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House votes to defund Mayorkas’ salary in DHS funding bill

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

The House of Representatives voted to block Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' salary on Wednesday.

It was an amendment by Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., for the House's appropriations bill funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for fiscal year 2025, that would block funds in the bill from being used to pay Mayorkas.

Just one Republican voted against the measure, which passed 193 to 173.

"Taxpayers should not be paying an unelected bureaucrat who was impeached by the House. That's why I sponsored an amendment to this year's Homeland Security Appropriations Act to prohibit funding to be used for the salary of DHS Secretary Mayorkas," Biggs wrote on X before the vote.

DENVER SCHOOLS OVERWHELMED BY MIGRANT SURGE AS MAYOR SLASHES $5M FROM PUBLIC SERVICES TO ADDRESS CRISIS

A second amendment by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to reduce Mayorkas' salary to zero failed, however, in a 208 to 200 vote. One Republican voted present on that measure.

Mayorkas is a frequent target of the House GOP's ire, with Republican lawmakers blaming him for the enduring crisis at the southern border.

House Republicans voted to impeach him in February – the first Cabinet secretary impeached since the late 1800s.

HERE ARE THE 3 HOUSE REPUBLICANS WHO TORPEDOED MAYORKAS’ IMPEACHMENT VOTE

The DHS appropriations bill gives the department roughly a $3 billion increase from fiscal year 2024.

It also includes $600 million to fund completion of former President Trump's border wall and provisions to block funding from being used for abortion care and transgender health care for noncitizens detained in ICE custody. 

Other amendments that have passed so far include one by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, to prohibit funds from being used to implement policies that would keep asylum-seekers in Texas while their claims are being processed.

HOUSE FAILS TO IMPEACH DHS SECRETARY ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS IN MAJOR BLOW TO GOP

A measure led by Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., that passed would block DHS from implementing COVID-19 mask policies.

The appropriations bill itself is expected to get a final vote on Friday, though it's highly unlikely to be taken up by the Democrat-led Senate. 

The White House has already threatened to veto the measure if it got to President Biden's desk.

Mayorkas to tout decrease in border encounters in 1st visit to border since failed impeachment vote

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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will visit Arizona on Wednesday on his first trip to the southern border since the Senate quashed articles of impeachment against him. 

Mayorkas will speak to reporters in Tucson, where he is expected to tout the decrease in illegal migrant numbers after President Biden took executive action on asylum processing three weeks ago. Arrests for illegal border crossings have fallen more than 40% since the executive order went into effect, according to the Department of Homeland Security. 

Border Patrol's seven-day average of illegal migrant encounters dropped from well over 5,000 to about 2,200, according to the latest Customs and Border Protection numbers obtained by Fox News. Mayorkas said border encounters were "moving in the right direction" in an appearance on MSNBC Wednesday morning. 

"You correctly note that the number of encounters at the southwest border have decreased in the three weeks that we've been implementing the president's proclamation by more than 40%," Mayorkas told host Mika Brzezinski, adding it was a "remarkable implementation" by immigration enforcement agencies.

RACHEL MORIN'S MOM BLASTS MAYORKAS' DESCRIPTION OF SLAIN DAUGHTER AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT NABBED

"We are conducting more removal flights than ever before. We are moving people through the system, and those who do not qualify are being removed or returned more rapidly." 

The latest Border Patrol figures are welcome news for President Biden, who must defend his record from withering attacks by former President Trump at the CNN Presidential Debate on Thursday. 

The U.S. has seen record numbers of migrant crossings at the border, with more than 2.4 million in FY 23 alone, on top of three years of the highest crossings ever seen. Republicans and Trump have hammered Biden over the crisis, arguing that it is his policies — and the rolling back of Trump-era policies — that have fueled the crisis. 

Trump lambasted Biden's border policies at a rally in Philadelphia over the weekend and accused him of "releasing illegal criminals into our communities to rape, pillage, plunder and to kill." 

BIDEN OFFERS ‘CONDOLENCES’ BUT NO SOLUTION AFTER LATEST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MURDER ALLEGATION

"Just this week, a 12-year-old girl in Houston, Jocelyn Nungaray, was tied up, stripped, and strangled to death after walking to a 7-Eleven," Trump said, referencing the suspected murder and sexual assault of a Texas girl who was found strangled to death in a creek last week. 

"Charged with Jocelyn's heinous murder are two illegal alien savages that Joe Biden recently set loose into our country. They came across our border claiming they feared for their lives in Venezuela."

Trump has promised the largest domestic deportation operation in U.S. history if elected, and to terminate "every Open Border policy of the Biden administration." He has also promised to deploy special forces to the border and reinstate his 2017 travel ban.

Biden, on the contrary, has argued that Congress must pass reforms to fix what he calls a "broken" immigration system. He has proposed legislation that Republicans oppose which would grant a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants present in the U.S. 

BORDER PATROL INTERCEPTS MULTIPLE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SEX OFFENDERS IN A SINGLE WEEKEND

He also backed a bipartisan Senate bill introduced earlier this year, but it has failed to pick up steam in the upper chamber. Biden has blamed Trump for stifling the bill, which included additional funding for border operations and a mechanism to shut down crossings after a certain level.

"Republicans in Congress, not all, walked away from it. Why? Because Donald Trump told them to," he said in February.

With no progress in Congress, Biden took unilateral action to further limit asylum claims by migrants once average border encounters exceed 2,500 a day. Last week, he also announced a deportation shield for some illegal immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens. He has repeatedly said, however, that it is not enough, and he needs Congress to act in order to fix the system. 

Mayorkas reinforced the president's arguments on MSNBC, calling on Congress to "fix" the "broken immigration system." 

CNN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LOOMS AS TOP ISSUE AMID OUTRAGE OVER 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL'S MURDER

"Remember that our detention capacity — and this is not specific to our administration, this has been historic, ever since the 90s, when I was a federal prosecutor — our detention capacity is not sufficient to meet the number of people we encounter," he said. "We have to release people into the United States when they are in immigration enforcement proceedings. And we put them on alternatives to detention when that is necessary from an enforcement perspective." 

House Republicans approved articles of impeachment against Mayorkas earlier this year, accusing him of "willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law" and breach of public trust.

However, the Democratic-controlled Senate had the articles declared unconstitutional and dismissed without a trial. 

Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Mayorkas to tout decrease in border encounters in visit to border

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will visit Arizona on Wednesday to tout the decrease in illegal migrant numbers after President Biden took executive action on asylum processing three weeks ago. 

Mayorkas will speak to reporters in Tucson. Arrests for illegal border crossings have fallen more than 40% since the executive order went into effect, according to the Department of Homeland Security. 

Border Patrol's seven-day average of illegal migrant encounters dropped from well over 5,000 to about 2,200, according to the latest Customs and Border Protection numbers obtained by Fox News. Mayorkas said border encounters were "moving in the right direction" in an appearance on MSNBC Wednesday morning. 

"You correctly note that the number of encounters at the southwest border have decreased in the three weeks that we've been implementing the president's proclamation by more than 40%," Mayorkas told host Mika Brzezinski, adding it was a "remarkable implementation" by immigration enforcement agencies.

RACHEL MORIN'S MOM BLASTS MAYORKAS' DESCRIPTION OF SLAIN DAUGHTER AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT NABBED

"We are conducting more removal flights than ever before. We are moving people through the system, and those who do not qualify are being removed or returned more rapidly." 

The latest Border Patrol figures are welcome news for President Biden, who must defend his record from withering attacks by former President Trump at the CNN Presidential Debate on Thursday. 

The U.S. has seen record numbers of migrant crossings at the border, with more than 2.4 million in FY 23 alone, on top of three years of the highest crossings ever seen. Republicans and Trump have hammered Biden over the crisis, arguing that it is his policies — and the rolling back of Trump-era policies — that have fueled the crisis. 

Trump lambasted Biden's border policies at a rally in Philadelphia over the weekend and accused him of "releasing illegal criminals into our communities to rape, pillage, plunder and to kill." 

BIDEN OFFERS ‘CONDOLENCES’ BUT NO SOLUTION AFTER LATEST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MURDER ALLEGATION

"Just this week, a 12-year-old girl in Houston, Jocelyn Nungaray, was tied up, stripped, and strangled to death after walking to a 7-Eleven," Trump said, referencing the suspected murder and sexual assault of a Texas girl who was found strangled to death in a creek last week. 

"Charged with Jocelyn's heinous murder are two illegal alien savages that Joe Biden recently set loose into our country. They came across our border claiming they feared for their lives in Venezuela."

Trump has promised the largest domestic deportation operation in U.S. history if elected, and to terminate "every Open Border policy of the Biden administration." He has also promised to deploy special forces to the border and reinstate his 2017 travel ban.

Biden, on the contrary, has argued that Congress must pass reforms to fix what he calls a "broken" immigration system. He has proposed legislation that Republicans oppose which would grant a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants present in the U.S. 

BORDER PATROL INTERCEPTS MULTIPLE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SEX OFFENDERS IN A SINGLE WEEKEND

He also backed a bipartisan Senate bill introduced earlier this year, but it has failed to pick up steam in the upper chamber. Biden has blamed Trump for stifling the bill, which included additional funding for border operations and a mechanism to shut down crossings after a certain level.

"Republicans in Congress, not all, walked away from it. Why? Because Donald Trump told them to," he said in February.

With no progress in Congress, Biden took unilateral action to further limit asylum claims by migrants once average border encounters exceed 2,500 a day. Last week, he also announced a deportation shield for some illegal immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens. He has repeatedly said, however, that it is not enough, and he needs Congress to act in order to fix the system. 

Mayorkas reinforced the president's arguments on MSNBC, calling on Congress to "fix" the "broken immigration system." 

CNN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LOOMS AS TOP ISSUE AMID OUTRAGE OVER 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL'S MURDER

"Remember that our detention capacity — and this is not specific to our administration, this has been historic, ever since the 90s, when I was a federal prosecutor — our detention capacity is not sufficient to meet the number of people we encounter," he said. "We have to release people into the United States when they are in immigration enforcement proceedings. And we put them on alternatives to detention when that is necessary from an enforcement perspective." 

House Republicans approved articles of impeachment against Mayorkas earlier this year, accusing him of "willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law" and breach of public trust.

However, the Democratic-controlled Senate had the articles declared unconstitutional and dismissed without a trial. Mayorkas last visited the U.S.-Mexico border in May.

Fox News' Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: This report has been updated to clarify that Mayorkas visited the U.S.-Mexico border in May 2024.

Popular Republican and Trump running mate contender makes first Senate endorsement in 2024 races

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EXCLUSIVE - Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who's under consideration as former President Donald Trump's running mate, is weighing in on the GOP Senate primary in a key battleground state.

Scott on Wednesday endorsed former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan, a former House Intelligence Committee chair who is the front-runner in the August Republican primary in the fight to succeed longtime Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat who is not seeking re-election this year.

The seat is one of a handful that Republicans are aiming to flip from blue to red in the autumn elections as they push to regain the Senate majority they lost in the 2020 cycle.

"Mike Rogers’ commitment to service has always been about putting the American people first. When Mike and I served together, he was a leader who delivered results and fought to expand opportunities for working families and those pursuing their American Dream," Scott said in a statement. "I'm proud to endorse him to be Michigan's next U.S. Senator because I know Mike will bring his servant leadership to the U.S. Senate."

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Scott's backing of Rogers, which was shared first with Fox News, is his first formal endorsement in a Senate race this election cycle, although he's helped other Republican candidates raise money.

Rogers, an Army veteran and a former FBI special agent before serving in Congress, enjoys the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which is the campaign arm of the Senate GOP. And in March, Rogers landed the endorsement of Trump, the party's presumptive presidential nominee.

6 KEY SENATE SEATS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP IN NOVEMBER 

"Senator Scott has been a tremendous champion for conservative values in the U.S. Senate and I’m honored to receive his endorsement," Rogers said in a statement. "Together in the Senate we will work with President Trump to help Michigan families, lower the cost of gas and groceries, and secure the southern border."

Rogers has also been endorsed in recent months by seven other Republican senators, as well as Mike Pompeo, who served as Secretary of State and CIA director in the Trump administration. He's also been endorsed by former Detroit police chief James Craig, who backed Rogers after ending his own Republican Senate nomination bid earlier this year.

As they work to win a Senate election in Michigan for the first time in three decades, Republicans were hoping to avoid a potentially costly and combustible primary.

But Rogers doesn't have the field to himself.

The primary race also includes wealthy businessman and investor Sandy Pensler, who's making his second run for office and has been spending big bucks to run ads targeting Rogers. Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy endorsed Pensler.

Among the others running for the GOP nomination are former Rep. Justin Amash, who as an independent House member joined Democrats in voting to impeach then-President Trump in his first impeachment trial in 2019.

The state primary in Michigan will be held on August 6.

Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, ran unsuccessfully for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination but remains a very popular and influential figure in the party.

The senator, who was known for his ferocious fundraising as he cruised to a Senate re-election in 2022, has strong ties with many leading figures in the GOP donor class. The money raised two years ago served as a down payment for his 2024 national run.

Besides raising money for himself, Scott has also been very active in helping fellow Republicans running for office.

In the 2022 cycle, the senator raised nearly $1 million for other candidates and donated more than $1 million to down ballot races. And two outside groups aligned with Scott spent $13 million on top Senate and House races, while also transferring $5 million to the top super PAC supporting Senate Republicans.

A super PAC allied with Scott announced earlier this month it would spend $14 million to help Republicans grow support among Black voters.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick pledges to pass Ten Commandments bill after Louisiana passes similar law

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Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is pledging to pass a bill that would require public school and college classrooms to display the Ten Commandments, days after a similar Louisiana measure became law. 

In a social media post, Patrick criticized Texas state House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Republican, for killing a state Senate bill that would have required the display of the Ten Commandments in schools. On Thursday, he vowed to bring the measure back. 

"SB 1515 will bring back this historical tradition of recognizing America’s heritage, and remind students all across Texas of the importance of a fundamental foundation of American and Texas law: the Ten Commandments," Patrick wrote on X. "Putting the Ten Commandments back into our schools was obviously not a priority for Dade Phelan."

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The bill would require Texas public elementary and secondary schools to display the Ten Commandments in each classroom. No requirement is currently in place.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Phelan's office. 

Phelan and Patrick had feuded after Patrick presided over the impeachment trial this year of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. 

LOUISIANA CLASSIFIES ABORTION DRUGS AS CONTROLLED, DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES AFTER GOV. LANDRY GREENLIGHTS PROPOSAL

"Texas WOULD have been and SHOULD have been the first state in the nation to put the 10 Commandments back in our schools," Patrick wrote on X. "But, SPEAKER Dade Phelan killed the bill by letting it languish in committee for a month assuring it would never have time for a vote on the floor." 

This week, Louisiana became the first state to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms. The American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups said they plan to challenge the law. 

Notre Dame Law School Professor Richard W. Garnett, who is the director of the school’s Program on Church, State & Society, said it is likely several states will make efforts to mirror Louisiana. 

"It remains to be seen whether these kinds of measures are permissible," he told Fox News Digital. "The Supreme Court's doctrine has changed in some areas, but it hasn't changed in all areas."

A key question for the high court will be whether a display like the Ten Commandments "has a coercive effect" on children given their age and that it's in a classroom setting, Garnett said. 

He noted that challengers of such laws will most likely point out that the U.S. is a religiously diverse nation and that public schools are run by the government for a "pluralistic people" despite the country's founding being inspired by some individuals' Christian convictions. 

In a joint statement announcing their opposition to Louisiana's law, the ACLU and civil rights groups noted that religion is a private matter.

"The First Amendment promises that we all get to decide for ourselves what religious beliefs, if any, to hold and practice, without pressure from the government," the statement said. "Politicians have no business imposing their preferred religious doctrine on students and families in public schools."

RNC files lawsuit over noncitizen voting rights in Vermont’s largest city

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The Republican National Committee launched a lawsuit this week seeking to ensure only citizens can vote in Burlington, Vermont, elections.

Residents of Burlington, the Green Mountain State’s largest city, approved the charter change in March 2023 that permits noncitizens to vote in municipal elections.

Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott later vetoed state approval of the measure, but was overridden by the legislature.

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The RNC said such elections influence Vermont’s education budget, which contradicts the state constitution’s requirement that only citizens can vote on matters affecting the state.

"Americans should decide American elections," RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.

"Democrats' persistent efforts to enable noncitizen voting dilute the voices of Americans in Vermont and across the country," he said.

In comments to Fox News, an RNC spokesperson added that Democrats’ "persistent efforts" to let noncitizens vote is "alarming."

"Combined with their catastrophic border crisis, noncitizens’ voting prioritizes illegal immigrants over U.S. citizens and jeopardizes our elections," the spokesperson said.

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While noncitizen suffrage remains illegal in federal-level elections, Burlington is not alone in permitting such.

In the Burlington suburb of Winooski, 11 people took advantage of the town’s "all-resident" voting policy, according to NPR.

Bordering Washington, D.C., the city of Takoma Park, Maryland, recently celebrated 30 years of being the first municipality in the nation where noncitizens are permitted to vote. 

A 2023 city statement on the matter said 20% of the approximately 350 noncitizens there cast ballots in the 2017 off-year elections.

Takoma Park’s 1992 policy change was notably spearheaded by resident and then-American University law professor Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. 

It requires identification and proof of residency, according to a city statement.

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Washington, D.C., itself also allows noncitizen voting in municipal races.

In February, a New York State appeals court overturned New York City’s noncitizen suffrage provisions, while several states in the heartland banned the practice in the early 1900s.

In 2020, Florida and Alabama voters overwhelmingly approved state constitutional amendments by-referendum, declaring only citizens can vote within those states.

Politically, Burlington is otherwise best known as the city where high-profile Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., started his political career. The self-described "democratic socialist" served as the city’s mayor from 1981 to 1989.

Fox News Digital reached out to the city of Burlington for comment. A person who answered the phone at city hall directed Fox News Digital to a communications official who did not respond.

Key Dem Senate candidate who accused opponent of election denialism has history of questioning results

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FIRST ON FOX: The Democrat running in one of this year's top Senate races, who accused his opponent of election denialism, also has a history of questioning the legitimacy of the vote.

Rep. Colin Allred, the Democratic nominee in Texas' Senate race, recently launched attacks against incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz for avoiding directly saying he would accept the results of the upcoming election, but appears to have forgotten his own statements openly suggesting that future election outcomes may need to be questioned.

"Ted Cruz views questions about our democracy as part of a cynical partisan game. Our democracy isn’t a game. It’s fundamental to who we are as Americans. Ted Cruz is a danger to our freedoms and shared values. We must fire him this November," Allred wrote on X, referencing an appearance by Cruz on liberal network CNN, where he clashed with one of its hosts asking if he'd accept the results this November.

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Cruz pushed back during the interview, questioning why the media never asks Democrats if they would accept election results. He argued that laws in place allowing for results to be challenged on the basis of voter fraud were there for a reason, and hit back at the host's claims there was no fraud during the 2020 election.

Allred, in fact, warned of such fraud ahead of the 2020 election, specifically during an August 2019 appearance at a town hall in Garland, Texas. During the event, he peddled claims that the 2016 election results were due to Russian interference by referencing the Mueller report and Russia hacking into election databases. He also argued there was a need to have "paper trails" on electronic voting machines.

"What we saw in that report may color some of what is happening here, in terms of a willingness to accept foreign interference in elections and things like that. And I think this has raised an entirely new specter for us, which is, is our next election going to be a legitimate one? And that, I think, is a proximate danger for our democracy," Allred said during an appearance on a local radio show in September 2019, again referencing the Mueller report.

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He similarly told a meeting of the Richardson Area Democrats a month later that he was troubled by "the idea that the next election might not be legitimate," suggesting then-President Trump might attempt to use foreign influence to boost his chances at re-election, and said he was "worried still about some of the abilities to hack and change voter rolls and even change vote totals."

Allred said at another town hall meeting that same month that the reason for the then-ongoing Trump impeachment inquiry was "because the legitimacy of the next election was put into question by this President’s actions." 

He said during a Capitol Hill press conference the following year, "We have to decide in this country who’s going to determine our elections. This is only the beginning of this. The Russians in 2016, other foreign influences in 2018. In 2020, there will be other adversaries who will try to take advantage of this."

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Allred continued using similar rhetoric following the 2020 election, including in a 2022 Business Insider article, where he warned of election subversion in that year's midterm elections and in 2024.

"I think there's a very real possibility that we will see in the next two elections, get some results sent to us for ratification – whether it's presidential, congressional or Senate, that's not consistent or that we're gonna have to question… I think that's the reality of the situation we can no longer pretend like these elections are just going to continue to proceed the way they have in the past," he said.

Fox News Digital asked Allred's campaign the same question CNN posed to Cruz: Whether he would accept the outcome of the 2024 election. It offered no response.

Josh Stewart, a spokesperson for Allred's campaign, told Fox regarding the congressman's past questioning of elections, "The only person in this race who tried to overturn a free and fair election is Ted Cruz. Texans saw it with their own eyes on Jan. 6, and come November, they are going to hold him accountable."

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

DC Bar moves to suspend Hunter Biden’s law license after felony conviction

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Hunter Biden is poised to lose his license to practice law in Washington, D.C., this week after a disciplinary counsel moved to suspend him after his felony convictions.

The Office of Disciplinary Counsel handles penalties for members of the bar in D.C. It issued a letter to the D.C. Court of Appeals seeking to ensure that the first son "is suspended immediately from the practice of law in the District of Columbia pending resolution of this matter."

The D.C. bar classifies any felony as a "serious crime," and bar policy mandates that the court immediately suspend the law license of anyone convicted of such an offense regardless of the status of an appeal.

The court does have discretion to waive the suspension "when it appears in the interest of justice to do so," according to NBC News.

HUNTER BIDEN FOUND GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN GUN TRIAL

Biden was found guilty of three felony gun charges in his Delaware trial on June 11. The charges included making a false statement in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.

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Prosecutors worked to prove that Biden lied on a federal firearm form, known as ATF Form 4473, in October 2018, when he ticked a box labeled "No" when asked if he is an unlawful user of substances or addicted to controlled substances. Biden purchased the gun from a store in Wilmington.

Biden has a well-documented history of drug abuse, which was most notably documented in his 2021 memoir, "Beautiful Things," which walks readers through his previous need to smoke crack cocaine every 20 minutes, how his addiction was so prolific that he referred to himself as a "crack daddy" to drug dealers, and anecdotes revolving around drug deals, such as a Washington, D.C., crack dealer Biden nicknamed "Bicycles."

HOUSE REPUBLICANS REFER HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN FOR CRIMINAL PROSECUTION AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Hunter Biden's legal team filed and quickly withdrew a motion for a new trial on Monday. Biden attorney Abbe Lowell had argued the court lacked jurisdiction as two appeals in the case are still pending.

"The Third Circuit [appeals court], however, did not then and has not yet issued its mandate as to the orders dismissing either appeal," Lowell wrote in the filing. "Thus, when this Court empaneled the jury on June 3, 2024 and proceeded to trial, it was without jurisdiction to do so."

The motion, however, was quickly withdrawn from a court document website, Reuters reported.

Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report

Tom Cole wins crowded GOP primary to fight for 12th term in November

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Longtime House Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., won his Tuesday night primary and is on track to clinch his 12th term in the House of Representatives this November.

Cole, who currently serves as chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, was facing a crowded GOP led by opponent Paul Bondar. Bondar is a political outsider and a businessman who has poured millions of his own dollars into the race.

The senior Republican has represented Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district since January 2003. The district encompasses part of Oklahoma City and the city of Norman.

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Cole had been expected to get at least a plurality of the vote, given his deep ties to Oklahoma GOP politics, but his reputation for working across the aisle has earned him challenges from his right flank.

Bondar has tried to style himself as a more conservative alternative to Cole, bashing the congressman for being willing to work with Democrats on issues like government funding and Ukraine aid. Cole's campaign has in turn styled Bondar as a carpetbagger trying to buy the race. 

Cole also came into the Tuesday election armed with an endorsement from former President Trump, who won the district by double digits in 2020.

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"Tom Cole is a fantastic Representative for Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District. As Chairman of the POWERFUL Appropriations Committee, Tom is fighting hard to Secure the Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Strengthen our Military/Vets, Support our Great Law Enforcement, and Protect our always-under-siege Second Amendment," Trump wrote on Truth Social in May. 

"He has almost always voted with me, including on both Impeachment Hoaxes. Tom Cole has my Complete and Total Endorsement – He will not let you down!"

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In addition to supporting Trump, Cole has also been a staunch ally of House GOP leadership. He previously served as head of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), House Republicans' campaign arm, and before taking the Appropriations Committee gavel he served as the top Republican on the House Rules Committee.

Other Republican hopefuls who ran to unseat Cole on Tuesday night are Nick Hankins, Rick Harris and Andrew Hayes.

Vindman wins the Democratic primary for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District

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Eugene Vindman won the Democratic Party's nomination for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District on Tuesday. 

The race among Democrats comes after the incumbent Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger announced she would not seek re-election in favor of running for governor of the Old Dominion next year. 

Seven Democrats vied for the nomination in the crowded primary election, including: Prince County Supervisor Andrea Bailey; Prince County Supervisor Margaret Franklin; former state House Delegate Elizabeth Guzman; Virginia House Delegate Briana Sewell; Carl Bedell; Clifford Heinzer; and retired Army Col. Eugene Vindman. 

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Vindman and his twin brother, retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, gained national attention in 2020 during former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment. The brothers both worked for the National Security Council under the Trump administration, with the congressional candidate helping his brother blow the whistle on Trump’s phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding first son Hunter Biden’s business dealings in the nation. 

FORMER SPECIAL FORCES SOLDIER LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN IN VIRGINIA TO FLIP SWING HOUSE SEAT FROM DEMOCRATS 

Alexander Vindman testified before Congress against the president amid the impeachment, while Eugene Vindman assisted his brother in raising concerns regarding Trump’s phone call with Zelenskyy. The congressional candidate filed a complaint with the Pentagon's Inspector General in August of 2020 after he was fired from the National Security Council, citing the White House retaliated against him for his role raising concerns regarding the phone call. 

Vindman benefited from massive campaign donation hauls during the primary, raising over $5 million, far more than both Democrats and Republicans working to win the seat, according to Virginia Public Access Project. Vindman outraised his closest competitor in the Democratic primary, Bailey, by roughly 15 times.

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"An advantage in terms of endorsements from top Democrats, the funding advantage that he has in terms of ability to raise money and the fact he has a name that is well-known — that puts him in a position to be better-known than the other candidates,"  Stephen Farnsworth, a political analyst at the University of Mary Washington, told NBC Washington of Vindman ahead of the primary election. 

The 7th Congressional District stretches from central Virginia to Northern Virginia, encompassing counties such as Orange, Culpeper, Spotsylvania, and parts of Prince William County outside of Washington, D.C. The district is currently considered one that leans or tilts towards the Democratic Party, according to various election ratings. 

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Vindman’s fellow Democratic challengers knocked him as someone who is not well-acquainted with the area, noting he’s never held public office. 

"He does not understand the community. He's not very infused in the community. He's not been participating in the community as an advocate," Bailey told the Associated Press.

Vindman has defended his lack of political experience, arguing he will face "zero learning curve" if elected to office, the outlet reported. 

"The people that are attracted to my campaign are attracted to the values that I will bring to this job: the fact that I will fight for priorities, that I put a ready career on the line and lost my military career in standing up to Donald Trump," he said.