Happy Friday! What’s the move this weekend — are we seeing “Wicked” or “Gladiator II”? Oh! And the Capitol Christmas Tree arrived in Washington this morning. I prefer to think of its police escort as an official motorcade. 😉 Here’s what’s happening today: -
Trump’s criminal sentencing has been delayed.
- Out with Matt Gaetz, in with Pam Bondi.
- Gaetz says he won't return to Congress.
- What to know about Trump’s denaturalization crackdown?
I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. |
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Trump will *not* be sentenced next week:
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Judge Juan Merchan, who has overseen President-elect Trump’s New York criminal case, announced that sentencing will not happen next week, as had been planned.
How this has gone down: “The judge halted the case to accept additional written briefing on Trump’s argument that his return to the White House compels the court to toss his 34-count felony conviction entirely. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) is opposing that request. Instead, Bragg floated that Merchan could freeze the proceedings while Trump is in office, meaning the conviction would remain on the books but sentencing wouldn’t occur until 2029, at the earliest.”
Read more. |
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🕶️ Trump Transition Lenses |
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Matt who? The name’s Bondi — Pam Bondi: |
Forget everything you’ve heard about President-elect Trump’s attorney general pick over the past eight days. That was simply Round 1. Trump quickly turned the page on his chaotic nomination of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Thursday, replacing him with another Floridian: Pam Bondi.
Bondi is the former Florida attorney general who served on Trump’s defense team during the first impeachment trial.
She’s very much in Trump’s orbit: She is the chair of a right-wing think tank working with the Trump transition team on the administration’s agenda. She’s also a partner at Ballard Partners, a firm founded by the former 2016 chair of Trump Victory. Plus, she showed up to support Trump during his New York hush money trial last spring and that will certainly get brownie points in Trump World.
What to expect in Bondi’s role: “Mr. Trump has been keen to install a close ally to head the Justice Department, which he has vowed to purge of what he calls ‘deep state’ foes — suggesting an end to a longstanding practice of Justice Department criminal investigations operating independent of White House direction or interference.” (The New York Times)
Her confirmation: Bondi’s expected to have an easier time making it through her Senate confirmation. She’s a loyalist who has experience serving as an attorney general in Florida. However, Gaetz’s removal puts increased scrutiny on Trump’s other more controversial picks — Pete Hegseth, RFK Jr., Tulsi Gabbard. But keep in mind — she does not come without controversy: -
“Bondi initially backed Trump’s claims there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, falsely claiming Trump had won Pennsylvania and insisting they had ‘evidence of cheating.’”
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“She was also accused of improperly accepting a $25,000 donation from Trump in 2013 when she was weighing multiple fraud accusations against Trump University. She ultimately decided not to join a suit against the school brought by the New York attorney general.”
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“In 2013, she publicly apologized for asking that the execution of a man convicted of murder be delayed because it conflicted with a campaign fundraiser. She said she was wrong and sorry for requesting that Scott push back the execution by three weeks.” (The Hill)
📹 Watch Bondi campaign for Mitt Romney in 2012, Jeb Bush in 2015 and Trump in 2016 (h/t to C-SPAN’s Howard Mortman) |
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➤ ‘TRUMP GIVES HIMSELF A BLACK EYE WITH GAETZ MISFIRE’: |
The Hill’s Niall Stanage argues Trump has inflicted some damage on himself over the brief course of Gaetz's nomination.
Yes, this!: “The president-elect had intended to strike a defiant note with his picks for senior positions, eschewing the GOP establishment figures of his first term who his inner circle argued had undermined the administration from within. This time around, MAGA loyalists are to fill the ranks. The wisdom and effectiveness of that strategy are now in serious question. And the same clouds of doubt that put paid to Gaetz’s chances could yet place a shadow over other controversial Trump nominees.” Read Stanage’s column
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‘One Scaramucci’ is measured as 10 days, but a ‘Gaetz’ is just 8: |
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In just eight days, Matt Gaetz went from a member of Congress to President-elect Trump’s pick for attorney general, to former congressperson and now to private citizen. He withdrew his consideration to lead the Justice Department on Thursday after coming under intense scrutiny over a past sex trafficking probe and House investigation over alleged sexual misconduct and drug use.
What now for Gaetz?: There’s been some debate over whether he could return to Congress. Yes, he resigned from his seat — but that was for the 118th Congress. Come January, we will enter the 119th Congress. If he did return to the House, he would be under the House Ethics Committee’s jurisdiction again. But Gaetz said in an interview with Charlie Kirk he does "not intend" to return to Congress. “I'm still going to be in the fight, but it's going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” Gaetz said.
Other options: It’s possible he takes another role in the Trump administration that doesn’t require Senate confirmation. He could also run for Florida governor in 2026 or fill Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) seat. Or, given his regular media appearances defending Trump, he could transition to a media career. Read more: 5 possibilities for Gaetz’s future
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➤ ANOTHER HICCUP IN THE CABINET: |
“President-elect Trump’s pick for Education secretary, Linda McMahon, is at a center of the lawsuit regarding child sexual abuse while she was in charge of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).” What we know: “The lawsuit, which was filed last month, accuses McMahon and her husband, Vince McMahon, of knowing about a ringside announcer who allegedly abused young boys for years but doing nothing about it.” Keep in mind: “McMahon has denied the allegations and says she plans to fight against the suit.” (The Hill)
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🪧 The Incoming Administration |
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It’s not just illegal immigration that will be targeted…: |
“President-elect Trump’s incoming administration is expected to take aim at legal immigration in addition to cracking down on the illegal variety, slowing the pace of application approvals and redirecting resources to look for fraud in old applications, including naturalizations,” reports The Hill’s Rafael Bernal. It would be a ‘supercharged’ version of Season 1: “The first Trump administration pushed for more denaturalizations, an initiative incoming White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has said will be ‘supercharged’ the second time around.” Yes, but as Bernal pointed out: “Though that effort is primed to make a big media impact, it’s unlikely to make a statistically significant dent in immigrant populations.” Read more: ‘Trump immigration crackdown: Denaturalization just a drop in the bucket’ |
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The New York Times: Why Trump Allies Say Immigration Hurts American Workers
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NBC News: Trump's transition team turns to Project 2025 after disavowing it during the campaign
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The Hill: GOP senators warn Trump against aggressive recess appointment move
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The Washington Post: Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick for attorney general, is a longtime loyalist
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The Wall Street Journal: Botched Gaetz Nomination Shows Limits of Trump’s Hold Over GOP
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☕ Celebrate: Today is National Cranberry Relish Day, and Saturday is National Espresso Day! |
🎙️ Taylor Swift’s boyfriend’s brother is getting a show: Former NFL player Jason Kelce will host a Friday late-night show on ESPN. (ESPN)
💵 What’s a good salary?: Axios’s Ben Berkowitz writes that “Boomers say it takes $100k a year to be financially successful, Gen Z says it takes $600k.” 📊 Check out this chart of financial success by generation
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The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in Washington, and Vice President Harris is in Hawaii. (all times Eastern) |
- 5:30 p.m.: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin holds a news conference with Fiji’s prime minister, Sitiveni Rabuka
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6:30 p.m.: Biden and first lady Jill Biden host a dinner on the South Lawn of the White House. 💻 Livestream
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Monday, Dec. 2: The Senate returns. 📆 Senate schedule
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