Raskin asks Alito to recuse himself from Trump case after phone call between the two
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(WASHINGTON) — The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, on Thursday urged Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from any consideration of President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to block his sentencing for his conviction in his hush money case in New York following ABC News’ reporting of a Tuesday phone call between Trump and Alito.
“Yesterday, we learned that President-elect Trump spoke to Justice Alito just hours before Trump asked the Supreme Court to halt his criminal sentencing in New York. Justice Alito brushed off this startling ex parte private phone call and breach of judicial ethics by asserting that this perfectly timed conversation actually regarded his recommendation of a former clerk for an administration job,” Raskin said in a statement.
“Especially when paired with his troubling past partisan ideological activity in favor of Trump, Justice Alito’s decision to have a personal phone call with President Trump—who obviously has an active and deeply personal matter before the court—makes clear that he fundamentally misunderstands the basic requirements of judicial ethics or, more likely, believes himself to be above judicial ethics altogether.”
ABC News reported that the call came just hours before before Trump’s lawyers on Wednesday morning filed an emergency request with the justices asking them to block a New York judge from moving forward with sentencing Trump in his criminal hush money case on Friday.
In his statement, Raskin said, “Justice Alito has made his political leanings and support for the president-elect clear, whether it be his display of flags in apparent support of the January 6th insurrectionists and the ‘Stop the Steal’ movement, or his self-proclaimed ideological battle with ‘the Left.'”
“In our democracy, Americans expect their cases to be heard by impartial judges,” he said.
Alito told ABC News the call concerned a job recommendation for one of his former clerks in the new administration.
“William Levi, one of my former law clerks, asked me to take a call from President-elect Trump regarding his qualifications to serve in a government position,” the justice said Wednesday. “I agreed to discuss this matter with President-elect Trump, and he called me yesterday afternoon.”
Alito said that he and Trump did not discuss his hush money case.
“We did not discuss the emergency application he filed today, and indeed, I was not even aware at the time of our conversation that such an application would be filed,” Alito said. “We also did not discuss any other matter that is pending or might in the future come before the Supreme Court or any past Supreme Court decisions involving the President-elect.”
It is not unusual for a sitting justice to offer a job recommendation for a former clerk, but it is rare, court analysts said, for a justice to have such a conversation directly with a sitting president or president-elect, especially one with an active stake in business pending before the court.
The court is expected to weigh in on Trump’s request by Friday morning.
The hush money case is not the only one before the Supreme Court that Trump has an interest in. On Friday, the court will hear a last-ditch challenge to a law that would ban the video-sharing app TikTok on Jan. 19 unless its Chinese-based parent company sells its stake.
Trump asked the court in a filing late last month to pause the divestiture deadline in order to give him a chance to reach a “negotiated resolution” to save the app once he takes office on Jan. 20.
(WASHINGTON) — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, said on Wednesday he would not “back down” as new misconduct allegations cause growing concern among Republican senators tasked with whether to confirm him.
Going public in his own defense, Hegseth also directly addressed several of the accusations for the first time in an interview with Megyn Kelly. He denied many of the claims he mistreated women and pushed back on reports he was forced out from two veterans’ nonprofit groups.
He’s also promised senators he’s stopped drinking and won’t drink if confirmed, according to Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt. Some of the misconduct accusations included claims he has been drunk in public.
“He offered up to me, and I know he has with other senators too, that he’s not drinking, and that’s not something he’s going to do when confirmed here,” Schmitt said a day after meeting with Hegseth.
Sen. Roger Wicker, the incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which would vote to send Hegseth’s nomination to the full Senate, affirmed that Hegseth committed to not drinking if he was confirmed.
“The allegation was made about him being intoxicated at several times and so the questions that every member will be asking him led to his statement,” Wicker said.
Pressed to confirm Hegseth told him he would stop drinking altogether, Wicker replied, “That’s right, that’s exactly right.”
North Dakota Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer said he was encouraged by Hegseth’s pledge in their private meeting Wednesday to abstain from alcohol as defense secretary.
“He said, ‘My commitment is to not touch alcohol while I have this position,'” said Cramer, who lost a son to alcohol addiction in 2018.
“I said, ‘It’s really important that we have a clear-eyed secretary of defense if the phone rings at 3 in the morning.'” Cramer said. He said Hegseth replied that he would be clear-eyed at “3 in the morning, 3 in the afternoon, and every hour in between.”
Cramer said Hegseth told him there were times when he “drank too much, but never times that I drank too much and anything improper happened.”
Hegseth said he spoke with Trump earlier on Wednesday, and said the president-elect told him: “Keep going, keep fighting. I’m behind you all the way.”
The comments come as a number of senators — at least six — have privately signaled they are not inclined to vote for him, leading Trump’s advisers to begin discussing who may be a viable replacement, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Multiple sources also told ABC News that Trump and Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke about the job Tuesday and DeSantis expressed interest in it. Other possible candidates include Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst and Tennessee Gov. Bill Hagerty, said sources familiar with private discussions.
As he walked with his wife through the Capitol for a third day of sit-downs with GOP lawmakers, Hegseth was peppered with questions from reporters asking if he’s committed to remaining in the running. He replied, “Why would I back down? I’ve always been a fighter. I’m here for the war fighters. This is personal and passionate for me.”
Hegseth met with Ernst on Wednesday afternoon. Ernst briefly spoke with reporters after, calling it a “throughout conversation.”
Asked by ABC’s Jay O’Brien if Hegseth alleviated any of her concerns, Ernst did not respond.
When pressed if there’s any chance she was being considered to replace Hegseth, Ernst responded: “Mr. Hegseth is the nominee.”
Shortly after he was tapped by Trump to lead the Pentagon, it was reported that Hegseth had paid a settlement agreement to a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017.
Over the weekend, the New Yorker, citing what it called a detailed seven-page whistleblower report, said Hegseth was forced to step down from two veterans’ nonprofit groups amid accusations of financial mismanagement, sexist behavior and other disqualifying conduct. ABC News has not independently confirmed the magazine’s account.
Hegseth denied most of the allegations against him as Kelly went through them.
He flatly denied the 2017 sexual assault allegation, saying he paid a settlement to protect his wife and career.
He pushed back on reports he was forced out of the veterans’ groups, though he didn’t dispute mismanaging funds at Veterans for Freedom, blaming it on being an “amateur.”
“Am I a perfect man? No, was I a perfect man? Absolutely not,” Hegseth said. “Do I regret those things? Yes. But is it who I am today? No, and I’m just grateful for the grace of God that gives me a new chapter.”
Hegseth’s lawyer Tim Parlatore told CNN on Wednesday his client was looking forward to doing an FBI background check.
“He knows, as I know, that FBI investigators are professionals. They’re going to go through this. They’re going to not just take a few anonymous complaints and put that in the report. They’re going to try and corroborate it,” Parlatore said. “The FBI background check is going to exonerate him of the vast majority of these claims, and so he’s very much looking forward to that.”
Parlatore claimed that while Hegseth isn’t an “angel” and that he has partied “a bit,” the onslaught of allegations coming out against him are because people are “threatened” by changes he would bring to the Pentagon.
His mother, Penelope Hegseth, also offered a defense of her son on “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday morning.
She sent an email to her son in 2018 amid his divorce in which she wrote that he was an “abuser of women.” The email was reported by the New York Times. ABC News has not independently obtained the email.
Penelope Hegseth on Wednesday said her son was a “changed” man and that the email was written in “haste” during a “very emotional time.” She said that she “retracted it with an apology email” just hours after she sent it, and that she and her son are “very close today.”
Penelope Hegseth, imploring senators to listen to his account, also said she believed her son was “the man for the job.”
Hegseth told Kelly he was still confident he’ll be confirmed but said if he isn’t, he’ll know “I did everything I could in this process.”
“So, we don’t know precisely how this is all going to play out. I’m going to go up on Capitol Hill, meet with all these senators, keep working hard, try to earn votes, respect the process,” he said.
ABC News’ Rick Klein, Rachel Scott, Ivan Pereira and Allison Pecorin contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Election officials across the country are trying to prepare for what’s out of their control.
When millions of Americans head to the polls on Tuesday, some voters might encounter minor issues including equipment malfunctions or delays. Election officials say that they are prepared for those inevitable challenges, which can come up every election year — but that they struggle with the torrent of misinformation that could follow, where bad actors or election skeptics will sometimes use minor issues to amplify unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud.
A preview of that problem played out last week in Kentucky when a voter shared a video online of what officials called a “user error” on an electronic ballot-marking machine that created the false impression the device was switching votes from Donald Trump to Kamala Harris. Election officials said the machine produces a paper ballot, which the user then has multiple opportunities to confirm before their vote is scanned — and that the voter who posted the video was able to cast their ballot as intended.
After the machine was taken out of service, Laurel County Clerk Tony Brown shared a video online demonstrating the machine working without issue and said that officials struggled to replicate the error. But the damage was already done, with the original video amassing tens of millions of views on social media, where it was shared by users suggesting that voting machines were being used to rig the election.
Nevertheless, the incident in Kentucky underscores what election experts have been stressing to the voting public: While minor glitches may occur at a few isolated polling places, they are not an indication of widespread voter fraud.
“I hate that this has occurred here in Laurel County,” Brown posted. “We strive to have accurate, secure and safe elections that we are proud to provide to our citizens.”
Anticipating similar issues on Election Day, election officials in some counties have prepared pre-written fact checks that can be shared online to quickly counter misinformation before it spreads.
“If there’s an issue that comes up on Election Day, we can kind of say, like, ‘Here’s something that you might have seen, here’s actually what happened,'” said Samantha Shepherd, communications manager for Loudon County, Virginia. “That’s kind of our crisis communication plan for mis- and disinformation.”
Election workers hope that clear communication and transparency can stem the tide of what Jen Easterly, director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, describes as a “fire hose of disinformation” targeting the integrity of the country’s elections.
“Election officials have never been better prepared to deliver safe and secure and free and fair elections for the people,” Easterly said.
That security stems in part from built-in redundancies that allow officials to securely administer the election, even if equipment fails.
“We have paper backup nearly in every jurisdiction across this country, so that we can rely on that if technology is not there to assist us,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Across the country, 97% of voters will cast ballots in jurisdictions that provide verifiable paper backups, Easterly said.
That means if an electronic voting machine breaks down, election workers can return to traditional paper ballots, said Derek Tisler, an attorney with the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonprofit think tank. In a case like the ballot-marking device that was at issue in Kentucky, the paper ballot showed that the voter’s selection had to be corrected, which it was before their vote was actually cast.
“The common theme that we see with so many of the backups, specifically for technical issues, is that there is usually a very simple, paper-based system that can keep things moving smoothly until the issue can be resolved,” said Tisler.
Tisler also said there’s increased transparency in the aftermath of the 2020 election, with poll watchers able to oversee most elements of election administration, and election workers often operating in two-person or bipartisan teams.
“We are wide open. You can come in anytime,” said Aaron Ammons, the clerk in Champaign County, Illinois. “The public can come and see the process from A to Z, and I strongly encourage them.”
The decentralized nature of the country’s election infrastructure also protects against widespread fraud, according to experts. Instead of operating under a single nationwide system, elections are generally run on the county level, with some states like Wisconsin and Michigan running elections through thousands of municipal clerks — an arrangement that helps prevent bad actors from causing large-scale systemic problems.
“We have a large and decentralized election system that’s run in counties and cities across the country, and it’s natural that there’ll be some bumps in the road,” said Brian Hinkle, senior voting policy researcher at the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit think tank. “But in the end, these election officials take great pains to make sure the process is accurate, safe and secure.”
(WASHINGTON) — At noon today, Donald Trump takes the presidential oath for a second time, capping a historic political comeback to the White House.
The ceremony has been moved inside to the U.S. Capitol Rotunda because of frigid weather for only the first time since Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration 40 years ago.
Trump has told ABC’s Rachel Scott the themes of his inaugural address with be “unity, strength and fairness.” He will call for a “revolution of common sense,” according to excerpts of his speech.
Mike Pence to attend inauguration
Former Vice President Mike Pence announced his plans to attend the inauguration.
“Today, I will attend the Inauguration of President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance at the U. S. Capitol,” Pence wrote on X. “This is a day when every American does well to celebrate our democracy and the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution of the United States.”
Pence was seen arriving at the U.S. Capitol at around 9:30 a.m.
Trump and Vance have had a contentious relationship and did not interact publicly for four years after Pence broke with Trump by refusing to reject the 2020 election results.
Biden tells Trump: ‘Welcome home’
As Trump exited his limousine, Biden said to him: “Welcome home.”
Trump walked up the steps with Melania Trump and they shook hands with the Bidens.
Trump is now at the White House
Trump has arrived at the White House, where he will have tea with President Biden.
The two men will later ride together to the U.S. Capitol for Trump’s swearing in.
Trump’s return caps what has been a remarkable political comeback unlike anything in American history.
This isn’t Trump’s first time back at the White House. Biden invited him for an Oval Office meeting days after his victory in November.
Hundreds available to attend inauguration from inside the Capitol Rotunda
Guests will attend the inauguration from the Capitol Rotunda and overflow areas, with 800 able to attend from inside the Rotunda.
About 1,300 can attend in the Emancipation Hall, and 500 can watch from the theater in the Capitol Visitor Center.
— ABC News’ Justin Gomez and Allison Pecorin
Trump will rename Gulf of Mexico the ‘Gulf of America’ among 1st actions
Among the first executive orders set to be signed by President-elect Donald Trump will be an order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
During his January press conference at Mar-A-Lago, Trump declared he would change the name, saying it’s currently run by cartels and that “it’s ours.”
“We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring that covers a lot of territory, the Gulf of America,” Trump said. “What a beautiful name. And it’s appropriate. It’s appropriate. And Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country.”
Presidents have the authority to rename geographic regions and features via executive order.
-ABC News’ John Santucci and Kelsey Walsh
Biden takes selfie with first lady at White House
President Joe Biden snapped a selfie with first lady Jill Biden outside the White House, documenting their final morning in office.
The Bidens will soon host the Trumps for tea and coffee at the White House.
Bidens greet Harris at the White House Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff have arrived at the White House.
They exchanged handshakes with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden.
The Trumps will soon join Biden at the White House for tea. They have just exited St. John’s Episcopal Church.
Supporters line up outside Capital One Arena before dawn, despite sub-freezing temps
Temperatures in the high teens and low 20s did little to stop Trump supporters from lining up early to attend inauguration events at Capital One Arena.
Those at the front of the line arrived at 3 a.m., despite the fact that Trump was eight hours away from taking the oath, and doors were four hours away from opening.
Thousands were lined up by the time doors opened at 7 a.m.
ABC News spoke with supporters from all over the nation including southern California, Florida, and New York. Many arrived with family members that spanned generations.
ABC News’ Meghan Mistry
Trumps arrive for church service
Donald Trump and Melania Trump have arrived for a church service at St. John’s in Washington, a tradition for presidential inaugurations.
Trump said he’s feeling “great.”
After church, President Biden and first lady Jill Biden will welcome the Trumps to the White House — an invitation that Trump did not offer the Bidens four years ago when he skipped the inaugural events entirely.
First to ABC: Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Tom Homan and Kellyanne Conway to speak at Capital One Arena, per sources
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, “border czar” Tom Homan and Kellyanne Conway will speak at Capital One Arena, per sources familiar with the planning.
Elon Musk will join the speakers list as well.
The president will also swing by the Capital One Arena for the 60th Presidential Inaugural Ceremony Viewing & Parade.
The evening will include the Oval Office Signing Ceremony, followed by the Commander and Chief Ball, Liberty Ball, and Starlight Ball.
— ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh
Members of Trump’s family arrive at St. John’s
Trump is about to leave Blair House for the first event of the day: a service at St. John’s Episcopal Church.
Members of his family, including his children Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump, were seen arriving for the service.
Senior Trump adviser dismisses significance of Biden pardons
Jason Miller, a senior adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, dismissed the significance of President Joe Biden’s preemptive pardons for prominent political figures in an interview with “Good Morning America” on Monday.
“Today is about President Trump and starting to undo some of the disasters from the past four years,” Miller said shortly after the news of Biden’s inauguration day pardons broke.
“I really don’t care about Joe Biden anymore,” Miller added. “This is about the plan of action President Trump is going to start implementing, starting today.”
A preview of Trump’s inaugural address
Excerpts of Trump’s inaugural address, obtained by ABC News, show Trump will call for a “revolution of common sense.”
“I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country,” he will say.
Trump will also hint at the sweeping executive action he will take, with as many as 200 orders prepared for Day 1.
“Today, I will sign a series of historic executive orders,” he’ll say. “With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense.”
“My message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigor, and the vitality of history’s greatest civilization.”
What Trump has said he’ll do on Day 1
Mass deportations, Jan. 6 pardons and tariffs on trade partners. That’s just some of what Trump repeatedly vowed to do immediately after he is sworn into office.
Sources told ABC News Trump is likely to sign executive orders at the U.S. Capitol after his swearing-in and then additional ones later at Capital One Arena.
Separately, top Trump officials told ABC News he is preparing to take more than 200 executive actions on his first day in office.
While plans are still being finalized, sources said they could include declaring a national emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border, rescinding any DEI directives from the Biden administration and offsetting limits for offshore drilling on federal land.
Biden’s attendance restores hallmark of American democracy
After a bitter 2024 campaign, Biden will put politics aside and stand near his successor as he takes the presidential oath spelled out in the Constitution.
The gesture is a tradition of American democracy, but especially notable given that Trump skipped Biden’s inauguration four years ago after refusing to concede.
Still, Biden made sure to issue a final warning to Americans before he left office to be vigilant against potential abuses of power ahead.
“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead,” he said in his farewell address. “We see the consequences all across America.”
How to watch Trump’s inauguration
ABC News will have comprehensive coverage of the inauguration throughout the day.
Trump is expected to begin his day with a service at St. John’s Episcopal Church and a private tea at the White House before his swearing-in ceremony at noon in the Capitol Rotunda.
The network’s coverage will begin with a special edition of “Good Morning America” at 7 a.m. EST, followed by a day-long special report beginning at 9 a.m. EST and led by “World News Tonight” anchor and managing editor David Muir from Washington.
Inauguration coincides with MLK Day
Trump’s second swearing in is occurring on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The last time that happened was former President Barack Obama’s second inauguration in 2013. Obama, the nation’s first Black president, took the oath of office that year using two Bibles, one that belonged to King and one that belonged to Abraham Lincoln.
The overlap isn’t expected to happen again until 2053.
Fauci, Milley react to preemptive pardons from Biden
Following Biden’s announcement of preemptive pardons to potential targets of the incoming Trump administration, the recipients express their gratitude to the outgoing president.
“I really truly appreciate the action President Biden has taken today on my behalf,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl. “Let me be perfectly clear, Jon, I have committed no crime, you know that, and there are no possible grounds for any allegation or threat of criminal investigation or prosecution of me.”
Retired Gen. Mark Milley also expressed that he was “deeply grateful for the President’s action.”
“After forty-three years of faithful service in uniform to our Nation, protecting and defending the Constitution, I do not wish to spend whatever remaining time the Lord grants me fighting those who unjustly might seek retribution for perceived slights. I do not want to put my family, my friends, and those with whom I served through the resulting distraction, expense, and anxiety.”
“I wish this pardon weren’t necessary, but unfortunately, the political climate we are in now has made the need for one somewhat of a reality,” said Harry Dunn, former Capitol Police officer. “I, like all of the other public servants, was just doing my job and upholding my oath, and I will always honor that.”
