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Trump calls Jack Smith ‘desperate’ after special counsel report is released after midnight

Trump calls Jack Smith ‘desperate’ after special counsel report is released after midnight

President-elect Trump took one more dig at Jack Smith after the Justice Department released the former special counsel’s report early Tuesday.  Attorney General Merrick Garland released the first volume, which focuses on the election case against Trump, of Smith’s report on Tuesday at midnight after back-and-forth in the federal court system. The report was released at midnight because that was when the original hold on Volume One expired. Nevertheless, the timing provoked a heated response from Trump. “To show you how desperate Deranged Jack Smith is, he released his Fake findings at 1:00 A.M. in the morning. Did he say that the Unselect Committee illegally destroyed and deleted all of the evidence,” Trump posted on Truth Social. In another post, Trump dismissed Smith’s report, claiming it was based on information gathered by the House Jan. 6 select committee, which was formed in July 2021 to investigate the breach of the U.S. Capitol earlier that year by Trump supporters who rioted ahead of President Biden taking office on Jan. 20. The Jan. 6 committee’s investigation was carried out when Democrats held control of the House and all of its members were appointed by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.  DOJ RELEASEES FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S REPORT ON INVESTIGATION INTO TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE Trump also repeated his claim that Smith, who resigned last week, acted on orders from President Biden to prosecute the president’s political opponents.  “Jack is a lamebrain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the Election, which I won in a landslide,” Trump wrote. In a letter to Garland last week, Smith called it “laughable” that Trump believes the Biden administration, or other political actors, influenced or directed his decisions as a prosecutor, stating that he was guided by the Principles of Federal Prosecution. “Trump’s cases represented ones ‘in which the offense [was] the most flagrant, the public harm the greatest, and the proof the most certain,’” Smith said, referencing the principles. APPEALS COURT WILL NOT BLOCK PARTIAL RELEASE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S TRUMP REPORT In the lengthy report, Smith said his office fully stands behind the decision to bring criminal charges against Trump because he “resorted to a series of criminal efforts to retain power” after he lost the 2020 election. Smith said in his conclusion that the parties were determining whether any material in the “superseding indictment was subject to presidential immunity” when it became clear that Trump had won the 2024 election. The department then determined the case must be dismissed before he takes office because of how it interprets the Constitution. “The Department’s view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a President is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Office stands fully behind,” the report stated. Garland appointed former Justice Department official Jack Smith as special counsel in November 2022.  SPECIAL COUNSEL WEISS BLASTS BIDEN IN FINAL HUNTER PROSECUTION REPORT Smith, a former assistant U.S. attorney and chief to the DOJ’s public integrity section, led the investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House and whether the former president obstructed the federal government’s investigation into the matter.  Smith was also tasked with overseeing the investigation into whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021. Smith charged Trump in both cases, but Trump pleaded not guilty. The classified records case was dismissed in July 2024 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled that Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel. Smith charged Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington D.C. in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request. 

Senate Democratic Whip declares support for Rubio confirmation: ‘Many similar views on foreign policy’

Senate Democratic Whip declares support for Rubio confirmation: ‘Many similar views on foreign policy’

Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., declared in a statement that he intends to vote to confirm Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to serve as Secretary of State. “Senator Rubio and I share many similar views on foreign policy and as a result, have worked closely together in the Senate to move forward with legislation regarding human rights around the world, the continued threat of China, and the recent sham election in Venezuela,” Durbin said in the statement.  “I believe Senator Rubio has a thorough understanding of the United States’ role on an international scale, has served with honor on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and is a good choice to lead the State Department. I plan to vote yes on his nomination when it comes before the Senate,” the Democrat lawmaker noted. DURBIN FACES BACKLASH FOR REMARK ON TRANS INCLUSION IN WOMEN’S SPORTS President-elect Donald Trump — who is slated to be inaugurated on Monday — announced Rubio as his pick for the cabinet post back in November. Rubio is likely to sail through confirmation on a bipartisan basis.  Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., previously called Rubio “a strong choice,” and indicated that he will support confirmation. TRUMP NOMINATES MARCO RUBIO TO SERVE AS SECRETARY OF STATE Rubio’s current Senate term runs through early 2029, so if he resigns to serve in the Trump administration, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will tap a replacement to represent the Sunshine State in the U.S. Senate until voters select a replacement during a 2026 special election for the seat. The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is scheduled to hold a nomination hearing for Rubio on Wednesday. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS TO SEN. RUBIO’S SEAT IF HE BECOMES SECRETARY OF STATE AND WHO COULD REPLACE HIM Rubio has served in the U.S. Senate since early 2011.

Pete Hegseth heads to Capitol Hill for fiery hearing on his record, plans to shake up Pentagon

Pete Hegseth heads to Capitol Hill for fiery hearing on his record, plans to shake up Pentagon

Pete Hegseth is set to take the hot seat before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday in a hearing that is sure to break out into fireworks.  President-elect Donald Trump nominated Hegseth to shake up the Pentagon as his defense secretary, but the former Fox News host has been entangled in controversies that Democrats on the committee can be expected to question him about.  “Democrats certainly aren’t going to make this a walk in the park by any means,” one Republican aide said.  “You’ll see Democrats are pretty organized, they’re thinking strategically to make sure everything is covered, and it’s not a hearing that gets overly repetitive,” one senior Democrat aide told Fox News Digital.  HOW THE SUPREME COURT CONFIRMATION PROCESS WORKS “I don’t think it’s going to be particularly hostile, but I do think it will be very tough. It’s going to focus a lot just on what we should expect of a nominee for this job and where he falls short,” the aide went on. “There are questions about the things he’s done, his character and his leadership.”  Hegseth will be the first of Trump’s controversial change agent picks to face questioning from lawmakers. Republicans can be expected to play defense, framing Hegseth as a decorated combat veteran who will hold the military accountable after years of failed audits and DEI initiatives.  With little hope of winning any Democrat votes, Hegseth will have to woo moderate Republicans who have previously expressed skepticism about his nomination.  Democrats are expected to hammer him over his past conduct and his qualifications to lead the government’s largest agency, which employs 3 million people. HUNDREDS OF VETERANS TO DESCEND ON DC TO MARCH IN SUPPORT OF PETE HEGSETH’S CONFIRMATION The 44-year-old Army National Guard veteran, who did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is relatively young and inexperienced compared to defense secretaries past, having retired as a major. But Republicans say they don’t want someone who made it to the top brass, who’s become entrenched in the Pentagon establishment.  Hegseth is sure to face questions about a sexual assault accusation from 2017. He’s acknowledged paying his accuser an undisclosed sum to keep quiet at the time for fear of losing his job, but he denies any non-consensual sex took place. Former employees at veterans’ groups Hegseth used to run have accused him of financial mismanagement and excessive drinking, according to a New Yorker report, and NBC News reported that his drinking “concerned” colleagues at Fox News.  Hegseth denies the accusations and said he would not drink “a drop of alcohol” if confirmed to lead the Defense Department.  The hearing, which kicks off at 9:30 a.m., will be packed with veterans who traveled to Washington, D.C., to support Hegseth in the face of attacks. For weeks, Hegseth has been visiting Capitol Hill to meet with senators, including those who are skeptical of him. Last Wednesday, he met with the top Armed Services Committee Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, and the meeting apparently didn’t go well.  “Today’s meeting did not relieve my concerns about Mr. Hegseth’s lack of qualifications and raised more questions than answers,” Reed said in a statement. Hegseth must first win a majority in a vote of the Armed Services Committee, made up of 14 Republicans and 13 Democrats, meaning one Republican defection could tank the vote. He then needs to win a simple majority on the Senate floor, meaning he can afford to lose no more than three Republican votes.  “I think he kind of knows that all he needs is Republican votes to get from now into the job,” said a Democrat aide. “His job is to just keep his head down and not say something that would create an opening for these [Republicans], many of whom I really don’t think want to vote for him, to have a reason to revisit that. So I expect that he’s going to try to say very little and say it very calmly and politely.” In committee, all eyes will be on Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a veteran herself who at first seemed hesitant about Hegseth. After two meetings with the nominee, Ernst said she would support him through the confirmation process and looked forward to a fair hearing. She didn’t commit to voting for him.  Senators will also take a fine-toothed comb to Hegseth’s lengthy record of public comments on TV and across the five books he’s written.  One such belief is that women should not fight in combat roles.  “Dads push us to take risks. Moms put the training wheels on our bikes. We need moms. But not in the military, especially not in combat units,” he wrote in his most recent book, “The War on Warriors,” published in 2024. “Men are, gasp, biologically stronger, faster and bigger. Dare I say, physically superior,” Hegseth added. PETE HEGSETH SAYS HE HASN’T HEARD FROM WEST POINT SINCE EMPLOYEE ‘ERROR’ DENYING HIS ACCEPTANCE On a Nov. 7 episode of the Shawn Ryan podcast, which aired mere days before Hegseth was tapped to serve as Defense Secretary, the nominee said, “I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles.” Hegseth later told Fox News in December that women are some of the U.S.’ “greatest warriors.”  “I also want an opportunity here to clarify comments that have been misconstrued, that I somehow don’t support women in the military; some of our greatest warriors, our best warriors out there are women,” he said. Female service members “love our nation, want to defend that flag, and they do it every single day around the globe. I’m not presuming anything,” he added.