Congress

After Gaetz withdraws, Vance turns to Hegseth

Published

2 years ago

November 22, 2024

Vice President-elect JD Vance on Thursday held back-to-back meetings to sell Republican senators on Pete Hegseth’s nomination for Defense secretary. But that job as Donald Trump’s congressional whisperer just became more complicated, as Matt Gaetz withdrew from attorney general consideration — and new details came out about Hegseth.

California authorities late Wednesday night released a 2017 police report detailing a woman’s account of how Hegseth allegedly sexually assaulted her in a hotel room. The details add to the growing questions surrounding Hegseth’s ability to get confirmed to lead the Pentagon, though Hegseth on Thursday told reporters he was cleared of all charges.

“The matter was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared,” Hegseth said after his Vance meetings, which started soon after the reports were released.

But within minutes Thursday of Hegseth speaking to reporters, Gaetz in a post on social media declared that he was withdrawing as Trump’s pick to be the nation’s top law enforcement officer — a stunning reversal from just a week ago, when Trump surprised Washington by tapping the conservative firebrand to lead the Justice Department.

The two developments also put the spotlight on Vance, who was in the Capitol this week to help pave the way for Gaetz and Vance to be confirmed.

Trump deployed Vance to be his eyes and ears in the Senate and to help ensure that lawmakers quickly move the president-elect’s priorities and policy proposals, including his expiring tax cuts, efforts to manage tariffs and wholesale changes to the way his administration views health and education.

Vance’s deputy chief of staff, James Braid, was even tapped to become the congressional liaison for the Trump administration, a sign of the role Vance and his inner circle will play in shepherding Trump’s agenda through the House and Senate. Braid was spotted around the Capitol during Wednesday’s and Thursday’s meetings.

But less than 24 hours after Vance’s last meeting on Wednesday, Gaetz pulled out from his nomination. Many senators speculated on Thursday that Gaetz’s withdrawal indicated he did not have the support he needed in the Senate, which became clear after [Wednesday]’s meetings.

“I’m extremely grateful for the work Matt put into the nomination process. He made his decision to withdraw entirely out of respect for President Trump’s administration,” Vance said in a statement on Gaetz’s withdrawal. “Matt is a patriot and I look forward to seeing what he does next.”

Now, Vance’s next job will be getting Hegseth, a Fox News personality, through the Senate as he faces skepticism for lack of Pentagon or management experience. Hegseth was at the Capitol for a few hours on Thursday morning, meeting with key Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee such as Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.).

At least two of Trump’s nominees — Hegseth and Robert Kennedy, Jr. — still face accusations of sexual misconduct, making Vance’s role more urgent and difficult.

Few concrete details were known about the accusations against Hegseth before the authorities released a 22-page report from the Monterey Police Department that provided a stark account from the woman and Hegseth over the 2017 incident. The woman, who was not identified, was helping organize an event of the California Federation of Republican Women which Hegseth was speaking at.

She told police that her memory was hazy but recalled that she ended up in a hotel [room?] with Hegseth, who had allegedly taken away her phone and blocked the door, preventing her from leaving. According to the report, she “remembered saying ‘no’ a lot.”

Hegseth, however, told police that the sexual encounter was consensual and throughout it was checking to make sure the woman was ok. Police launched the investigation into the incident after a nurse, who examined the woman who came to the facility four days after the incident seeking a sexual assault examination, reported it to police.

Hegseth later paid the woman an undisclosed sum in connection with a non-disclosure agreement. His lawyer told media outlets that Hegseth paid the woman because he feared he would get fired from his Fox job.

Police eventually forwarded the report to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors did not charge Hegseth with any crime.

“We take them each separately, and these would have been separated,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said, when asked if Gaetz’ withdrawal puts more pressure on Hegseth. “Separated out and worked through.”

Yet other lawmakers are confident Vance, who served in the Senate for two years, can help carry out Trump’s agenda. Vance has strong ties in the House, such as with Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas). Other House members like Reps. John Duarte (R-Calif.) and Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) appeared with Vance at fundraisers and campaign rallies. But at 40, he would be one of the youngest vice presidents in U.S. history as well as one of the least experienced in government.

Congress

House Oversight requests Alan Dershowitz testify in Epstein probe

Published

3 days ago

June 12, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

The House Oversight Committee requested that Alan Dershowitz, the lawyer who once represented Jeffery Epstein, testify as part of its investigation into the federal government’s handling of the Epstein files.

The interview is tentatively slated for 10 a.m. on July 9, with a video and transcript of the testimony being released “as expeditiously as practical,” Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) wrote in a letter to Dershowitz on Friday.

“Due to public reporting, documents released by the Department of Justice, documents obtained by the Committee, and your former role as Mr. Epstein’s attorney, the Committee believes you have information that will assist in its investigation,” Comer wrote.

Comer told reporters on Wednesday that he wanted to hear from Dershowitz, who helped Epstein secure a controversial plea deal in his 2008 sex abuse case.

“I’m looking forward to testifying,” Dershowitz wrote in a text message to Blue Light News on Friday, adding that he is “trying to adjust my schedule” for July 9.

Congress

Cornyn tells Mike Lee to lay off John Thune

Published

3 days ago

June 12, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Sen. John Cornyn isn’t a card-carrying member of the Senate GOP’s growing YOLO caucus. But with less than seven months left in office after losing his primary, the Texas Republican appears to be feeling newly free to speak his mind.

The latest clap-back came Thursday night and the early hours of Friday morning, when Cornyn called a conservative influencer a “grifter” and told Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) on social media to stop publicly blaming fellow Republicans — including Senate Majority Leader John Thune — for the fact that the GOP elections bill doesn’t have support to pass inside the party.

“You don’t have the votes” for the SAVE America Act, Cornyn posted on X. “@LeaderJohnThune can’t change that. It is math.”

He was directing his comments at Lee, who had just penned a post telling Thune, “let’s do this!”

Cornyn continued, “Try focusing on Democrats instead of Republicans. Republican on Republican attacks are hurting our chances to win the majority in November.”

Lee responded to ask, “on what planet is this an attack on Republicans?” and appeared to suggest a staffer was tweeting on Cornyn’s behalf: “Once my friend John Cornyn realizes that you’re saying this in his name—whoever you are—I don’t think he’ll be happy with you.”

Cornyn, however, is known for posting himself on his social media accounts in a chamber where many Senate accounts are run solely by staff. And he’s been making it clear all week that he will push back on Trump and his party when he thinks it’s needed.

In multiple conversations with reporters in the Capitol, Cornyn said that Republicans need to “stop the circular firing squad.” And he added that he won’t intentionally be “a thorn in [Trump’s] side,” but he’s also “not going to go out of my way to try to appease him.”

“I want him to succeed, I want the Republican Party to succeed, I want the country to succeed,” Cornyn said this week. “But on a case-by-case basis, when I think there’s been overreach or just a bad idea, I’m not going to hesitate to weigh in.”

The four-term senator’s comments come after he lost his primary last month to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who Trump endorsed in the final days of the runoff.

Cornyn said in an interview with The New York Times that he was not a “wounded bear” but that he believed Trump’s insistence on “slavish adherence” was going to backfire for Republicans in the midterms and result in “the most miserable two years of his life” if Democrats flip the House or Senate.

“I think it is going to be a pretty bumpy ride for the next seven months,” Cornyn said.

Congress

Capitol agenda: What Schumer told us about AI

Published

3 days ago

June 12, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Chuck Schumer wants Congress to pass AI legislation. But he’s casting doubt on it happening this year.

“In this Congress, it’s hard,” the Senate minority leader said in an interview Thursday.

Schumer’s reality check isn’t a complete door-slam. But it underscores the steep climb lawmakers face to bridge a slew of intra-party and inter-chamber divides about what Washington’s approach should be toward the emerging opportunities and risks from the rapidly developing technology.

The problems are multi-pronged.

The White House, whose posture toward AI has shifted dramatically in recent weeks, is angling to enact legislation that would preempt state laws in favor of a national standard. Most recently, administration officials have been exploring a plan to attach preemption legislation to bills designed to shore up kids’ safety online. But there are issues — House Republicans aren’t in love with the Senate GOP’s kid safety bills and Senate Majority Leader John Thune has warned that many senators have concerns “about not trampling states’ rights in the process.”

Democrats aren’t unified on what to do next, with the public broadly skeptical about AI.

Some House and Senate Democrats are leery of state preemption and want to wait until next year to tackle AI, when they might be in power. Opposition from key Democrats is a major factor derailing an attempt by Reps. Lori Trahan and Jay Obernolte to strike a deal on legislation that would set nationwide safety and transparency rules while restricting state action. And Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have proposed a moratorium on AI data centers pending stricter government oversight.

Schumer is striking a balanced tone on how to proceed, arguing that there are “tremendous benefits” from AI but that “we also have to have guardrails.”

“We should get something done on AI, and it’s … got to be balanced — keep innovation strong, but have guardrails to prevent the dangers,” he said. “That’s a hard needle to thread, but I would very much like to see that get done the sooner the better.”

What else we’re watching:

— FISA LAPSE, CLAYTON NOMINATION: Thune is vowing to move “fairly quickly” to confirm Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence, with the FISA Section 702 spy authority set to lapse at midnight thanks to a stalemate between Democrats and the White House over the position.

— GOP ADVANCES BIG DEFENSE BOOST — Republicans have taken the first steps toward granting President Donald Trump’s request for the largest budget ever for the Pentagon. Senate Armed Services members on Thursday approved a draft of their annual defense authorization bill outlining priorities for $1.14 trillion in defense spending next year. The House Appropriations defense subcommittee advanced $1.1 trillion in fiscal 2027 funding for the Defense Department in a closed-door markup.

Calen Razor and Connor O’Brien contributed reporting.