{"id":125865,"date":"2024-11-14T20:57:01","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T13:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=125865"},"modified":"2024-11-14T20:57:01","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T13:57:01","slug":"gaetz-pick-shows-value-trump-places-on-loyalty-and-retribution-as-he-returns-to-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=125865","title":{"rendered":"Gaetz pick shows value Trump places on loyalty \u2014 and retribution \u2014 as he returns to Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Donald Trump has had few defenders in Congress as reliable as <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/matt-gaetz\">Matt Gaetz,<\/a><\/span> who has thundered at one prosecutor after another for perceived bias against the president-elect and emphatically amplified the Republican\u2019s rallying cry that the criminal investigations into him are \u201cwitch hunts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That kinship was rewarded Wednesday when <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-administration-senior-staff-0c65537ce9cd79194f1bcf60aad88f92\">Trump named Gaetz as his pick for attorney general<\/a><\/span>, turning to a conservative loyalist in place of more established lawyers who\u2019d been seen as contenders. <\/p>\n<p>In announcing his selection of Gaetz as attorney general and John Ratcliffe a day earlier as CIA director, Trump underscored the premium he places on loyalty, citing both men\u2019s support for him during the Russia investigation as central to their qualifications and signaling his expectation that leaders in his administration should function not only as a president\u2019s protector but also as an instrument of retribution. <\/p>\n<p>The dynamic matters at a time when Trump, who will enter office in the wake of <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-jan-6-justice-department-classified-documents-01c2d54177d7c949f62a15604a27b3e0\">two federal indictments expected to soon evaporate<\/a><\/span> and a <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/supreme-court-trump-capitol-riot-prosecution-immunity-72c885c07c77970d4380206f87b2d8ca\">Supreme Court opinion<\/a><\/span> blessing a president\u2019s exclusive authority over the Justice Department, has threatened to pursue retaliation against perceived adversaries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMatt will root out the systemic corruption at DOJ, and return the department to its true mission of fighting Crime, and upholding our Democracy and Constitution. We must have Honesty, Integrity, and Transparency at DOJ,\u201d Trump wrote in a social media post about Gaetz, a Florida Republican.<\/p>\n<p>The rhetoric from Trump reflects an about-face in approach from President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly taken a hands-off approach from the Justice Department <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/classified-documents-biden-hur-special-counsel-122526da6d89d7bf4d6ccfc54590312b\">even while facing a special counsel investigation<\/a><\/span> into his handling of classified information and as his son, Hunter, <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/hunter-biden-gun-trial-federal-charges-delaware-5dd8a9380235c6360a1ddb691ef24a06\">was indicted on tax and gun charges.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Democrats immediately sounded the alarm, with Sen. Dick Durbin, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, saying Gaetz \u201cwould be a disaster\u201d in part because of Trump\u2019s threat to use the Justice Department \u201cto seek revenge on his political enemies.\u201d The president of Common Cause, a good government group, called the selection \u201cshocking\u201d and \u201ca serious threat to the fair and equal enforcement of the law in our nation.\u201d Even several Senate Republicans expressed concern about the Gaetz pick. <\/p>\n<p>That Trump would openly value Gaetz\u2019s role in \u201cdefeating the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, and exposing alarming and systemic Government Corruption and Weaponization\u201d is not altogether surprising. In his first term, Trump <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/united-states-government-4ff1ecb621884a728b25e62661257ef0\">fired an FBI director<\/a><\/span> who refused to pledge loyalty to him at a private White House dinner and an attorney general who <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/bf2d24bc798e42409d5ef66f484361da\">recused himself<\/a><\/span> from the Justice Department\u2019s investigation into potential ties between Russia and his 2016 presidential campaign.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think this selection indicates that President-elect Trump was looking for an attorney general whose views were closely aligned with him with respect to the appropriate role of the Department of Justice,\u201d said former federal prosecutor Robert Mintz.<\/p>\n<p>Ratcliffe, who served as Trump\u2019s director of national intelligence in the <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-ratcliffe-cia-e5fe61f5e79206357085932f1252a852\">final months of his first term<\/a><\/span>, rose to prominence on Capitol Hill as a staunch defender of Trump. He was a member of Trump\u2019s advisory team during his first impeachment in 2019 and pointedly grilled multiple witnesses about the Russia investigation \u2014 <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/5cd36c766cf14f548bdaf050d1393d98\">including an FBI agent<\/a><\/span> who led the inquiry and also traded anti-Trump text messages with a colleague.<\/p>\n<p>That work was credited by Trump in his selection announcement as he praised Ratcliffe for \u201cexposing fake Russian collusion\u201d and having \u201cbeen a warrior for Truth and Honesty with the American Public.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gaetz would be the first attorney general in 20 years without prior Justice Department experience, and in recent years became embroiled himself in a federal <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/politicians-in-crisis-refuse-to-resign-16046aff55900e97f59aec9aa5153df6\">sex trafficking investigation<\/a><\/span> that ended without criminal charges.<\/p>\n<p>Hours before the announcement, Gaetz <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepMattGaetz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said in a social media post<\/a><\/span> that there needs to be a \u201cfull court press against this WEAPONIZED government that has been turned against our people.\u201d He added: \u201cAnd if that means ABOLISHING every one of the three letter agencies, from the FBI to the ATF, I\u2019m ready to get going!\u201d If confirmed as attorney general, he would oversee both the FBI and the ATF.<\/p>\n<p>Advancing the theme of vengeance, billionaire Trump supporter Elon Musk weighed in on the Gaetz appointment with a post that said: \u201cThe Hammer of Justice is coming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gaetz has used the seat in Congress he first won in 2016 to rail against the Justice Department, repeatedly decrying what he \u2014 and Trump \u2014 contends is a criminal justice system biased against conservatives. He has blasted law enforcement officials he has perceived as being either overtly anti-Trump or ineffective in protecting Trump\u2019s interests.<\/p>\n<p>When Robert Mueller visited Capitol Hill to discuss the <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/f109a539220b41218860fa68176a9c98\">findings of the Russia investigation<\/a><\/span>, Gaetz condemned the prosecutor for leading a team that the congressman said was \u201cso biased.\u201d The Trump Justice Department appointed a special prosecutor, John Durham, to examine errors in the Russia investigation, but Gaetz scolded Durham too for failing to uncover enough damaging information about the FBI\u2019s inquiry into Trump.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the people like the (committee) chairman who put trust in you, I think you let them down. I think you let the country down. You are one of the barriers to the true accountability that we need,\u201d Gaetz told Durham.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s directed outright fury at FBI Director Christopher Wray, snapping at him last year that <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/fbi-director-wray-jordan-hunter-biden-74fe5e321b175b9381a19ec8e546ebe1\">FBI applicants in Florida<\/a><\/span> \u201cdeserve better than you\u201d and at the current attorney general, Merrick Garland, who <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/projects\/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker\/\">appointed special counsel Jack Smith<\/a><\/span> to investigate Trump\u2019s hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.<\/p>\n<p>Both investigations ended in indictments expected to wind down before Trump takes office. Smith, too, is also likely to be gone by the time Gaetz arrives, <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/fbi-trump-wray-justice-department-russia-8f66464f5ecc84c9a25323afbc9957e4\">and a new FBI director<\/a><\/span> is also expected to be appointed <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/fbi-trump-wray-justice-department-russia-8f66464f5ecc84c9a25323afbc9957e4\"\/><\/span> given Trump\u2019s lingering discontent with Wray, his own appointee.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNone of us can predict exactly what will happen there,\u201d said Ryan Fayhee, a former Justice Department national security prosecutor. <\/p>\n<p>He added: \u201cI think it\u2019s just more of a question of the department continuing to be independent and largely resting on the broad shoulders of the career prosecutors and agents that have held themselves to the highest standards.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script>\n  window.fbAsyncInit = function() {\n      FB.init({\n              appId : '870613919693099',\n          xfbml : true,\n          version : 'v2.9'\n      });\n  };\n  (function(d, s, id){\n     var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n     if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;}\n     js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;\n     js.src = \"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\";\n     fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n   }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/gaetz-fbi-trump-justice-department-ratcliffe-0aa4f13e1e3186a6c3664a1d3b248eb7\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Donald Trump has had few defenders in Congress as reliable as Matt Gaetz, who has thundered at one prosecutor after another for perceived bias against the president-elect &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=125865\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-125865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=125865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125865\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=125865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=125865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=125865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}