Jack Smith files motion to drop election interference charges against Trump – live | Trump administration

Special counsel Jack Smith has filed a motion to drop all charges against Donald Trump in the federal election interference case against the president-elect.

If you’re just joining us now, here is a recap of what has happened today so far:

• Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has said that leaders of so-called “sanctuary cities” should have to explain why they deserve federal funding and warned that they could lose their funding. Greene, who has been tapped to lead a subcommittee called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, told Fox News she wants to question officials on whether they’re using federal funds to “harbor illegal criminal aliens”. When asked whether such cities and states would lose federal funding, Greene said: “If they use their police officers and resources to harbor and protect illegal criminal aliens, then absolutely.” So-called “sanctuary” cities are places around the country that don’t cooperate with the federal government on enforcing harsh immigration policies.

• Trump’s pick for the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, faces renewed scrutiny over sexual assault allegations as Republican lawmakers are reportedly uncomfortable after a number of claims have surfaced.

• The concerns come as Hegseth was also revealed to have criticized several key US alliances, including Nato, as well as allied countries such as Turkey and international institutions such as the UN, and has said that US troops should not be bound by the Geneva conventions.

• Corey Lewandowski, an adviser to Donald Trump, said that he and the president-elect have “no concerns at all” regarding Pete Hegseth’s confirmation by the Senate as the next US secretary of defense. During an appearance on NewsMax, Lewandowski was asked if Trump had any concerns about Hegseth and his nomination, to which Lewandowski responded: “We have no concerns at all.”

• The identities of private donors funding Donald Trump’s presidential transition are being kept secret, in a break with precedent, that is obscuring which groups, businesses or wealthy individuals are supporting his second presidential launch.

• Rand Paul, a Republican senator of Kentucky, has criticized Donald Trump’s proposed use of the US military to conduct mass deportations of immigrants when he returns to the White House. While Paul still supports Trump’s plans to expel millions of immigrants from the US, the lawmaker has opposed using the US military to do so, arguing that law enforcement would be better suited.

• Gavin Newsom, California governor, has announced that the state may offer state tax rebates for electric vehicle purchases if the incoming Trump administration cuts the federal tax credit for electric vehicles. In a statement on Monday, Newsom said that if the Trump administration eliminates the federal tax credit for electric vehicles he would propose creating a new version of the state’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, phased out in 2023, which funded 594,000 cars and saved over 456m gallons of fuel.

• Joe Biden has pardoned his final White House turkeys. The president pardoned two turkeys from Minnesota, Peach and Blossom, named after the Delaware state flower, the Peach blossom, which symbolizes resilience, Biden said. After pardoning the turkeys, Biden said: “It’s my last time to speak here as your president during the season and give thanks and gratitude, so let me say to you, it’s been the honor of my life, I’m forever grateful.”

• In a post on Truth Social, Trump endorsed Jimmy Patronis for Florida’s first congressional district, which was previously held by former representative Matt Gaetz. Gaetz said he wouldn’t take his seat after being nominated as attorney general – later pulling out of the process amid concerns over sexual misconduct claims.

In a post on Truth Social, the president-elect endorsed Jimmy Patronis for Florida’s tfirst congressional district, which was previously held by former representative Matt Gaetz.

Trump wrote:

Jimmy Patronis, Chief Financial Officer for the Great State of Florida, has done a tremendous job as CFO, where he also serves as the State’s Fire Marshall, and as an important member of the Florida Cabinet. I hear that Jimmy is now considering launching a Campaign for Congress in Florida’s 1st Congressional District!”

A fourth generation Floridian from the beautiful Panhandle, and owner of an iconic seafood restaurant, Jimmy has been a wonderful friend to me, and to MAGA. As your next Congressman, Jimmy would work tirelessly alongside of me to Grow our Economy, Secure our Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Strengthen our Incredible Military/Vets, Restore American Energy DOMINANCE, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.

Should he decide to enter this Race, Jimmy Patronis has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, JIMMY, RUN!

Corey Lewandowski, an adviser to Donald Trump, has said that he and the president-elect have “no concerns at all” regarding Pete Hegseth’s confirmation by the Senate as the next US secretary of defense.

During an appearance on NewsMax, Lewandowski was asked if Trump had any concerns about Hegseth and his nomination, to which Lewandowski responded: “We have no concerns at all.”

“Pete is eminently qualified to be the secretary of defense, the issue is that he’s outside of the box thinking, he’s not the traditional military industrial complex choice,” he added.

Later in the interview, Lewandowski said that with “53 Republican US senators, we’re going to get all of our nominees through”.

This comes as Hegseth, a 44-year-old former Fox News host and army veteran, is facing scrutiny over allegations of sexual assault and has come under fire for his extreme positions and past remarks.

Joe Biden participates in his final White House turkey pardon.

This morning, the president pardoned two turkeys from Minnesota, Peach and Blossom, named after the Delaware state flower, the Peach blossom, which symbolizes resilience, Biden said.

After pardoning the turkeys, Biden said: “This event marks the official start of the holiday season here in Washington.”

He continued: “It’s also my last time to speak here as your president during the season and give thanks and gratitude, so let me say to you, it’s been the honor of my life, I’m forever grateful.”

The tradition of the turkey pardon dates to 1947 when the National Turkey Federation, which represents turkey farmers and producers, first presented a national Thanksgiving turkey to President Harry Truman.

Here are some photos from the event:

Rand Paul, a Republican senator of Kentucky, has criticized Donald Trump’s proposed use of the US military to conduct mass deportations of immigrants when he returns to the White House.

While Paul still supports Trump’s plans to expel millions of immigrants from the US, the lawmaker has opposed using the US military to do so, arguing that law enforcement would be better suited.

During a Sunday interview with CBS News’s Face the Nation, Paul was asked how immigration authorities should carry out mass deportations.

“What we know now about the immigration authorities who would have to be charged with rounding these individuals up, there are just 6,000 agents, 41,000 detention beds to carry out the assignment of rounding up millions of undocumented people, potentially. How do you suggest they implement it?” asked the CBS News anchor Margaret Brennan.

Paul criticized plans to use the military for deportation as “illegal”, adding: “If they send the army into New York and you have 10,000 troops marching carrying semi-automatic weapons, I think it’s a terrible image, and I will oppose that.”

Read more about the remarks here:

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has said that leaders of so-called “sanctuary cities” should have to explain why they deserve federal funding and warned that they could lose their funding.

Greene, who has been tapped to lead a subcommittee called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, told Fox News that she would “like to talk to the governors of sanctuary states and the mayors of sanctuary cities and have them come before our committee and explain why they deserve federal dollars if they’re going to harbor illegal criminal aliens in their states and their cities”.

When asked whether such cities and states would lose federal funding, Greene said: “If they use their police officers and resources to harbor and protect illegal criminal aliens, then absolutely.”

So-called “sanctuary” cities are places around the country that don’t cooperate with the federal government on enforcing harsh immigration policies.

The interviewer also asked Greene where she sees as the “most government waste” to which she responded: “It’s all over, every single government department, program, grant programs, contracts, it is everywhere.”

She said she would do a “deep dive” into all government departments and programs.

In the last three days Donald Trump finished up making his major cabinet announcements.

If you missed them, here is a quick roundup.

• Trump chose Brooke Rollins, president of the America First Policy Institute, to be agriculture secretary.

• Trump named Scott Bessent, a longtime hedge-fund investor who taught at Yale University for several years, to serve as treasury secretary.

• Trump picked Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget. Vought was OMB chief during Trump’s previous term in office and has been deeply involved in Project 2025 in recent years.

• Trump announced Sebastian Gorka, a former Breitbart writer and longtime rightwing Maga supporter, as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counter-terrorism in his second administration.

• Trump named Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Oregon representative, as his nominee for labor secretary. Chavez-DeRemer recently lost her re-election bid for the House of Representatives.

• Dr Janette Nesheiwat, a double board-certified medical doctor, a regular Fox News contributor, is Trump’s pick for surgeon general.

• Alex Wong, a former state department official will serve as deputy national security adviser.

• Trump also said he would nominate the Johns Hopkins surgeon and writer Marty Makary to lead the Food and Drug Administration.

• Trump announced Scott Turner as his pick to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

• Trump announced Dave Weldon, a former representative and a medical doctor, as his choice for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.

This morning, we start with news that president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, has previously criticized several key US alliances, including Nato, as well as allied countries such as Turkey and international institutions such as the UN, and has said that US troops should not be bound by the Geneva conventions.

This comes as Hegseth is also facing scrutiny over allegations of sexual assault and misconduct from 2017. Police did not press charges at the time, and Hegseth has maintained that the encounter was consensual and has denied any wrongdoing.

Last week, the police report detailing the allegations and incident was made public, and since then, concerns around Hegseth’s path to confirmation have grown, with some Republican lawmakers reportedly uncomfortable with the series of sexual misconduct allegations against Hegseth and Trump’s other cabinet picks.

As Hegseth faces a potentially challenging Senate confirmation process next year, concerns continue to arise regarding his qualifications for the position, as well as about his controversial views and past statements.

In other news:

• The prominent Republican US senator, James Lankford of Oklahoma said on Sunday that Congress would not give blanket approval to Trump’s controversial cabinet picks.

• Public health experts are concerned that if confirmed, Trump’s selection for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F Kennedy Jr could jeopardize access to pharmaceutical drugs in favor of more experimental treatments.