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President-elect taunts ex-House Capitol riot committee member on Truth Social and appoints Herschel Walker as top US diplomat to the Bahamas
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The results of an ethics investigation into now-former congressman Matt Gaetz will be made public after a secret vote to share the report in the final days of 2024.
Members of the House Ethics Committee voted again earlier this month, reversing a decision to withhold the findings of a long-running probe into allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.
The report is expected to be made public after the final day of voting in the House of Representatives as lawmakers prepare to leave Washington for the holidays, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has claimed ex-Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney “could be in a lot of trouble” after a House GOP subcommittee called for her to be investigated by the Justice Department over her stewardship of the panel that examined the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021, accusing her of witness tampering by “colluding” with Cassidy Hutchinson on her testimony.
The president-elect posted the taunt on Truth Social, thanking Congressman Barry Loudermilk, who led the subcommittee and produced the interim report, for “a job well done”.
Cheney herself has already rubbished Loudermilk’s report as “a malicious and cowardly assault on the truth”.
She added, witheringly: “No reputable lawyer, legislator, or judge would take this seriously.”
Incoming US president Donald Trump threatened to impose reciprocal tariffs on India as he reiterated his longstanding complaints of New Delhi charging high tariffs.
Mr Trump made the comment at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, standing alongside his commerce secretary pick Howard Lutnick.
The former president, who has threatened tariffs on several countries as part of his “America First” approach, ended preferential trade status for India during his first term in 2019.
Shweta Sharma reports.
Trump accuses India and Brazil of charging excessive tariffs on imports
House lawmakers are expected to publicly release the results of an ethics investigation into now-former congressman Matt Gaetz after a secret vote last month to share the report in the final days of 2024.
House Ethics Committee members reportedly held a secret vote earlier this month, reversing course on a decision to withhold the findings of a long-running probe into allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.
The report is expected to be made public after the House’s final day of votes this week as lawmakers prepare to leave Washington, D.C., for the holidays, according to CNN.
Alex Woodward reports.
Now-former congressman at center of years-long probe into allegations of sexual misconduct
Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong is now prohibiting “editorials containing criticism” of Donald Trump “unless they are presented side-by-side with another opinion piece representing the ‘opposing view,’” according to a memo written by the newspaper’s editors.
As Oliver Darcy first reported in his Status newsletter, the staff memo reveals that Soon-Shiong’s “meddling” of the LA Times’ coverage – especially regarding the president-elect – has “grown more pervasive than previously realized.”
The memo, signed by several members of the LA Times’ opinion section, was sent to the newspaper’s executive editor, Terry Tang. It comes after Soon-Shiong killed an op-ed last month critical of Trump’s recent Cabinet picks and the incoming president’s suggestion that he may use recess appointments to circumvent the confirmation process.
Justin Barangoa reports.
Editorials with Donald Trump are now only allowed if they present the ‘opposing view’
President Joe Biden has said he is in favor of a ban on stock trading by members of Congress.
Speaking with Faiz Shakir, an adviser for Senator Bernie Sanders, in an interview on the progressive nonprofit news site More Perfect Union, the president said he did not know how lawmakers could trade stocks in good conscience.
“I don’t know how you look your constituents in the eye and know because the job they gave you, it gave you the inside track to make more money,” Biden said.
Per CNN:
The House Ethics Committee secretly voted earlier this month to release its report into the conduct of former Rep. Matt Gaetz before the end of this Congress, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the matter.
The report is now expected to be made public after the House’s final day of votes this year as lawmakers leave Washington for the holidays, those sources said.
The vote, which has not previously been reported, amounts to a stark reversal for the panel after it had voted along party lines in late November not to release the results of the investigation. The decision to release the report suggests that some Republicans ultimately decided to side with Democrats on the matter, and it is unclear if the committee will once again change course now that it has voted.
Here’s what you need to know about the investigation into Matt Gaetz and the previous failed attempt by lawmakers to release the report:
Republicans decline to release report after Gaetz ends bid for Senate-confirmed AG posting
The rash of mysterious drone sightings across New Jersey continues to cause panic down the US east coast — and on Capitol Hill, frustrations are bubbling.
Joe Biden’s administration, with just over one month left in office, is heading into the holiday season in full lame-duck mode. As rumors of a ceasefire in Gaza being “close” raise the hopes of some Democrats eager to see the president pull out a final legacy-defining win, more are becoming vocal about the failure of the broader administration to address what is quickly becoming a source of serious misinformation.
Read more:
ANALYSIS: From Iranian ‘mother-ships’ to federal conspiracies to a Star Wars prop, a lack of official information means the drone scare is generating more heat than light, writes John Bowden
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