Politics
Maduro — confirmation — homework — oversight — DOGE
Venezuelan crossroads
The question of how President-elect Donald Trump’s administration will interact with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has generated wide speculation in global media. However, Republicans in Florida’s congressional delegation have clarified that the U.S. should not recognize the regime.
Today, Maduro plans to be inaugurated to another term as president after claiming victory in elections held in July, though global watchdogs have universally said opposition candidate Edmundo González likely won more votes. President Joe Biden’s administration said it recognizes González as the rightful President-elect for the South American nation, a move that has drawn praise even from Republicans in Florida.
“Everyone knows that I do not share President Joe Biden’s policies. Today, you did the right thing, the proper thing and the honorable thing,” Rep. Carlos Giménez, a Miami-Dade Republican, posted in Spanish as Biden met with González in Washington last week. “Edmundo González has the full support of the President and the United States Congress. Freedom of Venezuela is above all!”
Sen. Rick Scott also met with González and pressed for more aggressive action against Maduro. He filed the Securing Timely Opportunities for Payment and Maximizing Awards for Detaining Unlawful Regime Officials (STOP MADURO) Act, which would renew a $100 million bounty for information leading to Maduro’s arrest and conviction for international crimes.
“The Venezuelan people have made it overwhelmingly clear that President-elect Edmundo González is their rightful leader in an effort led by opposition leader María Corina Machado,” Scott said.
“They want a new day of freedom and democracy — the time of Maduro’s oppressive dictatorship is OVER. In support of the people of Venezuela, the United States must stand strongly against any attempt by Maduro to illegitimately cling to power through violence or repression and make way for President-elect González to bring democracy, freedom and opportunity back to Venezuela.”
In his first term, Trump notably refused to recognize Maduro as President, instead boosting opposition leader Juan Guaidó. But there remains wide speculation that Trump may not take such a hard stance now. That is thanks to several challenges. Chevron imports a significant amount of oil from Venezuela. Also, as many as 10 Americans remain in custody there.
Of course, some Florida politicians Trump tapped for key posts, most notably Sen. Marco Rubio as Secretary of State and Rep. Michael Waltz as National Security Adviser, signal that Trump will continue to take a hard line with Maduro, as he did in the last administration.
Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Coral Gables Republican, anticipates as much and stressed that stopping Maduro’s regime connects directly to Trump’s agenda of stopping illegal border crossings.
“Two million Venezuelans are going to be knocking on our door because they have said that if Maduro stays, they’re coming to the United States,” Salazar told Fox News Business’ Maria Bartiromo. “The United States needs to speak up, and that is why we are counting on President Trump.”
Democrats from Florida have similarly held a hard line on Venezuela but have also said the U.S. must be prepared to help such refugees. Reps. Darren Soto, a Kissimmee Democrat, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Weston Democrat, sent a letter urging Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to extend temporary protected status for those displaced by the Maduro regime before the end of the Democratic administration.
“Given Venezuela’s increased instability and lack of safety, and within all applicable rules and regulations, we strongly urge your full and fair consideration of an early extension and redesignation of Venezuela for TPS to ensure stability and certainty of the program,” reads a letter led by the two Democrats sent last month.
“We also ask that you continue to provide safety and support to Venezuelans fleeing the political, economic and humanitarian crisis currently plaguing their home. Finally, in light of the inhumane conditions in Venezuela, we ask that you suspend planned nonemergency repatriation of Venezuelans who claim a credible fear of facing repression, imprisonment, or torture upon their return.”
Confirmations coming
The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled confirmation hearings over two days with Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick for Attorney General.
Bondi will appear before the Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 9:30 a.m. in the Hart Office Building. A public notice also shows a second hearing will occur on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 10 a.m. in the same place.
That likely means the Committee meeting will overlap with Rubio’s confirmation hearing before Wednesday’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The hearing begins at 10 a.m.
Homework assigned
Rep. Aaron Bean has his subject assignments after securing a coveted spot on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. The Fernandina Beach Republican will serve on the Social Security, Work and Welfare, and Oversight Subcommittees.
“These are three powerful subcommittees that will provide a great platform to fight for Northeast Florida priorities in Washington,” Bean said.
“Whether strengthening our workforce, protecting American workers’ retirement or reining in the supercharged IRS, I am confident my colleagues and I will successfully meet the challenges our nation faces and deliver for the American people.”
Cop caucus
Rep. John Rutherford, a former Jacksonville Sheriff, relaunched a bipartisan caucus backing the blue in Congress. The Jacksonville Republican joined Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, to renew the House Law Enforcement Caucus.
“As a former Sheriff and lifetime member of law enforcement, I am honored to advocate in Congress for America’s law enforcement community,” Rutherford said.
“Over the last few years, the House Law Enforcement Caucus has come together in a bipartisan manner to engage in substantial policy debates regarding recruitment and retention, training and technology. “Congressman Gottheimer has been a great partner on law enforcement issues, and I look forward to working with him this Congress as the new caucus co-Chair to support our law enforcement officers and the communities they protect and serve.”
Gottheimer and Rutherford last Congress filed the Invest to Protect Act (HR 3184) together, which sought investments in local Police Departments.
Oversight and Intelligence
Fresh off being sworn into a second term, Rep. Cory Mills has secured a gavel and will chair the House Foreign Affairs Oversight & Intelligence Subcommittee.
“I am honored to be named Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Intelligence as part of the House Foreign Affairs Committee,” the New Smyrna Beach Republican said.
“America is facing unprecedented challenges on the world stage, and our adversaries have been emboldened by the disastrous foreign policies of the Biden Administration. These policies led to the chaotic and botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, Americans left behind in Israel after Hamas, and gangs taking over Haiti. The pattern of abandonment and demonstrated weaknesses empowered the axis of evil (China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran), along with terrorist proxies, to act with greater aggression.”
Mills was appointed by fellow Florida Rep. Brian Mast, a Stuart Republican chairing the full House Foreign Affairs Committee this Congress.
“Cory Mills is a warrior who will eat, sleep, and breathe making America’s State Department worthy of the men and women he served in uniform with,” Mast said. “He’s going to be a great subcommittee Chairman.”
Mills promised as much.
“As Chairman, I will ensure this subcommittee fulfills its mission to hold those accountable for these failures and to restore the strength of the America First policies,” he said. “Through vigilant oversight, we will protect the safety and interests of the American people, rebuild trust with our allies, be good stewards of American taxpayer funding, and ensure our foreign policies reflect the values and priorities of our nation.”
Whip it good
First-term Rep. Mike Haridopolos just arrived in Congress and has been given the responsibility for rallying votes on one of the House’s top Committees. House Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill, an Arkansas Republican, chose the Indian Harbor Beach Republican to serve as the Committee Whip.
“I am honored to be selected as the Whip for the Financial Services Committee and to support Chairman Hill’s agenda,” Haridopolos said. “The diversity of America’s banking ecosystem is essential to ensure a prosperous future for Florida’s small businesses and entrepreneurs. Chairman Hill and President Trump uniquely understand what it takes to grow our economy, and their focus on removing bureaucratic red tape will unleash the American economy and allow our entrepreneurs and businesses to thrive.”
Hill said Haridopolos’ financial background made him a welcome addition to the Committee.
“I am delighted that Rep. Haridopolos will join our Committee in his first term in Congress,” Hill said. “His service in Florida State politics in both the State House and Senate, paired with his leadership and entrepreneurship in founding MJH Consulting, will bring important skillsets to our Committee as Committee Whip. I am delighted Rep. Haridopolos will serve in this role for our Committee in the 119th Congress.”
Bridge the gap
Biden signed legislation co-introduced by Rep. Daniel Webster to streamline access to rural broadband funding as part of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act.
Webster, a Clermont Republican, said provisions from the Eliminating Barriers to Rural Internet Development Grant Eligibility (E-BRIDGE) Act should significantly stimulate rural areas of Florida and across the nation.
“We know broadband impacts the ability of distressed communities to attract jobs and businesses across a host of other industries, including health care and energy sectors,” Webster said.
“I’m thrilled that this common-sense bill is now law, removing unnecessary hurdles and helping more Americans get connected. The E-Bridge Act also ensures that efforts to expand broadband access do not harm existing rural broadband providers — often small businesses themselves that have invested time and capital to serve these communities, often through creative ways.”
Housing the troops
Hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged the housing of several military families at MacDill Air Force Base. Rep. Kathy Castor, a Tampa Democrat, said the conditions have been unacceptable for a long time.
She sent a letter to the Michaels Organization and Harbour Bay, the housing companies, demanding answers about repair delays. She noted that provisions of the recently signed National Defense Authorization Act strengthen the tenant bill of rights for military service members but also stressed the strategic significance of the Tampa base.
“As you are aware, MacDill AFB in Tampa, Florida, is home to the 6th Air Refueling Wing and a number of additional mission partners, including U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command and the 927th Air Refueling Wing,” Castor wrote.
“Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck two weeks apart in late September and early October and inflicted significant damage to homes and businesses across the Tampa Bay area, including MacDill. Since that time, neighbors — including service members from all branches of our military who call MacDill AFB their home — have been doing their best to get back on their feet.”
Can you DOGE it?
The Republican co-chair of Florida’s congressional delegation just became the latest member of the high-profile Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus. Bean co-founded the caucus in the House and is working on cost-saving measures with businessmen Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, whom Trump tapped to run the similarly acronym-ed Department of Government Efficiency.
Rep. Vern Buchanan, Vice Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said that was a worthy mission close to his heart.
“The national debt has surpassed an astounding $36 trillion, yet Congress has not balanced the budget in more than two decades,” Buchanan said.
“The federal government wastes hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars annually. For example, federal agencies have reportedly handed out $2.7 trillion in fraudulent, improper payments since 2003 — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It’s beyond time to reign in wasteful spending once and for all and stop the madness. That’s why I am so pleased that President-elect Trump is making this a major focus of his new administration. As a fellow entrepreneur, I’m looking forward to working with Elon, Vivek and Republicans in Congress on this critically important mission.”
Remembering a hero
A Florida Highway Trooper who died in the line of duty could soon be memorialized with the renaming of a Port St. Lucie post office.
Mast filed legislation to rename a Peacock Boulevard facility after Trooper Zachary Fink, who died in a traffic collision at age 26 in February last year.
“Our community lost one of Florida’s finest last year,” Mast said. “We cannot repay his sacrifice, but we can ensure his memory lives on. Trooper Fink’s bravery and selflessness should inspire us all. He is a hero and should never be forgotten.”
The Stuart Republican introduced the bill on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.
“It is my hope that dedicating this facility in his honor will preserve his legacy for generations to come,” Mast continued. “Trooper Fink dedicated his life to making our community a safer place. He will be remembered as someone people could count on, a natural comedian who could de-escalate tense situations, and a hero deeply proud of his fellow law enforcement officers.”
On this day
Jan. 10, 1861 — “Florida secedes from the Union” via the Museum of Florida History — A special convention of delegates from around the state met in Tallahassee to consider whether Florida should leave the Union. Gov. Madison Starke Perry and Gov.-elect John Milton strongly supported secession. Delegates voted 62-7 to withdraw Florida from the Union. The next day, at a public ceremony on the east steps of the Capitol, they signed a formal Ordinance of Secession. News of the event generally led to local celebrations. Florida was the third state to leave the Union, and within a month, it joined with other southern states to form the Confederate States of America.
Jan. 10, 1923 — “Warren Harding orders U.S. troops home from Germany” via History.com — An American occupation force of 16,000 men had been sent to Germany as part of the post-war Allied presence on the Rhine that the terms of the Treaty of Versailles had determined. Four years after the end of World War I, the occupation troops were ordered home after President Harding succeeded President Woodrow Wilson and announced a desire to return to normalcy after the wartime disruptions. Meanwhile, the bitterness of the German population, demoralized by defeat and what they saw as the unfairly harsh terms of peace — of which the American occupation was a part — grew ever stronger.
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Peter Schorsch publishes Delegation, compiled by Jacob Ogles, edited and assembled by Phil Ammann and Ryan Nicol.
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Chuck Millar is a longtime Palm Beach Gardens resident. Over the past four decades, he’s become well-known in the community for his activism and involvement in local government, including a current unelected Chair post on the city’s Planning and Zoning Board.
Now, he’s seeking a seat on the City Commission. It’s his first run at public office.
Elections attract scrutiny. A look into Millar’s legal history shows that seven years ago, he faced accusations of cyberstalking and harassment. An ex-girlfriend sought a temporary restraining order against him, and she included in the request screenshots of messages he sent her.
The woman, whom we’ll call Kathy, filed a petition seeking protection against him for stalking, Palm Beach County Clerk records show. It included a request that Millar stay at least 500 feet from her and four people, including her two daughters, and the Jupiter-based K-12 private school they attended.
She provided proof that between March 4, 2018, when she broke up with him, and March 15, 2018, when she took legal action, Millar sent dozens of texts and emails to which she did not respond.
Some of the messages were sexually demeaning. In others, Millar implied that he was tracking her online dating accounts and referenced a domestic battery case from her past.
Millar is 65. He was 58 at the time he sent the messages. In an email to Millar’s sister seeking help, Kathy said they’d only dated a month, during which she’d broken up with him twice “due to his extreme and violent temper and outbursts that made no sense to me.”
Millar told Florida Politics they dated for a little more than a month. He regretted his actions and the whole ordeal, which ended on March 29, 2018, when Judge Karen Miller of the 15th Judicial Circuit instructed him to stop contacting Kathy before dismissing the case.
“I followed the court’s direction verbatim,” Millar said Thursday, adding that he’d since undergone counseling and treatment. “It made me a better person.”
Millar sent Kathy a lengthy text on March 4, 2018, after she cut things off with him, referencing “issues” and his “character flaws.”
“(I) take full responsibility for my faults. My heart is broken, but you tore my heart to pieces as I prayed each night you’d finally say you loved me, too. Those words are so powerful to me. You’re my true love, and I know it could work. I would have taken a bullet for you,” he wrote.
Later that day, seemingly in response to Kathy telling him her decision was final, Millar’s amorous tenor turned vitriolic.
“I’m fucking done with you too. Go fuck yourself. Get out and stay the hell out of my life. You have serious mental health issues,” he wrote. “You can have your fucking underware (sic) back. Enjoy the pink vibrator. You’ll need it. Bitch!”
Millar sent another text at 3:25 a.m. on March 5.
“Guaranteed the next time you have sex, you’ll think of me. Enjoy that train wreck,” he wrote. “And by the way, I read your entire file on your domestic battery case. It’s public record.”
Kathy said in her petition that she blocked Millar’s number after that.
He then sent her emails. One on March 8 was a variation of the prior message. “Your comment about never dating again is just total crap,” he wrote. “You know it, and I know it. But trust me, the next time you have sex with whomever or whatever, you’ll think of me.”
On March 10, Millar sent another email intimating Kathy had “a new man” and that the three of them should meet up at a baseball game. Two days later, he sent her an email titled “Weekend Fun” and asked about dates he believed Kathy had arranged on Match.com.
He wrote again on March 13, telling her, “Enjoy that vacation with your ex, no drama, mama. LOL.”
Later that day, Kathy — who said she and the ex to whom Millar referred never vacationed together — emailed Millar’s sister with screenshots of his communications. Kathy described Millar’s actions as “creepy” and “very frightening” and noted that she’d instructed a security guard at her gated community to call the police if he showed up.
Millar’s sister called her brother’s messages “completely unhinged” and said she’d talk to her husband about developing a plan of action to deal with him. The sister told Kathy in a follow-up email that after conferring with her spouse, they’d decided to stay out of it but advised Kathy to “take whatever steps (are) necessary to ensure” her and her children’s safety, including filing a temporary injunction or calling the police.
In the days that followed, Millar continued with his emails. One included a message Kathy sent him about a continuous neighborhood issue she’d had with her homeowner’s association. In another, Millar said he’d spoken with one of the association’s board members with whom Kathy had an issue.
“I see this as a threat from Chuck that he will continue to contact (the board member) and get in my neighborhood that way. Empty threat because I have taken necessary action and alerted our Board and the Security company of his actions,” Kathy told Millar’s sister. “I’m terrified of your brother. He’s a loose canon (sic). Right now, I want to move as far away from him as I can, but I can’t.”
A log of texts sent to Kathy’s cellphone show he messaged her 25 separate times in nine days.
Florida Politics contacted Kathy by text and email for comment but received none by press time.
Millar told Florida Politics he was “very remorseful” about his behavior, which he attributed to issues he’s since addressed in therapy. He said it was the first time he’d been broken up with by text.
“My emotions overcame my intelligence. That doesn’t usually happen,” he said. “My past has made me what I am today, which is a better ex-husband, father, brother and employee, and the best and most qualified candidate.”
He said that if he thought he still had emotional issues that needed addressing, he wouldn’t be running for office.
“It was an unfortunate thing, but it was a learning tool that I use today to be a better person, to understand empathy and sympathy,” he said. “I have the utmost respect for women, and most of my campaign team is made up of amazing ladies.”
A land use, zoning, planning, and real estate research professional, Millar switched his voter registration from Democrat to Republican in 2016, according to state records. He faces 47-year-old Republican firefighter John Kemp for the City Council’s Group 4 seat.
The Palm Beach Gardens election is on March 11. In the race, incumbent Commissioner Marcie Tinsley and her lone challenger, John “Scott” Gilow, will also be on the ballot.
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Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Florida Republicans’ intraparty battle continued Thursday, with the Legislature telling the Governor that it was their way or the highway, not the other way around. Ron DeSantis returned the favor by threatening defiant lawmakers with primary challengers.
Reminiscent of a call by DeSantis earlier this month, House Speaker Daniel Perez held a town hall with state GOP leaders, pushing the Legislature’s narrative on the immigration bill scuffle packaged alongside criticism of the Governor’s plan.
According to those on the call, Perez said the Legislature’s bill was more conservative than the one pushed by DeSantis, which he claimed was a thinly veiled play to give the Governor a “mini version of ICE” that would duplicate the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown efforts rather than augment them.
“He (DeSantis) is not going to work with ICE. He wants a little mini version of ICE. He wants his own state guard, with his own bureaucrat, picking up the illegal aliens and shipping them off to another portion of the world, wherever it is that they originate from. That’s not working (in) conjunction with President Trump.”
The Governor, meanwhile, amped up his rhetoric — he has gone from casting the Legislature’s bill as “weak, weak, weak” to a “very grotesque piece of legislation.” He’s also directing more frustration at Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, whom he accused of instigating this saga by supposedly leveraging his influence as a former Senate President.
As it stands, the Legislature is still winning the numbers game, with just one GOP lawmaker — Rep. Mike Caruso — publicly breaking ranks to side with the Governor.
Evening Reads
—“Donald Trump blames predecessors, diversity programs for fatal air collision” via Isaac Arnsdorf of The Washington Post
—“The 25 most eye-popping lines from Trump’s off-the-rails remarks on the D.C. plane crash” via Chris Cillizza of So What
—“The plane crash that ripped through the world of elite figure skating” via Louise Radnofsky, Allison Pohle and Jennifer Levitz of The Wall Street Journal
—“Trump kicks Congress to the curb, with little protest from Republicans” via Carl Hulse of The New York Times
—“What it’s like to go to school in the shadow of ICE” via Anna North of Vox
—“Trump is just watching this crisis unfold” via David A. Graham of The Atlantic
—”As GOP rift widens, Ron DeSantis pledges money to elect ‘strong conservative’ successor” via Skyler Swisher of the Orlando Sentinel
—”Joel Rudman said he felt unwelcome in a House ‘itching for a fight’ with DeSantis” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
—”‘Powerless and angry’: Venezuelans react to roll-back of deportation protections” via Verónica Egui Brito and Syra Ortiz Blanes of the Miami Herald
—”Mercenaries for Millionaires: Inside the private army that protects L.A.’s rich and famous” via Jason McGahan of The Hollywood Reporter
Quote of the Day
“This was an argument waiting for an excuse. If not for immigration, they would have fought over new hours for the cafeteria.”
— Former Rep. Joel Rudman, on the Legislature v. Ron DeSantis bout.
Put it on the Tab
Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.
Rudman’s campaign for Florida’s 1st Congressional District may’ve gone bust, but Doc Rock deserves a “Peace Out” for heading for the exit before the gloves came off.
Separate from his war with the Legislature, DeSantis is catching flak from Tucker Carlson, who called him a “donors’ puppet.” Since the strings aren’t showing up on camera, however, we’re recommending he be served a Muppet.
With all the drama, we imagine rank-and-file staffers are itching for politics-free happy hour. A Paris Between the Wars should help them forget work for a few minutes.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Gators face Vols in key rematch
For the second time this month, the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers meet when the teams tip off on Saturday in Knoxville (noon ET, ESPN).
On Jan. 7, Florida shocked then-top-ranked Tennessee 73-43 in Gainesville. The win was among the Gators’ most notable regular-season victories in program history. Ince beating Tennessee, Florida (18-2, 5-2 SEC) has won four of five games, only losing to Missouri on Jan. 14.
The game is the first since the school cleared Florida head coach Todd Golden following a four-month investigation into sexual misconduct allegations.
Both teams enter the game ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll. Florida is ranked #5, while Tennessee (17-4, 4-4) is ranked eighth. The game is also the first of four straight for the Gators against ranked teams. Between now and Feb. 11, Florida will face Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Auburn, and Mississippi State.
The Gators are coming off an 89-59 win over Georgia on Saturday. Five Gators scored in double figures in the game, including Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin, who each scored 17 points. Both rank in the top 10 in scoring average in the SEC. Clayton is tied for sixth (17.8 points per game), while Martin is tied for 10th (16.1).
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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
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