Gaetz resigns from Congress after being picked as Trump’s attorney general

President-elect Donald Trump has made his selection for attorney general: Rep. Matt Gaetz. Why it might be an uphill battle for the Florida congressman to get confirmed. And we now know in a clean sweep, Republicans won control of the House of Representatives. Who GOP lawmakers voted to lead them in the next term. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.

Gaetz resigns from Congress after being picked as Trump’s attorney general

President-elect Trump selected more names for key cabinet positions on Wednesday, Nov. 13, including nominating Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz for attorney general. That choice is being met with opposition from some Senate Republicans — who would need to confirm the pick.

Gaetz resigned from the House of Representatives just hours after the nomination came out. 

“I think out of deference to us, he issued his resignation letter effective immediately,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said of Gaetz’s decision. “That caught us by surprise a little bit. But I asked him what the reasoning was, and he said, ‘Well, you can’t have too many absences.’ So, under Florida state law there is about an eight-week period to select and fill a vacant seat.” 

Johnson said Gaetz’s resignation started the clock for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to call for a special election to fill the vacancy, which will narrow Republicans’ slight majority in the House. 

In making his nomination, Trump called Gaetz a “deeply gifted and tenacious attorney…who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice.” 

If confirmed by the Senate, Gaetz would be in charge of the same department that investigated him for years over sex trafficking allegations. Gaetz denied any wrongdoing and the DOJ last year ultimately decided not to press charges. 

A bipartisan House Ethics Committee is in the final stages of its own investigation into Gaetz. Gaetz told the committee in September he was done cooperating with its investigation. 

His resignation would put an end to that investigation, as the Ethics Committee does not have jurisdiction over former House members. 

Trump’s announcement came during the House Republicans’ closed door leadership election, with lawmakers telling several news outlets that there were “audible gasps” in the room when they heard the pick. 

In response to Gaetz’s nomination, multiple senators went on record not throwing their full support behind the decision. One senator told Fox News Gaetz “will never be confirmed” and another said it “ain’t gonna happen.” 

Gaetz’s office has not responded to the criticism. Gaetz himself issued a statement on social media in response to the nod from the president-elect, saying, “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!”

It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General! pic.twitter.com/dg0iQ0bA6Y

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 13, 2024

Johnson wins nomination for speaker as GOP takes House majority

The landscape of Congress in the new year became clearer on Wednesday with Republicans winning enough seats to control the House. Victories in Arizona and California gave the GOP the 218 seats needed to make up the majority in the chamber. 

Republicans will now have control of the House and the Senate when President-elect Trump takes office. GOP lawmakers voted on leadership in both chambers Wednesday.

It is a new day in America.

Congratulations to the members of our House GOP leadership team, @SteveScalise, @GOPMajorityWhip, @RepLisaMcClain, @RepRichHudson, @repkevinhern, @RepBlakeMoore, and @RepHouchin.

I’m humbled and honored to have been unanimously selected again by… pic.twitter.com/H2cHInDbGI

— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) November 14, 2024

House Speaker Mike Johnson won the nomination to remain on the job for another two years. A full house vote will take place in January. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and GOP Whip Tom Emmer were also reelected in their leadership roles. 

In the Senate, Republican John Thune of South Dakota was elected as the next majority leader. The fourth-term senator will replace longtime leader Mitch McConnell.

Pennsylvania Senate race heads to a recount

While Republicans have won enough seats to take control of Congress, Pennsylvania’s Senate race is headed for a recount as Democratic incumbent Bob Casey refused to concede to his Republican rival, Dave McCormick, despite the race being called by the Associated Press.

Across our Commonwealth, close to 7 million people cast their votes in a free and fair election.

The American democratic process was born in Pennsylvania and that process will play out. pic.twitter.com/R2RirIa09j

— Bob Casey Jr. (@Bob_Casey) November 12, 2024

While provisional and mail-in ballots are still being counted, unofficial results show the race to be within the one-half of 1% margin which automatically triggers a recount under state law. Currently, McCormick leads Casey by less than 30,000 votes. 

Despite Casey refusing to concede, McCormick was on Capitol Hill Wednesday for freshman orientation, where he and other new lawmakers met with outgoing Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Suspect dead after explosion outside Brazil’s Supreme Court

Security concerns are heightened in Brazil after an explosion outside the country’s Supreme Court less than a week before G20 leaders are set to meet in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil’s Supreme Court is in the nation’s capital, Brasilia about 700 miles northwest of Rio. 

Authorities said a man killed himself while detonating explosives in Three Powers Plaza, which is home to all three branches of Brazil’s government, after unsuccessfully trying to get into the Supreme Court with the explosives.

Suspected bomber dead after trying to enter Brazil’s top court ahead of G20 https://t.co/cvqYMOaEaw pic.twitter.com/3hp0heORJ0

— New York Post (@nypost) November 14, 2024

The vice-governor of the country’s federal district said the suspect blew up a car near Congress before heading to the Supreme Court. Police have not identified the attacker, but they believe he was working alone.

Teen ‘serial swatter’ behind hundreds of hoax threats pleads guilty

A prolific teenage “serial swatter” from California, has pleaded guilty to making hundreds of hoax calls about mass shootings and bomb threats to schools, religious institutions and government officials nationwide. 

The Department of Justice announced Wednesday Alan Filion, 18, pleaded guilty in a Florida federal courtroom to four counts of making interstate threats. He faces up to 20 years in prison, as each charge carries a five-year maximum sentence. 

Officials said from August 2022 to January of this year, Filion made more than 375 swatting and threat calls in various parts of the country including Maryland, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Washington, Texas and Florida. 

“Swatting” is when someone makes false accusations to send a large number of law enforcement rushing to a location where there is essentially nothing going on. 

Prosecutors said Filion formed a business out of “serial swatting,” advertising his services on social media for a fee.

Biden to become first sitting president to visit Amazon rainforest

With just weeks to go in his term, President Joe Biden is about to make history in the coming days. While in Brazil this weekend ahead of the G20 summit, he will become the first-ever sitting president to visit the Amazon rainforest. 

President Biden will meet with local, indigenous and other leaders who are working to preserve the region as it faces deforestation. In July, the Biden administration put $47 million toward the Amazon Fund, as part of the $500 million the president committed in April 2023 to fight deforestation. 

The president will kick off his trip to South America Thursday, Nov. 14, with a visit to Peru for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.