policy experts consider the effects of the election in the indo pacific region. starts at 9:00 a.m. is turn. 3:00 p.m. eastern on c-span, a conversation on indo pacific strategy with the u.s. deputy secretary of ste and others at an event from the center for strategic and intnational studies. you can also watch on our free mobile video app, c-span now, and online at c-span.org. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government, funded by these television companies and more, including mediacom. >> 30 years ago, mediacom was founded to bring cutting edge broadband to underserved communities. we connected 150,000 miles of fiber, broke speed barriers, delivering speed to customers, the 10 g platform, and mediacom

mobile is offering the fastest, most reliable network on the go. >> mediacom supports c-span as a public service, along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> coming up on "washington journal," your calls and comments live. then open the books' ceo john hart discusses federal spending and goals of the new department of government efficiency. we will talk with the national president of american federation of government employees, everett kelley, about plans by the incoming trump to resume -- to reduce the size and scope of the federal workforce. host:host: "washington journal" is next. join the conversation. host: this is the "washington

journal" for november 22. pam bondi will be attorney general under the trump administration, after matt gaetz removed himself after pushback. she served as president trump's senior advisor and lawyer during the first impeachment hearing. phone lines these morning, democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. you can also text (202) 748-8003, include your name and your city/state. and you can post on social media, facebook.com/c-span or on x with handle @cspanwj. this decision of pam bondi was mate late yesterday. looking at some of pam bondi's

career she was the first female attorney general. she served from 2011 to 2019, the first woman to hold the office. she initiated litigation against opioid manufacturers, and it was settled when she left office. she left office because of term limits. she has a close relationship with laura trump, the president elect's daughter-in-law. they campaign to get her against the ban on dog racing in a state. she is a former lawyer for the president-elect and assisted him during the first impeachment. she made the rounds on tv to help the case. wister trump was impeached on charges of abusing his power -- mr. trump was impeached on charges of abusing his power. he was eventually acquitted. some about her career.

reaction from matt gaetz removing himself, stepping down from campaigning for t position, saying i had excellent mein with senators yesterday and appreciate their thoughts d feedback and the incredible support of so many. while the momentum was strong, it was clear that my confirmation was becoming a distraction from the critical work of trump's camp. untruths social when it comes to matt gaetz stepping down, mr. trump said i appreciate the efforts of matt gaetz and seeking approval to become attorney general. he was doing well but did not want to become a distraction for the administration. he has a wonderful future, and i look forward to watching the great things he will do. he also posted about his new choice pam bondi, saying she will be the next attorney general of the united states she was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years and was tough on violent crime and made the streets safe

for florida families. florida's first female attorney general, she reduced the tragedy of fentanyl, which has destroyed many families across our country. it goes on from there. these series of changes when it comes to the position of attorney general made in the last 24 hours here or you can comment on these changes on the phone lines. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. if you want to text us your thoughts on these matters, (202) 748-8003. you can post on facebook at facebook.com/c-span or on x with handle @cspanwj. danny on our line for independents. talk about the changes when it comes to the attorney general position. louisville, kentucky. caller: yes, men trying to get

through for about two and a half weeks. my birthday was the day after the election, and i got my birthday wish. but i think -- i hope matt gaetz goes back to congress first of the year. i hope he don't hold up a lot of these people he wants to put in place so he can get something accomplished. for his first term, he had to fight democrats and mainstream media. i hope he can get people and get stuff done. host: do you think mr. gaetz was the right choice for attorney general? caller: yeah, these are just allegations. when they don't want people in, they just slam and slam and slammed them to death until they buckle under pressure. his family has to listen to the

all that garbage, too. i hope his family is doing ok, too. host: ok, let's hear from aaron in virginia, line for democrats. caller: i think she will be great. she seems to be fair-minded. i am glad gaetz had to rescind his nomination. and anyone with any sexual harassment, child pornography, anything having to do with being a criminal, should not be in any government office. even donald trump should not be sitting in the chair he is sitting in. people facing charges. host: so you think the allegations again mr. gaetz led him to withdraw the position? caller: i believe so. he does not want to be exposed.

the american public has a right to know exactly what he was into, what he did. the fact that the girl was under the age of 18, he should be charged with statutory rape. host: again, this is allegations you said pam bondi was going to be a good choice. why do you say that? caller: she has been in politics and has been attorney general before, done other things in politics. i think she can see what is right and what is fair. host: ok, aaron's from virginia giving his thoughts. talking about the nomination of attorney general, matt gaetz taking himself out, now pam bondi is the nominee. we are getting your thoughts on the phone lines this morning. you can give us a call or text us if you wish. and the social media sites are also available. let's hear from bertina in

richmond, virginia, in for democrats. caller: yes, you are discussing this craziness going on with trump and all those people going to be on his staff. i am glad matt gaetz left. i do not understand it, trump is a felon. he is hanging out with 17-year-old -- i'm talking about gaetz. we got, what is it, a wrestler? someone was some wrestling affiliation. i mean, it is going to be nothing but a circus in washington, d.c., on the 20th of january. i don't know what the heck, what are we going to do for four years? host: bertina giving her thoughts.

yesterday, a member of the senate judiciary committee gave his thoughts, lindsey graham, after the news about matt gaetz broke on capitol hill. here is part of his thoughts. [video clip] >> he made his decision. appreciate him offering himself to service at that level. >> when you were talking with other colleagues at the judiciary committee from your party, did you get your sent -- did you get a sense they were already going to be a no one him? >> no. here's what i would say, the president nominated somebody, they chose to not go forward, now he will nominate someone else. these are republican nominees, i understand it, but where were y'all when the democrats were doing this. there was an allegation of rape by a woman against president biden. here's what i said, that is not the guy i know. nobody did this.

but if you are a republican, everything is true until you can prove yourself innocent. as to matt, he has withdrawn. as to what president trump will do next, i am committed to helping him where i can. i will not rubberstamp his nominees but i also will not engage in any anger. host: some reaction on capitol hill to this news of the last several hours attorney -- concerning the attorney general position. in oklahoma, independent line, guy is next. caller: good morning, thank you for taking my call. i agree with lindsey graham, exactly what he says. it reminds me of the brett kavanaugh confirmation when they accused him of rape at a party and it turned out to be a lie. look what they put him through during the confirmation process.

matt gaetz, it is possible, but why wasn't he convicted if they have this evidence against him? i would like to see the report. it will probably be leaked, is my guess, and we will find out. but i love the pam bondi pic from florida, a great pig, actually better than matt gaetz. matt gaetz is a super intelligent person. i think i would like to see him work with ramaswamy and elon musk because he is a super intelligent person. host: regarding pam bondi, what is it about her that qualifies her for the job? clearly, she was florida's attorney general. are there other things? caller: she has a lot of integrity. she is a patriot. she is on the same page with make america great again. i think she will align with the trump agenda. and he trusts her, has known her for many years.

i think she is full of integrity and will be a great pic and she should fly through the confirmation process. god bless america. god bless c-span. thank you. have a great weekend. host: john on our line for republicans. he is in new jersey, on matt gaetz and pam bondi. caller: thank you. matt gaetz -- i'd love trump, and gaetz is a little off the charts. bondi looks good. when i heard that she was picked, my wife and i said, wow, why not? everything is a scandal with the democrats and they try to pull the republicans down. hopefully -- that sexual stuff, you know. yeah, i think it is great. host: when it comes to pam bondi

herself, why do you think she is a solid choice? caller: she is experienced. she is the ag in florida, if i'm not mistaken. she has the qualities to be attorney general. you could pick 100 people who might have the same qualifications. you know. what do you think is against her? host: i will let the viewers give their opinions on her or matt gaetz. there is a political piece that writes five things about pam bondi, highlighting in 2016 that news emerged mr. trump paid a $2500 fine because his foundation donated $25,000 to bondi in 2013. she decided not to pursue a fraud investigation against trump university, which is now defunct.

bondi said she was unaware of trump university complaints, and the contribution had nothing to do with her decision not to pursue the case. again, politico on pam bondi. you can learn more about her career. this is thomas in illinois, independent line. caller: just want to say the jfk guy got assassinated today, so something to know. host: ok, you are calling on the attorney general, so what do you think of the events of the last couple hours? caller: i'm am not interested really. host: let's go to brian in minnesota, republican line. caller: good morning. as far as matt gaetz and hegseth, if you would have put a dress on them, they would have got the job. host: what do you mean by that?

caller: just the way things go, you know? you got this cross-dresser in congress. host: hold on, what does that have to do with the attorney general picks that the president eventually has to make? caller: well, it is just the way the country is going. i mean, it is upside down. host: let's be more specific. what did you think of matt gaetz as an attorney general pick? caller: a good excellent. host: why is that? caller: he is knowledgeable. he has got integrity. i think they are just trying to smear the guy and waste time like they normally do. and it is just a big game. that is all the dems want to do, play games and do things their way. it is my way or the highway, no compromise. they ran the show for so long,

they don't want to give up power. host: ok. you can keep calling on the lines to give your thoughts on these events concerning now matt gaetz out of the running to become attorney general and pam bondi now in the running to become the head of the justice department. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. those are the lines you can call and give your thoughts. let's hear from another member of congress, delaware democratic senator chris coons, who served on the judiciary committee, also talking about the events of yesterday concerning the attorney general position. [video clip] >> president elect trump has nominated a number of candidates to serve in his cabinet who have faced a series of questions and issues.

given the abrupt withdrawal of former congressman matt gaetz, there was some discussion about whether the next nominee would be someone would easily be confirmed or not, whether the next nominee would fit more within the mainstream of who served in the past as attorney general. many of trump's nominees in his first administration got bipartisan votes. his secretary of defense nominee got 98 votes, so it is not impossible for his nominees to be confirmed. but they need to be more in the mainstream and without the level of packets that matt gaetz brought. >> [inaudible] >> very troubling, someone facing persistent and disturbing charges involving sex trafficking and drug use. it really caused challenges for him. >> [inaudible] >> skipping what has long been a

key part of preparations for confirmations, fbi background checks and making these decisions so quickly, it may have led to an early constellation that looks more like a reality tv show casting call then a serious incredible proposal for cabinet. host: reaction on capitol hill yesterday when it comes to matt gaetz taking himself out of the running to become attorney general. it is one of the editorials this morning in the wall street journal, headline, trump cuts his losses on matt gaetz. matt gaetz saying he cut his losses on about nomination, and in the end, this will help him. his confirmation by the senate was serious and doubt, although he denies wrongdoing. there are claims mr. gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old in 2016, and embarrassing spectacle for trump. there are gop senators in swing states that would have thrown back at him with attack ads in

2026 or 2028. adding, maybe there would be a fair hearing but not a complete pass. that is the wall street journal this morning on the events of yesterday. we will hear from rob in michigan on the events of yesterday. caller: good morning. my concern is that the next nominee, who i hope does not undergo the accusations about her sex life and what she has done in the past, the democrats have shown a penchant for accusing brett kavanaugh, and they invented their story because they really hated donald trump and they wanted to damage people's reputation. they're going to harm their family and even call for attacks on their children. i'm not a fan of gaetz at all. but the idea that we can just

accuse him and use 17-year-old prostitutes posing as older as a way to smear his reputation, it is terrible by democrats. the real victims are the women who are part of the #metoo victimhood who will not have their story believed. this is just another democrat smearing somebody. they deserve better than that. the democrats are doing a disservice to the real victims of sexual assault. host: richard in south carolina, line for republicans. caller: yes, i think gaetz did the right thing. i think it provided him the opportunity to withdraw from the house, concerning the upcoming events and him being nominated as attorney general. pam bondi, i have met her and

know personally, and she is a fine person. she will be great for america. she has been heavily involved in women and sex trafficking, helping them. i might say she will make trump a great wing man. thank you. host: this is from the new york times, talking about the events of yesterday, it says, this could have not happened to a more deserving guy. gaetzgate was about so much more than the political fate of a proud posterboy. mr. trump's decision to put him forward was grotesque. lawmakers were being asked to lash themselves to trump's bankrupt impulses, choke on their bile, and prove how far they were willing to go. an early sign in building block

in the relationship with the second trump administration. that is the new york times, if you want to read those thoughts on the events of yesterday regarding matt gaetz. wilkes-barre, pennsylvania, democrats line. caller: good morning. i want to say, as a woman, i am totally offended by several of trump's picks that have sexual predator allegations against them. first of four, the democrats did not tell matt gaetz to show pictures of naked women to other people in the congress. the democrats did not do that. the democrats did not go to a drug filled prostitute party and have sex with a 17-year-old. the democrats did not do that. matt gaetz did that himself. he is a disgusting human being, period. as far as bondi, the only thing

i remember about her is when that trump university thing came up and the people wanted to sue trump based on the university, and trump gave her some money and she bowed out. that is what i remember about bondi. but trump has picked the gutter of the gutter of people to be in his administration. and i am going to sit back and watch this clown show going on. as a woman, i'm disgusted. have a good day. host: independent line, barbara from knoxville, tennessee. caller: good morning. i was just wondering about pam, if she still -- she denies the last election. i do not know much about her, but i am hoping she will do really well. as far as the other guy, gaetz, man, he is out there, really bad. host: when you mention concerns

about pam bondi's thoughts about the last election, why does that rise to the top of you and how might that figure into attorney general? caller: i think she might be a little bit biased there. i think things will probably go one way, and i'm kind of concerned about that. i am hoping she will be fair and equal, being a woman and all, but i am not sure about it. host: ok. pam bondi on the screen there, former florida attorney general, now the nominee to head the justice department after matt gaetz took himself out of the running for the position as of yesterday. phone lines if you want to comment or text or social media to comment. you can give us your thoughts on these events at the last couple of hours when it comes to the next attorney general. michigan, democrats line, martin, hello. caller: good morning.

i want to comment on the gaetz pick. why do they keep picking people that has convictions with women? also, the other gentlemen on the trump team, 25 people up there, not one african-american person up there. then you have this one gentleman that they did not confirm, saying if they did not confirm gaetz, they would have hell to pay. what kind of terrorist group are these people coming to the white house now? host: you think he would have been passed by the senate if he were to have gone forward with the nomination? do you think the senator would have gotten the job if you would have gone forth with the nomination? caller: no, i don't think so. i think they have a couple of

senators that might have some kind of backbone. all of the mech like they scared now. -- all of them act like they are scared now. you have some nerve, telling a sitting senator that has been helping this country, if you do not confirm this gentleman, your career is gone. what kind of terrorist groups are these people turn to bring to the united states? host: ok. new york state is next, republican line. we will hear from alan. caller: good morning. i was never a big fan of the pick for matt gaetz. i just think he was compromised a little bit. i do think that pam bondi is a great choice, a great choice for women, and i think she has the experience to give proper leadership moving forward. host: why great choice for women? caller: she is a woman.

if i'm not mistaken, she will be the first attorney general in the united states. i just think she has a background for attorney general, being florida attorney general. she will do a great job. host: that is alan there in new york giving us his thoughts on what was said to be the upcoming debate over who will be the next attorney general of the united states. pam bondi nominated by president elect trump for the position. we had one previous woman, janet reno, who served, making her the 78th attorney general when it comes to the job. let's hear from cindy in ohio, democrats line. caller: hi, the fact that he picked gaetz is really insulting to women.

and this attorney general pick, she has one qualification, this is the qualification to serve trump, you have to be 100% loyal to him. you have to been an election denier. someone who come into the very end, says that joe biden was not the real president. that is delusional. and for women of childbearing age out there, i realize you are busy and tired, burned out, but you better get up off the couch -- put your phones down, and get out there and fight for your rights. host: pam bondi did serve as attorney general of the state of florida. does that not factor into her qualifications? caller: she may be qualified as far as her legal background, but look at the state of florida. look at the conditions in

florida politically for women. also, this person does not believe in gay rights. she does not think gay people should be able to marry each other. she actively worked against that. and this president-elect, i am disappointed that the democrats are not being more vocal about the way this whole election went, but that is another subject. but this person, the fbi logged 100 hours of conversation between trump and jeffrey epstein, the notorious human trafficker who died in prison, he was one of trump's best buddies. host: ok, we will leave it there. let's go to steve in texas, republican line. hello. caller: yes, sir, pedro.

yeah, i think pam bondi is an excellent choice. she is going to do a great job because she will help with the border where the democrats let in all these murderers, killers, child metal esters -- child molesters. she will help get it right. the democrats, they are upset about any pick that trump's mate -- that trump makes, does not matter who it is because they are not democrats, the ones who messed this country up. as these hearings goand as thesn later on and pam, she will breeze through the senate. she will get the nomination. pete hegseth is a good man, too. but the democrats mess to this

whole thing up, letting these killers and child molesters in. they are just upset because biden is not in being a traitor, because that is what they do, let killers and terrorists come into your country. host: we will leave it there. first have our town. you want to call in with the news regarding yesterday, matt gaetz taking himself out to be consideration of the united states. pam bondi also served in the legal team for the former president his first impeachment. you can give your thoughts on the phone lines. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independent, (202) 748-8002. you can text, (202) 748-8003. doug is in cocoa, florida,

democrats line. caller: matt gaetz should never have been dominated because he was a disgrace. but that he follows with another one. does anyone realize the case against gore and bush, they caught her falsifying absentee ballots for the republicans so they would count and disallow the democratic ones? when they caught her, they promoted her, they did not lock her up. god, can we get one honest individual nominated for that post? i think not, not from trump. host: jerry is in broadway, virginia. republican line. you are on, go ahead. caller: good morning. can you hear me? can you hear me?

i have a message for the people out there criticizing dog trump's cabinet picks, did they ever look at any of joe biden's cabinet picks? none of them were remotely qualified for the job they were given. they were all -- host: hold on. we will stop you there and ask about the president-elect's fix specifically for attorney general. what about that? caller: she will be a great attorney general. she is a fairly smart lawyer. host: ok. jerry in virginia. let's hear more senate reaction from yesterday. kevin cramer on the events from yesterday. [video clip] >> there is a sense of relief about it. he did a noble, honorable thing by getting out himself. i thought his statement was appropriate. i look forward to a new anomaly that we can get fully behind. >> you had concerns about

political capital. >> i did, and that was the case to be made. simple math, made clear there was not a path. if there is not a path, you can spend a lot of political capital for a losing cause. >> should the report still be released? >> i believe that is up to the house at this point. there is no other reason for it to be released, if he is a house member or a nominee for a position, so i would leave that up to the house. >> does this scrutiny now go to the other nomination like pete hegseth? >> each of the nominees will come under the same scrutiny, the process we are supposed to go through. but you will not have matt gaetz to report on, so i suspect people get more attention. host: some of you responding on social this morning. when it comes to the choice of

pam bondi, a great choice. she is for america first. from carol garvey, i guess she is a step up from matt gaetz but not much. this is from darren saying, excellent choice, very qualifi to serve as attorney general. pam bondis respected for her experte concerning the law. janesaying she fits the need to look like a cast member of fox news. we will see if she still puts one man over country. although those from facebook. definitely an avenue you can use if you want to post. some of you posting before the program this morning. independent line, this is from patty in pennsylvania. altoona. you are next up even good morning. caller: i don't think matt gaetz

should have dropped out. the 17-year-old's act like they were 25-year-olds, they dress like them. biden -- host: hold on. let's go to rodni. florida, republican line. caller: good morning, pedro. i think pam bondi is a good pick. i just had a couple of points, three quick points i want to make that i hope pam bondi will to consideration of. one, when trump was elected the first time, there were riots washington, d.c. i think over 700 people were arrested and not one single person got put in jail. i hope when trump is inaugurated in washington, d.c., that we track every single person just like they did on january 6. host: before we go too far, how

does this deal with pam bondi? caller: i hope there is a cracked down on that and a fair analysis of what happened during january 6. and i hope that we start tracking the -- i hope that she will look at all the immigrants that have come in that we don't know anything about. if they have any communication with any government agency, dmv, police, hospitals, that we start tracking them, fingerprinting them and find out who is in the country. host: we will leave it there. tallahassee democrat poses a question this morning in light of matt gaetz no longer running for attorney general. can matt gaetz un-reside and take his seat back in the house of representatives? he resigned from congress to be trump's attorney general two days before the report from the house ethics committee on sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.

the executive authority there shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies. vacancies occur when an incumbent member dies, resigns, or leaves office for any reason before the end of their term. it adds that ron desantis, governor of florida, has instructed the secretary of state to quickly schedule special elections for gaetz and michael waltz who was nominated to be mr. trump's national security advisor but that has not happened yet. some political watchers have noted that gaetz resign from the 118th congress, elected to serve in the 19th congress serving next year, which could leave him some political will room. more from that. houston, democrats line. hello. caller: i would like to say as a democrat, we tried our best, but

this is a learning curve for independent thinkers and democrat thinkers about the republicans and what they are doing successfully at this time. i come from a family of attorneys. my mother in law, a lot of republican thinkers around me. but we all can learn a lot from the republicans, who are on the ball right now. host: how does that deal specifically with the attorney general position being considered? caller: i feel like a woman has a different way of thinking, not just because she is a woman, but they sit back and think with more detail. my wife is an independent but she does a lot of independent thinking, the but the republican women as well do a lot of detailed thinking, and there's a lot to learn from the republicans at this time, especially with the attorney general. host: richard is next in south carolina.

independent line. caller: first of all, i don't think that gaetz -- she was a bad pick. i am more concerned about the mind and the reason why that person was picked for the job. it was a pretty huge error. picking pam bondi, i think, is a better choice, but she is going to be more clever than gaetz ever thought of being. she will slow walk to process in accordance with mr. trump's wishes. the second point i think is that he has designed the senior staff of the justice department with all of his own lawyers. that should send the signal to people, and we are only going to get what people paid for, the mind of donald trump.

subtle changes will be made and slow walk the process. i think we have to keep our eyes open. that is all i have to say. host: marjorie in maryland. democrats line. thanks for calling. caller: i am calling because i don't think none of them should be in the office. none of them have no respect for nobody, even trump. that is all i have to say. host: why do you think pam bondi wouldn't have respect for anybody? caller: he picked her just because she is a woman. host: specifically can you elaborate on that? caller: she doesn't have respect for anybody but herself. none of them are doing nothing. they are all there but none of them are going to make it. host: marjorie in maryland giving us her thoughts. this is from the hill, representative mike lawler using

a meme to respond to a former florida lawmakers withdrawn his consideration. just as has been served, he said on x. also featured a photo of former house speaker kevin mccarthy with bright red laser eyes. gaetz led the effort to oust mccarthy last year. the former seeker aside from the house in december and said gaetz only wanted to remove him over at ethics complete because he predicted last week that gaetz would not be confirmed by the senate. gaetz has been a strong supporter of president trump, not always receiving a warm reception. he criticized mr. gates over mr. mccarthy's ouster. that is from the hill, if you want to see that. when it comes to that meme. here it is from the x account.

justice has been served. former speaker mccarthy. we will let you look at that and then we will hear from jeff in new york. piermont, new york. independent line. caller: thanks for having me. here is the issue with pam bondi that needs to be addressed, and it need to be addressed by the senate. they need to find out whether she will be supportive of going after donald trump's adversaries. is this something the department of justice will condone? will she support the imprisonment of illegal immigrants in camps? will she support donald trump's stated effort to use the u.s. military internally on u.s. soil to accomplish this? these are all things that are highly controversial regardless of how you feel about the illegal immigrant population, would set a new precedent that could be used in ways that we could be concerned about the future.

the u.s. senate needs to ask very pointed questions to this woman so we understand where the justice department will stand on these topics. host: one more voice, patty murray, democrat of washington state about the gaetz withdrawal. [video clip] >> i served in the senate for a long time, served with numerous presidents from both parties and they have always vetted who they send over to head up these were the critical agencies. we need people who are capable of doing it, who understand the policies, understand the implications. you don't just send anybody over who happens to be on tv to run an agency. you need qualified people who cannot have information in their background that can be used against them, blackmailing or anything else. you need people who know the policies and you need people who really understand the implications of the incredible importance of there being a

secretary of health, and, services, all the different agencies. certainly this doesn't surprise me because we have an administration coming and that doesn't vet their nominees before they get to us. host: patty murray yesterday when it comes to matt gaetz's resignation for the running of attorney general. you can comment on that. several of you also commenting on the president-elect's new choice for attorney general, pam bondi, former florida attorney general. you can do that for the remaining time we have left. gina is up next. mississippi on the republican line. go ahead. caller: hi, pedro. i am just sitting here listening, as i've been doing for 10 years, and it's amazing to me that it seems to me and we are only going to judge the republicans for anything, and

the democrats will never be judged on anything. anybody who knows anything about politics knows there is a fund in congress, there are so many accusations against people in congress, so there is a fund that these people have paid that they used to pay out. why don't you do a show on just exactly who and what party they were that had to use that fund? i would like to say something -- host: before you go too far, since you called on matt gaetz or pam bondi, how about your thoughts on that? caller: if we are going to judge matt gaetz on his ability, he probably would have been perfect for the job. my point is, since when do our leaders, our administrators judged by their morals? if we are going to do that,

there shouldn't be any democrat ever up there because all they care about is murdering babies. host: before you go too far, when it comes to qualifications, what made matt gaetz qualified in your opinion? caller: he is a prominent attorney, very knowledgeable, and there is one thing we need to point out. he doesn't have dementia. he is not a poor man with dementia like the democrats voted in as our president. host: carol in missouri. democrats line. good morning. caller: hello. what i called about is, if i'm not mistaken, she is not the first woman attorney general, wasn't janet reid on first woman attorney general? host: she was. caller: look at what they did to her, the republicans. they just crucified her. everything she did was wrong. host: what does that mean for

either pam bondi or matt gaetz? caller: i can hear the republicans saying we are going to get a woman, the democrats should be happy, but we have had them before. that is where i'm coming from. host: you are invited to call in and give your thoughts this morning when it comes to the position of attorney general, give your thoughts on whether you think the choice of matt gaetz going out of the running for attorney general or pam bondi coming into it, give your thoughts on that. (202) 748-8000, democrats. (202) 748-8001, republicans. independent, (202) 748-8002. loretta lynch, 2015 to 2017, attorney general, followed by jeff sessions in the first trump administration, bill barr also in the trump administration. current attorney general merrick garland, when it comes to those

who have served in the top cop position so to speak at the justice department. you can find that at the justice department website. mel in new york. and bennett line. caller: hello, pedro. i am in support of the new pit. i believe pam bondi will not tolerate toxic empathy, the kind of empathy this last administration demonstrated by letting all of these illegal aliens be in, housing them with our money, giving them free transportation, coddling them which resulted in the murder of lake and riley and others who have been victimized by this toxic empathy demonstrated by the left. bondi will not tolerate it. she will not tolerate, i believe, cultural marxism infiltrating the justice system.

therefore, there will not be woke justice, this fake justice that has been promulgated throughout academia and infiltrated our government. i really think she will take a stand for justice. and yes, she is a republican, but look at what florida has become. why do people continue to move there? it isn't just the weather. it is the way the state has been run. host: mel in new york, another one of the president choices coming into spotlight in recent days, choice of defense secretary pete hegseth. the headline from the wall street journal. new details on assault allegations emerge, which had not been told about the original allegation against pete hegseth was surprised when the monterey county police released a report about the 2017 allegation. in the heavily redacted report

describes a boozy night in california. two conflicting versions of what ultimately took place inside his hotel room. the transition team was not told that a copy of the police report had been released to head except previously with people familiar with the discussion saying the story adding mr. hexa said thursday after meetings with senators that "the matter was fully investigated and i was completely cleared" but through his lawyer has acknowledged the encounter, said it was consensual. the woman who made the allegation has not spoken publicly. another one of president trump's choices to become the head of the defense department should that happen. let's go to jean in illinois. republican line. you are on, go ahead.

caller: this goes back as far as clarence thomas. all of that with anita hill, and i think that was joe biden. they do it to all the republicans. we have very good up-and-coming politicians that would be great in congress but they stop them right in their tracks when they are young. we had it happen here in illinois. they always get them on campaign finance charges. he supposedly decorated his office and washington, d.c. like downton abbey and he didn't even know about it. he was getting tickets to his constituents for free ball games . how many people have done that? host: how does this all relate to the news of yesterday? caller: gaetz should have thought it but there is no way that his family, he could have

went through this, his political career would have been finished. everybody knows it. i will tell you another one. host: we have to stop you there. thank you. let's go to robert in naples, florida. independent line. caller: i have a thing about pam bondi, when they were investigating trump university. she dropped charges immediately after receiving a $25,000 campaign contribution. that is sketchy to me. host: ok. we mentioned that political peace, showed you at the start of the program. politico.com if you want to read for yourself. renee, another floridian. republican. hi. caller: good morning. it is supposed democratic line. host: i will stop you there.

if you are calling, make sure that you picked a fight line that represents you when you call in. (202) 748-8000, democrats. (202) 748-8001, republicans. independent, (202) 748-8002. let's go to cabin, line for democrats, washington, d.c. hello. caller: i voted for kamala. trump picked bondi. i hope she supports a pardon for edward snowden. president obama said he supported -- host: let's stick to pam bondi.

why does this center around edward snowden in your mind? caller: he is being used as a litmus test for tulsi gabbard. daniel annoy endorsed tulsi gabbard even though she was antiwar and nobody called her a russian as it. the russian asset thing is over used by the clinton people. host: we will leave it there. one more comment coming from the white house press secretary, karine john here, on the matt gaetz announcement. [video clip] >> we have been pretty steadfast on not making comments here. on all personnel matters that the president elect is deciding or dominating people for, these respective agencies. we really truly want to respect the transfer of power. we want it to be efficient.

we want it to happen in a way that the american people deserve, and that is what we've been trying to do. we believe that is very much part of our democratic principle and that is what you are seeing this president do and lead by example. more broadly as we talked about the department of justice more broadly, the president has said when it comes to investigations, that department should be independent. there should be no partisanship. there should be no loyalty to one party or the other. the loyalty should be to the constitution. the loyalty should be to the rule of law. that is something that i believe and we believe the president has led also on that particular issue by example. host: a lot going on on the transition day by day. we invite you to stay close to our website, c-span.org. sections committed not only to the everyday things that we cover in washington, d.c. but also when it comes to the transition of the incoming

president elect donald trump. you can keep following along at c-span.org. if you are out and about and want to follow along on your mobile device, the c-span now app, available to you as well if you want to stay close to what is going on in and around washington. a couple more calls when it comes to the store yesterday concerning matt gaetz and pam bondi. this is from jimmy in alabama. republican line. good morning. caller: how are you doing? i think matt gaetz was going to be a yes man for trump. pam bondi, i am pretty sure will do the job right, but all of these democrats, all of that crap they talk -- host: you say that mr. gates would be a yes man, what led you to believe that? caller: i think he will go after

trump's enemies, and he is the enemy also. i don't think pam would do exactly what trump wants. she might do a little bit but not as much as gaetz. i think pam would be a good one. have a good one. host: one more call in berkshire, texas. republican line. go ahead. caller: i am very sad that gaetz resigned because i was looking for him to be attorney general. i believe the woman he has chosen will be a good job. i believe she will be honest and fair on everything. yes, i want her, everything that trump wants done. get rid of the immigrants, bussing them up, shipping them off, i want them to back them 100%. everyone in the cabinet i want them to be on his side.

that is why we elected him president and that is why they are there, on his coattails. host: why do you think that matt gaetz would have been a good attorney general? caller: he would have been on key with everything, especially with the schools down there, the teachers teaching children to be racist, against israel. if he wants to cut off all the money, cut it off! they don't need it. host: finishing off our hours of calls. thank you for those who participated. we will take a look at efforts of the incoming trump administration when it comes to what may happen to the federal workforce and changes that may take place under the auspices of elon musk and vivek ramaswamy, we will hear from open the book ceo john hart, hear about the upcoming plans, the way the government can become more efficient.

later on, we will hear from the head of the american federation of government employees. we will talk about what concerns his employees and those who he represents have about the future when it comes to the future of washington, d.c. those segments coming up on washington journal. >> all weekend, but tv will be live with the miami book fair. coverage begins at 10:00 eastern on saturday and 11:00 on sunday. highlights include stacey abrams , author of the book "stacy speaks up." malcolm gladwell with "revenge of the tipping point." and an author roundtable. it eastern, astrophysicist margo lydia explains the search for life outside of earth. at