Speaker Johnson makes clarification after statement regarding transgender House member
House Speaker Mike Johnson made a clarification on Tuesday after previously declining to answer a reporter’s question on whether transgender Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del., is a man or a woman. “I just want to make a statement for all of you here and be very clear: I was asked a question this morning at the leadership gaggle, and I rejected the premise because the answer is so obvious,” Johnson told reporters in the Capitol Tuesday afternoon. “For anybody who doesn’t know my well-established record on this issue, let me be unequivocally clear: A man is a man, and a woman is a woman. And a man cannot become a woman.” “That said, I also believe that’s what Scripture teaches, what I just said. But I also believe that we treat everybody with dignity, and so we can do and believe all those things at the same time,” he added. “And I wanted to make that clear for everybody because there are lots of questions. But that’s where I stand. I’ve stood there my whole life, and those are facts.” At the House GOP weekly press conference earlier Tuesday, a reporter had asked Johnson, “Is freshman elect Sarah McBride a man or a woman?” JOHNSON DECLINES TO SAY IF TRANSGENDER REP-ELECT IS MAN OR WOMAN, SAYS HOUSE TO TREAT EVERYONE WITH ‘RESPECT’ “Look, I’m not going to get into this. We welcome all new members with open arms who are duly elected representatives of the people,” Johnson responded. “I believe it’s a … command that we treat all persons with dignity and respect, and we will.” The question came after Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., introduced a resolution on Monday that moves to prohibit members, officers and employees of the House from using “single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex.” Asked if the resolution was in response to McBride coming to Congress, Mace said Tuesday, “Yes, and absolutely, and then some.” TRANSGENDER WOMEN TO BE BANNED FROM CAPITOL HILL FEMALE BATHROOMS UNDER NEW HOUSE GOP PROPOSAL “I’m not going to stand for a man, you know, someone with a penis in the woman’s locker room, that’s not OK,” Mace said. “I’m a victim of abuse myself. I’m a rape survivor. I have PTSD from the abuse I suffered at the hands of a man. And I know how vulnerable women and girls are in private spaces. So I’m absolutely, 100% going to stand in the way of any man who wants to be in a woman’s restroom, in our locker rooms, in our changing rooms. I will be there fighting you every step of the way.” Outside the Capitol later Tuesday, Mace said Johnson told her on Monday that he would add her resolution to the House rules package. “And if it doesn’t end up there, I will amend the house rules package,” Mace said. “And I also have a privilege motion ready to go if it’s not in the House rules package for 119th Congress. I will force a vote on this. This is not okay. I’m a survivor of sexual abuse. The idea of having a man in a women’s restroom, locker room, or changing room is repulsive, and I will not allow it. And in fact, I’m not stopping here. This doesn’t end with Capitol Hill. I’m filing legislation tonight. You guys can wait with bated breath for what that’s about. But I am not going to allow this. I’m going to ensure that every woman and girl across the country is protected from this insanity.” “And today I’m receiving death threats from men pretending to be women who are willing to kill me over my right and women’s rights that I’m fighting for,” Mace added. “It’s insanity. It’s nonsense. And I’m going to stand up and fight back against the radical left all day long, every day, 365 days a year. Good luck. Come at me, bro.” In X posts on Monday, McBride had derided the resolution as “a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing.”
Congressional election observers deploy to Iowa for recount in uncalled House race
Congressional election observers are being deployed to Iowa to monitor the recount in an uncalled House race. The House Committee on Administration, which provides oversight of federal elections, announced on X that “Congressional Election Observers are being deployed to Iowa to observe the recount of the First Congressional District race.” Chairman Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wisc., “is committed to ensuring an accurate count of all legal ballots,” the committee’s GOP leadership said. “We must make sure that every legal ballot is counted accurately,” Steil added in a statement. “This Congress, we recruited a record number of Congressional Election Observers and continue to run the most robust Program in the history of the House to ensure fairness and accuracy in our election results. I want to thank each of our Election Observers and my colleagues for sharing their staff’s time as a commitment to strengthening our elections.” Democrat Christina Bohannan’s campaign on Thursday requested the recount in her bid against Republican incumbent Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks to represent Iowa’s 1st District. The initial tally puts Bohannan fewer than 1,000 votes — less than a percentage point — behind Miller-Meeks. SIZE OF SLIM REPUBLICAN HOUSE MAJORITY HANGS ON 5 UNCALLED RACES The contest is a much tighter rematch of 2022, when Miller-Meeks won by 7 percentage points. Miller-Meeks earned a first term in Congress representing Iowa’s 2nd District when she defeated Democrat Rita Hart by just six votes in 2020. Miller-Meeks has declared victory and said she was confident in her lead. In a statement released Thursday afternoon, Miller-Meeks’ campaign accused Bohannan and other Democrats of being “election deniers.” “This is a delaying tactic to thwart the will of the people,” the statement said. “A recount won’t meaningfully change the outcome of this race as the congresswoman’s lead is mathematically impossible to overcome.” HOUSE LAUNCHES POLL WATCHER PROGRAM AMID GOP-WIDE PUSH FOR ELECTION SECURITY Bohannan’s campaign said in a statement that the recount will make certain “that every voter is heard,” but that they have “full trust in this process and will accept the results regardless of the outcome.” Steil’s announcement comes as part of a GOP poll watcher program launched by the House in September in the party’s push for election security. Eight weeks before the election, the House Committee on Administration moved to boost accountability efforts at the polls for more than a dozen House races expected to come down to razor-thin margins through the Election Observer Program. Congressional staffers were eligible to volunteer for a training program that would set them up to be poll watchers to then be sent out to districts, not including their own, if requested by a congressional candidate in a close race. Republican incumbents held onto Iowa’s three other congressional seats, including the competitive 3rd District where Zach Nunn fended off a challenge from Democrat Lanon Baccam. Republican incumbents Ashley Hinson in the 2nd District and Randy Feenstra in the 4th District won decisively. Hinson defeated Democrat Sarah Corkery. Feenstra defeated Democrat Ryan Melton. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Republicans so far have won enough seats to control the House, completing the party’s sweep into power and securing their hold alongside President-elect Trump. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
After declining to state whether trans Rep-elect is a man or woman, Johnson says ‘A man cannot become a woman’
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., declined to answer when asked on Tuesday whether Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del., is a man or woman, but the speaker later made a statement in which he declared, “A man cannot become a woman.” McBride, a Delaware state senator who identifies as transgender, won election to the U.S. House of Representatives this year and will become the first openly transgender member of Congress after being sworn in next year. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who has called McBride a “biological male,” is pushing a resolution to block House members and others from using single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House office buildings that do not correspond with their biological sex. NANCY MACE’S EFFORT TO BAN TRANSGENDER DELAWARE DEMOCRAT FROM CAPITOL WOMEN’S RESTROOMS GAINS SUPPORT “A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee of the House may not use a single-sex facility (including a restroom, changing room, or locker room) in the Capitol or House Office Buildings, other than those corresponding to the biological sex of such individual,” the resolution states, noting that the House sergeant-at-arms would be tasked with enforcement. When asked on Tuesday whether McBride is a man or a woman, Johnson declined to answer the question, saying, “I’m not gonna get in to this.” Johnson said that everyone would be treated with dignity and respect. JOHNSON DECLINES TO SAY IF TRANSGENDER REP-ELECT IS MAN OR WOMAN, SAYS HOUSE TO TREAT EVERYONE WITH ‘RESPECT’ Later, Johnson made a statement of clarification in which he said he had rejected the question’s “premise because the answer is … so obvious.” “A man is a man. And a woman is a woman. And a man cannot become a woman,” Johnson declared. “But I also believe that we treat everybody with dignity,” he said. MACE FACES BACKLASH OVER EFFORT TO BAN NEW TRANSGENDER MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM WOMEN’S BATHROOMS CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully, I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness,” McBride posted on Monday. “This is a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing. We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars. Delawareans sent me here to make the American dream more affordable and accessible and that’s what I’m focused on,” the incoming House lawmaker added in another post on X.
Biden makes another Ukraine policy shift with approval of sending anti-personnel mines
President Biden approved sending anti-personnel mines to Ukraine late Tuesday, a reversal of policy and yet another escalation in the conflict with Russia ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration. Ukrainian officials have reportedly promised to only deploy the mines in Ukrainian territory and away from major population centers. The U.S. had previously withheld anti-personnel mines because of their tendency to outlast conflicts once deployed and cause injury to innocents. The U.S. has reportedly taken precautions to prevent such injuries, however. The mines being delivered to Ukraine operate on an electric fuse that relies on a battery. That battery typically runs out over the course of hours or even weeks, and it is then inoperative, according to CBS News. The Biden administration’s approval came the same day that Ukraine used American-made ATACMs in a strike on Russian soil. Biden had prohibited such uses until last week. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY SITS DOWN WITH FOX NEWS ANCHOR BRET BAIER AS WAR NEARS TWO-YEAR MARK Allies of President-elect Trump have blasted the Biden administration for approving Ukraine’s escalation of its conflict with Russia in the final months before Trump takes office. TRUMP’S FIRST CABINET PICKS DECIDEDLY NOT ISOLATIONISTS: UKRAINE, ISRAEL BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF “The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives,” Donald Trump Jr. posted on social media after Biden’s long-range missile approval. “Gotta lock in those $Trillions. Life be dammed!!! Imbeciles!” According to a senior U.S. official, Biden’s actions are spurred by the Russian decision to invite 10,000 North Korean soldiers into the fight against Ukraine in Kursk. A second official told Fox News that it is unclear if Biden plans to approve the use of the missiles outside the Kursk region. Russian President Vladimir Putin reacted by updating Russia’s nuclear weapon use doctrines. The White House National Security Council downplayed that reaction. DOCUMENTS REVEAL RUSSIA’S INITIAL ‘PEACE DEAL’ EQUATED TO THE SURRENDER OF UKRAINE: REPORT “As we said earlier this month, we were not surprised by Russia’s announcement that it would update its nuclear doctrine; Russia had been signaling its intent to update its doctrine for several weeks. Observing no changes to Russia’s nuclear posture, we have not seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture or doctrine in response to Russia’s statements today,” an NSC spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “This is more of the same irresponsible rhetoric from Russia, which we have seen for the past two years. As we said to Russia weeks ago, Russia’s use of DPRK soldiers in combat operations against Ukraine presents a significant escalation of its war of choice against Ukraine and we warned that the United States would respond,” the statement continued. The announcement came after Great Britain and France authorized Ukraine to launch SCALP/Storm Shadow missile strikes, according to French outlet Le Figaro. Putin has previously said that giving Ukraine the green light on missile use would effectively mean that the U.S. and NATO are “in the war.”
Louisiana lawmakers weighing constitutional amendment that would send more juvenile offenders to adult jails
Lawmakers in Louisiana are proposing an amendment to the state constitution that will drastically change penalties for juvenile offenders. Senate Bill 2 was approved by a 28-9 vote in the Senate and sent to the House of Representatives, where it was reported with amendments and referred to the Legislate Bureau. If the bill passes the state legislature, it would remove restrictions on sentencing juvenile offenders and allow them to be sent to adult jails for less violent crimes, like theft. Under current Louisiana law, juveniles can be charged as adults for a handful of violent crimes, including murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, rape and armed robbery. NORTH CAROLINA GOV. COOPER VETOES BILL THAT WOULD HAVE REQUIRED MORE JUVENILES TO BE TRIED AS ADULTS “We feel like the juvenile issue is one of utmost importance, and there’s just no reason to delay it,” said La. House Speaker Pro Tempore Mike Johnson (R-District 27). District Attorneys Phillip Terrell, Hillar Moore, Tony Clayton, Billy Joe Harrington, Brad Burget, Perry Nicosia and Christine Russell were present and some testified. The proposal would also need voter approval statewide because it will add a constitutional amendment to state law. KENTUCKY STATE SENATE PASSES BILL TRYING JUVENILES AS ADULTS FOR GUN-RELATED FELONIES A number of people who support the bill claim it will be beneficial for public safety. “The bill will assist District Attorneys, judges, and law enforcement in combating juvenile crime. LDAA leadership and a number of district attorneys appeared in committee support,” according to a Facebook post by the Rapides Parish District Attorney’s Office. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Detractors believe not only is the bill too broad, but the onus is on the people to invest time toward improving America’s youth, not incarcerating them. Lady Carlson of Together Louisiana told local outlet KALB, “If we invest in after-school programs, activities for youth … our schools are abysmal. We’re towards the bottom of almost every indicator. We’re not investing in our kids. So, how do we think they’re going to excel?”
Top 10 states where Trump outperformed in 2024
President-elect Trump flipped six highly competitive states in his election victory last week. But as a Fox News analysis showed last week, his gains with voters were not limited to the battlegrounds. This list covers the 10 states where Trump most outperformed his 2020 margins. Notably, conservative strongholds aren’t the only states that made the list. The top 10 also includes deeply Democrat areas. Trump didn’t win these states, but they swung to the right. Vote counting continues in some highly populated states on this list, including California and New York. IN ELECTION VICTORY, TRUMP’S GAINS WENT BEYOND THE BATTLEGROUNDS Note: As of this writing, approximately 3% of ballots have not yet been counted in New York. So far, New York has swung 11 points toward Trump. The president-elect posted a 6.3-point improvement on his 2020 vote share, while his Democrat opponent, Vice President Harris, slipped by five points. He gained across the state, with his largest swings in New York City and Long Island. On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 97% of the vote counted, she is winning by 12 points. TRUMP TRAIN CHUGS PAST 2020 MARGINS, PARTICULARLY AMONG HISPANICS, URBAN NORTHEASTERNERS Note: As of this writing, approximately 1% of ballots have not yet been counted in New Jersey. So far, New Jersey has swung 10 points toward Trump. The president-elect posted a 4.7-point improvement on his 2020 vote share, while Harris slipped by 5.3 points. He gained across New Jersey, with his largest swings in the northeast corner of the state. Hudson and Passaic counties lead the pack. On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 99% of the vote counted, she is winning by six points. Florida swung 10 points toward Trump. ‘FASCIST’: LIBERAL CRITICS MELT DOWN AFTER FLORIDA VOTERS REJECT ABORTION RIGHTS AMENDMENT The president-elect posted a 4.9-point improvement on his 2020 vote share; Harris slipped by the same amount. He gained across the state. The most notable swing was in Miami-Dade County, which flipped to the GOP for the first time since 1988. On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Trump would win the state. With the results certified, he won by 13 points. Massachusetts swung nine points toward Trump. The president-elect posted a 4.2-point improvement on his 2020 vote share and Harris slipped by 4.6 points. ABORTION SUPPORTERS AT WOMEN’S MARCH IN BOSTON TURN OUT IN DROVES TO SUPPORT HARRIS PRESIDENCY He gained across the state, with double-digit swings in Suffolk County, which includes Boston, and Bristol County. On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 99% of the vote counted, she is winning by 25 points. Note: As of this writing, approximately 5% of ballots have not yet been counted in California. So far, California has swung nine points toward Trump. The president-elect posted a 3.8-point improvement on his 2020 vote share as Harris slipped by 4.8 points. He gained in many areas across the state, including the two most populated cities, Los Angeles and San Francisco. On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 95% of the vote counted, she is winning by 21 points. DEMOCRAT WINS HOUSE RACE TO RETAIN SEAT IN CALIFORNIA’S 21ST DISTRICT Texas swung eight points toward Trump. The president-elect posted a 4.2-point improvement on his 2020 vote share; Harris slipped by roughly the same amount. He gained across Texas, with the largest swings concentrated in the southern parts of the state. Webb County, for example, home to Laredo, moved 25 points toward Trump. That gave Republicans their first win there in over a century. On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Trump would win the state. With 99% of the vote counted, he is winning by 14 points. Note: As of this writing, approximately 2% of ballots have not yet been counted in Mississippi. So far, Mississippi has swung eight points toward Trump. The president-elect posted a four-point improvement on his 2020 vote share; Harris slipped by roughly the same amount. EX-TRUMP OFFICIAL PREDICTS ‘ENTIRE MINDSET CHANGE’ AT SOUTHERN BORDER, HAILS ‘FANTASTIC’ PICK TO LEAD DHS He gained across the state, including in Yazoo County, a majority-Black county that last voted for the GOP in 2004. On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Trump would win the state. With 98% of the vote counted, he is winning by 24 points. Rhode Island swung seven points toward Trump. The president-elect posted a 3.3-point improvement on his 2020 vote share, while Harris slipped by four points. He gained across the state, led by Providence, the city’s highest-populated area. On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 98% of the vote counted, she is winning by 14 points. REPUBLICANS PROJECTED TO KEEP CONTROL OF HOUSE AS TRUMP PREPARES TO IMPLEMENT AGENDA Tennessee swung 6.5 points toward Trump. The president-elect posted a 3.5-point improvement on his 2020 vote share, while Harris slipped by three points. He gained across the state, including a double-digit swing in Trousdale County, a rural area outside the Nashville metropolitan area. On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Trump would win the state. With 99% of the vote counted, he is winning by 30 points. Note: As of this writing, approximately 1% of ballots have not yet been counted in Illinois. So far, Illinois has swung six points toward Trump. The president-elect posted a 3.4-point improvement on his 2020 vote share; Harris slipped by 2.9 points. He gained across Illinois, with a notable eight-point swing in Cook County, home to Chicago. On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 99% of the vote counted, she is winning by 11 points.
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia says with Trump’s election, ‘we’ve got a friend in the White House’
MARCO ISLAND, FL – EXCLUSIVE – After some high-profile battles with President Biden’s administration the past three years, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin says that President-elect Trump’s decisive election victory earlier this month means he now has “a friend in the White House.” Youngkin, the popular Virginia governor who’s entering his final year in office, argued in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview that “as a governor who’s been driving pro-business and strong education and safe communities and lower tax rates, we now have someone in the White House who believes in all of that.” “I look forward to us having the wind at our backs as opposed to in our face,” Youngkin said as he spoke Tuesday on the sidelines of the Republican Governors Association annual winter meeting, which is being held this year at a southwestern Florida waterfront resort. And pointing to his final year steering Virginia, Youngkin said “I can’t wait to see what we’re going to do having the wind at our back from the Trump administration.” HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE TRUMP TRANSITION There was plenty of speculation regarding Youngkin potentially serving in a top position in the second Trump administration, but the governor in a recent call with the president-elect made it clear he intends to finish out his term. But he doesn’t sound like he’s ruling out serving in the Trump administration after he finishes up in Richmond in a year. “I told the president when I called him and told him that I wanted to finish my term, that I would be available to help him at any time while I’m governor and afterwards,” Youngkin said. TRUMP FAR AHEAD OF HIS FIRST TERM PACE IN NAMING HIS CABINET Youngkin energized Republicans nationwide three years ago, as the first-time candidate who hailed from the party’s business wing edged out former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe to become the first GOP candidate in a dozen years to win a gubernatorial election in the one-time swing state that had trended towards the Democrats over the previous decade. The governor instantly became a Republican rock star and speculation stirred about a possible 2024 White House run. But Youngkin and his party suffered a setback a year ago in legislative elections that grabbed outsized national attention, as Democrats retained control of the Virginia state Senate and flipped the House of Delegates. While Youngkin wasn’t on the ballot, he had plenty riding on the results, after investing plenty of political capital on behalf of Republican legislative candidates. The results also meant Youngkin wouldn’t have a free hand during his final two years in office to push through a conservative agenda. Youngkin returned to the campaign trail this year in Virginia and a couple of key battleground states, to help campaign on behalf of Republicans up and down the ballot. And he spoke at a large rally Trump held in conservative southwest Virginia the weekend before Election Day. While Vice President Kamala Harris carried the Commonwealth in the White House race, her margin over Trump was 4.5 points narrower than President Biden’s victory in the state four years earlier, as Trump and Republicans over performed expectations. The results appear to have given Youngkin more clout ahead of his final legislative session. Democrats who over the past year were united in opposition to the governor’s proposed tax cuts, may now be receptive to negotiating. Asked if the Democrats are now ready to play ball, Youngkin said “I’m hoping they are. I think that the recognition that Virginians want to keep more of their hard-earned money has really engaged everyone in a dialogue on how to provide tax relief.” He argued the election results “demonstrated record job growth which has created surplus after surplus after surplus is driven by pro-business standards.” And he emphasized that “we’re going to come back with a big tax package again, and we’re going to make sure we’re standing strong for education and strong for public safety.” “I’m optimistic,” he added, but acknowledged that “it will be a normal legislative process. We have a legislative – we’re a one seat minority in the House and the Senate – so we have to go to work to get things done.” All political eyes will be on Virginia in 2025, as the Commonwealth and New Jersey are the only two states to hold gubernatorial elections in the year after a presidential election. But Virginia governors, by law, are prevented from running for re-election to a second straight term. That doesn’t mean Youngkin will disappear from the campaign trail in 2025. He says it’s just the opposite. VIRGINIA’S YOUNGKIN ENDORSES HIS LT. GOVERNOR TO SUCCEED HIM “You’re going to see me a lot,” he touted. “We’ve got a very aggressive agenda for being governor in the last 14 months. But part of that agenda that I have is to make sure that we have [Lt. Gov.] Winsome Sears as our next governor. [Virginia Attorney General] Jason Miyares back as our attorney general and a super lieutenant governor who we will pick at our primaries.” Youngkin predicted that “Virginians are going to make clear that they want to keep doing more of what we’re doing that’s proving record job growth and opportunity and great outcomes in schools and safe communities.” The 2025 Virginia gubernatorial showdown is shaping up as a contest between Sears and Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer. The winner will make history as the state’s first ever female governor. And Sears, if she wins, will also make history as the nation’s first Black female elected governor. Youngkin pushed back when asked if Sears, who served in the Marine Corps and made history as the first woman in Virginia to hold statewide office, is too conservative for voters. “Not at all,” the governor quickly responded. “And Winsome is a commonsense conservative leader. We have been partners literally from day one. We campaigned together. We were elected together. We have governed together. And
House Ethics Committee plans to discuss probe into Gaetz after resignation from Congress
The House Ethics Committee may meet on Wednesday to discuss its investigation into allegations against now-former Rep. Matt Gaetz one week after President-elect Donald Trump tapped him to be the next attorney general. The meeting comes after a woman reportedly told the Ethics Committee that she had sexual relations with Gaetz when she was 17 years old, according to ABC News. The Department of Justice (DOJ) had previously spoken to the woman, now in her 20s, as part of its yearslong investigation into Gaetz related to accusations of sex trafficking and obstruction of justice, according to the outlet. The House Ethics Committee was investigating the accusations and was expected to vote on whether to release the committee’s report into Gaetz last Friday. However, the meeting did not take place after Gaetz announced his immediate resignation from Congress just two days prior. JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’ Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., chair of the House Ethics Committee, told reporters after Gaetz’s nomination that his panel would lose jurisdiction over the Florida Republican if he left Congress. “If Mr. Gaetz were to resign because he is taking a position with the administration as the attorney general, then the Ethics Committee loses jurisdiction at that point,” Guest said before news of Gaetz leaving. “Once we lose jurisdiction, there would not be a report that would be issued. That’s not unique to this case.” MATT GAETZ FACES GOP SENATE OPPOSITION AFTER TRUMP SELECTION FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL Following his resignation from Congress, officials debated whether the investigation findings should be released ahead of Gaetz’s confirmation hearing. Several Republicans, including GOP senators critical in determining his confirmation, have said the report should be released if Gaetz were to go through the attorney general vetting process. A spokesperson for Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who presides over the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he has advocated for the report’s release to the public. “There is longstanding precedent for releasing ethics investigation materials after a member resigns, whether in the House or Senate,” said Josh Sorbe. “The now-former congressman shouldn’t be able to resign away an ethics investigation involving allegations of grave misconduct, especially when he will be nominated to be our country’s top law enforcement officer.” A House Republican told Politico on condition of anonymity that Gaetz was stepping down from Congress to “stymie the ethics investigation that is coming out in one week.” MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT However, at a press conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Gaetz told him he resigned abruptly to expedite the process of filling his House seat through a special election. The House Ethics Committee’s investigation into Gaetz, which began in 2021, stems from accusations of illicit drug use and sex with a minor. The DOJ, which Gaetz has been tapped to lead, ultimately did not press charges, and Gaetz has consistently denied all wrongdoing. Johnson has said he does not believe the report should be released. “The speaker of the House is not involved with those things. I am reacting to media reports that a report is currently in some draft form and was going to be released on what is now a former member of the House. I do not believe that that is an appropriate thing,” the House speaker said. “That would open up Pandora’s box, and I don’t think that’s a healthy thing for the institution, so that’s my position.” Fox News’ Daniel Scully contributed to this report.
Hacker obtains House ethics testimony on Matt Gaetz as Trump makes calls for AG nominee
David French, the conservative New York Times contributor and longtime anti-Trumper, has a provocative take on why the president-elect won. It’s the economy and the border, stupid. “I can’t help but think that if the withdrawal from Afghanistan hadn’t been a bloody mess (that’s when President Biden’s approval rating went underwater, and it never came back), if inflation hadn’t spiked and if migration hadn’t surged at the border, then we’d be having a different conversation. “I know that the Harris campaign had answers for all these criticisms. The American people wanted to end the Afghan war, and Biden was saddled with Trump’s terrible deal with the Taliban. Inflation was a global phenomenon, and it was unfair to entirely blame Biden when, by 2023, America had the lowest inflation rate among the Group of 7 countries. The Biden administration had finally cracked down on the border and had endorsed a tough new border bill.” WHY TRUMP IS STICKING WITH GAETZ, HEGSETH DESPITE NEW ACCUSATIONS – AND HIS ‘MORNING JOE’ MEETING He adds that “they also rightly argued that Trump nostalgia was misplaced. It was wrong to give the former president a pass for the pandemic or for the chaos and murder spikes of 2020. His term did not end in 2019, with peace and prosperity. It ended near the beginning of 2021 with disease, violence and cultural decay. Even the memories of the time before Covid are idealized.” So it was really Joe Biden who lost the election by letting inflation spiral – he was, in fairness, digging out of the pandemic – and turning the border into a free-for-all zone. He was also a terrible salesman for a series of bipartisan victories. When his mental decline became obvious at the debate, and he stepped aside for Kamala Harris, she had to run on that record – and famously told “The View” that she couldn’t think of a single thing where she differed with the president. So the powerless Democrats may be more screwed than you think. THE PODCAST CAMPAIGN: IS IT CURTAINS FOR MAINSTREAM MEDIA? Given the party’s evolution from champion of the working class to representing the highly educated coastal elites in politics, academia and journalism, the Dems are left without a winning coalition they once took for granted. In a Times news story, Jennifer Medina writes: “The working-class voters Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign needed were not moved by talk of joy. They were too angry about feeling broke. “The losses up and down the ballot leave Democrats in crisis. Voters without a college degree make up a solid majority of the electorate. Without them, the White House could be out of reach. And for a party that stands for and takes pride in its diversity, the erosion of support from voters of color calls its identity into question.” What’s more, in interviewing hundreds of working-class minority voters, Medina found that “for many, hope had already hardened into cynicism. Promises about affordable housing fell flat and promoting accomplishments on insulin prices failed to break through. Simply put, their trust in the Democratic Party was gone.” MEDIA LIBERALS SAVAGE KAMALA AS TRUMP PICKS EXPERIENCED HARD-LINERS Now that brings us to Donald Trump’s self-proclaimed mandate, even if CNN was happy to report that Trump’s vote share had dropped slightly below 50% (Who cares? He’s the 47th president.) Now comes news, first reported by ABC, that an unidentified hacker has obtained the sworn testimony of Matt Gaetz accusers from the House ethics probe and apparently plans to make it public. The hacker accessed the file through a law firm involved in a civil suit against Joel Greenberg, a former Gaetz pal now serving an 11-year prison term for sex trafficking. The file includes testimony under oath by a woman who says she had sex with Gaetz when she was 17, back in 2017, and from another woman saying she witnessed the sexual encounter. Asked for comment, Trump transition spokesman Alex Pfeiffer said: “Matt Gaetz will be the next attorney general. He’s the right man for the job and will end the weaponization of our justice system. “These are baseless allegations intended to derail the second Trump administration. The Biden Justice Department investigated Gaetz for years and cleared him of wrongdoing. The only people who went to prison over these allegations were those lying about Matt Gaetz.” Trump is making calls on behalf of Gaetz, and J.D. Vance is escorting him and other nominees around the Hill. The Times reports that Trump realizes that Gaetz may not be confirmed. This is a matter of simple math, since most GOP senators have not committed to supporting him. Yet the president-elect will not back off or force Gaetz to withdraw the nomination. But if Gaetz falls short, it would be hard for the Senate to reject a replacement nominee, who might have the same views on disrupting and perhaps politicizing the DOJ, but without the ex-congressman’s baggage. The House ethics panel, while stymied by Gaetz’s abrupt resignation, is meeting today on the report. One new disclosure that could hurt him: Gaetz used his adopted son’s PayPal account to pay one of the women, who was not a minor. Doesn’t that sound like someone with something embarrassing to hide? The Democrats have some influence in this process, as they’d only have to pick off four of the 53 GOP senators to block Matt Gaetz. But they are also consumed by their election shellacking and will have a hard time defeating Trump on just about anything.
President-elect Trump has considered buying Greenland: Here’s every proposal in American history
The incoming Trump administration has reinvoked chatter about the possibility of the United States purchasing Greenland, an idea floated during the president-elect’s first term in office. In his first term, Trump tweeted an image of coastal Greenland with an edited, glossy Trump tower building superimposed on the landscape. It was captioned, “I promise not to do this to Greenland!” In August 2019, President Trump confirmed to reporters that he was interested in purchasing Greenland, an idea that raised both curiosity and debate. “Denmark essentially owns it,” Trump said. “We’re very good allies with Denmark, we protect Denmark like we protect large portions of the world. So the concept came up and I said, ‘Certainly I’d be.’ Strategically it’s interesting and we’d be interested but we’ll talk to them a little bit. It’s not No. 1 on the burner, I can tell you that.” TRUMP SAYS MEDIA IS ‘VITAL’ TO MAKING AMERICA ‘GREAT AGAIN,’ VOWS TO WORK WITH ‘FREE, FAIR AND OPEN’ PRESS The Wall Street Journal first reported Trump’s interest, citing sources who said he had mentioned the idea with “varying degrees of seriousness.” The idea was shelved after Joe Biden took office in 2021, but has resurfaced online in the wake of Trump’s victory earlier this month. Republican Congressman Mike Collins of Georgia posted what appears to be an electoral map featuring Greenland on November 7, with the territory voting GOP. It was captioned, “Project 2029.” TRUMP NAMING CABINET OFFICIALS AT ‘WARP SPEED,’ FAR HEAD OF FIRST TERM PACE Since then, a member of parliament in Denmark has pushed back on the idea of the United States purchasing Greenland as an American territory. According to a post from Rasmus Jarlov, the Danish parliament does not intend to offer the territory to anyone, especially the United States. “Greenlandic independence requires approval by the Danish parliament[sic] and a change of our constitution,” wrote Jarlov. “I can guarantee you that there is no way we would approve indepence[sic] so that you could buy Greenland. Nice fantasy but forget it.” This is far from the first time that the United States has considered purchasing the strategically beneficial Arctic landmass. After World War II, President Harry Truman offered Denmark $100 million for it in 1946, but Denmark refused. The idea actually came up earlier in 1945, when Senator Owen Brewster, R-Maine, called Greenland a “military necessity” supported by American military leaders. In 1946, a State Department official noted that the Joint Chiefs of Staff believed the U.S. should aim to purchase the territory. That December, Secretary of State James Byrnes even made an offer directly to Denmark’s Foreign Minister Gustav Rasmussen, suggesting a sale might be the simplest solution. American interest in Greenland goes back even further. In 1867, the State Department explored buying both Greenland and Iceland, recognizing their strategic importance. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP If Denmark hypothetically agrees to sell Greenland to the United States, it would be the largest expansion of American territory in history, topping 1803’s Louisiana Purchase.