House speaker says potentially damning ethics report on Matt Gaetz should not be released

Geoff Bennett:

Welcome to the "News Hour."

President-elect Donald Trump continues to stock his future Cabinet with some high-profile picks.

Amna Nawaz:

Today, he officially tapped one of his former rivals from the presidential primary — that's North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum — for interior secretary.

Political correspondent Lisa Desjardins is here with more on how Burgum could redefine that role and what we're learning about Trump's other nominees.

So, Lisa, let's start with Governor Burgum here, nominated to be secretary of the interior, but not just that. What more did we learn?

Lisa Desjardins:

That's right, surprising people in the industry and also environmentalists with this today.

Now, Burgum first of all, remind people he's the North Dakota governor. He's a self-made billionaire and energy has been a focus of his. Now, let's talk about what he's nominated for the president — the president-elect announced today,not just the position as secretary of the interior, but also president-elect Trump announced a National Energy Council, a new entity that Doug Burgum would chair that would oversee every aspect of energy production and protection in this country, including the Department of Energy that will sit on that.

And then he would also have a seat on the National Security Council. That is also something new. A reminder, the Department of Energy does have some nuclear energy in its portfolio. As I said, energy has been a focus for Burgum and he has said in particular he's been focused, as he said in 2021, on increasing us supply.

Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND):

Because America produces energy cleaner and more efficiently than anywhere else in the world. If you try to regulate or executive order industries out of business, you don't drop the demand for energy. It just pushes that energy supply offshore, overseas.

Lisa Desjardins:

He's from a drilling state.

And let's talk about what's on the table here if he is confirmed. Offshore and onshore drilling expansion is something he and president-elect Trump have talked about. Also, new natural gas terminals to handle the shipping of the growing U.S. supply, that's a Department of Energy function, but for this new council, he could have a role in it.

Also, changes to protected monument land. We would expect him and president-elect Trump to push for more drilling on those lands. Now, the U.S. is already the world's top producer of oil and of natural gas. But talking to folks in industry, they say the Biden administration has held them back and held back the economy.

They want Burgum and Trump to expand it. But environmentalists say, now, wait a minute, the Department of the Interior's job is to protect U.S. lands. They're worried that Burgum doesn't understand that mission and that all he sees is sort of fossil fuel and energy expansion.

Amna Nawaz:

What about some of the other nominees I know we have been tracking, there's been a lot of headlines about, in particular the nominee for attorney general, Matt Gaetz?

Lisa Desjardins:

Yes.

First, I'm going to drop in two other names that we heard today as we refresh our phone as I'm talking to you see if we get more. These are two important positions within the Trump White House. This would be the head of personnel, Sergio Gor. He used to work for Rand Paul on the Senate side.

And Steven Cheung, longtime adviser, would be in charge of communications. Cheung is particularly important because he is someone who has that bombastic, really kind of almost cutthroat tone on social media and he would continue in that kind of role.

Let's talk about Matt Gaetz, because a lot of people considering that, including my Senate sources. There is an intense fight under way right now over what exactly senators will get to know about him before they have to decide if he should be attorney general. The House Ethics Committee, as we have been reporting, has spent months looking into these allegations of sexual misconduct, improper campaign funds and bribery.

Gaetz has denied all of this. And the Department of Justice did not charge him in their investigation. So here's how this will get decided. The House Ethics Committee is made up of five Democrats and five Republicans who would vote. You need a majority, so at least one Republican to vote to release that report.

They were to meet today. That meeting has been postponed. In addition, today, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would like them not to release this report. Traditionally, when someone resigns, they lose jurisdiction and the report is not released.

But, in this case, senators are saying they need the report to make their decision. That's a bipartisan decision. Meanwhile, one other thing.The Trump campaign is handling new information about another nominee. That is defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, FOX News host and also a combat veteran. He's a current member of the National Guard.

Police in Monterey, California, say they investigated him for an alleged sexual assault in 2017. He wasn't charged. He has said that there is nothing he did wrong. And we don't know more from police about this. The Trump administration is defending him. But the military, of course, has had generations of problems with sexual assault. The fact that he has been charged and also experienced to charge is something worth considering.

Amna Nawaz:

Lisa, where are Senate Republicans on all of this and how the process is unfolding, and also this idea of recess appointments, which allows Mr. Trump to bypass the traditional approval process?

Lisa Desjardins:

We're going to be talking a lot about this.

Let me help viewers understand how this works. Recess appointments are appointments that avoid confirmation in the Senate. And both chambers would have to adjourn for 10 days. Nearly all Republicans must agree. Something else that we're watching is that president-elect Trump could try to keep people in office just in an acting status.

Again, we're going to spend a lot more time breaking this down. And we know it's a big conversation on the Hill.

Amna Nawaz:

All right, Lisa Desjardins, thank you so much.

Lisa Desjardins:

You're welcome.