President-elect Donald Trump has selected former Florida attorney general (2001-2019), Pam Bondi, as the next U.S. Attorney General. The announcement came an hour after Matt Gaetz withdrew as a nominee for the same role, claiming he did not want to be a "distraction" for the administration. The GOP is reacting to this choice, praising Trump for his pick in Bondi, with Gaetz himself writing on X, "She's a proven litigator, an inspiring leader and a champion for all Americans. She will bring the needed reforms to DOJ." Sen. Tommy Tuberville also lauded the choice, writing, "Pam Bondi is a brilliant attorney with a long career of fighting for the Constitution. She will do a great job restoring JUSTICE at the DOJ." Bondi was a member of the president-elect's defense team in his first Senate impeachment hearing in 2020. She also participated in his commission on opioids and drug abuse.
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08:00 AM EST
Linda McMahon lying about education degree "disqualifying": Attorney
Linda McMahon, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for education secretary, falsely claiming that she had a degree in education is "disqualifying," according to former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance.
McMahon's limited experience was immediately seized on after Trump announced he had chosen her to lead the Department of Education on Tuesday, with educators decrying her as "unqualified."
The billionaire professional wrestling mogul served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Newsweek has contacted McMahon for comment through an email to the America First Policy Institute, which she co-founded. The Trump transition has also been emailed for comment.
McMahon is now facing fresh scrutiny for incorrectly claiming in a vetting questionnaire before being nominated to serve on the state Board of Education in early 2009 that she had earned a degree in education from East Carolina University in 1969; it was actually in French. The Hartford Courant first reported on the error in 2010 during McMahon's unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate.
McMahon told the Courant in a 2010 interview that she wrote to Jodi Rell, the governor who appointed her to the board, to correct the error after a reporter with the Stamford Advocate noted the discrepancy. She said she had believed her degree was in education because she did a semester of student teaching and, after state testing, had a certificate to teach.
Joyce Vance, the former U.S. attorney in Alabama and a frequent Trump critic, said that McMahon's "lie" should disqualify her from serving in the president-elect's cabinet.
"There were social media posts claiming Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Education, Linda McMahon, lied about having a college degree in education when seeking a position on the Connection Board of Education," Vance wrote in her Civil Discourse newsletter on Friday.
"She reportedly resigned a day before she was going to be exposed in the press. If this is true, it's disqualifying and will be yet another test for the Senate," Vance added.
Read the full story by Khaleda Rahman on Newsweek.
07:56 AM EST
McConnell announces his new positions in 119th Congress
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has announced that he would lead the Senate Rules Committee as well as the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense in the 119th Congress.
"America's national security interests face the gravest array of threats since the Second World War. At this critical moment, a new Senate Republican majority has a responsibility to secure the future of U.S. leadership and primacy," McConnell said in a statement. "I intend to play an active role in this urgent mission as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and I look forward to working closely with incoming Chair Susan Collins to accomplish our shared goal."
"The Senate Rules Committee will also have important work to accomplish in the 119th Congress, and I look forward to leading it as Chairman," McConnell added.
"Defending the Senate as an institution and protecting the right to political speech in our elections remain among my longest-standing priorities," he continued. "Ranking Member Deb Fischer has done an outstanding job advancing these causes, and I know she will remain a key partner in the committee's ongoing work."
07:53 AM EST
Trump reportedly considers Kevin Warsh as Treasury secretary
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is allegedly considering former Member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors of the U.S. Kevin Warsh as his Treasury secretary, according to The Wall Street Journal.
This decision comes with the knowledge that Warsh may subsequently be chosen to succeed Federal Reserve Chair Powell in 2026.
07:49 AM EST
How Matt Gaetz derailed Trump and bitterly divided Republicans
President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of Florida House Republican Matt Gaetz to be the next U.S. attorney general sent shock waves through Washington, D.C, and bitterly divided Republicans.
The choice of a man mired controversy sparked a mixed reaction from prominent GOP figures both inside and outside Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson described Gaetz as "one of the most intelligent" members of Congress while former White House national security adviser John Bolton called his selection "the worst nomination for a Cabinet secretary in American history."
The withdrawal of Gaetz's nomination Thursday was the first real derailment suffered by Trump's incoming administration following his decisive November 5 election victory when, as well as winning the Senate, the Republican candidate also won seven key battleground states, along with the popular vote.
Gaetz announced he was dropping out of the running for attorney general, saying it had become "clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition."
The move had followed a meeting with Republican Senators on Wednesday. According to The New York Times, Gaetz had told friends he believed four GOP Senators opposed his nomination, and would vote with the Democrats against his confirmation. He said these were: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, and Senator-elect John Curtis of Utah.
Newsweek reached out for comment to the offices of McConnell, Murkowski, Collins, and Curtis via email on Thursday.
To be confirmed as attorney general by Congress, Gaetz would have needed the approval of a majority of the full Senate. After the November 5 elections, the Republicans have 53 Senators, according to The Associated Press, versus 47 affiliated with the Democrats.
Read the full story by James Bickerton on Newsweek.
07:46 AM EST
Kellyanne Conway reacts to Pam Bondi pick
Former Senior Counselor to the President in the first Trump Administration, Kellyanne Conway, has shared her thoughts on the president-elect's pick for attorney general, calling her "tough, smart, principled."
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