US Senate confirms Scott Bessent as finance minister

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Lerato Khumalo

The Senate has confirmed Donald Trump’s nomination for the finance minister. The president receives headwind from Christian groups. All developments in the news blog.

0.52 p.m.: According to media reports, the US Ministry of Justice dismisses several employees who were involved in the investigations against the now incumbent President Donald Trump. The provisional Minister of Justice James Mchenry has doubts “that they help with the faithful implementation of the president’s agenda,” reported the “Washington Post” and the ABC News broadcaster, citing the ministry circle. Trump’s Minister of Justice Pam Bondi still has to be confirmed by the Senate as long as Mchenry’s authority is managed.

Under Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden, the then Minister of Justice Merrick Garland had used the special investigator Jack Smith. Smith’s mission was to examine Trump’s handling of secret documents after leaving the White House in 2021 as well as his alleged attempts to tip the result of the 2020 presidential election.

After Trump’s election victory on November 5, the two criminal proceedings were abandoned. Smith justified this with the customs that the Ministry of Justice did not investigate the current president – he himself left the ministry. In a report, which was handed over to the Congress a few days before Trump’s swearing-in a few days before Trump, the special investigator emphasized that in his opinion, the special investigator only escaped thanks to his re-election of a conviction for election fraud.

00:30 p.m.: The Senate in Washington has confirmed the hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as the new US finance minister. The Congress Chamber voted on Monday with a clear majority for the 62-year-old nominated by President Donald Trump. 68 senators voted for better, 29 against him. The Wall Street veteran Bessent is one of the less controversial members of the government team nominated by Trump.

In his hearing in the Senate, Bessent had clearly behind the course of the new president in finance and economic policy. Like Trump, Bessent promised a “golden age” for the US economy, which is to be achieved through tax cuts, reducing government expenditure and tariffs to protect domestic industry. Bessent stated in front of the senators that Trump’s import taxes on foreign goods would lead to higher consumer prices in the United States. In his hearing, Bessent also said that he supports harder sanctions against the Russian oil sector in order to achieve an end to the Ukraine war in this way.

Trump praised Bessent as “one of the greatest analysts in Wall Street”. The Bessent, who comes from the south state of South Carolina, has been friends with the Trump family for decades and donated to Trump and other Republicans in the past election campaign.

10:24 p.m.: US President Donald Trump has asked India to buy more security equipment from US production. The White House announced that Trump said this in a phone call with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The President emphasized how important it is that India increases its procurement of security equipment from American production and moves towards a fair bilateral trade relationship.” Both politicians also discussed the expansion and deepening of cooperation as well as regional questions. It was also about security in the Indopazacific region, in the Middle East and in Europe.

In addition, Modi’s visit to the White House was talked about, it said. Such a visit should “underline the strength of friendship and strategic relationships between our nations”. The Reuters news agency reported last week that there were efforts for such a meeting in February.

The United States is India’s largest trading partners, and the volume of bilateral trade recently was $ 118 billion. India wants to expand its trade with the USA and make it easier for its citizens access to skilled workers. Modi described Trump on Monday in a post on social media as a “dear friend” and explained that both were committed to one of the partnership that was beneficial and trusting for both sides. “We will work together for the well -being of our peoples and for global peace, prosperity and security.”