Month: March 2023

Do you feel better off than four years ago? Dems think so, GOP disagrees

Posted on (Updated by Jordain Carney

Republicans say they have a good argument to make when it comes to this classic election question: Are you better off than you were four years ago? 

Inflation is high, crime is up, stocks are flat or falling and immigration is out of control, GOP operatives say. 

But Democrats — and even some Republicans — argue emphatically that Americans in 2024 will feel they are much better off than they were four years ago, when the country was suffering through the pandemic in the final year of Donald Trump’s presidency.

They say many Americans will remember the Trump presidency as among the darkest times in U.S. history and point out his four years in office included two impeachments — the second over a riot at the Capitol.

“Good luck with that argument,” said Democratic strategist Christy Setzer. “Personally, I'd think voters remember the Trump years as a time of constant anxiety, chaos and cruelty — hence voting him out.”

To be sure, the are you better off argument has some pluses for the GOP. But it may also be a double-edged sword, inviting call-backs to Trump even as he is the frontrunner for the GOP nomination next year.  

“It's an invitation to run with Trump, whether or not he’s on the ticket,” said Republican strategist Susan Del Percio, who opposes the former president. 

“It’s not a winning strategy for the Republican Party,” Del Percio added. “It’s looking backwards.”

Biden’s poll numbers have been underwater for months and a Gallup poll out this week showed that voters disapprove of his handling of foreign affairs, energy policy and the environment. When it comes to the key issue of the economy, only 32 percent of those surveyed approve of Biden’s performance.

A Real Clear Politics average of national polls this week showed just 28 percent believe the country is headed in the right direction. 

Republicans see Biden’s weaknesses as an opportunity to draw a contrast. They say they have a good argument to make that the country was on more solid footing before Biden took office.

“In just over two years, Biden has tanked the economy, opened up our borders, embarrassed America on the world stage, worsened a supply chain crisis, and stoked the coals of division in our country,” said Republican National Committee spokesperson Emma Vaughn. “Americans are less safe, and their paychecks are worth less as a result of Biden’s reckless policies.

“Come 2024 voters will send him packing home to Delaware for good,” she said. 

Even Republicans who are desperate to see Biden lose next year are hesitant to talk about the Trump era and urged party operatives not to make the comparison. 

“I don’t think people really want to go back to the Trump years because they were so tumultuous,” said Republican strategist John Feehery.

He and other Republicans say there is a case to be made in pointing to Biden’s flaws — from inflation to the border — as a way to make the case that the country needs to move in a different direction. 

“He’s out of touch, barely cognizant and that’s why his poll numbers are so low,” Feehery said. “Not only is he from the past but his ideas are from the past. They need to make that connection to his view of the world.” 

One Republican strategist said the comparison between Biden and Trump is a good one to make “because at the end of the day, the biggest issue will be the rising cost of groceries and the inability to pay soaring bills.” 

“Even if things seemed not so great under Trump with all his shenanigans and bullshit, this election is going to be about the economy, period,” the strategist said. 

GOP candidates are taking issue with some of Trump’s positions.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to announce a bid for the presidency in the coming months, has sought to undermine Trump’s handling of COVID-19 and lockdowns during 2020. 

“You take a crisis situation like Covid, the good thing about it is that when you’re an elected executive, you have to make all kinds of decisions, you’ve got to steer that ship,” DeSantis said in January. “And the good thing is that people are able to render a judgment on that: whether they re-elect you or not.” 

But Democrats say they will win any argument that compares Biden’s tenure to Trump’s. Biden, they say, helped bring the nation back from a deadly pandemic and an economy that was quickly tanking as a result. 

They also tout the record job growth under Biden and highlight his legislative wins.

“If Republicans overall election strategy is to compare the Trump presidency to Biden, then who am I to stop them from handing Democrats the White House for another four years?” said Democratic strategist Rodell Mollineau.

Texas Sen. Cornyn tears into Mayorkas over fentanyl, border crisis: ‘You should be fired’

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, tore into Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday and said he should be fired over his handling of the ongoing crisis at the southern border and the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.

"My constituents are saying, who's accountable? Who's accountable? Who's paying a price? Who got fired? Well, you haven't been fired. You should be fired," Cornyn said at a Senate Judiciary hearing. "But you haven't been fired because you were carrying out the policies of the Biden administration. And we've seen nothing but death and destruction as a result."

The fiery remarks came as Cornyn quizzed Mayorkas on the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., as well as the ongoing crisis at the southern border -- which saw more than 2.4 million migrant encounters in the U.S. in FY 2022.

More than 70,000 Americans die each year due to fentanyl -- which is primarily produced in Mexico using Chinese precursors and smuggled in across the southern border.

GRAHAM SAYS ‘AMERICA IS UNDER ATTACK’ FROM MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS: ‘WE NEED TO BE AT WAR WITH THEM’ 

Mayorkas and Democrats have noted that the majority (about 90%) of fentanyl seizures occur at the ports of entry, and those arrested are typically U.S. citizens. 

But Republicans have pointed to the enormous number of gotaways who slip past Border Patrol agents between ports of entry and have noted that it is impossible to know how much fentanyl is being smuggled in.

This clash was seen earlier in the exchange when Cornyn asked Mayorkas about how cartels are attempting to overwhelm agents, so they can slip drugs past them. Mayorkas said he was not aware of that strategy and attempted to highlight the seizures at ports of entry.

"Approximately 90% of the fentanyl that is brought into…" Mayorkas said.

"That’s a totally made-up number," Cornyn replied, cutting him off. "You had nearly 1 million people get away from Border Patrol…between 2022 and 2023, you have no idea how many of those people were carrying fentanyl or other drugs with them do you?"

"Senator, The expert view I received is that approximately 90%…" Mayorkas said.

"That’s a totally made-up number, and you know it," Cornyn shot back.

Mayorkas repeated his claim that the majority of fentanyl is brought in via vehicles at the ports.

MEXICAN SEIZURE OF US COMPANY'S FACILITY MARKS LATEST DIPLOMATIC FUROR AMID TENSIONS OVER FENTANYL, CARTELS 

"The expert view I received is that approximately 90% of the fentanyl is brought in through the ports of entry through passenger vehicles, through trucks, through pedestrians," he said.

Cornyn went on to say that Mayorkas had a "credibility problem with the Congress and the American people."

"I have unflinching confidence in the integrity of my conduct," Mayorkas said.

Mayorkas was on the receiving end of a number of lines of tough questioning from Republicans, who grilled the secretary over his handling of the border crisis. It comes as a number of lawmakers in both the House and the Senate have called for his impeachment over the crisis. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called him "incompetent" and accused him of being "willing to allow children to be raped to follow political orders."

Mayorkas called the remarks "revolting" and a DHS spokesperson later followed up with a statement backing the secretary.

"Secretary Mayorkas is proud to advance the noble mission of this Department, support its extraordinary workforce, and serve the American people. The Department will continue to enforce our laws and secure our border, protect the nation from terrorism, improve our cybersecurity, all while building a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system. Instead of pointing fingers, Congress should work with the Department and pass legislation to fix our broken immigration system, which has not been updated in over 40 years," the spokesperson said.

Trump Has the Perfect Job in Mind for MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

Posted on by Guest Contributor

By Dr. Derek Ellerman

One complaint you’ll never hear about Donald Trump is that he doesn’t have any good ideas. 

Sure, you’ll definitely hear that his execution isn’t always perfect, and you’ll definitely hear that some of the people he chooses to accomplish those ideas leave much to be desired. (Hello, John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, and Nikki Haley!)

But the man most certainly has many good ideas. And he just dropped a great one: 

(Shoutout to Citizen Free Press for the above video!)

RELATED: Trump Demands January 6th Prisoners Let Go, House Select Committee Prosecuted After Tucker Carlson Releases Bombshell Videos

MTG for Senate! 

At his campaign rally in Waco, Texas over the weekend (also an excellent idea, as the crime against women and children that took place there 30 years ago still has not been prosecuted), Trump wondered aloud if MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia should run for the Senate in Georgia. 

It took long enough, but Trump finally endorsed someone for Georgia Senate who is actually worth voting for. 

I’m not going to get into the question of “electability” here. 

“We have to vote for Empty Suit Candidate because they can win” has no power here. 

Whether or not someone “can win” depends on many factors, first and foremost their campaign operation. But crucially, whether or not a candidate can win is a question that comes only after the question of whether or not they should win.

Should they win because they have the correct ideas and positions? If the answer is yes, let’s hit the trail. 

If the answer is no, because they’re a big-spending warmonger who will do whatever Mitch McConnell tells them to do, then it doesn’t matter if they “can win.” 

So let’s start with that first and most important question. 

RELATED: MSNBC’s Joy Reid Livid Over Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Oversight Committee Assignment, Compares MTG to Jefferson Davis

MTG: Get Rid of the RINOs

At the rally in Waco, MTG went after McConnell and Lindsey Graham:

OK, we’re off to a good start. She knows who the empty suits are. 

Is she committed to doing the right thing, even if it’s unpopular? 

Let’s check: 

Alright, we’re off and running now! 

Only one thing could derail this train. Where is MTG on the singularly most important topic?

Now we’re cooking with gas! 

The truth is, Ukraine, in addition to being the most important subject at the moment, also provides the world’s easiest litmus test for our politicians. 

Should the people currently conducting an illegal war in Syria continue to unnecessarily provoke a nuclear power by taking money from Americans and giving it to a corrupt authoritarian?

Or should our politicians, who have rung up over $30 trillion in debt, actually put America and the American people first? 

Like I said, easiest litmus test. MTG passes with flying colors. How many other Republicans can say the same? 

Now let me be clear, I don’t think MTG is going to run for the Senate, and I don’t think she should risk her House seat at the current time, given how “voting” currently works in Georgia. 

But the difference between people like you and I and the grifters who latch on to establishment politicians for a big payday is that you and I ask the right question first. 

Can she win? I’m not sure. 

Should she win? No doubt about it. 

POLL: Should Marjorie Taylor Greene run for Senate?

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Congress ponders TikTok ban after CEO’s grilling

Posted on (Updated by Mychael Schnell

Discussions of a potential ban on TikTok in the United States are expected to heat up this week after the CEO of the social media app was grilled by House members during a blockbuster hearing last week.

Congressional leaders from both chambers and parties have backed bills that could lead to the Chinese-owned app being banned, while Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has explicitly said he would support a national ban on TikTok.

“The House will be moving forward with legislation to protect Americans from the technological tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party,” McCarthy said in a tweet on Sunday.

What that legislation will look like remains unclear, but will likely be a topic of conversation among lawmakers this week.

Also this week, House and Senate committees are slated to hold hearings on recent bank failures, after Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank were seized by regulators earlier this month. The collapses spooked markets and raised concerns about future bank runs.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold an oversight hearing this week featuring testimony from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas — his first appearance before the 118th Congress. A number of GOP House members have expressed a desire to impeach Mayorkas.

Additionally, former interim Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is set to testify at a Senate hearing on the company’s alleged union busting.

On the legislative front, the House is slated to take up a major energy package — given the esteemed H.R. 1 nomenclature — and the Senate is expected to hold a final vote on legislation to repeal the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) for the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

TikTok in the crosshairs

Fallout from last week’s heated TikTok hearing will likely continue to reverberate on Capitol Hill this week, as lawmakers look toward legislation targeting the app, which is used by some 150 million Americans.

McCarthy on Sunday said the House would move ahead with legislation pertaining to TikTok, writing on Twitter “It's very concerning that the CEO of TikTok can't be honest and admit what we already know to be true—China has access to TikTok user data.”

McCarthy told reporters last week that he supported Congress moving to ban the app, but said he wanted to "make sure we get it right."

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday, during which lawmakers from both sides of the aisle expressed concerns about national security threats, data privacy, the spread of misinformation and safety for minors.

TikTok is owned by Chinese-based company ByteDance, a fact that has fueled the worries over data privacy and national security. However, TikTok’s chief operating officer blasted the hearing, saying it "felt rooted in xenophobia.”

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (Ill.), the top Democrat on the House select committee on competition with China, told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that the hearing “created more concerns” regarding the popular social media app.

A number of TikTok-related bills have been introduced this Congress, including one bipartisan measure that would give the federal government the ability to ban the app. The Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act (RESTRICT Act) would direct the Commerce Department to review and mitigate risks posed by technology that has ties to foreign adversaries, including China, North Korea, Iran, Russia, Cuba and Venezuela.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Senate Republican Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) introduced the bill, which currently has nearly two dozen bipartisan co-sponsors. The White House endorsed the measure earlier this month, and Warner on Sunday said the bill has received “strong interest from the House.”

“I think they wanted to get through their hearing. And, clearly, while I appreciated Mr. Chew's testimony, he just couldn't answer the basic question,” Warner told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told the CBS show “we'd love to see that passed by the Congress, so that the president can have additional tools and authorities,” referring to the RESTRICT Act.

Separately, House Republicans earlier this month advanced a separate measure — titled the Deterring America’s Technology Adversaries Act (DATA Act) — which would allow the president to possibly ban software applications, including TikTok.

It specifically calls for amending an existing exemption under the Berman Amendments — which restrict the president from regulating informational materials to encourage the exchange of ideas across country — so it does not pertain to “sensitive personal data.”

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the sponsor of the bill, told “Fox News Sunday” this weekend “I think Congress is going to move forward on this.”

“One thing you saw from the hearings in a bipartisan way that both sides of the aisle were standing together saying this is a threat to our children and we need to stop it,” he added.

Hearings on Silicon Valley Bank collapse

Senate and House panels are set to hold hearings this week on this month’s collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, marking the first congressional events looking into the failures.

On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs is scheduled to hold a hearing titled “Recent Bank Failures and the Federal Regulatory Response.” Those slated to testify are Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Chairman Martin Gruenberg, Federal Reserve System Board of Governors Vice Chairman of Supervision Michael Barr, and Undersecretary for Domestic Finance Nellie Liang.

On Wednesday, the House Financial Services Committee is slated to hold a hearing titled “The Federal Regulators' Response to Recent Bank Failures,” featuring the same trio of witnesses.

Federal regulators took over Silicon Valley Bank on March 10 after a significant run on the bank amid liquidity issues. Two days later, state regulators seized Signature Bank in New York.

The collapse of the two banks sparked a blame game on Capitol Hill. Democrats generally cited a 2018 deregulation bill that former President Trump signed into law, despite the fact that 49 Democrats and one Independent who caucuses with Democrats voted for the measure. Some Republicans, on the other hand, blamed the collapse on Silicon Valley Bank pursuing “woke" strategies, while others have pointed to inflation and raised questions about regulators.

The failures have also prompted discussion about what action Congress can take in response to the collapses.

“The House Financial Services Committee is committed to getting to the bottom of the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank,” House Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) and Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) wrote in a statement.

“This hearing will allow us to begin to understand why and how these banks failed,” the pair continued. “We will conduct this hearing without fear or favor to get the answers the American people deserve.”

Mayorkas to testify before Senate panel

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is heading to Capitol Hill this week for his first hearing before the 118th Congress. The DHS secretary is slated to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday at 10 a.m. for an oversight hearing.

The hearing comes as Republican lawmakers, particularly those in the House, have harshly criticized Mayorkas, arguing that he has not made enough of an effort to secure the southern border and decrease the influx of migrants into the U.S.

In February, a coalition of House Republicans introduced a second impeachment article against Mayorkas. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), the sponsor, accused him of being the “chief architect of the migration and drug invasion at our southern border,” and said the increase in migration was a “willful and intentional” violation of the secretary’s oath of office.

House Republicans, however, have been split on how to move ahead on Mayorkas.

Former Starbucks CEO Schultz to testify

Former Starbucks interim CEO Howard Schultz is scheduled to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee this week on the coffee chain’s treatment of union organizing efforts.

The hearing, titled “No Company Is Above the Law: The Need to End Illegal Union Busting at Starbucks,” is scheduled to begin on Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Schultz’s testimony comes after weeks of back-and-forth between the executive and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has accused the company of not bargaining in good faith after a number of employees working at shops across the country have unionized.

More than 350 of the company’s stores have voted to unionize since the first one, in Buffalo, N.Y., voted to do so in December 2021. Starbucks has tried to crack down on the unionizing efforts by utilizing methods that, according to the National Labor Relations Board, are unlawful.

Sanders announced earlier this month that the Senate panel would vote on issuing Schultz a subpoena. But before the vote, Schultz agreed to testify. Last week, Schultz — who was set to step down in the beginning of next month — announced that he was stepping down immediately, two weeks earlier than planned.

“I look forward to hearing from Mr. Schultz as to when he intends to end his illegal anti-union activities and begin signing fair first contracts with the unions," Sanders wrote in a statement last week.

House to take up energy package; Senate expected to hold final vote on AUMF

The House this week is scheduled to consider a major energy package, titled the Lower Energy Costs Act. The legislation received the title of H.R. 1, signaling that it is a top priority for the House Republican conference.

The package aims to, broadly speaking, accelerate the approval process for energy projects. It also includes provisions that zero in on bolstering mining and domestic production of oil and gas.

The office of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said the measure “reduces expenses across the board for American families by unleashing American energy and restoring our energy independence” in a floor lookout released Sunday night.

In the upper chamber, senators this week are expected to hold a final vote on a bill to repeal the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) for the Invasion of Iraq and the 1991 Gulf War AUMF. The Senate advanced the legislation in a 68-27 vote earlier this month.

A cloture vote is scheduled for Monday evening, and then the chamber could vote on a number of amendments. Final passage could come on Tuesday or Wednesday, sending the measure to the House.

McCarthy signaled support for the legislation last week, telling reporters during the House GOP retreat in Orlando “I’m into it.”

“I don’t have a problem repealing that,” he added.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will work from home this week after announcing this weekend that he completed impatient therapy following a fall that left him with a concussion.

Senate, House committee hearings

A number of Senate and House committees are scheduled to hold hearings this week on various topics, including the situation at the southern border and the 2022 midterm elections.

  • House Oversight and Accountability’s Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services: “FDA Oversight Part I: The Infant Formula Shortage”
    • When: Tuesday at 10 a.m.
    • Witness: Frank Yiannas, Former deputy commissioner of food policy and response at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  • House Oversight and Accountability’s Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic: “The Consequences of School Closures: Intended and Unintended”
    • When: Tuesday at 10 a.m.
    • Witnesses: David Zwei, author and investigative journalist at The Atlantic, New York Magazine, The Free Press; Tracy Beth Høeg, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist, epidemiologist, private practice physician; Virginia Gentles, director of the Education Freedom Center at the Independent Women’s Forum
  • House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability: “Biden’s Growing Border Crisis: Death, Drugs, and Disorder on the Northern Border”
    • When: Tuesday at 10 a.m.
    • Witnesses
      • Panel I: Reps. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), Pete Stauber (R-Minn.)
      • Panel II: Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council; Robert Quinn, commissioner of New Hampshire’s Department of Safety; Laura Dawson, executive director of the Future Borders Coalition; Andrew R. Arthur, resident fellow in law and policy and the Center for Immigration Studies
  • House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials: “Government Response to East Palestine: Ensuring Safety and Transparency for the Community”
    • When: Tuesday at 10 a.m.
    • Witnesses: Debra Shore, regional administrator for Region Five at the Environmental Protection Agency; Anne Vogel, director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency; Wesley J. Vins, health commissioner of the Columbiana County (Ohio) General Health District
  • House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs: “Examining Progressivism’s Impact on an All-Volunteer Military”
    • When: Tuesday at 2 p.m.
    • Witnesses: Jeremy Hunt, media fellow at the Hudson Institute; Brent Sadler, senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense; Meaghan Mobbs, senior fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum
  • House Committee on Oversight and Accountability: “Overdue Oversight of the Capital City: Part I”
    • When: Wednesday at 10 a.m.
    • Witnesses: D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson; D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen; D.C. Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee; D.C. Police Union Chairman Greggory Pemberton
  • House Foreign Affairs Committee: “Oversight, Transparency, and Accountability of Ukraine Assistance”
    • When: Wednesday at 10 a.m.
    • Witnesses: Diana R. Shaw, deputy inspector general performing the duties of the Inspector General at the State Department; Nicole L. Angarella, acting deputy inspector general, performing the duties of the Inspector General at the U.S. Agency for International Development; Robert P. Storch, inspector general at the Defense Department
  • Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government: Examine the Missouri v. Biden case
    • When: Thursday at 9 a.m.
    • Witnesses: Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.); Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry; D. John Sauer, special assistant attorney general at the Louisiana Department of Justice

Mayorkas slams ‘callous’ smugglers’ ‘profit’ motive for latest tragedy at the border

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday took aim at "callous" smugglers responsible for the deaths of two migrants in a rail car in Texas – accusing the smugglers of only caring about "making a profit."

"We are heartbroken to learn of yet another tragic incident of migrants taking the dangerous journey," the DHS chief said in a statement.

Uvalde Police Department said that approximately 15 people in need of medical attention had been found in the rail car, which had been stopped by Border Patrol two to three miles east of Knippa, Texas, after a 911 call warning of migrants suffocating. Two of those migrants died, five were air-lifted to San Antonio, and five were taken to nearby hospitals. 

Mayorkas praised Border Patrol agents and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents supporting the investigation.

"We will work with the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office to hold those responsible," he said. "Smugglers are callous and only care about making a profit."

MIGRANT DEATHS ON TEXAS TRAIN MARK LATEST BORDER INCIDENT IN STRING OF RECENT TRAGEDIES: ‘HEARTBROKEN’ 

The tragedy comes after the death of eight migrants earlier this month on two smuggling vessels that capsized off the coast of Southern California and is one of a number of deadly incidents at or near the border in recent years.

In FY 2022, there were 856 migrant deaths, marking the highest on record and coming amid record numbers of migrant encounters at the southern border.

TEXAS AUTHORITIES SAY AT LEAST 2 MIGRANTS DEAD, OVER A DOZEN INJURED AFTER SUFFOCATING IN TRAIN CAR

The administration has repeatedly appealed to migrants not to make the treacherous journey north and not to put their lives into the hands of smugglers. Instead, they have called on migrants to take advantage of the legal asylum pathways the administration has either created or expanded – while also tackling "root causes" in Central America. 

However, while the administration believes it has turned the corner and has seen a decrease in illegal border crossings in January and February, crossings remain high, and Republicans have blamed the crisis on the Biden administration’s rolling back of Trump-era border protections.

Republicans in the House have zeroed in on Mayorkas, in particular, for his handling of the crisis. Some Republicans, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have floated a possible impeachment of the DHS chief, while others have introduced articles of impeachment against him.

Mayorkas has brushed off those calls but was recently dealt a blow when Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told lawmakers that DHS does not have "operational control" of the southern border. Mayorkas had told lawmakers last year that DHS does have operational control of the border.

The hearing was held by the House Homeland Security Committee to "examine the direct link between President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas’ reckless border policies and the unprecedented crisis at our Southwest border" and was one of a number of hearings and visits being held at the border itself by Republicans, now that they control the chamber.

Fox News' Bill Melugin and Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
 

Squeezed by investigations, Trump escalates violent rhetoric

Posted on (Updated by Mike Lillis

Under increasing pressure from state and federal investigators, former President Trump escalated his violent rhetoric this week, heightening tensions as prosecutors weigh whether to bring criminal charges and sparking sharp criticism from Democrats, who are warning of another Jan. 6.

In several social media posts over the past two days, Trump appeared to threaten Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) with a baseball bat and warned any indictments brought against him may lead to "potential death & destruction" around the country.

The messages were remarkably direct, even for a figure with a long history of promoting violence, and they've led to new warnings from Trump's critics that the former president is aggravating partisan hostilities and inflaming national unrest. 

"It's dangerous, and it's obviously a sign that the pressure of the moment is getting to him," said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who headed the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. 

"I'm hopeful that they won't take him literally,” Thompson added, referring to Trump’s supporters. “You know, a lot of these people who came to Washington on Jan. 6 came at his invitation, and over time, he weaponized them to attacking the Capitol. And this is that same kind of weaponization — taken to another level."

The concerns arrive just before Trump is scheduled to stage his first 2024 campaign rally on Saturday in Waco, Texas, exactly 30 years after a deadly standoff between federal law enforcement and the Branch Davidians, an apocalyptic cult led by David Koresh, took place just outside the city. The siege ended with a massive fire that engulfed the sect’s compound, left scores of adherents dead and has since become a rallying cry of those who view the government as an abusive force treading on individual liberties. 

Some lawmakers see a connection between Trump’s increasingly violent rhetoric and his choice of Waco to kick-start his campaign. 

"That comment, and being [at] the site of fanatic activity long ago in Texas, is really a dangerous combination,” Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) said Friday in the Capitol. “We saw the harm that it can cause right here in this building. And as usual, it's only about Donald Trump; it's not about the safety and security of families in Texas and around the country.”

On Friday, Trump allies also sought to draw attention to the plight of those arrested and charged for violent assaults on Jan. 6, visiting them in a local D.C. jail and claiming their constitutional rights are being violated.

Trump is facing a series of criminal investigations into his conduct, including his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and the discovery of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, his resort-residence in South Florida. 

But the Manhattan case is the longest-running, based on a hush money payment to an adult film actress just before the 2016 election, and Bragg has given recent signals that an indictment against Trump might be imminent. 

Trump has acknowledged that he reimbursed Michael Cohen, his former lawyer and fixer, for the $130,000 Cohen initially paid to Stormy Daniels in return for her silence about an alleged affair with Trump a decade earlier — an affair Trump denies. But his defense team has said the payment was made to preserve his marriage, not for purposes related to his political campaign. 

Turning to social media late Thursday, Trump escalated already heated attacks toward Bragg, in one case sharing a pair of side-by-side photos: one of the prosecutor, the other with the former president holding a baseball bat. 

Hours later — just after 1 a.m. on Friday — Trump posted another message to his Truth Social account, warning of a violent backlash if Bragg brings charges. 

“What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country?” Trump wrote.

“Why & who would do such a thing? Only a degenerate psychopath that truely [sic] hates the USA!”

The message drew immediate denunciations from Trump’s critics, most of them Democrats, who voiced concerns that it would serve as a call to violence for some members of Trump’s conservative base, thousands of whom had stormed the Capitol two years ago at his behest. 

“Trump has succeeded in turning Lincoln’s GOP into a messianic and dangerous cult of personality,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who led Trump’s second impeachment after the Jan. 6 attack. “[He] knows how to activate the most violent and unstable elements of his following. And this kind of rhetoric, this serves as incitement to the most rabid and unhinged parts of his base.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Friday Trump’s “rhetoric is reckless, reprehensible and irresponsible.”

“It’s dangerous, and if he keeps it up, he’s going to get someone killed,” Jeffries said.

Other Trump critics have gone a step further, suggesting that his comments may have, themselves, violated the law. 

“Threatening a prosecutor is a crime in NY. In fact MULTIPLE crimes,” Norm Eisen, counsel for Democrats in Trump’s first impeachment and an author on both, wrote on Twitter.

Eisen pointed to several statutes in particular, including harassment, menacing and stalking. 

“And that’s just for starters,” he said.  

Across the aisle, Republicans were much less willing to take on the former president, who leads the nascent GOP field vying for the White House in 2024. 

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) deflected questions about Trump’s “death and destruction” remarks, and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a close Trump ally, told an NBC reporter that he couldn’t read the comments without his glasses. 

Some others took steps to condemn any talk of violence, though without criticizing Trump directly.

“I don't condone political violence,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.). “I haven't seen those statements,” he continued, “but in general, I've been very outspoken because it relates just to political violence in general.”

Rebecca Beitsch and Mychael Schnell contributed.

Democrats race to Bragg’s defense: Congress ‘should stay the hell out of it’

Posted on (Updated by Mike Lillis

House Democrats are racing to the defense of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) amid his criminal probe of former President Trump, saying the Republicans seeking to halt Bragg’s hush money investigation are encroaching on matters of independent law enforcement and should simply butt out.

“Let's wait to see if there are going to be charges. Let's see what the charges are. Let's see what the evidence is,” said Rep. Ted Lieu (Calif.), vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. “And we should let law enforcement do their jobs without political interference."

Trump stirred a hornet’s nest over the weekend when he predicted he would be indicted this week for his role in a 2016 payment to the adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The prediction proved false — the grand jury in the case is expected to meet again next week — but the very idea drew howls from Trump’s GOP allies on Capitol Hill, where the chairmen of three powerful House committees demanded that Bragg testify before Congress.

“Your actions will erode confidence in the evenhanded application of justice and unalterably interfere in the course of the 2024 presidential election,” Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), James Comer (R-Ky.) and Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) wrote to Bragg on Monday. Jordan chairs the Judiciary Committee; Comer leads the Oversight panel, and Steil heads the Administration Committee.

Bragg responded to the Republicans on Thursday, writing that Trump had created a “false expectation” in predicting his arrest this week. He declined the GOP entreaties to provide information, and Democrats are backing him, accusing Republicans of strong-arming judiciary officials and defending Trump over the rule of law.

"I was astonished, actually, when I saw the letter from the three committee chairs to Mr. Bragg, essentially calling on him to violate grand jury secrecy laws in New York, which of course is a felony,” Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), a member of the Judiciary Committee, told reporters on Thursday. “He rightly declined to do that.” 

Yet Republicans are not the only figures criticizing Bragg this week. Some liberals are voicing concerns that the Manhattan district attorney is moving too quickly in the hush money case, fearing his indictment might arrive before federal and state prosecutors investigating several other episodes — including Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and his effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election — bring potentially more serious charges. 

Those liberal voices say an early indictment in Manhattan could benefit Trump politically, by rallying support from Republican voters who might be shifting away from the former president, but remain sympathetic to his warnings of a national "deep state" conspiracy targeting conservatives by all levels of government. They’re suggesting Bragg should back off to let the other investigations proceed first. 

“A charge like this — a porn star payoff seven years ago, somehow tied to the election but not really — it doesn’t seem like the right way to go,” Van Jones, a liberal commentator for CNN, said this week. “History is not going to judge Donald Trump based on Stormy Daniels. They’re going to judge him based on the election, going to judge him based on the coup attempt.”

Democrats on Capitol Hill have other ideas, however, and many wasted no time blasting the calls for Bragg to delay. 

"I always scratch my head when I hear that — as if we have the ability to politically choreograph the sequencing of criminal justice. I mean, give me a break,” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said. 

“The process and the law should just play out, and we should stay the hell out of it.” 

A vast majority of Democrats appear to agree. While many acknowledged there might be a political advantage if the Justice Department brought the first charges surrounding the Jan. 6 attack — or Georgia prosecutors were the first to indict Trump for interfering in the 2020 election — they emphasized that those are independent investigations being conducted by separate agencies, and any coordination between them would taint all of the probes.  

“From a political standpoint, it may have an impact on how this is all interpreted and received, and how certain people are able to spin it,” Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) said, referring to the possibility that Bragg may be the first prosecutor to bring charges. “But the central question is the independence of these prosecutors, and their ability to do their jobs. And they have to do their jobs regardless of the political fallout." 

Bragg’s office has sent recent signals that it may soon indict Trump in the scandal that involved Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, paying Daniels $130,000 in return for her silence surrounding an alleged affair with Trump a decade earlier. Trump, who denies the affair, later reimbursed Cohen, who was subsequently convicted of a series of felonies, spent time in prison, and is now the central witness against his former boss. 

But it’s still unknown whether or when the grand jury will see fit to indict Trump, what the charges would be or how challenging the path is to a potential conviction.

Legal observers suggest an indictment of Trump would likely focus on charges of falsifying business records, a misdemeanor. Pursuit of a felony would require showing the falsification was connected to another crime, but those options all carry their own pitfalls. 

As the debate has evolved, some powerful Democrats — including Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who led Trump’s first impeachment — have accused the Justice Department of moving too slowly in its investigations. But others said the sheer scope of the Jan. 6 probe is enough to justify the marathon process.

“The good news is the Department of Justice doesn't care about my perception of their pace,” Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) said, pointing to the independence of the agency.

“When you are conducting an investigation that involves the former president of the United States you want to be sure that you have crossed every T and dotted every I. I think it does feel like it's been a long time, but obviously, they're gonna do what is necessary to fully investigate,” he said.

The hush money case also had a head start compared to the other probes, with the conduct first coming to light in 2018 and under investigation by the Manhattan district attorney's office since May of 2021. Some Democrats said it’s been all but inevitable that the Stormy Daniels scandal would yield the first charges. 

"It's almost predictable that the tawdry and the slimy would get him first. And I hate to say it that way, but that's what I think of him,” Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.) told The Hill.

“In many ways, you'd like to see some of the graver violations of law — that I think he's violated — those come first,” he added. “But it's Donald Trump. Of course the circus comes first.”

Mychael Schnell contributed.

GOP leadership pushes back immigration, border bill markup amid infighting

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

House Republican leadership is pushing for a delay to a planned markup next week of multiple immigration and border security bills as it deals with infighting between members – a move likely to upset immigration hawks keen to see action from the caucus on the historic migrant crisis at the southern border.

Punchbowl News reported Thursday that leadership has asked Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to delay a planned consideration of as many as eight border and immigration bills next week before the April recess.

But sources told the outlet that leadership had delayed the markup until after the recess, meaning it will be more than four months since Republicans took control of the House before there is any consideration of legislation to tackle the ongoing migrant crisis at the southern border. A source familiar with the situation confirmed the Punchbowl News report to Fox News Digital.

BIDEN ADMIN SCALING BACK DETENTION OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, EVEN AMID MIGRANT SURGE 

Jordan told Punchbowl that "we have eight pieces of legislation that we think makes sense, and we’re going to get done as soon as we can, but we’re working with the whole conference."

Republicans have little wiggle room when it comes to defections as they have just a five-seat majority in the lower chamber. While there has been consensus on the broad strokes of how the caucus should tackle the migrant crisis, deep divisions have emerged between members.

Specifically, legislation introduced by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, which would allow DHS to block the entry of illegal migrants into the U.S. until there was "operational control" of the border, has seen internal Republican opposition from a small number of lawmakers.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, has been the most vocal opponent of the bill, calling it anti-American and claiming it bans asylum – a claim Roy has denied. Gonzales' opposition to the bill was one factor in the Texas Republican Party’s move to censure him this month.

But Republicans had campaigned on coming up with solutions to the border crisis and have already held a number of hearings at the border to draw attention to the crisis. Last year, Republicans unveiled a number of policy proposals to secure the border that they said they would advance if they took the House. Policies include finished the Trump-era border wall, expanding Title 42, modernizing technology and overhauling the asylum system.

DHS PUSHES BACK AGAINST MCCARTHY CALL FOR MAYORKAS TO RESIGN OR FACE POTENTIAL IMPEACHMENT

Since then, some Republicans – including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy – have floated the possibility of impeaching DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. That move has yet to happen, although two lawmakers have introduced articles of impeachment.

A coalition of hawkish groups, including the Heritage Foundation, Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), America First Policy Institute and Numbers USA, had written to GOP leaders in February urging the party to keep its promises – and warning that resources alone were not enough and that laws needed to be changed to end loopholes.

In a statement on Thursday, Heritage Action Executive Director Jessica Anderson said border security needs to be the "top priority" for the House.

BORDER HAWKS SAY FAILURE TO PASS BORDER SECURITY BILL WOULD BETRAY GOP ‘COMMITMENT TO AMERICA’ 

"House Republicans have been in power for several months," she wrote. "They must immediately develop and consider a border security package that ends the asylum fraud, creates an authority to immediately expel illegal aliens, sends resources to complete the border wall, and gives border agents the personnel and tools needed to carry out their proper duties, not the mass release of illegal aliens as directed by the Biden administration. Migrants must be disincentivized from making the dangerous journey to cross the border illegally, and must not be promised any possibility of amnesty."

Anderson noted the ongoing fentanyl crisis, which is primarily smuggled across the border, as well as cartel trafficking and an increase in the number of individuals encountered on the terror watch list. While she blamed the "Biden administration’s deliberate border destruction," she also urged action from Republicans.

"The time is now – American sovereignty has been severely damaged. Heritage Action urges House Republicans to follow through on their Commitment to America and move forward on consideration of a border security package," she said.

Meanwhile, Democrats and the Biden administration have been attacking Republicans for failing to agree to border security funding requests made by the Biden administration. President Joe Biden himself has called for Republicans in Congress to support additional funding to the ports as well as pathways to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S.

Fox News' Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

Schiff criticizes lagging Justice probe of Trump

Posted on (Updated by Lauren Sforza

CORRECTION: Schiff offered the remarks Wednesday on "CNN Primetime." A previous version of this story included incorrect information.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) criticized the Justice Department Wednesday for not moving quick enough into its investigation of former President Trump regarding his attempts at overturning the results of the 2020 election.

"I do share the concern that the Justice Department should have moved on this case — if they are going to move on it — a long time ago," he told CNN's Kaitlan Collins on "CNN Primetime."

"The Justice Department has moved very slowly," he added.

Collins asked the California Democrat whether he shared the same concerns as others who have said the New York grand jury investigation of Trump's involvement in a hush money payment "does not have the same merits" as other cases Trump is facing.

Schiff, who led Trump's first impeachment trials, said that while the Justice Department moved quickly when it came to investigating the rioters who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the department is at least a year away from investigating Trump's efforts to overturn the election.

"And for that reason, you have other prosecutions now that are going forward first, but I certainly think that the Justice Department should have pursued this with far more urgency," he said.

Schiff said that the investigation into Trump keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida is being met with urgency, but he reiterated that the "most serious" charges around Trump's involvement in Jan. 6 should have been probed by the Justice Department "a long time ago."

Trump is facing a slew of investigations since leaving office. The Manhattan grand jury could possibly indict Trump in the coming days regarding his alleged involvement in a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair.

Trump is also being investigated by the Justice Department after officials found a plethora of classified documents at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago.

Schiff criticizes lagging Justice probe of Trump

Posted on (Updated by Lauren Sforza

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) criticized the Justice Department Thursday for not moving quick enough into its investigation of former President Trump regarding his attempts at overturning the the results of the 2020 election.

"I do share the concern that the Justice Department should have moved on this case — if they are going to move on it — a long time ago," he told CNN's Kaitlan Collins on "CNN This Morning."

"The Justice Department has moved very slowly," he added.

Collins asked the California Democrat whether he shared the same concerns as others who have said the New York grand jury investigation of Trump's involvement in a hush money payment "does not have the same merits" as other cases Trump is facing.

Schiff, who led Trump's first impeachment trials, said that while the Justice Department moved quickly when it came to investigating the rioters who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the department is at least a year away from investigating Trump's efforts to overturn the election.

"And for that reason, you have other prosecutions now that are going forward first, but I certainly think that the Justice Department should have pursued this with far more urgency," he said.

Schiff said that the investigation into Trump keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida is being met with urgency, but he reiterated that the "most serious" charges around Trump's involvement in Jan. 6 should have been probed by the Justice Department "a long time ago."

Trump is facing a slew of investigations since leaving office. The Manhattan grand jury could possibly indict Trump in the coming days regarding his alleged involvement in a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair.

Trump is also being investigated by the Justice Department after officials found a plethora of classified documents at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago.