Morning Wire XX
[0] The House GOP conference has narrowly voted for Steve Scalise to be their candidate for speaker.
[1] We need to make sure we're sending a message to people all throughout the world that the House is open and doing the people's business.
[2] But does Scalise have the votes needed to win the gavel?
[3] And what concerns do GOP holdouts have?
[4] I'm Daily Wire, editor -in -chief John Bickley, with Georgia Howe.
[5] It's Thursday, October 12th, and this is Morning Wire.
[6] Israel forms an emergency war government and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visits the region, signaling continued U .S. support.
[7] The United States has Israel's back.
[8] We have the back of the Israeli people.
[9] We have their back today.
[10] We'll have it tomorrow.
[11] We will have it every day.
[12] And formal charges have been filed against New York State Representative George Santos.
[13] Will you step down?
[14] What is your message here?
[15] I will not.
[16] I have no comment.
[17] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[18] Stay tuned.
[19] We have the news you need to know.
[20] GOP majority leader, Steve Scalise, won the vote among Republican members to be nominated as the new Speaker of the House on Wednesday, setting the table for a floor vote.
[21] It had come down to Scalise and Representative Jim Jordan as the two main candidates.
[22] But even after Scalise's narrow victory, there are still big questions as to when and even if he will become the 56th Speaker of the House of Representatives.
[23] Here to discuss all the curves and swerves in this fast -changing story is Daily Wire contributor, David Marcus.
[24] So, David, how did the vote go and where are we now?
[25] Morning.
[26] Steve Scalise won the secret ballot on Wednesday afternoon after both he and Jordan had made their pitches to the conference the night before.
[27] It was pretty tight.
[28] The vote was 113 to 99.
[29] And the next step will be a vote by the entire house in which the current majority leader will need 217 votes.
[30] The problem, and pardon me if you feel like you're on a merry -go round, is that as of Wednesday evening, he did not have that many votes.
[31] That's why instead of holding the vote on Wednesday afternoon, it was put off to a later date, possibly as early as Thursday, presuming Scalise can scrape together the votes he needs.
[32] Republicans have said they do not want to go to the floor until they know this will pass.
[33] We all remember the 15 rounds of voting action back in January.
[34] They don't want to repeat of that, but thus far, they just aren't there yet.
[35] So who are the members standing in Scalise's way?
[36] Is this the same group that opposed McCarthy?
[37] And then also, where does Jim Jordan stand?
[38] It's not exactly the same group.
[39] There are a few Republicans who won't commit to voting for Scalise.
[40] Some of them were also holdouts in January, Lauren Bobert, for example.
[41] There's also Thomas Massey, who was specific that he would not vote for Scalise because he doesn't have a plan to avoid an omnibus bill.
[42] Marjorie Taylor Green is also a note, as is Chip Roy, which comes as a bit of a surprise.
[43] He said that he needed more time.
[44] As for Jordan, he has offered to nominate Scalise on the floor, but as to actually supporting him, he said somewhat cryptically that he would support whoever can get 217 votes.
[45] And so far, that's nobody.
[46] Now, as for the eight or so holdouts that Scalise needs, what do they want from him in order to get behind him?
[47] And then what will happen if he can't get their votes in the next few days?
[48] So, as I mentioned, Massey and some others want appropriations bills to be separated, not part of the big omnibus, which you might recall was the main reason Matt Gates gave for moving to vacate McCarthy in the first place.
[49] There are also questions about Ukraine funding, which are going to be very important, given that President Biden plans to combine aid for Ukraine, Israel, and border money in his next request to Congress.
[50] We don't know how long this could go on.
[51] If Scalise fails to get to 217, then Jordan could be nominated.
[52] But it's not clear that he can get the votes either.
[53] There's even been talk from some moderate Republicans that if there is a long standoff, Kevin McCarcy could be nominated again.
[54] So right now, we have a plethora of questions and a real dearth of.
[55] answers.
[56] So if Scalise does manage to hold on to the gavel, what kind of changes can we expect in his leadership compared to that of Kevin McCarthy?
[57] Honestly, not much.
[58] Ideologically and on policy, there's very little daylight between the two, which has led some in Congress and in the media to roll their eyes a bit and ask why this whole thing happened.
[59] And even to suggest that this proves that Gates's motivations were personal.
[60] Jordan would be a significant shift from McCarthy.
[61] Scalise decidedly is not.
[62] Now, pressure has obviously mounted to get this done, given the horrible situation in Israel.
[63] If we do go some significant period without a speaker, how much is that going to hamper America's ability to come to Israel's aid?
[64] In the short term, the Biden administration has the ability to keep military and financial aid flowing, owing really to previous legislation.
[65] But there are some types of appropriations that can't be passed without a sitting speaker.
[66] And more broadly, it's just a very bad look for Congress in general, but especially for the Republican caucus.
[67] if they can't pick a speaker even during this crisis.
[68] How voters feel about that, well, only time we'll tell.
[69] Right.
[70] David, thanks so much for reporting.
[71] Thanks for having me. Israel has formed what they're calling a unity government to manage its war against Hamas.
[72] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck an agreement with one of his chief rivals, former defense minister, Benny Gantz, to bring more military experience to the government during the war.
[73] Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to discuss.
[74] So Tim, Netanyahu is tapping his opponent to form a unified government.
[75] What do we know about their shared goals right now?
[76] It took a few days to work out a deal, but Prime Minister Netanyahu and Gantz have agreed that the Knesset will focus on the war effort and table other issues until it's resolved.
[77] Under the agreement, a small war management cabinet will take the lead on military matters.
[78] It will be composed of Netanyahu, Gantz, and Defense Minister Youev Galant.
[79] An ally each of Gantz and Netanyahu will sit in on the cabinet as observers, and a seat on the cabinet will be reserved for opposition leader Yar -Lapid in case he decides to join the unity government.
[80] And this agreement is going to hold just until the end of the war?
[81] That's the plan.
[82] Now, what about Hamas?
[83] Do they have an organized leadership?
[84] And if so, where are they based?
[85] So Hamas's political leader is a man named Ishmael Hanye.
[86] He's headed the Hamas Political Bureau since 2017.
[87] Reports suggest he doesn't live in Gaza, but it's not clear where he's hiding out.
[88] On the military side, Hamas terrorists are directed by Mohammed Daph.
[89] Some reports suggest he is hiding out in Gaza's network of tunnels.
[90] Some suggest he's hiding abroad.
[91] So again, not much information there.
[92] We do know that Daph is a very secretive figure.
[93] There are only a handful of photos of them publicly available.
[94] And one of those is just of his shadow.
[95] He is reportedly behind Hamas's Saturday terrorist attack on Israel.
[96] He justified the attack, which he called the Alaksa flood, saying it was revenge for alleged mistreatment of Muslims at the Alaks mosque in Jerusalem.
[97] And then there is Yahyah Sinwar, who heads Hamas's political operation in Gaza.
[98] So it sounds like they have a somewhat formal leadership structure.
[99] How are they recognized in the region and by the U .S.?
[100] Well, they've been designated terrorists by the U .S. and the Israeli military has tried to kill these men for years.
[101] Former U .S. officials have said at least one of them, Hanya, is currently being provided safe haven in Qatar.
[102] I'll note that Qatar was one of the first countries to condemn Israel for defending itself against Hamas terrorism.
[103] And the U .S. tasked Qatar with oversight of the $6 billion fund that the Biden administration traded to Iran, a close ally of Hamas.
[104] Speaking of Iran, the Biden administration is now downplaying several recent reports that Iran had a large hand in the Hamas operation.
[105] Here's national security spokesman John Kirby yesterday.
[106] Hamas wouldn't have been able to function at all had it not been for propping up by the Iranian regime.
[107] We haven't seen any specific evidence that tells us they were witting, involved in the planning, or involved in the resourcing and the training that went into this very complex set of attacks over the weekend.
[108] Now, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken traveled to Israel yesterday.
[109] What message is he expected to deliver in Jerusalem?
[110] Yeah, he'll be visiting Israel as well as Jordan over the next couple days.
[111] Blinken's visit is largely expected to be a symbolic gesture in solidarity with Israel, and its war against Hamas.
[112] It's also a warning to other hostile actors in the Middle East that the United States stands with Israel.
[113] The State Department is also working on getting some Americans out of Israel, including some who are taking captive by Hamas.
[114] President Biden addressed that yesterday.
[115] Folks, there's a lot we're doing.
[116] A lot we're doing.
[117] I have not given up hope.
[118] I'm bringing these folks home.
[119] But the idea that I'm going to stand here before you and tell you what I'm doing is bizarre.
[120] According to the State Department, Blinken's trip, is primarily about underscoring, quote, the United States' unwavering support for Israel's right to defend itself.
[121] Well, hopefully a productive trip for all sides.
[122] Tim, thanks for joining us.
[123] Great to be on.
[124] This week, new details were made public in the indictment of Republican Congressman George Santos, who now faces federal charges related to wire fraud, identity theft, and election crimes.
[125] Here with more on the case against the embattled lawmaker and how he's responding as Daily Wire's senior editor, Cabot Phillips.
[126] All right, we've got formal charges against Santos.
[127] Give us some context here.
[128] How did we get to this point?
[129] Yeah, so since taking office last year, New York Republican George Santos has been just a lightning rod for controversy.
[130] Prior to the 2020 election, hardly anyone had heard of him, but he quickly gained notoriety after winning a seat on Long Island that most experts considered out of reach for the GOP.
[131] Overnight, Santos became a crucial part of securing the party's majority, and he was touted as the first openly gay Republican elected to Congress.
[132] But within days of his nomination, Santos drew attention for very different reasons.
[133] Yeah, and that's where this indictment comes in.
[134] Right.
[135] So during his campaign, there were reports that Santos had embellished his resume or exaggerated elements of his life story here or there.
[136] But it wasn't until after his election that the full scope of his deceit became known.
[137] In September of 2022, Santos reported an enormous increase in his net worth from the year before, reporting total assets worth $11 million.
[138] That set off an investigation from a local paper in New York, which started in Avalanche.
[139] It soon came out that Santos had lied about his college education.
[140] He had falsely claimed employment as a high -ranking employee at Goldman Sachs and embellished stories about his family, including that his grandparents had fled the Holocaust.
[141] And according to New York Times report, Santos was charged with Czech fraud in Brazil back in 2008.
[142] He had operated a fraudulent animal rights charity, pocketing money intended for service dogs for veterans.
[143] And he'd also secured large campaign donations from donors who appear to not exist.
[144] But all of that was somehow just the tip of the iceberg.
[145] That reporting set off a flurry of investigations at the state and federal level, which have now resulted in a number of serious charges.
[146] Yeah, so he's in very hot water with prosecutors.
[147] Yeah, that is putting it lightly.
[148] Tell us more about these specific charges.
[149] Well, according to prosecutors, in addition to lying about his resume, Santos broke a number of federal election laws by using campaign funds for personal expenses, including designer clothing, cars, and fancy restaurants.
[150] He's also charged with wire fraud.
[151] According to the indictment, Santos stole the identities of campaign donors and get this, use their credit cards to repeatedly make fraudulent donations to his campaign.
[152] In one incident, Santos allegedly donated nearly $50 ,000 to himself from an oblivious donor, and much of that money was then transferred to his personal bank account.
[153] Santos is also charged with filing false campaign reports with the FEC and Republican Party as part of an effort to meet fundraising thresholds required for support from the RNC.
[154] In one particularly brazen incident, Santos campaign staff impersonated Kevin McCarthy's chief of staff on phone calls in order to raise additional funds.
[155] And to make matters worse for Santos, his former campaign treasurer pleaded guilty last week to a fraud conspiracy charge.
[156] She admitted to investigators that she helped her boss embellished financial documents and gave them all sorts of details about the alleged scheme.
[157] Sounds almost like a badly written Hollywood script.
[158] So what about Santos?
[159] How has he responded to these allegations?
[160] Well, he was first arrested for the alleged scheme back in January and then released on half a million dollar bond after pleading not guilty.
[161] These latest charges, though, come as part of a super preceding indictment to that case.
[162] So they added on extra charges.
[163] And Santos is, again, maintaining his innocence, claiming that he will refuse to step down and will push forward with his reelection campaign.
[164] But whether he wants to step down or not, there is growing pressure from his party to Alstead.
[165] Right.
[166] We've seen increased calls for his removal.
[167] Tell us about that battle.
[168] So earlier than the year, Democrats sought to expel him from Congress, but Republicans actually voted against the resolution, which kept him in place.
[169] Now, ordinarily, you'd assume GOP leaders would simply give in the boot, but they're in a delicate political spot here.
[170] Given their razor -thin majority, they can hardly afford to give up a seat to Democrats.
[171] While a number of GOP members have called for his ouster, party leadership has been mostly silent on Santos for the last year or so.
[172] They've ignored questions about him or said that New York voters should decide his fate.
[173] And there is a good chance they will.
[174] On Tuesday, Tom Swazi, who previously held that seat, announced that he would run again against Santos in 2024.
[175] He now joins a crowded primary field for Democrats.
[176] But it's clear, More broadly, the Democrat leadership smells blood in the water here.
[177] They're already pouring money into the district and view it as a clear pickup opportunity for 2024.
[178] So even if Santos avoids jail time or removal from Congress, he faces an uphill re -election battle.
[179] Yeah, no doubt about that.
[180] Cabot, thanks for reporting.
[181] Anytime.
[182] Thanks for waking up with us.
[183] We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.