Politics
White House mum on whether Biden raised LGBTQ rights with Putin
Geneva summit took place amid ongoing Chechnya crackdown
The White House on Wednesday did not say whether President Biden raised Russia’s LGBTQ rights record during his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I told President Putin my agenda is not against Russia or anyone else; it’s for the American people: fighting COVID-19; rebuilding our economy; reestablishing our relationships around the world with our allies and friends; and protecting our people,” Biden told reporters during a press conference that took place after the summit, which took place in Geneva, ended. “Thatās my responsibility as president.
“I also told him that no president of the United States could keep faith with the American people if they did not speak out to defend our democratic values, to stand up for the universal rights and fundamental freedoms that all men and women have, in our view,” added Biden. “Thatās just part of the DNA of our country.”
Biden said he told Putin that “human rights is going to always be on the table, I told him.”
“It’s not about just going after Russia when they violate human rights; it’s about who we are,” said Biden.Ā “How could I be the president of the United States of America and not speak out against the violation of human rights?”
Biden also told reporters the U.S. will continue to “raise our concerns about cases like Alexey Navalny,” a Russian opposition leader who remains in jail.
Navalny last August spent weeks in a coma after he was poisoned with Novichok in the Siberian city of Tomsk. Navalny underwent treatment in Germany before he returned to Russia in January. Ā Ā
“I made it clear to President Putin that we’ll continue to raise issues of fundamental human rights because that’s what we are, that’s who we are,” Biden told the reporters. “The idea is: ‘We hold these truths self-evident that all men and women … ‘ We haven’t lived up to it completely, but we’ve always widened the arc of commitment and included more and more people.”
Putin in 2013 sparked global outrage when he signed a law that bans the promotion of so-called gay propaganda to minors. Putin in April signed a series of constitutional amendments that, among other things, formally defines marriage as between a man and a woman in Russia.
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, who is a close Putin ally, and the Kremlin continue to downplay the anti-LGBTQ crackdown in Chechnya.
The State Department in February expressed concern over the fate of two Chechen brothers who were arrested in Russia and returned to their homeland, even though they had fled its anti-LGBTQ crackdown.
The Russian LGBT Network, a Russian LGBTQ rights group, said authorities in Dagestan, a semi-autonomous Russian republic that borders Chechnya, on June 10 kidnapped a bisexual woman who had sought refuge at a shelter for domestic violence survivors. Reports indicate Chechen police officers forced her into a vehicle and drove her back to Chechnya.
The National Security Council before the summit did not respond to the Washington Blade’s request for comment about whether Biden planned to raise Russia’s LGBTQ rights record with Putin. A State Department spokesperson referred the Blade to the White House for comment.
Chris Johnson contributed to this article.
Politics
Trump nominates gay man for Treasury secretary
Hedge fund executive would be the second openly gay cabinet secretary
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.
“Trumpās selection of Bessent, who is also openly gay, married, and has two children with his partner, is also a reminder of President Trumpās love and respect for LGBT Americans,” the conservative LGBTQ group Log Cabin Republicans said in a statement.
āScott 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 Trumpās 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, āIf confirmed, Bessent will be the highest ranking openly gay U.S. government official in American history.”
Politics
Karine Jean-Pierre addresses anti-trans bathroom policy targeting Sarah McBride
HRC condemns the effort as ‘cruel’ and ‘discriminatory’
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.Ā 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 hasnāt distracted me over the last several days.”
Iām not here to fight about bathrooms. Iām here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families. pic.twitter.com/bCuv7pIZBY
— Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) November 20, 2024
Following Johnson’s introduction of the bathroom policy on Wednesday, Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson shared a statement with the Washington Blade:
āThis new cruel and discriminatory policy has nothing to do with helping the American people or addressing their prioritiesāitās all about hurting people.
“It targets not just Rep.-elect McBride, but all trans and nonbinary people who work and visit the Capitol ā 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.ā
Politics
Matt Gaetz withdraws nomination for attorney general
Former congressman was dogged by allegations of sex crimes, illegal drug use
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.”
I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vanceā¦
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 21, 2024
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