Justice Dept. Won’t Be Extorted, Rosenstein Warns Republicans

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, drank in ways that concerned his colleagues at Fox News, according to 10 current and former Fox employees, NBC News reports. Two of those people said that on more than a dozen occasions during Hegseth’s time as a co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend,” which began in 2017, they smelled alcohol on him before he went on air. CNN: Hegseth faces a tough road to confirmation, multiple GOP senators say. CNN: Amid GOP concerns, Hegseth is expected to sit for a Fox News interview tomorrow.

“As President-elect Donald Trump fills out his Cabinet and chooses his closet advisers ahead of Inauguration Day, many African American leaders are asking why more Black people haven’t been appointed to key positions,” ABC News reports.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is breaking with Joe Biden over the president’s stunning decision to pardon his son Hunter, Politico reports. Said Newsom: “With everything the president and his family have been through, I completely understand the instinct to protect Hunter. But I took the president at his word. So by definition, I’m disappointed and can’t support the decision.”

“Robert Lighthizer seemed like a shoo-in for a senior role in President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “But Trump’s former trade chief is expected to go home empty-handed after he expressed reluctance to engage in the behind-the-scenes jockeying that helped his competitors land crucial cabinet postings.” Politico: Trade hawk Lighthizer unlikely to return for Trump’s second term.

“Senate Republicans are considering quick legislation early next year to strengthen border security, energy production and the military while saving a tax-policy fight for later in 2025, laying out a two-step process for passing President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda without any Democratic help,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Elon Musk’s net worth is now estimated at $353 billion, up $91 billion over the last month, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.