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Despite reports that President-elect Donald Trump is considering nominating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for defense secretary and withdrawing his nomination of former Fox News host Pete Hegseth for that position, the embattled Hegseth has vowed to keep fighting.

Hegseth has been facing a variety of bad publicity, from a sexual assault allegation to allegations of extreme alcohol abuse. But the former "Fox and Friends" host has denied the sexual assault allegation, and he was never charged with anything.

On Thursday night, December 5, CNN's Kaitlin Collins discussed that case with Hegseth's attorney, Tim Parlatore — who threatened his client with a possible "defamation lawsuit."

READ MORE:'Gut punch': Trump clashes with PA steelworkers over $14.9b sale

Collins noted that when he previously discussed the case with her colleague Jake Tapper, he said he believed "it was extortion."

"If you felt that it was extortion," Collins told the attorney, "why not go to the police at the time?"

Parlatore responded, "Well, it was a decision that we made…. It was something that, I don't know if it rises to the level of a criminal extortion that the police would take it on. But I think it certain does meet the definition under the California law for civil extortion. And it was something we were considering at the time."

Parlatore went on to say that if Hegseth is not confirmed for secretary of defense, "We may still bring a civil extortion claim against her" for violating a nondisclosure agreement.

READ MORE: Senate Republicans 'uncertain they can back' Hegseth: report

Hegseth's attorney added that if his client loses "future employment opportunities," it would be "worth bringing a lawsuit against her."

Collins noted that "some people" believe Hegseth's accuser should be "released from that nondisclosure agreement."

Hegseth responded, "This is a confidential settlement agreement that had confidentiality on both sides. That agreement has since been breached by her. And so, as a result, I sent notice to her attorney that that agreement no longer has any force in effort. That's one of the reasons I can talk about it here, because prior to that, the agreement prevented Mr. Hegseth from talking about her conduct."

The attorney continued, "So, there is no NDA to release her from. And if she wants to go and talk about it, she can do it. Certainly, she would do it at her own peril of a further defamation lawsuit…. If she doesn't tell the truth — if she repeats these false statements — then she will be subject to a defamation lawsuit. And she's well-aware of that."

READ MORE: Why this Dem senator is 'considering voting yes on DeSantis' to replace Hegseth

Watch the full video below or at this link.

Donald Trump’s embattled nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, appeared angry and defensive Thursday afternoon in the halls of Congress as he lashed out at reporters, saying he does not answer to them, he only answers to Donald Trump, the U.S. Senators who may vote on his confirmation, and his “lord and savior.” Moments later, he added his wife, who was standing behind him, and his family to the list.

The video (below) of his remarks, which has gone viral with well over a quarter-million views in just two hours, has drawn outrage.

Saying he’s “proud” of what he fought for and is “not gonna back down from them one bit,” Hegseth, a Fox News weekend co-host, snapped at reporters. “I will answer all of these senators’ questions, but this will not be a process tried in the media.”

“I don’t answer to anyone in this group,” he told the press.

“None of you, not to that camera at all,” he said, as he began pointing. “I answer to President Trump, who received 76 million votes on behalf — and a mandate for change. I answer to the 50 — the 100 — senators who are part of this process and those in the committee, and I answer to my lord and savior. And my wife and my family.”

READ MORE: ‘Sympathy for Dictators’: Ex-NatSec Officials Warn on Gabbard, Want Closed Door Hearings

Hegseth has been dogged by numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, sexual infidelity, possible intoxication on the job, “aggressive drunkenness,” sexist behavior, financial mismanagement, and tattoos which suggest an affinity for Christian nationalism.

“And as long as Donald Trump wants me in this fight, I’m gonna be standing right here in this fight, fighting to bring our Pentagon back to what it needs to be,” Hegseth vowed.

Fred Wellman is an Army veteran of 22 years who served four combat tours, and is now a political consultant and the host of the podcast “On Democracy.”

“You pointed right at me Pete,” Wellman said in response to Hegseth’s angry remarks. “You answer to us…the American people. We don’t get to ask you questions but the media does. This pompous ass needs to get the f**k out of this game now.”

Political commentator, MSNBC contributor, and New York Times bestselling author Brian Tyler Cohen noted: “Not here to serve Americans, but rather to serve Trump. The perfect encapsulation of MAGA.”

The Bulwark’s Marc Caputo noted, “this is the type of defiant prime-time performance Trump loves.”

Texas Democratic Strategist Olivia Julianna observed, “Actually the entire point of being a public servant is serving the public…”

READ MORE: Pete Hegseth’s Mom Urges ‘Female Senators’ to Ignore Media Reports, Confirm Him as SecDef

The Bulwark’s Joe Perticone appeared to mock Hegseth: “‘I don’t answer to anyone in this group. None of you. Not to that camera at all.’ he says while gesturing to his most recent employer’s camera.”

Carey Lohrenz, whose bio says she is “the first female F-14 Tomcat Fighter Pilot in the U.S. Navy,” and a best-selling author, remarked, simply, “Such hubris.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: Trump May Balk at Hegseth Over Drinking History, Not Sexual Misconduct Allegations: Report

Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) sparred with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy over whether or not the Trump-appointed official has been successful in his role.

"Has your tenure as postmaster general been a success?" the Democratic senator asked DeJoy.

The postmaster general reple “Senator, I know how you feel about me.”

READ MORE: Insurance giant abruptly nixes 'egregious' anesthesia cap after UnitedHealth CEO’s murder

Ossoff replied, “It’s not about how I feel about you, postmaster general. It's about whether or not seniors in Georgia are receiving prescriptions. it's the stacks of boxes of mail from courts that never arrive to their destination.

DeJoy then interrupted the senator.

"This is my time postmaster general," Ossoff shot back, "you're here under oath before the US Senate."

The Democratic leader continued, "It's small business who can't operate. It's death notices not delivered to family members, and you're sitting here trying to explain that 75 percent on time delivery is a success. And it's not. It's not about how I feel about you, postmaster general. It's how my constituents are being served by the United States Postal Service."

READ MORE: 'I resigned my position': Former DOJ official leaves LA Times over them 'appeasing Trump'

Watch the video below or at this link.

CNN anchor Brianna Keilar issued a swift fact-check to Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) on Republicans' potential Social Security cuts.

Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) mentioned during an interview earlier this week that "hard decisions" must be made on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. He said, "There’s hundreds of billions of dollars to be saved. We just have to have the stomach to take those challenges on."

Speaking with McCormick's GOP colleague, Bice, Keilar mentioned that Vivek Ramaswamy — who Donald Trump selected to lead an initiative to cut government spending — was asked about social security and "would not commit to cuts — instead saying that they would eliminate waste, fraud and abuse."

READ MORE: 'I resigned my position': Former DOJ official leaves LA Times over them 'appeasing Trump'

The CNN anchor noted, "I think those are some of the things you have in mind when you're talking about efficiencies. But when you look at studies of the amount that would save, if it's actually excised, it's puny. I mean, that is not anywhere close to the number that they're talking about with DOGE. Don't you have to cut social security to hit that number?

Bice replied, "You absolutely do not have to cut social security to hit that number. As a matter of fact, Medicare Medicaid is where we should be looking at trying to find efficiencies. Health care costs have skyrocketed, particularly after Obamacare was implemented, and there are opportunities for us to try to find ways to rein in that spending on the health care side. I also think that there is discretionary spending that we should be looking at, that we can we can tackle. But I don't think social security is something that's even being discussed by house Republicans."

Keilar replied, "Well, it is by one, actually your colleague," before showing a clip of McCormick's recent Fox News interview.

The Georgia lawmaker said, "We've got to bring the Democrats in and talk about social security medicaid, medicare there is hundreds of billions of dollars to be saved. and we know how to do it. we just have to have the stomach to actually take those challenges on."

READ MORE: GOP already 'chomping at the bit' to cut Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare: analysis

MSNBC's Ari Melber noted in The Beat with Ari Melber Wednesday night:

The reality is, cutting hundreds of billions from these programs, as McCormick suggested, would cost the American people far more than high prices and inflation. Seniors get an average of almost $2,000 in Social Security per month. They’ve paid into the program for decades. Slashing billions from it will hit them, or the country’s future seniors, hard.

Keilar then emphasized, "I mean, this is something that is being discussed by people who are saying the quiet part out loud."

Bice replied, "He actually didn't say cuts, but there are reforms that can be done to social security to actually shore it up. Look, the reality is, if we don't do something in the next eight years or so social security will become insolvent so we have to do something to protect social security now and into the future."

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: Trump's nomination of Project 2025 architect means Social Security, Medicare 'are at risk'

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During the 2024 presidential race, Republican Donald Trump survived two assassination attempts — the first in Butler, Pennsylvania a few days before the Republican National Convention, the second at his Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach, Florida on September 15.

The first assassination attempt was the focus of a House hearing on Thursday morning, December 5. And the hearing turned into a shouting match when Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe got into a heated argument with Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas).

Rowe grew angry when he thought that Fallon was "invoking 9/11 for political purposes."

READ MORE:Republicans quietly admit Trump policies could 'prove disastrous' in their areas

Rowe spoke of the "more than 3000 people that died on 9/11," telling Fallon, "I actually responded to Ground Zero. I was there going through the ashes of the World Trade Center."

Fallon angrily shouted, "I'm not asking you that." And Rowe shouted back at him, demanding that he "show respect for our Secret Service members that died on 9/11."

Fallon insisted, "I'm an elected member of Congress, and I'm asking you a serious question." But Rowe told Fallon that he was "out of line."

As the shouting continued, a call for "Order, order!" was requested.

READ MORE: 'It’s a joke': Trump appointee Ramaswamy's economic plan blasted by expert

On X, formerly Twitter, journalist Aaron Rupar posted, "Holy s--- -- acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe and Rep. Pat Fallon just had a huge, angry blow up during a hearing, screaming and yelling at each other."

READ MORE: 'Nothing at all historic': Mehdi Hasan debunks false claim that Trump won by a 'landslide'

Watch the videos below or at this link.

During Wednesday's segment of Morning Joe, co-host Mika Brzezinski made a point to blast a comment made by conservative guest, Atlantic staff writer David Frum, regarding Donald Trump's controversial defense secretary nominee, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, Mediate reports.

Asked about his thoughts on the MAGA pick — who faces a slew of sexual assault and alcohol abuse accusations — the former President George W. Bush speechwriter said, "Well, just given what one sees on camera, if you’re too drunk for Fox News, you’re very, very drunk indeed. So, that’s alarming. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush nominated John Tower, senator from Texas, for Secretary of Defense. And Tower was a very considerable person, a real defense intellectual, someone who deeply understood defense, unlike the current nominee."

He added, "And it emerged that Tower had a drinking problem. And when he was drinking too much, he would make himself a nuisance or worse to women around him. And for that reason, his nomination collapsed in 1989. You don’t wanna think that our moral standards have declined so much that you can say, 'Let’s take all the drinking, all the sex-pesting, subtract any knowledge of defense, subtract any leadership. And there’s your next Secretary of Defense for the 21st century.'"

READ MORE: Here’s who Trump might pick for defense secretary if Hegseth withdraws

Brzezinski responded to Frum's claim by making a disclaimer to viewers later on in the episode.

"Before we go to break, a little earlier in this block, there was a comment made about Fox News in our coverage about Pete Hegseth and the growing number of allegations about his behavior over the years and possible addiction to alcohol or issues with alcohol," Brzezinski said.

"The comment was a little too flippant for this moment that we are in," she continued. "We just wanna make that comment as well. We wanna make that clear. We have differences in coverage with Fox News and that’s a good debate that we should have often. But right now, I just wanna say to say there are a lot of good people who work at Fox News who care about Pete Hegseth and we’ll wanna leave it at that."

READ MORE: Hawley throws Hegseth under the bus: 'Not 100% clear who Trump really wants right now'

Watch the video below or at this link.

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley appeared to muddy the waters for Donald Trump’s embattled Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, telling reporters that the Fox News co-host facing numerous allegations including possible sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse, has canceled his scheduled interview with the Missouri GOP lawmaker. Senator Hawley also repeatedly suggested he isn’t sure at this point what the President-elect’s intentions with Hegseth are anymore.

Speaking about Hegseth, Hawley told reporters Wednesday, “I don’t know where things stand at the moment,” “I was supposed to sit down with him tomorrow, but they canceled that meeting,” “it’s not 100% clear who [Trump] really wants as Secretary of Defense right now,” and, “I don’t know what the case is at this point.”

Hegseth spent the day on Capitol Hill while his mother sat down with Fox News to defend her son, and disavow the 2018 letter she wrote to him, saying: “On behalf of all the women (and I know it’s many) you have abused in some way, I say … get some help and take an honest look at yourself.”

READ MORE: Hegseth: Trump Told Me ‘I’m Behind You All the Way’ But Reports Suggest Otherwise

Hawley began by telling reporters, “I’ve been saying since he’s been nominated, let’s give him a shot. But listen, I don’t, I don’t know. I was supposed to sit down with him tomorrow, but they canceled that meeting,” Hawley told reporters Wednesday afternoon. “So I don’t, I don’t know where things stand at the moment.”

Asked if he thinks Hegseth will withdraw, Hawley continued to obfuscate.

“I don’t know. I — but listen, I just, the president, I give the president a lot of deference here. I’ve said I’ll support — folks, my presumption is, I’ll support whoever he wants, and thinks whoever is gonna be great for his cabinet.”

“I’m not, it’s not 100% clear who he really wants as Secretary of Defense right now.”

Asked if Hegseth’s nomination has become too much of a distraction, Hawley again did not rush to support the embattled nominee.

“Well, that’s for the president to decide,” Hawley continued, appearing to try to defer to Trump. “I’ve been saying this for days. I mean, I’m a broken record on this. My view is that if the president wants him to be secretary of defense, then people ought to give him a shot. And my presumption is that I would support him at the very least, let him have his confirmation hearing, let him take the oath, let him answer all of these questions.”

READ MORE: Pete Hegseth’s Mom Urges ‘Female Senators’ to Ignore Media Reports, Confirm Him as SecDef

“I’m sure there’ll be more. He’ll answer all and many, many more under oath, if he wants to, and if the president wants to, wants him to. But I don’t, I don’t know what the case is at this point, so.”

PBS NewsHour’s Lisa Desjardins also reported on a cryptic conversation Wednesday afternoon.

Referring to Hegseth’s meeting with Hawley being canceled, she wrote:

“A transition-related source told me Hegseth has to ‘be somewhere else’ now, a schedule change.

Florida? she asked.

The source only said that the schedule change ‘came from a higher power’.”

Watch the video below or at this link. (Video starts at the 2:22 mark.)

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

READ MORE: How Democrats and Republicans Look at Hunter Biden’s Pardon and One for J6ers

Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) on Wednesday defended Donald Trump's defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, amid the Fox News host's piling sexual assault and alcohol abuse allegations.

CNN's Jake Tapper asked the Missouri senator why he's not concerned by the Trump pick's past.

"If a track record of numerous infidelities and alleged sexual misconduct, and alleged problems with alcohol, that he's either denied or said doesn't represent him anymore — this is who he is," Tapper began. "Would you hire somebody that that had these descriptions about who he was to run your office given what we know is a fact and the allegations? I mean, do you not really have any concerns?"

READ MORE: Why this Dem senator is 'considering voting yes on DeSantis' to replace Hegseth

Schmitt replied, "Well, you kind of mix two words there together there, Jake, which is the fact of the allegations. Let's look at these in two different buckets. The first is the 2017 incident that you referenced. The prosecutor — the female prosecutor — decided not to move forward with charges. I'd be interested to see as a former prosecutor myself — attorney general of Missouri — what other surrounding documents and memoranda might exist that related to that decision not to charge."

The GOP lawmaker continued, "And then secondly, now you have again, a bunch of anonymous folks not even coming forward, who are in the shadows claiming something. And I just don't think that's a that's a reason why you would dismiss somebody from a very important role like this.

Tapper replied, "Well, I said the facts and the allegations, because the facts of the infidelities of how he has run his personal life are just facts, and frankly, as a married man and a father, absolutely disgraceful. But beyond that, there are these allegations he paid hush money to his accuser in California. I've never paid hush money to anybody."

Schmitt concluded, "Well, he settled a lawsuit that, again, the underlying charges were deemed by a prosecutor as baseless, and those are the facts. But again, people are entitled to ask these questions. He's entitled to give an answer, and he's answering those questions."

READ MORE: Here’s who Trump might pick for defense secretary if Hegseth withdraws

Watch the video below or at this link.

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As justices on the U.S. Supreme Court were hearing arguments in the Biden administration’s challenge to a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors, far-right influencer, anti-LGBTQ commentator and activist, and Daily Wire podcaster Matt Walsh was outside the Court attacking what he calls “trans ideology” — and calling for it to be “entirely erased from the earth.”

Walsh did not explain what he meant by “trans ideology,” but the LGBTQ organization GLAAD has an explainer on so-called “gender ideology.”

“Employed by prominent anti-LGBTQ accounts and similar to the trope ‘transgenderism,’ ‘gender ideology’ is a malicious rhetorical construct that falsely asserts that LGBTQ — notably trans — people are an ideological movement rather than an intrinsic identity,” GLAAD writes.

On Wednesday, Walsh declared, “Children have a right to be protected from all of those people over there who want to harm them and damage them and destroy them, and they will be.”

READ MORE: This Michigan Lawmaker Wants to ‘Make Gay Marriage Illegal Again’

He appeared to be referring to the transgender allies and activists outside the Supreme Court.

“They are gonna lose,” he proclaimed. “They are losing right now. We are not going to let them harm our children. This case is just the beginning of the fight. It is not the end. We are not gonna rest until every child is protected, until trans ideology is entirely erased from the earth. That’s what we’re fighting for, and we will not stop until we achieve it. So to the trans activists over there who are claiming, this is all about the rights of children, I say again: yes, you’re right, it is. They have a right to be protected, from you.”

Walsh also said outside the Court, “There’s no such thing as a ‘trans kid.’ That doesn’t exist. Those kids are not trans. They are confused, and their confusion has been exploited by quacks and abusers. They are abuse victims. They are not trans kids.”

Walsh has called for parents who are supportive of their transgender children to be “thrown in prison.”

Citing the ADL, GLAAD also notes, “’proponents of the phrase often use it to oppose school curricula that feature and/or celebrate LGBTQ+ history or experiences, falsely claiming that such materials promote the sexualization of minors and/or coerce children into identifying as members of the LGBTQ+ community.’ The Southern Poverty Law Center adds: ‘Anti-LGBTQ+ groups often employ the term to claim any kind of positive affirmation of trans young people is a nefarious method of creating or recruiting new trans kids.’ On Twitter/X, for example, far-right outlet The Daily Wire widely promoted a speech by anti-trans commentator Matt Walsh, who said in April 2023, ‘I truly see the fight against gender ideology as the last stand for Western civilization.’ Other extremist accounts have used the phrase as a dog whistle to spread animus against trans people. That same month, Gays Against Groomers posted across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X: ‘Gender ideology must be completely abolished and destroyed.'”

“It seems to me that it’s something where we are extraordinary [sic] bereft of expertise,” Chief Justice John Roberts said, CNN reported.

“Why isn’t it best to leave it to the democratic process?” Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked.

But liberal Justice Elena Kagan disagreed.

“It’s a dodge to say that this is not based on sex,” Kagan said. “The medical purpose is utterly and entirely about sex.”

The Associated Press also reported the Supreme Court “seemed likely to uphold Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: Hegseth: Trump Told Me ‘I’m Behind You All the Way’ But Reports Suggest Otherwise

As Donald Trump defense secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, remains under fire amid allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse against him, some Democrats, like US Senator John Fetterman (R-PA), explained why he would consider "voting yes" on one of Hegseth's potential replacements: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

CNN's Manu Raju on Wednesday reported, "There are a lot of Republican senators who simply are holding their cards close to their vest. They are concerned about these allegations and uncertain about whether Pete Hegseth could actually do the job as secretary of defense and want to hear him discuss in length and in public about these allegations of misconduct, the sexual assault allegation, which he denies, as well as what happened at a time when he ran that veterans group several years ago, in which the New Yorker reported about misconduct, personal misconduct, drunkenness on the job and the like."

Raju continued, "Hegseth behind the scenes has been denying those allegations, and that has alleviated some concerns. But some members still, like Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, said she does not know how she will ultimately vote if and when that time comes. Now, there's also discussion about whether there will be a replacement. Donald Trump, we're told, has been looking at possible replacement candidates in case hex's nomination collapses. One of them, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. That's someone who, in fact, some Democrats are signaling they could be open to supporting, if that nomination comes forward."

READ MORE: 'Standards have evolved': Senator 'leaning yes' on Hegseth despite misconduct allegations

CNN then showed a clip of Raju asked Fetterman whether or not he'd consider DeSantis.

"I'm considering voting yes on Desantis if he finally admits that he has lifts in his boots," the Pennsylvania lawmaker said. "I'm sure he does. You know, maybe three inches or four inches at least."

Watch the video below or at this link.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

READ MORE: Pete Hegseth’s mom urges 'female senators' to ignore media reports and confirm him as SecDef

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough explicitly called B.S. on Donald Trump's nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, and his revenge scheme over the 2020 election.

The MAGA loyalist has said he would prosecute or sue individuals whom he claims stole that election from Trump, and the "Morning Joe" host wondered whether he would target dozens of judges who rejected the former president's fraud claims in lawsuits he lost four years ago.

"I'm curious, is he going to go after the 63 federal judges who said the lie was bulls--t?" Scarborough said. "Is he going to go after them? is he going to go after the United States Supreme Court, who said it was bulls--t? Is he going to after Clarence Thomas and [Samuel] Alito, the two most conservative justices, who when they reviewed the Pennsylvania appeal said, 'Well, we need to look at this for legal reasons but it wouldn't have changed the outcome of the election.' Is he going to go after them as well? I mean, seriously – 63 federal decisions, the Supreme Court, you can go on and on and on.

"This is absolutely preposterous. I'll tell you what else is preposterous."

"You can use B.S.," co-host Mika Brzezinski gently chided him over his cursing.

"I did – did I not say that?" Scarborough replied, deadpan. "Yeah, I thought I said that. Anyway, I'll tell you what else is preposterous, and this next one really speaks to it."

Trump and his Republican allies are claiming a broad mandate from voters after winning the White House, Senate and House, which the president-elect has cited to justify his extremist plans, but Scarborough said his election win was historically narrow, and the GOP's legislative majorities were similarly thin.

ALSO READ: Will Trump back the FBI’s battle against domestic extremists? He won’t say.

"Like we said repeatedly going up the election, this race is tight," he said. "Now I can see if this was like an LBJ-style blowout like in '64 or a Nixon blowout in '72 or a Reagan blowout in '84, but this was one of the closest elections ever, especially if you look at the outcome of the House and the outcome of the Senate, and the only reason Democrats are not in charge of the United States House of Representatives and Hakeem Jeffries is not speaker of the House is because North Carolina legislators rigged the process so badly that they took away three Democratic seats there in a rigged redistricting attempt that actually held up."

"So, again, here we are, one month since the 2024 election, and only one House seat that remains uncalled this morning that is breaking Democratic makes it look like they are in a dead tie," he added. "You know they'd call this, like, in Europe? A unity government, because they are basically tied. So all these people who are saying that this is the end of the world for the Democratic Party, I think they may be overanalyzing this just a bit."

Watch the video at this link.

- YouTubeyoutu.be

Chuck Todd ruffled feathers on the left during an interview with fellow journalist Chris Cillizza, in which he unloaded on both President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

During their weekly conversation, Todd, who is the chief political analyst for NBC News, weighed in on the president's widely criticized decision to issue a full pardon for his son, who was accused of federal tax and gun charges.

"Joe Biden's got — needs therapy," said Todd. "And I say this with respect. He has not processed Beau's death. He has an issue. He cannot — he has this issue with Hunter. He second-guesses everything he's done —"

"Raising him," interjects Cillizza.

"Raising Hunter," agreed Todd. "Raising Beau. He, I think, blames himself for Hunter's inability to conduct himself as an adult for a period of time. I think he's better now."

ALSO READ: Will Trump back the FBI’s battle against domestic extremists? He won’t say.

Todd said he knew both Beau and Hunter, and that it was "fair to say" that Hunter "failed at being a human being" in the 2010s.

"Failed at adulting for a variety of reasons," said Todd, adding there was "no doubt" that Joe Biden would do "everything he could" to protect Hunter. "Pure and simple. It's a dad reaction."

Todd added that Joe Biden couldn't face the potential "humiliation" of having President-elect Donald Trump pardon Hunter.

"I understand the decision as a father," said Todd. "I understand the decision personally."

Even so, Todd said Biden's decision will be weaponized by MAGA allies who will say he was "emotionally incapable of being president of the United States and probably never should have run." Todd said he "lost it" with Biden after reading transcripts of the Hunter Biden trial.

"You want to get angry? Just as a — somebody — with all these mixed emotions? You read the Hallie Biden transcript. And that's Beau's widow. Essentially he turned her into a crack addict," said Todd.

Joe and Jill Biden were "so concerned about their family," Todd added, "that they decided to run for president. I — so when you talk about the word selfish — it's almost like the word doesn't — their decision to run for president put the entire Democratic Party and the United States of America in the position that it's in now."

MAGA supporters predictably seized on Todd's comments, with Charlie Kirk — a key member of Trump's inner circle and campaign — saying the NBC host "suddenly grows a conscience and gets angry at Joe and Jill Biden for selfishly running for President while Hunter was busy turning Beau's widow, Hallie, into a crack addict."

"Where was the outrage a few years ago, Chuck?" asked Kirk on X.

Kevin Smith, founder of The Loud Majority show on Rumble, echoed Kirk's sentiments.

"Chuck Todd has suddenly come to the conclusion that Joe Biden is the Most Selfish man in America, a terrible father, and an awful President," he wrote on X.

Todd's comments also outraged the left.

"My god it's @chucktodd and @ChrisCillizza - the Ruth and Gehrig of Trump Sanewashing - blaming Biden for the political crisis that NBC/CNN/et al fed and nurtured and these two brainless fools polished," former MSNBC and SportsCenter host Keith Olbermann wrote on X.

Democratic strategists Chris D. Jackson and Eric Ortner also slammed Todd.

"These are wholly inappropriate comments from @chucktodd. What the hell is wrong with you man?" asked Jackson on X.

He added in a separate post: "@NBCNews do you approve of such vile, personal comments from one of your jouanlists? (sic)"

Ortner replied: "I’ll take the over that Chuck came out on the bad side of the cuts at NBC and is taking advice from his reps on how to dip into the right wing honey pot X. Sad."

In another post, Ortnor pointed to Todd's remarks on Hunter Biden, saying: "Here’s some more dumb s--- Chuck said… (add it to the long list). The message feels commercially driven among other things."

Watch part of Todd's comments at this link.

Despite facing allegations of sexual assault, “aggressive drunkenness,” financial mismanagement of veterans’ organizations, and a report his colleagues “smelled alcohol on him before he went on air,” at Fox News “as recently as last month,” U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) stated Tuesday that the standards for confirming presidential cabinet nominees have “evolved.” As a result, he indicated he is inclined to support Pete Hegseth’s nomination as Donald Trump’s next U.S. Secretary of Defense.

Saying that “of course” the multiple allegations against Hegseth are “concerning,” Senator Cramer told CNN’s Manu Raju (video below) on Tuesday, “I look forward to visiting with Pete, and I’m interested in who Pete Hegseth is today, and who he is going forward.”

Raju added that later, Senator Cramer “told me … that he is leaning yes, in supporting Pete Hegseth’s nomination, and I asked him if the standards have now changed in the United States Senate? Remember the last time the Senate voted down a defense secretary nominee or any cabinet nominee was in 1989. That was John Hightower over allegations of womanizing and also excessive drinking, including drunkenness.”

“And Cramer told me, ‘yes, the standards have evolved.’ And he says, ‘grace abounds,’ and he wants to see if Hegseth is in fact is a different person going forward.”

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Tuesday evening NBC News reported that “Ten current and former Fox employees say Trump’s pick for defense secretary drank in ways that concerned his co-workers.”

“Two of those people said that on more than a dozen occasions during Hegseth’s time as a co-host of ‘Fox & Friends Weekend,’ which began in 2017, they smelled alcohol on him before he went on air. Those same two people, plus another, said that during his time there he appeared on television after they’d heard him talk about being hungover as he was getting ready or on set.”

“One of the sources said they smelled alcohol on him as recently as last month and heard him complain about being hungover this fall,” NBC News added.

On Sunday, The New Yorker published a bombshell report revealing in part that a “previously undisclosed whistle-blower report on Hegseth’s tenure as the president of Concerned Veterans for America, from 2013 until 2016, describes him as being repeatedly intoxicated while acting in his official capacity—to the point of needing to be carried out of the organization’s events.”

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“The detailed seven-page report—which was compiled by multiple former C.V.A. employees and sent to the organization’s senior management in February, 2015—states that, at one point, Hegseth had to be restrained while drunk from joining the dancers on the stage of a Louisiana strip club, where he had brought his team. The report also says that Hegseth, who was married at the time, and other members of his management team sexually pursued the organization’s female staffers, whom they divided into two groups—the ‘party girls’ and the ‘not party girls.’ In addition, the report asserts that, under Hegseth’s leadership, the organization became a hostile workplace that ignored serious accusations of impropriety, including an allegation made by a female employee that another employee on Hegseth’s staff had attempted to sexually assault her at the Louisiana strip club. In a separate letter of complaint, which was sent to the organization in late 2015, a different former employee described Hegseth being at a bar in the early-morning hours of May 29, 2015, while on an official tour through Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, drunkenly chanting ‘Kill All Muslims! Kill All Muslims!'”

That New Yorker report also alleges that a “trail of documents, corroborated by the accounts of former colleagues, indicates that Hegseth was forced to step down by both of the two nonprofit advocacy groups that he ran—Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America—in the face of serious allegations of financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety, and personal misconduct.”

Mother Jones on Monday published “A Running List of the Allegations Against Pete Hegseth.”

The article, which has not been updated yet to include the latest NBC News allegations, characterizes them under the headings: “Mismanagement, a Drinking Problem, and Sexually Inappropriate Behavior,” “Rape Allegation,” and, “His Mother Called Him ‘an Abuser of Women’.”

CNN’s Manu Raju also talked with U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-MA), who said, “As I’ve repeatedly said to you, I believe that we need an FBI background check to evaluate the allegations. We need to have the normal committee process of questionnaires, and questionnaires about this background and we also need to have a public hearing.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

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