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Grift Alert! Trump Appointees Pushed Scam Supplements

Grift Alert! Trump Appointees Pushed Scam Supplements

President-elect Donald Trump has sold Trump-branded vodka, steaks, bottled water, sneakers, neckties, and bibles. Now, he’s stacking his cabinet with folks who have hawked similarly chintzy and bizarre products.

On December 1, Trump said he would appoint MAGA loyalist Kash Patel to lead the FBI. Patel is a former federal prosecutor who worked in the Department of Defense during Trump’s first term.

In the last four years, Patel has tried to cash in on his proximity to Trump with Based Apparel, a clothing line that sells tees and sweatshirts emblazoned with pro-Trump words and images. The company’s logo is a skull with a Trump-esque haircut.

One item sold by Based Apparel is a red t-shirt printed with the words “Protect Our People” and a map of the United States. “Tired of seeing your hard earned money go overseas?” the product description asks, “Support your fellow Americans by purchasing a Protect Our People t-shirt.”

In a social media post, menswear critic Derek Guy pointed out that the t-shirts are sourced from Central America and Haiti.

Matthew Whittaker, Trump’s pick for Ambassador to NATO, also served in Trump’s first term as acting Attorney General. Prior to entering politics, Whittaker was involved in several business ventures, including a stint on the advisory board of World Patent Marketing, a Florida-based company that sought out investors for prospective products.

In 2014, Whittaker’s name appeared on promotional materials for a toilet that the company was marketing to “well-endowed men.”

“The average male genitalia is between 5’ and 6’,” the firm’s press release said, “However, this invention is designed for those of us who measure longer than that.”

World Patent Marketing also promoted cryptocurrency for time travelers. In 2022, the company was ordered to pay $26 million to the federal government for committing fraud.

Trump nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a physician and Fox News personality, to be Surgeon General on Nov. 23. Nesheiwat’s sister is married to Florida Rep. Mike Waltz who Trump has tapped to be his national security adviser.

Nesheiwat’s name and image appears on a line of vitamins from the company B+C Boost. The company’s website features several quotes from Nesheiwat endorsing the products. Text at the bottom of the site warns, “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.”

A 30-day supply of B+C Boost’s supplements costs $26.99.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, another physician turned TV personality, is Trump’s pick to oversee Medicare and Medicaid. Like Nesheiwat, Oz has endorsed dubious health and medical products.

Usana Health Sciences, a Utah-based seller of supplements and skin care products, was a sponsor of Oz’s daytime talk show. Oz frequently touted the supposed benefits of the company’s products in segments that blurred the line between medical advice and advertisement. The company also made large donations to Oz’s charity.

More recently, Oz has been accused of violating the Federal Trade Commission’s influencer marketing rules. Oz has posted several videos on social media promoting herbal supplements sold by the online marketplace iHerb without disclosing that he is a stakeholder in the company. The FTC has not confirmed if the matter is being investigated.

If confirmed, Oz’s boss will likely be Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Trump has nominated to run the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy is a former lawyer and the founder of the environmental group Waterkeeper Alliance (formerly Riverkeeper Alliance).

In 1999, Kennedy launched a line of bottled water that was intended to support Waterkeeper Alliance’s work. The New Republic reports that Kennedy’s bottled water included fluoride. He now says removing fluoride from drinking water is one of his top priorities.

Sebastian Gorka, a far-right commentator, served in Trump’s first term as a national security adviser and will return to that job in January. In 2019, Gorka appeared in a series of ads for a fish oil supplement that he claimed cured his chronic back pain.

Gorka’s name appeared on screen in the ads as “Dr. Sebastian Groka.” His doctorate is in political science, not medicine.

Since winning the 2024 presidential election, Trump has rolled out several new Trump-branded products, including cologne and acoustic guitars.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News.

'Grab 'Em' Trump Fills His Cabinet With Alleged Sex Abusers

'Grab 'Em' Trump Fills His Cabinet With Alleged Sex Abusers

President-elect Donald Trump, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by 26 women, has appointed at least three men to his cabinet who have also been accused of sex crimes.

Trump’s 2016 electoral victory is often cited as an inciting event for the MeToo movement, a social phenomenon that resulted in the ousting of abusive men, particularly sexual predators, from positions of power and influence. For some, Trump’s return to power and his embrace of alleged sex offenders is seen as a repudiation of that cause.

On November 12, Trump chose Fox News host Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense. Hegseth is a decorated veteran, but otherwise has no experience in foreign policy or national security.

Hegseth was investigated for sexual assault by the Monterey Police Department in California in 2017. A Republican operative claimed Hegseth raped her following an event at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa. Hegseth’s accuser went to a hospital following the alleged incident and was tested with a rape kit that detected the presence of semen.

Hegseth does not deny having a sexual encounter with his accuser, but maintains that it was consensual. Hegseth entered a settlement agreement with his accuser in February 2020, in which she was paid an undisclosed sum to not go public with the allegations.

No criminal charges were ever filed against Hegseth.

Trump nominated Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General on November 13. Gaetz attended law school and had a brief stint as a lawyer, but, like Hegseth, has minimal relevant experience for the top law enforcement job.

The Department of Justice investigated in 2021 whether Gaetz was involved in the sex trafficking of a 17 year old girl. Despite evidence that Gaetz had sex with the victim, the trafficking investigation was dropped in 2023.

The House Ethics Committee launched its own investigation into Gaetz in 2021. The inquiry was supported by both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, some of whom claimed Gaetz had personally boasted to them about engaging in deviant sexual behavior.

In October 2023, Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin claimed Gaetz had shown fellow legislators photos and videos of women he had slept with and would “brag about how he would crush ED (erectile dysfunction) medicine and chase it with an energy drink so he could go all night.”

The ethics committee was preparing to publish the findings of its investigation when Trump nominated Gaetz to be Attorney General. Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress the same day. Under House rules, the report is not required to be released if Gaetz is not serving in Congress.

Politicoreported on November 18 that a woman testified to the ethics committee that she witnessed Gaetz having sex with an underage girl. Other witnesses said Gaetz attended several sex parties in 2017 and 2018 where illegal drugs were used.

Gaetz denies these allegations.

Senators from both parties have called for the Ethics Committee’s findings to be made public, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has signaled he will prevent that from happening.

Trump nominated lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to run the Department of Health and Human Services on Nov. 14. Kennedy initially ran for president in 2024 as a Democrat before switching to become an independent. He suspended his campaign in August and endorsed Trump.

In July, Vanity Fair reported that Kennedy had allegedly groped his children’s babysitter in 1998. Kennedy denied the allegations, but also sent a text message to his accuser apologizing for any behavior he engaged in that made her feel uncomfortable.

At the time of the alleged incident, Kennedy reportedly kept a “sex diary” in which he detailed extramarital affairs with 37 different women. In excerpts published by the New York Post, Kennedy wrote that he was a slave to “wild impulses” and “powerful demons.” It has been suggested that Kennedy’s serial philandering contributed to the suicide of his ex-wife Mary Richardson in 2012.

Kennedy is currently married to actress Cheryl Hines. In September, a political reporter for New York magazine said she had an emotional affair with Kennedy while he was campaigning for president. Kennedy denies this allegation as well.

Trump is reportedly considering appointing business executive and Republican donor Charles Herbster to be his Secretary of Agriculture. Hebster ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for Governor of Nebraska in 2014 and 2022.

During his 2022 campaign, nine women accused Hebster of forcibly groping and kissing them. Hebster claims all of his accusers are lying.

Hegseth, Gaetz, Kennedy, and, if nominated, Hebster, would all need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in order to serve in Trump’s cabinet. Trump has pressured the Senate to let him do recess appointments, which would allow him to install cabinet officials without senate approval.

On May 9, a New York jury ruled that Trump had sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll in the dressing room of a Bloomingdale’s department store in 1996. Trump was ordered to pay Carroll $5 million in damages. That amount increased when a separate jury ruled that Trump had defamed Carroll by accusing her of lying about the incident.

Several of Trump’s advisers have also been accused of sexual assault or misconduct.

Corey Lewandowski was an adviser on Trump’s 2016 and 2024 campaigns. In 2017, a woman filed a police report alleging that Lewandowski slapped her buttocks at a holiday party.

Billionaire Elon Musk was an informal adviser on Trump’s 2024 campaign and has reportedly played a role in staffing Trump’s cabinet. In June, the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk had sexual relationships with several of his employees, engaged in sexual harassment, and once exposed himself to a flight attendant.

Musk denies these allegations.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News.

Sam Brown

Hilarious Republican Mud Bath In Nevada Senate Primary

A new ad in Nevada’s GOP senate primary features a photoshopped image of Republican Sam Brown dancing on a stripper pole while Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) throws money at him. It is the latest example of how Republican in-fighting is consuming a crucial 2024 race.

Brown launched his campaign in July. He is an election denier and anti-abortion extremist, but support from McConnell and other Washington, D.C. insiders has made him a target for his competitors in the Republican primary. Brown and his opponents are hoping to take on incumbent Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen in the 2024 election.

The ad is from the campaign of Dr. Jeff Gunter, a dermatologist who served as former President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Iceland from 2019 to 2021. In the spot, Gunter boasts that he is “110% pro-Trump.” For months, Gunter has been hitting Brown for not endorsing Trump’s 2024 campaign.

Gunter posted the following on the social media platform X: “Nevada Republicans take notice: nowhere on Scam Brown’s website does he endorse President Trump or even mention the America First movement. This McConnell-backed puppet can’t even say who he’s supporting for president in 2024.”

On Jan. 12, Brown seemingly caved to this pressure and endorsed Trump’s White House bid. A spokesperson for Brown’s campaign did not immediately respond to questions for this story.

Trump is extremely popular amongst Nevada Republicans. A recent Emerson College poll found 73% of likey Nevada GOP caucus voters support Trump. In recent weeks, Gunter has teased that Trump may soon endorse his campaign.

Brown previously ran for senate in 2022 but failed to advance past the Republican primary. At that time, Brown attacked his opponent Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt for having McConnell’s support.

“Guess who else has endorsed Adam? Mitch McConnell,” Brown said in a campaign event with the Republican Men’s Club of Northern Nevada on Nov. 21, 2021. “So it’s, you know, if we trust Mitch McConnell, well then, well I’m sorry for you but I don’t.”

In Dec. 2023, McConnell appeared at a campaign fundraiser for Brown. Gunter says this about face makes Brown a hypocrite.

Nevada’s Republican primary for senate is scheduled for June 11, 2024. According to personal finance disclosures, Gunter’s net worth exceeds $25 million, more than enough to self-finance his campaign.
Also competing is Jim Marchant, a former member of the Nevada Assembly who is aligned with QAnon conspiracy theorists.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News.

Ted Cruz

For Ted Cruz, Trump Offers Another Chance To Kill Obamacare

In 2013, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) spoke on the Senate floor for 21 hours and forced a government shutdown in a failed gambit to kill the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Ten years later, he’s still waging that war.

On Nov. 25, when former President Donald Trump suggested he will repeal Obamacare if he returns to the White House, Cruz was one of the first prominent Republicans to endorse that effort.

“I would love to see us revisit it,” Cruz, who is running for a third term, told NBC News on November 29. “Lowering premiums is critically important to Texans.”

This isn’t the first time Trump and Cruz have been allied on an Obamacare repeal push. In 2017, Cruz authored portions of the American Health Care Act, the Trump-endorsed bill that would have eliminated Obamacare. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that 23 million Americans would have lost their health insurance had the AHCA become law. When Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) cast the single vote that blocked that effort, Cruz was incensed.

“Mark my words, this journey is not yet done,” Cruz told reporters after the bill’s failure.

In the ensuing years, Cruz has routinely lambasted the program on social media. In a February 2018 Twitter post he said, “Few things have been more frustrating than seeing Republicans come short on repealing Obamacare.” In October 2020 he wrote, “I think Obamacare is a trainwreck.” On his current campaign website, he continues to advocate for full repeal.

“Since his first day in office, Sen. Cruz has been a leading voice for repealing Obamacare,” the site says. “He authored legislation repealing Obamacare’s individual mandate that was signed into law and remains committed to a full repeal of Obamacare.”

Texas has the second-highest number of Obamacare enrollees of all the states. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reports that 2.8 million Texans are insured through the program.

Texas has not expanded Medicaid, which Cruz also opposes. If it did, more than 1.4 million Texans would become eligible for Medicaid.

Cruz’s and Trump’s push is also out of step with public opinion. According to KFF tracking polls, nearly 60 percent of Americans had a favorable view of Obamacare as of May 2023. Another KFF poll found that 59 percent of voters trust Democrats, more than Republicans, to handle the program’s future.

A spokesperson for Cruz did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.

Rep. Colin Allred (R-TX), one of the Democrats challenging Cruz in 2024, tweeted on December 1 that it was unconscionable to talk about repealing the Affordable Care Act.

“I want to make sure that every Texan has access to affordable health insurance and affordable prescription drugs,” Allred told Spectrum News 1. “That should be the bare minimum that we can provide in our country.”

Reprinted with permission from AJ News.