Month: February 2024

Morning Digest: How Trumpists could win a top elections post in a key swing state

Posted on by Daily Kos Elections

The Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir, Jeff Singer, and Stephen Wolf, with additional contributions from the Daily Kos Elections team.

Subscribe to The Downballot, our weekly podcast

Embedded Content

Leading Off

From Daily Kos Elections' Jeff Singer:

The Downballot

● The first downballot primaries of 2024 are here! We're previewing some of Tuesday's biggest races on this week's episode of "The Downballot" with Daily Kos Elections editor Jeff Singer. Singer highlights major elections in four states, including the battle for second place in California's Senate contest; whether Democrats will avoid a lockout in a critical California House district; if the worst Republican election fraudster in recent years will successfully stage a comeback in North Carolina; and how Alabama's new map will affect not one but two House races.

Co-hosts David Nir and David Beard also shake their heads in dismay at New York Democrats, who just unilaterally disarmed in the face of extreme GOP gerrymandering nationwide by passing a new congressional map that barely makes any changes to the status quo. The Davids emphasize that as long as Republicans keep blocking Democratic efforts to ban gerrymandering, Democrats have no choice but to fight fire with fire. Yet in New York, they grabbed the fire extinguisher.

Subscribe to "The Downballot" on Apple Podcasts to make sure you never miss a show. You'll find a transcript of this week's episode right here by noon Eastern time. New episodes every Thursday morning!

Senate

● KY-Sen: Sen. Mitch McConnell announced on Wednesday that he would relinquish his role as the GOP's Senate leader in November, ending his tenure as the chamber's longest-serving party leader.

The 82-year-old McConnell has faced questions about his health following two televised incidents in 2023 in which he froze while speaking publicly, but he indicated he intends to remain in the Senate until his term ends in 2027. Were McConnell to leave early, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear would be required to name another Republican in his seat after state lawmakers passed a law requiring same-party appointments in the event of vacancies in 2021.

First elected in 1984, McConnell has led Republicans in the upper chamber since early 2007, including six years as majority leader between 2015 and 2021. McConnell's tenure as leader coincided with a historic escalation in Republican obstruction tactics and norm-breaking.

But despite blockading Senate Democrats' agenda and enabling Donald Trump at nearly every step, McConnell earned the ire of diehard Trump supporters by blaming him for the Jan. 6 attack, though he ultimately voted not to convict Trump following his second impeachment. Nonetheless, McConnell won his final term as leader last year by a 37-10 margin among Senate Republicans.

● MI-Sen: Great Lakes Conservative Fund, a super PAC that's supporting former Rep. Mike Rogers with a $2 million ad buy ahead of the Aug. 6 Republican primary, has released a poll from TargetPoint showing Rogers with a 32-12 lead against former Rep. Peter Meijer.

House

● CO-08: Weld County Commissioner Scott James announced Tuesday that he was dropping out of the June GOP primary to face freshman Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo. James' departure leaves state Rep. Gabe Evans, who has the support of House Speaker Mike Johnson, as the Republican frontrunner. Thanks to self-funding, though, health insurance consultant Joe Andujo finished 2023 with a $203,000 to $186,000 cash on hand advantage over Evans.

Joe Biden would have carried Colorado's 8th District, which is based in the northern Denver suburbs and Greeley area, 51-46 in 2020, but Republicans are hoping that Caraveo's tight 48.4-47.7 win after the district was established following reapportionment foreshadows another close contest. Caraveo, though, ended last year with a hefty $1.4 million on hand to defend herself.

● LA-03: The newsletter LaPolitics suggests that Rep. Garret Graves could try to extend his political career by challenging Rep. Clay Higgins, a fellow Republican, in the November all-party primary for Louisiana's 3rd District, though the item notes that such a notion is still "[s]peculation." The latest version of this constituency, which is based in the southwestern part of the state, would have supported Donald Trump 70-28.

Following court-ordered redistricting, Graves' 6th District became unwinnable for him, but the congressman has insisted he won't retire. However, he's all but ruled out running against Rep. Julia Letlow, another Republican, in the 5th District, and according to calculations from Daily Kos Elections, he currently represents just 10% of Higgins' revised 3rd.

● MN-02: Marine veteran Tyler Kistner, who had already sounded unlikely to wage a third campaign against Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, has confirmed that he won't run again. Former federal prosecutor Joe Teirab and attorney Tayler Rahm are both still seeking the GOP nod, though Teirab ended 2023 with a notable $269,000 to $76,000 cash on hand advantage.

Craig finished the year with $2.2 million available to defend a suburban Twin Cities seat that favored Joe Biden 53-45 in 2020.

● MT-02: Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale announced Wednesday that he would seek reelection to Montana's safely red 2nd District, a move that came two weeks after he dropped out of the June primary to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.

Eight Republicans had launched bids to replace Rosendale when it looked like he'd campaign for the Senate, and while several of them insisted earlier this month that they were willing to run against him, it remains to be seen how many of them will continue now that they know they'll have to take on an incumbent. It only takes a simple plurality to win the nomination, so a crowded field would likely benefit Rosendale.

House GOP leaders may, however, be hoping that someone puts up a strong fight against Rosendale, a Freedom Caucus member who was one of the eight House Republicans who voted to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Donald Trump, though, might still have his back: Trump wrote on Feb. 10 that, while he was backing wealthy businessman Tim Sheehy for Senate, "I always respect Matt Rosendale, and was very happy to Endorse him in the past and will Endorse him again in the future, should he decide to change course and run for his congressional seat."

The congressman used his Wednesday announcement to say that he was also supporting Sheehy, whom Rosendale attacked as a puppet of "the uniparty" and "a candidate who profited off Biden’s Green New Deal" during what turned out to be a seven-day Senate campaign.

● NY Redistricting: Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a new congressional map into law on Wednesday, hours after Democratic lawmakers approved it. We recently detailed the likely partisan impacts of the new map, which closely resembles a proposal from the state's redistricting commission that Democratic legislators rejected earlier in the week.

While many observers had expected (or hoped) that Democrats would draw an aggressive gerrymander, their new map made only modest changes to the commission's map—so modest that state GOP chair Ed Cox said his party had "no need" to sue because the "lines are not materially different from" the court-drawn map used in 2022.

That sentiment was shared by former Rep. John Faso, who helped lead the successful legal challenge to the map that Democrats passed two years ago. The map even received votes from more than a dozen Republican lawmakers, including Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay.

Democrats also sent a bill to Hochul that would limit where redistricting lawsuits could be filed to just one of four blue counties—Albany, Erie, New York (Manhattan), or Westchester—to prevent Republicans from shopping for a favorable Republican judge, as they were accused of doing in their previous lawsuit. However, given the response from Republicans so far, that legislation may not ultimately matter for the new map.

● NY-01: Former state Sen. Jim Gaughran has endorsed former CNN anchor John Avlon in the June Democratic primary for New York's 1st Congressional District, one day after Gaughran ended his own campaign. Two other notable Democrats are running to take on first-term GOP Rep. Nick LaLotta: Nancy Goroff, who was the party's nominee in 2020, and former congressional staffer Kyle Hill.

● NY-03: Air Force veteran Kellen Curry tells Politico that he's considering running for the Republican nomination to take on Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi. Curry spent months challenging then-Rep. George Santos and raised $432,000 from donors before party leaders tapped another Republican, Nassau County Legislator Mazi Pilip, for the Feb. 13 special election.

The GOP field already includes two other Republicans who originally campaigned against Santos, Air Force veteran Greg Hach and Security Traders Association president Jim Toes. Hach informs Politico that he's going to self-fund $1 million. There is no indication that Toes, who only raised $100,000 during his first effort, has similar abilities.

The November election will take place under slightly different lines than the recent special. New York's Democratic governor and legislature just approved a new congressional map that makes modest changes to the 3rd District, increasing Joe Biden's margin of victory from 54-45 to 55-44.

● OH-09: J.R. Majewski announced Wednesday that he'd remain in the March 19 Republican primary, a move that came less than a day after the toxic 2022 nominee told Politico he was considering ending his second campaign to take on Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur. Majewski even titled his mid-week press release "J.R. Majewski (Almost) Suspends Campaign for Congress" while still expressing defiance toward the GOP establishment.

● TX-32: The crypto-aligned PAC Protect Progress has spent close to $1 million to promote state Rep. Julie Johnson ahead of next week's Democratic primary, according to data from OpenSecrets. Johnson, who was the first Texas legislator with a same-sex spouse, has also benefited from $266,000 in support from Equality PAC, which is affiliated with the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus.

The only other candidate who's getting notable outside backing is trauma surgeon Brian Williams, an Air Force veteran who has received $210,000 in aid from the Principled Veterans Fund. Johnson and Williams have significantly outraised the other eight Democrats competing to succeed Senate candidate Colin Allred in this safely blue Dallas seat.

● TX-34: The Texas Tribune's Matthew Choi writes that Democratic incumbent Vicente Gonzalez appears to be meddling in next week's GOP primary by sending out mailers labeling former Rep. Mayra Flores "the weakest Republican and the easiest to defeat this November" and calling little-known foe Greg Kunkle a supporter of the "MAGA AGENDA." However, neither the congressman nor any outside groups seem to be doing much else to boost Kunkle, who hasn't reported raising any money.

Two other Republicans are also on the ballot, though neither of them appears to be a serious threat to Flores. Gonzalez, for his part, insists to Choi that he genuinely believes that Flores, whom he beat 53-44 last cycle, would be his weakest possible foe.

Ballot Measures

● AK Ballot: Alaska election officials said this week that the campaign to repeal the state's top-four primary system has collected enough signatures to appear on the ballot this year, though it's not yet clear when. The Alaska Beacon says that the timing of the vote will depend on whether the legislature adjourns before or after April 22. If lawmakers end their session before that date, the measure would appear on the Aug. 20 primary ballot, while a later adjournment would move the vote to Nov. 5.

Mayors & County Leaders

● Bridgeport, CT Mayor: Mayor Joe Ganim won reelection Tuesday 59-38 against former city official John Gomes, a fellow Democrat who ran under the banner of the state Independent Party, in their fourth and final contest over the last six months. You can find the backstory to Bridgeport's prolonged election season here.

Ad Roundup

Campaign Action

Crowded field of potential McConnell successors emerges in Senate

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Several potential successors are being eyed to fill outgoing Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's role as the party faces growing division between more mainstream Republicans and a faction of hardline conservative members.

Among those who are being floated as a potential replacement for the leadership position are senators John Cornyn, R-Texas; John Thune, R-N.D.; John Barrasso, R-Wyo.; Rick Scott R-Fla.; Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; and Steve Daines, R-Mont. 

McConnell, who turned 82 last week, announced in a floor speech Wednesday he will step down from leadership in November. The Kentucky Republican is the Senate's longest-serving party leader in history.

Speculation about Thune, Barrasso or Daines taking over as leader stems from their current roles in GOP leadership. They serve as Republican whip, Senate Republican Conference chairman and National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, respectively. 

MITCH MCCONNELL STEPPING DOWN AS REPUBLICAN LEADER

"Chairman Daines is laser-focused on taking back the Senate majority," NRSC communications director Mike Berg told Fox News Digital.

One source familiar with Senate Republican conference discussions shared that the "three Johns" — Thune, Cornyn and Barrasso — are not of the same political stripe. Barrasso is considered the most conservative out of the three, the source said. Barrasso is also believed to be a more palatable option for the various factions of Republicans in the Senate who don't always see eye to eye. He notably endorsed former President Trump early last month.

SEN. COTTON PROBES DOD HOW US AIRMAN WHO LIT HIMSELF ON FIRE WAS 'ALLOWED TO SERVE ON ACTIVE DUTY'

"What I'm focused on is the election," Barrasso told reporters shortly after McConnell's announcement.

As for decisions regarding leadership, he said, "I'm going to talk to members of the conference, hear what they have to say, listen to them in terms of what direction that they want to take with us."

Both Cornyn and Thune also endorsed Trump after Barrasso. Thune had initially endorsed fellow Sen. Tim Scott R-S.C., who ultimately dropped out and endorsed Trump. 

Sen. Rick Scott was more pointed in his statement following McConnell's surprise announcement, saying in a statement, "I have been very clear and have long believed that we need new leadership in the Senate that represents our voters and the issues we were sent here to fight for."

When Scott challenged McConnell for the position, Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., told reporters McConnell received 37 votes from conference members, while Scott received 10. One Republican voted "present." Some of those who reportedly voted against McConnell were senators Josh Hawley, R-Mo; Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Braun; Ron Johnson, R-Wis.; and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. 

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who supported Scott in 2022, would welcome Scott's leadership if he were to take over, a staffer in Lee's office told Fox News Digital.

MCCONNELL SAYS SENATE TRIAL FOR MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT IS THE 'BEST WAY FORWARD'

The source also shared that Cotton was being mentioned as a potential contender for the position. Cotton's office couldn't immediately be reached for comment. 

Cornyn, who does not hold a leadership position in the GOP and is poised to launch a potential bid for leader, said in a statement Wednesday that "today is about Mitch McConnell."

"But I've made no secret about my intentions," he added.

Cornyn on his timeline: "Not today."

Cornyn also endorsed former President Trump to be the Republican presidential nominee, and some lawmakers have begun looking to the likely GOP candidate for guidance about who should replace McConnell.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., told reporters Wednesday the next person "absolutely" needs to have a more positive relationship with Trump, adding, "He's going to be the next president, we have to work together."

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., agreed. 

"It's so important that the next leader have a very positive relationship with the president," Marshall told Fox News Digital in an interview Wednesday. "I think that this next leader needs to have a little bit more, maybe a lot more of a populist view."

Marshall, who positioned himself alongside conservative hardliners who were critical of McConnell and voted against the bipartisan border deal in the national security supplemental package this month, added that the names being floated for leadership have been "interviewing for the job since I got here."

"I watch how they vote. I watch what their priorities are. I've been watching their volume on what issues they're championing," he said. "All the names … have great qualities. They would do a fine job. But I've not even started a process of weeding them out. And I tell you, it'll be one of the toughest decisions I've ever made."

Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report. 

Haley says Trump should not be ‘entirely immune’ from criminal penalties

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump's 2024 Republican primary rival Nikki Haley is backing the Supreme Court's decision to take up his immunity case and "settle it once and for all," arguing that commanders-in-chief should not be "entirely immune" from criminal penalties.

"The Supreme Court should take up this question and settle it once and for all.  No person should be entirely immune from penalties for crimes committed, not even a president – not Clinton, not Biden, and not Trump," Haley told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

In a win for the former president, the court agreed to review whether he has immunity from prosecution in the Special Counsel's federal election interference case. The court, stacked with three justices nominated by Trump, moved to expedite the matter, planning to begin arguments the week of April 22 and producing a ruling by late June. Trump's criminal trial has been put on hold pending resolution of the matter.

TRUMP ASKS SUPREME COURT TO EXTEND DELAY IN ELECTION CASE, CLAIMING PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY

Sen. Ron Johnson R-Wis., applauded the development, telling Fox News Digital, "The fact that the Supreme Court took it up is pretty telling." 

Discussing the delay in Trump's federal election interference case as a result, Johnson claimed, "I think these very partisan prosecutions, that's what they're designed to do." The Supreme Court's agreement to hear the appeal is likely to push Trump's federal trial into the late summer or early fall, not far from the November presidential election.

"They are election interference to a far greater extent than anything Russia or China ever could hope to accomplish," he continued.

The senator was hopeful the court's choice signaled some resistance to the "election interference," but noted, "We'll see how the Supreme Court rules."

Trump foes, meanwhile, criticized the Supreme Court for being willing to hear the case.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., claimed the court is "placing itself on trial" with the decision and questioned "whether the justices will uphold the fundamental American value that no one is above the law – not even a former president." 

Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., also slammed the court's plan to review Trump's claim of presidential immunity. "Delaying the January 6 trial suppresses critical evidence that Americans deserve to hear," she wrote on X. 

TRUMP TRIAL DELAYED IN CASE STEMMING FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH'S JAN. 6 INVESTIGATION

"Donald Trump attempted to overturn an election and seize power. Our justice system must be able to bring him to trial before the next election. SCOTUS should decide this case promptly," she added. 

Cheney was a part of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack before her House term ended. She ran for reelection but was defeated in her Republican primary by Rep. Harriet Hageman. R-Wyo. 

An impeachment manager for Trump's second impeachment trial, Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., predicted the Supreme Court taking up the case could help guarantee a "blue wave" in November.

"My view of the SCOTUS action: if the trial is delayed until after November, we will see THE LARGEST BLUE WAVE IN HISTORY," Lieu wrote on X. "If November becomes a referendum on whether Trump faces justice, then Democrats will absolutely flip the House. keep the White House and expand the Senate."

Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., said on the social media platform that the Supreme Court decision will "help Donald Trump run out the clock and avoid justice."

Hunter Biden faces backlash for claiming his father was not involved in business deals: ‘Perjuring himself’

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Critics lambasted Hunter Biden on Wednesday after he claimed during his opening statement before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees that he "did not involve" his father, President Biden, in his business dealings.

Hunter appeared on Capitol Hill for a closed-door deposition as part of the committees' ongoing impeachment inquiry into his father, where he accused Republicans of having no evidence to justify their investigation.

"The goalposts are moving," Republican strategist Steve Guest wrote in a post on X. "Joe Biden used to say he [had] never spoken with Hunter about his business dealings. Hunter Biden is now playing cute linguistic games."

HUNTER BIDEN TESTIFIES BEHIND CLOSED DOORS AS PART OF THE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AGAINST HIS FATHER

"REMINDER:  E-mails, texts, photos, voicemails, visitor logs, and witness testimony have shown that Joe Biden was INVOLVED in his son Hunter’s foreign business deals," Guest later wrote in another post.

Federalist co-founder Sean Davis wrote that Hunter had "no problem perjuring himself" with the claims because he "knows Daddy's DOJ will never charge him for it," while Washington Free Beacon reporter Chuck Ross wrote that there was "plenty of evidence Hunter did involve Joe in his business."

"Joe attended meetings w/ Hunter and CEFC, and with Tony Bobulinski to discuss China business. These were strictly business meetings," he added.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS SUBPOENA DOJ MATERIALS RELATED TO SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW OF JOE BIDEN

"Well if we can’t trust a crackhead, who can we trust?" another critic wrote, while Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., accused Hunter of "falsely" making the claim, and posted an image of what he described as a text message from Hunter "using his father's name to shake down a Chinese businessman for millions of dollars."

"Hunter Biden clearly used his dad's brand to conduct corrupt business overseas. Even Hunter's closest business partners have testified that Joe Biden was THE BRAND and the BIDEN LIFT. How else does the Biden family and their associates get $24 million in 5 years?" Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., added.

Despite Hunter's claims he "did not involve" his father in any of his business dealings, one of his ex-business associates testified earlier this month that in 2017 Biden met with the chairman of a Chinese energy firm that Hunter sought to create a joint business venture with.

SCATHING DETAILS REVEAL WHY BIDEN APPEARS ‘SILENT’ ON CHINA'S ROLE IN FENTANYL CRISIS: BOOK

"I don’t remember the exact time, but I remember being in Washington, D.C., and the former vice president stopped by. We were having lunch," Rob Walker told the committees, according to a transcript of his interview reviewed by Fox News Digital. He mentioned how there were several CEFC executives at the meeting also.

Additionally, records show some of Hunter's business associates visited the White House more than 90 times while Biden was serving as vice president. Those visits included former associates connected with Hunter's now-defunct investment firm Rosemont Seneca Partners.

The House Oversight Committee previously told Fox News Digital that it can "now confirm Joe Biden met with nearly every foreign national who funneled money to his son, including Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina, Romanian oligarch Kenes Rakishev, Burisma’s corporate secretary Vadym Pozharsky, Jonathan Li of BHR, and CEFC Chairman Ye Jianming."

Devon Archer, another former business partner of Hunter, told House Oversight investigators last summer that Hunter used his dad as "defensive leverage" to send "the right signals" to his foreign business partners, while selling him as "the brand" that offered "capabilities and reach," as well as a "unique understanding of D.C."

Archer also described how the elder Biden was put on the phone to sell "the brand" and that he was put on speakerphone at least 20 times by Hunter during meetings, contradicting multiple claims by the elder Biden on the campaign trail and during his presidency about talking to his son about his business dealings.

During his opening statement, Hunter said his claim that he "did not involve" his father in his business dealings was an "uncontestable fact that should end the false premise of this inquiry."

The first son said House Republicans "have built your entire partisan house of cards on lies told by" past witnesses, and blasted his ex-business associates Bobulinski and Jason Galanis, who also testified as part of the impeachment inquiry, as well as the since-indicted former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov. 

Hunter went on to address the "mistakes" he made in his life, including his battle with addiction, and claimed Republicans had taken the records of his various communications with individuals over the years "out of context."

He said he hoped his testimony would "put an end to this baseless and destructive political charade." 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and representatives of Hunter for comment.

Fox News' Brooke Singman, Jessica Chasmar and Cameron Cawthorne contributed to this report.

Comer says impeachment inquiry moving to ‘next phase,’ with Hunter Biden testifying at public hearing

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said the impeachment inquiry against President Biden will move into its "next phase," which will include Hunter Biden testifying publicly during an open hearing.

Hunter Biden appeared on Capitol Hill for his closed-door, deposition at the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees on Wednesday.

HUNTER BIDEN TESTIFIES HE 'DID NOT INVOLVE' HIS FATHER IN HIS BUSINESSES, CALLS IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY 'BASELESS'

The first son testified that he "did not involve" his father in his businesses, while blasting House Republicans for having "hunted" him in a "partisan political pursuit" and impeachment inquiry against his father. He also said Republicans have no evidence against his father, the president, "because there isn't any." 

Comer, R-Ky., made a public statement Wednesday afternoon, saying that Hunter’s appearance "was a great deposition for us."

Hunter Biden, however, thought the deposition went well for him. On his way out of the hearing room Wednesday, Hunter Biden told reporters he thought the hearing went "great."

A source with direct knowledge of the deposition told Fox News Digital that Hunter Biden "first made clear in his opening statement and emphasized throughout the deposition, Joe Biden was not involved in, did not benefit from, and took no official actions to benefit any of his business ventures." 

Regarding the infamous "10 held by H for the big guy?" email, the source said Hunter told the committee that his associate who sent the message, James Gilliar, was "out of his mind for even suggesting Joe Biden get involved in their joint venture." 

"Hunter discussed his addiction at length," the source said, adding that Hunter "admitted that he was high or drunk when he sent the ‘sitting here with my father’ WhatsApp message, sent it to the wrong recipient, and is now embarrassed by the message." 

That text was sent to a business partner for Chinese energy firm CEFC.

The source said Hunter also testified that his dad "was not sitting next to him." 

But Comer said after the deposition that "it proves several bits of our evidence that we've been conducting throughout this investigation."

 Comer added that "there are also some contradictory statements that I think need further review."

"So this impeachment inquiry will now go to the next phase, which will be a public hearing," Comer said.

BIDEN MET WITH CHAIRMAN OF CHINESE ENERGY FIRM HUNTER DID BUSINESS WITH IN 2017, EX-ASSOCIATE TESTIFIES

Comer stressed that Hunter Biden and his attorney have "demanded" a public hearing following the deposition.

"Just as I said, when we said we were going to do the deposition first, we will have a public hearing next," he explained. "So I think that the public hearing hopefully will clear up some discrepancies between some of the statements that were made between some of the associates and what we heard today."

Comer said "all in all," he is "very optimistic, very excited about this deposition."

"I look forward to releasing the transcripts as soon as both sides agree to that," Comer said, hinting that the first son’s transcript of his deposition could be released to the public by the end of the week. "Hopefully that'll be within the next 2 or 3 days." 

JOE BIDEN 'ENABLED' FAMILY TO SELL ACCESS TO 'DANGEROUS ADVERSARIES,' TONY BOBULINSKI TESTIFIES

During his opening statement Wednesday, obtained by Fox News, Hunter Biden testified that he was present "to provide the Committees with the one uncontestable fact that should end the false premise of this inquiry: I did not involve my father in my business."  

"Not while I was a practicing lawyer, not in my investments or transactions domestic or international, not as a board member, and not as an artist. Never," he stressed. "You do not have evidence to support the baseless and MAGA-motivated conspiracies about my father because there isn’t any." 

The first son said he hopes his testimony will "put an end to this baseless and destructive political charade." 

"You have wasted valuable time and resources attacking me and my family for your own political gain when you should be fixing the real problems in this country that desperately need your attention," he testified. 

FLASHBACK: GOP-LED COMMITTEES RELEASE INTERIM REPORT ON HUNTER BIDEN, BURISMA PROBE

Hunter Biden's testimony comes after his uncle, President Biden's younger brother James Biden, testified last week as part of the impeachment inquiry. James Biden testified that President Biden "has never had any involvement or any direct or indirect financial interest" in his business ventures. 

House Republicans have heard testimony from a number of the first son's former business associates, like Bobulinski, who testified before the committees earlier this month that Joe Biden was involved in the family's business ventures. He also testified that he personally met with him. 

Days before Bobulinski's testimony, another former business associate, Rob Walker, testified that Joe Biden met with the chairman of the Chinese energy firm CEFC that his brother and son did business with. 

After Walker's testimony, the House Oversight Committee said it was able to "now confirm Joe Biden met with nearly every foreign national who funneled money to his son." 

House Democrats and the White House have criticized the inquiry as baseless, but Republicans insist they have just scratched the surface of the investigation into Biden family businesses.

The 17 worst things Mitch McConnell did to destroy democracy

Posted on by Joan McCarter

Mark Sumner also contributed to this story.

Mitch McConnell announced Wednesday that he will be stepping down as Republican leader of the Senate in November. And, for the sake of the democracy he’s spent decades trying to destroy, that moment can’t come soon enough.

Here are just a few of his career lowlights.

1. He stole a Supreme Court seat from President Barack Obama. 

When Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016, McConnell insisted that the seat would remain empty because it was an election year and, according to a rule he created, the seat could therefore not be filled.  

“The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice," he said. “Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President.” He refused to even give Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, a hearing much less a vote.

But three years later, asked what he would do if the same situation arose in 2020 under President Donald Trump?

"Oh, we'd fill it," he said. And that’s just what he did.

2. He stole a Supreme Court seat from future President Joe Biden.

And he did this after changing his “no new Supreme Court justice in the last year of a president’s term” rule—to install the ultra-conservative Amy Coney Barrett on the court eight days before the 2020 election.

The night Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died in the fall of 2020, according to McConnell’s former chief of staff, McConnell told Trump he would absolutely fill the vacancy just weeks out from the election, “and you’ve gotta nominate Amy Coney Barrett.”

3. He packed the federal judiciary for Trump with white men, many of them unqualified. 

While the Supreme Court seats may be the most visible part of McConnell’s stacking of the judiciary, his goal went further. As Frontline noted, that meant he wanted his legacy to be one of “filling the federal judiciary with conservative judges.”

4. He vowed to obstruct Obama. 

“The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president,” he told the National Journal in 2010.

5. He vowed to obstruct Biden. 

“One hundred percent of our focus is on stopping this new administration,” he said in 2021.

6. He made the debt ceiling a permanent hostage starting in 2011. 

McConnell may not have invented the government shutdown, but he made sure that shutdown threats were a regular part of American politics while shutting down efforts to fix the problem. "I think some of our members may have thought the default issue was a hostage you might take a chance at shooting,” McConnell said before a vote in 2011. “Most of us didn't think that. What we did learn is this—it's a hostage that's worth ransoming."  

7. He turned the filibuster into a weapon. 

McConnell used the filibuster “more than ever in history” during the Obama administration to try to deny Obama any legislative victories, just as he’d threatened to do. And he kept using it long after Obama left office, including to block a 9/11-style Jan. 6 committee. 

McConnell reportedly worked the phones to be sure the commission bill died, asking some Republican senators to join the filibuster as “a personal favor” to him despite the appeal from the mother of fallen Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick to support the commission. 

8. He voted to acquit Trump after the Jan. 6 insurrection. 

And, just like when he blocked the nomination of Garland to the Supreme Court, he blamed it on the timing. 

As The Washington Post described it, “We witnessed a historic confession of hypocrisy and deceit on Saturday when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) went to the floor after voting to acquit Donald Trump in the former president’s Senate impeachment trial.” That came after McConnell had given a speech calling Trump’s actions “a disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty” and saying that  Trump was “practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day.”

But McConnell had an excuse: timing. He claimed it was too late to convict Trump. For McConnell, it’s always too late to do something. Unless it isn’t.

9. He built a career, and a big campaign nest egg, fighting gun safety regulations. 

That includes pulling down $1.3 million in donations from the NRA while blocking efforts to address mass shootings. No single individual may be completely responsible for America’s failure to address gun violence, including school shootings, but McConnell comes close.

10. He destroyed campaign finance reform and filibustered any effort to get money out of politics. 

He may have called money in politics “a cancer” at the start of his career, but once he was in the Senate, he devoted himself to protecting that cancer. And spreading it.

11. He blocked votes to save the Voting Rights Act. 

That included refusing to hold hearings on an amendment named in honor of the great congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis. McConnell claimed he was a supporter of the VRA at the beginning of his career, but as Senate leader, he weakened the act at every turn. This, along with his other moves to make it more difficult to vote, earned McConnell the nickname “the gravedigger of American democracy.”

12. He tried to kill Obamacare—and failed.

"This is clearly a disappointing moment," he said after the repeal attempt failed 51-49. "I regret that our efforts simply were not enough this time."

13. He blew off coal miners with black lung disease from his own state. 

That included giving a group of miners who drove from Kentucky to meet with him just two minutes of his time, but McConnell always found time to help mine owners prop up the dying industry.

He failed to support legislation that would reclaim mine land for economic development. He shied away from a bipartisan coalition in his state that is nurturing tech, medical, and even solar jobs. He led the Republican effort to cut taxes on the coal companies—taxes that would help struggling miners. And he has not pushed to shore up a badly underfunded miners’ pension fund.

14. He’s working with the Trump campaign right now to endorse Trump for another term. 

Sources involved in the negotiations give a weak explanation. “We’ve reached the part of the primary where the party is coming together,” one source told The Hill. “The absolute worst thing that can happen to this country is electing Joe Biden for four more years, and you can expect to coalesce around that point over the next nine months,” the source continued. So much for protecting our institutions from the guy who tried to “torch” them.

15. He named himself the “Grim Reaper.” 

He vowed to kill—literally kill—progressive legislation to address climate change and expand Medicare.

“Are we going to turn this into a socialist country? Don’t assume it cannot happen,” he said in 2019. “If I’m still the majority leader of the Senate, think of me as the Grim Reaper. None of that stuff is going to pass. None of it.”

16. He took this infamous picture in front of a Confederate flag.

He said the photo of him beaming in front of the racist flag was taken when he was a freshman senator, at a meeting of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. And no, he isn’t sorry.

"I don't regret going to speak to a group which at the time was not being considered, you know, a pariah in our society,” he said years later. “I, over the years, have probably been to plenty of groups and shaken hands with a whole lot of people who didn’t agree with me."

17. He tried to silence Sen. Elizabeth Warren. It backfired.

During a floor speech against the confirmation of Jeff Sessions as Trump’s attorney general in 2017, the Massachusetts senator read—or tried to read—a damning letter from Coretta Scott King, written in 1986, which blasted Sessions for “the awesome power of his office to chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens” while serving as a United States attorney in Alabama.” 

McConnell didn’t like that and insisted Warren had violated a rule against demeaning a fellow senator. And he cut her off.

“She was warned,” McConnell said. “She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.”

The joke’s on McConnell, though, because his tsk-tsking of Warren became a meme. And a hashtag. And a tattoo. And a fundraiser. And a rallying cry. 

So long, Mitch. And good riddance.  

Campaign Action

Fox News Politics: McConnell’s ‘sprint to the finish line’

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

What's Happening? 

-Biden makes unannounced visit to Walter Reed Medical Center

-Hunter Biden testifies behind closed doors to Congress as part of impeachment inquiry 

-Trump wins Michigan's GOP primary

Longtime Republican leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced Wednesday he will step away from leadership in November. 

McConnell, who turned 82 last week, announced his decision in an emotional speech in the Senate shortly after noon. 

"One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter," he said. McConnell's first Senate term started in 1985, under the late President Reagan, and McConnell remained a huge fan (despite Reagan at first calling him "Mitch O'Donnell -- Close enough"). But McConnell didn't reminisce much. 

"There'll be plenty of time to express my gratitude and greater detail as I sprint towards the finish line, which is now in sight," he said.

McConnell's dramatic decision, which will set up a leadership election in the GOP conference after the November election, comes as Republicans have expressed increasing discontent with McConnell's handling of the bipartisan border bill and national security supplemental package that included aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. 

McConnell has also butted heads with former President Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential front-runner, who said at a Fox News town hall recently: "I don't know that I can work with [McConnell]." 

Yet after McConnell's announcement, gratitude poured in from both McConnell's allies and his critics. "I’m grateful for his service.... I think Mitch's tenure has had many legacies. But no legacy is more consequential than the nomination and confirmation of hundreds of principled constitutionalists to the federal judiciary. And that is a lasting benefit to the American people for which I'm deeply grateful," Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told reporters.

McConnell said he intends to finish his current Senate term, which ends in January 2027. Sources familiar with his thinking told Fox News Digital the senator's health was not a factor in his decision. McConnell had a concussion after a fall last year and two public episodes when he appeared to freeze while addressing reporters. 

NO TO JOE: Hamas officials shut down Biden's ice-cream diplomacy, rejects cease-fire deal …Read more

BIDEN'S PHYSICAL: Biden made an unannounced visit to Walter Reed for a physical exam …Read more

'HUNTED ME': Hunter Biden says he 'did not involve' his father in his business dealings, blasts impeachment inquiry …Read more

'EXTREMIST POLICIES': GOP senator fights back against Biden's 'gun-grabbing agenda' to defend gun dealers …Read more

'CONCERNING BEHAVIOR': Sen. Cotton wants to know how US airman who lit himself on fire was active duty …Read more

GEORGIA LAWMAKERS MOURN: House GOP lawmakers from Georgia blame Biden's 'disastrous' border policies for murder of Laken Riley …Read more

VICTORIOUS: Trump wins Michigan GOP Primary …Read more

BATTLEGROUND VICTORY: Biden wins Michigan despite pushback from Arab-American voters …Read more

SUPER REMATCH: Michigan inches Biden and Trump closer to 2020 rematch as 'Super Tuesday' approaches …Read more

BREAKING NEWS: Dem candidate 'unsuspending' presidential campaign against Biden …Read more

CALLING FOR HELP: Biden campaign sees Michigan voters back 'uncommitted,' immediately takes action …Read more

PARTY TRANSFORMATION: Lara Trump officially announces campaign for RNC co-chair as Trump loyalists move in …Read more

CLOSE THE GATES: NYC mayor calls for sanctuary city amendment to allow deportation of violent criminals …Read more

ALL APOLOGIES: San Francisco apologizes to black citizens for 'decades of systemic and structural discrimination' …Read more

'PROGRESSIVE WORLDVIEW': Soros-backed group unleashes war on gas leaf blowers, trucks …Read more

CONTROVERSIAL CARE: Court rules state can enforce law banning gender-transition treatments for minors …Read more

$1.7 TRILLION ERROR:- Federal judge rules massive congressional spending bill is unconstitutional …Read more

Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

McConnell will step down as the Senate Republican leader in November

Posted on by Associated Press

Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November.

McConnell, who turned 82 last week, was set to announce his decision Wednesday in the well of the Senate, a place where he looked in awe from its back benches in 1985 when he arrived and where he grew increasingly comfortable in the front row seat afforded the party leaders.

“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” he said in prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press. “So I stand before you today ... to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”

His decision punctuates a powerful ideological transition underway in the Republican Party, from Ronald Reagan’s brand of traditional conservatism and strong international alliances, to the fiery, often isolationist populism of former President Donald Trump.

McConnell said he plans to serve out his Senate term, which ends in January 2027, “albeit from a different seat in the chamber.” Aides said McConnell’s announcement about the leadership post was unrelated to his health. The Kentucky senator had a concussion from a fall last year and two public episodes where his face briefly froze while he was speaking.

“As I have been thinking about when I would deliver some news to the Senate, I always imagined a moment when I had total clarity and peace about the sunset of my work,” McConnell said in his prepared remarks. “A moment when I am certain I have helped preserve the ideals I so strongly believe. It arrived today.”

The senator had been under increasing pressure from the restive, and at times hostile wing of his party that has aligned firmly with Trump. The two have been estranged since December 2020, when McConnell refused to abide Trump’s lie that the election of Democrat Joe Biden as president was the product of fraud.

But while McConnell's critics within the GOP conference had grown louder, their numbers had not grown appreciably larger, a marker of McConnell’s strategic and tactical skill and his ability to understand the needs of his fellow Republican senators.

McConnell gave no specific reason for the timing of his decision, which he has been contemplating for months, but he cited the recent death of his wife's youngest sister as a moment that prompted introspection. “The end of my contributions are closer than I’d prefer,” McConnell said.

But his remarks were also light at times as he talked about the arc of his Senate career.

He noted that when he arrived in the Senate, “I was just happy if anybody remembered my name.” During his campaign in 1984, when Reagan was visiting Kentucky, the president called him “Mitch O’Donnell.”

McConnell endorsed Reagan’s view of America’s role in the world and the senator has persisted in face of opposition, including from Trump, that Congress should include a foreign assistance package that includes $60 billion for Ukraine.

“I am unconflicted about the good within our country and the irreplaceable role we play as the leader of the free world," McConnell said.

Against long odds he managed to secure 22 Republican votes for the package now being considered by the House.

“Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time. I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them," McConnell said. "That said, I believe more strongly than ever that America’s global leadership is essential to preserving the shining city on a hill that Ronald Reagan discussed. For as long as I am drawing breath on this earth I will defend American exceptionalism.”

Trump has pulled the party hard to the ideological right, questioning longtime military alliances such as NATO, international trade agreements, and pushing for a severe crackdown on immigration, all the while clinging to the falsehood that the election was stolen from him in 2020.

McConnell and Trump had worked together in Trump’s first term, remaking the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary in a far more conservative image, and on tax legislation. But there was also friction from the start, with Trump frequently sniping at the senator.

Their relationship has essentially been over since Trump refused to accept the results of the Electoral College. But the rupture deepened dramatically after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. McConnell assigned blame and responsibility to Trump and said that he should be held to account through the criminal justice system for his actions.

McConnell’s critics insist he could have done more, including voting to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial. McConnell did not, arguing that since Trump was no longer in office, he could not be subject to impeachment.

Rather than fade from prominence after the Capitol riot, Trump continued to assert his control over the party, and finds himself on a clear glidepath to the Republican nomination. Other members of the Republican Senate leadership have endorsed Trump. McConnell has not, and that has drawn criticism from other Republican senators.

McConnell’s path to power was hardly linear, but from the day he walked onto the Senate floor in 1985 and took his seat as the most junior Republican senator, he set his sights on being the party leader. What set him apart was that so many other Senate leaders wanted to run for president. McConnell wanted to run the Senate. He lost races for lower party positions before steadily ascending, and finally became party leader in 2006 and has won nine straight elections.

He most recently beat back a challenge led by Sen. Rick Scott of Florida last November.

McConnell built his power base by a combination of care and nurturing of his members, including understanding their political imperatives. After seeing the potential peril of a rising Tea Party, he also established a super political action committee, The Senate Leadership Fund, which has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in support of Republican candidates.

Despite the concerns about his health, colleagues have said in recent months that they believe he has recovered. McConnell was not impaired cognitively, but did have some additional physical limitations.

“I love the Senate,” he said in his prepared remarks. “It has been my life. There may be more distinguished members of this body throughout our history, but I doubt there are any with more admiration for it.”

But, he added, "Father Time remains undefeated. I am no longer the young man sitting in the back, hoping colleagues would remember my name. It is time for the next generation of leadership.”

There would be a time to reminisce, he said, but not today.

“I still have enough gas in the tank to thoroughly disappoint my critics and I intend to do so with all the enthusiasm which they have become accustomed.”

Campaign Action