President-elect , Donald Trump , is asking former , Arkansas , Gov.  , Mike Huckabee , to become the , U. S.  , adviser to , Israel , and appointing real estate investor , Steve Witkoff , as a special envoy to the , Middle East, tapping two crucial friends to help formulate and implement his plans for the area.
Trump announced the choice Tuesday, praising Huckabee as someone who “loves , Israel, and the people of Israel” and saying in a speech he had “work tirelessly to bring on Peace in the Middle East”.
Witkoff, the leader of the , Witkoff Group, was a notable charity for Trump during this year’s vote. Trump, in a speech, called Witkoff a” Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy” who would be an “unrelenting Voice for PEACE”.
Huckabee is a popular religious liberal and his choice as , Israel , envoy is likely to be cheered by that bloc, which was vital to propelling Trump to the , White House , in both 2016 and in next week’s election. He is also the parents of , Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s former White House press secretary and the current , Arkansas , government.
Witkoff and Huckabee— if the latter is confirmed by the , U. S. Senate , — may suppose their content amid the Israel-Hamas conflict and heightened conflicts between , Israel , and , Iran. Trump has stated that he wants to stop the problems.
Trump’s shift to line up the two envoys for one of the approaching government’s best foreign policy priorities comes as he is slated to join with , House Republicans , on Wednesday, with his celebration awaiting the prospect of scoring a triple in , Washington , that would see the party control both chambers of , Congress , and the , White House.
House Speaker , Mike Johnson , announced the meeting during a news conference, adding that the details were still being worked out but that the gathering could take place Wednesday morning before Trump also visits the , White House. Trump was already scheduled to be in , Washington , for a meeting with President , Joe Biden , in the , Oval Office.
” I think he said it first, before I did, that he wanted to come and visit with House Republicans”, Johnson said. That would be a fantastic meeting and a wonderful occasion for everyone.
Johnson claimed that Trump and he have already discussed the chamber’s agenda. The speaker said he planned to head to Trump’s south , Florida , home of Mar-a-Lago after their meeting in , Washington, and would likely remain there” all weekend” to discuss legislative plans.
The session unfolds with , Republicans , on the brink of maintaining control of the , U. S. House, needing to win just four of the chamber’s 16 remaining uncalled races a week after , Election Day. Parties need 218 seats to control the 435-member chamber and , Republicans , are leading in decided races by 214-205, according to The Associated Press.
Still, any , GOP , majority in the House promises to be razor-thin — a challenge complicated by Trump, who is tapping at least two Republican representatives for positions in his administration.
The president-elect has selected Florida Rep.  , Mike Waltz , to serve as his national security adviser and has said he will nominate New York Rep.  , Elise Stefanik , to be the , U. S.  , ambassador to the , United Nations. If they are elected, each will be required to resign their House seats, leaving them vacancies until special elections are held.
Johnson stated to reporters on Tuesday that he did n’t anticipate that Trump would choose any additional House members at this time.
Across , Capitol Hill,  , Republicans , have already secured , Senate , control in last week’s election, with members of the upper chamber preparing to select a new majority leader. Sen.  , Rick Scott , of , Florida, a staunch supporter of Trump, has begun an underdog campaign against rivals , John Thune , of , South Dakota , and , John Cornyn , of , Texas.
Thune and Cornyn are both longtime deputies of outgoing Senate Republican Leader , Mitch McConnell , and are favored over Scott in the contest, but the , Florida , senator has the backing of billionaire , Elon Musk. Trump has yet to make an endorsement in the , Senate , leadership contest.
Here’s the latest on Trump’s transition:
White House Counsel
Trump on Tuesday announced that he was tapping , William Joseph McGinley , as his , White House , counsel.
In a statement, Trump said,” Bill is a smart and tenacious lawyer who will assist me in advancing our America First agenda while defending election integrity and the use of law enforcement.”
McGinley, a partner at Holtzman Vogel, worked for Trump’s 2016 campaign and joined his first administration afterward as White House Cabinet secretary, a position he held until his resignation in , July 2019. He also served as deputy general counsel to the , Republican National Committee , and general counsel to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
The post of , White House , counsel offers to be one of the most critical in Trump’s incoming administration, with the president-elect vowing to pursue policies for the federal government that stand to test the boundaries of legal norms and precedent.
During his first term,  , Don McGahn , and , Pat Cipollone , served as Trump ‘s , White House , counsels. During his first impeachment trial, Cipollone defended Trump in that capacity.
Clearing the Deck
Mark Paoletta, a Republican lawyer who is helping head up the transition efforts at the , U. S. Department of Justice, reiterated warnings for career officials to leave if they were not prepared to implement the incoming president’s policies, including cracking down on illegal immigration as well as undoing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts for the federal workforce.
” Deporting millions of illegal aliens out of this country, securing the border, banning DEI, all that destructive stuff that the Biden administration let run wild, getting boys out of girls ‘ sports — those are all the things that the , Department of Justice , is going to work on”, Paoletta said Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s” Fox and Friends”.
” Those are the things that the , Department of Justice , employees — career employees — are going to support, and if they do n’t want to support it, they should leave”, he added.
Prior to Trump’s first term, Paoletta was Office and Management and Budget’s general counsel.
Trump Refirms Waltz Pick
Trump praised Waltz as” a strong supporter of my America First Foreign Policy agenda” and as” a tremendous supporter of our pursuit of Peace through Strength” in a statement released on Tuesday.
Waltz is a former Army Green Beret who served multiple tours in , Afghanistan. He will be in charge of coordinating foreign policy within the West Wing and providing president with information on global crises in a crucial position as national security adviser.
Trump’s first term will give him the opportunity to play a potentially dangerous role, with him working with four national security advisers.
Campaign Committee Changes
Trump has converted his campaign committee,  , Donald J. Trump , for President 2024 Inc., into a new leadership PAC called , Never Surrender Inc., according to a filing with the , Federal Election Commission, signaling that even though he is constitutionally barred from running again for the , White House, he is not done raising money.
The campaign committee’s rules change for Never Surrender to apply. It can cover Trump’s political expenses unrelated to running for office, including legal fees, with donations exceeding$ 5, 000 per person.
Trump also has another leadership PAC, Save America, which he has used to help pay some of his legal expenses.
Trump set up Save America after losing his 2020 bid for the , White House. It took in$ 141 million, a record for a leadership PAC, before he even launched his third campaign for the , White House.  , FEC , filings show he used more than$ 83 million of that amount to pay legal fees, as of October.
Immigration Team Takes Shape
Trump is tapping , South Dakota , Gov.  , Kristi Noem , to head the , Department of Homeland Security, CNN reported, tapping a Republican once seen as a potential vice presidential pick for a job that will be critical to implementing the president-elect’s policies on immigration.
Noem would play a key role in helping carry out what Trump has promised will be the largest mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in the country’s history as head of , DHS.
Noem would be working alongside , Tom Homan, whom Trump has tapped as the , White House , “border czar” and with , Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner, whom he plans to tap as , White House , deputy chief of staff for policy.
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