Multiple top Alaskan officials are expressing outrage at the way the Biden administration is orchestrating its final congressionally mandated leasing of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Section 1002 land for fossil fuel exploration.

Both of Alaska's U.S. senators, the state’s governor and local officials in the remote communities nearest the North Slope refuge collectively expressed that the Department of Interior’s planned January sale was set up in bad faith.

"These leases should be executed in good faith along the established historical processes. And obviously, the Biden administration in the past four years has just been brutal on Alaska," said Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

"And, you know, they're in the twilight of their term here. But nonetheless, they're going to continue to double-down on denying Alaska opportunities, denying our people opportunities, denying America the opportunity to potentially get some more oil [exploration] going to the future."

AK GOV: BIDEN IS SEARCHING FOR OIL EVERYWHERE BUT AT HOME

Dunleavy added that, despite his top perch in Juneau, he remained unclear on exactly what the Biden administration sought to gain by treating Alaska as alleged while buying energy from America’s rivals and working to shepherd in alternative fuels.

"I think when we look back on this over time, there's going to be a lot of head-scratching as to what was the purpose of all this?" he said.

"I keep telling people the idea that nobody's going to want oil if you don't allow drilling in Alaska: it makes no sense."

For his part, Dunleavy has expressed an openness to pursuing alternative fuels, including the idea of harnessing tides in the Kenai Peninsula's Cook Inlet — the second-strongest in the world — to produce energy. 

The governor said that just as the Biden administration cancelled leases in ANWR-1002, President-elect Trump could nix those moves.

ALASKA GOV SAYS INLET TIDES THE NEXT RENEWABLE RESOURCE

"They defied the spirit of the law itself," he said. "So I look forward to January 20th."

Meanwhile, leaders in the Inupiat village of Kaktovik — the only community within ANWR-1002 — slammed the structure of the lease sale.

Green interests have long claimed local residents and Native communities oppose development on their lands, but in a statement to Fox News Digital, Inupiat leaders disagreed.

"The release of the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Record of Decision by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has left the community of Kaktovik, Alaska… frustrated and discontented," a community representative said.

"The lands under question are the traditional lands of the Kaktovikmiut. However, it is apparent once again that outside, well-funded environmental groups have had the preferential voice during the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) process."

Local leaders accused the administration of siding with outside interests, rather than hearing from locals who may not see it their way.

"Kaktovik does not support this outcome nor condone the process by which it was reached," community leaders jointly said of the lease sale structure.

Edward Rexford, the Native village president, called it a "predetermined outcome," and that as a small tribal entity, they were not afforded adequate opportunity to participate in the impact statement process.

WESTERN NATIONS HAVE BOUGHT $2B IN RUSSIAN OIL THIS YEAR THROUGH SANCTIONS WORKAROUNDS

"The City of Kaktovik is outraged by this result," said Mayor Nathan Gordon, Jr.

Officials at the Alaska Industrial Development & Export Authority (AIDEA) concurred, adding their analysis found the Biden administration's record-of-decision blocked "nearly all development of even a small part" of ANWR-1002.

"Sadly, the Biden administration continues to take illegal actions to stop all natural resource development in Alaska," said AIDEA executive director Randy Ruaro.

"Jobs from developing ANWR would offer high wages to Alaskans at a level that can keep families in-state."

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In a statement, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said the sale is an "eleventh-hour" decision and "yet another charade aimed at subverting the will of Congress in the 2017 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act."

The Trump-era law was the policy that set the timeline and compelled the Biden administration to conduct the sale.

"It’s a fitting finale for an administration that has routinely allowed Iran, Venezuela and other adversaries to produce their resources, regardless of the consequences, while attempting to shut everything down in Alaska," added Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of the Interior and the White House for response to the collective criticism, but did not receive a response by press time. 

Lunden Roberts, the mother of Hunter Biden's child, Navy Joan Roberts, is backing President Biden's decision to issue a sweeping pardon for his son. 

"I think what Joe did is what the love of any parent would do and not everybody will understand that," Roberts said in a statement provided by her publisher, Skyhorse, to the DailyMail. "I'd like to see more of that love towards Navy Joan and hope that Biden will take the steps to become a grandparent for my daughter." 

Roberts went on to say that she believes that Hunter was "targeted because of who his dad is." 

"I don't know what it's like to be president, so I can't say what choices I would make if I was in Biden's shoes, but I am a mother," she said. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for my child. No barrier I wouldn't break for Navy Joan."

 BIDEN TEAM REPORTEDLY CONSIDERING PREEMPTIVE PARDONS FOR FAUCI, SCHIFF, OTHER TRUMP 'TARGETS'

"Many people have done what he's done and have never gotten in trouble," Roberts added. "But because his dad is president, he's being held to a different set of circumstances." 

Despite repeatedly stating that he would not pardon Hunter, President Biden reversed course and granted clemency to his son for all offenses against the United States he committed or may have committed from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024. 

The sweeping pardon, therefore, covers, but is not limited to, Hunter's conviction on federal gun charges in Delaware and his guilty plea on federal tax charges in California. He was due to be sentenced in both cases this month. 

Roberts penned a book published in August titled, "Out of the Shadows: My Life Inside the Wild World of Hunter Biden." 

The Arkansas native details how she met Hunter while she was in Washington, D.C., for school and while Hunter was at the height of his addiction to crack cocaine. 

WHO ELSE MIGHT BIDEN PARDON AFTER HE SPARED HUNTER FROM SENTENCING?

She said she moved back home after becoming pregnant, and Hunter, already a father to three daughters with ex-wife Kathleen Buhle at the time, had grown distant. Roberts gave birth to their daughter, Navy, in August 2018. 

Hunter was also briefly involved with the widow of his late brother Beau Biden, and not long afterward, he married his current wife, Melissa Cohen Biden. The couple welcomed a son in March 2020 named Beau Biden Jr. 

The White House Christmas stocking display has included just six grandchildren for years, excluding Navy. President Biden had refused to acknowledge Navy as his grandchild until July 2023. 

A court-ordered paternity test confirmed Hunter as Navy's father in 2020. Earlier this year, Roberts agreed to reduced child support payments in exchange for Hunter trying to build a relationship with his daughter. 

Roberts said Hunter has spoken with his daughter over Zoom. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and Skyhorse for additional comment. 

President-elect Trump announced last week that he intends to nominate former White House aide and longtime ally Kash Patel to serve as FBI director, potentially making him the only U.S. president to have fired and installed two separate FBI directors in the middle of their 10-year terms. 

"Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People," Trump said in a social media post announcing his intent to nominate Patel for FBI director. 

"He played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution."

Patel is a close ally of the president-elect and served in the first Trump administration both as a deputy assistant and as the senior director for counterterrorism. He was endorsed on Friday by the National Police Association, which praised Patel's record of "transparency" and "accountability" that it said makes him well-positioned to head up the nation's sprawling law enforcement agency. 

KASH PATEL: MILLEY, BIDEN ADMIN ‘PEDDLING FALSE FACTS’ ON CHINA PHONE-CALL CONTROVERSY 

Still, news of Trump's plans to nominate Patel was met with criticism — if not shock — from others in the law enforcement community. 

That's because replacing a sitting FBI director is a controversial move that breaks with the express purpose of the role, which, under post-Watergate laws, mandated that directors are nominated for 10-year terms: an express length of time designed to allow the directors — at least in theory — to operate outside political pressure or interference from a sitting president.

Trump sent shock waves through the law enforcement community in 2017 when he fired then-FBI Director James Comey, who at the time was less than four years into his 10-year term. Trump also personally selected current FBI Director Christopher Wray — whom he praised at the time as a "fierce guardian of the law and model of integrity" — to replace him.

For Trump to install Patel as FBI director, two things must happen: Wray must exit the job, and Patel must earn Senate confirmation. 

How Wray will leave remains unclear. 

He could opt to voluntarily vacate the position on his own before Trump's inauguration, though he has not yet said whether he plans to do so. If Wray does not voluntarily vacate his position, Trump could be the only president in U.S. history to have fired and installed two separate FBI directors.

TRUMP TRANSITION SIGNS AGREEMENT FOR FBI BACKGROUND CHECKS

Patel must also be confirmed by the Senate, though it is likely that the Republican-led chamber will move to approve him for the role.

Patel's nomination has sparked early criticism from some Democrats ahead of his confirmation hearing, who have cited his previous vows to prosecute journalists and career officials at the Justice Department and FBI that he sees as being part of the "deep state." He has since attempted to clarify some of those remarks.

Only one other FBI director has been fired in U.S. history: William Sessions, a Reagan appointee who was widely disliked both for being an ineffective leader and for using his post to commandeer limousines and private government flights for personal business, among other things.

President Biden's White House is reportedly considering preemptive pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci, Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. 

White House counsel Ed Siskel is arranging discussions about the potential pardons with several other senior Biden aides, including chief of staff Jeff Zients, Politico reported, citing senior Democrats familiar with the talks. 

The president, who granted a sweeping pardon to his son, Hunter, for the past 11 years of crimes or potential crimes earlier this week, reportedly has not been roped in on the deliberations, according to Politico. 

The conversations included whether Fauci, Schiff or Cheney would even accept a preemptive pardon, which could suggest wrongdoing and exacerbate criticisms brought by President-elect Trump's team. 

"I would urge the president not to do that," Schiff told Politico. "I think it would seem defensive and unnecessary."

WHO ELSE MIGHT BIDEN PARDON AFTER HE SPARED HUNTER FROM SENTENCING?

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back. 

Trump's appointment of Kash Patel to be the next FBI director reportedly drove the talks of preemptive pardons amid concern of possible forthcoming inquiries or indictments once the new administration takes over in January. 

Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., who hosted Biden in battleground Pennsylvania before the election, called on the president to issue blanket pardons when Patel's nomination was announced — though he did not specify the intended recipients. 

"By choosing Kash Patel as his FBI Director, Trump has made it clear that he is more focused on settling personal scores than on protecting the American people or upholding the rule of law. Patel has openly published an ‘enemies list’ in his book, naming individuals he and Trump plan to investigate and prosecute — targeting those who stood up to Trump’s lies, abuses of power, and baseless attempts to overturn the 2020 election. This is no hypothetical threat," Boyle said in a statement. "The people they’re targeting include law enforcement officers, military personnel, and others who have spent their lives protecting this country. These patriots shouldn’t have to live in fear of political retribution for doing what’s right. That’s why I’m urging President Biden to issue a blanket pardon for anyone unjustly targeted by this vindictive scheme."

NY TIMES WARNS HUNTER BIDEN PARDON COULD GIVE TRUMP AMMO FOR JAN. 6 PARDONS, WILL 'TARNISH' BIDEN'S RECORD

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., also spoke in favor of preemptive pardons last week, noting how former President Gerald Ford granted one to Richard Nixon. 

"If it’s clear by January 19 that [revenge] is his intention, then I would recommend to President Biden that he provide those preemptive pardons to people, because that’s really what our country is going to need next year," Markey told WGBH.

Schiff and Cheney both led the Jan. 6 select committee that investigated the U.S. Capitol riot. 

Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is under renewed scrutiny this week in light of the over 500-page final report dropped by the House subcommittee that has been investigating government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report — which found that COVID-19 most likely emerged from a laboratory in Wuhan, China — supported how Fauci "played a critical role in disparaging the lab-leak theory" among top scientific circles early in 2020 and later to the public. His congressional testimony to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the report states, misled the public regarding National Institute of Health funding of gain-of-function research at coronavirus labs. 

It goes on to cite how Fauci testified that the six-foot social distancing rule imposed on Americans "sort of just appeared" and did not support quality scientific standards, when he was grilled on what studies he and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reviewed before announcing the policy. He also gave similarly vague testimony when asked what science supported K-12 public school mask mandates. 

It is that in politics, people are policy. 

So President-elect Trump’s "policies" descended on Capitol Hill this week. 

Thus begins the quadrennial tradition of various Cabinet nominees parading around the Senate. They’re here to meet with senators, answer questions, press the flesh, get a sense of what senators want to know about them in a confirmation hearing – and where the pitfalls lie.

We got a sliver of this before Thanksgiving. That’s when former attorney general nominee and former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., huddled with a handful of Republican senators. Then Gaetz bowed out, so it was on to Trump’s second pick for attorney general – Pam Bondi.

Bondi arrived at the Capitol Monday to meet with incoming Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, but her first meeting was postponed because Grassley’s flight was delayed. They finally chatted later in the afternoon.

"I look forward to working with you and leading your nomination through the United States Senate," said Grassley once he finally made it to his office in the Hart Senate Office Building.

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO RECESS APPOINTMENTS

"Should I earn the trust and the nomination from all of the senators, I will do my best every day to work tirelessly for the American people. And I will make you, the president and our country proud," added Bondi.

"Is this going to be easier than Mr. Gaetz?" asked yours truly.

"No questions. No questions," ordered Grassley.

Bondi soon headed to the Russell Senate Office Building to caucus with the current top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

"She's a great choice. Been a longtime friend. I think right person at right time," said Graham.

Bondi may have an easier path to Senate confirmation than the other nominee roaming the Senate corridors, Defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth.

He met with Sens. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska.

"We’re taking it meeting by meeting," said Hegseth.

Hegseth, a former Fox News host, faces a host of questions about whether he’s qualified to lead such a massive organization as the U.S. military. There’s been a blanket of allegations lodged against Hegseth.

"Were you ever drunk while traveling on the job?" asked Nikole Killion of CBS.

"I won't dignify that with a response," replied Hegseth.

He then proceeded to a series of sessions with Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Mike Lee, R-Utah. Hegseth appears to have earned the support of some of the most conservative members of the Senate.

"We don't need a general officer, admiral or a person of high command," said Tuberville. "We need a drill sergeant in the military. We need somebody to straighten the military out. Get the woke, the DEI affiliation out and go from there." 

Hegseth was back at it Tuesday morning, meeting with Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., Ted Budd, R-N.C., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. 

Wednesday meant meetings with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and the next chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. 

Hegseth has also expressed reservations about women serving in combat. 

Colleague Aishah Hasnie pressed Hegseth on this very point as he toggled between Senate offices. 

"We have amazing women who serve in our military. Amazing women," said Hegseth. 

"Do you think they should be in combat?" asked Hasnie.

"I think they're already in combat," replied Hegseth.

Amid all the focus on Bondi and Hegseth, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., the nominee for United Nations ambassador, snuck in a meeting with Grassley. And Treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent is also slated to meet with Thune and newly tapped Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo. 

Out of the middle of nowhere, Education secretary nominee Linda McMahon materialized for a session with Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., Tuesday. 

You think things are hitting a fevered pitch now? Wait until FBI pick Kash Patel and Health and Human Services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. begin making their office calls. 

And we haven’t even gotten to the prospective confirmation hearings of Hegseth, Kennedy and Patel in early January. Cable TV channels will likely carry those hearings wall-to-wall. And depending on the day, it may be a challenging programming decision on which hearing to take live – especially if two or three all come around the same time. 

A dynamic duo arrives at Capitol Hill later this week – who don’t require confirmation. And in fact, their visits may command more attention than any of the nominees for the next cabinet. 

President-elect Trump tapped former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk to run the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. They’re set to meet with House and Senate Republicans about their plans to pare back the government. They begin with meetings with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who is leading the Senate’s DOGE Caucus.

"We have a lot of waste that exists in the federal government," said Ernst. "We have over $1 trillion of savings already identified for the DOGE."

Even Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., became the first Democrat to join the House DOGE Caucus. 

"I believe that streamlining government processes and reducing ineffective government spending should not be a partisan issue," said Moskowitz. "The caucus should look at the bureaucracy that DHS has become and include recommendations to make Secret Service and FEMA independent federal agencies with a direct report to the White House."

When it comes to confirmations, Democrats insist that Republicans do things by the book. They want background checks on nominees, and they’re also imploring the GOP not to allow Trump to bypass the Senate if there are problems and install people temporarily via recess appointments. 

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., took issue with the speedy meetings Republican senators had with nominees. Some of those sessions resulted in GOP senators then proclaiming they would vote to confirm.

US CAPITOL POLICE ARREST HOUSE DEMOCRAT STAFF MEMBER AFTER FINDING AMMUNITION

"You can't do a speed dating process for the Cabinet of the president of the United States without ending up embarrassed and with things that are discovered only through a deep investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation," said Durbin, "I can tell you privately, many Republicans senators have spoken to me and said ‘For goodness sakes, we can't do away with the FBI check.’ That is something that's just integral to the system."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote to Thune, imploring him to preserve the Senate customs for confirming nominees.

"The advise and consent authority is a cornerstone of the Senate's constitutional mandate. A power central to preserving America's system of checks and balances. The Founding Fathers knew firsthand the great danger of allowing unchecked executives to appoint individuals to positions of power without any guardrails," said Schumer. "Hopefully this doesn't become an issue. But nevertheless, it will be the responsibility of the incoming Republican majority to protect the Senate against any attempt to erode its authority."

So this is going to be quite a few weeks. 

Lots of meetings. Lots of hearings. Lots of votes. All surrounding staffing the next administration.

Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is fond of saying that the Senate is "in the personnel business." 

It’s also in the "policy" business, and those "policies" are now walking around the halls of Capitol Hill. 

President Biden appeared to rest his eyes during a summit with African leaders in Lobito, Angola, in a moment that was caught on video. 

Seated in the middle of a table with various officials from African countries, the 82-year-old president can be seen closing his eyes and resting his head while Tazania's Vice President Philip Mpango spoke. 

Biden's eyes remained closed for more than a minute. Otherwise, he was alert and gave remarks before and after the brief period. 

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

WHO ELSE MIGHT BIDEN PARDON AFTER HE SPARED HUNTER FROM SENTENCING?

Several observers on social media said it looked like the president fell asleep.

"Joe Biden fell asleep during a meeting with African leaders today," Outkick founder Clay Travis posted on X. "He’s sharp as a tack though! Honestly, this feels intentional. Who puts an 82 year old on a plane for a THREE DAY trip to Africa?! Three days! So dumb." 

BIDEN PLEDGES $1B IN AID TO AFRICA AS NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE AFTER HELENE

Jake Schneider, who was the rapid response director for President-elect Trump's campaign, quipped, "Biden literally falls asleep during his own meeting in Africa. Who's running the country?"

And Denver-based radio host Ross Kaminsky, among others, called the episode "embarrassing" for the United States.

BIDEN TRAVELS TO AFRICA WHERE POLICIES WERE ‘OVER-PROMISED AND UNDER-DELIVERED,' AMID MASSIVE CHINA EXPANSION

"It's incredible that our enemies haven't challenged us more while we're basically without a president," Kamisnky shared on X.

Earlier on Tuesday, Biden announced $1 billion in humanitarian aid to support Africans displaced by historic droughts and food insecurity.

"The United States continues to be the world's largest provider of humanitarian aid and development assistance. That's going to increase, you know, that's the right thing for the wealthiest nation in the world to do," Biden said while speaking in Angola. "Today I'm announcing over $1 billion in new humanitarian support for Africans displaced from homes by historic droughts and food insecurity. We know African leaders and citizens are seeking more than just aid. You seek investment.

Biden’s visit to Angola this week marks the first time the president has stepped foot on African soil during his presidency, and it comes as people in North Carolina continue to face challenges after Hurricane Helene caused destruction and devastation in late September.

Last month, the White House requested $98 billion in additional disaster relief funding to help efforts in Helene-ravished areas.

Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

On the heels of President Joe Biden's move to issue a sweeping pardon for his son Hunter Biden, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., issued a statement suggesting the president should issue pardons for individuals who faced "aggressive prosecutions for nonviolent offenses."

"Throughout his life, President Joe Biden has fought to improve the plight of hardworking Americans struggling to live paycheck to paycheck," Jeffries said in the statement. "Many of these people have been aggressively prosecuted and harshly sentenced for nonviolent offenses, often without the benefit of adequate legal representation. Countless lives, families and communities have been adversely impacted, particularly in parts of Appalachia, Urban America and the Heartland.

"During his final weeks in office, President Biden should exercise the high level of compassion he has consistently demonstrated throughout his life, including toward his son, and pardon on a case-by-case basis the working-class Americans in the federal prison system whose lives have been ruined by unjustly aggressive prosecutions for nonviolent offenses," Jeffries continued.

"This moment calls for liberty and justice for all," he concluded.

REPUBLICANS HAMMER BIDEN'S ‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’ CLAIM FOLLOWING HUNTER PARDON: ‘AGED LIKE FINE MILK’

The president's pardon of Hunter Biden covers more than a decade.

The "Full and Unconditional Pardon" covers "those offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024 … "

Biden has earned blowback, including from some members of his own party.

'IT'S A SETBACK': DEMOCRATS CRITICIZE BIDEN OVER HUNTER PARDON

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., asserted in a post on X that the president's move "put personal interest ahead of duty and further erodes Americans’ faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all."

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said that the pardon would sully the president's reputation.

DEM REP. DEAN PHILLIPS BLASTS BIDEN AFTER HUNTER PARDON, SAYS SOME PEOPLE ‘ARE INDEED ABOVE THE LAW’

"While as a father I certainly understand President @JoeBiden's natural desire to help his son by pardoning him, I am disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country. This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation," the Democratic governor opined in a tweet.

It’s spat out like a dirty word.

Donald Trump – take a deep breath – is hiring loyalists.

The president-elect – can you imagine?? – is nominating people he knows will support him. He’s used plenty of curse words, but nothing said by the media is more disdainful than loyalists.

TRUMP DROPPED MATT GAETZ AFTER COMPLAINING ABOUT HIGH POLITICAL COST OF DEFENDING HIM

Now stop and think: Doesn’t every president hire loyalists? 

Didn’t Joe Biden surround himself with folks who had been with him for decades? Ron Klain, Steve Richetti and Tom Donilon created a protective bubble around the president. But few, if any, prognosticators dismissed them as loyalists.

Why? The press generally approved of Biden’s picks, including Tony Blinken; the non-communicative Lloyd Austin (who didn’t tell the boss about his cancer surgery), and the equally non-communicative Janet Yellen. The only person who stood out for great TV skills was Pete Buttigieg, the former presidential candidate and outgoing Transportation secretary.

It’s hardly a recent development. George Washington took a team-of-rivals approach, naming Thomas Jefferson secretary of state and Alexander Hamilton as treasury secretary. So did Abraham Lincoln, with Salmon Chase as treasury secretary and William Seward as secretary of war.

But if Trump picks people he expects to support him, the knee-jerk media reaction is that they’re dangerous to the country and will run roughshod over the rule of law.

Trump didn’t make much use of his Cabinet in his first term and I doubt he will this time, except for a handful of top positions. Besides, he runs the show. Any Cabinet member who strays off the reservation can get fired, "Apprentice"-style. Serving at the pleasure of the president and all that.

HACKER OBTAINS HOUSE ETHICS TESTIMONY ON MATT GAETZ AS TRUMP MAKES CALLS FOR AG NOMINEE

For what it’s worth, Trump wound up with an ideologically balanced Cabinet. The first wave – from Marco Rubio as secretary of state to a spate of current and former members of Congress – is generally impressive.

But then there was the fiasco over Matt Gaetz, now charging hundreds of dollars for Cameo videos, and such controversial nominees as Pete Hegseth, RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. And also Dr. Oz. Not to mention animosity toward pro-union Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as labor secretary.

It’s quite obvious that the president-elect likes people he’s seen on TV, and he watches a lot of Fox News.

But consider: Jen Psaki and Symone Sanders-Townsend were both CNN contributors when they joined the Biden campaign and then held top jobs in the White House. Now they’re hosting or co-hosting shows on MSNBC. Nobody bats an eye because they’re viewed as good guys joining the right team.

From Fox, Trump has picked Army combat veteran Hegseth; ex-Congressman Sean Duffy, a FOX Business co-host, and two frequent medical commentators. 

What’s fascinating is the way many in the media have turned on Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general and career prosecutor who possesses the experience Gaetz lacked. 

TRUMP, DEFYING MEDIA PREDICTIONS, MAINLY PICKS SEASONED CAPITOL HILL VETERANS SUCH AS MARCO RUBIO

Sure, Bondi has said plenty of partisan things over the years, such as "prosecuting the prosecutors," then quickly adding, "the bad ones." She was part of Trump’s first impeachment legal team and then ran the legal arm of a pro-Trump PAC.

Bondi was passed over in the first Trump term because she accepted a $25,000 campaign donation from Trump’s foundation while her office was conducting a probe of Trump University (itself a mess). 

In 2013, Bondi accepted a $25,000 campaign donation from Trump’s foundation at the same time her office was conducting a fraud investigation into Trump University. 

"Her acceptance of the donation coincided with her decision not to bring fraud charges against Trump University," says MSNBC legal analyst Barbara McQuade. No evidence of a quid pro quo emerged. And a Florida ethics panel cleared her of any wrongdoing. But that’s old news now.

"Bondi has shown a taste for vengeance herself — at the 2016 Republican National Convention, Bondi embraced chants of ‘lock her up,’" McQuade says. "Even joking about jailing a political opponent is an insult to the rule of law."   

But wait – didn’t Barack Obama’s AG, Eric Holder, describe himself as the president’s "wingman"? There’s clearly a different standard for Democrats. 

Rachel Maddow producer Steve Benen says Bondi "falsely accused then-special counsel Robert Mueller of leading a ‘corrupt’ investigation that was "worse than Watergate.’" 

On the other hand, Dave Aronberg, now state’s attorney for Palm Beach County, lost his race to challenge Bondi as AG, but she hired him anyway as drug czar. "She’s someone who believes in the rule of law..I do not believe she will be Matt Gaetz 2.0. She is not going to burn it all down."

I suppose it comes down to a question of trust. The pro-Kamala media refuse to give many Trump nominees the benefit of the doubt. Bondi has criticized the weaponization of the DOJ. You might even call her a loyalist. 

But she will be the new attorney general, and that will be the ultimate test.

Donald Trump was in the room with JD Vance, Stephen Miller and other top advisers after calling senators to try to salvage the sinking nomination of Matt Gaetz.

He wasn’t having any luck.

"I’m using a lot of my political capital," the president-elect told his inner circle. He could only spend so much of it, he explained.

Trump had picked up the phrase from a lawmaker who bluntly told him there was a cost to any continued effort to push the ex-congressman for attorney general, amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. 

HACKER OBTAINS HOUSE ETHICS TESTIMONY ON MATT GAETZ AS TRUMP MAKES CALLS FOR AG NOMINEE

"Sir, we’re going to vote for you" on Gaetz, "but you’re using a lot of political capital." 

Once Trump told Gaetz that he didn’t have the votes, prompting him to withdraw, he quickly settled on Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general and career prosecutor who had precisely the experience that the embattled Gaetz lacked – and without the personal baggage. Gaetz, who is accused of sleeping with a 17-year-old girl, continues to deny any wrongdoing.

He formally withdrew 45 minutes after CNN told him it would report that he’d had a threesome – specifically, that there had been another alleged incident with Jane Doe, the woman who says she had sex with Gaetz at 17, and an adult woman.

Bondi has a history of partisan loyalty to Trump, such as defending him at his first impeachment trial, and this year, headed the legal arm of a pro-Trump firm and became a registered lobbyist. 

But here’s the difference, according to insiders: She won’t go in and blow up the Justice Department, as Gaetz wanted to do. She respects the rule of law, say Florida colleagues. She even hired the Democrat who ran against her for AG, who is praising her. Yes, Bondi has talked about prosecuting "bad" prosecutors, but who can object to that?

With Gaetz out, more scrutiny has shifted to Pete Hegseth’s nomination to run the Pentagon’s global bureaucracy.

WHY TRUMP IS STICKING WITH GAETZ, HEGSETH DESPITE NEW ACCUSATIONS – AND HIS 'MORNING JOE' MEETING

The view from Trump World is that Hegseth, as a decorated Army combat veteran, probably gets confirmed, though there is annoyance that he didn’t come clean with the transition team about having paid off a woman who accused him of sexual assault, and had her sign an NDA, in what he calls a consensual encounter in California in 2017.

The transition team’s view is that Hegseth did nothing illegal, that he made a deal with the accuser who lied to save her marriage – and didn’t go to the hospital for four days – and he didn’t want this public because he feared losing his job at Fox. 

I agree he’ll probably be confirmed, and the transition gang is more worried about Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. As a practical matter, I think the GOP-controlled Senate can reject only one other nominee.

The concern about Gabbard for director of national intelligence is that she has no experience in that sensitive area, that the former Democratic congressional representative met with Syrian strongman Bashar Assad despite his murder of hundreds of thousands of people, and often seems to echo the Putin line. The question is whether she is even qualified.

There is even more concern about Kennedy’s bid to become HHS secretary. He has some good ideas, but even putting aside his history of infidelity, he embraces one conspiracy theory after another: Vaccines cause autism, WiFi causes cancer, water systems should stop using fluoride.

The worst, by far, is what he said in 2020, embracing the idea that the federal government deliberately created the pandemic – what he called the "plandemic" – that killed 1.2 million Americans. This is the equivalent of 9/11 truthers.

The key here is that the criticism is coming from the left. Liberals in the media and on the Hill don’t like RFK because he’s pro-choice and is seen as a rogue Democrat who has said a lot of crazy things over the years, and that could be enough to sink his nomination.

Trump World doesn’t care about the other nominations on the theory that the average voter has never heard of most of Trump’s picks for Energy or HUD. 

There’s some Republican resentment at his selection of pro-union Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Labor, but that’s among the insiders.

What’s striking is that this is the most ideologically diverse Cabinet of the modern era.

As Axios was the first to point out, the lineup ranges from Marco Rubio as secretary of State to a slew of current and former members of Congress to such controversial picks as Hegseth, Gabbard and RFK, to Dr. Oz, to run the Medicare and Medicaid programs, to frequent Fox medical commentators Marty Makary to manage the FDA and Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon general; both are medical doctors. And he chose former congressman Dave Weldon to take over the CDC.

In a CBS poll, 59% approve of the way Trump is handling the transition.

GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP'S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?

The internal jockeying also led to leaks like this, to the Washington Post:

"Donald Trump’s attorney and adviser Boris Epshteyn arrived recently for a meeting about Cabinet picks in the Tea Room at Mar-a-Lago only to find his way blocked.

Transition co-chair Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, told Epshteyn in front of others that this was not a meeting for him. ‘We’re not talking legal nominees today,’ Lutnick said, according to one person familiar with the exchange.

"Epshteyn refused to budge. Using his forearm, he pushed Lutnick out of the way, according to two people familiar with the incident, which Lutnick later recounted to others. ‘I’m coming in,’ Epshteyn retorted, according to one of the people.

"A third person described the incident more as Epshteyn simply brushing past Lutnick on his way into the meeting."

This flood-the-zone approach diverted attention from the Gaetz fiasco and raised questions about incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and how much input she has. And unlike the traditional one-nominee-per-day approach, it blurs the focus on nominees who otherwise might draw media criticism, such as Dr. Oz, who was often accused of peddling ineffective remedies on his TV show, because you’d need a scorecard to keep track of the blizzard of Trump picks.    

So why did Trump pick Matt Gaetz in the first place?

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE'S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY'S HOTTEST STORIES

It may have been an impulsive move while Trump was on the plane with him, along with Wiles. But the president-elect is savvy enough to know it would trigger a media firestorm, and insiders call it a screw-you decision to the establishment.

Or Trump may have figured that Gaetz was unlikely to make it, but it would be difficult to reject the backup nomination, especially one as qualified as Pam Bondi.

Whatever your view, there’s no question that Trump has managed the transition quite well and, with some exceptions, is off to a good start.

President-elect Donald Trump campaigned for president in 2016 in part by styling himself as a tough-on-crime contender who, if elected, would institute a national anti-crime agenda, crack down on immigration and bring "very strong, very swift," law and order. 

His incendiary rhetoric and messaging on crime had set off alarm bells among many Democrats and criminal justice advocates ahead of his January 2017 inauguration. 

"I am the law and order candidate," he told voters, before adding in the next breath, "I am also the candidate of compassion."

But the second part of his remarks did little to assuage fears that under Trump, the U.S. would see an indiscriminate crackdown on crime. 

Jessica Jackson, a human rights attorney and CEO of criminal justice advocacy group REFORM Alliance, told Fox News Digital that she originally had some reservations of her own.

"First and foremost, I'm a Democrat," Jackson said in an interview.  "So, to work with President Trump back in 2018 was considered a little bit unusual." 

But Jackson did just that, lobbying for the First Step Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at reducing federal prison populations through curbing disproportionate sentences, promoting rehabilitation and allowing certain inmates the possibility of early release. 

GAETZ WITHDRAWS AS ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE

Jackson was part of a large group of police groups, religious leaders, prosecutors and celebrities who lobbied on behalf of the First Step Act. 

Their efforts were successful, and in December 2018 Trump signed the First Step Act into law.

The law has been roundly praised for both helping to reduce the federal prison population and, importantly, cutting down the rates of recidivism—the rate of formerly incarcerated persons who re-offend.

Jackson noted that the law has resulted in a reduction of recidivism "from about 49% to 9.7%." A 2024 report from the Brennan Center for Justice estimates a slightly lower, but still striking, reduction rate of 46.2% to 9.7% of recidivism among former inmates aided by the First Step Act.

"I think the biggest lesson that I learned in the first administration was if you engage with the administration, there are opportunities to make progress on the issues that you care about," Jackson said of working with Trump.

Now, she and other criminal justice advocates see more opportunities to work together in Trump's second term. 

MIKE ROGERS REPLACING WRAY AS FBI DIRECTOR IS NOT HAPPENING, TRUMP ADVISER SAYS

One major opportunity that Jackson sees for Trump is passing the Safer Supervision Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at helping formerly incarcerated persons transition back into their communities. Proponents see the bill as a way to build on the success of the 2018 legislation.

Former inmates overwhelmingly struggle to readjust to life after prison, and the Safer Supervision Act seeks both to aid in employment opportunities for former inmates and to reduce the litany of burdensome parole and probation requirements.

It looks to address major hurdles faced by ex-cons, including a lack of structure, trouble finding a job and the many gaps in the federal parole and probation system, which is itself made up of understaffed and underfunded programs.

These hurdles have, at times, landed ex-cons behind bars for what appear to be largely innocuous reasons—ranging from missing a meeting with a parole officer to leaving a judicial district without permission or associating with people who have former convictions or are engaged in criminal behavior. At times, it is not communicated to the ex-prisoner what exactly the restrictions are. 

Jackson said that her team once worked with a former inmate who had traveled to and from work on public transit, eventually saving up enough money to make a down payment on a car.

Unfortunately, when he went to finance the car, she said, "It turns out that unbeknownst to him, and buried in the list of onerous conditions, was that he couldn't open a bank account without talking to a supervision officer."

"So, here’s a guy who thinks he's doing something great—getting a car to go back and forth to work; taking his kids to school. And the next thing you know, he's got a violation of his supervision and is being sent back in," Jackson said. 

As a whole, former inmates are highly prone to recidivism: A 2023 Justice Department analysis of prisons in 24 states found that a whopping 82% of people released were rearrested at least once in the 10 years following their release. (A still-significant 43% were rearrested within a single year.)

Jackson hopes that Trump will make good in his second term on expanding these criminal justice reform initiatives—by passing the Safer Supervision Act and implementing other measures, such as second-chance hiring. 

Asked whether she had been in talks with any transition team staffers, Jackson laughed. "It's funny, because everybody keeps asking me like, ‘Well, have you talked to anybody over there?’"

"We came together in a very unlikely coalition, and we were able to make real progress—we never actually stopped talking to them," she said.

"And I think we're excited about the opportunity to continue those conversations and to make progress where we can."

The Manhattan district attorney said a Bloomberg report on Tuesday morning claiming that Donald Trump's sentencing for 34 criminal charges had been "adjourned" was incorrect.

The wire was based on an automated schedule alert sent out by the court that stemmed from a court email from last week saying that all future dates had been stayed, according to the DA's office.

District Attorney Alvin Bragg is still slated to file a recommendation to Judge Juan Merchan on how to proceed. 

Merchan can move to either delay Trump's sentencing until after he leaves the White House, can dismiss the conviction outright, or can grant a sentence of unconditional discharge, which would leave the conviction intact but free Trump from any prison time, fines, or probation.

Trump was convicted in May by a Manhattan jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records, stemming from a case about payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels, which could have landed him a maximum sentence of up to four years in prison. 

But the presidential race — and Trump’s victory — had thrown the timeline for court proceedings into a fog of uncertainty.

Merchan granted a request from prosecutors earlier this month to stay all deadlines associated with the New York case, including a planned sentencing date of Nov. 26, in wake of Trump's election victory.

REPUBLICANS FILE 12 PENNSYLVANIA LAWSUITS IN 'AGGRESSIVE' PUSH TO END RECOUNT

"The People agree that these are unprecedented circumstances," prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said in their request, which he added  would allow for prosecutors to better evaluate the impact of his election as president.

Trump's attorneys, who have pushed to vacate the charges against him completely, also backed the stay. 

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in July that presidents should enjoy presumptive immunity from criminal prosecution for most actions taken as president, further complicating the path forward in the New York case.

EVERY DECISION JUDGE MERCHAN HAS MADE HAS 'FAVORED THE PROSECUTION,' SAYS THINK TANK PRESIDENT

The high court ruled that presidents are entitled to absolute immunity from any actions taken within the scope of "core constitutional powers" as commander-in-chief. 

A presumption of immunity also applies to other actions taken while holding office, they said.

It is not clear whether a president is to be afforded the same level of constitutional protection for state convictions, however, and the matter has never been tested in court.

Bragg's office has insisted its case is focused solely on Trump's personal behavior, not his actions as president. 

Trump, for his part, has repeatedly characterized the case as a politically motivated "witch hunt," a refrain frequently used by the president-elect in an attempt to discredit his critics, political opponents, and prosecutors at the state and federal level. 

Even if Trump’s convictions were to be upheld, the president-elect has myriad ways to appeal the case or get the charges against him dismissed before the Nov. 26 sentencing hearing — making it all but certain he will face no time behind bars.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to note that the Manhattan DA has confirmed the sentencing had not been adjourned.