Lindsey Graham Makes Disgusting Claim About Pete Hegseth Allegations

Republicans are scrambling to protect Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, by trying to keep the sexual misconduct allegations against him under wraps.

On Fox News Wednesday night, Senator Lindsey Graham attempted to brush off the allegations as baseless because they come from “anonymous sources.”

“I’m not going to make any decision based on an anonymous source. If you are not willing to raise your hand under oath to make the accusation, it doesn’t count,” Graham told Sean Hannity. “None of it counts, no rumors, no innuendo.”

“But you were there for the Kavanaugh hearings!” Hannity interjected, referring to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, prompting Graham to reply with a chuckle, “And I’ve seen this movie before!”

Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper Wednesday, Senator Rick Scott echoed Graham’s complaints about anonymous sources, asking why Hegseth’s accuser wasn’t “willing to go on your show or some show and have you ask them all the questions.”

Tapper called Scott’s bluff, noting that Hegseth had paid the woman and she signed a nondisclosure agreement. He asked the Florida senator if Hegseth “should release her from the NDA so that I can ask her the questions that you want me to.”

Scott balked immediately, saying, “Absolutely not.” He claimed that many NDAs are signed “just to eliminate something” and noted that Hegseth wasn’t charged with a crime.

Scott then doubled down further, citing Trump’s victory and saying, “We have to make a change at the Department of Defense.”

Tapper pressed Scott further, who retreated into insinuating that Hegseth’s military service was under attack.

“Why don’t people respect these people who defend our freedom?” Scott complained, citing his own father’s military service to a bemused Tapper, who raised his eyebrows and concluded the interview.

It’s pretty clear that Scott and Graham believe that Hegseth’s misconduct allegations are damaging and need to be hidden or discredited. Graham had the benefit of a friendly conservative on Fox News, but Scott was clearly caught by Tapper with his own words. With Trump’s team already suggesting alternative candidates for secretary of defense, Hegseth’s nomination might collapse. It already happened with Matt Gaetz.

Republicans are already bickering over how to pass major parts of President-elect Donald Trump’s platform.

There is serious disunity regarding how and when to pass Trump’s legislative agenda, Politico reported Wednesday. Senator John Thune told his fellow senators that he wanted to accelerate the president-elect’s plans via budget reconciliation so that both the border policy and tax policy portions can pass within the first 30 days of Trump’s presidency.

Some House Republicans don’t think that’s the right approach, though, as passing border policy so early could make it harder for their committee to pass tax law later on. And then there’s also the fact that Republicans already have some significant disagreements on tax policy in general.

While Republican House leaders Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise have been in Trump’s ear in Mar-a-Lago, dissent has been fomenting in D.C.

“Our members need to weigh in on that. This doesn’t need to be a decision that’s made up on high, OK?” said Texas House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington. “We’re all unified around the objectives, [but] how we roll it out, the tactics and strategies, still under discussion.”

Trump loyalist Marjorie Taylor Greene noted that Republicans ought to rebuke Thune if he doesn’t approve the entire bill, while Freedom Caucus member Chip Roy also thinks that reconciliation should be forced through and then they can “maybe do a second version that gets at true long-standing permanent tax reform.”

Republicans have a very slim majority in the House that may make it difficult to pass some of their most extreme plans, as we’re seeing here. Sometimes they fall in line, but they’ve also squandered a congressional majority before—like when they dramatically failed to kill the Affordable Care Act in Trump’s first term. Let’s hope they haven’t learned from those mistakes.

Crypto bros rejoice: Trump has selected Paul Atkins to head the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“Paul is a proven leader for common sense regulations. He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World,” President-elect Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday. “He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before.”

That “digital assets” part of Trump’s statement is particularly important. Atkins has been a staunch advocate of the cryptocurrency market, even criticizing current SEC Chair Gary Gensler for having too many restrictions on what he thinks is a market that the United States should be dominating instead of regulating. 

Trump changed his tune on crypto very recently. Once referring to the currency as a “scam” and a “disaster waiting to happen,” Trump has more recently vowed to make this country the “crypto capital of the planet.” This switch pleased the crypto industry and led to a surge in the market. Trump’s selection of Atkins will make the market even happier. 

“Paul Atkins at the helm of the SEC will bring common sense back to the agency,” Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse wrote on X in reaction to the nomination. “It’s time to swiftly and definitively end the prohibition era on crypto, restoring freedom of choice, economic growth, and innovation.”

“Paul Atkins’ nomination as SEC Chair is a huge win for financial innovation,” pro-crypto Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis also wrote on X. “President Trump promised to have the most pro-digital asset admin in U.S. history, and I am looking forward to working with both of them to promote innovation and make our economy strong again.”

Atkins, who served as an SEC commissioner from 2002 to 2008, is also notoriously  anti-union, has spoken in favor of “stand your ground” laws, and has been very critical of social activism more broadly.

Donald Trump is now trying to have his Georgia election interference case dismissed because he will be “completely immune” from criminal proceedings when he is president.

The president-elect argued in a legal filing to the Georgia Court of Appeals Wednesday that Fulton County’s case against him for trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state should be thrown out “well before” he is sworn in as president on January 20, 2025.

Both the state and district court “lack jurisdiction to entertain any further criminal process against President Trump as the continued indictment and prosecution of President Trump by the State of Georgia are unconstitutional,” Trump attorney Steven Sadow argued in the filing.

The Georgia Court of Appeals is currently reviewing Trump’s case, with a hearing scheduled to determine whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be allowed to continue as prosecutor, with oral arguments scheduled for December. Trump successfully managed to delay his Georgia case until after November’s election.

Trump and his co-defendants are accused of launching a fake elector scheme, seizing voting machines, intimidating election workers, and intimidating Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger by asking him to “find” the 11,780 votes Trump needed to win the state in 2020.

If Trump’s motion for dismissal in Georgia is accepted, it will be yet another criminal case in which he escapes any consequences. The president-elect’s federal case for mishandling classified documents was dismissed by his appointee, Judge Aileen Cannon, in July. Special counsel Jack Smith successfully moved to have the remaining deadlines in his federal election interference case vacated last month, effectively ending that case. And the sentencing for his hush-money conviction in New York on 34 felony counts was canceled indefinitely a few weeks ago.

Trump will now almost certainly head into his second presidential term free from any legal judgments and, thanks to the Supreme Court, may be immune from any criminal acts he commits in the next four years. His new administration will be full of people all too willing to skirt the law on his behalf and give him unprecedented power.

Trump just picked the billionaire who did the first private spacewalk for Elon Musk’s SpaceX to head NASA.

Jared Isaacman, a processing card company CEO and close friend of Musk, was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday.

“I am delighted to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era.”

Isaacman thanked Trump on X while previewing some of his plans, writing, “Space holds unparalleled potential for breakthroughs in manufacturing, biotechnology, mining, and perhaps even pathways to new sources of energy. There will inevitably be a thriving space economy—one that will create opportunities for countless people to live and work in space.”

Isaacman’s close business relationship with Musk has raised red flags for some.

“Trump has nominated billionaire Jared Isaacman to be the next head of NASA. Isaacman is a close associate of Elon Musk and lacks government experience. And he has been to space, but only on SpaceX missions,” wrote More Perfect Union on X.

“This is a VERY pro SpaceX pro Elon pick. Isaacman has been financing Spacex missions and is a huge champion of the company,” said Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Max Chafkin.

Musk’s influence in Trump’s inner circle seems to only be growing.