Who’re Trump’s Cupboard picks thus far? Duffy, Carr amongst newest

President-elect Donald Trump has made two extra choices for his Cupboard: Fox Enterprise host and fellow former actuality TV star Sean Duffy for Secretary of Transportation and Brendan Carr to go the Federal Communications Fee.

Duffy, chosen on Monday, is a co-host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Enterprise and was a Trump loyalist in Congress throughout Trump’s first time period. Carr, chosen on Sunday, is a senior Republican on the fee most just lately identified for criticizing “Saturday Night time Dwell” for an look by Vice President Kamala Harris, saying it was a violation of the “equal time” rule governing candidate appearances on tv.

In the meantime peril continued to mount Monday for Trump’s choose for lawyer basic, Matt Gaetz. Florida lawyer Joel Leppard, who represented two ladies within the Home Ethics Committee investigation into the previous consultant, mentioned the ladies alleged Gaetz paid them for intercourse, based on a number of media studies.

One of many ladies additionally mentioned she noticed Gaetz having intercourse with a 17-year-old, based on studies from the Washington Post and ABC News.

The Justice Division’s investigation into intercourse trafficking allegations towards Gaetz ended with out prices. Gaetz, who has denied wrongdoing, resigned from Congress Wednesday, two days earlier than a Home Ethics Committee report in regards to the probe was scheduled for launch.

A spokesperson for Gaetz’s Home workplace, Jacob Bliss, directed USA TODAY to an announcement from Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer, who described the allegations as a “baseless” try and derail Trump’s upcoming administration.

This is the most recent on Trump’s newest selections.

Division of Transportation choose former ‘Actual World’ contestant

Duffy’s nomination marks the second Fox connection amongst those that have been chosen for nomination to the incoming administration.

Pete Hegseth, a former Fox Information host, was chosen to be Trump’s Secretary of Protection. Hegseth is presently embroiled in sexual assault and far-right extremism scandals involving his tattoos. Hegseth has denied the sexual assault claims and mentioned he solely reached a settlement settlement with the accuser to guard his job in 2020. Concerning the tattoos that led to his removing from a Nationwide Guard task, he has mentioned they have been “only a Christian image.” 

Duffy first appeared on tv as a solid member on MTV’s “The Actual World” in 1997 and later appeared in “Street Guidelines: All Stars” in 1998 and “Actual World/Street Guidelines Problem: Battle of the Seasons” in 2002.

Duffy served as a congressman from Wisconsin’s seventh congressional district from 2011 to 2019 and was a frequent Fox Information visitor throughout his time within the Home. Duffy labored as a district lawyer in Ashland County, Wisconsin previous to his stint in Congress.

Duffy’s spouse, Rachel Campos-Duffy, is a host on Fox & Friends Weekend.

“The husband of an exquisite girl, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a STAR on Fox Information, and the daddy of 9 unbelievable youngsters, Sean is aware of how vital it’s for households to have the ability to journey safely, and with peace of thoughts,” Trump mentioned in an announcement.

Trump’s announcement is a sign that he intends to appoint Duffy for Senate approval, nonetheless Trump has floated the demand that Republican Senate leadership allow for recess appointments as an end-around of the confirmation process.

What are recess appointments?What to know as Trump seems to bypass Senate to fill Cupboard

Trump’s FCC choose Challenge 2025 co-author

Trump tapped Brendan Carr to steer the Federal Communications Fee. Carr is the senior Republican commissioner on the FCC and authored a chapter of Challenge 2025.

Carr wrote within the information that Part 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which grants immunity to tech corporations that reasonable user-generated content material, ought to be stripped to finish content material moderation that some conservatives view as censorship.

“Congress ought to achieve this by guaranteeing that Web corporations now not have carte blanche to censor protected speech whereas sustaining their Part 230 protections,” Carr wrote

Carr helps banning TikTok, claiming that it poses a nationwide safety menace, though the president-elect joined the favored social media platform in June.

Carr wrote in Challenge 2025 that the app “gives Beijing with a possibility to run a international affect marketing campaign by figuring out the information and knowledge that the app feeds to hundreds of thousands of People.”

Carr additionally wrote that the FCC ought to expedite its assessment and approval of Starlink web satellites from tech baron and Trump acolyte Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

In a publish asserting the Carr’s appointment on Fact Social, Trump mentioned Carr is a “warrior for Free Speech.”

Trump’s picks thus far: What we all know

Listed here are Trump’s picks for key positions in his administration, as of Sunday evening.

• Chief of Workers: Trump named his senior marketing campaign adviser Susie Wiles as his White Home chief of employees, the primary girl in historical past to carry the title. The Florida political marketing consultant largely stays out of the highlight, however has been credited with serving to Trump’s political comeback.
• Legal professional Basic: Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida has been nominated as the following Legal professional Basic overseeing the Justice Division, that he has lengthy criticized.
• Secretary of State: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is nominated as the following Secretary of State. He’ll carry international coverage expertise by his roles within the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Senate Overseas Relations Committee. A Cuban-American, he’s set to be the primary Latino particular person to be Secretary of State.
• Director of Nationwide Intelligence: Former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is nominated because the director of nationwide intelligence. The previous Democratic presidential candidate-turned Republican represented Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District from 2013-2021.
• Ambassador to the United Nations: Trump nominated Elise Stefanik, a five-term Republican representing a northern New York district, as his choose for UN ambassador. She is the Home Republican Convention Chair and a former contender for Trump’s working mate.
• Secretary of Well being and Human Providers: Trump has named Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to steer the Division of Well being and Human Providers. The 2024 impartial candidate has beforehand criticized vaccines and questioned the origin of the COVID-19 virus. He’s arguably finest identified for spreading unfounded claims a couple of hyperlink between childhood vaccines and autism.
• Secretary of Protection: Trump nominated former Fox Information host Pete Hegseth to Protection secretary. A Fox Information commentator, Hegseth served within the U.S. Military Nationwide Guard and had led veteran’s advocacy teams.
• Environmental Safety Company Administrator: Trump has appointed Lee Zeldin because the administrator of The U.S. Environmental Safety Company (EPA). Zeldin was a Congressman for elements of Lengthy Island, New York and ran however misplaced towards Kathy Hochul within the 2022 gubernatorial race.
• Director of the Central Intelligence Company: Trump designated his former Director of Nationwide Intelligence John Ratcliffe as CIA director. Ratcliffe beforehand was a Home member from Texas earlier than serving as director of nationwide intelligence on the finish of Trump’s first presidency.
• Secretary of Homeland Safety: Trump introduced his alternative of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be the Secretary of Homeland Safety. The choose places the hardline conservative governor, who despatched the state’s Nationwide Guard to the southern border, in a key function on immigration.
• Secretary of Inside: Trump has nominated Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to be his secretary of Inside coordinating federal coverage to a number of territories. Burgum beforehand ran to be Republican presidential nominee earlier than dropping out in December and has lengthy been vocal about fossil fuels and vitality points.
• Secretary of the Division of Veterans Affairs: Trump has nominated former Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Collins to be his secretary of the Division of Veterans Affairs. He served as a congressman representing Georgia’s ninth district from 2013 to 2021. A trusted Trump loyalist, he’s a chaplain of the US Air Pressure Reserve Command and served within the Iraq Conflict in 2008.
• Secretary of the Division of Power: Trump is nominating oil trade govt Chris Wright, CEO of Liberty Power and 2024 marketing campaign donor to steer the Division of Power. Wright, who has expressed skepticism about local weather change science, would be a part of a Trump administration that campaigned to roll again local weather change insurance policies and clear vitality spending ushered in throughout President Biden’s time period.
• Deputy chief of employees for coverage: Lengthy-standing Trump adviser Stephen Miller has been tapped for deputy chief of employees for coverage in Trump’s subsequent administration. The 39-year-old served as senior adviser to Trump and director of speechwriting throughout the Republican’s first time period within the White Home and is credited with shaping Trump’s immigration insurance policies.
• ‘Border czar’: Trump has appointed Tom Homan to supervise deportation coverage and aviation safety. Homan was a Border Patrol agent for 34 years and served in Trump’s first administration as appearing ICE director. He drew controversy for strict immigration enforcement, together with the “zero-tolerance” coverage which separated households of undocumented immigrants.
• Nationwide safety adviser: Trump has named Florida Rep. Mike Waltz as his nationwide safety adviser. Waltz has held civilian positions on the Pentagon, was on the Home Armed Providers Committee and has supported Trump’s isolationist view of international relations.
• U.S. ambassador to Israel: Trump introduced he’s nominating former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as his U.S. ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a Baptist minister and former Fox Information host, who has run for the Republican presidential nomination twice, unsuccessfully. His daughter is Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as White Home press secretary throughout Trump’s first presidency.
• White Home Counsel: Trump tapped William McGinley to function his White Home counsel. McGinley, a accomplice on the Washington-based legislation agency Holtzman Vogel, labored as White Home Cupboard secretary throughout Trump’s first presidency.
• U.S. Legal professional for the Southern District of New York: Trump has nominated Jay Clayton because the U.S. Legal professional for the Southern District of New York. Clayton has beforehand served as chair of the U.S. Securities and Trade Fee throughout Trump’s first time period.
• Deputy lawyer basic: Trump has determined lawyer Todd Blanche will function deputy lawyer basic. Blanche is understood for aggressively representing the president-elect in his New York hush cash trial and in two federal prison circumstances.
• White Home Communications Director: Trump named Steven Cheung to be his communications director in his second time period. Cheung labored because the speedy response director for Trump’s 2016 presidential marketing campaign and was maybe essentially the most adversarial of the candidate’s spokespersons, describing opponents and “snowflakes” and “cucks” who suffered from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
• White Home Press Secretary: Trump named Karoline Leavitt as his second-term White Home press secretary. She’s anticipated to be the youngest to ever maintain the place.

What are the Cupboard positions?

The Cabinet advises the president on points associated to their respective workplaces.

These are the Cupboard positions from the 15 govt departments, which have to be confirmed by the Senate:

• Secretary of State
• Secretary of Protection
• Legal professional Basic
• Secretary of the Inside
• Secretary of Agriculture
• Secretary of Commerce
• Secretary of Labor
• Secretary of Well being and Human Providers
• Secretary of Transportation
• Secretary of Power
• Secretary of Training
• Secretary of Veterans Affairs
• Secretary of Homeland Safety
• Secretary of Housing and City Growth (HUD)
• Secretary of Treasury

The Cabinet and presidential advisers can also include the vice chairman, the chief of employees, the ambassador to the United Nations, the director of Nationwide Intelligence, the U.S. commerce consultant, the pinnacle of the Environmental Safety Company, the pinnacle of the Workplace of Administration and Price range, the pinnacle of the Council of Financial Advisors, the pinnacle of the Workplace of Science and Know-how Coverage, and the pinnacle of the Small Enterprise Administration.

Contributing: Aysha Bagchi, Zac Anderson, Darren Samuelsohn, Dan Morrison, Karen Weintraub, Alyssa Goldberg, Tom Vanden Brook, David Jackson, Savannah Kuchar, Victor Hagan, Bart Jansen, Fernando Cervantes Jr., Riley Beggin, Michael Collins, Joey Garrison; Kaycee Sloan, the Cincinnati Enquirer.