Just when you thought it might be a quiet news day.
We knew the report would be released, and it confirms all the leaks. Defying Speaker Johnson’s request to keep it quiet, the House Ethics Committee released the investivation report into former Representative Matt Gaetz. Trump’s picked for Attorney General of the United States, Gaetz had immediately, resigned from the House to avoid punitive actions from the then-sealed report. But the rumors and leaks from the report forced him to withdraw from consideration as Trump’s nominee. The extensive report details findings that Gaetz is guilty of sex with an underage girl, paying for sex, and illicit drug use. Gaetz denies any wrong-doing and is now trying to fundraise off of news of the report’s release. Now a private citizen, it’s unclear to me what will happen to Gaetz because of this report. But that Trump at one time considered him for the post of the our top law-enforcement official to me is the power of this story. The pressure to release the report came from both Democrats and Republicans.
“It doesn’t reflect favorably on Donald Trump’s vetting process,” Representative Ivey, Senate Democrat from Maryland, said of the pick of Mr. Gaetz for attorney general. “I think it makes it very clear that the Senate should be very careful and concerned when it moves forward with confirmation hearings on the nominees. The Gaetz incident, I think, shows that there was no vetting that took place.”
Biden commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 people on death row. Three who commited mass murders will remain on death row. This in advance of Trump’s stated desire to resume the death penalty for Federal prisoners. The men whose sentences were commuted will remain in prison for life. Trump executed 13 Federal prisoners in his first administration. Biden said, “I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level. In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.”
The suspect in the Health Insurance CEO murder, Luigi Mangione, has pleaded not-guilty to killing the executive. That puzzles me; I look forward to hearing how his defense tries to prove his innocence.
Are you celebrating the holidays? We will do both Christmas and Hanukkah. For the first time ever, we are putting up and decorating our Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. And I’m cooking a big turkey (20 lbs—can’t wait to make soup and turkey tetrazzini!) for our family.
That’s all for today from me! Happy Monday, see you tomorrow! Thanks for being here.
My tree is not up yet either. My father who is now 97 was brought up putting the tree up on Christmas Eve. He always thought that anything any earlier was too early.
I just haven’t had it in me to do it yet.
Christmas is all wrapped and ready. The spouse is home from Austria and puttering in her garden. I'm the chef, so my day to shine is about to start.
On the political front Trump appears to be toast, even before the swearing in. He got none of his budget wishes, plus a Speaker and 38 GOP Representatives, he can't count on. The Gaetz report is about to make the confirmation process he wanted to sidestep prime time news.