Explosive exchange about 9/11 happens at Secret Service hearing
Ronald Rowe, acting director of the United States Secret Service; Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe and Republican Texas Congressman Pat Fallon got into a screaming match Thursday at a House panel investigating the assassination attempt against President-elect Donald Trump.
Fallon yelled about Rowe’s attendance at the 9/11 memorial. He accused Rowe of putting the President’s Secret Service detail out of position so he could sit behind him during the 9/11 remembrance ceremony.
“Congressman, what you’re not seeing is the [lack] of the detail off out of the picture’s view. And that is the day where we remember more than 3000 people that have died on 911,” Rowe said Thursday. “I actually responded to Ground Zero. I was there going through the ashes of the World Trade Center. I was there at Fresh Kills..”
Fallon yelled at Rowe, asking if he was the special agent in charge.
“I was there to show respect for members that died on 9/11,” Rowe yelled back his finger pointing at Fallon. “Do not invoke 9/11 for political purposes,” Rowe shouted.
“Oh I am not,” Fallon responded.
“You are sir,” Rowe yelled back. “And you are out of line!”
“I am an elected member of Congress, and I’m asking you a serious question,” Fallon said.
“I am a public servant who has served,” Rowe yelled back.
Fallon accused the acting director of putting the life of the vice president in jeopardy to audition for the job.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — As the bipartisan group No Labels attempted to field a third-party independent bid in the 2024 presidential race, several of its opponents aggressively attempted to sabotage its operations in hopes of preventing the group from moving forward, according to a lawsuit the group has filed.
A lawsuit filed initially against NoLabels.com Inc. in the U.S. District Court of Delaware in December of 2023 alleges that some in the Democratic Party undertook deliberate efforts to undermine the group, ultimately forcing it to halt operations. No Labels is now seeking to recover monetary damages as a result.
NoLabels.com Inc., which was created to mimic the real No Labels website – NoLabels.org, is believed to be incorporated in Delaware, according to the suit.
Documents unsealed in the case allegedly show how a handful of Democratic strategists operating under the fake NoLabels.com banner attempted to use fear tactics to raise uncertainty among No Labels supporters and donors, drive skepticism in the media, and question the authenticity and scope of the centrist group. At one point, operatives even viciously targeted No Labels founder Nancy Jacobson, as well as candidates interested in serving on its “Unity Ticket.”
One document included a business deck orchestrated by a group of political operatives called the American Patriots Project (APP) to imitate No Labels’ website with the purchase of the NoLabels.com domain as well as Google search ads. According to the deck, the operatives attempted to mislead voters and paint the centrist group as Christo-nationalists and featured images of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaking on behalf of the group. The saboteurs’ goal was to imply that No Labels was a right-wing shadow effort. Furthermore, the proposal attempted to falsely fixate on “red meat issues” such as immigration and anti-abortion messaging.
U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware Judge Gregory B. Williams issued a court order for the operatives to take down the NoLabels.com website; however, No Labels believes that there were more attempts to disavow their operations.
No Labels subpoenaed APP on Nov. 5 seeking to uncover more information.
Democratic strategists with ties to American Bridge — which calls itself the largest research, video tracking, and rapid response organization affiliated with the Democratic Party — also attempted to single out donors, according to a three-step proposal in one email listed in court documents. As donors engaged in conversation, strategists would suggest that their money was being mismanaged with inefficient or wasteful spending. These strategists also attempted to misinform the media about No Labels’ goals.
ABC News has reached out for comment to American Bridge but has not gotten a reply.
Earlier this week, No Labels leaders updated supporters on a Zoom call.
“We believe in democracy in this organization, and obviously some people didn’t want us to live democracy out the way we were living it,” Mike Rawlings, the group’s national convention chairman, told the call before tossing to Dan Webb, a No Labels board member, who updated supporters on the legal findings.
Webb notified supporters that they called on the Department of Justice to look into any potential illegal conduct.
“I think one of the defining stories will be that it’s just wrong for a group of elite donors, party operatives, media mouthpieces to actually decide that the way, the way we should protect democracy is to make sure we have less of it,” Webb said.
Most of the No Labels “family members” on the call were infuriated with the allegations and pleaded for national exposure, suggesting outlets like “60 Minutes” or Joe Rogan’s podcast to spread awareness. Overall, the call was an opportunity for supporters to air their grievances.
“I agree wholeheartedly with publicizing this as much as possible, and not making it seem like it’s just normal politics,” one supporter said.
“This is not acceptable; they’ve interfered with the democratic process here,” another supporter added.
Asked if the efforts were “just politics” or “dirty politics,” No Labels leaders suggested it went beyond that.
“I’m a strong believer in the First Amendment, and political speech is absolutely protected by the First Amendment, but the law is also clear that you cannot violate the law and claim that even though you violated the law, you were just engaging in politics,” Webb said.
He continued, “I believe we did the right thing by reporting the information to the Department of Justice, and whatever the Department of Justice decides to do, they decide to do.”
One supporter suggested that the scandal sounded like Watergate and questioned whether it was worth pursuing lawsuits. Another supporter told No Labels leaders to focus on the Problem Solvers Caucus in Congress and dismiss the past.
“We should focus on the fact that no candidate received a majority in this election,” one supporter suggested. “Our need is to focus on fixing Congress. So I think we need to balance this very carefully and not focus on a way that distracts from one main issue, and casts us as being associated with the Trump administration.”
Back in April, the group halted its efforts when it was unable to find a candidate that had a credible path to winning with its bipartisan platform.
No Labels intended to offer a different choice than the presumptive presidential nominees at that time — incumbent President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump — to citizens who yearned for something new instead of a repeat of the 2020 election. As they entered the race in March, they suggested their internal polling showed more than 70% of Americans said they’d be open to another option.
The group intends to meet with supporters in Washington, D.C., in December to create a plan to deal with the new Congress and work with congressional leaders.
-ABC News’ Nicholas Kerr contributed to this report.
(LINCOLN, N.E.) — Over the past few weeks, independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn has shaken up what many thought was a predictable race in Nebraska.
Partisan polls show that two-term Republican Sen. Deb Fischer is facing a tougher than expected road to reelection in a state where former President Donald Trump is ahead by more than 10 points over Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race. 538’s polling average shows Osborn and Fischer running neck-and-neck.
Osborn, a former union president and Navy veteran, is a first-time candidate running in a traditionally GOP stronghold. Nebraska’s two senators and three members of Congress are all Republicans.
In his first network television interview, Osborn decried the polarized state of politics and told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl he’s looking to “challenge the system” by running for office.
“I’m frustrated with the two parties,” Osborn said on “This Week.” “The fighting, the infighting, the outfighting, not getting anything done.”
Osborn’s momentum can be traced to a creative ad campaign, in which the candidate says his opponent “has taken so much corporate cash, she should wear patches, like NASCAR.”
The Nebraska race has attracted $21 million from outside groups while Osborn has raised $8 million and Fischer $6.5 million.
An onslaught of advertising by Republicans to boost Fischer seeks to depict Osborn as a liberal. The National Republican Senatorial Committee placed a $172,000 ad buy in September, according to AdImpact.
Ads run by Fischer’s campaign call Osborn a “dangerous Trojan Horse,” with Trump casting him as a “Bernie Sanders-type Democrat” in another.
In response to these claims, Osborn said he’s been “a registered independent from the time I could vote.”
A newcomer to politics, Osborn has often spoken out against what he calls a “two party doom loop,” and criticized Fischer for voting against the bipartisan border security bill last spring.
Osborn led a strike at Kellogg’s cereal plants in 2021, successfully winning higher wages for workers. He said that this experience with Kellogg “really opened my eyes to the fact, you know, the way our world is and the way our government’s run.”
Democrats are defending 23 seats in the Senate and Republicans 11 this cycle. With razor-thin margins, an Osborn victory could deny Republicans the opportunity to claim a firm majority — depending on which party he chooses to caucus with.
When pressed by Karl on his potentially tie-breaking role in the Senate, Osborn declined to align himself with either party. He also didn’t say who he is supporting for president.
“I need to navigate down the middle because that’s what, that’s what the two party doom loop means,” said Osborn. “It means we’re so far apart and politics is so polarized.”
Osborn has said he wouldn’t accept any party endorsements, yet many Democrats are rallying around his candidacy. The Nebraska Democratic Party is supporting Osborn through press releases and mail materials to voters.
Trump endorsed Fischer in September, posting on Truth Social that “Deb Fischer has my Complete and Total Endorsement — SHE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!” Fischer said she was “honored to have President Trump’s support.”
Osborn told Karl that he “votes on the person,” noting that he supports a veteran if there’s one on the ballot.
If he prevails and Nebraska sends an independent to the Senate, Osborn said his election could be a “national movement.”
“I think this is the start of something special,” he said. “People are ready for it. And I want to be a part of it.”
(WASHINGTON) — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, was back on Capitol Hill Tuesday looking to shore up support as he fends off new allegations of misconduct and sexual impropriety.
The allegations were top of mind for Republican senators, one of whom called recent reports “very disturbing.” Several GOP lawmakers suggested Hegseth needed to come forward and address them.
But Hegseth, holding hands with his wife as he walked the halls, continued to ignore questions about the New Yorker report that he was forced to step down from two veteran nonprofit groups — Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America — amid accusations of financial mismanagement, sexist behavior and other disqualifying behavior.
The magazine cited what it called a detailed seven-page whistleblower report — compiled by multiple former C.V.A. employees — stating that, at one point, Hegseth had to be restrained while drunk from joining the dancers on the stage of a Louisiana strip club, where he had brought his team. The report also says that Hegseth, who was married at the time, and other members of his management team sexually pursued the organization’s female staffers, the magazine said.
ABC News has not independently confirmed the magazine’s account. Hegseth’s attorney, Tim Parlatore, told The New Yorker the claims were “outlandish.”
“We’re going to meet with every senator that wants to meet with us, across the board, and we welcome their advice as we go through the advice and consent process,” Hegseth told reporters as he arrived for a second day of sitdowns with senators.
Hegseth was asked dozens of questions by reporters, including what he would say to those troubled by the allegations, whether the women who’ve spoken out are lying, whether he had a drinking problem and if the Trump transition team had been aware of the allegations.
He did not respond, including when asked by ABC’s Elizabeth Schulze about GOP Sen. Joni Ernst saying she thinks he should have agreed to a background check.
Trump’s team came out in defense of Hegseth earlier Tuesday. Senior adviser Jason Miller, in an interview on CNN, attempted to brush off the allegations as “innuendo and gossip.”
“So, when it comes to Pete Hegseth, there aren’t any concerns, and we feel very good about his positioning for being confirmed by the Senate,” Miller said. “Now we have to take the process very seriously.”
Republican senators, peppered with questions on Hegseth and other recent Trump picks as they returned to Washington this week, also say they want a “normal” confirmation process to play — which would routinely include FBI background checks.
But some of their statements, so far, stopped short of glowing endorsements.
“I think some of these articles are very disturbing. He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is — it’s going to be difficult. Time will tell,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“Leadership comes from the top, and I want to make sure that every young woman who joins the military space is respected,” Graham said, seemingly referencing Hegseth’s comments against women serving in combat roles.
Sen. Josh Hawley, another member of the key panel, argued Hegseth would have the opportunity to answer all questions during the confirmation process though notably indicated some of his Republican colleagues are “very worried.”
“I would just urge my Republican colleagues, who are very worried, I know a number of them are expressing public concern — it’s fine, but I would just urge them, before they make up their minds, right before they make up their minds, let them have this hearing and listen to let’s go through the process here and give them a shot to answer this and more and to lay out this vision for you,” Hawley said.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who stood by Hegseth as a “great” pick on Monday, had similarly suggested Hegseth could face headwinds.
“Obviously, if it’s to a certain degree, people are not going to vote to confirm it,” Tuberville said when asked about the allegations after their meeting. “But what I know when I talk to him about what I’ve read, what I’ve studied and been around him, I’ll vote for him.”
Many suggesting that he needs to come forward and address it.
“Well, these allegations that have come up just in the last 12 to 14 hours are a surprise to all of us, and so yes, he does need to address those because this was not something of which we were aware, nor was President Trump aware of them,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., who met with Hegseth on Monday night with a group of senators.
Asked about his ability to make it through the nomination process, Lummis said she hopes to meet with him one-on-one and deferred to how he addresses the new allegations.
“It depends on how he addresses the issues that have been raised,” Lummis said. “Some of the earlier issues that were raised about an incident in California I think were satisfactorily addressed and would not have interfered with his nomination, but some new things that have come to light in the last 12 to 14 hours are things he needs to address.”
“I have read all the articles, I have seen all the allegations. And Mr. Hegseth is going to have to address it,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said.
“I want to know if they’re true, and I want to hear his side of the story. And he’s going to have to address them,” Kennedy added.
Hegseth met Tuesday with Sen. Deb Fischer, one of two Republican women on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and GOP Sen. Bill Hagerty in their respective offices.
He was also scheduled to meet with Republican Sens. Ted Budd, Shelley Moore Capito, Jim Risch and Eric Schmitt.
Schmitt said he was “definitely going to ask questions” about the allegations.
