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Florida CFO To Run For Matt Gaetz’s Former House Seat

By
Madeleine Jackson
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0
Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis plans to run for U.S. Congress, he indicated in a resignation letter.

In the letter to Sunshine State Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Secretary of State Cory Byrd, Patronis said, “… this letter is to give you notice of my resignation from the role as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the State of Florida in order to become a candidate in the 2025 Special Election for Florida’s First Congressional District.

“Because the primary election for CD 1 is currently scheduled for January 28, 2025, with the general election scheduled for April 1, 2025, I hereby irrevocably resign as CFO effective March 31, 2025.”

In a post on Truth Social on Monday, President-elect Donald Trump urged Patronis to run for the House seat.

“I hear that Jimmy is now considering launching a Campaign for Congress in Florida’s 1st Congressional District!” Trump said in the post. 

“Should he decide to enter this Race, Jimmy Patronis has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, JIMMY, RUN!” Trump declared.

Patronis shared a screenshot of Trump’s post and wrote in a post on X, “Put me to work, Mr. President! @realDonaldTrump I am here to serve.”

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz won re-election to the House seat earlier this month but resigned shortly after Trump tapped him for attorney general. 

Last week, Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for the Cabinet position after the President-elect reportedly informed him her did not have the required Senate support for confirmation.

Special Counsel Moves To Dismiss Trump Election Interference Case

By
Madeleine Jackson
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2

On Monday, Special Counsel Jack Smith asked a judge to dismiss all charges against President-elect Donald Trump stemming from Smith’s investigation into the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot.

Judge Tanya Chutkan will need to approve the request before the case is dismissed.

After Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election earlier this month, Smith signaled he would begin winding down the case against Trump. The filing went live on the Department of Justice docket on Monday afternoon.

Smith had already filed a motion to vacate all deadlines in the 2020 election interference case against Trump in Washington, D.C. – a widely expected move, but one that stopped short of dropping the case against Trump completely. Smith had said his team planned to give an updated report on the official status of the case against Trump on Dec. 2.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges in the case.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Trump Prosecutor Ordered To Preserve Records As Now He May Be Under Investigation

By
Donny Ferguson
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2
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The “special counsel” named by the Biden administration to indict and prosecute President Donald Trump is not only now dropping his criminal cases, he himself may now be the subject of an investigation.

U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Chairman of the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, “sent a letter to Special Counsel Jack Smith demanding his office preserve all records surrounding the Biden-Harris Administration’s politicized prosecutions of President Donald Trump,” the Committee announced in a statement. 

Jordan and Loudermilk also “reiterated outstanding requests to Special Counsel Smith,” including:

Documents and communications relating to meetings between FBI and Justice Department officials sent to or received by Jack Smith prior to the execution of the search warrant on President Trump’s private residence;  

Documents and communications referring or relating to the hiring and selection of current and former Office of Special Counsel staff members;

And all documents and communications between or among the Office of Special Counsel, the Office of the Attorney General, or the Office of the Deputy Attorney General referring or relating to the investigation and prosecution of President Donald Trump.

Excerpts of the letter to Jack Smith read: 

“The Committee on the Judiciary is continuing its oversight of the Department of Justice and the Office of Special Counsel. According to recent public reports, prosecutors in your office have been “gaming out legal options” in the event that President Donald Trump won the election. With President Trump’s decisive victory this week, we are concerned that the Office of Special Counsel may attempt to purge relevant records, communications, and documents responsive to our numerous requests for information. The Office of Special Counsel is not immune from transparency or above accountability for its actions. We reiterate our requests, which are itemized in the attached appendix and incorporated herein, and ask that you produce the entirety of the requested material as soon as possible but no later than November 22, 2024.

“Furthermore, this letter serves as a formal request to preserve all existing and future records and materials related to the Office of Special Counsel’s investigations and prosecutions of President Trump. You should construe this preservation notice as an instruction to take all reasonable steps to prevent the destruction or alteration, whether intentionally or negligently, of all documents, communications, and other information, including electronic information and metadata, that are or may be responsive to this congressional inquiry. This instruction includes all electronic messages sent using official and personal accounts or devices, including records created using text messages, phone-based message applications, or encryption software.”

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

Veteran Announces Bid For Gaetz Congressional Seat

By
Madeleine Jackson
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0
Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Fighter pilot and decorated combat veteran Jeff Witt announced Monday he is entering the race to fill former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s seat representing Florida’s 1st congressional district.

Witt is currently serving as a policy advisor on the Trump-Vance Presidential Transition Team. 

“I have served my country in uniform for 14 years, and my dedication to service extends to the community in which my family and I live,” Witt told Fox News Digital. “I am excited to meet voters from all across the district in this campaign, and prove to them that they can trust me to be a leader in Congress who represents them with conviction, hard work, and integrity.” 

Witt told Fox News Digital that he will “fight to get inflation under control, secure our borders, and strengthen our military.” 

“I will listen to the needs of my constituents, and I will work on their behalf to make Florida’s 1st District the finest place in America for veterans, businesses, and families,” he said. 

Witt attended Harvard University for his undergraduate studies and was a Harvard football quarterback. He also received his Master of Business Administration from Harvard University. 

A 2024 Club for Growth fellow, Witt has already been endorsed by top former Trump administration officials, including former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie. 

“Jeff Witt is a patriot and a staunch supporter of President Trump and his America First agenda,” Wilkie told Fox News Digital. “As the former Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Trump, I know that Jeff’s mission will always be to put warriors first. I am honored to give Jeff my full endorsement.” 

Wilkie told Fox News Digital that Witt “stands for the right things—family and freedom.”  

Gaetz had represented Florida’s 1st congressional district from January 2017 until earlier this month, when he resigned from his post upon receiving the nomination for attorney general.

President-elect Donald Trump also urged Florida state Sen. Randy Fine to run for Congress, pledging to endorse the Sunshine State lawmaker if he opts to throw his hat into the ring.

“I am hearing that America First Patriot Randy Fine is considering launching his Campaign for Congress in Florida’s 6th Congressional District!” Trump said in a Truth Social post. 

“Should he decide to enter this Race, Randy Fine has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, RANDY, RUN!” Trump urged.

Ellen DeGeneres Flees To England After Trump’s Reelection, Vows Never To Return

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    11
    First Lady Michelle Obama and Ellen DeGeneres participate in a water balloon game with Stephan Curry during a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in Burbank, California, Sept. 12, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

    Ellen DeGeneres has reportedly left the United States following Donald Trump‘s decisive reelection. Alongside her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, DeGeneres has relocated to the rural Cotswolds region in southwestern England, where the celebrity couple plans to settle permanently.

    Reports indicate that the pair has already begun the process of parting ways with their California properties. According to sources cited by The Wrap on Wednesday, their Montecito mansion had been “pocket-listed” for sale, or will be officially listed soon. Just one day later, Fox News confirmed their multimillion-dollar estate had already sold:

    The DeGeneres source told the outlet that Trump’s re-election had inspired the couple’s decision to jump ship. DeGeneres announced her support for Vice President Kamala Harris in September by reposting Taylor Swift’s Instagram endorsement. She simply added, “This childless cat lady couldn’t agree more,” a direct dig at Vice President-elect JD Vance.

    Representatives for DeGeneres and Rossi did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

    While the decision to leave the U.S. appears to stem primarily from dissatisfaction with the election results, some close to the couple have suggested that DeGeneres’ departure may also be tied to the ongoing fallout from her professional controversies.

    In 2022, allegations of a toxic workplace culture on The Ellen DeGeneres Show surfaced, including alleged sexual misconduct. These accusations significantly damaged her reputation and marked the end of her 19-year daytime television career.

    – Advertisement –

    DeGeneres has since expressed frustration about what she described as being “pushed out of show business” in a Netflix stand-up special.

    Following an internal investigation by Warner Bros. into DeGeneres’s talk show, she issued a written apology to her staff while seemingly absolving herself of any responsibility.

    “On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness—no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case.”

    “I could not have the success I’ve had without all of your contributions. My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that. Alongside Warner Bros., we immediately began an internal investigation and we are taking steps, together, to correct the issues. As we’ve grown exponentially, I’ve not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done. Clearly some didn’t. That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again,” she continued.

    Fox continues:

    Warner Bros. announced following their findings, there would be staffing changes. “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” aired its final episode in 2022, but by then, DeGeneres’ reputation had been permanently impacted.

    DeGeneres’ reported move follows empty threats from other A-listers, including Cher, Sharon Stone and Barbra Streisand, who had threatened to leave the U.S. if Trump were victorious once again. Speaking with The Guardian in 2023, Cher said she “almost got an ulcer the last time” Trump nearly regained power. “If he gets in, who knows? This time I will leave [the country].”

    Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

    Gaetz Will Not Rejoin Congress: Report

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    6

    He’s out for good…

    Ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) will not rejoin Congress after resigning from the current Congress after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him to be attorney general.

    Gaetz was reelected to the next Congress and many speculated he may rescind his resignation after dropping his bid to become attorney general on Thursday.

    CNN’s Kristen Holmes broke the news on-air.

    “Yeah, there had been a lot of speculation as to what exactly Matt Gaetz was going to do. Was there some kind of loophole in the sense that he had just been reelected? Would he go back to Congress? He is now saying in an interview with Charlie Kirk that he does not intend to go back,” Holmes reported, adding:

    That he’s going to continue trying to do things for Donald Trump, but not in the capacity of a congressman. This obviously comes as we know that there are still questions about whether or not that ethics report is going to be released. But in this interview, he also talked about what happened when some of those meetings up on Capitol Hill, he downplayed the any kind of impact that the ethics report had, but instead said that while he had some momentum with senators, he felt he had to explain himself quite a bit.

    Holmes then played a clip from the Kirk interview, in which Gaetz said “And again, while our discussions were going well, I found myself having to do two jobs at one time.”

    “Charlie, And you got a front-row seat to this. I had a full-time job explaining to senators that maybe a tweet I sent about them was rash and not reflective of how I would serve as attorney general. And at the same time, I was having to build out the Department of Justice with the right human talent, the right policy infrastructure. And Pam Bondi’s confirmation won’t have some of the sharp edges that I would have,” Gaetz added of Trump’s replacement for Gaetz as AG.

    Judge Delays Trump New York Sentencing

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4

    On Friday, Judge Juan Merchan granted President-elect Donald Trump’s request to dismiss charges in his criminal hush money case and removed the sentencing date.

    According to The Hill, Merchan 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 suggested that Merchan could pause 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. 

    Merchan ordered Trump to file his formal motion asking for dismissal by Dec. 2 and Bragg to respond by Dec. 9. The judge will then decide how to proceed. 

    Meanwhile, Trump attorneys have requested that Merchan overturn the guilty verdict altogether, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that former presidents have substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts in office.

    The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on presidential immunity came from a question that stemmed from charges brought against Trump in a separate, federal case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith related to the events on Jan. 6, 2021, and any alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

    They have moved most aggressively to pull the plug on the hush money case, given that Trump’s sentencing was rapidly approaching on Nov. 26.  

    “[D]ismissal of this case is necessary under the Constitution and federal law to facilitate the orderly transition of Executive power — and in the interests of justice — following President Trump’s victory in the Electoral College and the popular vote in the 2024 Presidential election,” Trump attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, whom the president-elect recently nominated to senior Justice Department officials, wrote in a letter last week. 

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    Report: Mitch McConnell Among Senators Responsible For Ending Gaetz AG Nomination

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    10
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was reportedly among the four Republican senators to sink Matt Gaetz’s bid to be confirmed as attorney general.

    According to The New York Times‘ Jonathan Swan, “Matt Gaetz told people close to him that he concluded after conversations with senators and their staffs that there were at least four Republican senators who were implacably opposed to his nomination: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and John Curtis of Utah.”

    “Gaetz told confidants he did not want to get in a protracted confirmation battle and delay Trump from getting his attorney general in place immediately at the start of his administration,” added Swan.

    Gaetz announced his withdrawal in a statement on X:

    I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1. I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history. I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I’m certain he will Save America.

    Following his sudden withdrawal President-elect Trump opted to nominate former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for the position.

    Read Trump’s full statement:

    I am proud to announce former Attorney General of the Great State of Florida, Pam Bondi, as our next Attorney General of the United States. Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was very tough on Violent Criminals, and made the streets safe for Florida Families. Then, as Florida’s first female Attorney General, she worked to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs, and reduce the tragedy of Fentanyl Overdose Deaths, which have destroyed many families across our Country. She did such an incredible job, that I asked her to serve on our Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during my first Term — We saved many lives!

    For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore. Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again. I have known Pam for many years — She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    Matt Gaetz Withdraws From Attorney General Consideration

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4
    Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    On Thursday, former Congressman Matt Gaetz (Fla.) announced he is withdrawing from consideration to be the next U.S. Attorney General.

    On Wednesday, Gaetz and Vice President-elect JD Vance traveled to the Capitol to meet with Republican senators who could potentially make or break Gaetz’s nomination to serve as the nation’s next attorney general.

    He wrote on X, “I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.”

    Trump responded to Gaetz’s withdrawal with a message on Truth Social.

    I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    Marjorie Taylor Greene Tapped To Serve Alongside Elon Musk, Ramaswamy On DOGE Subcommittee

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Marjorie Taylor Greene -Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, via Wikimedia Commons

    House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer is expected to establish a subcommittee that will work with the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and will select Republican firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene as its director.

    A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., will chair the Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee, which will focus on rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government. 

    The subcommittee is expected to investigate wasteful spending, examine ways to reorganize federal agencies to improve efficiency and identify solutions to eliminate bureaucratic red tape.

    A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Comer had a meeting with Ramaswamy and his incoming DOGE team. Ramaswamy confirmed the meeting with Comer and Greene to Fox News Digital. 

    “A key step to driving greater efficiency in government is exposing the problem to the public—we are grateful that the House Oversight Committee has created a subcommittee to focus on this work,” a spokesperson for Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital. “We look forward to working together.” 

    Comer told Fox News Digital that the new Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency “will align with the Trump administration’s priorities to eliminate government waste, streamline the federal government’s operations and cut red tape that’s stifling jobs and increasing costs for the American people.” 

    “I look forward to working with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to deliver on these goals to Make America Great Again,” Comer said.

    Greene told Fox News Digital that the House Oversight Committee “is the perfect place to support the DOGE mission.”

    “I’m excited to chair this new subcommittee designed to work hand in hand with President Trump, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and the entire DOGE team,” Greene said. “We will identify and investigate the waste, corruption and absolutely useless parts of our federal government.”

    Greene said the subcommittee will provide “transparency and truth to the American people through hearings.”

    “No topic will be off the table,” she said. “The goal of DOGE is to bring accountability and GUT useless government agencies.” 

    Greene said she expects the subcommittee’s work “will expose people who need to be fired.”

    “The bureaucrats who don’t do their job, fail audits like in the Pentagon and don’t know where billions of dollars are going, will be getting a pink slip,” Greene said. “Chairman Comer and I are focused on delivering the mandate voters sent on Nov. 5th, and I can’t wait to get to work.”

    Earlier this month, Trump tapped Musk and Ramaswamy to lead DOGE.

    Trump said last week he hopes DOGE will become the “Manhattan Project of our time,” in reference to J. Robert Oppenheimer’s secretive atom bomb endeavor during World War II.

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