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Hunter Biden’s gun pouch had cocaine residue on it, prosecutors claim

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Federal prosecutors claim a brown leather pouch used by Hunter Biden to store a gun had cocaine on it.

On Tuesday, prosecutors asked a judge to reject President Biden’s son Hunter’s efforts to dismiss gun charges because investigators found cocaine residue on the pouch used to hold his gun.

HOUSE COMMITTEES APPROVE RESOLUTION TO HOLD HUNTER BIDEN IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS, MOVES TO FLOOR

Prosecutors told the judge, "the strength of the evidence against him is overwhelming," rejecting Hunter Biden’s claims that he was being singled out for political reasons.

Hunter Biden previously made incriminating statements about his drug use in a 2021 memoir, but now investigators are saying the cocaine was found on the gun pouch after it was pulled from a state police vault last year.

A chemist with the FBI, prosecutors claimed, determined the residue was cocaine.

IF BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY IS VALID, WHY HAS THE PRESIDENT LIED ABOUT HIS COMPLICITY?

"To be clear, investigators literally found drugs on the pouch where the defendant had kept his gun," prosecutors said.

The president's son had pleaded not guilty to federal gun charges in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware in October, accusing him of lying about using drugs in October 2018 on a gun purchase form.

He has acknowledged struggling with a crack cocaine addiction during that period in 2018, but his attorneys claim he did not break the law. Hunter Biden has since said he has stopped using drugs and is working to turn his life around.

Hunter Biden was charged with making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm; making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federal firearms licensed dealer; and one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. 

HUNTER BIDEN INDICTED ON FEDERAL GUN CHARGES

According to the indictment, "on or about October 12, 2018, in the District of Delaware, the defendant, Robert Hunter Biden, in connection with the acquisition of a firearm, that is, a Colt Cobra 38SPL Revolver with serial number RA 551363…knowingly made a false and fictitious written statement, intended and likely to deceive that dealer with respect to a fact material to the lawfulness of the sale of the firearm…in that the defendant, Robert Hunter Biden, provided a written statement on Form 4473 certifying he was not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance, when in fact, as he knew, that statement was false and fictitious." 

The indictment also states that "on or about October 12, 2018, through on or about October 23, 2018, in the District of Delaware, the defendant Robert Hunter Biden, knowing that he was an unlawful user of and addicted to any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance…did knowingly possess a firearm, that is, a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver with serial number RA 551363, said firearm having been shipped and transported in interstate commerce." 

Fox News first reported in 2021 that police had responded to an incident in 2018, when a gun owned by Hunter Biden was thrown into a trash can outside a market in Delaware.

A source with knowledge of the Oct. 23, 2018, police report told Fox News that it indicated that Hallie Biden, who is the widow of President Biden's late son, Beau, and who was in a relationship with Hunter at the time, threw a gun owned by Hunter in a dumpster behind a market near a school.

A firearm transaction report reviewed by Fox News indicated that Hunter Biden purchased a gun earlier that month.

On the firearm transaction report, Hunter Biden answered in the negative when asked if he was "an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance."

Hunter Biden was discharged from the Navy in 2014 after testing positive for cocaine.

Fox News' Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

House Rules panel pauses consideration of Hunter Biden contempt amid negotiations for new deposition date

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The House Rules Committee will not consider the resolutions to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress as planned on Tuesday amid negotiations between House Republicans and the first son to schedule a deposition. 

The House Rules Committee was set to meet Tuesday afternoon to consider the resolutions that would hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress, setting up the potential for a full vote on the House floor on whether to recommend the first son for prosecution.

The House Oversight Committee and the House Judiciary Committee last week passed resolutions to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden. 

But on Friday, Hunter Biden's attorneys offered to discuss scheduling a new deposition for the first son. Now, House Republicans are in negotiations to do so. 

HUNTER BIDEN LAWYERS SAY THEY WILL 'COMPLY FOR A HEARING OR DEPOSITION' IF HOUSE PANELS ISSUE NEW SUBPOENA

"Following an exchange of letters between the parties on January 12 and January 14, staff for the committees and lawyers for Hunter Biden are working to schedule Hunter Biden’s appearance," a spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee told Fox News Digital. "Negotiations are ongoing this afternoon, and in conjunction with the disruption to member travel and cancelling votes, the House Rules Committee isn’t considering the contempt resolution today to give the attorneys additional time to reach an agreement."

Hunter Biden, ahead of his subpoenaed deposition on December 13, had offered to testify publicly. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, rejected his request, stressing that the first son would not have special treatment and pointed to the dozens of other witnesses who have appeared, as compelled, for their interviews and depositions. Comer and Jordan vowed to release the transcript of Hunter Biden’s deposition.

The first son, though, defied the subpoena, ignored the offer and delivered a public statement outside the Capitol. At the time, he said his father "was not financially involved in my business." 

As the House advanced the resolutions to continue to take steps to hold Hunter Biden in contempt, his attorney Abbe Lowell last week asked that the committees issue a new subpoena. 

Lowell penned a letter to the committees on Friday, saying the initial subpoenas were "legally invalid" as they were issued before the full House of Representatives voted to formalize the impeachment inquiry against the president. 

"If you issue a new proper subpoena, now that there is a duly authorized impeachment inquiry, Mr. Biden will comply for a hearing or deposition," Lowell wrote. "We will accept such a subpoena on Mr. Biden's behalf." 

COMER, JORDAN TO ISSUE NEW SUBPOENA FOR HUNTER BIDEN AS DEPOSITION TALKS REIGNITE

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, sent a letter to Lowell over the weekend stating that they would be willing to subpoena him a second time if that meant his cooperation in their probe.

"The committees welcome Mr. Biden’s newfound willingness to testify in a deposition setting under subpoena," Comer and Jordan wrote in the letter. 

"Although the Committee’s subpoenas are lawful and remain legally enforceable, as an accommodation to Mr. Biden and at your request, we are prepared to issue subpoenas compelling Mr. Biden’s appearance at a deposition on a new date in the coming weeks."

Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report. 

Hunter Biden knew 70% of art buyers, contradicting White House narrative on ‘anonymous’ collectors: Gallerist

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The White House said in July 2021 that a "system" had been "established" to ensure the identities of those who bought Hunter Biden’s artwork would remain anonymous for ethical reasons. 

However, the first son's art dealer testified that a new agreement to stop the disclosure of Biden's art buyers was not set up for several months following that statement and said the first son knew the identities of approximately 70% of those buyers.

George Bergès, the art dealer for Biden, took part in a closed-door, transcribed interview before both the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees earlier this month as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

ART DEALER REVEALS HUNTER BIDEN KNEW 'SUGAR BROTHER' WAS TOP BUYER, MAKING WH ETHICS PLEDGE A 'SHAM': COMER

Fox News Digital reviewed a transcript of Bergès' interview.

House investigators, during his interview, showed Bergès a statement made by then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki on July 9, 2021.

"After careful consideration, a system has been established that allows for Hunter Biden to work in his profession within reasonable safeguards," she said. "All interactions regarding the selling of art and the setting of prices will be handled by a professional galleries, adhering to the highest industry standards. Any offer out of the normal court would be rejected out of hand."

Psaki added, "The galleries will not share information about buyers or prospective buyers, including their identities, with Hunter Biden or the administration, which provides quite a level of protection." 

When pressed further, Psaki stressed that "it would be challenging for an anonymous person who we don’t know and Hunter Biden doesn’t know to have influence — so that’s a protection." 

However, Bergès testified that at the time of the White House’s July 2021 statement, he had an agreement with Hunter Biden which called for him, instead, "to disclose to Hunter Biden who the purchasers of his art were." Bergès said that contract was agreed to in December 2020.

Bergès said that it was not until September 2021 that a new agreement with Hunter Biden was created. That agreement stated that "the gallery will not disclose the name of any buyers of artist’s artwork to artist or any agent of artist."

Bergès stressed, though, that there was not a "White House-involved agreement," and that Hunter Biden did know the identities of approximately 70% of the buyers of his art.

HUNTER BIDEN GALLERIST TELLS LAWMAKERS HE NEVER SPOKE TO WHITE HOUSE ABOUT PAINTINGS: SOURCES

Meanwhile, Bergès testified that he had spoken to President Biden both on the phone and in person.

Bergès told lawmakers that he spoke to the president "at the White House wedding during Hunter’s — Hunter’s daughter getting married." 

Hunter Biden’s daughter, Naomi Biden, got married at the White House on Nov. 19, 2022.

As for his phone conversation with the president, Bergès said, "My daughter finished camp, and he called to, you know, wish her, congratulate her for finishing camp and I answered the phone."

Bergès’ testimony comes after the House formalized the impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

The inquiry is being led by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith.

House Republicans are investigating any foreign money received by the Biden family, whether President Biden was involved in his family’s foreign business dealings and steps allegedly taken by the Biden administration to "slow, hamper, or otherwise impede the criminal investigation into the President’s son, Hunter Biden, which involves funds received by the Biden family from foreign sources."

Republican investigators have suggested they are suspicious over whether Hunter Biden's art career, which began in recent years, has led to any conflicts of interest between wealthy buyers and the White House.

"The Biden White House appears to have deceived the American people about facilitating an ethics agreement governing the sale of Hunter Biden’s art," Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said in a statement earlier this month, calling the agreement a "sham."

Federal appeals court rejects Trump petition over Special Counsel Jack Smith access to Twitter feed

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A federal appeals court has rejected former President Trump’s request to block Special Counsel Jack Smith from accessing his then-Twitter feed as part of his election interference case.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C., ruled on the matter and denied further review. The decision comes after an appellate panel had rejected the original request.

Twitter, now "X," had initiated the appeals, seeking to block special counsel access to the records the company held.

Smith had noted he could have gotten the material from the National Archives, which gained the material after Trump left office, but that would have triggered notice to Trump, so a search warrant was requested through the company under seal and with a non-disclosure notice. That, in turn, prevented Trump from raising any executive privilege claims over the digital communications.

The four conservative judges on the appeals court dissented and would have granted en banc review.

Judge Rao (a Trump bench appointee) wrote a statement, saying the executive privilege claims should have been addressed.

"The absence of a presumptive privilege particularly threatens the Chief Executive when, as here, a third party holds presidential communications. See Mazars, 140 S. Ct. at 2035. And to be sure it aggrandizes the courts, which will have the power to determine whether executive privilege will be considered before its breach. Without a presumption for executive privilege, new questions will invariably arise, particularly because nothing in the panel’s opinion is limited to a former President. What if, in the course of a criminal investigation, a special counsel sought a warrant for the incumbent President’s communications from a private email or phone provider? Under this court’s decision, executive privilege isn’t even on the table, so long as the special counsel makes a showing that a warrant and nondisclosure order are necessary to the prosecution. And following the Special Counsel’s roadmap, what would prevent a state prosecutor from using a search warrant and nondisclosure order to obtain presidential communications from a third-party messaging application? And how might Congress benefit from this precedent when it seeks to subpoena presidential materials from third parties in an investigation or impeachment inquiry?"

"Upon consideration of appellant’s petition for rehearing en banc, the response thereto, the amicus curiae brief filed by Electronic Frontier Foundation in support of rehearing en banc, and the absence of a request by any member of the court for a vote, it is ordered that the petition be denied," the ruling states.

The former president and 2024 GOP presidential front-runner can now ask the Supreme Court to review the matter. 

Smith plans to use data from the cellphone that Trump used in his final weeks in office, including data revealing when Trump’s phone was "unlocked and the Twitter application was open" on Jan. 6, 2021.

Unsealed court filings in August showed that Smith's team obtained location data and draft tweets in addition to the former president's messages.

Attorneys for the company, now named X Corp., attempted to block and delay the effort in January and February, leading one federal judge to speculate that X owner and one-time CEO Elon Musk was attempting to ally himself with Trump.

The social media giant ultimately lost the struggle, however, and was forced to hand over an extensive list of data related to the "@realdonaldtrump" account, including all tweets "created, drafted, favorited/liked, or retweeted."

The handover also included searches on the platform surrounding the 2020 election, devices used to log into the account, IP addresses used to log into the account, and a list of associated accounts.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Comer, Jordan to issue new subpoena for Hunter Biden as deposition talks reignite

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House Republicans signaled they would subpoena Hunter Biden again in the near future after the president’s son opened the door to a deposition with impeachment investigators. 

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, sent a letter to Hunter Biden’s lawyer Abbe Lowell over the weekend stating that they would be willing to subpoena him a second time if that meant his cooperation in their probe.

"The committees welcome Mr. Biden’s newfound willingness to testify in a deposition setting under subpoena," the letter said. 

HOUSE GOP SAYS HUNTER BIDEN ‘VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW' BY DEFYING SUBPOENA, PREPARE CONTEMPT RESOLUTION

"Although the Committee’s subpoenas are lawful and remain legally enforceable, as an accommodation to Mr. Biden and at your request, we are prepared to issue subpoenas compelling Mr. Biden’s appearance at a deposition on a new date in the coming weeks."

It comes as House Republicans prepare a chamber-wide vote on holding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for skipping out on an earlier subpoena for a closed-door deposition.

But a source familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital that Comer could recommend pumping the breaks on that contempt vote if Hunter Biden and his lawyers genuinely cooperate and work out a make-up deposition date.

HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER HUNTER BIDEN CONTEMPT RESOLUTIONS NEXT WEEK, SETTING UP FLOOR VOTE

Lowell wrote to the committee chairs on Friday arguing that the initial subpoena was invalid because it was issued before the House voted to formally authorize its impeachment inquiry last month.

"If you issue a new proper subpoena, now that there is a duly authorized impeachment inquiry, Mr. Biden will comply for a hearing or deposition," Lowell’s letter said. "We will accept such a subpoena on Mr. Biden's behalf."

HOUSE COMMITTEES FORMALLY RECOMMEND TO HOLD HUNTER BIDEN IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS

Hunter Biden and his lawyers had offered to come in for a public hearing, something the GOP committee chairs said they would be open to after a closed-door session had taken place.

Instead, he opted to make a surprise appearance outside the U.S. Capitol on the morning of his scheduled deposition, criticizing Republicans and their probe.

"They’ve invaded my privacy, attacked my wife and children," Hunter Biden said at the time. "Tried to dehumanize me and embarrass and damage my father."

He again made a surprise visit to the Capitol last week as the House Oversight Committee met to advance his contempt resolution.

Key moderate Republican comes out in favor of impeaching Mayorkas, says he should be ‘tried for treason’

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EXCLUSIVE: A key moderate Republican lawmaker is coming out in support of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, bringing House GOP leaders one step closer to unifying their conference on the issue.

Rep. John James, R-Mich., who represents a swing district that former President Donald Trump won by just 1% in 2020, told Fox News Digital that not only should Mayorkas be impeached but tried for treason as well.

"Secretary Mayorkas must be impeached and tried for treason," he said. 

"Evidence will prove that Mayorkas’ sustained and willful betrayal of the public trust makes him an accessory to the poisoning of millions of Americans, complicit in a modern-day slave trade and so derelict in his duty to secure the homeland that it crosses unequivocally into the realm of high crimes and misdemeanors."

TEXAS SEIZES CONTROL OF PARK, BLOCKS BORDER PATROL FROM ENTERING, AS PART OF ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION EFFORTS

House Republicans kicked off the process to impeach Mayorkas last week when the Homeland Security Committee held its first hearing into the matter on Wednesday. 

Democrats have decried the move as political, while Republicans have accused Mayorkas of being responsible for the migrant crisis at the southern border. The number of encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border broke 300,000 for the month of December, shattering records.

BIDEN LAWSUIT OVER TEXAS IMMIGRATION LAW LATEST ATTEMPT TO STIFLE STATE'S MOVES TO STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Any future House floor vote on impeachment will likely not get any support from the left. For GOP leadership, that means bringing together a Republican conference that has been highly fractured for much of this term and getting moderates like James on board.

Under the current circumstances, House GOP leaders cannot lose more than two votes to still pass anything along party lines. 

James was among more than 60 House Republicans who visited the border at the start of this month.

"I believe that legal immigration is an economic and moral imperative for this nation. But we're talking about border security right now," he told reporters on a press call afterward.

BIDEN DOJ SEEKS SUPREME COURT INTERVENTION OVER TEXAS RAZOR WIRE AT SOUTHERN BORDER

"We have Border Patrol agents that are underfunded, that are underappreciated, and they're at their wit's end. And part of the only reason they're still sticking around is because if they leave, they feel like they're leaving their buddies behind. That resonates with me… as a former military member."

James also discussed the toll of human trafficking by smugglers taking people across the border illegally.

"These are human beings we’re talking about. These are men and women. These are children," he said. "These are God's creatures, who are being herded like cattle, like chattel, like, like animals, by these coyotes. And they're being bought and sold to the tune of $32 million per week just in the Del Rio sector."

Republicans have blamed the Biden administration for fueling the crisis by rolling back Trump-era border policies. 

House conservatives are currently pushing to bring many of them back via their own border security bill, known as H.R.2.

Meanwhile, talks are ongoing in the Senate to cobble together a border security deal — talks which Mayorkas has been part of.

Asked for comment on Republicans' impeachment push, a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a memo, "After decades of Congressional inaction on our broken immigration laws, Secretary Mayorkas and a bipartisan group of Senators are working hard to try and find real solutions to address these challenges. Instead of working in a bipartisan way to fix our broken immigration laws, the House Majority is wasting time on baseless and pointless political attacks by trying to impeach Secretary Mayorkas."

The memo also pointed out that Republican lawmakers have fundraised off the Mayorkas impeachment push and the rhetoric around it, and that some in the GOP have decried it as a waste of time.

New Mexico Democrat governor slammed for ‘anti-2nd Amendment’ push: ‘Illegally trying to snatch guns’

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New Mexico Republicans are accusing Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of undermining the Second Amendment after the Democrat introduced gun control proposals on Friday.

Lujan Grisham announced that a 30-day state legislative session slated to begin Tuesday that will include "the largest and most comprehensive public safety package in our state's history."

The gun control proposals include a 14-day background check waiting period on gun purchases, prohibiting guns in polling places and parks, and a minimum age requirement of 21 years on semiautomatic firearm purchases.

The package also includes the Firearm Industry Accountability Act, which would "amend the state statue [sic] to allow gun manufacturers to be held liable for deceptive trade practices."

NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR TEMPORARILY SUSPENDS OPEN, CONCEALED CARRY ACROSS ALBUQUERQUE: 'VIOLENCE AT EVERY TURN'

"The constitutionality questions are beginning to be very complicated in the arena of gun violence," Lujan Grisham said at a press conference Friday. "We are going to continue this effort, following what is going on around the country.

"There will be others who will follow in our footsteps, creating their own public safety corridors, which in effect also make New Mexicans safer." 

State Sen. Greg Baca, the Republican minority floor leader, accused the two-term governor of taking "a hyper-partisan turn."

"Senate Republicans are eager to join the governor in tackling New Mexico’s crime epidemic, and to that end, we have introduced a number of commonsense solutions," Baca said in a release.

NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR SHOCKS WITH COMMENT ABOUT CONSTITUTION AFTER ISSUING TEMPORARY GUN BAN: NOT 'ABSOLUTE'

"Unfortunately, today’s press conference took a hyper-partisan turn with the announcement of several anti-2nd Amendment measures targeting New Mexico gun owners who only want to protect themselves and their families," he added.

In another statement, Steve Pearce, chairman of the Republican Party of New Mexico, called the Democrats' proposals "another egregious attack on New Mexicans' Second Amendment rights."

"If the governor really cares about keeping our communities safe, she will focus on giving tougher penalties to criminals, keeping criminals behind bars while supporting law enforcement and allowing them to do their job," Pearce argued in a statement. "Republicans will be putting forth multiple bills this session that will get tough on criminals without infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens."

"The governor's continued assaults on New Mexicans' constitutional rights must be stopped," he added.

Fox News Digital reached out to Grisham's office for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

House Republicans will move forward to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress

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House Republicans will move forward to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify in front of lawmakers about his business dealings. 

"Hunter Biden has already defied two valid, lawful subpoenas," said a joint statement from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. "For now, the House of Representatives will move forward with holding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress until such time that Hunter Biden confirms a date to appear for a private deposition in accordance with his legal obligation."

HOUSE GOP SAYS HUNTER BIDEN ‘VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW' BY DEFYING SUBPOENA, PREPARE CONTEMPT RESOLUTION

Earlier this week, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and House Judiciary Committee passed a resolution recommending the House of Representatives find Biden in contempt of Congress for defying a lawful subpoena.

"House Republicans have been resolute in demanding Hunter Biden sit for a deposition in the ongoing impeachment inquiry, the joint statement said. "While we are heartened that Hunter Biden now says he will comply with a subpoena, make no mistake: Hunter Biden has already defied two valid, lawful subpoenas. Instead of appearing for his deposition on December 13, 2023, Hunter Biden appeared on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol where he made a public statement without taking any questions. Then this week at the Oversight Committee’s markup of his contempt resolution, Hunter Biden pulled another stunt as he continued to defy duly issued subpoenas."

Hunter Biden has said his father, President Biden, was never financially involved in his business dealings, including his work with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings or Chinese firms.

On Friday, Hunter Biden's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, told the House Oversight and House Judiciary Committees that if a new subpoena is issued under the "duly authorized impeachment inquiry," the first son "will comply for a hearing or deposition." 

Hunter Biden, ahead of his subpoenaed deposition on Dec. 13, offered to testify publicly. Comer and Jordan rejected his request, saying he would not have special treatment and pointed to the dozens of other witnesses who have appeared, as compelled, for their interviews and depositions. Comer and Jordan vowed to release the transcript of Hunter Biden’s deposition.

Biden defied the subpoena and delivered a public statement outside the Capitol. At the time, he said his father "was not financially involved in my business." 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that President Biden and first lady Jill Biden were "proud" of their son for "continuing to rebuild his life." The White House has repeatedly said that the President had no knowledge of his son's business dealings.

Comer and Jordan said they will work to schedule a deposition date but would not "tolerate any additional stunts or delay" from the younger Biden. 

"The American people will not tolerate, and the House will not provide, special treatment for the Biden family," they said. 

Fox News Digital's Thomas Catenacci and Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

Rep. Rosendale vows to restore Trump-era policies with immigration package: ‘Biden is destroying our country’

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FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., on Friday introduced a broad immigration package that includes measures to "shut down the border" and reverse key Biden-era policies that Republicans blame for the historic crisis at the southern border.

The package introduces or reintroduces five bills that would limit entries into the U.S., restore Trump policies that Republicans have credited for slowing illegal immigration and limit the effects of immigration on the U.S.

The "Remain in Mexico Act" would restore the Trump-era policy of the same name that kept migrants in Mexico as they waited for their asylum hearings rather than being released into the U.S. 

Supporters of the program said it stopped a key pull factor drawing migrants to the border but was shut down by the Biden administration, which called it ineffective and inhumane.

HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE TO HOLD HEARING ON BIDEN ADMIN ‘EFFORTS TO UNDERMINE’ IMMIGRATION LAW 

Another bill in the package would make it a federal crime to flee from law enforcement at checkpoints, changing current law that only makes it illegal to do so in a vehicle at high speed.

Meanwhile, the American Worker Protection Act is focused on legal immigration and would codify a Trump-era rule regarding H-1B visas, a controversial guest worker program used predominantly by Big Tech. 

REPUBLICANS, DEMS SPAR AT MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT HEARING AS STATE AGS DESCRIBE IMPACT OF MIGRANT CRISIS 

The rule, an effort to prevent American workers from being replaced by cheaper foreign competitors, would have changed the methodology for the wage level that must be met by those seeking to bring in foreign workers instead of the current lottery system. That rule was scrapped by the Biden administration. 

Rosendale’s Mass Immigration Reduction Act would also create a moratorium on most immigration for five years, and it would only be lifted once the number of illegal crossings is under 10,000 a year. In fiscal 2023, there were more than 2.4 million such crossings. A version of that bill was first introduced in the early 2000s.

Finally, the Count Only Citizens Act would require the Census Bureau to include a citizenship and legal presence question in the census so that illegal immigrants are not counted for the purposes of congressional representation. President Trump had pushed for a similar move, but it was unsuccessful.

MAYORKAS TELLS BORDER PATROL AGENTS THAT ‘ABOVE 85%’ OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED INTO US: SOURCES 

"Biden is destroying our country with his open border policies," Rosendale said in a statement. "My immigration bills will set the proper mechanisms in place to shut down the border, give DHS the tools to pursue criminals evading border checkpoints, encourage American companies to hire American employees, protect taxpayer dollars by only counting citizens in the census and require those waiting on an immigration hearing to wait in Mexico.

"This package puts into statute the many successful policies that President Trump implemented and will not only tackle the crisis head on, but it will also reverse the reckless, crime-encouraging, open-border policies of the Biden administration."

The package is the latest effort by Republicans to tackle the ongoing crisis at the southern border. Republicans have blamed the Biden administration for rolling back Trump-era policies and expanding releases into the U.S. interior.

The administration says it is dealing with a Hemisphere-wide crisis and needs more funding and comprehensive immigration reform — including greater legal immigration and an amnesty for illegal immigrants — from Congress.

But Republicans instead have eyed more restrictions on asylum and releases as part of any supplemental funding deal and, as Rosendale’s bill package shows, there is an appetite among some members for placing some restrictions on legal immigration as well.

Hunter Biden lawyers say they will ‘comply for a hearing or deposition’ if House panels issue new subpoena

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FIRST ON FOX: Hunter Biden's attorney Abbe Lowell told the House Oversight and House Judiciary Committees on Friday that if a new subpoena is issued under the "duly authorized impeachment inquiry," the first son "will comply for a hearing or deposition." 

The House Oversight and Judiciary Committees this week formally recommended to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress, after he defied congressional subpoenas for a closed-door deposition as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden. 

HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER HUNTER BIDEN CONTEMPT RESOLUTIONS NEXT WEEK, SETTING UP FLOOR VOTE

But Lowell penned a letter to the committees on Friday, saying the initial subpoenas were "legally invalid" as they were issued before the full House of Representatives voted to formalize the impeachment inquiry against the president. 

"If you issue a new proper subpoena, now that there is a duly authorized impeachment inquiry, Mr. Biden will comply for a hearing or deposition," Lowell wrote. "We will accept such a subpoena on Mr. Biden's behalf." 

Lowell's offer comes ahead of a House Rules Committee meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 16, where lawmakers will prepare a contempt of Congress resolution. Once prepared, it will set up a full floor vote on whether to recommend the first son for prosecution on the matter. 

Sources told Fox News Digital a full House vote on the matter could come as early as Wednesday. 

Lowell, in a footnote, states that "Rep. Glenn Ivey suggested a procedure for a hybrid process-a public deposition; hearing with alternating rounds of questions for Republicans and Democrats, and with similar rules (e.g., role of counsel in questioning), as is done in a closed-door deposition." 

HOUSE COMMITTEES FORMALLY RECOMMEND TO HOLD HUNTER BIDEN IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS

"Four Republicans actually voted in committee in support of this process," the footnote states. "Perhaps that could be the basis for our discussion." 

Hunter Biden made a surprise appearance at the House Oversight Committee markup with his attorneys Abbe Lowell and Kevin Morris. Biden and his attorneys ultimately left the markup session before the vote on the resolution. 

Hunter Biden, ahead of his subpoenaed deposition on Dec. 13, had offered to testify publicly. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, rejected his request, stressing that the first son would not have special treatment and pointed to the dozens of other witnesses who have appeared, as compelled, for their interviews and depositions. Comer and Jordan vowed to release the transcript of Hunter Biden’s deposition.

The first son, though, defied the subpoena, ignored the offer and delivered a public statement outside the Capitol. At the time, he said his father "was not financially involved in my business." 

Comer said Wednesday that Hunter Biden "blantantly defied two lawful subpoenas." 

Comer said "Hunter Biden’s willful refusal to comply with the committees’ subpoenas is a criminal act" that "constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution as prescribed by law."

HOUSE GOP SAYS HUNTER BIDEN ‘VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW' BY DEFYING SUBPOENA, PREPARE CONTEMPT RESOLUTION

"We will not provide Hunter Biden with special treatment because of his last name," Comer said. "All Americans must be treated equally under the law. And that includes the Bidens." 

Lowell's offer also comes after Hunter Biden on Thursday pleaded not guilty to all federal tax charges stemming from Special Counsel David Weiss's investigation. Hunter Biden also pleaded not guilty in September to all federal gun charges from Weiss' probe. 

Meanwhile, the White House refused to answer questions on whether it was told in advance that Hunter Biden would attend the House Oversight's markup session on Wednesday. 

"So here's what I'll say. And I've said this many times before: Hunter, as you all know, as a private citizen, he's not a member of this White House," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. "He makes his own decisions, like he did today about how to respond to Congress."

She went on to refer "any further questions, any additional questions about this process" to Hunter Biden’s attorneys.

When pressed again on whether the White House was informed in advance, Jean-Pierre said, "I don’t have anything — we don’t have anything else to share beyond that."

Last month, Comer and Jordan expanded their investigation to probe whether President Biden was involved in his son's "scheme" to defy his subpoena for deposition, which, they say, "could constitute an impeachable offense."