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Hardline Rep. Tim Burchett lauds Speaker Johnson for not cheating on his wife
GOP Rep. Tim Burchett lauded House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday for not cheating on his wife — while in the same breath apparently throwing shade at the speaker’s predecessor.
Burchett (R-Tenn.), 60, has not yet revealed whom he will support to lead House Republicans in the next Congress, but predicted that Johnson (R-La.), 52, would likely prevail in an upcoming speakership battle due to his honesty and integrity.
“I think he ultimately will. I think that the die has been cast pretty much. But as I stated, I will make up my mind on Friday,” he told Fox News’ “Your World” on Monday.
“Mike’s been a good friend to me and there is nobody more honest that I have dealt with in Washington,” Burchett went on. “He is a Christian man. He doesn’t cheat on his wife and I find that very appealing in Washington, DC.”
That bit about infidelity appears to be a nod to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who has long faced speculation and rumors about being unfaithful to his wife.
Back in 2015, during the aftermath of the resignation of House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), for example, McCarthy was accused of having an affair with a sitting member of the House — former Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) — in an anonymous Wikipedia posting.
That post was later removed but loomed large when McCarthy abruptly withdrew from consideration for the speakership at the time. McCarthy and the other rep denied the accusations.
Burchett had been one of eight Republicans who banded together with a solid bloc of Democrats to oust McCarthy in the fall last year.
He later voted against a May effort by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to topple Johnson after he brought up a vote on legislation to re-up aid to war-torn Ukraine.
The architect of the mutiny against McCarthy, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) — who has openly fessed up to being a womanizer prior to his marriage — chimed in and echoed Burchett.
“We all know who Burchett is talking about… Total f–king savage,” Gaetz wrote on X.
Just last week, the House Ethics Committee voted to release a damning ethics report accusing Gaetz of using illicit drugs and shelling out over $90,000 to 12 different women between 2017 and 2020 in exchange for sex.
Most alarmingly, the panel accused him of having sex with a minor — something Gaetz has denied.
The Sunshine State Republican also accused the committee of smearing him and cast aspersions on the claims of him paying for sex.
McCarthy has claimed Gaetz ousted him for his refusal to quash the ethics probe — something the soon-to-be One America News Network TV anchor has denied.
Earlier this year, the former speaker further speculated that Gaetz might be cheating on his wife — but did not provide evidence.
Johnson will fight to keep the speaker’s gavel during a speakership vote on Friday.
Already, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has indicated he will vote against Johnson, and others such as Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) and Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) have said they are on the fence.
President-elect Donald Trump formally endorsed Johnson on Monday, giving him a potential boost despite his stamp of approval failing to nudge Massie, Biggs or Spartz.
Gaetz has also urged Republicans not to oppose Johnson.
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BBC Verify Live: Fact-checking Trump’s unusual new White House presidential plaques
Videos show rebels on the move in eastern DRC city Uvirapublished at 12:49 GMT
Peter Mwai
BBC Verify senior journalist
We have verified video showing fighters belonging to the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group on the move in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), after M23 announced a withdrawal from the city of Uvira in South Kivu province which it seized a week ago.
The M23 had taken contorl of Uvira despite a ceasefire deal agreed between the governments of Rwanda and DRC and had come under increasing diplomatic pressure to withdraw its forces from the city.
The DRC government has reacted with scepticism, with a spokesperson asking on XL “Where are they going? How many were there? What are they leaving behind in the city? Mass graves? Soldiers disguised as civilians?”
We can’t tell where they are heading, but in the footage we have verified the fighters, together with vehicles, move north past the Uvira police headquarters.
We confirmed where the clips were filmed by matching the distinctively painted road kerbs, buildings and trees to satellite imagery.
The leader of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), a coalition of rebel groups which includes the M23 group, had announced on Monday that the group would withdraw from the city as a “trust-building measure”.
It followed a request from the US which has been mediating between the governments of Rwanda and DRC.
The rebels remained present in the city after the announcement but on Wednesday M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma announced the group had begun withdrawing troops. The group said it intends to complete the withdrawal today, but has warned against militarisation.
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FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino says he will step down in January
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino speaks during a news conference on an arrest of a suspect in the January 6th pipe bomb case at the Department of Justice on Dec. 4, 2025.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
FBI deputy director Dan Bongino said Wednesday he plans to step down from the bureau in January.
In a statement posted on X, Bongino thanked President Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel “for the opportunity to serve with purpose.”
Bongino was an unusual pick for the No. 2 post at the FBI, a critical job overseeing the bureau’s day-to-day affairs traditionally held by a career agent. Neither Bongino nor his boss, Patel, had any previous experience at the FBI.
Bongino did have previous law enforcement experience, as a police officer and later as a Secret Service agent, as well as a long history of vocal support for Trump.
Bongino made his name over the past decade as a pro-Trump, far-right podcaster who pushed conspiracy theories, including some involving the FBI. He had been critical of the bureau, embracing the narrative that it had been “weaponized” against conservatives and even calling its agents “thugs.”
His tenure at the bureau was at times tumultuous, including a clash with Justice Department leadership over the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
But it also involved the arrest earlier this month of the man authorities say is responsible for placing two pipe bombs near the Democratic and Republican committee headquarters, hours before the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
In an unusual arrangement, Bongino has had a co-deputy director since this summer when the Trump administration tapped Andrew Bailey, a former attorney general of Missouri, to serve alongside Bongino in the No. 2 job.
President Trump praised Bongino in brief remarks to reporters before he announced he was stepping down.”Dan did a great job,” Trump said. “I think he wants to go back to his show.”
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Video: Man on Roof Faces Off with ICE Agents for Hours in Minnesota
new video loaded: Man on Roof Faces Off with ICE Agents for Hours in Minnesota
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Man on Roof Faces Off with ICE Agents for Hours in Minnesota
A man clung to a partially built roof for hours in frigid temperatures during a standoff with immigration agents in Chanhassen, Minn., a suburb of Minneapolis. The confrontation was part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the state to remove what it calls “vicious criminals.”
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“What a [expletive] embarrassment.” “Look at this guy.” “What’s with all the fascists?” “The Lord is with you.” “Where’s the bad hombre? What did this guy do?” “He’s out here working to support his [expletive] family.” “Gestapo agents.” “Oh yeah, shake your head, tough guy.” “This is where you get the worst of the worst right here, hard-working builders.” “Crossing the border is not a crime. Coming illegally to the United States is not a crime, according to you.” “C’mon, get out of here.” “Take him to a different hospital.”
By Ernesto Londoño, Jackeline Luna and Daniel Fetherston
December 17, 2025
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