The 15 Democrats Who Voted to Give Trump Insane New Powers

By designating a non-profit as “terrorist-supporting,” the secretary of the treasury, a Cabinet position chosen by the president, would be able to revoke the organization’s tax-exempt status under the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act. It was largely party-line supported and passed by a vote of 219–184.

A wide range of organizations essential to Democratic organizing and policymaking would be directly targeted by the president-elect if this bill were to pass, especially since the incoming Trump administration has made a broad commitment to exact revenge on “enemies within.”. The fact that this bill was supported by both parties is therefore extremely perplexing.

Because it did not receive the two-thirds majority required to pass during a suspension of the lower chamber’s rules, the same bill did not pass the House last week. After that, it was redrafted for a simple majority vote and returned to committee. Although 52 Democrats had previously supported the bill, tremendous pressure was used to persuade those who had supported it last week to vote against it on Thursday. This time, 15 of them supported the bill, which would have stifled free speech, along with every other Republican.

Given the First Amendment rights guaranteed to everyone by the Constitution and numerous other laws that already make it unlawful to give material support to terrorist groups, the bill’s original goal was to assist in the crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrators, especially those on college campuses.

But Trump’s reelection gives this measure a new perspective. His vow to use the civil service as a vehicle for his own retaliation ought to be enough proof that he would probably misuse the authority bestowed upon him by H. R. 9495, possibly giving the president the authority to impose harsh penalties on fairly well-known liberal groups, like the Center for American Progress, barring them from raising or banking funds. Under the proposed law, these organizations would also be prohibited from using the legal system to argue their case. Furthermore, a large number of colleges and news organizations are nonprofits in addition to activist groups.

Even though there are only 15 Democrats, it is still a surprisingly high number of representatives who appear more interested in eliminating annoying protesters than a fascist, authoritarian president who targets any nonprofit he dislikes. This is in contrast to the 52 members who joined in last week’s vote to advance the bill.

The list of Democrats who supported the bill is as follows.

Texan Colin Allred.

D. Caraveo, Yadira, Colorado.

Ed Case, from Hawaii.

Texas’ Henry Cuellar.

North Carolina: Don Davis.

Maine, Jared Golden.

Gonzalez, Vicente—Texas.

Lee, Suzanne Marie, Nevada.

Moskowitz, Jared—Florida.

Californian Jimmy Panetta.

Washington, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.

Illinois native Brad Schneider.

Suozzi, Tom—New York.

California native Norma Torres.

Florida resident Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Clearly, President Joe Biden is not likely to sign this bill into law. However, this is not the case for the president-elect, who will have enough majorities in both houses to get this bill to his desk unless Senate Democrats decide to filibuster it. It’s unclear if these 15 Democrats will support a subsequent attempt to grant Trump the authority to shut down nonprofit organizations that are essential to their party’s electoral success.

In recent years, the 42-year-old Floridian, who on Thursday withdrew from consideration as Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee, has been the subject of two federal investigations over allegations of sex trafficking and alleged sex with an underage girl. Gaetz was not formally charged after the Justice Department’s investigation ended in 2023, but this does not prove his innocence, as Gaetz has maintained. A House Ethics Committee investigation into the divisive politician was thwarted last week when Gaetz abruptly left his House post after being nominated to head the Justice Department.

According to the document, one of the people who indirectly received money from Gaetz was a girl who was 17 years old.

One of the women testified that she witnessed Gaetz having sex with a minor at a party in 2017, while another lawyer for the two women told lawmakers that Gaetz paid them via Venmo.

A woman who is part of the House Ethics Committee investigation claimed in February that she was paid to go to several sex parties with members of Gaetz’s social circle. While providing testimony to U. A. According to her lawyer, when Gaetz was being investigated in 2021, the unnamed woman turned over texts, pictures, and other evidence.

Gaetz’s old friend Joel Greenberg, who was later found guilty of sex trafficking an underage girl, used the woman’s name in a number of Venmo transactions totaling almost $2,500 between March and July 2017.

It was a difficult and exhausting decision for the woman to come forward and speak up, according to her lawyer. She claimed that in the spring of 2021, a Gaetz associate chastised her for speaking to anyone looking into the Floridian, a tactic she saw as part of a pressure campaign to keep quiet. Gaetz has denied any misconduct on several occasions.

A DOJ investigation into Greenberg, a former tax collector for Seminole County, Florida, revealed the charges against Gaetz. The initial investigation also named Gaetz, whom Greenberg said had used Venmo to pay him to have sex with a minor in 2017.

The Daily Beast reports that eight months after Greenberg advised Gaetz to “steer clear” of the girl, the lawmaker instructed the tax collector to “hit up” the girl on his behalf by Venmoing Greenberg $900 in consecutive payments. Gaetz had just turned 36 at that time, and she was five months past her eighteenth birthday.

It’s the kind of politicized D.O that involves the deliberate release of classified investigative materials. J. . Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, told the Times that Matt Gaetz will stop weaponization in response to a question regarding the payment chart. “The Justice Department looked into Gaetz for years, but they were unable to uncover any criminal activity. Now, they are releasing information that is inaccurate in an attempt to discredit the next attorney general. “.”.

In a statement released on Thursday, Matt Gaetz rescinded his nomination to be Donald Trump’s attorney general, stating that he thought his confirmation would be a “distraction” from Trump’s second term.

Gaetz posted on X, saying, “I had great meetings with Senators yesterday.”. “I value their insightful comments and the amazing support from so many people. The momentum was strong, but it’s obvious that my confirmation was unjustly taking attention away from the important work being done by the Trump/Vance Transition.

“I’ll be removing my name from consideration to be Attorney General because there is no time to waste on an unnecessary, drawn-out political dispute in Washington. On the first day, Trump’s DOJ needs to be operational and prepared, Gaetz added. “I’m still totally dedicated to seeing that Donald J. There has never been a more successful president than Trump. The fact that President Trump nominated me to head the Department of Justice will always be an honor, and I have no doubt that he will save America. “.”.

In a move that would have essentially given the Justice Department to a man accused of sex trafficking, Trump nominated the wildly unpopular Florida politician to be the nation’s attorney general last week.

In the days following his nomination, however, Gaetz’s confirmation appeared more and more doubtful. During a period when any of Trump’s candidates for his future Cabinet can only afford to lose three Republican votes during their Senate confirmation process, he encountered fierce opposition from within his own party.

According to estimates from within the upper chamber, Gaetz might receive anywhere from 12 to as many as 30 Republican “no” votes by Friday, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Gaetz abruptly ended a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations that he had sex with an underage girl last week when he resigned from Congress following the announcement of his nomination.

Minutes after CNN contacted the former lawmaker for comment on the shocking disclosure that the Ethics Committee had been informed of a second sexual encounter between Gaetz and the same 17-year-old, he reportedly withdrew his nomination on Thursday.

After Gaetz pulled out, Trump said in a statement that he had “much respect” for the Florida politician for avoiding the controversy and that Gaetz would have a “wonderful future.”. “.”.

Gaetz has lost all authority since he withdrew from consideration for attorney general. He might try to run in the special election for his district in order to regain the House seat he lost, but it’s unclear if this would spark a new Ethics investigation into his alleged wrongdoing.

The story has been updated.

It is anticipated that the proposed House subcommittee will look into government spending and agency organization. While it appears to cut bureaucratic “red tape,” in reality, it will make it much more difficult for the government to accomplish anything.

In order to discuss the new subcommittee, Ramaswamy confirmed to Fox News Digital that he had met with Greene and James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee.

“Excited to collaborate with Congress,” Ramaswamy wrote in an X Wednesday post. Transparency with the public and appropriate agency oversight are essential. “.”.

An opinion piece detailing Musk and Ramaswamy’s plans for the department was published on Wednesday. It outlined their plan to cut the federal budget and the vital services it offers, including Medicare, Medicaid, Planned Parenthood, and public broadcasting. The goal is to reduce government spending by $2 trillion by July 2026, making life more costly and unpleasant for every American. S. . citizen, while private businesses and billionaires profit from the sale of those goods that the government used to supply.

“I find it disgusting that Nancy Mace wants young girls and women to drop trow … because she wants to suspect and blame those she believes to be transgender,” Ocasio-Cortez added. They’re doing this so Nancy Mace can send a text, raise money, and send an email. They are not taking this action to keep people safe. “”.

A resolution that would prohibit trans women from using the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity in the United States was introduced Tuesday by Mace, a Republican representative from South Carolina. S. . The Capitol structure. Sarah McBride, the representative-elect, is the only transgender elected official in the Capitol Building.

Sarah McBride has no voice. This is a biological man, after all,” Mace remarked. McBride, she continued, “does not belong in women’s spaces, women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms, period, full stop.”. “.”.

On the internet, Mace has persisted in humiliating and harassing McBride. She uploaded a video of herself in the Capitol building, taping a sign that read “biological” directly over a sign that read “men’s restroom.”. She announced in a video that she would be submitting a new resolution to “prohibit biological men from women’s spaces on all federal property all across the country” early on Wednesday morning. “.”.

Thus, when House Speaker Mike Johnson formally declared that transgender women would not be allowed to use the women’s restrooms in the Capitol complex, Mace gained more authority. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez pointed out that it’s unclear how Johnson intends to implement this decision.

Additionally, Democratic Representative Mark Pocan responded quickly to Johnson’s decision. “As the Chair of the Equality Caucus, I asked Speaker Johnson to meet with me to talk about his bathroom ban and help him realize that this policy is cruel, totally unenforceable, and allows for harassment, abuse, and discrimination in the halls of Congress,” he wrote on Bluesky.

Being aware that Mace is seeking attention, McBride has made an effort to avoid encouraging her trolling. “I’m not here to make arguments about restrooms. In a statement, she stated, “Even if I disagree with the rules as stated by Speaker Johnson, I will follow them because I’m here to fight for Delawareans and to lower costs facing families.”. “”.

Mace, no stranger to spectacle, has become accustomed to performing bizarre, attention-grabbing gender cosplay on Capitol Hill. After she joined the notorious Matt Gaetz in voting to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a sort of MAGA House mutiny last October, she wore a shirt with the big scarlet letter A. It was not immediately clear how the speakership disaster was related to the well-known Nathaniel Hawthorne character. Paradoxically, Mace doesn’t appear to be concerned about Gaetz prowling the restrooms on Capitol Hill. Let’s just say that her most recent hateful charade, which she is putting on in the name of “protecting women,” is likely to cause more harm to women.

Former Secret Service agent and conservative media B-lister Dan Bongino is being considered to lead the organization he previously worked for, according to CNN. Trump’s Secret Service shortlist includes Bongino, who has been subject to numerous social media sanctions for sharing offensive material over the years, as well as Sean Curran, the head of his current Secret Service detail, and Robert Engel, the former head of his personal detail. On January 6, 2021, Engel was with Trump and provided testimony to the House January 6 committee regarding Trump’s speech at the Ellipse that day.

Bongino lost each of his three unsuccessful congressional bids, including two in Maryland and one in Florida. He went into punditry after failing to pursue a career in politics, appearing as a commentator on social media and right-wing talk radio. His reputation as a prominent election denialist, January 6 insurrectionist defender, and COVID-19 conspirator grew rapidly.

From 2021 to 2023, Bongino hosted his own program on Fox News. He currently hosts The Dan Bongino Show on Rumble. Following the Trump assassination attempt in July, he criticized Kimberly Cheatle, the former director of the Secret Service, calling her “completely unqualified” and accusing her of “putting politics ahead of presidential protection.”. “.”.

Because he has a personal interest in who takes over the agency responsible for protecting himself and his family, that may have helped him win over the president-elect. In October, Trump was also a guest on Bongino’s podcast. Numerous compliments were exchanged during what could hardly be described as a tough interview.

Trump is known for watching a lot of television, and it appears that he prefers to appoint people for his second term through “central casting.”. He has appointed former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense, Dr. Mehmet Oz, a talk show host during the day, as head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Sean Duffy, a former congressman, Fox News host, and reality TV star, as secretary of transportation. All of those personalities will get along well with Bongino if he is chosen to lead the Secret Service.

However, leading the Secret Service isn’t the greatest way to keep up one’s media notoriety—unless, of course, Bongino manipulates the position to fit his own preferences. Under the leadership of someone whose top priority is keeping their own high profile or continuing to be a mainstay on right-wing media, the position, which typically has a low media profile, could very well become part of Trump’s media circus. That is likely exactly what Trump, who enjoys high TV ratings, wants. It is unclear if that is acceptable to the many other individuals protected by the Secret Service.

Posting on X, Hill alumna Natalie Johnson criticized her former boss for what she perceived as a clear-cut media ploy, calling the attacks on McBride nothing more than Mace’s “ploy to get on Fox.”. “”.

“I don’t want to see your junk in my bathroom,” Johnson responded to a message from the Mace team that said, “and I don’t want to see your cheesy, hooker-inspired boob job on my TV. Could we propose a bill to prohibit that?

The purpose of tweeting 262 times in 36 hours about a bill that affects about 0.01% of Congress is undoubtedly to protect women. “It’s definitely not merely a publicity stunt,” Johnson wrote in a different tweet.

The Republican communications strategist went on to say that blocking Matt Gaetz, who was accused of sexual misconduct with a minor by the House Ethics Committee until last week, from being confirmed as Donald Trump’s attorney general would be a true attempt to protect women.

Instead of introducing a bill that is only intended to be seen on television, Johnson wrote, “‘Protecting women’ in Congress would be introducing a bill to bar Matt Gaetz, a sexual predator with an affinity for underage girls, from ever walking those halls again.”.

The attention-seeking congresswoman told reporters Monday that the stunt was “that and more,” publicly acknowledging that it was a direct attack on McBride. “.”.

“Sarah McBride has no voice. The newly elected congresswoman from Delaware “does not belong in women’s spaces, women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms, period, full stop,” Mace observed, adding, “I mean, this is a biological man.”. “.”.

In a different interview, Mace asserted that it “feels like assault” to imagine a trans woman entering a women’s locker room. “”.

Both Mace and McBride have private bathrooms in their offices, which makes the whole charade seem particularly flimsy. Only the United States’ nonelected trans employees will be harmed by the bill. S. Capitol complex, who reportedly haven’t had any problems using the restrooms that match their gender identity up until now.

“They don’t need to assist us, but they must move aside immediately because we are coming and will succeed. Thus, if I have to deploy twice as many agents and resources to that sanctuary city, I will do just that,” Homan stated.

“And I’ve been saying that they need to study the law for the past few days,” he added. “They are unable to assist, but they do not hinder us or go beyond certain boundaries. “.”.

In addition, Homan stated that the government would start by rounding up people for detention and deportation with “the worst of the worst first” and declared that anyone who attempted to hide illegal immigrants would face “consequences.”. “.”.

Trump’s deportation plan, according to Homan and House Speaker Mike Johnson, will first target “criminals,” specifically the millions of criminals they believe roam the streets of the nation’s sanctuary cities. Both Trump and Homan have stated that the U.S. A. military to support their sweeping raids, promising to provide law enforcement in large numbers in these Democratic cities.

Trump made a campaign pledge to end U.S. S. even in locations without sanctuary cities at the moment.

Earlier this week, Homan threatened these cities in a similar manner on Fox & Friends, saying that sanctuary cities “go the hell out of our way if they don’t want to help us.”. We will accomplish it. We will dispatch twice as many … resources to that city if I am able to do so. “.”.

The assault was only reported to the police four days after the alleged attack, when Doe, 30, checked herself into a hospital for a rape examination.

When Doe first spoke with Hegseth, a speaker at the convention in Monterey, California, on the last night of the conference, she told police that she saw him putting his hand on the legs of women in a suite who were drinking and flirting with them. The report claims that she told Hegseth that she “did not appreciate how he treated women” after seeing this.

The same eyewitness accounts were given to police by two different women who said they also witnessed Hegseth touching women. She called Doe over to serve as a mediator between Hegseth and the other women, according to one of the conference staff members.

According to the report, Doe chastised Hegseth for being noisy and aggressive during an argument outside the hotel pool after the bar closed. A staff member stated that at 1:30 a.m. A. Several complaints regarding a couple fighting by the pool were made to the hotel. Hegseth “began to curse” and protested that he had “freedom of speech” when he tried to communicate with them, the report said. According to the report, Doe apologized to the employee for Hegseth’s actions and clarified that they were Republicans. The staff member thought Hegseth was extremely inebriated, but Hegseth insisted in his police interview that he was “buzzed” instead. “”.

Doe claimed her memory became hazy after the pool. According to the report, she had been drinking and thought someone had put something in her drink. She told police that the next thing she remembered was being in an unidentified room when Hegseth took her phone and blocked the exit door with his body when she attempted to leave. She told police that she said “a lot” no, but a second later, she was on a couch or bed with Hegseth standing over her. His dog tags were “hovering over her face,” she remembered. He threw her a towel, ejaculated on her stomach, and told Doe to “clean it up,” as she recalls.

Doe couldn’t recall how she returned to her room that evening. She informed the police during a follow-up call that she had experienced memory loss and nightmares ever since that night. Doe would “cry secretly” and “out of the blue,” according to another person who told police. “”.

Claiming that the sex was consensual, Hegseth denied the charges on several occasions through his lawyer.

Tim Parlatore, Hegseth’s lawyer, told Mediaite in a statement, “This police report confirms what I have said all along that the incident was fully investigated and police found the allegations to be false, which is why no charges were filed.”.

Parlatore said in a statement to The Washington Post on Saturday that Hegseth had compensated his accuser for signing a nondisclosure agreement to prevent her from suing him and to safeguard his job at Fox News.

The report, which describes a years-long investigation into Gaetz for alleged sexual misconduct, appears to have the support of some Republicans despite the fact that it could jeopardize his nomination as the next attorney general and possibly go against Donald Trump’s wishes.

Derrick Van Orden, a Republican representative from Wisconsin, was asked by CNN’s Manu Raju if he would support the report’s release.

Van Orden stated, “I believe it’s crucial that everyone has as much information as possible so they can make an informed decision.”.

“That seems to be the case,” Raju said.

“Yes,” Van Orden replied. Therefore, referrals to other agencies should be made if the rumors regarding Gaetz’s behavior are accurate. And many people owe him an apology if they are untrue. “.”.

Even if the House Ethics Committee did not vote to release the report, Republican Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska stated that he believed it should at least be sent to the Senate.