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Republican Senator Calls On Trump Nominee To Quit Drinking

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

    North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer (R) called on President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense to stop drinking amid concerning reports.

    The New Yorker reported on Sunday that Hegseth was forced to step down by two nonprofit advocacy groups he ran due to mismanagement of funds, sexual impropriety and excessive drinking. NBC News reported on Tuesday that Hegseth’s drinking also worried colleagues at Fox News, where he was a weekend host until earlier this month. 

    “One of the things I’d love to hear is that he’s committed to not drinking,” Cramer told CNN on Wednesday. “Being familiar with the problems of alcoholism and the dumb things we do when we drink too much, it’d be really nice if he could set that one aside for good, if not at least through his term as secretary.”

    Cramer’s comments come as Hegseth faces an uphill battle toward Senate confirmation for the top post at the Pentagon.

    Hegseth was set to meet with Sens. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) on Tuesday and traveled again to Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

    Sources close to the President-elect informed The Wall Street Journal that he’s considering nominating Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to replace Hegseth if he can’t gather the support for confirmation. (RELATED: Trump Signals Plan To Nominate DeSantis For Admin. Role)

    Trump FBI Nominee Targeted By Iranian Hackers

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Ramón Colón-López and the chief of staff to Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller, Kash Patel, arrive at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Jan. 14, 2021. (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando)

    President-elect Donald Trump’s FBI director pick, Kash Patel, was the target of an Iranian hacking plot.

    Sources close to the matter informed CNN that the hackers successfully accessed some of Patel’s communications.

    Hackers reportedly accessed some of Patel’s communications, according to one source. Patel, a former chief of staff to the defense secretary during Trump’s first term, has been a vocal critic of Iran and an advocate for aggressive measures against the regime.

    While refraining from addressing the specifics of the incident, Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer framed Patel’s leadership as integral to the incoming administration’s security policies.

    “Kash Patel was a key part of the first Trump administration’s efforts against the terrorist Iranian regime and will implement President Trump’s policies to protect America from adversaries as the FBI Director,” Pfeiffer told the network.

    Patel is only the latest to be targeted in the foreign hacking plot. Iranian and Chinese actors have reportedly ramped up efforts to infiltrate the communications of those close to the President-elect.

    Last month, the FBI informed Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead attorney and nominee for deputy attorney general, that Chinese hackers had tapped his cellphone, sources confirmed. 

    Trump Signals Plan To Nominate DeSantis For Admin. Role

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    President-elect Donald Trump is considering nominating Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida as defense secretary to replace Pete Hegseth, Trump’s current pick to steer the Pentagon, multiple sources confirm to Fox News.

    The popular conservative governor, a Navy veteran who served in the Iraq war, was re-elected in a landslide in 2022 but is term-limited and cannot run for re-election in 2026.

    DeSantis is “very much” in contention to replace Hegseth, multiple sources told Fox News.

    One source added that it was the president-elect himself who floated the governor’s name, and that Trump and DeSantis discussed the idea as they met Tuesday while appearing together in Florida at a memorial service for fallen law enforcement officers in Palm Beach County.

    The suggestion which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal comes as Hegseth returns to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to continue meeting with Republican senators as he makes his case for confirmation as defense secretary.

    Hegseth, an Army National Guard officer who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and who previously was a Fox News host, is facing a series of drinking and sexual misconduct allegations. 

    Hegseth has denied the allegations and has vowed to keep fighting for his confirmation.

    If Trump moves ahead and nominates DeSantis and the governor is confirmed by the GOP-controlled Senate next year, it would lead to the ascension of Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez. She would make history as Florida’s first female governor – and the first of Cuban descent.

    Trump DEA Nominee Withdraws From Consideration

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    By Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Simpson - https://www.dvidshub.net/image/1011806/coast-guard-cutter-dependable-drug-bust, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=127998859

    Another one bites the dust…

    President-elect Trump’s choice to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced on Tuesday he is withdrawing from consideration.

    Florida’s Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a post on X Tuesday evening that he would instead tend to his current duties overseeing an area of the Sunshine State that includes Tampa Bay.

    “Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I’ve concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration,” Chronister said.

    “There is more work to be done for the citizens of Hillsborough County and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling,” Chronister continued. “I sincerely appreciate the nomination, outpouring of support by the American people, and look forward to continuing my service as Sheriff of Hillsborough County.”

    Trump just announced Chronister as his choice to lead the DEA in a Truth Social post on Saturday, tapping the local sheriff to take charge of the agency tasked with seizing illegal substances ranging from fentanyl to other opioids.

    “I am pleased to nominate Sheriff Chad Chronister for Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA),” Trump wrote.

    “For over 32 years, Sheriff Chad Chronister has served the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and received countless commendations and awards for keeping his community SAFE,” Trump added.

    Chronister marks the second nominee to withdraw from consideration after former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration to be the next U.S. attorney general.

    Fox News Contributor Dead After Battle With Cancer

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Looking east towards 6th Avenue along north (48th Street) side of Fox News building on a snowy afternoon. [Photo Credit: Jim.henderson, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons]

    Fox News contributor and doctor Kelly Powers has died after a long battle with cancer.

    Powers was first diagnosed with brain cancer after facing a series of health complications in 2020, and went into remission before the deadly illness returned this year.

    She was a regular on the Fox News talk show Red Eye, and made appearances on Fox Business where she led segments on health risks facing Americans.

    Powers was educated at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine and did her residency at the Boston University School Of Medicine.

    After years of helping patients, Powers became one herself while hosting a Fox News segment about heart health when she began to experience shortness of breath and chest pains.

    “It’s crazy – I went into heart failure while doing a report on Fox Business – live – on heart health and talking about the subtle signs that women often miss. You can’t make this up,” she told Preferred Health Magazine in an interview after her first diagnosis.

    She battled through that ailment, only to discover she had the aggressive brain cancer glioblastoma a short time later.

    After three surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, she managed to beat the cancer back — all while becoming pregnant and giving birth to a boy, Bennett, according to a GoFundMe.

    When her cancer returned in 2024, friends raised nearly $100,000 to help pay for an experimental treatment that insurance wouldn’t cover.

    Powers is survived by Bennett, 3, and her husband, Steve. She was 45 years old.

    Why 2 Media Pundits Want Biden To Pardon Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    5
    Joe Biden via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    President Biden has an opportunity here…

    Chris Cuomo and Stephen A. Smith joined together this week and suggested President Joe Biden give a pardon to President-elect Donald Trump after offering one to his son Hunter Biden over the weekend.

    Smith joined Cuomo on Monday evening to break down the news. Biden’s decision to pardon his son has faced backlash in light of the fact that the president previously said he would not take such action.

    Watch:

    “You know what else Biden should do? And I know people are going to get upset about this, but just think about it before you go crazy on me — not you, everybody else,” Cuomo told Smith. “If I were he, I would pardon Trump. I would say, this has got to stop.”

    Smith was in full agreement with Cuomo, telling Democrats it’s time to move on and focus on future elections.

    “Chris, that’s exactly what I would do, that’s exactly what I would do. Enough’s enough,” the sports broadcaster said. “You know what? You’re the Democrats, you lost the election, you got your butt whipped, you could have prevented him from going back to the White House.”

    Smith added it’s “time to move forward,” as any lingering investigations into Trump will die when he steps back into office.

    “You want to get at Trump? Sit back and judge what he does,” he said. “Guess what? You’ve got a midterm election in two years. Are you going to be ready?”

    Trump Defense Pick Facing Uphill Road To Confirmation

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America - Pete Hegseth, CC BY-SA 2.0

    Is this Trump nominee doomed?

    Pete Hegseth, the Fox News personality and the President-elect’s pick to lead the Department of Defense is facing a troubled path to confirmation over a number of concerning allegations about both his personal behavior and his behavior on the job.

    Hegseth is the former co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend and has been the subject of negative reports surrounding an investigation into an alleged sexual assault. The New Yorker’s Jane Mayer also recently published a damning expose alleging all sorts of over-the-top claims, including reported details of drunken behavior while overseeing a Veteran’s rights organization he was working for at the time.

    On Monday, Fox News reporter Chad Pergram filed a segment focused on the rocky road to confirmation which caught Hegseth dismissing concerns from another reporter.

    “It’s believed that [Pam] Bondi is easier to confirm than Gaetz, but Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth could be a problem. He faces questions about his personal conduct,” Pergram noted, before airing sound of Hegseth addressing a press gaggle in the halls of the Capitol building.

    “We are talking with every senator that wants to talk to us, and the conversations we have with senators, of course, are going to remain private,” Hegseth is seen saying.

    CBS News’ Nikole Killion is then shown asking the Secretary of Defense nominee, “When you were at Concerned Veterans for America were you ever drunk while traveling on the job?”

    Hegseth replies, “I won’t dignify that with a response.”

    Watch:

    Capitol Police Arrest Democrat House Staffer

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    9
    Police image via Pixabay free images

    On Monday, capitol police arrested a Congressional staffer for Rep. Joe Morelle’s (D-NY) office.

    The staffer was identified in a statement as 38-year old Michael Hopkins and he was arrested for allegedly carrying ammunition, including a high-capacity magazine, into the Cannon House Office Building.

    Chad Pergram, senior congressional correspondent for Fox News. posted a statement from Capitol police to X, formally Twitter:

    At approximately 8:45 a.m., a House staffer entered the Cannon House Office Building and put his bag through screening. USCP officers noticed what appeared to be ammunition on the x-ray screen. After a hand search of the bag, officers found four ammunition magazines and eleven rounds of ammunition. The staffer told the officers that he forgot the ammunition was in the bag. 38-year-old Michael Hopkins was arrested, and he is facing charges for unlawful possession of ammunition, including one charge for possession of a high-capacity magazine.

    Fox5 Washington reported that Hopkins “has been a guest…several times over the years,” as a Democratic strategist on their show The Hill, and posted video of the staffer on-air.

    Morelle’s office also released a statement, saying they’re fully cooperating with the investigation:

    This morning, our office was informed that a member of our staff was arrested by Capitol Police. We are currently gathering more information regarding the circumstances of the arrest. Our office is fully committed to cooperating with the investigation. As Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration, Congressman Morelle is devoted to ensuring a safe and secure workplace for all.

    Trump Reacts To Surprise Biden Pardon

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    President Biden’s sudden decision to pardon his troubled son Hunter has sent shockwaves across the nation.

    Following the shocking news on Sunday, President-elect Donald Trump reacted to Biden’s surprising decision.

    “Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?” Trump wrote. “Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!”

    The Trump transition team also reacted to the shocking news.

    “The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system,” Trump’s incoming White House communications chief Steven Cheung said in a statement to Fox News.

    “That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people.”

    On Sunday, Biden accused Republicans of unfair treatment and claimed Hunter was “treated differently” by prosecutors in a lengthy statement announcing the pardon. Hunter Biden was convicted of three felony firearm offenses in a Delaware trial earlier this year, and then pleaded guilty to multiple felony tax offenses in September. 

    “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” the president’s statement read.

    Biden had previously denied any intent to pardon his son after Hunter was convicted earlier this year.

    “I am not going to do anything,” Biden said after the conviction. “I will abide by the jury’s decision.”

    Trump previously told Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin that, if elected, he “wouldn’t do anything that would be overt” regarding Hunter Biden’s cases, calling the first son’s legal woes “a sad situation.”

    While Trump supporters’ negative reaction to the news was to be expected a number of Biden supporters have also attacked the decision and noted that the President likely traded his own legacy to protect his family’s reputation.

    MSNBC contributor Charlie Sykes quoted a “smart person” that texted him, agreeing that Trump probably can’t “believe his own dumb fucking luck at this point.”

    The Atlantic’s deputy executive editor Yoni Applebaum quoted an article by his publication’s newest addition, Jonathan Chait, who said Biden “chose to prioritize his own feelings over the defense of his country.”

    President Joe Biden Issues Pardon To Son Hunter

    By
    Seijah Drake
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    5
    President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)

    President Joe Biden announced on Sunday night that he has pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, following his convictions in two separate federal cases earlier this year. Hunter Biden, 54, has faced legal battles related to firearms offenses and tax violations, and the pardon marks a departure from the president’s earlier stance that he would not intervene in his son’s legal matters.

    The decision to pardon Hunter Biden comes after a tumultuous year in court for the first son, who was convicted on felony firearm charges in June, and pleaded guilty to tax-related offenses in September. Biden’s announcement also frames the pardon as a correction to what he described as unequal treatment compared to others in similar situations. He emphasized that people in similar circumstances, such as those who fail to properly complete a gun purchase form or fail to pay taxes due to addiction, are rarely prosecuted to the same extent.

    “Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form,” he said in a statement. “It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.”

    President Biden’s accusations of “double standards” and “unprecedented actions” in his statement defending his son’s pardon have drawn sharp criticism, especially in light of the Biden administration’s own controversial actions. Biden’s comments about Hunter being unfairly prosecuted are particularly ironic following his administration’s handling of former President Donald Trump‘s legal issues. The FBI’s raid of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022 to recover classified documents was described by many as unprecedented and politically charged. Critics argued that the raid was an example of the Justice Department being weaponized for political gain, a charge that echoes some of the president’s own language about the treatment of his son. By highlighting perceived unequal treatment of Hunter Biden, President Biden inadvertently mirrors the very arguments his political opponents have made about the Biden administration’s handling of the Trump investigation.

    In the case, prosecutors argued that Hunter lied on a federal firearm form when he checked “No” in response to a question asking if he was an unlawful user of or addicted to controlled substances. This was despite Hunter Biden’s well-documented struggles with addiction, which included a period of crack cocaine use during the time of the purchase.

    The other major legal issue for Hunter Biden was his failure to pay taxes on at least $1.4 million of income. After a lengthy investigation, Hunter pled guilty in September to felony tax charges, admitting to evading taxes in 2017 and 2018. This plea came just as jury selection was about to begin for his trial, and was seen by some as an attempt to avoid further public scrutiny and potential jail time.

    The charges could have carried a prison sentence of up to 17 years, although Hunter Biden was likely to face a much shorter sentence under federal sentencing guidelines. He was scheduled for sentencing on December 16.

    During the summer, President Biden had been adamant that he would not intervene in the Justice Department’s proceedings, even in light of Hunter’s legal issues. Just days after Hunter Biden’s conviction on the gun charges, President Biden reaffirmed that he would “abide by the jury’s decision,” and would not pardon his son.

    On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump suggested that he would consider pardoning Hunter Biden if he were elected. Trump, who has faced his own legal challenges, said that while he thought Hunter Biden had been a “bad boy” he believed that a pardon could be warranted.

    Additionally, while the pardon resolves the immediate legal issues surrounding Hunter Biden, it is unlikely to end the public and political scrutiny of his actions. His business dealings and personal life continue to attract attention, particularly from Republican lawmakers and critics of President Biden, who view the legal troubles as part of a larger narrative of corruption and misconduct.

    Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

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