Jay Jones murder texts latest case of Democrats circling the scandal wagons

Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones still has the support of some top Democrats, while others have not called for him to drop out after messages showed him envisioning the murder of a former Republican leader.

At the same time, history shows most Republican scandals are met with intraparty calls to drop out, abandonment of support or other more explicit actions.

Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, defended Jones last week, telling reporters there was a double standard in pressing Democrat Abigail Spanberger to finally call for Jones’ ouster, and Republicans’ reaction to President Donald Trump envisioning whether Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney would continue to be a neoconservative if she was put in a warzone with guns pointed at her.

Virginia Senate President L. Louise Lucas, D-Norfolk, similarly declined to call for Jones to drop out and instead has publicly boosted his candidacy.

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Spanberger has condemned Jones’ comments, but has offered responses to calls for her to push him out that characterize the choice as up to the voters, not her.

Pressed by reporters Thursday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries suggested Jones’ apologies were sufficient for him to retain Democratic support.

The most prominent Democrat to have the party circle its wagons around them was former President Bill Clinton, who, while embroiled in the Monica Lewinsky scandal, saw his party largely oppose efforts to impeach or remove him.

First lady Hillary Clinton famously expressed the view that there was a "vast right-wing conspiracy" against her husband, while congressional Democrats seeking to avoid an impeachment instead argued a formal censure would be a "historic" statement.

In 1998, House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., took to the floor to accuse Republicans of "a misuse of their constitutional responsibility" and "a political vendetta."

In 2006, eight-term New Orleans congressman Rep. William Jefferson was investigated by the FBI for allegedly using his official position to solicit hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes from U.S. companies interested in doing business in Africa, according to a bureau release.

Nearly $100,000 was famously found hidden inside a Pillsbury pie crust box in his freezer, and the FBI found at least 11 "distinct" bribery schemes amid their probe.

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As chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., opposed efforts to remove Jefferson from the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

He said Jefferson deserves to be presumed innocent and criticized the lack of precedent being purportedly weaponized against a Black man.

One top Democrat broke ranks: Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told Jefferson that in the interest of the House Democratic Caucus’ "high ethical standard," she requested his "immediate resignation" from Ways & Means.

Eventually, Democrats voted 99-58 within their ranks to see Jefferson removed, and he was later booted from the panel by a full-House voice vote.

Jefferson’s scandal was so severe, Republican upstart Joseph Cao defeated him in Democratic-supermajority New Orleans in a hurricane-delayed 2008 election by 50-47%.

When a racist group-chat of young Republicans from several states was leaked and reported in the press, Democrats who had declined to call for Jones’ ouster were quick to condemn the situation – but were also joined by Republicans.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who has not called for Jones to withdraw, said Wednesday that "too many Republican leaders seem willing to call out violent rhetoric only when it comes from the other side. But these same Republicans never seem willing to denounce it when it comes from their own ranks, and that’s dangerous."

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However, several prominent Republicans did condemn the chats, including multiple New York lawmakers like Reps. Mike Lawler and Elise Stefanik. Several of the chats allegedly were written by young Republicans from that state.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott also quickly condemned the chat after state Sen. Samuel Douglass of Orleans was entangled in the story:

"Those involved should resign from their roles immediately and leave the Republican Party," Scott said.

The last time Virginia was at the center of a scandal like this, then-Sen. George Allen, R-Va., was a popular incumbent and former governor — and the son and namesake of the Washington Redskins’ legendary coach.

In 2006, Allen was at a rally near Breaks Interstate Park on the Kentucky line when he noticed a young activist of South Asian descent filming him. Allen pointed to him and referred to him by a French-colonial slang referencing monkeys.

"Folks we're going to run this campaign on positive, constructive ideas, and it’s important that we motivate and inspire people for something," Allen said, before turning to the man.

"This fella here over here with the yellow shirt, [slur] or whatever his name is – he’s with my opponent," Allen said, joking it would be challenger Jim Webb’s only opportunity to see people in rural Virginia secondhand.

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While the left latched onto the incident, some Republicans, including Sen. John McCain of Arizona expressed sympathy for the gaffe, criticism was more vocal even if calls to drop out were not as pronounced.

Then-Iowa GOP leader Mike Mehaffey publicly said Allen needed to "make it clear" that he made a mistake and that he should never have said it.

Allen’s campaign imploded, and a race that was supposed to be a wide-margin win for the GOP ended in a one-point loss to Webb – who in turn cited his Navy secretaryship in the Reagan administration as a reach across the aisle to disaffected Allen fans.

In other Republican cases, however, intraparty comeuppance was more pronounced.

Then-Sen. Larry Craig, R-Wyo., was convicted of lewd conduct after a police officer accused him of potentially soliciting sex in a Minnesota airport bathroom during a June 2009 sting operation.

By late September, Craig had resigned from Congress amid a barrage of intraparty backlash.

"I think he should resign," McCain said at the time, as then-Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., also called for his ouster.

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House Republican leaders also criticized Craig, with Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., saying his conduct was "inappropriate for a U.S. Senator." Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee also issued condemnations, while the Bush White House was also reportedly disappointed.

Former Rep. Mark Foley’s career also imploded in similar fashion in 2006 after the Florida Republican was found to have sent sexually inappropriate messages to Capitol Hill pages.

While outlets like the UK Guardian at the time reported that some Republicans tried to "cover up" the scandal before it broke, the White House swiftly condemned Foley when the texts came to light.

"The White House and the president were just as shocked as everyone else," Bush adviser Dan Bartlett told CNN, suggesting there should or would be a criminal investigation to come.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., took to the "Rush Limbaugh Show" to condemn talk that he or other top GOP leaders had not acted swift enough or knew previously of Foley’s texts.

Hastert and House Republican leaders John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Roy Blunt, R-Mo., later called Foley’s texts "unacceptable and abhorrent."

Meanwhile, "quit or be expelled" was the message from the GOP to Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio in 2006 after he was implicated in the Jack Abramoff scandal.

Abramoff, a powerful Republican lobbyist, had been accused of bribing lawmakers with trips and luxury gifts.

The late Tony Snow – a former Fox News anchor and later Bush White House press secretary – called for Ney’s resignation and called the allegations "not a reflection of the Republican Party," according to The Seattle Times at the time.

Hastert and multiple other Republicans quickly called for Ney to resign and offered similar advice to other lawmakers caught up in Abramoff’s web.

Alexander Vindman’s congressman brother leads off Dems boosting Jay Jones after texts: ‘Send a message’

Democratic Virginia Rep. Yevgeny "Eugene" Vindman, twin brother of Trump impeachment figure Alexander Vindman, blasted out to his Twitter followers a call to vote for Democrats Jay Jones and Abigail Spanberger days after texts showed the former referenced killing Republicans.

Meanwhile, a House of Delegates candidate in conservative southside Virginia doubles and triples down on support of Jones amid social media pushback.

As Jones’ controversy and campaign unraveled over the weekend, Vindman, D-Va., took to X to issue comments standing behind the entire Democratic ticket.

"We’re just a month out from Election Day in Virginia. It’s time for our Commonwealth to send a message that we’re tired of Republican chaos," Vindman wrote Sunday, two days after texts came to light showing Jones envisioning the murder of then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah.

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Virginia "make a plan to vote — early if you can," he said, adding "for" and the three X handles for gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger, lieutenant gubernatorial nominee Ghazala Hashmi and Jones.

"Your voice couldn’t be more important this year," concluded Rep. Eugene Vindman, who coincidentally holds Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger's former seat. 

The post got ratioed by critics, including one telling Vindman, "Nobody is voting for Jay ‘Two Bullet’ Jones."

"Get lost," the man wrote.

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Another respondent posted a meme image of the Harrison family from "Pawn Stars" speaking with a customer and the caption "We need to tone down the political violence rhetoric" – "Virginia Democrats: Best I can do is murder your children."

A third posted the ubiquitous "Marked Safe From… Today" flag meme, with the caption "Virginia Attorney General candidate Jay Jones."

"Virginia — not for lovers anymore," another wrote, referring to the Old Dominion’s famous 50-year tourism slogan.

Rep. Eugene Vindman's brother Alexander Vindman was a key figure in then-Rep. Adam Schiff's impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. Schiff defended then-witness Alexander Vindman in congressional hearings after Trump and other Republicans repeatedly condemned the former Ukraine-focused National Security Council staffer.

In Washington, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine also defended his support for Jones, saying he's known the former Norfolk state delegate for 25 years.

"I think those statements were not in character, and he has apologized — I wish other people in public life would sincerely apologize for stuff," Kaine said.

At the other end of Virginia, a Democrat running for a seat in Pittsylvania County and vicinity doubled and tripled down on her endorsement of Jones as the controversy continued.

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Candidate Melody Cartwright, a former graphic designer at the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville, lambasted the delegate whom Jones had incidentally texted the invective to and vociferously defended the attorney generalship nominee.

Jay Jones "will defend Virginia's rights, healthcare, and education. Stay the course," Cartwright wrote on X, inscribing Jones’ handle.

"I stand with (Jay Jones) period. End of statement," Cartwright wrote in a second tweet, both of which were lambasted by critics.

"Then you stand for a man who fantasizes about the murder of his political opponent's children and wants to kill them, the parents, and piss on their graves," replied former Energy Department staffer Matt van Swol.

Another critic said Cartwright’s comment wasn’t just a show of support but "an endorsement of an (expletive) death-obsessed lunatic."

"No one is surprised. By you, by him, or by your entire party. It’s who you are," wrote conservative figure Western Lensman.

Another reply included a one-second clip of conservative journalist Andrew Breitbart from his CPAC 2012 intro video, saying "War," which had been one of the last appearances by the major right-wing figure before his death just days later. Breitbart's stern-faced delivery of the singular word grew into a memorialization on the right in the time since; depicting the view that the left holds visceral hatred for the right.

Virginia Del. Eric Phillips, R-Martinsville, who defeated Cartwright last cycle and faces her again, told Fox News Digital it’s "not the Virginia way" to even entertain chatter in terms of what Jones referenced in his texts.

"It's disturbing and disgraceful for my opponent to defend Jay Jones' vile comments," Phillips said of Cartwright.

"Standing with someone who talks about shooting colleagues in the head, harming their children, and desecrating graves is indefensible," Phillips added.

"Anyone who excuses or embraces that kind of hate has no business asking to serve in the Virginia House of Delegates."

In a separate tweet, Cartwright also bashed Virginia Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chester, who originally had shared Jones’ texts with the National Review and Fox News Digital.

Radical House Dem appointed to GOP-led committee investigating January 6: ‘We will expose the lies’

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, has been tapped for a seat on the new Republican-led panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, where she immediately blasted the initiative as partisan and accused former President Donald Trump of escaping accountability.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., announced the Democratic firebrand's appointment on Monday, along with other Democratic members, after the subcommittee was formally created earlier this month.

Crockett herself criticized Republicans for starting the initiative during a press conference with its new Democratic members, even suggesting President Donald Trump should have been "convicted" over the 2021 riot.

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"On that day, there was an attempt to tear apart our democracy brick by brick. In fact, they laid the foundation, unfortunately, for what we are experiencing right now," Crockett said. "Because if those in power had done what they should have done, which was to go through with an impeachment conviction, none of us would be enduring what we are enduring now."

Trump was impeached by the House after the riot but acquitted by the Senate, which did not reach the two-thirds threshold to convict him of high crimes and misdemeanors.

The president has denied responsibility in the protest despite Democrats accusing him of fomenting the violence. He's also since pardoned rioters convicted for their parts in the event.

Crockett accused Republicans of using the panel to create "distractions and division."

"We are not going to allow them to whitewash this," she said. "We will expose the lies, and we will continue to hold accountable those that tried to overthrow the will of the people, including the president. This is not about Democrats versus Republicans. This is about defending the Constitution."

She added: "We all swore an oath to uphold the American people deserve honesty, accountability, and leaders who will protect democracy, not tear it down. I am committed to making sure that the American people know the truth about January 6th, and remember all those responsible for the defilement of the Capitol."

The subcommittee will be chaired by Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., who last Congress investigated the now-defunct House select committee on Jan. 6.

"While my previous investigation did an incredible job last Congress, there is still much work to be done. Our goal is to answer the remaining questions, uncover all the facts, and implement reforms so this level of security failure never happens again. It’s time to finish the job," Loudermilk said when the panel was formed.

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It is customary for party leaders to select members of their caucus to sit on committees, though final approval rests with the majority.

In addition to Crockett, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., was named ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, joined by Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, was given an honorary role.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response to Crockett's remarks.

Trump lashes out at Crockett, renews call for cognitive test

President Donald Trump has renewed his call for Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, to undergo a cognitive test. 

"'Congresswoman' Jasmine Crockett is a Low (Very!!!) I.Q. Individual, much in the mold of the AOC Plus Three Gang of Country Destroying Morons - Only slightly dumber," Trump wrote on TRUTH Social on Monday. 

"Each of these political hacks should be forced to take a Cognitive Exam, much like the one I recently took while getting my ‘physical’ at our GREAT Washington, D.C., Military Hospital (WR!)," Trump said. "As the doctors said, ‘President Trump ACED it, something that is rarely seen!’ These Radical Left Lunatics would all fail this test in a spectacular show of stupidity and incompetence. TAKE THE TEST!!!

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Trump previously said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., should take a cognitive test in June when the progressive "Squad" leader demanded his impeachment over the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. 

Meanwhile, as the White House pushes Republican states to redistrict mid-cycle ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Crockett has accused Trump of pushing a "white supremacy agenda" and "diluting the voices of people of color." The Trump administration asserts that Democratic states have engaged in "gerrymandering" for years and encouraged illegal immigration to boost their congressional influence. 

In Texas, Democratic state lawmakers fled the state in an effort to stop the vote on a GOP redistricting plan that likely would have resulted in Republicans picking up five House seats. 

Crockett has accused Trump of hurling the low IQ insult as a racially-coded tactic to insult "people of color," including "The Breakfast Club" host Charlamagne tha God. 

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"Newsflash, Wannabe Dictator: I don’t care how many times you shake the Etch A Sketch trying to redraw these lines," Crockett wrote on X last week. "I’m not disappearing. I’ll be back, still on your behind every step of the way. We’ve already been over this. I’ve got the degrees, the credentials, and the receipts. If you’re looking for ‘low IQ,’ try looking in the mirror – or at your own Cabinet." 

Despite the president describing her as having a low IQ, Crockett said Trump has the "most incompetent Cabinet in the history of this country," referring to the Signal-gate scandal earlier this year. 

Crockett has also dubbed Trump a "Temu dictator." At a progressive rally in Phoenix, Arizona, earlier this month, the congresswoman said on stage, "Donald Trump is a piece of sh--." 

"This is a person who has a problem with people of color. Period," she told CNN. "I don't care how many Black MAGA [are] out there with [their] hats, I want to be clear, when we look at who it is that he's kicking out of this country, it's people of color." 

Democrats attempting to visit Brooklyn ICE facility reportedly ‘trapped’ after being rebuffed by agents

Three Democratic New York City federal lawmakers attempted to gain entry to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, where as many as 100 illegal immigrants are being held, according to one state lawmaker.

Images posted Wednesday by the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) showed Reps. Adriano Espaillat, Nydia Velazquez and Daniel Goldman walking toward the MDC with the Gowanus Expressway in the background.

The NYIC said the lawmakers had been refused entry to the prison, which has a history of high-profile inmates, including currently Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Luigi Mangione, and formerly ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen and MSNBC host Al Sharpton after he was arrested for trespassing on a Puerto Rican bombing range in 2001.

"Masked agents refused [the lawmakers’] oversight access to Sunset Park [MDC] and have now trapped them between a fence and the facility," NYIC tweeted.

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"They can’t get out or get in."

A spokesperson for Espaillat told Fox News Digital officials "closed the gate and ran away for about 20-30 minutes."

"No one could get in or out – either way – locking the members in for that time period."

Fox News Digital reached out to Goldman and Velazquez for further comment.

Fox News Digital also reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for their accounting of the incident.

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The situation marks the third time in recent weeks that lawmakers have attempted to gain entry to otherwise secure federal holding facilities.

Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., was arrested for allegedly accosting federal agents outside a jail in her home city of Newark.

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McIver had been joined by several other lawmakers, including Rep. Robert Menendez Jr., D-N.J., son of the former senator, who is currently imprisoned separately on bribery charges.

Reps. Kweisi Mfume, Sarah Elfreth, Johnny Olzewski Jr. and Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., were all similarly rebuffed at a Baltimore ICE office where a handful of detained immigrants were reportedly being held.

ICE said at the time that the building, near Charles Center in the city’s downtown, is not a true holding facility and only a processing center.

In the Brooklyn case, New York Democrats have railed against ICE for some time for their use of the jail as a detention facility for illegal immigrants.

State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, D-Bay Ridge, said in July that MDC Brooklyn recently began holding more than 100 detainees and claimed that many have no criminal records.

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"ICE is disappearing immigrants, many of whom have no criminal records, into a jail that a judge called ‘contemptuous of human life and dignity.’ That should appall all of us," Gounardes said in a statement.

"This isn’t about public safety—it’s a show of force meant to instill fear in our communities and keep immigrants in the shadows. It’s incredibly dangerous, disturbing and un-American. It must end now."

Prior to his visit Wednesday, Goldman – who served as Sen. Adam Schiff’s, D-Calif., lead attorney in the congressional impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump – lambasted the president for his administration’s decision to utilize the MDC.

"Rather than continuing the Biden administration’s efforts to boost staffing and reduce lockdowns at the MDC, the Trump administration has reversed those improvements and is now further overloading an already unsafe and understaffed facility with dozens of immigrants with no criminal history," Goldman said.

According to ICE’s Office of Congressional Relations website, members of Congress need only submit a request via email at least seven days in advance of their desired visit.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson explained to Fox News Digital that the seven-day requirement is meant to "prevent interference with the President’s Article II authority to oversee executive department functions."

The spokesperson also noted that "ICE law enforcement has seen a surge in assaults of 830%, as well as disruptions and obstructions to enforcement, including by politicians themselves," in an apparent reference to McIver.

Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.

Democrat congressman dragged for ‘weird’ TikTok ‘aura farming’ trend video

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., got in on TikTok’s "aura farming" trend, posting a clip of himself dancing solo in the congressional subway, captioned "omw to hold this administration accountable."

In the short clip, Subramanyam appears on the House subway wearing sunglasses, striking poses and waving his arms before locking in on the camera.

Subramanyam's "aura farming" appears to have backfired, with some commenters calling it out as tone-deaf, hypocritical and "cringe."

Left-leaning viewers frustrated with perceived inaction from Democrats under President Donald Trump took aim at the VA-10 congressman in the comment section. One of the top-liked comments asked flatly, "By doing nothing…?" Another read, "Representatives have got to stop doing this. Actually do something."

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Many commenters linked the post to Subramanyam’s past voting record, including his controversial decision against his party just weeks ago not to move forward with a House impeachment resolution against Trump.

On June 24, 2025, Subramanyam voted to table (i.e., block) a resolution to impeach President Trump over "high crimes and misdemeanors." The resolution was introduced by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, but was halted by a wide House majority.

Several comments mocked the tone and delivery of the video. One read, "-1000 aura," while another said, "Our taxpayer money hard at work…" Another commenter wrote, "So what exactly are you on your way to do? Because so far democrats have not really done anything at all."

A top comment simply read, "This feels weird idk."

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One lengthy reply said, "Not trying to be disrespectful. But? Less of this sh--. More fire on the floor please. I get wanting to do outreach. But this? Isn’t the action an average American needs from their representatives right now. We’re approaching no taxation without representation territory here. Do better." 

Another suggested, "Introduce a new amendment for every one performative TikTok a Congress person posts they have to cosign 3 bills that work to limit the power of money in politics."
 

Subramanyam, a former tech advisor in the Obama White House and the first South Asian elected to Virginia’s General Assembly, has gained a reputation as a more moderate Democrat. He won Virginia’s 10th District in 2024 and often plays up his immigrant roots in political messaging.

The "aura farming" trend, popular among Gen Z and Gen Alpha, refers to pulling off effortless, cool gestures usually while standing still. It took off after a now-viral video of 11-year-old Indonesian boy Rayyan Arkan Dikha danced stone-faced and confident while wearing sunglasses aboard a racing boat.

Most "aura farming" clips on TikTok are soundtracked to "Young Black & Rich" by Melly Mike, which includes the lyric "I ain't even gon' get mad, I'm young, black and rich."

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Fox News Digital reached out to Subramanyam’s office and TikTok for comment.

Jasmine Crockett drops out of race for top House Oversight Committee Democrat

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, has bowed out of the race to become the top Democrat on a key committee that is currently probing former President Joe Biden's alleged mental decline.

Democratic firebrand Crockett was gunning to become the next ranking member, a title given to the senior member of the minority party, on the House Oversight Committee.

"It was clear by the numbers that my style of leadership is not exactly what they were looking for, and so I didn't think that it was fair for me to then push forward and try to rebuke that," Crockett told reporters.

House Democrats held the election during their weekly closed-door caucus meeting Tuesday morning.

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However, in a smaller election by a key House Democratic panel on Monday night, Crockett and two others lost to Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif. Crockett signaled she came in last of the four, telling reporters on Tuesday, "They were clear that I was the one that made the least sense in their minds.

"I accept that, and I think that you have to make sure that you are going to be able to work with leadership if you are going to go into a leadership position," she said. "I think the people may be disappointed, but at the end of the day, we've got to move forward in this country, we've got ot move forward for this world, and I don't want to be an impediment."

She promised to still be "loud and proud" and a "team player" for Democrats.

The House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., played a marquee role in the last Congress as Republicans pursued an impeachment inquiry against the previous president.

Comer's panel is back in the headlines now for another Biden-focused probe, this time looking into allegations that former senior White House aides covered up signs of the elderly leader's cognitive decline.

The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee is expected to act as a foil to Republicans' anti-Biden pursuits.

In addition to those issues, however, the committee is also charged with overseeing the federal workforce and the U.S. government's ownership and leases of federal buildings – both key matters as President Donald Trump and Republicans seek to cut government bloat.

Crockett is already a member of the committee and has been known to make headlines during its hearings. She infamously got into a spat with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., during an oversight hearing last year after Greene mocked Crockett as having "fake eyelashes."

Crockett retorted that Greene had a "bleach blonde, bad-built butch body."

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However, in her pitch to House Democrats, Crockett styled herself as a serious but potent messenger.

"Our work cannot be solely reactive. We must also be strategic in laying the groundwork to win back the House majority," she wrote in a letter earlier this month. "Every hearing, every investigation, every public moment must serve the dual purpose of accountability and must demonstrate why a House Democratic majority is essential for America’s future."

The previous ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., died late last month after battling esophageal cancer.

Republican senator calls caucusing with Democrats an ‘interesting hypothetical’

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, called the prospect of caucusing with Democrats an "interesting hypothetical," but she fell short of fully committing to doing so if the Democrats pick up three seats in the 2027 midterms. 

"It’s an interesting hypothetical," Murkowski said on the "GD Politics" podcast with Galen Druke. "You started off with the right hook here, is if this would help Alaskans." 

The senator is promoting her new book, a memoir titled, "Far From Home." She was repeatedly asked if she would caucus with Democrats if the party divide in the upper chamber of Congress becomes 50-50 after the next election. 

"That’s why this book is kind of scary, because now people know what motivates me, and it’s this love for Alaska and what I can do," she said. "So, that’s my primary goal. I have to figure out how I can be most effective for the people that I serve."

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Murkowski said the "problem" she had with Druke’s hypothetical was that "as challenged as we may be on the Republican side, I don’t see the Democrats being much better." 

She said the Democrats also have policies that she inherently disagrees with. 

"I can’t be somebody that I’m not," Murkowski said, describing how she received pressure to run as a Libertarian after narrowly losing the GOP Senate primary in 2010. She went on to win as a write-in candidate in a historic victory, launching her Senate career. "I can’t now say that I want this job so much that I’m going to pretend to be somebody that I’m not. That’s not who I am."  

Druke, arguing that Murkowski would not have to become a Democrat to caucus with them, asked, "Is there world in which by becoming unaligned or an independent that you could help Alaskans, you’d consider it?"  

"There may be that possibility," she said, noting that the Alaska legislature currently features a coalition with members of both parties.

"This is one of the things that I think is good and healthy for us, and this is one of the reasons people are not surprised that I don’t neatly toe the line with party initiatives, because we’ve kind of embraced a governing style that says if you’ve got good ideas, and you can work with her over there, it doesn’t make any difference if you’re a Republican or Democrat," Murkowski said. "We can govern together for the good of the state." 

"If Democrats won three seats in the next election and offered you a way to pass bills that benefit Alaskans if you caucused with them, you’d consider it?" Druke pressed. 

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Murkowski said in response that a coalition is "not foreign to Alaskans," but it is at the federal level in the U.S. Senate.

"I’m evading your answer, of course, because it is so, extremely hypothetical, but you can tell that the construct that we’re working with right now, I don’t think is the best construct," Murkowski said, adding: "Is it something that’s worthy of exploration?" 

Murkowski joked that Druke was trying to "make news" and said the rank-choice voting system in Alaska means candidates are more likely to get elected if they are not viewed as wholly partisan.

"It is a different way of looking at addressing our problems rather than just saying it’s red and it’s blue," she added. 

Druke hammered the senator again, saying, "Was that a yes? There’s some openness to it?" 

"There’s some openness to exploring something different than the status quo," she said. 

Murkowski, one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict President Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial after the Jan. 6 riot, recently called the July 4 deadline that GOP leadership wants to pass Trump’s "big, beautiful bill" by "arbitrary."  

"I don't want us to be able to say we met the date, but our policies are less than we would want," Murkowski told Axios. "Why are we afraid of a conference? Oh my gosh." 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., are hesitant about going to conference with the upcoming debt ceiling "X date" approaching and the party lines so tight. 

Murkowski, a critic of Trump’s foreign policy, particularly on Ukraine, told the Washington Post that she was in a "lonely position" in the Senate, and sometimes feels "afraid" to speak up among Republican colleagues out of fear of retaliation. 

"We used to be called the world’s greatest deliberative body," she told the Post in a recent interview promoting her book. "I think we’re still called it, but now I wonder if it’s in air quotes."

Hakeem Jeffries demands Trump ‘justify’ striking Iran, but side-steps impeachment question

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is demanding President Donald Trump and his senior officials "justify" the U.S. military's recent strikes in Iran.

"We've seen no evidence to date that an offensive strike of this nature was justified under the War Powers Act or the Constitution," Jeffries said. 

"But the whole reason for the Trump administration to undertake that process is to come up to Capitol Hill and convince the American people and their elected representatives in the House and in the Senate. That hasn't happened."

Trump officials have maintained that the strike was in compliance with the War Powers Act, which requires the White House to notify Congress within 48 hours of a military action and blocks that operation from continuing for more than 60 days without approval from lawmakers.

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Jeffries claimed he had not seen "a scintilla of evidence to date" that shows "there was an imminent threat to the United States of America."

"If the administration has evidence to the contrary, come up to present it. We're not hard to find. I'm not hiding," he said.

The House Democratic leader said he requested a briefing Tuesday for the Gang of Eight, the informal name for the top party and intelligence leaders in Congress.

Trump green-lit airstrikes on three of Tehran's major nuclear sites over the weekend. The president said on Truth Social Monday that the areas hit were "completely destroyed."

The move has sharply divided Democrats, with some pro-Israel moderates backing Trump's move — while several progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., have called for the president's impeachment over the operation.

Dozens of left-wing lawmakers have gotten behind a bipartisan war powers resolution by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to limit Trump's ability to strike Iran.

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Meanwhile, Jeffries side-stepped multiple questions on those calls for impeachment during his press conference, instead reasserting his demand that Trump officials come before Congress.

"A tool that's on the table right now is to continue to demand that the administration present itself before the United States Congress and make the case to the American people as to why this extraordinary step has been taken. That's step one," Jeffries said.

"Step two is for the War Powers Resolution, whether that's the one that has already been introduced or others that may subsequently be introduced, for those resolutions to be debated on the House floor, as should have occurred already. And then we'll see where we're at thereafter."

Pressed again on whether he was taking calls for Trump's impeachment seriously, Jeffries said, "This is a dangerous moment that we're in, and we've got to get through what's in front of us. And what's in front of us right now is the Trump administration has a responsibility to come to Congress, justify actions for which we've seen no evidence to justify its offensive strength in Iran."

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When reached for comment on Jeffries' demands for justification, the White House referred Fox News Digital to press secretary Karoline Leavitt's comments on Fox News Monday morning.

"The White House made calls to congressional leadership. They were bipartisan calls. In fact, Hakeem Jeffries couldn't be reached. We tried him before the strike, and he didn't pick up the phone, but he was briefed after, as well as [Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.], who was briefed prior to the strike," Leavitt said. 

"We gave these calls as a courtesy, and the Democrats are lying about this, because they can't talk about the truth of the success of that operation and the success of our United States military and the success of this president and this administration in doing something that past administrations — Democrats too — have only dreamed about."

Dems divided on Trump’s executive order aimed at slashing drug prices

President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at slashing U.S. drug prices has divided Democrats on Capitol Hill, with some cautiously optimistic while others dismissed the move as a bluster.

Most Democratic lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital about the order noted they had not read into the details, but the reactions were mostly split.

"It certainly seems more bark than it is bite," Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the House Ways & Means Committee, told Fox News Digital. 

Neal said it "strikes me as though it's another example of the executive order that garners a lot of attention" with little impact, though he noted he was still looking into the details.

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Rep. George Latimer of New York, a first-term Democrat who unseated a former member of the progressive "Squad," ex-Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., signaled he was hopeful about the initiative.

"If we can keep drug costs low, that's a positive thing," Latimer said. "I don't, you know, oppose everything the president does, things that help people lower costs. If that's what this turns into, then yes, it's a worthwhile idea. But I have to be honest, I've got to read it more closely to understand it better."

Trump announced Monday that he was directing the Department of Health and Human Services to set price targets for pharmaceutical companies.

The president said the order would have pharmaceutical companies set drug prices on par with the lowest prices in other developed countries.

He said, "some prescription drug and pharmaceutical prices will be reduced almost immediately by 50 to 80 to 90%."

Democratic Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., told Fox News Digital when asked about the order, "It's always a good thing to reduce drug costs."

"I think it's a move in the right direction, let's just see the details," Correa added.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, like Neal, told Fox News Digital he was more skeptical.

"My feeling is that, like his…announcements during his first term, there's much talk and no meaningful reduction of drug prices," Doggett said. "It remains to be seen whether any patient in America will see a price reduced on a single drug as a result of this order. So, until I see action, I will not believe that he has truly committed to reducing prices."

House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., also said he did not believe Trump was "serious" when asked.

"All of this is just a disingenuous effort…on the part of House Republicans and Donald Trump, to pretend like they were looking out for people," Aguilar said. "If they were serious about it, the policy would be placed within their reconciliation bill. It's not. This is just a performance effort by the president."

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Meanwhile, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., introduced a House bill to make Trump's order permanent.

"I rise today, to introduce as legislation, President Trump’s executive order for the most favored nation status on drug pricing," Khanna said on the House floor.

"My legislation will codify President Trump’s executive order, which basically says that Americans should not pay more for drugs than people in other countries and other parts of the world."

In an exclusive Fox News interview with Sean Hannity, Trump argued that his executive order should offset Democrats' concerns with his "big, beautiful" budget reconciliation bill being pushed by Republicans.

Democrats have accused Republicans of using the bill to gut critical programs like Medicaid for millions of people who need it, while the GOP has contended it was just trying to eliminate waste and abuse within the system.

"It's the Democrats' fault that people are being ripped off for years and years. And now I hear Democrats saying, 'Oh, well, we're going to not go for the bill.' It's going to be very hard for them not to approve of the big, beautiful bill that we're doing," Trump said. "We're doing the biggest tax cuts in the history of our country because people are going to be getting a 50 to a 90% reduction on drug prices."

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response.