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Coming up on Washington Journal this morning, your calls and comments live.
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Washington Journal is next.
Join the conversation.
This is The Washington Journal for November 22nd.
President-elect Trump has chosen former Florida Attorney General Pambondi as his nominee to lead the Justice Department.
This after his initial choice, former Florida Republican House member Matt Gates removed himself from consideration from the position, reportedly after facing pushback over allegations of sexual misconduct.
Several senators expressed support for the new choice, who served as President Trump's senior advisor and lawyer during the first impeachment hearing.
Tell us what you think of these changes on the phone lines this morning.
202748-8000 for Democrats, 202748-8001 for Republicans, and 202748-8002 for Independents.
If you want to text us your thoughts on these changes, 202748-8003 is how you do that.
You can post on Facebook at facebook.com/slash C-SPAN, and you can also post on X at C-SPANWJ.
This decision over Pambondi was made late yesterday.
Politico has a story taking a look at some of Pambondi's career, highlighting the fact in a piece that you can find this morning on the website that she was the first female attorney general.
She served from 2011 to 2019.
She was the first woman to hold the office.
She initiated the state's litigation against opioid manufacturers, and it was settled after she left office.
She left office because of term limits, and she worked for President-elect Trump's transition team after his first victory.
Also highlights the fact that she has a close relationship with Laura Trump, the president-elect's daughter-in-law and the chair of the Republican National Committee.
The two campaigned together against the ban on dog racing in the state.
It was on Tuesday of this week that Pam Bondi advocated for Laura Trump to be the replacement for Senator Marco Rubio, Mr. Trump's pick for Secretary of State.
She's a former lawyer for the president-elect.
She assisted him during the first impeachment fight as a senior advisor and lawyer, making the rounds on TV to help the case.
You'll remember that Mr. Trump was impeached on charges of abusing his power and obstructing congressional investigations, but the Senate eventually acquitted him of the charges.
That's a little bit of her career.
Some reaction from Matt Gates himself after him stepping down from campaigning for the position, saying, I had excellent meetings with senators yesterday.
I appreciate their thoughtful feedback and the incredible support of so many.
While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of Trump Vance.
This prompted a response from the president-elect himself on his Truth Social site when it comes to Mr. Gates stepping down, saying, I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gates in seeking approval to be Attorney General.
He was doing well, but at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the administration, which he has much respect.
Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all the great things he will do.
The president-elect also posting about his new choice, Pam Bondi, saying, I am proud to announce former Attorney General of the great state of Florida, Pam Bondi, as our next Attorney General of the United States.
She was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was tough on violent crimes and made the streets safe for Florida families.
Then, as Florida's first female attorney general, she worked to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs and reducing the tragedy of fentanyl, overdose deaths, which have destroyed many families across our country.
It goes on from there.
So, these series of changes when it comes to the position of Attorney General made in the last 24 hours, you can comment on these changes on the phone lines: 202-748-8000 for Democrats, 202-748-8001 for Republicans, and 202-748-8002 for Independents.
If you want to text us your thoughts on these matters, 202-748-8003 is how you do that.
You can post on Facebook at facebook.com/slash C-SPAN.
And also, you can post on X if you want at C-SPANWJ.
Danny, on our line for independence in Kentucky about these changes when it comes to the Attorney General position.
Danny in Louisville, Kentucky.
Go ahead.
Yes, well, try and get hold of you.
He's through for about two and a half weeks ever since my birthday was the day after election, and I got my birthday wish.
So, but I think he, you know, I hope Matt Gates goes back to Congress first year, but I hope he don't hold up a lot of these people that he's wanting to put in place so he can get something accomplished.
You know, for his first term, he had to fight the Democrats, Republicans, and the mainstream media.
And I just hope he can get people in and can get stuff done this time.
Do you think Mr. Gates was the right choice for Attorney General?
Yeah.
You know, I mean, these just allegations, and, you know, it seems like, you know, when they don't want somebody in, they just slam, slam, and slam on the slander on the death, you know, until they just buckle under the pressure, you know.
I mean, you know, his family's got to go through all that, listen to all that garbage, too.
You know, so, yeah, but I think Pam would do okay, too.
Okay.
Thank you.
Danny there in Kentucky, Republican line calling, and let's hear from Aaron Aaron in Virginia, our line for Democrats.
You are next up, Aaron.
Go ahead.
Yes, I think, Donnie, it'd be great.
You seem to be fair-minded.
I'm glad Gates had to rescind his nomination.
And anyone with any sexual harassment or child pornography or anything having to do with being a criminal should not be elected to any government office.
Even Donald Trump should not be sitting in the chair that he's sitting in.
Because these mans are facing chairs.
People are facing charges.
So you think the allegations against Mr. Gates is what eventually led him to withdraw the position?
I believe so.
He doesn't want to be exposed.
He don't want all the evidence to come out, which we should, the American public has the right to know exactly what he was into, what he did, and the fact that the girl was under the age of 18, he should be arrested.
He should be charged with statutory rape and everything else.
Well, again, this is allegations.
You said initially that Pam Bondi was going to be a good choice.
Why do you say that?
Because she's been in politics.
She served as an attorney general before, doing other things in Florida.
I think she has a broad mind to what's right and what's fair.
Okay.
Aaron there in South Hill, Virginia, giving us his thoughts.
Again, a lot happening in the last several hours when it comes to this nomination position for Attorney General.
Matt Gates taking himself out of the running.
Pam Bondi now being the nominee for President-elect Trump to head the Justice Department.
We're getting your thoughts on the phone lines this morning.
As always, you can give us a call there.
Text us if you wish.
If you want to use that way, 202-748-8003.
And then the social media sites, too, are also available.
You can post your thoughts there, too.
Let's hear from Bertina.
Bertina in Richmond, Virginia, line for Democrats.
Hi.
Yes.
I'm calling in with you all discussing this craziness going on with Trump and all the heat, all of those people that's going to be on his staff.
You know, I'm glad Gate left because, you know, anybody, I don't understand it.
Trump is a felon.
He's around hanging out with 17-year-old.
I'm talking about Get.
I mean, what else?
We got a, what is it, a wrestler?
Is she affiliated with some wrestling affiliation?
I mean, what, it's going to be nothing but a circus in Washington, D.C. on the 20th of January.
Lord knows, I don't know what the heck are we going to do for four years.
That's Bertina there in Richmond giving her thoughts.
One of the people giving thoughts yesterday was a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, ranking member Lindsey Graham.
This after the news about Matt Gates broke there on Capitol Hill.
Here's a part of his response from yesterday.
He withdrew.
I respect his decision.
Appreciate him offering himself for service at level now to somebody else.
But, sir, we read the statement, but when you were talking with other colleagues on the Judiciary Committee from your party, did you get the sense that they were already going to be a no on him?
Like, is that why he resigned?
No, I got the sense that the process was going to be challenging and he made decisions.
You need to ask him.
But here's what I would say.
President nominated somebody.
They chose to not go forward.
Now he'll nominate somebody else.
You know, all this interest about Republican nominees, I understand it.
But where were most of y'all at when the Democrats were doing this?
You know, there was an allegation of rape by a woman against President Biden.
And here's what I said.
That's not the guy I know.
Nobody did this.
We sense that if you're a Republican, everything is true until you can prove yourself innocent.
So as to men, he's withdrawn.
Respect his service.
As to what President Trump will do next, we will see.
But I am committed to helping him where I can.
I will not be a rubber stamp to his nominees, but I will also not engage in an angry mob mentality.
Some of the reaction there on Capitol Hill to this news of the last several hours concerning the Attorney General position in Oklahoma.
Independent line.
Guy is next.
Good morning.
Hey, good morning, Pedro.
Thank you for taking my call.
I agree with Lindsey Graham exactly what he says.
It kind of reminds me of the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation where they accused him of rape at a party that turned out to be a lie.
But look what they put him through during this confirmation process.
Was a complete circus.
Matt Gates, it's possible, but why wasn't he convicted if they have all this evidence against him?
I'd like to see the report.
It'll probably be leaked, is my guess, and we'll find out what is really on the report.
But I love the Barnby pick.
Pam Barni from Florida, I think, is a great pick, actually better than Matt Gates.
Matt Gates, he's a super intelligent person.
I think I'd like to see him work with Raswabi and Elon Musk on the efficiency team, you know, help him cut costs because he is a super intelligent person.
When it comes to Pam Bondi, then what is it specifically about her that qualifies for the job?
Clearly, she was Florida's attorney general at one time, but is it just that or are there other things there?
Well, you know, she has a lot of integrity.
She's a patriot.
She's on the same page with Make America Great Again.
I think she'll line up with the Trump agenda, and he trusts her.
He's known her for many, many years.
And I just think that she's full of integrity, and she'll be a great pick, and she should fly through the confirmation process.
And God bless America.
God bless Z-SPAM.
Thank you very much, Pedro.
You have a great weekend.
Okay, let's go to John.
John on our line for Republicans.
He's in New Jersey on Matt Gates and Pam Bondi.
John, hello.
Yeah, thank you.
Matt Gates was, I mean, I love Trump and I love Gates is a little off the charts, but I'm glad that it's over.
Bondi looks good.
When I heard last night that she was picked, my wife and I said, wow, yeah, why not?
You know, everything's a scandal with the Democrats and to try to pull Republicans down.
Hopefully, she doesn't have any sexual stuff, you know.
So, yeah, I think it's great.
But you said when it comes to Pam Bondi herself, why do you think she's a solid choice?
She's experienced.
She's the AG in Florida, right?
I'm not mistaken.
Has the bona fides to be attorney general?
You can pick 100 people who might have the same qualifications, but I, you know, I mean, what do you think's against her?
Do you have any knock against her?
I'll let the viewers give their opinions on her or Matt Gates themselves.
So the political piece that writes about these five things about Pam Bondi highlights this, that it was in 2016 that news emerged that Mr. Trump paid a $2,500 fine because his foundation improperly donated $25,000 to Bondi's political election committee in 2013 before her office opted not to pursue a fraud investigation in the Trump University.
Mr. Trump eventually paid the $25 million to settle the fraud complaints against the now defunct university.
Bondi said that she was unaware of Trump University complaints at the time and that the contribution had nothing to do with her office's decision to not pursue the case.
Mr. Trump has said that he admired Bondi for never backing away from him amid the controversy.
Again, Politico is where you find that piece five things on a Pam Bondi if you want to learn a little bit more about her career.
This is Thomas, who joins us from Illinois, Independent Line.
Hello.
Just want to say JF Cage got assassinated today.
So some people to know.
So goodbye now.
Okay, well, since you're calling on the events of the Attorney General, what do you think about these events of the last several hours?
Oh, I'm not an issue, really.
Okay, well, let's go to Brian then.
Brian in Minnesota, Republican line.
Hi.
Good morning.
As far as Matt Gates and Pete Higgs set, if you would have put a dress on them, they would have got the job, the nod.
I guess that's all I got in.
What do you mean by that?
the way things go you know you got this well hold on Before that, what does that have to do with anything with the Attorney General picks that the president eventually has to make?
Well, it's just the way the country's going.
I mean, it just, it's upside down.
It's, I could.
Well, let's be more specific.
What did you think of Matt Gates as an Attorney General pick?
I thought he was a good one.
Excellent.
Why is that?
He's knowledgeable.
He's got integrity.
I think they're just trying to smear the guy and waste time like they normally do.
And it's just a big game.
That's all the Dems want to do is play games and do things their way.
And it's my way or the highway.
No compromise.
They ran this show for so long, they don't want to give up power.
Okay.
Ryan there in Minnesota, and you can keep calling on the lines if you want to give your thoughts on these events concerning now Matt Gates out of the running to become Attorney General and Pam Bondi now in the running to become the head of the Justice Department.
Again, the lines 202-748-8000 for Democrats, 202-748-8001 for Republicans, and Independents 202-748-8002.
Those are the lines you can call.
Give your thoughts if you wish while you're doing that.
Let's hear from another member of Congress.
This is Delaware Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who serves on the Judiciary Committee, also talking about the events of yesterday concerning the Attorney General position.
Here's a portion from yesterday.
President-elect Trump has nominated a number of candidates to serve in his cabinet who have faced a series of questions and issues.
Given the abrupt withdrawal of former Congressman Matt Gates, there was some discussion about whether the next nominee would be someone who would easily be confirmed or not, whether the next nominee would fit more within the mainstream of who served in the past as Attorneys General.
Many of Trump's nominees in his first administration got bipartisan votes.
His Secretary of Defense nominee got 98 votes.
So it is not impossible for his nominees to be confirmed, but they need to be more in the mainstream and without the degree and level of baggage that former Congressman Gates brought.
How troubling were the allegations against Gates?
I think very troubling.
I think for someone to be nominated to be the chief law enforcement officer of the United States and facing persistent and disturbing charges involving sex trafficking and drug use really caused some real challenges for him, a real headwind.
What does this say about the Trump team's confetting, not just on Gates, but some of these other nominees as well?
Well, skipping what has long been a key part of the preparation for confirmation, which is an FBI background check, and making these decisions so quickly may have led to an early constellation that looks more like a reality TV show casting call than a serious incredible proposals for cabinet.
Again, reacted on Capitol Hill yesterday when it comes to Matt Gates taking himself out of the running to become Attorney General.
It's one of the editorials this morning in the Wall Street Journal under the headline, Trump cuts his losses on Matt's Gates.
Matt Gates saying he cut his losses on a bad nomination and in the end this will help him.
Mr. Gates' confirmation by the Senate was seriously in doubt, although he denies wrongdoing.
The hearings would have included claims that Mr. Gates had sex with a 17-year-old in 2017, an embarrassment, an embarrassing and damaging spectacle for Mr. Trump.
A yes vote by GOP senators in swing states would have been thrown back at them in attack ads in 2026 or 2028.
The editors of the Wall Street Journal adding that does Mr. Trump recognize now that the Republican Senate is going to give his cabinet nominees a fair hearing but not a complete pass?
Maybe he does.
That's the Wall Street Journal this morning on the events of yesterday.
We will hear from Rob in Michigan on the events of yesterday on our independent line.
Hi.
Good morning.
Good morning.
My concern is that the next nominee, I hope, does not undergo the accusations about her sex life and what she's done in the past.
The Democrats are showing a penchant for accusing Kavanaugh with accusers who later say they invented their story because they just really, really hated Donald Trump.
And they're willing to damage people's reputation.
They're willing to harm their family.
He would call for attacks on their children.
Gates is not a, I'm not a fan of Gates at all.
But the idea, well, we can just accuse him and use 17-year-old prostitutes posing as older as the way to smear his reputation.
It just shows a terrible trend by Democrats, and the real victims are the women who are part of the Me Too victimhood, who will now not have their story believed or will say, well, is this just another Democratic ploy to smear somebody?
What's the truth to their story?
And they deserve better than that.
I think that the Democrats are doing a disservice to the real victims of sexual assault.
Richard, he's in South Carolina, line for Republicans.
Yes, I think Gates did the right thing.
I think that provided him the opportunity to withdraw from the House concerning the upcoming events and him being nominated as Attorney General.
Pam Bondi, I have met and know personally.
She's a fine person, a good attorney, will be great for America.
She's been heavily involved in women and sex trafficking, helping them.
And I think she's, I might say, she'll make Trump a great wingman.
And we all know what that's about.
Thank you.
This is from Michelle Cottle in the New York Times talking about the events of yesterday.
She says, this could have not happened to a more deserving guy.
For those who care about checks and balances, Gates Gate was about so much more than the political fate of a proud poster boy for arrested development who has the morals of a coked up Bonabo.
Mr. Trump's decision to put him forward was an early gross test for the president-elect's entire Senate team.
Republican lawmakers were being asked to lash themselves to the personification of Trump's worldly bankrupt impulses to choke down their bile and prove how low they're willing to go.
How they handled this challenge was going to be an early signpost of, as well as a building block in their relationship with the second Trump administration.
Again, that's the New York Times, Michelle Cottle, if you want to read her thoughts on the events of yesterday regarding Matt Gates.
This is from Crystal in Pennsylvania, Wilkesbury, Pennsylvania, Democrats line.
Hi.
Yes, good morning.
I want to say, as a woman, I am totally offended by several of Trump's picks that have sexual predator allegations against him.
First of all, the Democrats didn't tell Matt Gates to show pictures of naked women to other people in the Congress.
The Democrats didn't do that.
The Democrats didn't go to a drug-filled prostitute party and have sex with a 17-year-old.
The Democrats didn't do that.
Matt Gates did that himself.
He is a disgusting human being, period.
Now, as far as Bondi, the only thing I remember about her is when that Trump University thing came up and the people wanted to sue Trump based on the university, and Trump gave her some money and she bowed out for her Florida residents.
That's what I remember about Bondi.
But Trump has picked the gunner of the gutter of people to be in his administration.
And I'm just going to sit back and watch this clown show go on.
So thank you very much as a woman.
I'm disgusted.
Have a good day.
Independent Line, Barbara is next, joining us from Knoxville, Tennessee.
Barbara, good morning.
Go ahead, you're on.
Good morning.
I was just talking, wondering about Pam, if she's still Trump, didn't, you know, if she denies the last election.
I don't know much about her, but I'm hoping she'll do really well.
And as far as the other guy, Gates, man, he's just out there.
He's really bad.
When you ask about concerns about Ms. Bondi's thoughts about the last election, why does that rise to the top for you?
And how do you think it might affect her if she becomes Attorney General?
Well, I think she might be a little bit biased there.
I think things will probably go one way, and I'm kind of concerned about that.
I was hoping she'd be fair and equal, being a woman and all, but I'm not really sure about it.
Okay.
Barbara, there in Tennessee, responding to Pam Bondi, who you see on the screen there, former Florida Attorney General, now the nominee to head the Justice Department, after former House Republican Matt Gates putting himself out of the position, out of the running for the position as of yesterday.
Again, the phone line's there.
If you want to comment, text if you want to comment, social media also, if you want to comment too.
A lot of ways you can do that this morning.
Give us your thoughts on these events of the last couple of hours when it comes to the next Attorney General.
Michigan next, Democrats line.
Marvin, hello.
Yes, good morning.
I want to comment on the Gates pick.
Why are they picking people that have convictions with women?
And also the other gentleman that's on Trump team, the whole 25 people that's up there, there's not one African-American person up there.
And then you have this one gentleman stating to the congressman that they didn't confirm Gates, that they would have hell to pay.
I mean, what kind of world are we living in now?
And what kind of terrorist group are these people that's in the White House that's coming to the White House now?
So do you think the senator would have gotten a but would have been passed by the Senate then if he were to go forward with his nomination?
Pardon me, I didn't hear you gonna say.
Do you think the senator would have gotten the job if he was to go forth with his nomination?
Do you think he would have gotten the job from the Senate?
No, I don't think so.
I think they had a couple of senators that might got some kind of heart and backbone paid up because this world that we live in there now, all of them act like they're scared.
I mean, wow, you got some nerve.
Just think, if you got some nerve, a person can tell a sitting senator that's been helping this country and governing this world, if you don't confirm this gentleman, you're going to have your career stuck.
What kind of terrorist groups are these people trying to bring to the United States?
We should ask ourselves that.
Okay.
New York State is next.
Republican line.
We'll hear from Alan.
You're next.
Hello.
Yes, good morning.
I was never a big fan of the pick for Matt Gates.
I just think he was compromised a little bit.
I do think that Pam Bondi is a great choice, a great choice for women, and I think she has the experience to give Papa leadership moving forward.
Why a great choice for women, in your opinion?
Well, she is a woman, if I'm not mistaken, she will be the first Attorney General in the United States.
I just think she has the background as being the Florida Attorney General there.
She will do a great job.
That is Alan there in Holbrook, New York, giving us his thoughts on what was said to be the upcoming debate over who will be the next Attorney General of the United States.
As we've been telling you, Pam Bondi, nominated by President-elect Trump for the position as far as women goes, one previous, Janet Reno, serving previously in the position, making her the 78th Attorney General when it comes to the job.
Let's hear from Cindy.
Cindy in Ohio, Democrats line.
Hi.
The fact that he picked Gates is just really insulting to women.
And this Attorney General pick has one qualification.
This is the qualification to serve Trump.
You have to be 100% loyal to him.
You have to have been an election denier, someone who, to the very end, said that Joe Biden wasn't the real president.
Okay, that's delusional.
And for women of childbearing age out there, I realize you're busy, you're tired, you're burned out, but you better get up off the couch, put your phones down, and get out there and fight for your rights.
Cindy, let me ask you, Pam Bondi did serve as the Attorney General of the state of Florida.
Does that not factor into her qualifications?
She may be qualified as far as her legal background, but look at the state of Florida.
Look at the conditions in Florida politically for women.
This also, this person doesn't believe in gay rights.
She doesn't think gay people should be able to marry each other.
She actively worked against that.
And, you know, this president-elect, who I'm disappointed that the Democrats are not being more vocal about the way this whole election went, but that's another subject.
Okay.
But this person, the FBI logged 100 hours of conversations between Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious human trafficker who died in prison, was one of Trump's best buddies.
That tells you.
Okay, well, we'll leave it there.
Cindy, there.
Let's go to Steve.
Steve in Texas, Republican line, you're next.
Hello.
Yes, sir.
Pedro?
Yeah, I think Pam Bondi is an excellent choice.
I mean, she's going to do a great job because she'll help seal up this border where the Democrats let in all these murder and killers and child molesters.
And she'll have it get it right.
And the only reason the Democrats, they're upset about any pick that Trump makes, it doesn't matter what it is, because they're not Democrats.
The ones that messed this country up and destroyed it.
And as these hearings go on later on, and Pam, she will hui us to the Senate.
She will get the nomination.
And Pete Express is a good man, too.
But the Democrats missed this whole thing up, letting these killer child molesters in.
And they're just upset because Biden ain't in letting being a traitor, because that's what traitors do, let killers and terrorists come into your country.
We'll leave it there, Steve.
Stephen, Texas, the first half hour down.
One more to go.
You want to continue calling in on the news of yesterday regarding Matt Gates taking himself out of consideration to be the next Attorney General of the United States.
Pam Bondi, former Florida Attorney General.
She also served in the impeachment legal team for the former president during his first impeachment.
You can give your thoughts on the phone lines.
202-748-8000 for Democrats, 202-748-8001 for Republicans.
Independents 202-748-8002.
Text us.
You can do that too.
202-748-8003.
Facebook and X available too if you want to post there.
Doug, who is in Florida, Coco, Florida, Democrats line.
Hi, Doug.
Hey, Matt Gates shouldn't have never been nominated because he was a disgrace.
But then he follows with another one.
Does anybody realize that in the case against Gore and Bush, they caught her falsifying absentee ballots for the Republicans so they would count and just other island the Democratic ones.
When they caught her, they promoted her.
They didn't lock her up.
God, can we get at least one honest individual nominated for that post?
I think not.
Not from Trump.
Bye.
Jerry.
Jerry is in Virginia and Broadway, Virginia, Republican line.
Hi.
Yeah.
You're on.
Go ahead.
Good morning.
Good morning.
You hear me?
You're on.
Go ahead.
Yeah, I heard a message for people out there curling in, criticizing Donald Trump's cabinet picks.
Did they ever look at any of Joe Biden's cabinet picks?
None of them are qualified, remotely qualified for the job they were given.
They're all queers and harmony.
Oh, hold on, hold on.
We'll stop you there and ask about the question as far as the president-elect's cabinet pick, specifically for attorney general.
What do you think of that?
I think she'll make a great attorney general.
She's a fairly smart lawyer.
Okay, Jerry there in Virginia.
Let's hear some more senate reaction from yesterday, North Dakota Republican Senator Kevin Kramer on the events of yesterday.
There's a sense of relief about it, of course.
I think he did a pretty noble thing, frankly, honorable thing by getting out himself.
I thought his statement was appropriate.
And I look forward to a new nominee that we can get fully behind.
You have concerns about political capital being expensive.
I did, and I think that was the case that was made, to be honest.
I mean, simple math, I think, was made clear that there's not a path.
And if there's not a path, you're going to spend a lot of political capital for a losing cause.
And it wouldn't have been worth it.
Should the report still be released?
You know, I believe that up to the House at this point.
There's no other reason for it to be released other than if he was still a house member or a nominee for a high position.
So I'd leave that up to the house.
Do you think a lot of attention and scrutiny now goes to Trump's other nominees, like Pete Hegseth, with this report?
Well, probably for you all.
I mean, I think that each of the nominees are going to come under the same scrutiny.
It's the process that we're supposed to go through.
But you won't have Matt Gates to report on.
So, yeah, I suspect that Pete will get more attention.
Some of you responding on socials this morning.
Imogene Hall says, when it comes to the choice of Pam Bondi, a great choice.
She is for America First.
From Carol Garvey saying, I guess she's a step up from Matt Gates, but not by much.
This is from Darren McCathern saying, excellent choice, very qualified to serve as Attorney General.
Pam Bondi is well respected for her expertise concerning the law.
And Janet Luff saying that she fits the need of a cabinet to look like the cast of Fox News, but at least she has many qualifications needed.
And as an election denier, we will see if she still puts one man over country.
Again, all those from Facebook is definitely an avenue you can use if you want to post several of you posting even before the start of this program this morning, facebook.com/slash C-SPAN and X2 at C-SPANWJ.
Independent Line.
This is from Patty in Pennsylvania in Altoona.
You're next up.
Good morning.
Yes, I don't think Matt Gates should have dropped out.
These 17-year-olds, they act like they're 25-year-olds.
They dress like them.
And Biden, he slept with his daughter.
Okay, that's hold on, hold on.
Yeah, let's go to Rodney.
Rodney in Florida, Republican line.
Go ahead.
Good morning.
Morning, Pedro.
I think Pam Bondi is a good pick.
I just had a couple of points.
I had actually three quick points I wanted to make that I hope Pam Bondi will take consideration of.
One, when Trump was elected the first time, there were riots in Washington, D.C. where I think, and you can check my facts, but I think over 700 people were, and not one single person got put in jail, eventually got put in jail for their riots.
I hope when Trump is inaugurated in Washington, D.C., that we track every single person just like they did on January 6th.
Well, before we go too far, how does this deal with Pam Bondi?
Well, I'm just saying I hope that there's a crackdown on that.
And I hope there's a fair analysis of what happened during January 6th.
And I hope that we start tracking the 20 million, the 20 million.
I hope that she will look at all the immigrants that have come in that we don't know anything about and start, if they have any communication with any government agency, DMV, police, anybody, hospitals, that we start tracking them, fingerprinting them, and finding out who's in this country.
Okay, okay, okay.
Well, we'll leave it there.
The Tallahassee Democrat poses a question this morning in light of Matt Gates no longer running for attorney general.
Here's the question: Can Matt Gates unresign and take a seat back in the House of Representatives?
Saying that he resigned from Congress to be Trump's Attorney General two days before the release of a report from the House Ethics Committee on allegations of Gates' sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.
According to the U.S. Constitution, when vacancies happen in the representation from any state, the executive authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies.
Vacancies occur when, quote, an incumbent member dies, resigns, or leaves office for any reason before the end of their term, according to the Congressional Research Service.
It adds that Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, now back from a trade mission in Italy, has instructed Secretary of State Cord Byrd to quickly schedule special elections for Gates and U.S. Representative Michael Waltz, who was nominated to be Mr. Trump's National Security Advisor.
But that hasn't happened yet.
Some political watchers have noted that Gates resigned from the 118th Congress, which ends on January 3rd, 2025, but he was elected to serve in the 119th Congress starting next year, which could leave him some political wiggle room.
More there at that piece from the Tallahassee Democrat, if you want to read that portion of it.
A viewer in Houston, Texas, Democrats line.
This is Ecstasy.
Hello.
Yes, I would like to say that as a Democrat, we tried our best, but this is a learning curve for independent thinkers and Democrat thinkers about the Republicans and what they're doing successfully at this time.
I come from a family of attorneys and my mother-in-law and other Republican thinkers around me.
But as a human, we all can learn a lot from the Republicans because they're on the ball right now.
Well, how does that deal?
How specifically does that deal with the Attorney General position that's being considered?
Well, I feel like a woman has a different way of thinking, not just because she's a woman, but they sit back and think a lot with more detail.
My wife is, again, an independent, but she does a lot of independent thinking.
But the Republican women as well do a lot of detailed thinking.
And there's a lot to learn from the Republicans at this time, especially with the Attorney General.
Okay.
Richard up next.
He's in South Carolina.
Independent line.
First of all, I don't think that Getz was a bad pick.
I'm more concerned about the mind and the reason why that person was picked for that job.
It was a pretty huge error.
Picking Pam Bondi, I think, is a better choice, but she's going to be more clever than Gates ever thought about being.
She will slow walk the process in accordance with Mr. Trump's wishes.
The second point, I think, is that he has designed the senior staff now of the Justice Department with all of his own lawyers.
That should send signals to people, and we're only going to get what people paid for, the mind of Donald Trump.
They will have subtle changes that will be made and slow walk the process.
And I think that we have to keep our eyes open.
That's really all I have to say.
From Marjorie in Maryland, Democrats line.
You're on.
Good morning.
Thanks for calling.
Go ahead.
I'm well.
Thank you.
Go ahead.
All right.
I'm calling up out there.
I don't think none of them should be in office.
None of them don't have no respect for nobody.
Even Trump don't have any respect.
All these parishes.
That's all I got to say.
Why do you think that Pam Bondi wouldn't have respect for anybody?
We should pick her because she's a woman.
Specifically, can you elaborate on that?
She don't have no respect for nobody but herself.
She's just a woman in the White House doing nothing.
None of them doing nothing.
They're all in there, but none of them are going to make it.
You understand what I say?
Marjorie and Marilyn there giving us their thoughts this morning.
This is from The Hill saying that it was Representative Mike Lawler using a meme, including a well-known foe of Matt Gates, to respond to the former Florida lawmaker's withdrawal from consideration as Attorney General in the next administration.
Justice has been served, he said in a post on the social platform X that also featured a former photo, a former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, with bright red laser eyes.
Gates led the effort to ounce McCarthy from the speakership last year, capping off a long-standing feud between them.
The former speaker resigned from the House in December and has said Gates only wanted to remove him over an ethics complaint.
McCarthy predicted last week that Gates would not get confirmed by the Senate.
Gates historically being a strong supporter of President Trump, always not receiving a warm reception.
And then this adding that Lawler criticized Mr. Gates over Mr. McCarthy's ouster.
Again, that's from the New York Times.
Sorry, that's from The Hill.
If you want to see that as well, when it comes to that meme, by the way, here it is from Mike Lawler's ex-account, Justice Has Been Served.
Former Speaker McCarthy there with the bright red laser eyes, as was described.
We'll let you look at that, and then we will hear from Jeff.
Jeff in New York, in Pyramont, New York, independent line.
Hi.
Hi, thanks for having me.
I know Mike Lawler and he's a terrific guy.
Here's the issue with Pam Bondi that I think needs to be addressed.
And it needs to be addressed by the Senate.
They need to find out whether she's going to be supportive of going after Donald Trump's adversaries.
Is this something the Department of Justice will condone?
Will she support the imprisonment of illegal immigrants in camps?
And will she support Donald Trump's stated effort to use the U.S. military internally on U.S. soil to accomplish this?
These are all things that are highly controversial, regardless how you feel about the illegal immigrant population, which set a new precedent that could be used in ways that we could be very concerned about in the future.
And I think the U.S. Senate needs to ask very pointed questions of this woman so that we understand where the Justice Department is going to stand on these topics.
One more voice.
This is the Senate pro temp. Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington State, about the Gates withdrawal.
Here she is from yesterday.
I've served in the Senate for a long time and served with numerous presidents from both parties, and they've always vetted who they send over to head these really critical agencies.
We need people who are running these agencies, who are capable of doing it, who understand the policies and understand the implications.
And you don't just send anybody over that happens to be on TV to run an agency.
You need qualified people who cannot have information in their background that could be used against them, blackmailing or anything else.
You need people who know the policies, and you need people who really understand the implications of the incredible importance of there being a secretary of health education services, all of our different agencies.
And certainly, this doesn't surprise me because we have an administration coming in that doesn't vet their nominees before they get to us.
Patty Murray, yesterday, when it comes to Matt Gates' resignation from the running for Attorney General, you can comment on that.
Several of you doing that, several of you also commenting on the President-elect's new choice for Attorney General Pam Bondi, former Florida Attorney General.
Again, you can do that for the remaining time we have left on the phone lines, on the socials, on a lot of different fronts there.
Gina is up next.
Mississippi on our Republican line.
Hi, Gina.
Go ahead.
Hi, Pedro.
I'm just sitting here listening again, as usual, like I've been doing for 10 years.
And it's amazing to me that it seems to me we're only going to judge the Republicans for anything, and the Democrats will never be judged on anything.
Anybody that knows anything about politics knows there's a fund in Congress.
There's so many accusations against all the people in Congress.
So there's a fund there that these people have paid that they use to pay out.
So why don't you do a show on just exactly who and what party they were that have had to use that fund.
And I would like to say something.
Well, before you go too far, since you called either on Matt Gates or Pam Bondi, comment on that.
Well, I think that if we were going to judge Matt Gates on his ability, he would probably have been perfect for the job.
And my point is, why don't we judge, since when do our leaders, you know, our people, our administrators, judge by their morals?
Because if we're going to do that, then there shouldn't be any Democrat ever up there because all they care about is murdering their babies.
Well, Gina, before you go too far, when it comes to then qualifications, what made Matt Gates qualified, in your opinion?
Well, he's an attorney.
He's a prominent attorney, very knowledgeable.
And there's one thing we need to point out.
He doesn't have dementia.
He doesn't have, he's not a poor man with dementia like the Democrats voted in as our president.
Okay, Carol in Missouri up next, Democrats line.
Good morning.
Hello.
Hi.
Yes.
What I called about is, if I'm not mistaken, she is not the first woman attorney general.
Wasn't Janet Reno the first woman attorney general?
She was.
And the other thing is, look what they did to her.
The Republicans.
I mean, they just crucified her.
Everything she did was wrong.
Well, what does that mean for either Pam Bondi or Matt Gates?
Well, what it means is I can hear the Republicans saying, oh, we're going to get a woman.
The Democrats should be happy and all that.
But we've had them before.
So that's where I'm coming from.
Again, you're invited to call in and give your thoughts this morning when it comes to the news when it comes to the position of Attorney General and give your thoughts on whether you think the choice of Matt Gates going out of the running for Attorney General or Pam Bondi coming into it.
Give your thoughts on that.
202748, 8,000 for Democrats, 202748, 8,001 for Republicans.
Independents 202748, 8,002.
The Justice Department list, recent Attorney General is another woman on that list, Loretta Lynch, 2015 to 2017.
She was followed by Jeff Sessions in the first Trump administration.
Bill Barr, also in the Trump administration.
The current Attorney General, Merrick Garland, there when it comes to those who served in the top cop position, so to speak, at the Justice Department.
You can find more information there at the Justice Department website from Mel.
Mel in New York, Independent Line.
Hi.
Hello, Pedro.
I'm in support of the new pick.
I believe Pam Bondi will not tolerate toxic empathy.
The kind of empathy this last administration demonstrated by letting all these illegal aliens be in, housing them with our money, giving them free transportation, coddling them, which resulted in the murder of Lake and Riley and others who've been victimized by this kind of toxic empathy demonstrated by the left.
Bondi will not tolerate it.
She will not tolerate, I believe, cultural Marxism infiltrating the justice system.
Therefore, there won't be woke justice, this fake justice that has been promulgated throughout academia and infiltrated our government.
I really think she will take a stand for justice.
And yes, she's a Republican, but look at what Florida has become.
Why do people continue to move there?
Isn't just the weather.
The way that state has been run.
Okay.
Mel there in New York, another one of the president's choices coming into spotlight in recent days.
This is the choice of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
This is the headline from the Wall Street Journal.
New details on assault allegations emerge saying that your transition team, which hadn't been told about the original allegation before announcing Hegseth, was surprised again late Wednesday when the Monterey, California City Police released a report about the 2017 allegation.
The heavily redacted report details a boozy night at a hotel in California, a poolside argument, and two conflicting versions of what ultimately took place inside Hegseph's hotel room.
The Monterey police said a redacted version of the report had been released to Hegseth on March the 30th of 2021.
The transition team wasn't told that a copy of the police report had been released to Hegseth previously, with people familiar with the discussion saying this story adding, by the way, in the Wall Street Journal this morning, that Mr. Hegseff said Thursday after meetings with senators that, quote, the matter was fully investigated, and Iowa was completely clear, though his lawyer, he has, through his lawyer, he has acknowledged the sexual encounter but said it was consensual, while the woman who made the allegation hasn't spoken publicly.
So more there when it comes to another round, another one of the President-elect's choices to become the head of the Defense Department, should that happen.
Let's go to Gene.
Gene is in Illinois, Republican line.
Hi.
So she was the Attorney General.
Yes.
You're honest.
This goes back all back as far as Clarence Thomas.
You know who the lead took the lead on that when they accused him of sexual conduct with Anita Hill?
I think of that was Joe Biden.
And they're still doing it.
And they do this to all the Republicans.
We have up-and-coming really very good politicians that would be great in Congress.
And they stop them right in their tracks when they're young.
We had it happen here in Illinois.
They always get him on campaign finance charges.
He was supposed to have decorated his office in Washington, D.C., like Downton Abbey.
He didn't even know anything about Downton Abbey.
He was giving tickets to some of his constituents for free ball games.
And how many people have done that?
And how does this all relate to the news of yesterday?
They've done far worse.
Gates should have fought it, but there's no way that his family or he could have went through this.
His political career would have been finished.
And everybody knows it.
And I'll tell you another one.
There's a guy in the last couple of years.
We're going to have to stop you there, Gene.
But thank you.
Let's go to Robert.
Robert is in Naples, Florida, Independent Line.
Hi.
Hey, I got to think about my back Pam Bondi, who went President Trump was running the first time and they were investigating Trump University.
She dropped charges immediately after receiving a $25,000 campaign contribution.
Now, that's sketchy to me.
Okay.
Mentioned in that political piece we showed you at the start of the program.
Again, politico.com, if you want to read that for yourself.
Renee, also another Floridian in Niceville, Republican line.
Hi.
Good morning.
It's supposed to be a Democratic line.
Oh, I'm going to stop you there and go on to, and again, callers, if you're calling in, make sure you pick the right line that best represents you when you call in.
202-748-8000 for Democrats, 202-748-8001 for Republicans, Independents, 202748-8002.
Let's go to Kevin.
Kevin Lynn for Democrats in Washington, D.C. Hello.
I voted for Come on, even though I would have liked a chance for the DNC to get a ranked choice candidate.
But Trump's president, she picked Bondi.
I hope they have a debate over if she supports a pardon for Edward Snowden.
And President Obama said he supported well, let's stick to Pam Bondi.
Why does this all center around Edward Snowden in your mind?
Because he's being used as a witness test for Tulsi Governor.
And President Pro Temporary Danielle Inoy endorsed Tulsi Govern, even though she was anti-war and nobody called her a Russian asset.
The Russian asset thing is overused by the Clinton people.
Okay, okay.
We'll leave it there.
Jimmy, let's hear one more comment from yesterday.
This coming from the White House press secretary herself, Karine John Pierre, on the Matt Gates announcement.
We've been pretty steadfast on being consistent here.
I'm not going to comment on every personnel matter or personnel matters here that the president-elect is deciding or is nominating people for at these respective agencies.
We really truly want to respect the transfer of power.
We want it to be efficient.
We want it to happen in a way that the American people deserve.
And that's what we've been trying to do.
We believe that is very much part of our democratic principle.
And that's what you're seeing this president do and lead by example.
More broadly, as we talk about the Department of Justice more broadly, look, the president has said when it comes to investigation, that department should be independent.
There should be no partisanship.
There should be no loyalty to one party or the other.
The loyalty should be to the Constitution and the loyalty should be to the rule of law.
And that is something I believe and we believe the president has led also on that particular issue by example.
Again, a lot going on in transition and day by day.
And we invite you to stay close to our website at cspan.org.
Sections there, not only committed to the everyday things that we cover here in Washington, D.C., but also when it comes to the transition of the incoming president-elect Donald Trump.
Again, you can keep following along of the things we take in on our website at cspan.org.
Perhaps if you're out and about and you want to follow along on your mobile device, the C-SPAN Now app, our free video app, available to you as well if you want to stay close to what's going on in and around Washington.
A couple of more calls when it comes to the story yesterday concerning Matt Gates and Pam Bondi.
This is from Jimmy.
Jimmy in Alabama, Republican line.
Good morning.
How are you doing?
Fine, thank you.
Go ahead.
Yeah, I think Matt Gatz was going to be a yes man for Trump.
Pam Bundy, I'm pretty sure will do his job right.
But listen to all these Democrats get on there and all that crap they talk, boy, I'll tell you what, it burned me up.
When you say that Mr. Gates will be a yes man, what led you to believe that?
Well, I think he's going to go after Trump's enemies and his enemies also.
So I don't think, I don't think Pam will do exactly what Trump wants.
She might do a little bit, but not as much as Gats would, though.
I think Pam will be a good one.
Okay.
I have a good one.
Jimmy in Alabama, one more call.
If you were in Texas, in Brookshire, Texas, Republican line, this is Tiny.
Go ahead.
Yes, I'm very sad that Gates did resign because I was really looking forward to him being attorney general.
But I believe the woman that he has chosen will do a good job.
And I believe she's going to be honest and fair on everything.
And yes, I want her to, every thing that Trump want done, getting rid of the immigrants, busting them up, shipping them off.
I want them to bag him 100%.
Everyone that he is choosing to be in his cabinet, I want them to be on his side.
That is why we elected him president, and that is why they're there on his coat there.
If I may ask, why do you think that Matt Gates would have been a good attorney general?
Because he would have been on key with everything, on all the wrongness, especially with the schools down there and the teachers teaching the children to be racist and against Israel.
And if he wants to cut off all the money, cut it off.
They don't need it.
Okay.
Tiny in Texas there, finishing off our hour of calls concerning us.
Thank you for those of you who participate this morning.
We will take a look at efforts of the incoming Trump administration when it comes to what might happen to the federal workforce and changes that might take place under the auspices of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Two perspectives.
First of all, we'll hear from Open the Book CEO John Hart next.
He'll talk about those incoming Trump administration plans and ways the government can become more efficient.
Later on in the program, we will hear from Everett Kelly.