Category: fox-news/democrats

Moderate Democrats push back as progressives move to oust Jeffries, Clark over Trump strategy

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Moderate Democrats in the House of Representatives pushed back against far-left portions of their base, rejecting claims that party leaders in the House should be replaced for failing to effectively oppose President Donald Trump.

Challenges to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., have been more theater than substance, moderates told Fox News Digital.

"They want to see loud screaming, and they want to see protests," Rep. George Latimer, D-N.Y., said of the challengers.

SHOWDOWN FOR THE HOUSE: DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS BRACE FOR HIGH-STAKES MIDTERM CLASH

"The showtime nature of Congress is what they’re responding to." 

In the past week, Clark received a primary challenge from Jonathan Paz, a candidate of Bolivian descent who argues that Democratic leadership has grown ineffective.

"I’m challenging one of the most powerful Democrats in the House because we need new leadership. Let’s call it what it is. Our Democratic leaders are failing us. They’re not stopping Trump. They’re not making life more affordable. They’re not building a party for the working class," Paz said in a campaign video. 

Paz said his father was deported when he was 14 years old.

Clark's challenge follows a similar one to Jeffries, the No. 1 Democrat in the House. Chi Ossé, a progressive-leaning New York City councilmember, decided to run against Jeffries, citing dissatisfaction with Jeffries' resistance to the administration. 

"More exceptional ‘leadership’ from our supposed ‘leader,’" Ossé said in a post on X, reacting to news that Jeffries and other Democrats would not pursue impeachment charges against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

Ossé has since dropped his bid.

While Jeffries’ challenger has since stepped down, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said he believes the rumblings against Jeffries and Clark are representative of a pocket of frustration that’s going to persist. Moskowitz, who has voted with Republicans on matters like border security and trimming government spending, said those voters and prospective challengers must decide what’s most important to them.

"I think we’re on our way to winning the House in 2026, but Democrats along that journey are going to have to make a decision whether they want power or purity," Moskowitz said.

"Once we’re in the majority, we can have that purity discussion policy of which way we go. But we have got to get power before we can get there."

He believes the challenges are needlessly divisive and pose a threat to the party’s solidarity.

PROGRESSIVE POWERHOUSES LAUNCH PRIMARY WAR AGAINST DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT AHEAD OF 2026 ELECTIONS

"Democrats are very capable of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory with, you know, ‘Let’s primary our entire leadership as we’re trying to take the House,’" Moskowitz said.

Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., who has called on his party to make strides toward the political center, said he thinks those individuals should be evaluated on an individual basis and not extrapolated out to represent all Democrat voters.

"I think it’s politics. Different people have different motivations. Some people want to run because of their lifelong ambitions. Some people aren’t happy with the way things are. Some people want to try to change the world," Suozzi said.

"I don’t know about these individual cases."

GOP SEIZES ON DEM CIVIL WAR AS PROGRESSIVES JUMP INTO KEY 2026 SENATE RACES: ‘THEY'RE IN SHAMBLES’

Latimer believes challengers are also wrong about the relative ineffectiveness of Democratic leadership. He believes that the party has managed to secure victories that have flown under the radar — even in the shadow of a Republican governing trifecta.

"Now you have polling data that shows that Americans understand that the shutdown was a fight over healthcare, that healthcare benefits have to be saved," Latimer said, referring to the government’s recent shutdown over Obamacare federal subsidies that seemingly left Democrats largely empty-handed.

"That’s smart. But it’s not necessarily what someone wants to [see] because it doesn’t have the showy nature of it."

Instead of appeasing the more highlight-focused portions of the party, Latimer urged his fellow Democrats to instead focus on a more strategically advantageous use of their time.

"The voter's in the middle," Latimer said. 

"If you want to win the House, you’ve got to win people over who haven’t been committed to you. You’ve got to convince them that your strategies are right. I think that’s what leadership is doing."

GOP seizes on Dem civil war as progressives jump into key 2026 Senate races: ‘They’re in shambles’

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Without a clear party leader after losses up and down the ballot in 2024, progressive Democrats are wading into next year’s most competitive Senate primaries and exposing deep ideological rifts that some strategists warn could alienate swing voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Republicans have celebrated progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s decision to launch a Senate campaign in Texas. While President Donald Trump has dismissed her as "low IQ," Crockett has built a national audience, amassing millions of social media followers and the name recognition to instantly reshape the race.

"The Democratic Party, they’re in shambles everywhere around the country — and no place more obvious than Texas," National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. "Jasmine getting in this race is great news."

For Republicans, Crockett’s rise supports their argument that Democrats are veering too far-left to compete in red and purple states. Her campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's comment request.

JAMES CARVILLE BLASTS CROCKETT FOR BREAKING 'FIRST RULE OF POLITICS' FOCUSING ON HERSELF MORE THAN VOTERS

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who is defending his seat, agreed, telling Fox News Digital, "She can't win, so I'm really happy she's decided to run."

PROGRESSIVE POWERHOUSES LAUNCH PRIMARY WAR AGAINST DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT AHEAD OF 2026 ELECTIONS

And while Republicans breathe a sigh of relief, as Texas could be a pick-up opportunity for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee in 2026, some moderate Democrats are not convinced that a progressive candidate like Crockett will benefit the party in the long run.

Liam Kerr, a Democratic strategist and co-founder of the centrist group Welcome, published an October report titled, "Deciding to Win," warning that Democrats risk alienating voters by embracing far-left positions.

"Any Democrat who can do math should be worried," Kerr told Fox News Digital, arguing that "it's not just losing this race."

"It's also damaging the overall party brand, hurting candidates down-ballot, and losing the muscles you build that focus on persuading voters," he said.

Crockett has gone viral for her public missteps and gaffes, from calling Gov. Greg Abbott, "Governor Hot Wheels," to referring to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene as a "bleach blonde bad built butch body," during a House Oversight Committee hearing.

"When you explicitly say we don't need Trump voters to win, you're not only denying mass, you're denying an opportunity for voters to consider Democrats for other races and in the future," Kerr said.

Kerr added that "centrists need to be off the sidelines with the same energy that the left is bringing to these fights."

"Republicans have developed a very clear framework for voters to view Democrats as elite, out-of-touch, and extreme," Kerr explained. "Every time a high-profile Democrat says something out of touch or extreme, it just adds credence to that, and it's like the swing voter is permanently on a jury, where Republicans have a strong prosecutor and Democrats have terrible witnesses, and you just keep giving more pieces of evidence that you're guilty of extremism."

And Republicans who spoke to Fox News Digital this week seemed to be following that very playbook.

"All across the country, what we're seeing is Jasmine is being repeated, replicated all across the country," Scott said. "Socialism is in vogue in the Democrat Party. It is a sad day around the country for those who believe that the Democrat Party was going to have a comeback. They're not coming back. We're going to win, keep the majority, expand the majority all across the map."

Yet, the Democratic Party has claimed to be on the "offense" following gubernatorial wins in Virginia and New Jersey this year and after losing a ruby red Tennessee district by nine points in December's special election.

But Scott, who is the Republican spearheading efforts to maintain the Senate majority, said the buck doesn't stop at Crockett.

"The Democrats, you look at who's in their primaries – cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs," Scott said. "Michigan, a devastating manifestation. Three Democrats fighting tooth and nail to lose to Mike Rogers."

Michigan's Democratic Senate candidates include rising progressive star state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, Sen. Bernie Sanders-aligned Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens, who recently filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Cornyn said progressive candidates jumping into these Senate Democratic primaries prove the "Democratic Party has become the captive of the left wing," pointing to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's successful socialist campaign.

"Even people like Chuck Schumer have been hijacked by the Bernie Sanders and AOC wing of the Democratic Party," Cornyn said, referring to progressive star Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment regarding the implication that he is losing control of Senate Democrats.

Cornyn, who served as NRSC chair for two terms, said that groups, like the DSCC, are losing power as candidates can find national recognition and build their own coalition without the support of the organized political parties.

"The organized political parties have lost power because of the advent of Super PACs and all these various ways that people, even without political party support, can basically win these contested primaries, and together with those small turnout in the primaries and usually the most rabid activists, they elect people who are ultimately, and I hope, unelectable," Cornyn said.

And Kerr told Fox News Digital that the DSCC "has a very strong track record, but the political industry is moving away from parties being in control."

JASMINE CROCKETT USES TRUMP'S 'LOW IQ' INSULTS TO LAUNCH HER TEXAS SENATE CAMPAIGN IN DEBUT AD

"The formal party has less and less power every year that goes by. And individual candidates who are able to fundraise and communicate directly to hardcore Democrats are gaining more and more power relative to the party," Kerr said, arguing that the DSCC's "ability to slow or stop these candidates is diminishing over time."

When reached for comment, the DSCC pushed back on criticism that the Senate Democrats' campaign arm is losing control.

"The DSCC has one goal: to win a Democratic Senate majority," DSCC Spokesperson Maeve Coyle told Fox News Digital. "We’ve created a path to do that this cycle by recruiting formidable candidates and expanding the map, building strong general election infrastructure, and disqualifying Republican opponents – those are the strategies that led Senate Democrats to overperform in the last four election cycles, and it’s how we will flip the majority in 2026."

While Republicans are seizing on the messy Democratic primaries and accusing far-left candidates of running the party, Democratic commentator Kaivan Shroff, a Hillary Clinton campaign alum, told Fox News Digital that primaries can actually be a good thing, and as "a qualified rising star in the party whose seat was redistricted," Crockett deserves an opportunity to run.

But Shroff cautioned that it "cannot be a vicious, divisive primary where everything you don't like about the other candidate is a conspiracy or everything is blamed on the establishment."

The Democratic commentator applauded Texas state Rep. James Talarico for quickly affirming his commitment to treating Crockett "with the utmost respect" in the primary process.

"I think there's a great case that it's a net positive, even win or lose, that Crockett is in this race," Shroff said, particularly if the two candidates can debate on policy differences instead of just bashing Trump.

While traditional party structures seem less influential as candidates can build their own brand and coalition, Shroff said the party is lacking clear leadership to steer candidates through such ideological crossroads.

"We saw Nancy Pelosi be a really unique expert at that, and just how she handled the Squad when they first came on, AOC and that evolution was so unique. I don't know that we have a leader in the party that's able to show that sort of leadership at this time," Shroff said.

23 Dems join House Republicans to kill progressive’s Trump impeachment bid

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A lone progressive's effort to impeach President Donald Trump failed Thursday, with nearly two dozen Democrats joining the House GOP to quash it.

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, moved to get a vote on two articles of impeachment Wednesday night via a privileged resolution, a mechanism allowing lawmakers to force action on a bill within two legislative days.

Republicans called for a vote to table the measure on Thursday, a move that effectively kills consideration of the bill itself when a privileged resolution is called for.

Twenty-three Democrats joined Republicans in pushing the impeachment aside. A significant number of Democrats also voted "present," including all three senior leaders — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., and Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif.

DEM LAWMAKER SETS LITMUS TEST FOR PARTY WITH 5TH TRUMP IMPEACHMENT EFFORT 

"Impeachment is a sacred constitutional vehicle designed to hold a corrupt executive accountable for abuse of power, breaking the law and violating the public trust. The effort traditionally requires a comprehensive investigative process, the collection and review of thousands of documents, an exacting scrutiny of the facts, the examination of dozens of key witnesses, Congressional hearings, sustained public organizing and the marshaling of the forces of democracy to build a broad national consensus," the trio said in a statement explaining their vote.

"None of that serious work has been done, with the Republican majority focused solely on rubber stamping Donald Trump’s extreme agenda. Accordingly, we will be voting ‘present’ on today’s motion to table the impeachment resolution as we continue our fight to make life more affordable for everyday Americans."

The final vote fell 237 to 140, with 47 "present" votes.

Among the Democrats who voted to table the measure are Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., Josh Riley, D-N.Y., Jared Golden, D-Maine, Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., Sharice Davids, D-Kan., Don Davis, D-N.C., Shomari Figures, D-Ala., and others.

Green has filed articles of impeachment against Trump several times over the past year and notably was thrown out of the president's joint address to Congress in March for repeatedly interrupting his speech.

FOX NEWS POLITICS NEWSLETTER: AL GREEN'S PUSH TO IMPEACH TRUMP FLOPS

The latest impeachment push includes two articles charging abuse of power, according to legislative text viewed by Fox News Digital.

The first count accuses Trump of calling for the "execution" of six congressional Democrats. It was in response to Trump accusing those Democrats of "seditious behavior," which he said was "punishable by death" after they posted a video urging military service members to refuse illegal orders by the federal government.

The video caused a firestorm on the right, with the FBI opening an inquiry into those Democrats — who all defended their comments.

Green's second allegation of abuse of power charges Trump with having "fostered a political climate in which lawmakers and judges face threats of political violence and physical assault; and in this climate has made threats and vituperative comments against federal judges, putting at risk their safety and well-being, and undermining the independence of our judiciary."

But while the vast majority of Democrats have made no secret of their disdain and disagreements with Trump, it appears that few have the appetite to make a largely symbolic gesture toward impeachment.

Even Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has side-stepped questions on supporting impeachment multiple times this year, including most recently on Dec. 1 when asked about the military's double-tap strikes on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat in September.

"Republicans will never allow articles of impeachment to be brought to the floor of the House of Representatives. And we know that's the case, because Donald Trump will order them not to do it. So what's on the table is a meaningful investigation, which we can hope would be bipartisan," Jeffries said at the time.

Even if the impeachment vote were to move forward, it's all but certain that the GOP majority in the Senate would quickly dispense of it.

Congress melts down: Members unleash personal attacks after weeks of shutdown drama

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Let’s face it: Politics is personal. And you cannot separate the two on Capitol Hill.

Lawmakers may not have missed legislating during the government shutdown. But they sure missed attacking one another.

Yes, both chambers of Congress voted to reopen the government. That’s legislating. There were certainly a few bills of consequence on the House and Senate floors in September before the shutdown. 

There was a little bit in the Senate, which remained in session during the shutdown. There was the adoption of the measure to compel the release of the Epstein files.

EPSTEIN DOCUMENTS RAISE NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT TRUMP CONDUCT AS HE DENOUNCES DEMOCRATS

But prior to that, one must hustle all the way back to the Senate’s approval of the "big, beautiful bill" in June and the House in early July — plus the plan to defund foreign programs and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — to find Congress really engaging in legislation of consequence in 2025. 

So, what has the House of Representatives resorted to since it’s been back in session? Members taking on members. Even fellow lawmakers of their own party.

It’s gotten personal. And you don’t even have to be a voting member of the House to face the wrath of your colleagues.

There was an effort by Republicans to censure the non-voting Democratic member from the U.S. Virgin Islands to Congress, Del. Stacey Plaskett, for exchanging messages with Epstein in preparation for President Donald Trump’s first impeachment in 2019.

Trump loyalists in the House would find revenge on Paskett sweeter than Caribbean sugar cane. Plaskett served as one of the House’s impeachment "managers," prosecuting the House’s second impeachment case of Trump before the Senate in early 2021.

The measure to rebuke Plaskett failed. And, as a result, Democrats refrained from a similar censure effort for Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla.

That said, Democrats and some Republicans want to discipline Mills for two alleged transgressions. Democrats prepped a resolution in September to censure Mills for allegedly harassing and assaulting an ex-girlfriend in Washington, D.C. 

Mills contends he did nothing wrong.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., wants to censure Mills now. Mills provided a key vote earlier in 2025 to block the censure of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., over her remarks following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Some lawmakers also want House discipline for Mace after authorities claim she cursed and berated TSA workers and other employees at the Charleston, South Carolina, airport recently.  

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., is one of the most centrist members in the House. She prepped a rebuke of Rep. Chuy Garcia, D-Ill., in November. 

Garcia is retiring at the end of his term in early 2027. He filed for re-election but then decided at the last moment to step aside. 

The Illinois Democrat cited family-related health reasons and his family’s recent adoption of an 8-year-old boy. However, the only person who apparently knew about the Congressman’s plans was Patty Garcia, his chief of staff. 

Chuy Garcia is not related to Patty Garcia. However, she filed paperwork to run for the House seat with just moments to spare before the deadline. It turns out that Patty Garcia is the only one to file for the seat. That means Patty Garcia is practically a shoo-in for victory in the heavily Democratic seat. 

JOHNSON SAYS HE'S 'OPEN' TO CHANGING HOUSE CENSURE RULES AFTER WEEK OF POLITICAL DRAMA

The audacious move by Patty Garcia and Chuy Garcia gave critics fodder to chew on. They believed that the outgoing congressman pre-baked the ballot, delivering a political Walter Payton stiff-arm that blocked anyone else from running except his chief of staff.

Old-style Chicago machine politics haven’t been this brutal in the Windy City since they originally brewed Old Style beer.

Gluesenkamp Perez and others excoriated the sitting congressman, voting 236-183 to sanction him. Including Gluesenkamp Perez, 23 Democrats voted with all Republicans to dock Chuy Garcia.

So, it’s likely that voters will elect Patty Garcia as congresswoman-elect in the fall of 2026. But after the vote to sanction her old boss, winds blowing off of Lake Michigan would provide a warmer welcome for Patty Garcia to Capitol Hill when she prospectively takes office in January 2027.

Now there’s a move to sanction Rep. Shelia Cherfilus-McCormick D-Fla., after she was indicted for allegedly stealing $5 million in COVID-related health aid. 

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., prepped a resolution to expel Cherfilus-McCormick even though there’s been no trial. Cherfilus-McCormick says the indictment is a sham.

And we haven’t even discussed efforts earlier in 2025 to expel Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., after she was charged with allegedly assaulting ICE agents at a detention center in Newark, New Jersey, in the spring. McIver continues to serve and pleaded not guilty. 

This may only get worse.

Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.; Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; and Reps. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa;, Chris Deluzio, D-Pa.; Jason Crow, D-Colo.; and Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., faced criticism over a video in which they instructed service members to defy illegal orders. 

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has now launched an investigation into Kelly and threatened to recall the former astronaut to active duty to face military discipline.

And it’s not just member on member. The president also excoriated his arch-nemesis on the Republican side of the aisle, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., for getting married 16 months after the congressman’s first wife, Rhonda, died.

"Did Thomas Massie, sometimes referred to as Rand Paul Jr., because of the fact that he always votes against the Republican Party, get married already??? Boy, that was quick!" Trump posted to Truth Social in November. "Anyway, have a great life Thomas and (?). His wife will soon find out that she’s stuck with a LOSER!"

It’s now officially the holiday season. And few on Capitol Hill are truly extending tidings of good cheer to their congressional colleagues. It surely can’t get any worse, can it?

Well, we’re not even halfway through the 119th Congress. And after lengthy recesses in July, all of August, a portion of September — and for the House, all of October and some of November — lawmakers are just making up for lost time. The recriminations will keep coming.

Politicians have decided to make it personal. It’s easier to attack one another and score political points than legislate.

It’s not practical politics. Lawmakers just prefer personal politics.

Dem lawmaker sets litmus test for party with 5th Trump impeachment effort

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Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, announced that he would submit articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Thursday morning, framing the vote as a sort of litmus test for his party on its opposition to the administration.

"There will be articles of impeachment filed before the Christmas break. This, I pledge," Green said. "We have to participate. This is a participatory democracy. The impeachment requires the hands and the guidance of all of us."

ANTI-TRUMP NETWORK BEHIND MASS PROTESTS CRACKS OPEN WAR CHEST AGAINST DEMS WHO BACKED REOPENING GOVERNMENT

He confirmed he would introduce the motion as privileged, a status that forces its consideration within two legislative days. The motion can be tabled before the impeachment itself comes to a vote.

Green also said he and other advocates would hold a peaceful protest at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday.

The announcement of Green’s impeachment effort — his fifth set of filed articles — comes as the Democrat base in Congress has wrestled with how to effectively fight Trump.

Some in the more progressive wing of the party have spoken out against figures like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., over Senate Democrats’ failing to secure concessions out of a 43-day government shutdown. Even before the shutdown, other figures in the party, like Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, had called for new party leadership in Congress to more effectively put up resistance to Republican momentum in Congress.

REPUBLICANS TORCH ANTI-TRUMP 'NO KINGS' PROTESTS, SAY DEMS FEAR ANGERING LEFTISTS IN SHUTDOWN FIGHT

Dave Mytych, outreach lead at For Liberation and Resistance Everywhere (FLARE), called out congressional Democrat leadership by name on Thursday. He joined Green at the press conference.

"This is what the American people want. They want fighters that hold the line. Democrats, are you listening? Leader Schumer, are you listening? Leader Jeffries, are you listening?" Mytych said.

The House of Representatives has impeached Trump twice before — once in 2019 over abuse of power charges and again in 2021 for inciting an insurrection. In both cases, the U.S. Senate voted to dismiss the charges. 

When asked if he believed this most recent impeachment attempt would reflect poorly on Jeffries and Schumer if they failed to support the measure, Green dodged the question. He said that as many as 80 members have supported his efforts in the past.

MIKE JOHNSON, INFURIATED BY DEMS, SAYS PARTY 'PLAYING POLITICS' WITH AMERICANS' LIVES AS SHUTDOWN CONTINUES

"Here's my perspective. I believe in the Constitution," Green answered. "People who vote to table the articles are voting against impeachment."

Green did not expound on what specific counts of impeachment he would file.

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

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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.

RESURFACED SOCIAL MEDIA POST COMES BACK TO HAUNT DISGRACED DEM AG NOMINEE: 'DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT'

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.

JAY JONES’ ‘TWO BULLETS’ SCANDAL OVER VIOLENT TEXTS EXPECTED TO DOMINATE VIRGINIA AG DEBATE

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."

LIBERAL MEDIA DOWNPLAYS SCANDAL OF DEM VIRGINIA AG HOPEFUL JAY JONES' TEXTS FANTASIZING MURDER OF GOP LAWMAKER

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.

JOE SCARBOROUGH TELLS DEM CANDIDATE JAY JONES TO LEAVE RACE OVER VIOLENT COMMENTS AGAINST GOP LAWMAKER

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.

DEMOCRATS UNDER FIRE FOR STANDING BY VIRGINIA AG HOPEFUL WHO JOKED ABOUT SHOOTING GOP RIVAL

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’

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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.

YOUNGKIN SAYS DEMOCRAT AG CANDIDATE JAY JONES MUST 'STEP AWAY IN DISGRACE’ OVER TEXTS ABOUT FORMER GOP LEADER

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.

JAY JONES SAID IF MORE POLICE WERE KILLED IT WOULD REDUCE SHOOTINGS OF CIVILIANS, ACCORDING TO VIRGINIA LAWMAKER

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.

YOUNGKIN PRESSES DEMS TO PUSH JAY JONES OFF VIRGINIA AG TICKET AFTER 'BEYOND DISQUALIFYING' MESSAGES SURFACE

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’

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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.

HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE RELEASES THOUSANDS OF EPSTEIN DOCUMENTS

"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.

FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SAYS SHE 'NEVER HAD A CONCERN' ABOUT BIDEN'S MENTAL STATE AS HOUSE PROBE HEATS UP

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

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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!!!

REP. JASMINE CROCKETT CALLS TRUMP A 'PIECE OF S---' DURING LIBERAL RALLY

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. 

TRUMP CHALLENGES AOC AND JASMINE CROCKETT TO INTELLIGENCE TEST AFTER CALLING THEM 'VERY LOW IQ'

"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

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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.

SENATOR SAYS BALTIMORE ICE FACILITY HIDES ‘EVIL PERSISTING IN DARKNESS’ AFTER DEMS TRY NEWARK REDUX

"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.

GRAHAM MOCKS DEMOCRATS AS DEA CHIEF PICK CONFIRMS MS-13 GANG TATTOOS

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.

DEMOCRATS CELEBRATE RETURN OF SUSPECTED HUMAN TRAFFICKER KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA

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.