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Bill Nelson to support 'Don't Ask' compromise

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A key U.S. senator that those seeking “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal have been lobbying for support will vote in favor of a compromise amendment to end the law, according to his office.

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) plans to vote in favor of the measure made public on Monday by Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Carl Levin (D-Mich.), a spoksperson said.

“Nelson will support the Levin-Lieberman Amendment,” said Dan McLaughlin, a Nelson spokesperson.

The Senate Armed Services Committee — on which Nelson serves — is expected to consider repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” during its markup later this week of the fiscal year 2011 defense authorization bill.

Nelson was among six senators that LGBT organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign, have been lobbying through a grassroots campaign to vote in favor of repeal. The other five are Sens. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), Scott Brown (R-Mass.), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), and Jim Webb (D-Va.).

However, Brown said on Tuesday he would vote against the amendment as proposed by Lieberman, according to the Boston Globe.

“I am keeping an open mind, but I do not support moving ahead until I am able to finish my review, the Pentagon completes its study, and we can be assured that a new policy can be implemented without jeopardizing the mission of our military,” Brown reportedly said in a statement.

Ben Nelson has told the Blade he opposes “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal at this time, although it’s unclear whether his position has changed following the announcement of the compromise measure.

The compromise amendment made public on Monday would repeal the statute prohibiting open service in the U.S. military only after the Pentagon completes its study on the issue at the end of the year and President Obama and Pentagon leaders certify the repeal is consistent with military standards.

Additionally, the proposed amendment lacks non-discrimination language and would return authority on discharging LGBT service members to the Pentagon.

The Blade will have more information on this story as it develops.

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Politics

Trump nominates gay man for Treasury secretary

Hedge fund executive would be the second openly gay cabinet secretary

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Scott Bessent (Screen capture: YouTube)

President-elect Donald Trump nominated openly gay hedge fund executive Scott Bessent as U.S. Treasury secretary on Friday.

Once a prolific donor to Democrats and a protege of liberal billionaire philanthropist George Soros, if confirmed Bessent would be the first LGBTQ official to lead the Treasury Department and the second gay cabinet secretary after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

“Trump’s selection of Bessent, who is also openly gay, married, and has two children with his partner, is also a reminder of President Trump’s love and respect for LGBT Americans,” the conservative LGBTQ group Log Cabin Republicans said in a statement.

“Scott Bessent is a terrific choice to become the next Treasury Secretary and the Log Cabin Republicans applaud President Trump for his pick,” the organization wrote. “As one of the most brilliant minds in the financial space and a vocal supporter of President Trump’s economic agenda, Bessent will be a strong asset to help President Trump put America back on the path to financial security and economic prosperity.”

Equality Forum, a national LGBTQ civil rights organization, which oversees LGBT History Month, noted the nomination of Scott Bessent in a press release, writing that he “is highly regarded by the financial community and founder of a global macro investment firm.”

Equality Forum Executive Director Malcolm Lazin added, “If confirmed, Bessent will be the highest ranking openly gay U.S. government official in American history.”

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Karine Jean-Pierre addresses anti-trans bathroom policy targeting Sarah McBride

HRC condemns the effort as ‘cruel’ and ‘discriminatory’

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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks at the White House press briefing on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. (Washington Blade photo by Christopher Kane)

During a briefing on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the controversy over House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) move to restrict access to single-sex facilities in the U.S. Capitol and House office buildings based on birth gender.

The new policy, which mirrors a proposal introduced by U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) on Monday that was supported by other House Republicans including U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), comes as Congress prepares to welcome its first trans member, Sarah McBride.

Mace conceded that her bathroom policy was intended to target the Delaware state senator, who will represent the state’s at-large congressional district when she is seated in January.

“When I think about that question, I think about what the congresswoman-elect said,” Jean-Pierre told reporters, referencing a statement issued by McBride on Wednesday. “As you know, the president has a close relationship with and is very proud of her.”

She continued, “And what she said is ‘I’m not here to fight about bathrooms. I’m here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families.’ And we agree with her. We think that’s incredibly important: To focus on the American people” and her constituents.

Asked whether President Joe Biden has been in touch with McBride in recent days, Jean-Pierre said, “I don’t have a conversation to speak to,” adding that “as you know” the two spoke when the president made a congratulatory call to McBride on election night.

“He was able to call her and congratulate her,” the press secretary said. “I don’t have anything else to add, but I think her words speak volumes.”

McBride’s statement, published on X, reads in part, “Like all members, I will follow the rules as outlined by Speaker Johnson, even if I disagree with them. This effort to distract from the real issues facing this country hasn’t distracted me over the last several days.”

Following Johnson’s introduction of the bathroom policy on Wednesday, Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson shared a statement with the Washington Blade:

“This new cruel and discriminatory policy has nothing to do with helping the American people or addressing their priorities–it’s all about hurting people.

“It targets not just Rep.-elect McBride, but all trans and nonbinary people who work and visit the Capitol — public servants who have been working in the Capitol for years but are now suddenly the subject of cynical political games.

Speaker Johnson has proven yet again that the Republican majority is more focused on culture wars than on the needs of the country.”

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Matt Gaetz withdraws nomination for attorney general

Former congressman was dogged by allegations of sex crimes, illegal drug use

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Now former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) speaks at the 2024 Republican National Convention (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

President-elect Donald Trump’s most controversial cabinet nominee so far, former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), has withdrawn his name from consideration for the role of U.S. attorney general after a week of intense scrutiny over the allegations of sex crimes and illegal drug use that have trailed the former congressman for several years.

Even with a Republican-led U.S. Senate, Gaetz’s path to confirmation was far from certain with senators expressing an interest in seeing the findings of a U.S. House Ethics Committee report about the lawmaker, who resigned from Congress two days before the document was to be made public.

Others, like U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), called Trump’s attorney general pick unserious or otherwise took issue with his lack of qualifications to lead the Justice Department. Gaetz’s legal experience is limited to a three-year stint at a small law firm in Florida’s Okaloosa County.

“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition,” he said in a statement on X Thursday. “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as attorney general.”

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