It’s Monday. Welcome back and happy December! First lady Jill Biden unveiled the 2024 holiday decorations at the White House this morning and it looks magical. ✨🎄 Here’s what’s happening today: - Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter has been reverberating on Capitol Hill.
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Even some Democrats are criticizing the president’s decision.
- Reporters shouted pardon questions at Biden as he flew to Africa.
- Dems are picking up the pieces from 2024 and reevaluating their strategy.
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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President Biden sent shockwaves through Washington on Sunday night when he announced the pardon of his son Hunter Biden in both of his federal cases. Biden’s reasoning: The president argues the charges against his son were brought for political reasons. But what is raising eyebrows is just how adamant President Biden has been that he would not do this. The two federal cases: Hunter Biden was found guilty in June on three felony charges over his purchase and possession of a gun in 2018. Plus, he pleaded guilty in September to nine federal tax charges. He was set to face sentencing this month. |
President-elect Trump called the pardon “an abuse and miscarriage of justice.” “Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!” Trump posted on Truth Social, referring to the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee who led an impeachment inquiry into Biden, accused the president of “[lying] from start to finish about his family’s corrupt influence peddling activities.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who sits on the Oversight panel, threw Biden’s words back at him, quoting his old post that “no one is above the law.” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said he was caught off guard. “I’m shocked Pres Biden pardoned his son Hunter bc he said many many times he wouldn’t & I believed him Shame on me,” Grassley said on X. But it’s not just Republicans who are critical:
Colorado’s Democratic governor, Jared Polis, slammed Biden’s decision, arguing it sets a “bad precedent.” It “could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation,” Polis posted on X.
Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton (Ariz.) said he thinks Biden “got this one wrong.” “This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers,” Stanton posted on X.
Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) wrote "as a father, I get it," but "as someone who wants people to believe in public service again, it's a setback."
More reactions from Capitol Hill |
ADDING TO THE CONTROVERSY: |
Biden repeatedly said he would not pardon his son. This puts aides (and many pundits) who cited the president’s past statements in an uncomfortable position trying to explain the reversal. The Hill’s Alex Gangitano pulled together a list of the multitude of times the White House or Biden said that Hunter would not be pardoned. 📝 The 10 times Biden said he wouldn’t pardon Hunter Still, many political observers long viewed the president’s position about a familial pardon with deep skepticism, especially after he dropped his reelection bid.
As The Hill’s editor-in-chief Bob Cusack put it: “The easiest prediction for many months other than the New York Jets will let you down.”
📹 Watch reporters shout questions at Biden while boarding AF1 |
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The next Cabinet pick for chatter:
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President-elect Trump announced over the weekend that he will nominate Kash Patel to serve as director of the FBI. Patel is a controversial figure who sparked internal battles during the first Trump administration.
Why it’s especially notable: Current FBI Director Christopher Wray’s 10-year term won’t expire until 2027. This announcement means Wray, whom Trump first nominated in 2017, will either resign or be fired.
Why Patel is controversial: “Patel has called for mass firings, particularly at both the Justice Department and the FBI, and has also called for stripping security clearances of anyone involved in investigating Trump while he was a candidate in 2016. He has regularly accused a “deep state” of thwarting Trump during his first term.” | |
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And I go back to December:
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Congress is back in session this week with 18 days left to fund the government.
Hunter Biden’s pardon and Kash Patel’s nomination will likely dominate most of the oxygen on Capitol Hill this week. But here’s what else is happening:
The Matt Gaetz fallout rolls on: The House is expected to vote this week on whether to release the now-defunct House Ethics Committee report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). Gaetz withdrew his nomination as Trump’s attorney general and stepped down from Congress, so it’s controversial whether or not it should be released. On one hand, it’s no longer the House’s jurisdiction and he’s not under consideration for the administration. But on the other hand, Gaetz could receive another White House job, and the report may include important information from the roughly three-year probe. The Trump assassination attempt is back in the spotlight: The House task force on the attempted assassination of Trump is scheduled to meet Thursday.
Read more on this week in Congress, via The Hill’s Mychael Schnell |
The Pete Hegseth story isn’t going away:
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The mother of Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to lead the Defense Department, sent an email to her son in 2018 where she accused him of repeatedly mistreating women, The New York Times reported over the long holiday weekend.
Excerpt: “You are an abuser of women — that is the ugly truth and I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around, and uses wo men for his own power and ego. You are that man (and have been for years) and as your mother, it pains me and embarrasses me to say that, but it is the sad, sad truth.”
Penelope Hegseth told the Times she sent a follow-up email apologizing and saying she sent the initial email out of emotion and she regretted it. Trump's team criticized the Times for publishing the email, which the newspaper said it obtained from someone with ties to the Hegseth family. Plus: The New Yorker published a big piece on Hegseth on Sunday.
Excerpt: “A whistle-blower report and other documents suggest that Trump’s nominee to run the Pentagon was forced out of previous leadership positions for financial mismanagement, sexist behavior, and being repeatedly intoxicated on the job.”
Read the full New Yorker piece: |
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To quote Taylor: ‘I can do it with a broken heart’: |
The dust is beginning to settle among Democrats over Nov. 5’s decisive Republican victory. Democrats are picking up the pieces and have shifted from grief to assessing what went wrong.
What’s up in the air: How Democrats will counter Trump, who will lead the party and how to avoid this outcome in the next election.
A big looming question: What will Vice President Harris do now? Will she stay active in Democratic politics over the next few years, or will she step aside? She has not ruled out the possibility of running for president in 2028. Read Niall Stanage’s column on the internal Democratic discussions: ‘Democrats try to figure out where they go from here’ |
A SHAKE-UP IN COMMITTEES: |
House Natural Resources Committee ranking member Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) announced that he is bowing out of his leadership spot on the committee.
Why?: He has been dealing with an unspecific cancer diagnosis since last spring, but he was also facing a challenge from Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.).
Keep in mind: There may be several shake-ups among Democratic committee roles. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) may challenge Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) to be the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee and reports have indicated Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) plans to challenge Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) atop the Agriculture Committee.
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🍟 Celebrate: Today is National Fritter Day!
🖊️ The 2024 Word of the Year: Oxford University Press has named “brain rot” as the word of the year. Its definition: “‘Brain rot’ is defined as ‘the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.’” (Time)
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The House is out. The Senate is in. President Biden is in Cabo Verde and Angola today. Vice President Harris is in Washington. (all times Eastern) |
Noon: Biden meets with Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva of Cabo Verde. 1 p.m.: Biden leaves for Angola.
3 p.m.: The Senate meets. 📆 Today’s agenda 5:30 p.m.: Senators vote on a nomination.
9:15 p.m.: Biden meets with staff and families of the U.S. Embassy Luanda. Tuesday: The House returns from recess. 📆 This week’s agenda
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