Trump Picks Gaetz for Attorney General, Rubio for Secretary of State

 

Trump Selects Matt Gaetz as US Attorney General

Muhamad Yehia

President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 13 said he’s selecting Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to be attorney general in his second administration.

Gaetz “will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Gaetz, 42, has represented Florida’s First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017. Since entering politics, Gaetz has aligned himself with Trump’s populist style, often criticizing the political establishment, including within his own party. He often makes common cause with the party’s conservative flank.show more

Trump Picks Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence
Former President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard after she endorsed him at the National Guard Association conference in Detroit on Aug. 26, 2024. Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump has named former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as his pick for the director of national intelligence role in his incoming administration.

“I am pleased to announce that former Congresswoman, Lieutenant Colonel Tulsi Gabbard, will serve as Director of National Intelligence (DNI). For over two decades, Tulsi has fought for our Country and the Freedoms of all Americans,” Trump said in a statement shared by his campaign team on Nov. 13.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence oversees the U.S. intelligence community

Johnson Wins GOP Speaker Nomination
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks during a meeting with House Republicans and President-elect Donald Trump at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington on Nov. 13, 2024. Allison Robbert/ /AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON—The House GOP conference on Nov. 13 nominated Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) to remain as speaker of the House.

Meanwhile, Republicans are on the verge of retaining the House,just one seat shy of a majority

This would give the GOP control of the White House and both chambers of Congress, bolstering President-elect Donald Trump’s ability to implement his agenda.

The speaker ran unopposed and was endorsed by Trump, who attended the House GOP meeting on Nov. 13.

However, Johnson must win the majority of the full House to retain the gavel.

The vote is set for early January after the new Congress is sworn in.

House Republicans also elected Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) to retain his No. 2 position in the conference in the next Congress. Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) was reelected as No. 3 in the conference.

Johnson became speaker on Oct. 25, 2023, just weeks after former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was stripped of the gavel after nine months.

He was first elected to Congress in 2017 and represents Louisiana’s Eighth Congressional District. He was previously in the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Before becoming speaker, Johnson was chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative caucus in Congress, and was the vice chair of the House GOP Conference.

Johnson has outlined what he calls the “Seven Core Principles of Conservatism”: individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets, and human dignity.

The speaker has promised that the House GOP would deliver an “America First agenda.”

“It will grow our economy and reduce inflation. It will secure our borders,” he said at a news conference on Nov. 12.

“We will restore America’s energy dominance once again, we’ll implement educational freedom, and we will drain the swamp. And that’s just the beginning of the agenda.”

Among numerous agenda items, Johnson has said that the House GOP would repeal Obamacare, counter the China threat, and extend and build upon the 2017 tax cuts.

He has not gone into specifics.

While the size of the majority is not clear, Johnson may have a narrower majority than he will start with because Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) are set to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and national security adviser, respectively.

Stefanik will need Senate confirmation, while Waltz will be able to start on Day 1 as his position does not require approval from the upper congressional chamber.

Johnson said on Nov. 12 that he does not anticipate any further vacancies but that the House GOP is ready even with the upcoming empty seats.

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