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Trump Picks New Immigration Officials

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“President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday night announced a new round of nominees and appointments to tackle his aggressive immigration and homeland security agenda,” Politico reports.

“Trump said he was nominating Rodney Scott as commissioner of Customs and Border Protection. Scott served for almost three decades in the Border Patrol, and as the chief of the agency during the last year of the Trump administration and beginning of the Biden administration. He helped implement Trump’s Remain in Mexico Policy, Title 42 and Safe Third Country agreements.”

“Trump also announced he was tapping Caleb Vitello, who’s currently the assistant director of the Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs in Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to serve as acting director of ICE.”

Trump Picks David Perdue as Ambassador to China

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“Donald Trump has selected former Georgia Sen. David Perdue to serve as ambassador to China,” Politico reports.

“Perdue has significant business experience in Asia, including China, something he ran on during his Senate election in 2014. As the former CEO of Dollar General and a top executive at Sara Lee and Reebok, Perdue was responsible for significant corporate restructuring and global expansion, and has lived in both Singapore and Hong Kong.”

White House Talks About Issuing Blanket Pardons

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“President Biden’s staff is debating whether he should issue blanket pardons for a swath of President-elect Donald Trump’s perceived enemies to protect them from the “retribution” he has threatened after he takes office,” the New York Times reports.

“The idea would be to pre-emptively extend executive clemency to a list of current and former government officials for any possible crimes over a period of years, effectively short-circuiting the next president’s promised campaign of reprisals.”

“White House officials do not believe the potential recipients have actually committed crimes, but they have grown increasingly worried that Mr. Trump’s selections for top Justice Department positions indicate that he will follow through on his repeated vows to seek revenge.”

House Republicans Kill Effort to Release Gaetz Report

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“The House voted Thursday to beat back a Democratic effort to make public a potentially scathing ethics report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) conduct,” Axios reports.

“The 206-198 vote came shortly after Ethics Committee members met behind closed doors on the matter. Republicans on the panel last month blocked the findings pertaining to Gaetz from becoming public.”

Trump Allies Working to Save Pete Hegseth

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“Donald Trump’s allies are scrambling to save Pete Hegseth after the president-elect’s pick to lead the Pentagon struggled to win over skeptical Republicans in a flurry of meetings on Capitol Hill this week,” CNN reports.

“Trump is still standing by his choice, telling Hegseth he wants to see him fight for votes in the Senate, though they also acknowledged that the president-elect could withdraw his support at any time.”

“Trump and those around him still see a pathway for Hegseth to be confirmed, the sources said, though they noted the Senate math can change quickly — and some of Trump’s allies are ramping up public pressure on senators who have so far declined to commit to Hegseth.”

Larry Summers Rips Bitcoin Reserve Idea as ‘Crazy’

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Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers “dismissed the idea of the government setting up a reserve of Bitcoin assets, and cautioned about the political challenge ahead in scaling down federal spending in the way billionaire and President-elect Donald Trump ally Elon Musk plans,” Bloomberg reports.

Said Summers: “Some of what is being said — this idea that we should have some kind of national Bitcoin reserve — is crazy. There’s no reason to do that other than to pander to generous special-interest campaign contributors.”

Nancy Mace Eyeing a Run for Governor or Senate

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“Just weeks after winning reelection to her House seat, Rep. Nancy Mace is already looking at a statewide bid in 2026,” NOTUS reports.

“The sources said Mace has been discussing two positions: South Carolina governor or a Senate race. (Sen. Lindsey Graham is up for reelection in 2026.)”

“But three of the sources said Mace is particularly looking at the governor’s seat, which Henry McMaster has held since 2017 when he replaced Nikki Haley after she was appointed to be Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations. McMaster is term-limited in 2026 and can’t run again.”

2024 Election Projections: How’d We Do?

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Just for members: The latest edition of Inside Elections.

This issue takes a look at how pre-election expectations matched — or didn’t match — the final results. It also includes analysis of which states have shifted the most toward Republicans and Democrats over the last two and 10 years.

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How a Billionaire Is Avoiding $8 Billion in Taxes

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“Jensen Huang, the chief executive of Nvidia, is the 10th-richest person in the United States, worth $127 billion. In theory, when he dies, his estate should pay 40 percent of his net worth to the government in taxes,” the New York Times reports.

“But Mr. Huang, 61, is not only an engineering genius and Silicon Valley icon whose company, the world’s second-most valuable, makes the chips that power much artificial intelligence. He is also the beneficiary of a series of tax dodges that will enable him to pass on much of his fortune tax free.”

“The savings for his family are on a pace to be roughly $8 billion. It likely ranks among the largest tax dodges in the United States.”

Pete Hegseth Called for a New Christian Crusade

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As he embraced a combative brand of Christianity in recent years, Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth wrote that people who enjoy the benefits of Western civilization should “thank a Crusader,” the New York Times reports.

“Hegseth’s interest in the Crusades — campaigns that featured so many atrocities that many Christian leaders today view them as a shameful stain on the religion’s history — is linked both to his Christian beliefs and worldview.”

Senate Will Work 5 Days a Week

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“The 2025 Senate calendar is finally here — and it’s heavy on Friday workdays and light on recesses,” Punchbowl News reports.

“The Senate is scheduled to be in session for a whopping 179 days in 2025 compared to just 136 for the House. The Senate will have been in session for only 102 days in 2024. And the number of in-session days next year will surpass that of each year of the previous GOP Senate majority, from 2017 to 2020.”

“All told, it’s a reflection of incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s push to expand the Senate’s work schedule and get back to regular order on appropriations and other matters.”

Gorsuch Recuses From Case That Could Benefit Billionaire

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“Justice Neil Gorsuch has recused himself from a case that is set to be argued in days after ethics watchdogs and Democratic lawmakers urged him to step aside because the outcome will likely affect the financial interests of a billionaire to whom he has longstanding ties,” the New York Times reports.

“The terse disclosure, made in a letter from a clerk to the Supreme Court to lawyers involved in the case, did not specify a reason, saying only that the decision was ‘consistent with the code of conduct.’ But the announcement, issued late Wednesday, was unusual for a case that the court agreed to take in June.”

About Political Wire

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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