Trump says ‘hell to pay’ if Gaza hostages not released by inauguration; Biden’s pardon rattles Washington: Live
President-elect threatens ‘those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity’ if hostages in Gaza are not freed by his inauguration
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has threatened “all hell to pay” if the remaining hostages in Gaza are not released by Hamas before his inauguration on January 20, 2025.
The president-elect posted on Truth Social: “Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America.”
Trump dined with Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Trump suggested he will free the January 6 Capitol rioters as he slammed President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden as a “miscarriage of Justice.”
On Sunday, Biden announced he had pardoned his son following his federal gun conviction, saying Hunter had been “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” by the Justice Department.
Biden previously insisted he would not pardon his son. The White House has defended his decision.
Biden’s decision has divided critics. Colorado’s Democratic Governor Jared Polis said he was “disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country” while Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks said Hunter “would not ever be prosecuted for the gun crime but for his last name.”
President Biden issues pardon for son Hunter Biden despite pledging not to do so
Trump slams Hunter Biden’s presidential pardon as an ‘an abuse and miscarriage of Justice’
Democrat Chris Murphy says ‘no question’ Biden refusal to drop out hurt Harris
Bernie Sanders praises DOGE boss Elon Musk over defense spending
Biden meets with Cabo Verde prime minister
President Joe Biden met with Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva of the Republic of Cabo Verde this morning during a refueling stop on the way to Angola.
ANALYSIS: I covered the 2024 election cycle as a political reporter. Here are the predictions I got wrong
Eric Garcia writes:
The 2024 presidential election blew up everyone’s expectations. Donald Trump’s transformation from national pariah to winning every swing state and the popular vote came as a suprise to many, both inside and outside journalism.
Early in my career as a reporter, one source told me that people who look into crystal balls tend to eat a lot of glass. Needless to say, I had a hefty side of glass with my Thanksgiving dinner this year.
Read on...
As a political reporter who covered the 2024 election cycle, here’s what I got wrong
Eric Garcia explains what he saw coming, what he got wrong — and what that taught him about future elections
John Bolton decries Biden’s pardoning of Hunter
Former Trump administration UN Ambassador John Bolton says President Joe Biden has done “exactly the wrong thing” by pardoning Hunter.
Hegseth returning to Capitol Hill today
Pete Hegseth is back on Capitol Hill today for meetings with senators, including Armed Services Committee Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.
Biden made mind up on pardon himself before sharing decision with senior staff
Here are fuller quotes from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the Hunter Biden pardon as she spoke with reporters on Air Force One, en route to Angola.
Q: Did the President and Hunter discuss this possibility? Did they talk about this happening?
KJP: I can say, as he made this decision this weekend, he made it himself. I don't have anything else to discuss beyond that ... I've been pretty consistent in not talking about private conversations that he's had with his family. I just don't have anything to say. Besides, the President made this decision this weekend, as he said in his statement, and he made this decision, this decision himself. Once he made ... this decision, he shared it with his senior staff.
Q: So what changed his mind this weekend?
KJP: Again, it's in it's in his statement. He wrestled with it, he thought about it, and he he believed. And what he saw was that his son was singled out. And so he made this decision. And once he made the decision, which was this weekend, he decided to move forward with it and not to not to wait. And, you know, I think he truly believed enough is enough.
Kash Patel’s MAGA merch ventures — From ‘King Donald’ kids’ books to pills claiming to reverse Covid vaccine
Kash Patel, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, has made a living hawking products to MAGA loyalists from “King Donald” children’s books to supplements claiming to reverse the Covid-19 vaccine.
Patel, a Trump ultra-loyalist who served as chief of staff to the acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller in Trump’s first administration, was tapped for the position on Saturday – despite being a vocal critic of the bureau, previously describing it as the so-called “deep state.”
Following his exit from Trump’s first administration, the right-wing operative has benefited from his close association with the president-elect.
In particular, Patel has flogged a suite of products aimed at the MAGA crowd, bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars from Trump-aligned businesses.
Here’s a look at his MAGA merchandise ventures:
Kash Patel’s King Donald books and other MAGA merch ventures
Trump’s FBI director pick has authored a trilogy of children’s books where the president-elect takes on villains named ‘Hillary Queenton’ and ‘Sleepy Joe’
Senate Democrat says Biden’s pardon puts ‘personal interest ahead of duty'
Democratic Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado says the pardoning of Hunter Biden erodes faith in the justice system.
He wrote on X: “President Biden’s decision put personal interest ahead of duty and further erodes Americans’ faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all.”
Maine Democrat rep criticizes Biden pardon
Democratic congressman Jared Golden, who represents Maine’s second district criticizes the Hunter Biden pardon in a statement given to Axios.
“I worry such a sweeping pardon for a close family member sets an unfortunate precedent that undermines trust in the office of the president,” he says.
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