The AG Change, The Change in War and The Hegseth Dilemma
Focusing on the latest reporting from Ukraine, the nomination for Trump's Attorney General, and the problematic allegations against Pete Hegseth.
Good day to all of you reading! Thank you to the 238 of you currently subscribed to this column, and please continue to subscribe and tell your friends!
The focus of my previous column was completely on the current situation in Ukraine. We focused on where things stand on Day 1,000 since Russia invaded Ukraine, and how things may look as we enter the second Trump Administration.
Following the publication of that piece, Russia launched a new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) at Ukraine, targeting the city of Dnipro. The missile, called "Oreshnik" (Russian for "hazel"), was fired from the Astrakhan region in southeastern Russia, over 770 miles away from its target.
Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed the missile launch, stating that it used a non-nuclear warhead. The attack resulted in damage to an industrial site, a rehabilitation center for individuals with disabilities, and several residential buildings in Dnipro. At least two people were reported injured.
This missile launch appears to be Russia's retaliation for Ukraine's recent use of U.S.-made ATACMS long-range missiles against targets within Russian territory.
Matt Gaetz, the former Florida Congressman who resigned from Congress within hours of being nominated by Trump for attorney general, has withdrawn his name from consideration for the position.
The timing of his resignation, as we covered previously in this column, was quite suspicious, as the House was about to vote on whether to release the contents of his ethics report (you can read our original column on Gaetz and the allegations here.)
More information came to light about the 17-year-old that Gaetz was alleged to have had sex with at a party. Her lawyer had requested for the Ethics Report to be made public, but the committee deadlocked on whether to release it, and now that he has withdrawn from consideration for the position, it is unlikely the report will ever be released to the public.
But from reporting from various reliable sources, including ABC News and Politico, here is what was learned from the testimony of the 17-year-old, who is now in her 20s:
The woman testified that she had two sexual encounters with Gaetz at a party in 2017 when she was 17 years old. A witness, who was 19 at the time, claimed to have seen Gaetz engaging in sexual acts with the 17-year-old friend against a game table at the same party. The 19-year-old witness said Gaetz paid her for sex at the party as well.
From the testimony, there were claims Gaetz may not have known of the girl’s age at the time, and broke off a relationship with her upon discovering it. When she was 18, however, he continued the relationship, according to reporting.
A lawyer representing multiple involved parties says two of his clients “told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex several times.”
The Justice Department investigated Gaetz on suspicion of sex trafficking, but ultimately chose not to pursue charges.
On Friday, following his removal of his name from consideration for Attorney General, Gaetz stated that he did not intend to return to Congress for the next session in January. A special election to replace his Congressional seat has been scheduled for April 1. (yes, April Fools’ Day).
Within hours of Gaetz removing himself from the nomination, Donald Trump named Pam Bondi, the former Attorney General of Florida, as his new nominee for Attorney General. She was Florida’s first female Attorney General.
In addition to her tenure as Florida attorney general, Bondi was part of Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020 and has actively defended him against various legal challenges. She has also been involved in promoting Trump's claims of election fraud following the 2020 presidential election.
In 2013, she faced criticism for soliciting a political donation from Trump while her office was considering joining a lawsuit against Trump University for fraud. Although she ultimately decided not to pursue the case, both she and Trump denied any wrongdoing related to the donation.
With Gaetz out, a lot of attention is continuing to be focused on Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, who also has faced sex-crime related allegations.
CONTENT WARNING: The below allegations are graphic and involve allegations of a sexual nature. If you do not want to read about this, look for the bolded end to content warning.
A woman had filed a police report against Hegseth in 2017 for sexual assault.
According to a police report filed in October 2017, a woman has accused Hegseth of taking her phone and preventing her from leaving a hotel room in Monterey County, California. The accuser stated that she repeatedly said "no" during the encounter and described a scene where Hegseth was bare-chested, hovering over her with his dog tags dangling.
The report also mentions that Hegseth allegedly ejaculated on her stomach. The woman reported experiencing memory loss and suspected that something might have been added to her drink. She sought medical attention for a sexual assault examination four days after the alleged incident.
Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing, claiming the encounter was consensual. He has not been charged with any crime, and his lawyer has stated that Hegseth made a payment to the woman as part of a confidential settlement.
END TO CONTENT WARNING
Hegseth remains the nominee for the Justice Department, but many questions continue to be asked about the above incident.
Thanks for reading today. Lots more News Notes to come.
Appreciate y’all and tell your friends! Forward this email to as many people as you can!
And if you appreciate the column, maybe consider upgrading to a paid subscription. It helps a lot!