Key events
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3.57pm EST15:57
Biden confirms Lloyd Austin to be nominated as defense secretary
3.50pm EST15:50
Judge dismisses Flynn’s criminal case after Trump pardon
3.04pm EST15:04
Trump peddles false election claims during vaccine event
2.45pm EST14:45
Fauci at Biden event: ‘The road ahead will not be easy’
2.09pm EST14:09
Biden calls for ‘100 million shots in first 100 days’ of his presidency
2.01pm EST14:01
Biden formally introduces team of health care advisers
1.00pm EST13:00
Today so far
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4.44pm EST16:44
Senator Doug Jones would not say whether he has recently had talks with Joe Biden about becoming attorney general.
“I know that the transition team has a really good process that’s working out really well I think so far,” the Alabama Democrat said on Capitol Hill.
Manu Raju
(@mkraju)
Doug Jones, the outgoing Dem senator, wouldn’t say if he’s had talks recently with Biden or his team on AG job. “I know that the transition team has a really good process that’s working out really well I think so far,” he said.“I’m not going to comment any further.”
December 8, 2020
NBC News reported earlier today that Jones is now the leading contender to become attorney general, although former deputy attorney general Sally Yates and federal judge Merrick Garland are also under consideration.
Jones has been in the Senate since winning a 2017 special election, but he lost his bid to serve a full term last month. He and Biden have known each other for decades.
4.25pm EST16:25
As soon as Lloyd Austin’s nomination as defense secretary was officially announced, the Atlantic published an op-ed from Joe Biden defending the choice, and another contender for the job, Michèle Flournoy, released a statement congratulating Austin.
The coordinated publicity campaign seemed to suggest Biden’s team is worried about Austin’s confirmation, as one Daily Beast writer argued.
Sam Stein
(@samstein)
An oped from Biden around his Lloyd Austin nomination coupled with a statement from Flournoy right as the nomination is made formal suggests that the transition team believes it has work to do to sell this one
December 8, 2020
Some Democrats have already voiced concerns about granting Austin a waiver to run the department, which the former general will need because of his recent military service.
Depending on how Republicans handle Austin’s nomination, it could be a very close confirmation vote.
4.11pm EST16:11
Joe Biden has written an op-ed for the Atlantic explaining his nomination of Lloyd Austin to lead the defense department.
The president-elect writes:
Austin’s many strengths and his intimate knowledge of the Department of Defense and our government are uniquely matched to the challenges and crises we face. He is the person we need in this moment. …
Above all, I chose Lloyd Austin as my nominee for secretary of defense because I know how he reacts under pressure, and I know that he will do whatever it takes to defend the American people. …
Moreover, we need leaders like Lloyd Austin who understand that our military is only one instrument of our national security. Keeping America strong and secure demands that we draw on all our tools. He and I share a commitment to empowering our diplomats and development experts to lead our foreign policy, using force only as our last resort.
The president-elect also urged Congress to grant Austin a waiver to be confirmed as defense secretary. Because of Austin’s recent military service, he must receive the waiver before assuming the role.
Lloyd Austin retired from military service more than four years ago. The law states that an officer must have left the service at least seven years before becoming secretary of defense. But I hope that Congress will grant a waiver to Secretary-designate Austin, just as Congress did for Secretary Jim Mattis. Given the immense and urgent threats and challenges our nation faces, he should be confirmed swiftly.
But some Democrats have already expressed hesitation about granting the waiver, expressing a desire to honor the tradition of civilian leadership at the Pentagon.
4.03pm EST16:03
Michèle Flournoy, who was previously considered the leading contender to be nominated as defense secretary, released a statement congratulating Lloyd Austin on his nomination.
Natasha Bertrand
(@NatashaBertrand)
And JUST IN: Statement by Michèle Flournoy, who was the other frontrunner for SecDef. “I look forward to helping him and the President-elect succeed in any way that I can.” pic.twitter.com/s1JsA5PQHU
December 8, 2020
“General Austin is a man of deep integrity who has spent a lifetime in service to our country,” Flournoy said.
“General Austin is a colleague and friend, and I know he will bring his impressive skills to bear to lead all those who volunteer to defend our country, military and civilian, at this critical moment.”
If she had been nominated and confirmed, Flournoy would have been the first woman to lead the Pentagon.
3.57pm EST15:57
Biden confirms Lloyd Austin to be nominated as defense secretary
Joe Biden confirmed in a new statement that retired four-star general Lloyd Austin would be nominated to lead the defense department.
“General Austin shares my profound belief that our nation is at its strongest when we lead not only by the example of our power, but by the power of our example,” the president-elect said.
“He is uniquely qualified to take on the challenges and crises we face in the current moment, and I look forward to once again working closely with him as a trusted partner to lead our military with dignity and resolve, revitalize our alliances in the face of global threats, and ensure the safety and security of the American people.”
If confirmed, Austin would be the first African American to lead the Pentagon. News of his nomination comes as some civil rights leaders have complained about the level of representation of African Americans among Biden’s cabinet members.
However, some Democrats have voiced concern about a recently retired general leading the Pentagon, given the tradition of a civilian leading the department. Austin will have to receive a waiver from Congress to be confirmed.
3.50pm EST15:50
Judge dismisses Flynn’s criminal case after Trump pardon
A federal judge officially dismissed the criminal case against Michael Flynn today, two weeks after Donald Trump issued a pardon for his former national security adviser.
The AP reports:
The order from U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan was largely procedural in light of the pardon from President Donald Trump, which wiped away Flynn’s conviction for lying to the FBI during the Russia investigation.
Sullivan made clear in a 43-page order that he was compelled to dismiss the case because of the pardon. But he also stressed that a pardon, by itself, did not mean that Flynn was innocent. Flynn had twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts during the presidential transition period with the Russian ambassador.
‘The history of the Constitution, its structure, and the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the pardon power make clear that President Trump’s decision to pardon Mr. Flynn is a political decision, not a legal one,’ Sullivan wrote. ‘Because the law recognizes the President’s political power to pardon, the appropriate course is to dismiss this case as moot.’
Flynn became a cause célèbre among the far right, with many of the president’s supporters pushing claims that Flynn was unfairly targeted by the FBI, even though he pleaded guilty twice.
In recent weeks, Trump has reportedly also weighed potential preemptive pardons for some of his closest advisers, like Rudy Giuliani, and his family members.
3.29pm EST15:29
The White House is reportedly pushing to include $600 stimulus checks in the next coronavirus relief package.
The Washington Post reports:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) did not include a second round of stimulus payments in the relief proposal he released last week. Senior Republican leadership in Congress are listening to White House officials push for the inclusion of the stimulus checks, the two people said, a provision also broadly supported by congressional Democrats.
President Trump has privately indicated a willingness to send another round of stimulus checks of as much as $2,000, according to one person in direct communication with the president.
Republican senator Josh Hawley has also pushed for another round of stimulus checks, but Republican lawmakers have generally expressed skepticism about the idea.
The first round of stimulus checks was approved as part of the March CARES Act, and the treasury department broke precedent by printing Trump’s name on the checks.
3.14pm EST15:14
During his vaccine event, Donald Trump was also asked why the White House was holding Christmas parties with hundreds of unmasked guests despite urgent warnings from public health experts to avoid indoor gatherings.
“Well, they’re Christmas parties,” Trump replied. “And frankly we’ve reduced the number very substantially, as you know, and I see a lot of people at the parties wearing masks.”
Bloomberg Quicktake
(@Quicktake)
“They’re Christmas parties, and frankly we’ve reduced the number of them substantially and I see a lot of people at the parties wearing masks,” Trump said after a reporter asked about the White House hosting large gatherings amid the pandemic pic.twitter.com/6IX5MPkzRX
December 8, 2020
Trump’s comments came hours after reports emerged that one of his campaign’s legal advisers, Jenna Ellis, had tested positive for coronavirus.
Ellis attended a White House Christmas party on Friday, raising concerns about another coronavirus outbreak among Trump’s senior staffers.
Ellis posted a photo of herself at the party on Instagram. She is not masked in the picture.
3.04pm EST15:04
Trump peddles false election claims during vaccine event
David Smith
Donald Trump’s Operation Warp Speed vaccine summit went off the rails when a reporter asked him about coordinating the effort with members of Joe Biden’s transition.The US president has boasted about the achievement of getting vaccines much quicker than expected and claimed that even his critics were praising “one of the miracles of modern medicine”. He signed an executive order that he said would prioritize the vaccine for Americans before it is shipped abroad.But once the touchy subject of his election defeat was raised, Trump reverted to ranting about false conspiracy theories that last month’s vote was rigged and stolen from him.
Aaron Rupar
(@atrupar)
“Well, we’re gonna have to see who the next administration is … hopefully the next administration will be the Trump administration … we were rewarded with a victory” — Trump is still lying about his election loss pic.twitter.com/amriO46DW9
December 8, 2020
“Hopefully the next administration will be the Trump administration because you can’t steal hundreds of thousands of votes,” he said in the south court auditorium in the White House grounds. “You can’t have fraud and deception and all of the things that they did and then slightly win a swing state.“And you just have to look at the numbers, look at what’s been on tape, look at all the corruption and we’ll see you can’t win an election like that. So hopefully the next administration will be the Trump administration, a continuation.”The homeland security department and state leaders have found no significant evidence of interference or fraud in the election. Back in the real world, as Trump was making his attack on democracy, a sombre Biden was sitting in Wilmington, Delaware, listening intently to Vivek Murthy, his nominee to become surgeon general, assess the challenges ahead.
2.52pm EST14:52
Speaking at the Wilmington event, vice-president-elect Kamala Harris congratulated Joe Biden on building an impressive team of health care advisers made up of eminently qualified experts.
Harris noted she and Biden spoke to frontline health care workers over the Thanksgiving holiday to express their gratitude for the workers’ service amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The vice-president-elect said one nurse told her it felt like a matter of when, not if, she would contract the virus.
Harris sent this message to those frontline workers: “Help is on the way, and it is long overdue.”
Once Harris’ speech concluded, the event wrapped up. Biden did not take any questions from reporters.
2.45pm EST14:45
Fauci at Biden event: ‘The road ahead will not be easy’
Dr Anthony Fauci, who will serve as Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, filmed a speech that was played during the president-elect’s event in Wilmington, Delaware.
Fauci noted that he was missing the event because the National Institutes of Health is simultaneously holding a ceremony to honor Harvey Alter winning the Nobel Prize in medicine.
The infectious disease expert thanked Biden for allowing him to join his health care advisory team, noting that many of the president-elect’s other advisers are longtime colleagues whom he deeply respects.
Reflecting on past pandemics the US has experienced, Fauci described the coronavirus pandemic as “the toughest one we have ever faced as a nation.”
“The road ahead will not be easy,” Fauci said. “I also know we can get through this pandemic together as a nation.”
2.26pm EST14:26
Xavier Becerra, Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the department of health and human services, delivered a virtual speech for the Wilmington event.
Speaking from his home state of California, Becerra emphasized the need to get the virus under control in order to help the country recover from the pandemic.
“To build back a prosperous America, we need a healthy America,” Becerra said. More