Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is having some fun at Republicans’ expense, stirring one of the pots simmering away in their civil war.
Jeffries is needling the so-called “moderates” in the Republican conference who are taking on leadership in what should be a no-brainer tax bill. The bill would extend the child tax credit to help more working families and reduce some business taxes. What more could you want in an election-year tax bill?
It’s not enough for some of the members of the Biden 17, the group of Republicans in districts that voted Democratic in the 2020 presidential election. They want their specific, parochial tax break for their constituents—increasing the federal deduction for state and local taxes—to be included in the bill. And they’re threatening to take a page out of the Freedom Caucus playbook and shut the House down if they don’t get it.
“Do it! Do it!” Jeffries seems to be urging them, in a masterful bit of trolling. He’s reinforcing just how vulnerable these members sitting in swing districts are. He’s also poking some fun at just how ineffectual they’ve been in accomplishing anything in the majority.
But Jeffries is also putting just that much more pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has a very, very tenuous hold on the majority right now and absolutely can’t afford to lose any votes on any bills. Another masterful troller—Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern—pointed out that the GOP’s ranks were so thin Monday that Democrats had the majority. "My Republican friends barely—barely—control the House of Representatives,” McGovern ribbed. “In fact, yesterday there were more Democrats voting than Republicans."
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What's Happening?
- Biden family money man testifies at closed-door House hearing
- Speaker Johnson facing rebellion from moderate Republicans
- Supreme Court Justice speaks out on job frustrations
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday took aim at what he called "baseless" and "false" allegations leveled against him by House Republicans who are preparing a vote to advance articles of impeachment against him.
"I assure you that your false accusations do not rattle me and do not divert me from the law enforcement and broader public service mission to which I have devoted most of my career and to which I remain devoted," Mayorkas said in a lengthy letter to House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green.
The committee is meeting to advance two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas, accusing him of refusing to follow immigration law and of breaching public trust. A vote is expected later in the day, likely along party lines, moving the articles to a House vote at a future date.
President Biden has expressed frustration at the turn of events. On the border, he said that he's done all that he can do, but needs more authority. "… just give me the power," Biden said.
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Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
The leadership of the Tennessee Republican Party narrowly voted over the weekend to implement rules that the Tennessee Journal's Erik Schelzig reports could keep several would-be primary foes for freshman Rep. Andy Ogles off the Aug. 1 ballot.
Schelzig adds that these new by-laws had been set take effect in 2026, but the party's executive committee voted 32-29 to start enforcing them this cycle even though some members "conceded they didn’t understand entirely what they were voting on."
Under the new plan, hopefuls who want to compete for any GOP nomination this year must have voted in three of the party's last four primaries, which is similar to requirements that were already in place.
However, anyone who cast a ballot in the Democratic primary during this timeframe would not be allowed to run under the Republican banner even if they participated in the other three GOP contests. Another new rule also prevents any person who's sued the state party from appearing on the primary ballot over the next decade.
Those changes are all unwelcome news for the would-be campaigns of businessman Baxter Lee and music video producer Robby Starbuck, two undeclared candidates who both failed a less-stringent version of this test in 2022 when they tried to run for this same seat.
Lee's problem this time is that he voted in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, a choice he claims he made in order to "help secure the best match-up for President Trump." Starbuck, meanwhile, unsuccessfully sued the party last cycle because he hadn't lived in the state long enough to meet yet another of the party's requirements.
Schelzig says that both Lee and Starbuck had been considering taking on Ogles, who currently has no credible intra-party opposition ahead of the April 4 filing deadline. Ogles has been the subject of unflattering investigative coverage by WTVF's Phil Williams throughout the year.
Williams first reported in February that Ogles appears to have fabricated large portions of his life story, and in November he questioned how the congressman could have self-funded $320,000 in 2022 when he did not report having so much as a savings account on mandatory financial disclosures. The 5th District in Middle Tennessee favored Trump 54-43 under the gerrymander the GOP legislature passed last cycle.
Campaign ActionHunter Biden’s business partner Eric Schwerin told congressional investigators Tuesday that he did not have insight into foreign payments the Biden family received, and said he is "not aware" of any role President Biden had in Hunter Biden’s business activities, sources familiar told Fox News Digital.
Schwerin appeared behind closed doors for a transcribed interview before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees Tuesday as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.
In his opening statement, obtained by Fox News Digital, Schwerin told the committee that he "performed a number of administrative and bookkeeping tasks for then-Vice President Joe Biden related to his household finances" between 2009 and 2017. Schwerin testified he also helped Biden’s accountants in their preparation of his taxes and his annual financial disclosure statements.
One of Schwerin's former business associates told Fox News Digital that Schwerin's opening statement sounded "coordinated," adding that emails and transactions could contradict Schwerin's "carefully worded" statement when pressed by House Oversight investigators.
Schwerin’s interview before the committees Tuesday was his first formal testimony. He met with staff of the House Oversight Committee last March.
Schwerin said he met Hunter Biden while working in the Clinton administration at the Commerce Department, and after government service, joined the first son at a law and lobbying firm.
Schwerin co-founded Rosemont Seneca Partners along with Hunter Biden and other colleagues – a firm he described as a "consulting and investment firm that offered development and public policy advisory services to a wide range of clients."
HUNTER BIDEN PAID JOE BIDEN FROM ACCOUNT FOR BIZ THAT RECEIVED PAYMENTS FROM CHINA: COMER
"In the course of performing these duties, I had the ability to view transactions both into and out of Vice President Biden’s bank accounts while he was vice president," Schwerin said in his opening statement. "Based on that insight, I am not aware of any financial transactions or compensation that Vice President Biden received related to business conducted by any of his family members or their associates nor any involvement by him in their businesses. None."
Schwerin also said he "cannot recall any requests for Vice President Biden to take any official action on behalf of any of Hunter’s clients or his business deals – foreign or domestic."
"In fact, I am not aware of any role that Vice President Biden, as a public official or a private citizen, had in any of Hunter’s business activities. None," he said.
Schwerin testified that regarding his interactions with Biden, he "never asked him to take any official actions for the benefit of Hunter’s clients or any other client."
"Furthermore, I have no recollection of any promises or suggestions made by Hunter or myself to any clients or business associates that his father would take any official actions on their behalf. None," he said. "In my discussions with the Vice President concerning his personal finances, he was always crystal clear that he wanted to take the most transparent and ethical approach consistent with both the spirit and the letter of the law."
Schwerin added: "Given my awareness of his finances and the explicit directions he gave to his financial advisers, the allegation that he would engage in any improper conduct to benefit himself or his family is preposterous to me."
A source familiar with the testimony told Fox News Digital that Schwerin’s opening statement was "very narrowly tailored and does not cover the vast majority of questions about his knowledge and participation in the Biden family’s business schemes that the Committee is seeking information about today."
Despite his work for and with Biden, Schwerin said he had "no visibility on key foreign payments to the Bidens," according to the source familiar with the closed-door testimony.
BIDEN WAS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH HUNTER’S BUSINESS PARTNERS USING EMAIL ALIAS AS VP
"When Eric Schwerin makes statements about Hunter Biden’s financial transactions, during today’s interview he admitted he had no insight into the payments from Chinese, Russian, Ukrainian, Kazakhstani, and Romanian entities and individuals," the source told Fox News Digital.
Schwerin’s testimony comes after Fox News Digital first reported that Joe Biden, as vice president, used email aliases and private email addresses to communicate with Hunter Biden and his business associates hundreds of times – including with Schwerin. The communications came between 2010 to 2019, with the majority of email traffic taking place while Biden was serving as vice president.
The House Ways & Means Committee, which is co-leading the impeachment inquiry alongside the Oversight and Judiciary Committees, said 54 of those emails were "exclusively" between Joe Biden and Schwerin. The Ways & Means Committee describes Schwerin as "the architect of the Biden family’s shell companies."
Meanwhile, the data shows direct emails between Schwerin and then-Vice President Biden increased during times when the vice president traveled to Ukraine.
The committee said the data shows Joe Biden and Schwerin exchanged five emails in June 2014 before the vice president’s trip to Ukraine that month.
After that trip and before Biden’s November 2014 trip back to Ukraine, he and Schwerin emailed 27 times.
Hunter Biden joined the board of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings in April 2014.
Biden has acknowledged that when he was vice president he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin. At the time, Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings. During the same period, Hunter Biden held a highly lucrative role on the board, receiving thousands of dollars per month.
At the time, the vice president threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired.
Biden allies maintain the vice president pushed for Shokin's firing due to concerns the Ukrainian prosecutor went easy on corruption and say his firing was the policy position of the U.S. and international community.
On Tuesday, the House Homeland Security Committee met to discuss the Republican-created articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The entire enterprise against Mayorkas has been an example of one of the most transparent weaponizations of impeachment provisions in our lifetime.
Rep. Daniel Goldman decided to use his time to give a masterclass on how hypocritical, political, and ultimately dangerous this endeavor is, describing the proceedings as “completely debasing and demeaning the impeachment clause of the United States Constitution, and it is a gross, gross injustice to the credibility of this institution.” Goldman reminded the committee that impeachment has only been used against people who have abused their power and should not be used as a way to attack what you might believe to be “bad” policy. “That is for elections and that is for legislation,” Goldman continued.
He then drilled into the political nature of these proceedings, and how they are an attempt to give Donald Trump and congressional Republicans something to run on during this election cycle: “You are sitting here right now trying to impeach a secretary of Homeland Security for neglecting his duties literally while he is trying to perform his duties and negotiate legislation.” Finally, Goldman detailed the catch-22 of nongovernance being performed by the GOP, and how corrosive it is to our country.
So your own party is sabotaging and undermining this administration's efforts to address the border while you are trying to impeach him by saying that they're not addressing the border. The hypocrisy is the least of it. Your attack on the rule of law and our democracy is the worst of it. And you better be careful about the bed that you make. I yield back.
Mayorkas has been a publicly convenient symbol for Republican attacks on immigration policy. No matter how jaw-droppingly obvious the fallacy of their attacks may seem, it is all that they’ve got. Since the GOP continues to fail to gin up enthusiastic electoral support from its voters by way of culture wars attacking trans children and banning books on race and history, trying to impeach Mayorkas has become their substitute for doing anything substantial about our country’s immigration policies.
Campaign ActionPresident Biden claimed Tuesday "I've done all I can do" to secure the U.S. border, as Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is facing an impeachment push by House Republicans over his perceived failure to handle the immigration crisis.
Biden made the comment while speaking to reporters as he was leaving the White House, saying "I've done all I can do, just give me the power."
"I asked them the very day I got into office," Biden continued. "Give me the Border Patrol. Give me the judges. Give me the people who can stop this."
The Biden administration has said it has been expanding "lawful pathways" for migrants while increasing consequences for illegal entry into the U.S. since the ending of Title 42 expulsions in May last year. It has pointed to more than 500,000 removals since May, as well as increased cooperation with Mexico to crack down on human smugglers and fentanyl trafficking.
MAYORKAS LASHES OUT AT ‘BASELESS’ GOP ALLEGATIONS AHEAD OF KEY IMPEACHMENT VOTE
The administration also says it has been increasing removal flights -- including directly to Venezuela. However, it has stressed that it needs more funding and comprehensive immigration reform to fix what it says is a "broken" system.
House Speaker Mike Johnson shared a video on X of Biden making the remark and said Biden’s comments were "simply untrue" and "He’s either lying or misinformed."
"Here are just a few of the authorities at his disposal – if only he would use them: Presidential Authority to Restrict Entry 212(f), Expedited Removal 235(b)(1), Discretionary Detention Authority 236(a), Mandatory Detention 236(c). No more excuses," Johnson added.
The White House requested $14 billion in funding for the border as part of its supplemental funding request to Congress, which also includes aid to Ukraine and Israel. The request is being negotiated in Congress after Republicans demanded more limits on asylum and migrant releases into the interior.
Biden has urged Congress to pass the deal, but House Republicans and some conservatives in the Senate have said the reported proposals do not go far enough.
TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT CLAIMS BIDEN IS IN VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW AS BORDER SURGE CONTINUES
National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd, when asked on "The Faulkner Focus" Tuesday if Biden was doing everything he could, argued "absolutely not."
"In fact, I’m very sick of hearing all of his rhetoric. He doesn’t give evidence," Judd said. "The evidence is incontrovertible [about] what is going on right now. Secretary Mayorkas is complicit in allowing these individuals to violate our laws. Congress would be derelict if they did not hold him accountable.
"When you look at the total number of people that cross our borders illegally and have been released into the United States, the story that doesn’t get told enough is what happens to those people that get released into the United States," Judd added. "They are never leaving, ICE doesn’t go after them, ICE doesn’t deport them."
Migrant numbers officially hit 302,000 in December, a new record, after 2.4 million encounters in FY23. Republicans have said that large releases into the interior and a rolling back of Trump-era policies have fueled the crisis and have accused Mayorkas of a "dereliction of duty" in his handling of it.
The House Homeland Security committee will vote Tuesday on two impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. House Republicans have been trying to dress up this impeachment—originated by very serious lawmaker Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene—as valid, arguing that Mayorkas “has willfully and systemically refused to comply with Federal immigration laws” and pretending it rises to the “high crimes and misdemeanors” threshold for impeachment. At the same time, Republican members are spilling the beans to right-wing media: This is all about the politics.
Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas admitted it on Fox News. Asked what the point of the exercise is when the Senate is sure not to act on it, he said it’s to ”send a message to the administration.” Watch:
Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York told Newsmax the same thing. “This is sending a message to the Biden administration,” Tenney said. “This guy needs to go, and don’t put another person in place to do what Alejandro Mayorkas did.”
Republicans have been admitting this for weeks now, actually. Here’s Rep. Morgan Luttrell of Texas: “The impeachment process is necessary to send a message to the administration to say [Mayorkas is] not doing his job, and we’re feeling it … And if this is the way that we have to do it, this is the way it has to be done.”
Even Republicans admit this isn’t real and isn’t going anywhere. It’s about politics, and the Biden administration is rising to that challenge. It slapped back in a memo from the Department of Homeland Security, calling the impeachment “just more of the same political games” from Republicans.
“They don’t want to fix the problem; they want to campaign on it. That’s why they have undermined efforts to achieve bipartisan solutions and ignored the facts, legal scholars and experts, and even the Constitution itself in their quest to baselessly impeach Secretary Mayorkas,” the memo adds.
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Speaker Mike Johnson is proudly taking orders from Trump on immigration
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Campaign ActionThe Republican National Committee is meeting behind closed doors this week as some allies of Donald Trump had hoped to put the group's stamp on the former president early in the 2024 GOP presidential nominating campaign.
But a proposed resolution to declare Trump the presumptive nominee has been removed from the agenda before the committee is scheduled to meet in Las Vegas this week, party officials said.
The reversal comes as the first two early-state contests have winnowed the Republican campaign down to two major candidates, with Trump as the heavy favorite and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley vowing to continue her uphill challenge.
HALEY'S GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING SOARS, BUT A TOP-DOLLAR LIBERAL DONOR WANTS TO SEE 'PATH TO VICTORY'
What was expected to be an uneventful RNC winter meeting in Las Vegas this week briefly gained heightened attention last week after the resolution, introduced by Maryland Committeeman David Bossie, to name Trump the presumptive nominee became public.
Bossie was Trump's deputy campaign manager in 2016 and advised his team when Congress pursued a second impeachment after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Within hours of the resolution's leak, Trump batted down the proposal, which some members of the committee criticized publicly as premature.
"While they have far more votes than necessary to do it, I feel, for the sake of PARTY UNITY, that they should NOT go forward with this plan," Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
There is no formal RNC rule barring the party from declaring a presumptive nominee. And there is precedent for such a move. In 2016, then-RNC Chairman Reince Priebus declared Trump the presumptive nominee after the Indiana primary, though that was in May and Trump had battled Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for three months since Cruz finished first in the leadoff Iowa caucuses ahead of second-place Trump.
The Associated Press only uses the term once a candidate has captured the number of delegates needed to win a majority vote at the national party conventions this summer.
That point won’t come until after more states have voted. For both Republicans and Democrats, the earliest it could happen is March.
Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel suggested last week that Haley had no path to the nomination in light of Trump's majority vote totals in the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses and the Jan. 23 New Hampshire primary.
"We need to unite around our eventual nominee, which is going to be Donald Trump, and we need to make sure we beat Joe Biden," McDaniel said in a Fox News interview the night of the New Hampshire primary.
Haley said Sunday during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the RNC was "clearly not" an honest broker "if you're going to go and basically tell the American people that you're going to go and decide who the nominee is after only two states have voted."
"The American people want to have their say in who is going to be their nominee," she said. "We need to give them that. I mean, you can’t do that based on just two states."