On Politics

Thu Nov 21 2024

Rebecca Morin | Senior National News Reporter

@RebeccaMorin_

Happy Thursday! It's Rebecca Morin, senior national news reporter at USA TODAY. It's starting to feel a little more like winter here in D.C.

Matt Gaetz withdraws his name as Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general

Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump's controversial attorney general nominee, withdrew his name for the position. The move came after continuing allegations of sexual abuse. Gaetz, who resigned from Congress following his nomination, said his confirmation process was "unfairly becoming a distraction" to the Trump transition. The GOP will control the U.S. Senate 53-47 next year, but it became apparent there were not enough Republicans willing to support Gaetz. Read more.

•	The next question: can Gaetz get his job in the House back?
•	Watch: Two women allege former Rep. Gaetz paid for sex, lawyer says
•	Reports: Documents link Matt Gaetz to $10,000 in Venmo payments to 2 women in House probe

Gaetz isn't the only person in Trump's new administration who has allegations of sexual misconduct against them. In fact, three other men who Trump has picked for prominent positions in his incoming administration have faced sexual misconduct accusations, including Pete Hegseth, Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

A woman who worked as a live-in nanny for Kennedy accused him of groping her when she was 23 years old. Eliza Cooney in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY spoke out about the allegation after Trump announced he nominated Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

On the Hill

U.S. Vice President-elect JD Vance and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fl., walk on Capitol Hill, on the day of a meeting with Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for defense secretary on Nov. 21, 2024.

Nathan Howard, REUTERS

A politics pit stop

•	What to know about sexual misconduct allegations against Trump administration picks
•	Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy outline plan for 'large-scale firings' in federal workforce under Trump
•	A billionaire presidential administration? Who Trump plans to nominate so far
•	California police release details of Pete Hegseth sexual assault report
•	Elon Musk to open a private school in Texas town where SpaceX, Tesla have offices

Trump makes a statement with aggressive Cabinet picks, fast-moving transition effort

Donald Trump is moving at breakneck speed with his Cabinet picks. And it's to send a clear message that the Republican president-elect has an aggressive plan for major upheaval at the federal agencies his team will soon be leading, Trump allies with knowledge of the transition effort say. Read more.

Got a burning question, or comment, for On Politics? You can submit them here or send me an email at rdmorin@usatoday.com.