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Report: Trump Team Mulling Replacement For Controversial Admin. Nominee

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By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America - Pete Hegseth, CC BY-SA 2.0

This Trump nominee could already be on his way out…

President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has reportedly been drafting a list of alternative nominees for Defense Secretary in case Trump rethinks his choice of, Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Pete Hegseth.

According to Vanity Fair, which spoke to two unnamed Republican sources “close to Trump,” the president-elect’s transition team has been “quietly preparing a list of alternative defense secretary candidates should Trump abandon Hegseth,” following news of a 2017 sexual assault allegation.

“It’s becoming a real possibility,” claimed one of the sources. The other source said, “People are upset about the distraction. The general feeling is Pete hasn’t been honest.”

Shortly after Trump announced his decision to nominate Hegseth for secretary of defense this month, the Trump transition team was informed about a 2020 payment Hegseth reportedly made to a woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her at a hotel and spa in 2017.

In a statement, Hegseth’s lawyer Timothy Parlatore insisted, “Mr. Hegseth is completely innocent. Not only did she take advantage of him, but we believe she then extorted him knowing that at the height of the #MeToo movement the mere public allegation would likely result in his immediate termination from Fox News.”

The New York Times reported last week that Trump had “not moved off supporting Mr. Hegseth, despite claims that his team was reassessing the pick, according to several people close to the incoming president.”

Hegseth’s nomination took Senate Republicans by surprise.

Asked for his thoughts on the nomination, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) reportedly remarked, “Really? I’d have to think about it.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) reacted, “Wow… I’m just surprised because the names that I’ve heard for Secretary of Defense have not included him,” while Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) asked, “Who?”

Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) was more optimistic about the nomination, calling Hegseth “an impressive individual.”

‘Vladimir, STOP!’ – Trump Blasts Putin Over Deadly Strikes On Kyiv

Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

In a dramatic public rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday morning to condemn Russia’s latest missile and drone assault on Kyiv, which killed at least nine people and injured more than 70.

“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV,” Trump wrote. “Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”

The Hill has more:

The Trump administration has been pushing for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, but top officials have in recent days signaled they are prepared to walk away from negotiations if the two sides don’t reach a deal soon.

Fighting has been ongoing in Ukraine since Russian forces invaded in February 2022 after amassing troops near the border.

Trump has vacillated between criticizing Russia for its continued assault on Ukraine and lashing out at Zelensky.

Trump’s comments came just hours after he slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for vowing that Ukraine would never recognize Russia’s occupation of Crimea — a strategic peninsula that was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014 and is home to more than 2 million people.

By President Of Ukraine – https://www.flickr.com/photos/165930373@N06/54169325552/, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=156221279

“Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian territory,” Trump posted Wednesday. He added that such declarations from Kyiv “make it so difficult to settle this war.”

The White House recently announced that Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will soon visit Moscow for a fourth round of negotiations with Putin, underlining ongoing diplomatic efforts.

Kremlin.ru, via Wikimedia Commons

Meanwhile, European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, have squarely blamed Putin for prolonging the war, stating that Russia alone prevents peace. Macron emphasized that only Putin’s agreement could stop the violence, underscoring the international community’s call for a resolution.

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Trump Issues Blistering Response After Israel, Iran Violate Ceasefire Deal

Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

President Trump is not happy…

President Donald Trump expressed deep frustration with both Israel and Iran on Tuesday, saying the two countries “don’t know what the **** they’re doing.”

Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran on Monday night, dubbing the conflict a “12-day war.”

Trump made the comments while departing from the White House for a NATO summit Tuesday morning. Both Israel and Iran fired missiles at one another following the imposition of a ceasefire on Monday night.

“I’m not happy with Israel. You know, when I say, okay, now you have 12 hours, you don’t go out in the first hour and just drop everything you have on them. So I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran either, but I’m really unhappy if Israel is going out this morning,” Trump said.

He continued, “We basically have two countries that have been fighting for so long and so hard that they don’t know what the **** they’re doing.” 

“I’m gonna see if I can stop it,” he added.

“ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!” Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after boarding Marine One.

Minutes later, he announced that Israel was canceling its plans for an attack Tuesday morning.

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during their joint press conference, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Leslie N. Emory)

“ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect! Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he wrote.

He then topped it off with a post stating: “IRAN WILL NEVER REBUILD THEIR NUCLEAR FACILITIES!”

A senior Israeli official told Fox News on Tuesday that Iran had launched two missiles toward Israel following the announcement of the ceasefire, “and we believe they are trying to fire more in the next couple of hours.”

“Unfortunately, the Iranians have decided to continue to fire toward Israel,” the official said to Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst after Trump unveiled the deal Monday.

“Now we will have to retaliate, this will happen of course,” the official added. “It could end within several hours, but they [the Iranians] need to make a decision.” 

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that the Israel Defense Forces carried out a small airstrike on Iranian radar equipment before backing down from further attacks. 

“At 7:06 a.m., Iran launched one missile toward Israeli territory, and at 10:25 a.m., two more missiles. The missiles were intercepted or landed in open areas without causing casualties or damage,” the office said. “In response to Iran’s violations, the Israeli Air Force destroyed a radar array near Tehran. Following President Trump’s conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israel refrained from further strikes.” 

“In the call, President Trump expressed his deep appreciation for Israel — which achieved all the objectives of the war. He also expressed his confidence in the stability of the ceasefire,” the office added. 

Joni Ernst Backs Hegseth For Defense Secretary After Pressure From Team Trump

By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America - Pete Hegseth, CC BY-SA 2.0

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) announced her support for Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense Monday evening, marking a reversal from her earlier reluctance to back the embattled nominee. Ernst’s decision came just days after she indicated skepticism about Hegseth’s qualifications for the role.

According to Politico, Ernst’s shift followed a concerted effort by President-elect Trump’s allies to persuade her. The report describes an intense pressure campaign that reportedly left the senator’s political life “extremely uncomfortable.”

Mediaite further reports:

Last Thursday, after meeting with Hegseth, who has been accused of sexual assault and alcohol abuse, Ernst, a veteran and sexual assault survivor, told Fox News’ Bill Hemmer that she was undecided on his nomination.

“I think for a number of our senators, they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared, and that’s why we have to have a very thorough vetting process,” she said at the time.

On Monday, after another meeting with Hegseth, Ernst changed her tune in a statement:

I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process. Following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.

However, sources close to the matter strongly implied Ernst’s change of heart went beyond a productive discussion with Hegseth. One Trump ally, speaking to Politico, emphasized the role of grassroots activism, saying Ernst faced “an onslaught of criticism from MAGA activists” and “got the message loud and clear.”

In recent days, allies of Trump adopted an approach that is not novel for the president-elect and his followers: Make life extremely uncomfortable for anyone who dares to oppose him. The swarm of MAGA attacks that Sen. Joni Ernst has experienced is a warning of what’s in store for others who express skepticism of his personnel choices.

Days after signaling she continued to have serious concerns about confirming Hegseth, Ernst on Monday sounded a different note. She described their conversation Monday afternoon as “encouraging,” said she would “support” Hegseth through the process, touted some of the commitments he made to her about what he would do in the role, and suggested she would only take allegations against him seriously if they come from named accusers.

The change in tune followed an aggressive push for Hegseth by top Trump allies and supporters, as well as a defiant performance by the Defense secretary nominee that has Trump’s team bullish on him getting confirmed. But it’s not just Hegseth. Trump allies believe his choice to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, and his nominee for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, are in a stronger position as well.

With a narrow Senate majority, endorsements from key Republican senators like Ernst are critical to the prospects of Trump’s nominees.

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Special Envoy Steve Witkoff Accuses CNN’s Anonymous Sources of ‘Treason’

CNN Headquarters via Wikimedia Commons

U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff accused several anonymous CNN sources of “treason” on Tuesday.

In an exclusive report from CNN, three sources briefed on intelligence of the operation claimed that the damage done to Iran’s nuclear program “likely only set it back by months” despite Trump’s claims to have “completely and totally obliterated” it by U.S. bombing.

“This leaked intel assessment, it’s an early look at what was actually accomplished on the ground,” said Fox News host Laura Ingraham during an interview with Witkoff. “But it was leaked. Somebody decided to leak this from the DIA and it’s being used in the media, and it’s all over today, that, ‘Aha, Trump said it obliterated, but it’s not obliterated. It’s set back months, but it’s not over.’”

Witkoff replied, “Well, it goes without saying that leaking that type of information, whatever the information, whatever site it comes out on, is outrageous. It’s treasonous. So it ought to be investigated, and whoever did it, whoever’s responsible for it should be held accountable.”

He concluded, “It could hurt lives in the future. This leaking is a completely unacceptable thing.”

CNN spoke to seven anonymous sources in total, who described the Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) assessment of the Trump administration’s strikes. Two of the sources “said Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed,” according to the CNN report, while “one of the people said the centrifuges are largely ‘intact.’”

“Another source said that the intelligence assessed enriched uranium was moved out of the sites prior to the US strikes,” CNN reported.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth lashed out at CNN’s report, calling it “flat-out wrong.”

“This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong and was classified as ‘top secret’ but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community,” Leavitt said. “The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran’s nuclear program. Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration.”

While Leavitt tried to pin the leak on a single source, CNN — in its report — cited “three people briefed” on the U.S. intelligence assessment.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, in a separate statement, likewise claimed the sites were leveled in the blasts:

Based on everything we have seen and I’ve seen it all, our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons. Our massive bombs hit exactly the right spot at each target and worked perfectly. The impact of those bombs is buried under a mountain of rubble in Iran. So anyone who says the bombs were not devastating is just trying to undermine the president and the successful mission.

In a statement to Mediaite, a CNN spokesperson said, “CNN stands by our thorough reporting on an early intelligence assessment of the recent strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, which has since been confirmed by other news organizations. The White House has acknowledged the existence of the assessment, and their statement is included in our story.”