Politics

(NEW YORK) — Donald and Melania Trump are set to hold dueling fundraisers in different states on Saturday, the former president raising money for his campaign and the Republican Party in North Carolina in the afternoon ahead of a rally and the former first lady raising money for a conservative LGBT group at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach later that evening.

Especially for Melania Trump, it would be a rare appearance at a fundraising event as she has mostly stayed away from the former president’s campaign trail this election cycle and instead only occasionally been seen at private events at his properties.

The last two times she was seen publicly were at a major Palm Beach fundraiser for Trump and the Republicans earlier this month where they raised more than $50 million and last month at a Palm Beach polling location where the former president voted in the Florida Republican primary.

She’d be headlining the fundraiser for Log Cabin Republicans, the largest 501(c)4 nonprofit organization representing LGBT conservatives in the United States.

The fundraiser is co-hosted by a slew of longtime Donald Trump allies and prominent Republican donors, including former U.S. ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, who also served as acting director of National Intelligence in the Trump administration. He was the first openly gay person to hold a Cabinet-level position in the United States.

Former president of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum and an active fundraiser of the former president Bill White and his husband Bryan Eure are also among the co-hosts.

Other notable guests and co-hosts include former Trump-endorsed Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz, who lost to Democratic Sen. John Fetterman in the 2022 general election, Fox News CEO Roger Ailes’ widow Elizabeth Ailes, longtime Republican donor Saul Fox and Deborah Magowan, the wife of former Giants Chairman Peter Magowan, according to a source and an invitation for the fundraiser.

According to the invitation, each ticket costs $10,000.

Ahead of the fundraiser Saturday morning, Grenell posted on X that Melania Trump “will launch the most aggressive campaign we’ve ever seen from Republicans to win support from gay and lesbian Americans.”

“We have largely achieved equality in America for gays,” Grenell wrote, praising the United States as the champion of freedom and liberties and throwing support for Donald Trump.

“He is the best candidate for our safety, security and prosperity,” he continued. “He sees you as 100% equal – it’s up to you to be responsible, hardworking and successful. Anyone telling you that you are oppressed in America or that you need special side agreements because you’re gay is only seeking to control you. Break out from their condescending cult-like manipulations.”

“You can be anything you want to be in America,” he continued, saying Trump will win a significant amount of the gay vote in 2024.

An organizer of the fundraiser told ABC News that the event sold out within 36 hours and has already raised more than $1 million, with additional people donating even if they can’t attend the event.

Roughly 70 people from all across the country – California, New York, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C. – are expected to attend the event, the organizer said.

“For the first lady to choose this as her first campaign event is an honor to the conservative Republican gay community,” the organizer told ABC News. “Definitely negates the false narrative that Biden and the Democrats have peddled about the Trump administration.”

“Trump has grown the Republican base of all types of minorities unlike any other Republican has,” the organizer continued. “The Log Cabin has a clear plan of how this money will be spent to educate voters about President Trump’s record and to help him win with the gay community in swing states.”

Melania Trump has maintained a close relationship with Log Cabin Republicans over the years, headlining their annual gala at Mar-a-Lago in 2021 and receiving the group’s Spirit of Lincoln award, for her role in “helping children reach their full potential” and “championing a more inclusive Republican Party.” In 2022, Donald Trump himself headlined Log Cabin Republicans’ Spirit of Lincoln gala held at Mar-a-Lago, where he told the audience, “we are fighting for the gay community, and we are fighting and fighting hard.”

Meanwhile in Charlotte, North Carolina, Saturday afternoon, Trump is scheduled to fundraise with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, who was previously the North Carolina Republican Party’s chairman, as well as Trump’s daughter-in-law and RNC Co-chair Lara Trump.

After the fundraiser, Trump will head over to Wilmington, North Carolina, to hold his first campaign rally since the New York criminal trial started earlier this week. Trump has denied all wrongdoing in the case.

Ticketed from $5,000 per couple for general admission to $250,000 per couple to be on the host-committee, the fundraiser is expected to raise at least $5 million, according to the event’s invitation and the organizer. A photo opportunity with the former president is priced at $25,000 per couple and a roundtable would cost $100,000 per couple.

Money raised from this fundraiser would be split among the Trump campaign, Trump’s Save America PAC, which has footed much of Trump’s legal bills, the RNC and 40 other state GOP committees.

Notable co-hosts of the fundraiser include North Carolina’s National Committeeman Ed Broyhill, who was previously Trump’s North Carolina Finance Committee chair in 2016, and Army veteran Scott Greenblatt, who runs a veterans claims consulting company.

The North Carolina fundraiser and rally comes on the heels of Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper saying President Joe Biden can win the state despite Trump carrying the state both in 2016 and 2020. Both Biden and Harris campaigned in North Carolina last month, highlighting their health care messaging.

Broyhill, one of the co-hosts of the Trump fundraiser, however, told ABC News that North Carolina is a GOP stronghold, claiming Republicans success in down ballot seats.

“I don’t know what people talk about when they say this is a purple state,” Broyhill said. “There is no chance in hell that Joe Biden is going to come close to winning North Carolina.”

“There are quite a large number of top donors that are flying in, and once they arrive, their expectations will far surpass 5 million,” Broyhill said of the upcoming fundraiser.

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(WASHINGTON) — The House of Representatives will vote Saturday on a series of bills to provide $95 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

After Democrats helped Speaker Mike Johnson avoid defeat and advance the legislation on Friday, lawmakers will consider amendments and hold debate on Saturday before voting on final passage.

The long-stalled assistance would supply roughly $26 billion for Israel, $61 billion for Ukraine and $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific. A fourth bill being voted on Saturday includes measures to ban TikTok, sanction Iran and seize Russian assets to help fund Ukraine.

The White House said it “strongly supports” the legislation, which is expected to pass with bipartisan backing from Democrats and Republicans. House Democrats plan to hold a closed-door caucus meeting ahead of votes Saturday at 12 p.m. EDT.

But Johnson’s push to get the aid across the finish line has angered some of his conference’s far-right members, causing a growing threat to his speakership.

A third Republican, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, announced Friday he was joining a looming motion to oust Johnson just after the aid bills advanced.

Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced the motion last month, accusing Johnson of “standing with the Democrats” after he worked across the aisle to avoid a government shutdown.

After Johnson unveiled his plan to forge ahead on foreign aid, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky became the second hard-liner to back Greene’s cause. Massie called on Johnson to resign, a suggestion Johnson flatly rejected.

All three lawmakers have expressed frustration on Johnson moving ahead with foreign aid without addressing immigration. Though earlier this year, a bipartisan border deal was produced by a group of senators but was quickly deemed dead on arrival by former President Donald Trump and Johnson.

“Our border cannot be an afterthought,” Gosar said in a statement. “We need a Speaker who puts America first rather than bending to the reckless demands of the warmongers, neo-cons and the military industrial complex making billions from a costly and endless war half a world away.”

Johnson said Friday that the bills are “not the perfect legislation” but are “the best possible product” under the circumstances.

It remains to be seen when, or if, the hard-liners force a vote on the motion to vacate the speaker’s chair. If they do, Democrats would potentially need to step in to save Johnson’s job.

ABC News White House Correspondent MaryAlice Parks asked the administration if President Joe Biden discussed that possibility with Speaker Johnson in their phone call earlier this week.

“We do not get involved when it comes to leadership in, whether it’s the Senate or in the House,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded. “We’re very mindful. That is something that the members, in this case the members in Congress, have to decide on.”

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(NEW YORK) — Lawyers for the New York Attorney General asked Judge Arthur Engoron on Friday to reject former President Donald Trump’s $175 million bond for his civil judgment and require him to post a new one within seven days.

Letitia James contended that the former president failed to demonstrate that Knight Specialty Insurance Company, the company behind his bond, had the resources to pay the bond if Trump’s appeal failed.

“Defendants and KSIC have failed to justify KSIC as the surety on this extraordinarily large undertaking for a number of reasons,” James said in the filing.

In February, Engoron determined that Trump and his co-defendants engaged in a decade-long scheme to inflate the former president’s net worth to get better business deals and interest rates on loans.

Trump was at risk of having his properties seized after he failed to obtain a bond for the $464 million judgment, but a New York Appellate Court reduced the amount of money Trump would need to post to $175 million.

Trump and his co-defendants posted a $175 million bond on April 1.

The attorney general’s filing stated that Trump and the company failed to demonstrate the collateral of the bond beyond $175 million in cash in a Charles Schwab brokerage account. In the motion, James also raised concerns that KSIC uses affiliates in the Cayman Islands to reduce the liabilities shown on their books and allegedly violates federal laws.

“(KSIC is) a small insurer that is not authorized to write business in New York and thus not regulated by the state’s insurance department, had never before written a surety bond in New York or in the prior two years in any other jurisdiction, and has a total policyholder surplus of just $138 million,” James said in the filing.

Judge Engoron is scheduled to hold a hearing on this issue on Monday.

Don Hankey, the chairman of Knight Insurance Group, declined to comment on the matter.

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(WASHINGTON) — Hours after a senior U.S. official told ABC News that Israeli fighter aircraft struck an air defense radar site inside Iran, top U.S. and Israeli officials on Friday declined to publicly acknowledge the incident in an apparent move aimed at de-escalating the situation and keeping Iran from retaliating.

The radio silence was notable after weeks of U.S. officials publicly urging Israel to show restraint.

At the end of a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Capri, Italy, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked why he wouldn’t address what happened overnight.

The reporter also asked, “Isn’t it important that you do so? Can you tell us if you’ve spoken to your Israeli counterparts?”

Blinken replied, “I’m going to be incredibly boring and not make your day by saying, again, I’m not going to speak to what’s been reported — other than to say that the United States has not been involved in any offensive operations.”

“The United States, along with our partners, will continue to work for de-escalation,” he added.

But even as Blinken defelcted, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani seemed reveal that Israel gave the US a heads up before the strike.

“They were – [the] United States — were informed the last minute, but there was no involvement on the part of the United States it was simply information which was provided,” Tajani said.

According to a senior U.S. official, three missiles were fired early Thursday local time from Israeli fighter aircraft outside of Iran. The target was an air defense radar site near Isfaha that helps to protect a nearby nuclear facility.

The limited strike was believed to show Iran that Israel has the ability to cause real damage, but at the same time not provoke Iran.

Iran called the Israeli strike a dramatic exaggeration by the media. In a meeting at the United Nations, Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian said “the downed micro-aerial vehicle did not cause any financial or life damage.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed not damage was done to the Natanz nuclear facility.

Shuki Friedman of the Jewish People Policy Institute, a former head of the Iran sanctions program for the Israeli prime minister’s office, likened the strike to Israel sending Iran a “text message.”

“Israel sent the message that ‘we can reach anywhere,'” and to “demonstrate capabilities of a much more meaningful attack,” Friedman said.

Mick Mulroy, a former deputy secretary of defense for the Middle East and an ABC News national security and defense contributor, agreed the attack was carefully calibrated.

“I believe the Israeli’s are determined to show Iran that it could target a sensitive facility in Iran, but did so in a manner not to provoke a response,” he said

“They also with the notable exception of their national security minister chose not to publicly discuss (the incident) as that would of been counterproductive to trying to contain and deescalate the situation,” Mulroy added.

The U.S. appeared to be doing the same.

At the Pentagon, aides on Thursday were teleworking or declared themselves busy with no plans to brief reporters. The State Department, too, was quiet.

Such a slow pace can be typical in Washington for a Friday, as staffers eye the exits for an early weekend.

But the quiet hallways were noteworthy, given that a close U.S. ally had just launched a direct attack on Iran and no comment was to be found.

At the White House, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, who briefed reporters at length throughout the week, was not at the podium for the daily press briefing.

When pressed by reporters about whether declining comment was part of an administration strategy to de-escalate, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre would say she was going to be “super mindful” in her remarks.

“I understand the interest and I’m going to be disappointing many people here. This afternoon, I just don’t have anything to share,” she said.

She added that “more generally,” the U.S. has been clear “we do not want to see this conflict escalate.”

One U.S. official who declined to discuss any detailed offered this assessment of the unusual silence so long as they were granted anonymity: “In the end, we’re trying to stop a war here.”

ABC’s Matt Gutman contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — The House on Friday cleared a key procedural hurdle in passing foreign aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, despite dozens of Republican defections, with Democrats helping Speaker Mike Johnson avoid a stinging defeat.

Soon after, a third Republican said he would join a threatened move to oust him.

The chamber voted 316-94 to advance the bills, setting up Saturday votes on final passage of $95 billion in foreign assistance that has been held up in a political fight in Washington for several months.

Procedural votes such as Friday’s are typically passed by the House majority alone, but Democrats stepped in to help push the legislation forward after Republican hard-liners collectively opposed the measure. More Democrats voted to advance the bills than Republicans.

“Democrats, once again, will be the adults in the room,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., during debate ahead of the vote.

Pennsylvania board’s cancellation of gay actor’s school visit ill-advised, education leaders say
Leaving the House floor after the vote, Johnson said the four foreign aid bills are “the best possible product” under the circumstances. “We look forward to final passage on the bill tomorrow.”

The individual bills provide roughly $26 billion for Israel, $61 billion for Ukraine and $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific. The measures are similar to legislation passed by a bipartisan group in the Senate back in February, which tied all aid together into one measure.

A fourth bill packaged into the foreign aid contains conservative priorities such as a TikTok ban bill, sanctions on Iran and legislation to seize Russian assets to help provide funding to Ukraine.

“Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan are on the frontlines of the struggle to preserve democracy around the world,” said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., during debate. “In the case of Ukraine and Israel, these two nations are quite literally in harm’s way.”

Pressure increased on lawmakers to pass aid after Iran’s unprecedented attacks on Israel over the weekend.

Johnson has forged ahead with the foreign aid measures, calling them pivotal, despite pushback from the right-flank of his party and looming threats to his job.

A third House Republican, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, announced after Friday’s vote his support for the motion to vacate the speaker’s chair first introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene last month. In a statement, Gosar expressed frustration with moving ahead on aid to Ukraine rather than providing resources to the souther border.

“We need a Speaker who puts America first rather than bending to the reckless demands of the warmongers, neo-cons and the military industrial complex making billions from a costly and endless war half a world away,” Gosar said.

Three Republicans supporting a motion to vacate would be enough to remove Johnson, unless Democrats decide to help defend the Republican speaker.

On his way to the House floor for the vote, ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang asked Johnson if he was worried about possibly being ousted.

Pennsylvania board’s cancellation of gay actor’s school visit ill-advised, education leaders say
“I don’t worry,” Johnson responded. “I just do my job.”

But GOP hard-liners aired their frustrations with Johnson and his approach to this issue during debate.

“I’m concerned that the speaker’s cut a deal with the Democrats to fund foreign wars rather than to secure a border,” Rep. Thomas Massie.

Massie, R-Ky., earlier this week called on Johnson to resign and joined Greene’s motion to vacate.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, also took issue with “another $100 million to fund war, unpaid for, with zero border security — under a rule which Republicans should oppose because it is a process predesigned to achieve a desired predetermined outcome, with no border security.”

Pennsylvania board’s cancellation of gay actor’s school visit ill-advised, education leaders say
“This was all precooked,” Roy said. “It’s why President Biden and Chuck Schumer are praising it.”

Democrats, meanwhile, criticized Republicans for bringing dysfunction to the chamber.

“I would just say to my colleagues, ‘Look at what MAGA extremism has gotten you: nothing. Nothing, not a damn thing,'” Rep. McGovern said, who also told his colleagues,“You don’t get an award when you’re doing your damn job.”

“We are in a divided government. Nobody is going to get everything they want,” he added. “I hope today’s vote loosens the grip that MAGA extremism has on this body, and especially when it comes to supporting our allies.”

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, also a Democratic member of the House Rules Committee, also condemned the delay in getting aid passed: “Congress is finally going to vote … Why did it take us this long?”

The White House ahead of the vote released a statement of administration policy backing the bills, calling them “long overdue” and actions that would “send a powerful message about the strength of American leadership at a pivotal moment.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Biden administration has finalized new Title IX regulations that codify protections for transgender people, as well as enhance protections for victims of sexual assault or harassment and pregnant people.

“For more than 50 years, Title IX has promised an equal opportunity to learn and thrive in our nation’s schools free from sex discrimination,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in a statement on the revision. “These final regulations build on the legacy of Title IX by clarifying that all our nation’s students can access schools that are safe, welcoming, and respect their rights.”

The new regulations officially add “gender identity” onto the list of protections from sex-based discrimination for the first time, though the administration said it has already been applying this standard.

A decision on the administration’s proposed Title IX rule that would prohibit a blanket ban on transgender athletes from participating on teams aligned with their gender identity was not included in today’s announcement. That process is still ongoing, according to a senior administration official.

The Title IX update also now offers full protection from all “sex-based harassment,” broadening the definition to include “sexual violence and unwelcome sex-based conduct that creates a hostile environment by limiting or denying a person’s ability to participate in or benefit from a school’s education program or activity.”

These changes roll back the narrowed definitions of sexual harassment implemented by former President Donald Trump’s Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

The regulations update also enhances protections for students, employees, and applicants against discrimination “based on pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, or recovery from these conditions.”

The final regulations, which take effect Aug. 1, also require increased accountability for schools in promptly responding to information about misconduct based on sex discrimination, according to the Biden administration.

Schools will be required to train employees “about the school’s obligation to address sex discrimination, as well as employees’ obligations to notify or provide contact information for the Title IX Coordinator” and strengthen requirements for schools conducting “reliable and impartial” investigations of all complaints.

“These regulations make crystal clear that everyone can access schools that are safe, welcoming, and that respect their rights,” Cardona said.

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(WASHINGTON) — First lady Jill Biden, in Minnesota on Friday, will launch Educators for Biden-Harris — a national organizing program intended to engage and mobilize teachers, school staff and parents to vote for President Joe Biden, the Biden-Harris campaign shared exclusively with ABC News.

Kicking off the coalition in an evening speech to educators at the Education Minnesota Convention in Bloomington, the first lady, a classroom teacher for over 30 years, will brand her husband as “the education president.”

“You deserve a president who recognizes your service,” the first lady will say, according to excerpts from the Biden-Harris campaign. “Who understands that the work doesn’t end when the afternoon bell rings each day, who sees the early morning bus routes and piles of papers to grade, the care you give to every sick student and the extra granola bars you keep handy, because someone might come to school hungry… A president who matches your devotion with his own.”

“That person is my husband, Joe Biden. He knows what educators go through every day. He respects us. He empowers us. And he’s never going to stop fighting for us,” read excerpts from the first lady’s speech. “You saw that four years ago when you placed your faith in him, and he’s never taken it for granted.”

The first lady is expected to say the president delivered on his campaign promises from 2020, including “safely” reopening schools after COVID’s peak, expanding mental health access for students and passing the first major gun safety legislation in 30 years.

The campaign said to expect several Educators for Biden-Harris events over the next few days, beginning with events in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada,; Concord, New Hampshire,; and Lansing, Michigan. They add that plan to hit every battleground state over the next few weeks.

Jill Biden, who the campaign is dubbing “America’s First Teacher,” is the country’s first first lady to hold a paid job outside the White House, working as an English professor at Virginia Community College since 2009. She also worked full-time during her eight years as second lady in the Obama-Biden administration.

The campaign sees their Educators for Biden-Harris project as yet another opportunity for them to draw a contrast between Biden and former President Donald Trump, who has called for abolishing the Department of Education.

Teachers unions backing Biden amplify message

Presidents of the National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (NFT) will join the first lady on Friday in Bloomington for her remarks at the Education Minnesota Convention. The two national teachers’ unions endorsed Biden last year.

Together, the groups have nearly five million combined members with local affiliates in all 50 states, the Biden-Harris campaign said, adding, “96% of NEA members and over 90% of AFT members voted in 2020.”

The campaign said it will build on its launch of Educators for Biden-Harris with digital and on-the-ground organizing efforts to directly engage educators and parents. And, working alongside AFT and NEA, the campaign will organize door-to-door canvassing, phone and text banks and back-to-school events, some of which have already begun.

For their part, NEA has created a candidate comparison tool in both English and Spanish which highlights policy differences between the presumptive party nominees, including how Trump proposed cutting federal funding for public education when in office and has proposed eliminating funding for loan forgiveness programs if re-elected.

The union has already launched a 10-question “Biden-Harris Public Education Quiz” which tests users on the Biden administration’s record “for supporting public education and unions,” touting achievements from expanding free school meals to 30 million students to approving more than $137 billion in student debt relief.

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(WASHINGTON) — The House Ethics Committee is investigating whether or not Rep. Matt Gaetz used illicit drugs as a member of Congress, multiple sources familiar with the committee’s work told ABC News.

Committee investigators have inquired about whether Gaetz was under the influence of drugs at parties in Florida after becoming a member of Congress in 2017, according to the sources.

According to a sworn written statement that has been obtained by the Ethics committee, a woman says that in summer of 2017, when she was 20 years old, she attended a party in Florida that Gaetz also attended, which featured alcohol and drugs including cocaine and MDMA, sources familiar with the committee’s work told ABC News.

In the sworn statement, which has not been previously reported, the woman said that in addition to Gaetz, the party was attended by the then-minor who was at the center of a yearslong Justice Department investigation into accusations that the Florida Congressman had sex with her when she was 17, according to sources.

According to the statement provided to the committee, sources said the woman who made the statement — who ABC News is not identifying — said she saw the then-minor naked at the party, which was also attended by adult men other than Gaetz, and that at the party there allegedly were bedrooms that were made available for sexual activities.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing, including the allegations that he had sex with a minor. The Justice Department informed Gaetz in 2023 that it was declining to bring charges against him.

Though the statement obtained by Congress references Gaetz, it was not written specifically to the Ethics Committee and is not primarily about the congressman, and the woman does not discuss whether or not she had knowledge of Gaetz’s alleged sexual relations with the then-minor, sources said.

When asked if Rep. Gaetz recalled attending the 2017 party, a spokesperson for the Florida Congressman told ABC News, “No.” The spokesperson also said “no” when asked if Gaetz has used illicit drugs since becoming a member of Congress.

A representative for the House Ethics Committee declined to comment.

The sworn statement places Gaetz at a party with the then-minor, who Gaetz has denied ever having a relationship with and previously claimed “doesn’t exist” when asked about the allegations on Fox News in March 2021.

“The person doesn’t exist,” Gaetz told Tucker Carlson. “I have not had a relationship with a 17-year-old, that is totally false.”

In March, Gaetz was subpoenaed as a witness by attorneys representing the former minor in a civil lawsuit brought by Gaetz’s longtime friend, Chris Dorworth, who alleges he was defamed by her and others during the Justice Department’s probe into the matter. Gaetz is not a party to the lawsuit. Gaetz’s deposition is slated for June and could see the congressman asked under oath about allegations that he engaged in sexual activity with the woman when she was a minor.

Last week, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made headlines when he claimed he was ousted because he would not stop the ongoing House Ethics probe into Gaetz.

“I’ll give you the truth why I’m not speaker,” McCarthy said at an event at Georgetown University. “It’s because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old.”

Gaetz appeared to respond on X, formally known as Twitter, writing, “Kevin McCarthy is a liar. That’s why he is no longer speaker.”

The House Ethics probe into Gaetz has continued to move forward in recent weeks, with investigators reaching out to more individuals, including young women who were allegedly paid by Gaetz’s one-time close friend Joel Greenberg to attend sex parties, sources said.

Committee investigators have asked witnesses whether they had seen or had knowledge of Gaetz using and or purchasing drugs himself, sources said.

News that the committee is asking questions about Gaetz and alleged drug use comes weeks after the Florida congressman grilled President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, about his own admitted drug use during a closed-door session with the House Oversight Committee.

During Hunter Biden’s interview with the committee, Gaetz asked if was “on drugs” while serving on the board of a Ukrainian energy company. The president’s son responded, “Mr. Gaetz, look me in the eye. You really think that’s appropriate to ask me?”

ABC News previously reported that the House Ethics Committee had subpoenaed Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend for testimony, which she sat for in late February.

ABC News also reported that the committee had obtained texts allegedly showing Gaetz setting up a trip to the Florida Keys trip with a separate woman that Greenberg had paid for sex.

A spokesperson for Gaetz told ABC News at the time, “Rep. Gaetz has no knowledge of these activities by Mr. Greenberg and was not involved in them. Rep. Gaetz has never paid for sex. Rep. Gaetz does not know anything about the woman you’re referencing, though he takes thousands of selfies each year.”

Gaetz has criticized the Ethics Committee for “trying to weaponize their process.”

“The Ethics Committee is engaging in payback against me for ousting the person who singularly appointed every Republican — Kevin McCarthy,” Gaetz previously said in a statement to ABC News.

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(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday quashed rumors he was considering changes to make it more difficult to oust him from his leadership post, after Republican hard-liners warned it was a “red line” he shouldn’t cross.

Johnson, in a statement posted to X, criticized the current rule allowing a single member to offer a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair as having “harmed” the office and the party’s majority in the House — but said it will stand for now.

“Recently, many members have encouraged me to endorse a new rule to raise this threshold,” he said. “While I understand the importance of that idea, any rule change requires a majority of the full House, which we do not have. We will continue to govern under the existing rules.”

Throughout the day, the party’s right flank had sought assurances Johnson would not consider a change to the threshold to advance a motion to vacate.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is leading the charge to take the gavel from Johnson, said earlier Thursday he “owes our entire conference a meeting and if he wants to change the motion to vacate.”

“This has never happened in history. And it’s completely wrong. He owes our conference the truth and he owes Republicans answers,” Greene, R-Ga., said. “He’s going to prove exactly what I’ve been saying correct. He is the Democrat’s speaker.”

While Greene addressed reporters on the House steps, Johnson remained on the floor surrounded by conservative hard-liners, who pressed him to commit to not changing the rule.

Standing at the back of the chamber, Johnson was surrounded by GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, Derrick Van Orden, Bob Good, Byron Donalds, Tim Burchett, Scott Perry, Eli Crane, Andy Ogles and Clay Higgins.

Johnson did not comment to reporters when he left the chamber and walked back to his office.

“He was equivocating,” Gaetz reported afterward, saying Johnson hadn’t in that conversation given the answer they wanted.

Gaetz signaled he would join the effort to oust Johnson if the speaker decided to change that threshold, and Boebert flat-out said it’s a “red line” for her, as well — underscoring the delicate balance Johnson faces as he plows forward on the national security bills and simultaneously tries to retain the gavel.

The current rules governing the motion to vacate were part of concessions former Rep. Kevin McCarthy agreed to in order to secure the speakership during 15 rounds of voting at the start of the 118th Congress. McCarthy was ousted by a small faction of his own party after nine months on the job. He resigned from Congress not long after.

“I told [Johnson] changing the threshold of the motion to vacate — that’s been my red line this entire Congress,” Boebert, R-Colo., said. “It’s my red line then, it’s my red line now. I told [him] there’s nothing that will get you to a motion to vacate faster than changing the threshold.”

Gaetz said Johnson “views the Ukraine issue very differently” than him. He’s urging Johnson to opt against holding votes on the bills in the foreign aid package until the Senate passes H.R. 2, the House-passed border bill that has no chance of passing the Senate or being signed into law.

“We’re worried about America’s border. He seems to be more worried about Ukraine,” Gaetz said.

Johnson on Wednesday said providing aid to Ukraine as it fights Russian invaders was worth the risk to his job.

“This is not a game. It’s not a joke,” Johnson said. “We have to do the right thing and I’m going to allow an opportunity for every single member of the House to vote their conscience and their will on this. And I think that’s the way this institution is supposed to work. And I’m willing to take personal risk for that because we have to do the right thing and history will judge us.”

ABC News’ Juhi Doshi contributed to this report.

 

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(WASHINGTON) — A ban on the popular social media app TikTok in the United States is now lumped in with Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans’ $95 billion foreign aid package, which would provide funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

House Republican leaders late Wednesday posted legislative text on a fourth and final bill — the “21st Century Peace Through Strength Act” — that’s part of the proposed aid package. The bill includes a modified version of the TikTok ban that passed the House earlier this year, as well as the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity (REPO) for Ukrainians Act, mandatory sanctions on Iran and more.

The new bill would give TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance 270 days from the date of enactment to divest from the app or face a U.S. ban, according to the proposed legislation. It would also give the president flexibility to offer a one-time extension of 90 days, ultimately possibly providing ByteDance up to a year to divest from the app, according to the bill.

The previous TikTok bill that passed in the House in March gave ByteDance 180 days to divest from the app or face a ban.

Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell endorsed the changes to the proposed TikTok ban and said Wednesday in a statement: “I’m very happy that Speaker Johnson and House leaders incorporated my recommendation to extend the ByteDance divestment period from six months to a year. As I’ve said, extending the divestment period is necessary to ensure there is enough time for a new buyer to get a deal done. I support this updated legislation.”

In a post on X Wednesday night, TikTok said: “It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the U.S. economy, annually.”

What happens next?

In its latest guidance, House GOP leadership advised that votes on the four bills in the aid package are expected in the House on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with the last votes for the week expected late Saturday. The aid package includes $26.4 billion for Israel aid, including $4 billion to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome defense system; $60.8 billion for Ukraine aid, including $23 billion for replenishing weapons, and $8.1 billion for Indo-Pacific aid.

If each of the four bills passes and Johnson sends them to the Senate as one package — as he’s indicated he would do, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wouldn’t be able to take up the issue of foreign aid without the fourth bill that includes the proposed TikTok ban.

While senators could strip out the TikTok portion of the fourth bill, that would require sending the legislation back to the House for another vote.

While Schumer on Wednesday expressed overall support for the House foreign aid package — although not bringing up TikTok, he said he hasn’t looked closely at the text yet.

Sources at TikTok told ABC News they were alarmed by how quickly this legislation is moving and were still trying to formulate their response late Wednesday.

TikTok, which has more than 170 million American users, has said the legislation passed in the House in March amounts to a “total ban.”

In response to ABC News’ request for comment in March, TikTok condemned the proposed bill as an infringement on the right to express oneself freely.

“This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States. The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country,” a TikTok spokesperson said at the time.

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