem 207 wins + 6 leading = 213 seats
CALIFORNIA. Democrats seem to be ready to take the lead in CA-45, where the advantage of Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA) has dwindled down to only 349 votes. Right now, that's the only other seat that I can see Democrats winning.
CONCESSION. Meanwhile, House Democrats conceded yesterday that they can’t win the majority - but they sure aren’t far behind. “I congratulate Speaker Mike Johnson,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “In an adverse electoral climate, House Democrats overperformed the national political environment.”
DRAW. Jeffries is right. Republicans won the White House and easily grabbed control of the Senate. But Democrats have fought the GOP to a draw in the House. Republicans right now have 220 seats - and that’s what they might have in the next Congress as well.
ETHICS. The sudden turn of events made many of us wonder what was really behind the Gaetz resignation. One answer is that it automatically ends a House Ethics investigation of Gaetz - as there were reports last night that the panel had been ready to release its findings later this week.
SEXPLOITS. GOP lawmakers have long told tawdry stories related to Gaetz. "We had all seen the videos he was showing on the House floor," Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) told CNN. "He'd brag about how he would crush ED medicine and chase it with an energy drink so he could go all night. This was obviously before he got married," Mullin added.
REPORT. The Ethics Committee could still vote to release that Gaetz report. I think that’s unlikely - but let’s just remind everyone that Gaetz may be the most hated lawmaker on Capitol Hill.
BIDEN-TRUMP. Trump's choice of Gaetz - and the resulting uproar on Capitol Hill - completely overshadowed a visit earlier in the day to the White House by the President-elect. Trump and President Biden met for nearly two hours, as Biden pledged a 'smooth transition' to the second Trump Administration.
SENATE GOP. Back on Capitol Hill in the Senate, Republicans turned the page to a new leader on Wednesday, electing Sen. John Thune (R-SD) to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). "This Republican team is united behind President Trump's agenda, and our work starts today," said Thune, who spoke by phone with Trump after the GOP elections.
NEW DAY. Thune won his victory on the second ballot, topping Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) on a vote of 29-24. It will be the first time since 2007 that McConnell has not been in the top slot for the Senate GOP. "He is a fighter for conservative values," Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) said of Thune.
THUNE HARDWARE. "It's a new day in the United States Senate and it's a new day in America," Thune told a crush of reporters just off the Senate floor. "The American people have loudly rejected the failed policies of the Biden-Harris-Schumer agenda."
RICK SCOTT. It was no surprise that Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) - seen as sort of the MAGA favorite in this race - made little headway in his bid for Senate Majority Leader. Scott lost on the first ballot, as he finished third, getting 13 votes.
SUNSHINE. “I want to thank my colleagues and the millions of Americans who supported my run and made their voices heard to demand change,” Scott said.
OUTCOME. You should not take Scott’s loss as a setback for MAGA or a defeat for Trump. I think it's more of a reminder that Rick Scott is not really well-liked by his fellow Senate Republicans.
HOUSE. Republicans in the House yesterday selected House Speaker Mike Johnson to continue on in that leadership post - despite a lot of grumbling from Freedom Caucus members. "We are unified and energized and ready to go," Johnson told reporters. "We have to deliver for the American people, beginning on day one in the new Congress."
RULES. House GOP lawmakers avoided a major internal battle by coming to a deal over the 'motion to vacate' - that was the procedural tool used by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to trigger the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023.
VACATE. Instead of just one solo member being able to offer a motion to vacate on the House floor, Republicans agreed to raise the threshold to nine members.
PUNISHMENT. In exchange for doing that, other Republicans dropped their plans to pass rules changes to punish GOP lawmakers who break with leadership on key votes. "Because of this agreement, we are in a better position to move forward the Republican agenda," said Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD).
KEYSTONE. The U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania is going to an automatic recount. Republican challenger Dave McCormick - who has already claimed victory - has a lead of just under 30,000 votes over Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA). That comes out to less than one-half of one percent.
RECOUNT. County elections officials must complete the recount by November 26. The final numbers are due out the next day - which is the day before Thanksgiving.
MARGIN. I just want to be very clear about this situation. It would be very unusual for this race to flip in a recount. Yes, it is possible that some county made a brutal computation error along the way - and that will get checked. But anything more than minor vote total changes would seem unlikely.
RAP SHEET. A South Carolina man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for his actions on Jan. 6. Christopher Rockey joined rioters in pushing through police inside the Capitol, and later grappled with officers outside the building - grabbing their riot shields and batons. Rockey was identified in part by someone in his neighborhood who happened to see his photo on the FBI website.
MUSE OF HISTORY. November 14, 1941. On this date, a new Democratic member from Mississippi was sworn into office on the House floor. No one had any idea that Jamie Whitten would set a record for service, as he would keep his seat for the next 53 years, rising to Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Whitten was well known for using his southern drawl to obscure what he was saying. Longtime Rep. Silvio Conte (R-MA) sometimes referred to Whitten as 'Mr. Mumbles.'
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House convenes at 10 am.
The Senate meets at 10 am.
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If the House ethics committee doesn’t release their findings can the Senate Committee subpoena it for the hearings? I know it’s doubtful to happen because a majority would have to request the information. Just curious.
A follow up. If Gaetz doesn’t get the AG office would he have time to run for Sen. Rubio’s seat?
I am like the Senator saying wtf this is. gaetz is like a joke. I really don't get it. Then I had a thought. What if Trump is purposely pulling from the house and senate to make the margins even thinner or lose them so when the agenda does not get pushed through he can blame Congress. I mean MTG seems to be getting passed over also LB. They are two of his most faithful followers is he not going to reward them. But please ein the name of all that is holy do not give them ambassador potions. We don't need to ship our crazy outside the US. Lol