Trump News Live: Matt Gaetz reveals if he'll return to Congress... and what he thinks of Pam Bondi

Matt Gaetz said helium fell unfortunate to a 'smear' run that dredged up aged and discredited allegations successful his archetypal interrogation since withdrawing his sanction for information arsenic Donald Trump's lawyer general.

He sensationally dropped retired connected Thursday amid a drip, drip, drip of allegations from a House Ethics Committee probe into allegations that helium had enactment with an underage girl.

'If the things [in] the House Ethics study were true, I would beryllium nether indictment and astir apt successful a situation cell,' helium told The Charlie Kirk Show, according to clips shared exclusively with DailyMail.com.

'But of course, they're false, due to the fact that erstwhile you trial them against different records, erstwhile you trial them against different testimony, it each falls isolated precise quickly.'

He said helium was the unfortunate of a politically motivated run due to the fact that of his cardinal relation successful forcing retired Kevin McCarthy arsenic House Speaker.

And helium insisted helium could person answered each the allegations during his confirmation hearings but that the process would person dragged on, undermining Trump's plans to statesman his overhaul of authorities connected time one.

The interrogation volition beryllium released astatine midday Friday.

Matt Gaetz has hailed Pam Bondi, his successor arsenic Donald Trump's nominee for Attorney General.

Gaetz dropped retired connected Thursday and was rapidly replaced by Bondi.

In a connection connected X, Gaetz said:

By Emily Goodin, elder White House correspondent

Angela Merkel, the erstwhile German chancellor, who worked with 4 American president had harsh words for Donald Trump successful her caller memoir, noting the past American president was ‘fascinated’ with Vladimir Putin.

Long-anticipated successful Germany, the book, ‘Freedom: Memoirs 1954-2021,’ covers her puerility successful communist East Berlin and her years arsenic chancellor: 2005 to 2021. She was the archetypal pistillate to clasp that office.

In an interrogation with the German play Der Spiegel, she said each gathering with Trump was ‘a competition: you oregon me.’

She described the president-elect, whom she worked with during his archetypal term, arsenic a ‘challenge for the world, peculiarly for multilateralism.’

‘What awaits america present is truly not easy,’ she said.

She admits she would person preferred if Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris won their respective races against Trump.

In her memoir, excerpts which were published successful the German play Die Zeit, she describes Trump arsenic looking astatine authorities done the lens of a existent property mogul.

‘He saw everything from the position of the spot developer helium was earlier entering politics,’ she wrote of their March 2017 gathering successful the Oval Office. ‘Each parcel of onshore could lone beryllium sold once, and if helium didn't get it idiosyncratic other did. That's however helium saw the world.’

She notes: ‘He believed that each countries were successful contention with each other, successful which the occurrence of 1 was the nonaccomplishment of the other.’

‘He did not judge that the prosperity of each could beryllium accrued done cooperation,’ she added.

She besides wrote that Trump repeatedly quizzed her astir Vladimir Putin.

‘Donald Trump asked maine a fig of questions, including astir my East German origins and my narration with Putin,’ she noted.

‘He was evidently precise fascinated by the Russian president,’ she wrote. ‘In the years that followed, I had the content that politicians with autocratic and dictatorial traits captivated him.’

Trump’s incoming White House communications manager Steven Cheung declared triumph aft a Manhattan justice enactment disconnected sentencing and agreed to perceive arguments connected dismissing his hush wealth lawsuit entirely.

‘In a decisive triumph for President Trump, the hoax Manhattan Case is present afloat stayed and sentencing is adjourned. President Trump won a landslide triumph arsenic the American People person issued a mandate to instrumentality him to bureau and dispose of each remnants of the Witch Hunt cases,’ Cheung said successful a statement.

‘All of the sham lawfare attacks against President Trump are present destroyed and we are focused connected Making America Great Again,’ helium added. A assemblage convicted Trump connected 34 counts of falsifying concern records but Trump’s lawyers argued it would beryllium a miscarriage of justness to proceed aft Trump was reelected.

Donald Trump's caller prime for lawyer wide was a fierce defender who attacked Joe Biden during Trump's archetypal impeachment – and tangled with a lawyer for O.J. Simpson erstwhile his lawsuit moved to Florida aft his acquittal connected execution charges.

Bondi, 59, who Trump announced was his prime to beryllium the nation's apical instrumentality enforcement serviceman aft the stunning withdrawal of Rep Matt Gaetzfter conscionable days amid enactment trafficking allegations – has agelong been known arsenic a fierce Trump loyalist.

She called him a person portion delivering remarks astatine a Trump run rally during a blistering effect aft billionaire Mark Cuban said Trump didn't privation to person strong, intelligent women astir him.

The Georgia Republican congresswoman is being tapped to caput up a caller subcommittee that volition enactment with Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) being led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

But for the socialist-backed Squad subordinate AOC, the quality of the arguable Trump protagonist heading up a subcommittee was a root of entertainment.

'This is good, actually,' the New York congresswoman wrote connected X astir her colleague's caller post.

'She hardly shows up and doesn’t bash the reading. To get a operation I saw elsewhere, it’s similar giving idiosyncratic an unplugged controller,' she continued.

In different post, AOC wrote 'Absolutely dying astatine those 2 present getting assigned the “privilege” of “working” with MTG. That is really hilarious. Enjoy, fellas! Very prestigious station you person there.'

Former Rep. Ron Paul confirmed Friday helium was asked by Elon Musk to counsel the Department of Government Efficiency.

Paul, a agelong clip professional of authorities discarded and spending, appeared consenting to squad up with Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy arsenic they look to basal retired immoderate of the astir evident authorities waste.

Paul's societal media station connected the issue, however, besides included a nexus to an advertisment, prompting immoderate speculation whether it was an existent statement oregon conscionable a mode to beforehand 1 of his sponsors.

Donald Trump's sentencing successful the hush wealth lawsuit has been delayed indefinitely and New York Jude Juan Merchan has opened the doorway for the charges to beryllium thrown out.

That sentencing, which could person brought 4 years of jailhouse time, was delayed. Now that helium is acceptable to instrumentality bureau arsenic the 47th president, Trump's squad wants the lawsuit tossed entirely, present that their client, the archetypal erstwhile president to beryllium convicted of a crime, is acceptable to instrumentality the reins of power.

Underlining the oddities of the case, Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche, who urged the lawsuit get tossed, is present being nominated to beryllium the No. 2 authoritative astatine the Department of Justice.

'Just arsenic a sitting President is wholly immune from immoderate transgression process, truthful excessively is President Trump arsenic President-elect,' wrote lawyer Todd Blanche and lawyer Emil Bove, who is besides nominated to a apical DOJ post, successful a filing to justice Merchan.

Matt Gaetz's woman Ginger posted a cryptic representation of him 1 time aft helium stunningly withdrew his sanction arsenic Donald Trump's nominee for lawyer general.

The erstwhile congressman is shown successful a acheronian suit sitting astatine a barroom with a martini successful beforehand of him.

'Unemployment has ne'er looked truthful good,' Ginger said successful a station on with the picture.

On Thursday, she sent her hubby heartfelt messages of enactment aft helium dropped retired of contention for Trump's Cabinet aft helium was accused of having a threesome with a minor.

By Emily Goodin, elder White House correspondent

President Joe Biden and archetypal woman Jill Biden volition clasp a convey you meal for their longtime loyalists connected the South Lawn of the White House Friday evening.

Aides accidental it’s a convey you for run staff. Longtime loyalists and donors are expected to beryllium connected the impermanent list.

The lawsuit volition person the trappings of a authorities meal but it’s not a state being honored. It’s those who person stuck by Biden during his much than 40 years successful nationalist life.

A solid pavilion has been built, akin to those utilized erstwhile overseas leaders visit. The covered abstraction volition beryllium needed – rainfall mixed with snowfall flurries successful the forecast for the evening.

It volition besides let the Bidens to invitation much people. The authorities rooms successful the White House tin lone accommodate a fewer 100 guests. The pavilion tin clasp respective hundred.

One idiosyncratic who won’t beryllium determination is Vice President Kamala Harris. She and 2nd man Doug Emhoff are successful Hawaii for vacation.

Donald Trump deed his first stumbling artifact implicit Cabinet picks with the seemingly forced withdrawal of Matt Gaetz from information arsenic lawyer general.

But helium rapidly replaced the sex-scandal embattled erstwhile Florida congressman with the Sunshine State's ex-attorney wide Pam Bondi.

There are a slew of different loyal allies who stood by him during his archetypal word and successful the 4 years extracurricular the White House.

He has besides nominated erstwhile Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, who infuriated critics with claims astir 'biolabs' successful Ukraine, to beryllium Director of National Intelligence.

And his prime of subject seasoned and Fox News host Pete Hegseth to tally the sprawling Defense Department, contempt small acquisition managing thing of that standard and complexity, has travel nether occurrence arsenic well, heightened by allegations of a past enactment assault.

With that successful mind, DailyMail.com has been keeping an up-to-date scorecard of the 2nd Trump administration's imaginable Cabinet and West Wing.

Dana White was a quasi-permanent fixture connected Donald Trump's run proceedings arsenic helium threw his afloat enactment down the Republican campaigner successful his bid to question re-election.

The UFC president, who is adjacent friends with the 78-year-old, has been specified an ardent protagonist that helium adjacent stole the limelight during Trump's triumph celebrations astatine Mar-a-Lago aft beating Kamala Harris astatine the ballot box.

But present that Trump has sealed his instrumentality to the White House, the UFC chief wants thing to do with the president-elect's 2nd word - oregon authorities astatine all.

Donald Trump moved rapidly to find a caller campaigner for lawyer wide connected Thursday, announcing the erstwhile Florida A.G. Pam Bondi arsenic his prime to caput the nation's ineligible system.

Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration earlier successful the time erstwhile it became wide that a lingering ungraded meant helium did not person the votes to beryllium confirmed successful the Senate.

'Pam was a authoritative for astir 20 years, wherever she was precise pugnacious connected convulsive criminals, and made the streets harmless for Florida Families,' Trump posted connected Truth Social arsenic helium made the announcement.

Insiders said the charm violative went well.

Matt Gaetz spent Wednesday successful Washington, D.C., with Vice President-elect J.D. Vance gathering 10 cardinal Republican senators helium would request to unafraid his confirmation arsenic Donald Trump's arguable lawyer general.

'Feedback from the senators connected the meetings was precise positive,' said a root adjacent to Vance.

And a time earlier Trump had made wide helium had nary program B if it came to a trial of strength. 'No,' helium told a newsman erstwhile asked whether helium was reconsidering his choice.

But that each unraveled spectacularly connected Thursday, erstwhile Gaetz announced helium was withdrawing from information amid the fallout from a national enactment trafficking investigation.