Category: fnc

Hunter Biden’s wife lashes out at former Trump aide during court appearance: ‘Piece of s—‘

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Melissa Cohen Biden – the wife of Hunter Biden – lashed out at a former Trump White House aide during a Tuesday appearance in court to support her husband, who has been charged with three felonies stemming from a 2018 firearm purchase.

Her remarks were directed at Garrett Ziegler, who was sued by Hunter Biden last year for publishing the contents of his infamous laptop.

Approaching Ziegler at the trial, Biden's wife pointed her finger at him and said, "You have no right to be here, you Nazi piece of s---."

Ziegler, who leads the nonprofit group Marco Polo, did not respond to Melissa Cohen Biden's remarks at the time.

Ziegler confirmed the encounter, which was first reported by NBC News, and told the outlet, "It's sad I've been sitting here the whole time and haven’t approached anyone."

EX-TRUMP AIDE SUED BY HUNTER BIDEN WANTS BIDEN-APPOINTED JUDGE OFF LAPTOP CASE, FEARS '2020 ALL OVER AGAIN'

"For the record, I’m not a Nazi, I’m a believer in the U.S. Constitution. I haven’t said one thing to them," Ziegler added.

Regarding Ziegler's encounter with Melissa Cohen Biden, Marco Polo wrote in a tweet, "The wife has the same level of impulse control as Hunter. To the family bringing decency back, anyone who is perceived as opposition is a Nazi."

"Truly contemptible liars & scoundrels," the group added. "We don’t respond in kind in the back of a courtroom, because we’re gentlemen who do not berate women."

Hunter Biden's lawsuit against Ziegler, which was filed last September, alleged that he had violated federal computer laws by hacking into the now-infamous laptop that was left in a Delaware repair shop in 2019.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, accuses Ziegler and Marco Polo, as well as 10 unidentified associates, of spreading "tens of thousands of emails, thousands of photos, and dozens of videos and recordings" that were considered "pornographic" on the laptop.

Marco Polo is a self-described nonprofit research group "exposing corruption & blackmail." The website has several sections pertaining to Biden’s laptop, including his emails, text messages, phone calls and financial data that culminates into a massive "online searchable database."

In the 14-page civil complaint, Biden’s attorneys allege that Ziegler is a "zealot" who has unleashed a "sustained, unhinged and obsessed campaign" against the entire Biden family for over two years and "spent countless hours accessing, tampering with, manipulating, altering, copying and damaging computer data" with his associates.

"While Defendant Ziegler is entitled to his extremist and counterfactual opinions, he has no right to engage in illegal activities to advance his right-wing agenda," attorneys Abbe Lowell, Bryan Sullivan, Zachary Hansen and Paul Salvaty wrote.

HUNTER BIDEN’S DRUG USE: WHAT THE PROSECUTION NEEDS TO PROVE AND WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW

In March, Ziegler sought to have a judge who was appointed by President Biden removed from the case. He argued that the outcome of the lawsuit not only has implications for the congressional impeachment inquiry, but also the 2024 election.

In a recent motion in U.S. District Court for Central California, Ziegler's attorney, Robert Tyler, requested that Judge Hernán D. Vera recuse himself from the case because his "impartiality will be reasonably questioned." Vera made donations to Joe Biden’s campaign for president in 2020. He also was appointed to his position by President Biden just three months before Hunter Biden filed the lawsuit against Ziegler and one day after then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced a presidential impeachment inquiry had commenced in Congress.

Tyler emphasized that he is not arguing against Vera's integrity and assumes the court system assigned the judge to Hunter Biden's lawsuit at random. 

"But there’s something called forum shopping that lawyers do," he told Fox News Digital at the time. "And here’s a case where our client resides in Illinois, he has no contact with California such that California should have any jurisdiction over this case, yet Hunter Biden’s lawyers filed this lawsuit to the Central District of California just shortly after Judge Vera’s appointed."

Hunter Biden's lawsuit seeks a jury trial based on the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and California's Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act. 

Ziegler’s attorney counters that the former Trump aide and associates "prepared a credible investigative report," known as the "Report on the Biden Laptop," not to wage a campaign against Hunter Biden, but to "expose instances of foreign compromise" by Hunter Biden and his father, President Biden, which are "matters of great public interest and concern." In preparing the report, Ziegler relied on copies of files from the laptop that "had already been widely circulated since at least October 2020 to numerous media outlets," Tyler wrote.

The repair shop owner turned the laptop over to the FBI on or around October 2019 after discovering its "disturbing materials," Tyler's motion noted.

The motion stated that Ziegler’s website with the Biden laptop report has been accessed by over 5 million Americans since its inception in June 2023 and more than 8 million Americans have accessed the free digital version of the report made available in November 2022.

Fox News' Jamie Joseph and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

Johnson lays out strategy to crack down on DOJ ‘weaponization’ against Trump

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., revealed a "three-pronged" strategy for cracking down on the alleged weaponization of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in a closed-door meeting with House Republicans on Tuesday.

It comes as former President Trump faces criminal charges in two federal cases led by special counsel Jack Smith, as well as charges in Fulton County, Georgia, and a criminal conviction on 34 counts in Manhattan criminal court.

Three people, two GOP lawmakers and a source familiar with the plan, told Fox News Digital that Johnson’s strategy to rein in the "weaponization" of the DOJ is broadly focused on three pillars: oversight, appropriations and legislation.

Johnson updated Trump on the plan ahead of announcing it to his House GOP conference, Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN NEW YORK CRIMINAL TRIAL

Johnson confirmed his approach during a press conference just after the meeting.

"We’re going to do everything we can, everything within our scope of our responsibility in the Congress, to address it appropriately. And I announced this morning to our conference, we're working on a three-pronged approach," Johnson told reporters.

"We’re looking at various approaches to what can be done here through the appropriations process, through the legislative process, through bills that will be advancing through our committees and put on the floor for passage and through oversight. All those things will be happening vigorously."

WHAT’S NEXT FOR TRUMP LEGALLY? WHICH CASE MIGHT COME UP BEFORE ELECTION DAY?

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital that he understood Johnson’s timeline for his strategy to include both the next six months, while the House GOP still holds its razor-thin majority, and next year, assuming they keep the chamber from flipping to Democratic control.

Norman paraphrased Johnson’s message to Republicans, "It can’t just be words…It’s got to have some action to it, and that’s where legislation comes in. Meaningless resolutions…that’s words. You’ve got to go beyond that."

The South Carolina Republican said Johnson did not raise the issue of a President Biden impeachment, however, despite Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s threats to force a vote on the matter.

Jackson said Johnson also pointed out that the chairs of the relevant committees – like Oversight, Judiciary and Appropriations – were already exploring ways to crack down on the DOJ.

"It’s not going to happen instantaneously. This stuff has to be put together and vetted by the conference and then put on the floor, so on and so forth," Jackson said. "His point was, we’re doing everything we can."

He said Trump is "in the loop on what the plan for the House is."

NY V. TRUMP: HOUSE JUDICIARY INVESTIGATES BRAGG PROSECUTOR WHO HELD SENIOR ROLE IN BIDEN DOJ

Jackson suggested Johnson was looking at a shorter timeline but said the speaker did not give specifics on the matter. 

"I know there are people that are anxious, myself included, to see something happen. So it’ll be soon," Jackson said.

Johnson's comments come the same day that Attorney General Merrick Garland is on Capitol Hill testifying before the House GOP-led Judiciary Committee.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ for comment.              

‘Remain vigilant’: Pence nonprofit urges conservatives not to ‘back away’ from these key policy victories

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FIRST ON FOX: Advancing American Freedom, a nonprofit that advocates for conservative values and policy proposals, released a memo on Tuesday touting key "triumphs" from the 2020 RNC platform and encouraging conservatives to continue fighting to defend those key issues.

"The 2016 Republican National Convention platform, retained in 2020, was the most principled conservative platform in nearly 40 years," Advancing American Freedom, founded by former Vice President Mike Pence in 2021, says in Tuesday's memo.

"As always, liberal Republicans want to water down many of the Conservative Movements’ favorite planks. Grassroots conservatives must remain vigilant in defense of a strong conservative platform."

The memo outlines key points from the platform on abortion that calls for protecting "Human Dignity and the family."

MIKE PENCE ACCUSES BIDEN OF IMPEACHMENT HYPOCRISY AMID ISRAEL ARMS THREAT

"We assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed," the memo reads, adding that the Republican Party must continuee to "oppose the use of public funds to perform or promote abortion or to fund organizations, like Planned Parenthood, so long as they provide or refer for elective abortions or sell fetal body parts."

Republicans and pro-life groups helped successfully lobbied to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, marking one of the most consequential conservative political victories in decades, which Pence told Fox News in 2023 was a "new beginning for life."

US TROOPS COULD PAY PRICE IF NATO ALLIES DON'T MAKE MAJOR CHANGE, FORMER VP'S GROUP WARNS

The memo also touches on IVF treatment and calls on Republicans to "oppose federal funding for harvesting embryos and call for a ban on human cloning."

"Marriage between one man and one woman is the foundation for a free society," the memo states as a highlight from the 2020 platform. "We… condemn the Supreme Court’s lawless ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges."

The memo goes on to highlight conservative positions on "taxes and trade" as well as foreign policy.

"Republicans consider the establishment of a pro-growth tax code a moral imperative," the memo says. "We propose to level the international playing field by lowering the corporate tax rate to be on a par with, or below, the rates of other industrial nations."

The memo focuses on Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan when it comes to foreign policy, saying that conservatives "will not accept any territorial change in Eastern Europe imposed by force" when it comes to Ukraine while also reaffirming "unequivocal support for Israel and rejected two-state solutions."

 "The United States… will help Taiwan defend itself against Chinese aggression," the memo says. "As a loyal friend of America, Taiwan has merited our strong support, including free trade agreement status, the timely sale of defensive arms… and full participation in the World Health Organization… and other multilateral institutions."

Republicans will gather in mid-July in the key swing state of Wisconsin to hold their 2024 GOP Convention.

"Time-honored principles that have delivered enormous prosperity for America should continue to drive policy as the platform articulated in 2016 and 2020," said AAF Chairman Marc Short told Fox News Digital.

"Some in the conservative movement are attempting to move away from these principles, instead chasing big government solutions that resemble the agenda of the left.  Conservatives must not back away from what has created a winning agenda for the American people which is focusing on fiscal responsibility, a free economy, American leadership on the world stage, and defending family values, including the right to life."

Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene threatens to force vote on impeaching Biden over border crisis

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on Monday threatened to trigger a privileged resolution to impeach President Biden this week over his handling of the border, in what she describes as the "permanent invasion of the United States."

Greene said she contemplated triggering the resolution on Monday but said she decided to speak with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., first.

"I can force a vote this week," Greene told reporters. "But you know what, I was gonna do it tonight but I decided I’m gonna go talk to our Republican elected Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, that I actually voted for [who] claims he supports Trump, and ask him if he’s gonna do something about it."

Greene said she plans to talk about her privileged impeachment resolution in a closed-door GOP conference meeting this week. 

BIDEN IS SAID TO BE FINALIZING PLANS FOR MIGRANT LIMITS AS PART OF A US-MEXICO BORDER CLAMPDOWN

The move comes as Biden plans to roll out an executive order that would crack down on illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. The order is expected to shut down asylum requests at the border if the average number of daily encounters reaches 2,500 at ports of entry. 

"When are we going to impeach Joe Biden"? Greene asked. "I've got articles of impeachment ready to go, privileged resolution. I'm happy to force everyone up here to vote because that's what we should be doing."

"Because here's Joe Biden, he's going to come out with his garbage executive orders on Wednesday, his permanent invasion of the United States of America plan where he sets a limit, a weekly limit. Here you go, everybody. You get to come in."

She railed against a report that shows that since 2022, over 350,000 asylum cases filed by migrants were closed by the U.S. government on the basis that those who filed did not have a criminal record or were not deemed a threat to the U.S.

"So, you know what? Republicans need to grow a spine. They need to learn that this is our country, our America that we know is gone, because Democrats are willing to put every single one of their political opponents in prison."

IMMIGRATION JUDGES RAMP UP PACE CLOSING DEPORTATION CASES, BUT BACKLOG EXPLODES AS BORDER CRISIS GROWS

If Greene were to trigger the resolution on Tuesday or Wednesday, it would force a vote within two legislative days – likely with a procedural vote coming first on a motion to table or refer to a committee. This would be procedurally similar to what happened with the privileged resolution by Rep. Boebert, R-Colo., to impeach Biden in June of last year. It would also be procedurally similar to what happened to her resolution to oust Johnson last month. 

The vote could happen immediately after Green's resolution is triggered, while it could also be put off until later in the same day, the next day, or even until the House comes back next week as the chamber is leaving town on Wednesday to allow a congressional delegation to go to Normandy for the anniversary of D-Day. In the case the motion to table or refer were to fail, the House would then vote on a privileged resolution to impeach Biden immediately. 

It does not appear likely at this time that the votes are there to impeach Biden.

Greene said if Johnson does not move to impeach Biden she will try and force the matter.

"And if he says he won't bring an impeachment resolution against him, I'll just drop 'em on the floor," Green said. 

"And then we can vote and see where everybody stands. So I'm mad, I'm mad…my people at home are mad. Everybody across this country are furious. We don't want a banana republic. We want an actual legitimate government. We want a real justice system. We don't have one."

Fox News' Tyler Olson contributed to this report.

Hunter Biden is prepping for his federal gun trial, but faces other legal challenges

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Hunter Biden is preparing for his first criminal trial, which is set to start Monday, but that federal gun case stemming from Special Counsel David Weiss’ yearslong investigation is just one of several legal challenges the first son faces. 

Biden pleaded not guilty to federal gun charges in U.S. District Court for Delaware after Weiss charged him with making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm; making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a licensed firearm dealer; and one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. 

JUDGE BARS PROSECUTORS FROM USING SOME SALACIOUS EVIDENCE IN HUNTER BIDEN'S GUN TRIAL

With all counts combined, the total maximum prison time for the charges could be up to 25 years. Each count carries a maximum fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release. 

That trial is set to begin Monday with jury selection. 

But Biden is also facing other federal charges. 

Weiss charged the first son in a California federal court on alleged federal tax crimes. 

Biden pleaded not guilty to those charges — specifically, three felonies and six misdemeanors concerning $1.4 million in owed taxes that have since been paid. Weiss alleged a "four-year scheme" when the president’s son did not pay his federal income taxes from January 2017 to October 2020 while also filing false tax reports. 

That criminal trial was scheduled for June 20, but Biden’s attorneys requested to delay the trial. 

Judge Mark Scarsi sided with Biden’s attorneys, and moved that tax trial to Sept. 5, when jury selection will begin. 

On top of the already-filed charges, Biden is also dealing with allegations of making false statements to Congress. 

House Republicans obtained information they say proves "indisputably" that the first son lied under oath multiple times during his congressional deposition earlier this year.  

The House Ways and Means Committee, last month, said Biden lied at least three times during his deposition. 

HUNTER BIDEN TAX TRIAL POSTPONED TO SEPTEMBER

After publication, Biden's attorney Abbe Lowell denied in a statement that any of the three examples were lies. 

"Here they go again, grasping at straws and twisting Hunter’s testimony to try to revive an impeachment inquiry that was a complete and utter failure," Lowell said. 

But Committee Chairman Jason Smith warned that "lying during sworn testimony is a felony offense that the Department of Justice has prosecuted numerous individuals for in recent years, and the American people expect the same accountability for the son of the President of the United States." 

HOUSE GOP CLAIMS HUNTER BIDEN LIED UNDER OATH MULTIPLE TIMES DURING CONGRESSIONAL DEPOSITION

House Republicans claim Biden mischaracterized his role working for his firm, Rosemont Seneca, and actually controlled bank accounts he claimed in his deposition he did not. 

They also said Biden claimed he did not help a foreign national obtain a visa, but the committee says emails between himself and his former associate Devon Archer show that the first son helped a man named Miguel Aleman with visa documents.

The committee also pointed to Biden's claim that he sent a text to the wrong "Zhao," due to being under the influence, but WhatsApp records show Biden only spoke with one Zhao — Henry Zhao of Chinese energy firm CEFC. 

Biden in the WhatsApp message allegedly told a Chinese business associate from Chinese energy company CEFC that he and his father would ensure "you will regret not following my direction."

Biden requested the $10 million wire for his joint-venture with CEFC called SinoHawk Holdings. 

"I am sitting here with my father, and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled," Biden told Henry Zhao, the director of Chinese asset management firm Harvest Fund Management. "And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction."

Zhao responded, in part, "CEFC is willing to cooperate with the family."

House Republicans have not yet taken steps to hold the first son accountable for those alleged lies, or taken any formal steps to accuse him of making false statements to Congress. 

Biden was deposed before the House Judiciary, Oversight and Ways and Means Committee earlier this year. Congressional Republicans have been investigating Biden's overseas business dealings and whether his father, President Biden, personally benefited from those arrangements. 

‘Boom’: Democrats celebrate Trump guilty verdict as Biden weighs remaining threat

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Congressional Democrats rejoiced Thursday following a New York jury's guilty verdict against former President Trump on charges of falsifying business records.

"In New York today, we saw that no one is above the law," Biden campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler said in a post-verdict statement. 

"Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain. But today’s verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality. There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box. Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president."

'ELECTION INTERFERENCE' CLAIMS MUDDY BATTLEGROUND STATE POLITICS AMID COMPETITIVE RACES

But, according to Tyler, "The threat Trump posed to our democracy has never been greater." 

Trump was found guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. 

The verdict marks the first time a U.S. president has been convicted of a crime. 

"Boom," Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said in a brief post to X, formerly Twitter. 

SPEAKER JOHNSON PLANS TO INVITE ISRAEL'S NETANYAHU TO MEET WITH CONGRESS SOONER RATHER THAN LATER

"Guilty. Today, 12 ordinary American citizens found a former president guilty of dozens of felonies. Despite his efforts to distract, delay, and deny — justice arrived for Donald Trump all the same. And the rule of law prevailed," said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who is running for a Senate seat. 

House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., released a statement following the verdict, claiming, "Trump made deception a cornerstone of his campaign for the White House.

"And now, he will go down in history as the president who has two impeachments and 34 felony convictions to his name — with more trials to come. The American people deserve so much better."

ANTISEMITISM AT YALE, UNIV. OF MICHIGAN TO FACE CONGRESSIONAL SCRUTINY

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., wrote, "It matters that the Republican nominee for president is a convicted criminal.

"And this won’t be his last conviction," he added. "He’s committed multiple crimes, and he’s going to be convicted multiple times. He can never be president again."

GOP SEN CALLS FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO TRUMP TRIAL JUDGE OVER GAG ORDERS

Top Biden surrogate Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., wrote on X: "The jury has spoken. Justice has prevailed."

While the president's campaign welcomed the verdict, Biden White House counsel spokesperson Ian Sams was more guarded, saying, "We respect the rule of law and have no additional comment."

Some moderate Democratic lawmakers were more measured than their colleagues in their responses. 

"Every American deserves their day in court. Former President Trump got his," Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said in a statement. 

Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat who represents the battleground state of Arizona, called it "a sad day for our nation to see, for the first time, a former president convicted on criminal charges.

"I respect the independence of our justice system and the integrity of this trial."   

While a number of Democrats sounded off about the trial's result, most of Congress's Democratic leadership in the House and Senate notably kept quiet. 

Former Trump official wins tight Texas GOP primary runoff

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A former Trump campaign official has won a tight primary fight and will now serve as the representative of a deep-red Texas House district.

Republican Katrina Pierson, who served as the spokesperson for former President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, defeated incumbent state Rep. Justin Holland in Tuesday's primary runoff for Texas' 33rd House District, and is the presumptive winner of November's general election since no Democrat candidate is standing in the race.

Pierson had the backing of Republican Texas Gov. Gregg Abott, who sought to oust incumbent Republicans opposed to some of his policy objectives.

WATCH: BUSINESSMAN REVEALS PLAN TO FLIP CALIFORNIA HOUSE SEAT AS THESE TOP 2 ISSUES TAKE CENTER STAGE

Holland, who was first elected in 2016, opposed key legislation supported by Abbott that would have paved the way for Texas parents to send their children to private or religious affiliated schools using public funding. A group of 21 Republicans, including Holland, joined all Democrats in opposing the measure last year.

Holland has also faced scrutiny for a number of other positions he's taken, including supporting legislation last year that would have raised the age to purchase "assault" style rifles from 18 to 21, and voting in favor of impeaching Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Pierson gained Paxton's backing ahead of the March primary, while Abbott endorsed her ahead of the runoff.

Republicans currently hold 86 of the 150 seats in the Texas state House, a majority of 11.

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

Opposed by top Texas Republicans and Trump, state House speaker survives GOP primary runoff challenge

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The Associated Press projects that Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan will survive a Republican primary runoff election challenge by David Covey.

Phelan's victory in a state House district east of Houston is seen as a political setback for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and former President Donald Trump, as well as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Phelan oversaw the effort last year to impeach Paxton over corruption charges. Paxton was acquitted by the state Senate after the House overwhelmingly impeached the controversial attorney general. 

CONTROVERSIAL MOVE: ABBOTT PARDONS ARMY SERGEANT WHO KILLED BLM PROTESTER

In response, Paxton targeted over 30 GOP incumbent state representatives, with Phelan at the top of the list. Paxton's most powerful ally, Trump, endorsed Covey.

Meanwhile, Abbott was looking for payback over the downing in the state House last year of his education plan that would have opened the spigot for taxpayer funding of private schools. The school voucher measure, which was Abbott's top legislative item last year, passed the state Senate, but its downing in the state House was a rare political setback for the three-term governor.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS 

Nine GOP state House lawmakers went down to defeat in the state's March primary, with eight more forced into runoffs. All were targeted by either Abbott or Paxton, or by both the governor and the attorney general.

"It’s a power play and definitely a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party of Texas and Gov. Abbott wants to get legislators in there who will support his agenda," veteran Texas-based Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser told Fox News last week.

"For Ken Paxton and [Lt. Gov.] Dan Patrick and Donald Trump by proxy, for them, it is definitely trying to take out the person who led the impeachment against Ken Paxton and who stood in the way of Dan Patrick’s agenda in the Senate. All those factors together make a really powerful force for the Speaker to overcome," he emphasized.

The race was also seen as a proxy battle for the future of the GOP in Texas.

Phelan was backed by old guard Republicans and conservative-leaning business leaders who helped bring the GOP to power in Texas in the 1980s and 1990s. Covey enjoyed the support of not only Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Paxton and Trump, but also far-right activists who place more of an emphasis on social and cultural issues.

If Phelan had lost, he would have become the first Texas House speaker to be ousted in a primary in over a half century.

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

Fifth-generation Texan advances past GOP primary runoff to take on progressive homeless activist

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State Rep. Craig Goldman secured the Republican nomination for the open 12th Congressional District in Texas in a runoff Tuesday, a seat opening up due to the retirement of Rep. Kay Granger, according to the Associated Press.

Goldman won in a runoff after neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March primary. Granger has held the seat since 1997 but is retiring at the end of the term. 

The race had been a demonstration of the split in the state’s Republican Party. O’Shea had framed himself an "America First" candidate and had touted the backing of Attorney General Ken Paxton and Trump allies, including Roger Stone and Gen. Michael Flynn.

TEXAS REPUBLICAN PRIMARY RUNOFFS FEATURE POLITICAL REVENGE, TRUMP AS KEY FACTORS

"It is an honor to support John O’Shea for Texas’ 12th. John is a friend who I have found to be a dedicated husband and father who will put family, faith and country first," Paxton said in a statement backing the candidate. 

O'Shea argued the U.S. "has a number of higher priority issues that must be addressed to ensure our citizens are taken care of before focusing on other global matters."

Goldman, a fifth-generation Texan, meanwhile, had the endorsement of Gov. Greg Abbott and Speaker Dade Phelan, and had voted to impeach Paxton in 2023.  He had promised to be a "conservative fighter who will prioritize border security and the American taxpayer."

CONTROVERSIAL MOVE: ABBOTT PARDONS ARMY SERGEANT WHO KILLED BLM PROTESTER

O’Shea had used that vote for Paxton's impeachment to hit his opponent. 

"There is a civil war in the party in the state of Texas," O’Shea said in April, according to the Texas Tribune. "I like to characterize it as the America First-Paxton side, and then there’s the establishment team Phelan side. You have a candidate who represents each one of those two sides. The choice is clear. Now, you have a chance to choose."

Goldman has pushed back against claims he is less conservative than O’Shea, arguing he had a proven conservative voting record.

"That’s the difference between John and I," Goldman said at an April debate, according to KERA News.

The winner of the Republican primary runoff will face Trey Hunt, a progressive activist and mental health professional who has been outspoken on homeless issues. Hunt, whose campaign website says he was "born and raised in Southwest Fort Worth," is running to push for "reform in the criminal justice system," "guaranteeing abortion rights" for women and other issues.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS

Both Republican candidates have emphasized their stances on tackling illegal immigration in a state that has been on the frontline of the ongoing migrant crisis at the southern border. They have both also highlighted their positions on abortion and Second Amendment rights.

It’s one of a number of races in which Abbott and Paxton have chosen opposing candidates. They have done so in five separate races. Both lawmakers have scores to settle, with Paxton targeting those Republicans who voted to impeach him last year on corruption charges and Abbott eyeing those who defeated his 2023 education plan. The school voucher measure, which was Abbott's top legislative item last year, passed the state Senate, but its defeat in the state House was a rare political setback for Abbott.

"It’s a power play and definitely a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party of Texas, and Gov. Abbott wants to get legislators in there who will support his agenda," veteran Texas-based Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser told Fox News.

Granger had backed Goldman for the seat, touting his credentials as a "staunch advocate for a strong national defense."

Phelan faces his own challenge in District 21 from oil and gas consultant David Covey. Phelan oversaw the impeachment effort against Paxton. He was later censured by the Texas GOP for the effort. 

Fox News' Paul Steinhauser and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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

Mayorkas says some migrants ‘try to game’ asylum system, as border crisis remains top political issue

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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says that some migrants crossing the southern border "try to game" the U.S. asylum system – a hardening of rhetoric as the crisis at the border remains a top political issue going into the November presidential election.

"The reality is that some people do indeed try to game the system," Mayorkas told CBS News on Thursday. "That does not speak to everyone whom we encounter, but there is an element of it, and we deal with it accordingly."

The remarks represent a change in rhetoric from the DHS chief, who has typically emphasized the need to speed up claims and has defended the asylum system. Republicans have typically focused more on the ease with which migrants can cross the border and be released even if their claims are bogus. 

MAYORKAS FORCED TO ADMIT MORE MIGRANTS HAVE CROSSED US BORDER UNDER BIDEN THAN TRUMP: ‘SEVERAL MILLION PEOPLE’ 

Mayorkas told the outlet that a recent bipartisan border security proposal, which has failed to pick up support in the Senate "would have equipped us with more tools to deal with those individuals who seek to game the system."

Mayorkas’ remarks come as numbers at the southern border remain high despite a recent drop compared to previous months. There were 179,725 encounters at the southern border in April, compared to 211,992 in April 2023, and 189,357 in March.

There was a record 2.4 million migrant encounters in FY 23, and that record could be broken in FY 24, despite the recent decrease.

While recent numbers are lower than the over 200,000 seen in December, they still remain higher than most months preceding the Biden administration. The administration has said it is dealing with hemispheric factors and a "broken" system.

BIDEN ADMIN REFUSES TO REVEAL TERROR WATCHLIST NATIONALITIES AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION EXPLODES ON HIS WATCH

Earlier this month, Mayorkas cited violence, insecurity, poverty, corruption, authoritarian regimes and "extreme weather events" among the reasons for migration across the globe. However, he also said there were additional explanations for why the U.S. was a top destination.

"In our hemisphere, we overcame COVID more rapidly than any other country. We had, in a post-COVID world, 11 million jobs to fill, we are a country of choice as a destination, and one takes those two forces and then one considers the fact that we have an immigration system that is broken fundamentally and we have a level of encounters that we do," he asserted.

The administration has demanded reform from Congress, including the bipartisan Senate bill. It has also pointed to 720,000 removals or returns of illegal immigrants since May 2023, more than in every full fiscal year since 2011.  

But Republicans have blamed the policies of the administration, including the rollback of Trump-era policies such as wall construction, the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and increased interior enforcement. They have passed their own legislation in the House that would significantly limit asylum claims, restart border wall construction and similar measures. It has so far not been taken up by the Senate.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM FOREIGN ADVERSARY HIT NEW HIGH AMID NATIONAL SECURITY FEARS 

Lawmakers also impeached Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis, but the impeachment articles were dismissed in the Senate. Republicans often accuse the administration of encouraging the crisis with its policies.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

It is a claim Mayorkas denied in his interview with CBS.

"The reasons why people leave their countries of origin are those with which we are quite familiar: extraordinary poverty, violence, extreme weather events, corruption, suppression by authoritarian regimes. Those reasons and more," Mayorkas said.

Meanwhile, immigration looks likely to be a top political issue in the coming presidential election. A recent Fox News Poll found that border security was the biggest single issue among self-described very conservative voters (28%), Republicans (25%), White men without a college degree (20%), voters ages 65+ (17%), and rural voters (17%).  

A Fox News Poll in March found that seven in 10 voters say the White House has "mostly failed" at improving border security.