Trump calls for AG nominee while hacker leaks House ethics testimony on Gaetz.

The conservative New York Times contributor and longtime anti-Trumper, David French, offers a controversial perspective on why the president-elect was successful.

It’s the economy and the border, stupid.

If the withdrawal from Afghanistan hadn't been a bloody mess, and inflation and migration hadn't spiked at the border, then we'd be having a different conversation.

"The Harris campaign had answers for all criticisms. The American people wanted to end the Afghan war, and Biden was saddled with Trump’s terrible deal with the Taliban. Inflation was a global phenomenon, and it was unfair to entirely blame Biden when, by 2023, America had the lowest inflation rate among the Group of 7 countries. The Biden administration had finally cracked down on the border and had endorsed a tough new border bill."

He stated that "they correctly pointed out that Trump nostalgia was misguided. It was incorrect to give the former president a free pass for the pandemic or for the violence and murder spikes of 2020. His term did not end in 2019 with peace and prosperity. Instead, it ended near the beginning of 2021 with disease, violence, and cultural decay. Even the memories of the time before Covid are idealized."

The election was lost by Joe Biden due to inflation spiraling, the pandemic's aftermath, an open border, and poor salesmanship for bipartisan victories.

During the debate, when it became clear that his mental decline had occurred, Kamala Harris took over and had to run on his record. Notably, she stated on "The View" that she couldn't recall any significant differences between herself and the president.

So the powerless Democrats may be more screwed than you think.

The Democrats are struggling to maintain their winning coalition as they have shifted from representing the working class to the highly educated coastal elites in politics, academia, and journalism.

In a Times news story, Jennifer Medina writes:

Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign failed to win over working-class voters due to their anger over financial struggles.

"The erosion of support from voters of color and the lack of college-educated voters pose a crisis for Democrats. Without these voters, the White House could be out of reach. Additionally, the party's identity is being called into question due to the erosion of support from voters of color."

In interviewing hundreds of working-class minority voters, Medina discovered that "for many, hope had turned into cynicism. Promises about affordable housing fell flat and promoting accomplishments on insulin prices failed to break through. In essence, their trust in the Democratic Party had vanished."

Even though CNN reported that Trump's vote share had decreased slightly below 50%, he still considers himself the 47th president.

An unidentified hacker has obtained the sworn testimony of Matt Gaetz accusers from the House ethics probe and plans to make it public, according to a report first published by ABC.

A hacker obtained access to a file containing testimony by two women who allege they had sexual encounters with Joel Greenberg, a former friend of Matt Gaetz who is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for sex trafficking. The file was obtained through a law firm involved in a civil suit against Greenberg.

Trump transition spokesman Alex Pfeiffer stated that Matt Gaetz will be the next attorney general and is the ideal candidate for the position, as he will put an end to the weaponization of our justice system.

"The baseless allegations against Trump's second administration were intended to disrupt it. Despite being investigated by the Biden Justice Department for years, Gaetz was cleared of any wrongdoing. Only those who lied about Matt Gaetz were sentenced to prison."

Trump is accompanied by J.D. Vance as he makes calls on behalf of Gaetz and escorts other nominees around the Hill.

Trump understands that Gaetz may not be confirmed because most GOP senators have not pledged to support him. However, the president-elect will not withdraw or force Gaetz to withdraw his nomination.

If Gaetz is unable to meet the Senate's requirements, it may be difficult to reject a replacement nominee who shares his views on disrupting and politicizing the DOJ, but without Gaetz's history of controversy.

The House ethics panel is meeting today to discuss the report, despite being hindered by Gaetz's sudden departure.

Doesn't it seem like someone with something to hide has used their adopted son's PayPal account to pay one of the women, who was not a minor?

While the Democrats have the power to block Matt Gaetz's confirmation with the support of just four GOP senators, their defeat in the 2020 election has left them weakened and struggling to challenge Trump on any front.