Category: Politics

(WASHINGTON) — Ever since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was picked by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, he has been vocal about his plans to “Make America Healthy Again.”

Kennedy has vowed to crack down on dyes in the food industry and to reduce pesticides in the farm and agriculture industry.

He has called for restrictions on ultra-processed foods as part of an initiative to address the high rates of chronic disease in the United States, and he’s said more research needs to be conducted on vaccines.

Those plans could require him to override regulations set in place by the Food and Drug Administration or Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, and/or perhaps see new regulations put in place.

Political science experts say this may put him at odds with members of his own party, because Republicans typically advocate for fewer regulations and limited government oversight.

“I think where you would see the challenges would be on allocation of money,” Shana Gadarian, a professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in New York, told ABC News.

“If all of a sudden HHS is now in the business of passing more regulations on the food industry, on agriculture, we might see that a Republican Senate majority and a Republican House is less interested in allocating a budget to HHS that then would be under a different leadership,” she continued.

Praise from other Republicans

Despite Republican criticism of previous Democratic initiatives to tackle disease and childhood obesity, Kennedy has received praise from some Republicans.

“RFK Jr. has championed issues like healthy foods and the need for greater transparency in our public health infrastructure,” Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, said in a statement earlier this month. “I look forward to learning more about his other policy positions and how they will support a conservative, pro-American agenda.”

Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin called Kennedy a “brilliant, courageous truth-teller whose unwavering commitment to transparency will make America a healthier nation,” and Sen. Josh Hawley called Trump’s decision to name him to head the HHS a “Bad day for Big Pharma!”

However, Gadarian said the support from some Republicans in the Senate may not translate to support among Republican constituents.

“We may want to separate what average people think about and know about [what Kennedy wants] and what elites in the party might have a vested interest in,” Gadarian said.

For farmers and others whose bottom lines might be negatively impacted by some of Kennedy’s proposed top-down policies, she said, “Those ideas of, like, removing pesticides from agriculture may actually be quite unpopular.”

Republicans’ distaste for regulation

Historically, the Republican party has been ideologically associated with a smaller, limited federal government.

During his January 1981 inaugural address, President Ronald Reagan stated, “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem,” espousing the belief that the government should not intervene in American lives.

If Kennedy is confirmed, there may be some culling of regulations, such as the CDC decision on vaccines health insurers are required to cover, according to Gadarian.

But his confirmation may also lead to new regulations; for example, he might weigh in on which food dyes companies are allowed to use or the use of pesticides on farms.

While it isn’t yet fully clear how Kennedy could make all of his proposed changes directly through his leadership at HHS, as opposed to the Environmental Protection Agency or Department of Agriculture, he has called for restrictions on food additives, dyes and ultra-processed foods — which he could have direct influence over through the FDA.

Gadarian said this is not in line with the typical conservative view on regulations, which is to generally loosen them.

“I do think that increasing regulation on businesses like agriculture and others who use pesticides — or on the food industry — is, in fact, against a kind of idea of limited government, of loosening regulation so businesses can do business and not be encumbered by the federal government,” she said.

Robert Ravens-Seager, a professor of history and political science at American International College in Massachusetts, said he thinks the idea of Republicans being for “small” or “limited government” is a myth.

He said both Republicans and Democrats want government regulation, but they have different views on how it should be implemented.

“Once you are in the government, your dislike for government tends to diminish somewhat,” he told ABC News. “I think that in a very short amount of time, you’ve seen a change in the Republican party. They’ve changed from being a party of small government [and] I think that the government that’s going to be coming will be very heavy-handed.”

He added that he believes Kennedy could have an impact on the messaging around food and/or agriculture by advocating for consumers to buy what he says is safe and healthy. However, Ravens-Seager is not sure to what degree the impact will be.

“I definitely believe that he will have an impact on things like food additives, food safety, and the like,” Ravens-Seager said. “The food side, especially, goes against Republican orthodoxy and could make for some interesting debates, but the degree to which, on this issue in particular, he will find much support within the party seems doubtful.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, said last month he wanted to meet with Kennedy before a confirmation hearing and “educate” him about agriculture, indicating concerns about views Kennedy has expressed.

“I’m willing to have a discussion with him and find out where he’s coming from,” Grassley told reporters, according to Politico. “But I may have to spend a lot of time educating him about agriculture, and I’m willing to do that.”

Eitan Hersh, a professor of political science at Tufts University in Massachusetts, said it’s important to remember that many steps need to occur before new regulations are put in place, including Kennedy being confirmed by the Senate, new regulations being proposed and approved, potential discussion in Congress and enforcement of those regulations.

“This is all maybes, but I think that the signaling happening with putting RFK in HHS is showing some sense of priorities, and I think those priorities are not favoring, necessarily, the interest of business and protecting them from regulation,” he told ABC News.

ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Monday was divided over whether the Food and Drug Administration had unlawfully rejected millions of flavored e-cigarettes for approved sale in U.S. over concerns about nicotine addiction among young people.

During oral arguments in a case that could have a significant impact on public health, the justices grappled with tobacco industry claims that the government had given unclear and shifting requirements for new product applications and failed to provide proper notice to the companies.

“FDA switched its position on what studies were required” to show that the products have benefits to existing smokers that offset risks to youth, argued Eric Heyer, the attorney representing vape manufacturers Triton Distribution and Vapetasia, which are seeking a green light to market e-liquids such as “Jimmy the Juice Man Peachy Strawberry” and “Iced Pineapple Express.”

Federal law requires sellers of new nicotine products to provide regulators with scientific evidence to show that the products would promote public health, but the statute does not spell out specifically what evidence is necessary and sufficient. The FDA’s guidance on how to meet that requirement is at the center of the case.

“Their argument is that the guidance were actually a moving target, that either they weren’t clear or you changed the guidance as time went on,” said Justice Clarence Thomas, who appeared sympathetic to vape manufacturers.

“That is their argument,” replied Biden administration lawyer Curtis Gannon, representing the FDA, adding, “But I think that the key point is that they knew from the statute that they needed to be making this comparison about what the benefits were with respect to existing smokers and weighing that against the potential costs with respect to nonsmokers and attracting youth.”

Justice Neil Gorusch suggested that the companies might not have been given “fair notice” of how they could comply with the law. “Wouldn’t due process require an opportunity for notice and a hearing?” he asked Gannon.

E-cigarettes and vapes, which deliver nicotine without some of the harmful effects of smoking, have been booming in popularity. Kid-friendly flavors, such as fruit, candy, mint, menthol and desserts, are not approved by the FDA and are on the market illegally.

While vaping among youth is declining, more than 1.6 million children use the products, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 90% of them consume illicit flavored brands.

Manufacturers have acknowledged that their products may appeal to youth but insist that a “growing body of scientific evidence” shows that “flavors are crucial to getting adult smokers to make the switch and stay away from combustible cigarettes.”

A federal appeals court sided with the companies last year, saying the agency had acted arbitrarily. If the Supreme Court upholds that ruling, it could clear the way for broader marketing and sale of flavored nicotine products.

The Court’s three liberal justices all seemed to share the government’s view that FDA did not illegally move the goal posts during the process and that the companies simply lacked the evidence to win approval.

Since 2009, when Congress passed legislation aimed at curbing tobacco use among young people, the government has almost universally denied tobacco company requests to sell flavored nicotine e-liquids, citing risks of addiction among minors.

The FDA said the two companies in this case provided insufficient evidence that the benefits of their flavored e-products in helping tobacco smokers quit exceed the dangers of hooking children.

“I’m so totally confused,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor told Heyer. “What [FDA] said is what you provided wasn’t sufficient.”

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said she was “baffled” by Heyer’s argument because the FDA had explicitly articulated its standard.

“I guess I’m not really seeing what the surprise is here, or what the change is here,” said Justice Elena Kagan. “There’s just not a lot of mystery here about what FDA was doing. You might disagree with that, because you think that, in fact, the world of 40-year-olds really wants to do blueberry vaping, but you can’t say that FDA hasn’t told you all about what it’s thinking in this respect.”

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who could be a critical vote in the case, signaled sympathy to the industry’s complaint about discretionary government regulation but suggested he wasn’t convinced FDA had acted unreasonably.

“If the agency says [your claims of benefits to adult smokers] that doesn’t outweigh the harm to youth, we’ve reviewed everything, we’re aware of everything, of course they’re aware of everything that’s out there, that’s kind of the end of it, isn’t it?” Kavanaugh asked.

Even if they lose the case, several justices noted, the vape manufacturers could reapply for approval with the FDA in a new application.

While the first Trump administration had taken a hard line against the marketing and sale of sweet and candy-flavored vapes, president-elect Donald Trump said during the campaign that he wants to “save” flavored vapes.

“We don’t know exactly what that’s going to look like,” said Heyer. But, he added, that his clients “can’t afford to wait that out.”

Nearly a quarter of high school students who use e-cigarettes consume illicit menthol-flavored varieties, according to the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey.

Josie Shapiro, the 2024 national youth ambassador for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids who testified before Congress on the dangers of nicotine addiction, said illicit flavored vapes hooked her at age 14.

“I think that by marketing any sort of flavored product as bubble gum or any of the genres of candy, it’s going to catch the eyes of children,” Shapiro said. “I’m still addicted, and I’m still trying to fight my addiction. Honestly, the FDA needs to regulate all flavored tobaccos to flavor ‘tobacco’ products and get them off the market.”

Public health experts have credited the FDA’s restrictions on flavored nicotine products with helping to drive down the number of teenagers who vape gradually from an “epidemic” level just five years ago.

The case, Food and Drug Administration v. Wages and White Lion Investments, LLC, will be decided before the end of the Supreme Court’s term in June 2025.

ABC News’ Patty See contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON, DC) — President Joe Biden and his family discussed whether to pardon Hunter Biden during their time together in Nantucket for Thanksgiving, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News Monday.

Senior White House staff learned of the possibility of a pardon on Saturday evening. President Biden made his final decision on Sunday, the source said.

Biden did not answer questions on the issue as he left late Sunday for a three-day trip to Africa.

Hunter Biden, the president’s only surviving son, was convicted on federal gun-related charges in June and pleaded guilty to nine tax-related charges in September. Both cases carried the possibility of significant prison time and he was set to be sentenced in both later this month.

President Biden had long said he would not pardon his son, including in an interview with ABC’s David Muir as Hunter Biden’s gun trial was underway this past summer.

In his statement on Sunday evening, Biden contended his son was “unfairly” prosecuted after pressure from his political opponents.

“For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth. They’ll be fair-minded. Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice — and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further,” President Biden said.

Hunter Biden, his wife Melissa Cohen Biden and their son Beau, as well as Ashley Biden, spent Thanksgiving in Nantucket with President Biden and first lady Jill Biden.

“I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” the president added.

Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump, pounced on the reversal.

Congressional Republicans spent years investigating the Biden family, including Hunter Biden, over their business dealings. House Republicans released a report in August on their impeachment probe filled with allegations, many targeted toward Hunter Biden, but no recommendation of specific impeachment articles and no evidence of President Biden himself being directly involved in alleged improper activities.

It’s not clear whether Republicans will continue their probes after President Biden leaves office in January.

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday criticized the pardon, which extends as far back as 2014.

“President Biden insisted many times he would never pardon his own son for his serious crimes. But last night he suddenly granted a ‘Full and Unconditional Pardon’ for any and all offenses that Hunter committed for more than a decade!” Johnson wrote on X. “Trust in our justice system has been almost irreparably damaged by the Bidens and their use and abuse of it. Real reform cannot begin soon enough!”

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After prevailing in a state that went for Republican Donald Trump, Democratic Gov.-elect Josh Stein said that his service as North Carolina’s attorney general gave voters confidence and called the Tar Heel state a “bright spot” for Democrats on election night.

Stein told ABC’s “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl that Kamala Harris ran a “strong campaign,” but was hindered by a condensed timeline and “tough national mood.”

“It was an unfortunate night for Democrats across this country, but North Carolina was a bright spot,” Stein said. ” And we’re proud of what we accomplished here.”

Fresh off his gubernatorial victory, Stein pointed to Democrats winning North Carolina’s secretary of state and attorney general races. As North Carolina’s current attorney general, he defeated Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, whose campaign was plagued by allegations of past racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic comments.

Stein outperformed Harris in North Carolina, winning 55% of the vote to Harris’ 48%. In the statehouse, Democrats won enough seats to stave off a Republican supermajority. Stein heavily outraised his opponent and used social media to highlight Robinson’s incendiary remarks.

While Democrats have won eight of the last nine gubernatorial races in the Tar Heel state, Barack Obama was the last Democrat to take North Carolina in 2008.

Asked to explain his swing state victory, Stein said his campaign was about “fighting for every person.”

“Voters had a really clear choice,” said Stein. “Our vision was positive and forward-looking.”

He pointed to a focus on public safety, education and personal freedoms, including voting rights and reproductive rights. Stein also said his position as attorney general lent a familiarity with voters.

“I think the fact that I had a track record of delivering for the people of North Carolina as their attorney general helped give them confidence in knowing that I wasn’t just speaking words, but that I would work hard every day to deliver,” Stein said.

Stein has promised to govern in a bipartisan way. In his victory speech, he spoke about the importance of working across the aisle since “no person or party has a monopoly on good ideas.”

He spoke about Hurricane Helene recovery efforts across North Carolina and his recent visit to Washington to advocate for relief funding alongside Republican legislators. Stein said he is “eager” to work with the Trump administration to provide relief.

Pressed on his biggest fear in a second Trump term, Stein pointed to the president-elect’s selection of hardliner Kash Patel to lead the FBI. Patel is one of Trump’s fiercest defenders and has said he would turn the FBI into a museum for the “Deep State.”

“I want somebody who respects the rule of law,” Stein said. “And [Patel’s] nomination for the FBI does not give me confidence that that’s a top priority,”

Asked about Trump’s promise of mass deportations, Stein said that it’s “not a priority” to deport law-abiding citizens.

“They are instrumental to our communities, they are instrumental to our economy,” he said.

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Republican Sen. Mike Rounds emphasized his support for current FBI Director Christopher Wray after President-elect Donald Trump announced he intended to nominate loyalist Kash Patel for the department’s top job.

“I think the president picked a very good man to be the director of the FBI when he did that in his first term,” Rounds told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl about Wray. “When we meet with him behind closed doors, I’ve had no objections to the way that he’s handled himself, and so I don’t have any complaints about the way that he’s done his job right now.”

However, Rounds reiterated the president-elect’s right to select his Cabinet and Trump’s selection of Patel is not surprising.

“It doesn’t surprise me that he will pick people that he believes are very loyal to himself, and that’s been a part of the process,” Rounds said. “Every president wants people that are loyal to themselves.”

In his book “Government Gangsters,” Patel calls for a “comprehensive housecleaning” of the Justice Department and an eradication of “government tyranny” within the FBI, promising to fire and prosecute officials. Patel has also promoted conspiracy theories about the “Deep State” and vehemently defended Jan. 6 rioters.

FBI directors are nominated and confirmed to serve 10-year terms. After being nominated by Trump, Wray’s term began in August 2017. Months earlier, Trump had fired James Comey, who was still less than four years into his tenure as director. Trump did not mention Wray in his Truth Social post announcing Patel for director, but unless Wray resigns the position, Trump will have to fire him to nominate a new leader.

“The president has the right to make nominations, but normally these are for a 10-year term,” Rounds explained. “We’ll see what his process is and whether he actually makes that nomination.”

Rounds reiterated that although the Senate will give Trump the “benefit of the doubt,” it will uphold its “constitutional role.”

“We still go through a process, and that process includes advice and consent, which, for the Senate, means advice or consent sometimes,” Rounds promised.

Turning to the global stage, Rounds — a staunch supporter of the U.S. aiding Ukraine in its war against Russia — called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “tyrant” and suggested that negotiating with him may be futile.

“I think Mr. Putin is a tyrant. I think dealing with him is going to be extremely difficult,” Rounds said, expressing hope for Trump to succeed but recognizing that this would present a challenge for “any president.”

“I want to see Ukraine with its sovereignty protected,” he said. “I just think it’s going to be a major, major task to overcome what Putin is offering” on Ukraine giving up territory to end the war.

He added that you cannot trust “a guy that doesn’t honor their word,” which he says Putin has done.

In regard to Trump’s promise to slap 25% tariffs on all imports from Canada and Mexico, Rounds said the president-elect is a “successful businessman” who “really does believe that tariffs can be a great tool.”

“He thinks that by suggesting these tariffs right now, he’s going to get the attention of the leaders in the other countries,” Rounds said, adding that Trump believes the tariffs will “fix our borders.”

However, Rounds also recognized the potential impact tariffs could have on his constituents, particularly South Dakota farmers who could be affected by the tariffs.

In 2018, China retaliated against Trump’s tariffs by implementing its own on U.S. soybean exports that hurt U.S. farmers.

“Look, we’re an [agricultural] state. And when I talk to my farmers and to my ranchers about that, they’re concerned about retaliation,” Rounds said, though he added that they understand the importance of tariffs, especially when it comes to the border.

“If we’ve got to have tariffs, so be it,” he said. “We’re going to support the president.”

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National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that President Joe Biden is looking to make as much progress as possible on foreign policy before he leaves office next month.

In an interview with “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl, Sullivan said that Biden is hoping to surge aid to Ukraine and move forward with ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas with his time left in office. Both conflicts have dogged the administration, with Ukraine struggling to retake territory it lost to Russia and little progress in Gaza despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“We are going to do everything in our power for these 50 days to get Ukraine all the tools we possibly can to strengthen their position on the battlefield so that they’ll be stronger at the negotiating table. And President Biden directed me to oversee a massive surge in the military equipment that we are delivering to Ukraine so that we have spent every dollar that Congress has appropriated to us by the time that President Biden leaves office,” Sullivan said.

When pressed on clinching a deal in Gaza and possibly broader diplomatic breakthroughs between Israel and Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, Sullivan said, “The first step is getting the ceasefire and hostage deal. If we can get that into effect, then the possibilities for a broader diplomatic initiative in the region along the lines that you just described really open up, and we will use every day we have in office to try to generate as much progress towards that end as possible.”

Making progress on both fronts remains a tall order for multiple reasons. The U.S. has vowed to not make any decisions about Ukraine without Kyiv’s input and the Israeli government has appeared reluctant to wind down fighting in Gaza.

And with President-elect Donald Trump entering office, foreign policy priorities will undoubtedly be shaken up. Trump is believed to be unlikely to pressure Israel to scale back its military operations in Gaza, and he has appeared skeptical of sending aid to Ukraine at the same pace the Biden administration has.

“I’ve encouraged the Ukrainian team to engage the incoming team as well as to engage all of our allies and partners, because, again, on Jan. 21, the war in Ukraine doesn’t just go away. Obviously, the new team will have its own policy, its own approach, and I can’t speak to that, but what I can do is make sure that we put Ukraine in the best possible position when we hand off the baton,” Sullivan said, referencing the day after Trump takes office.

Still, Sullivan debunked a report suggesting that the administration is open to returning nuclear weapons to Ukraine.

“That is not under consideration. No. What we are doing is surging various conventional capacities to Ukraine so that they can effectively defend themselves and take the fight to the Russians, not nuclear capability,” he told Karl.

Sullivan did say, however, that the transition is going smoothly.

“We got a lot of work to do, and frankly, we’re going to try to do that also in a way where we have a smooth transition with the incoming Trump team. And I have to say that I’ve been gratified so far by the coordination I’ve been able to have with the incoming Trump team. They seem focused also on a smooth transition, because they want to be able to hit the ground running,” he told Karl.

After Trump takes office, however, things become less clear.

Trump on Saturday tapped Kash Patel, a loyalist and vocal critic of the Justice Department, as his pick to lead the FBI. Patel has railed against the so-called “Deep State,” naming Sullivan as a member.

When pressed on if that pick concerns him, Sullivan dodged.

“I’m not going to speak to President-elect Trump’s nominees. I’ll let him and his transition team speak to that,” Sullivan said.

“We inherited an FBI director who actually had been appointed by President Trump, Director Chris Wray, who has continued to serve in that role through the four years of the Biden administration, and served with distinction, served entirely insulated from politics where the partisan preferences of the current sitting president of the United States. This is a good, deep, bipartisan tradition that President Biden adhered to.”

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(WASHINGTON) — Republican Sen. Mike Rounds emphasized his support for current FBI Director Christopher Wray, whom President-elect Donald Trump intends to fire and replace with the loyalist Kash Patel.

“I think the president picked a very good man to be the director of the FBI when he did that in his first term,” Rounds told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl about Wray. “When we meet with him behind closed doors, I’ve had no objections to the way that he’s handled himself, and so I don’t have any complaints about the way that he’s done his job right now.”

However, Rounds reiterated the president-elect’s right to select his Cabinet and Trump’s selection of Patel is not surprising.

“It doesn’t surprise me that he will pick people that he believes are very loyal to himself, and that’s been a part of the process,” Rounds said. “Every president wants people that are loyal to themselves.”

A staunch supporter of Ukraine, Rounds called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “tyrant” and suggested that negotiating with him might be futile.

“I think Mr. Putin is a tyrant. I think dealing with him is going to be extremely difficult,” Rounds said, expressing hope for Trump to succeed but recognizing that this will be a challenge for “any president.”

He added that you can’t trust “a guy that doesn’t honor their word,” which he says Putin had done.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(NEW YORK) — President-elect Donald Trump announced he will nominate Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration.

In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump said that Chronister — who has served the Tampa, Florida, area for over 32 years — will work with his attorney general selection, Pam Bondi, to help secure the U.S.-Mexico Border.

The DEA administrator is a Senate-confirmed position.

“As DEA Administrator, Chad will work with our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to secure the Border, stop the flow of Fentanyl, and other Illegal Drugs, across the Southern Border, and SAVE LIVES,” Trump wrote.

Chronister was appointed to lead the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office by then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott in 2017 and has been twice reelected by voters.

He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in science in criminal justice from St. Leo University and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy’s 260th session.

Chronister is married to Nikki DeBartolo and has two sons.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody took to X on Saturday to congratulate Chronister on the nomination and praise his experience in fighting on the “frontlines” of the opioid crisis.

“Chad has fought on the frontlines of the opioid crisis, and I know his leadership and decades of experience will be invaluable as we work to combat the flow of Mexican fentanyl into our county,” Moody wrote.

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(NEW YORK) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday that he plans on firing FBI director Christopher Wray and replacing him with longtime ally Kash Patel.

The appointment must be approved by the Senate.

Patel has been a staunch supporter of Trump for years and served in his first administration under a number of roles. He has vocally defended Jan. 6 rioters.

Patel has said he would target journalists, former senior FBI and Department of Justice officials and turn the FBI into a museum for the “deep state” on Day 1.

“This FBI will end the growing crime epidemic in America, dismantle the migrant criminal gangs, and stop the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the Border,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

The FBI and Patel did not immediately comment about Trump’s announcement. Trump can not make personnel changes to the FBI until he is sworn in.

Wray was appointed in 2017 after he fired Director James Comey, less than four years into his 10 year term. Trump claimed Comey “wasn’t doing a good job.”

Patel, 44, grew up in Long Island and earned a law degree from Pace University Law School. He first served as a public defender in Miami for nine years before moving to Washington D.C. in 2013 to work at Justice Department’s National Security Division.

Patel left the Justice Department in 2017 claiming frustration with the agency, especially with the handling of the Benghazi case.

He went on to lead the “Russia Gate” investigation for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, with a promise from Nunes that after the investigation he would help Patel get a job at the National Security Council in the White House.

As the self-described “lead investigator of the Russia Gate hoax,” Patel authored the so-called “Nunes memo” alleging that the FBI improperly eavesdropped on former Trump adviser Carter Page.

A major report by the Justice Department’s inspector general released in late 2019 found that the FBI was not impacted by political bias when it opened the investigation — though it outlined what it called “serious performance failures” on the part of agents as they vetted information from sources and sought surveillance warrants against Page.

In February 2019, Patel became Deputy Assistant to the President and “senior director for counterterrorism” on the White House’s National Security Council.

In February 2020, Patel took on a “temporary duty assignment” as deputy to the newly installed acting Director of National Intelligence. That November, after Trump lost the election, Patel was named chief of staff for the Defense Department, despite large critics pointing out that he was unqualifed for the role.

After Trump left the White House, Patel held a number of jobs including hosting shows on far right media outlets.

On a podcast two months ago, Patel said anyone involved in “Russiagate” should be stripped of their security clearances.

According to Patel, there is a “massive” list of such government officials, from the FBI and Justice Department to the CIA and U.S. military.

“They all still have clearances,” including those who left government for private sector jobs, so “everybody” should lose their clearances, Patel said.

Patel said he has personally “recommended” to Trump that the new administration also strip any security clearances still held by the 51 then-former intelligence officials, including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA director John Brennan, who in October 2020, just weeks before the 2020 presidential election, signed onto a letter dismissing the public release of emails from Hunter Biden’s laptop as part of a “Russian information operation.”

Patel has also come to the defense of January 6th rioters.

He’s raised money for Jan. 6 defendants and their families, including by promoting the “J6 Prison Choir,” featuring Jan. 6 defendants still in jail, and co-producing their fundraising song “Justice for All,” which Trump played at some of his campaign rallies. And Patel once suggested Jan. 6 was “a free speech movement.”

Patel became a part of the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

After news surfaced that the National Archives found some classified documents in boxes previously stored at Mar-a-Lago, Patel called the news “disinformation” and insisted he was there when Trump “declassified whole sets of materials in anticipation of leaving government that he thought the American public should have the right to read themselves.”

Four weeks later, Trump named Patel as one of his official representatives to the National Archives, and Patel promised to “march down there,” “identify every single document that they blocked being declassified at the National Archives, and we are going to start putting that information out.”

Two months later, Patel’s claimed Trump declassifying documents were included in the FBI’s affidavit laying out why the FBI believed a broad search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate was warranted. And Patel was subpoenaed to testify to the grand jury investigating the matter, but at first he refused to answer key questions.

He later returned to the grand jury and answered those questions only after being granted limited-use immunity. He has blasted the entire probe as unlawful overreach by a politically corrupted Justice Department.

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(NEW YORK) — New York state Sen. James Skoufis announced his long-shot bid for chairman of the Democratic National Committee on X on Saturday.

Skoufis, who paints himself as an outsider, underdog and part of a new generation, said he intends to point to his successful record in his district that favors President-elect Donald Trump.

Arguing for a new script, Skoufis said, “Voters have spoken, and we need to listen, not lecture. We need to be strong fighters again.”

“I may be an outsider, but I know how to win,” he continued. “I will throw out the DNC’s stale, Beltway-centered playbook so that we rebuild, stop ceding ground to Republicans and start winning again — everywhere. Not just the party, but the country depends on it. We can win this fight together.”

Skoufis, who has served in the New York legislature since 2013, joins the field with Martin O’Malley, the former Maryland governor who has served as commissioner of the Social Security Administration since December 2023, and Ken Martin, a vice chairman of the DNC who also leads the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Jaime Harrison, the current chairman, is not seeking a second term.

The election of a new DNC chair will take place at the party’s winter meeting in National Harbor, Maryland, on Feb. 1, 2025. Harrison announced earlier this week that there will be four forums for candidates to make their cases to DNC members, who will also select a vice chair, treasurer, secretary and national finance chair, after the party lost the presidency and couldn’t obtain a majority in either the Senate or the House in the 2024 elections.

“As my time as Chair comes to a close and we prepare to undertake the critical work of holding the Trump Administration and Republican Party accountable for their extremism and false promises, we are beginning to lay out the process for upcoming DNC officer elections in the New Year,” Harrison said in a statement. “The DNC is committed to running a transparent, equitable, and impartial election for the next generation of leadership to guide the party forward.”

The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee will meet on Dec. 12 to determine the Rules of Procedure for the contest, including what will be necessary to gain access to the ballot. In 2021, candidates needed the signatures of 40 DNC members, which is expected to hold for the 2025 race.

The 448 DNC members voting at the winter meeting includes 200 state-elected members from 57 states, territories and Democrats Abroad; members representing 16 affiliate groups; and 73 at-large members elected by the DNC, ABC News previously reported.

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