Category: fox-news/newsedge/politics

AG Garland flips out at GOP lawmaker over accusations of anti-Catholic bias: ‘Outrageous’

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Attorney General Merrick Garland was visibly outraged by accusations that he has operated the Justice Department with an anti-Catholic bias on Wednesday.

Garland testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, facing questions from Republicans relating to the investigation of Hunter Biden and other hot-button issues. Rep. Jefferson Van Drew, R-N.J., had a particularly contentious exchange regarding the Justice Department's handling of investigations into Catholic and pro-life groups.

"Do you agree that traditional Catholics are violent extremists, yes or no?" Van Drew asked after listing a series of incidents of alleged anti-Catholic or anti-Christian bias.

"I would be happy to answer all of those," Garland began before being cut off.

PURPORTED FBI DOCUMENT SUGGESTS AGENCY MAY BE TARGETING CATHOLICS WHO ATTEND LATIN MASS

"Attorney General, I control the time. I'm gonna ask you to answer the questions I ask," Van Drew said.

"You control time by asking me a substantial number of things?" Garland scoffed.

BIDEN ADMIN HIRES SCAR TO MONITOR SCHOOL BOOK BAN: ‘THREAT’ TO STUDENTS

"Attorney General, though the chair, I ask you do you agree that traditional Catholics are violent extremists?" Van Drew repeated.

"I have no idea what ‘traditional’ means here," Garland said before becoming animated. "The idea that someone with my family background would discriminate against any religion is so outrageous – so absurd that you would ask me that question."

Garland comes from a family of Jewish immigrants who fled antisemitism in Eastern Europe in the early 20th century.

"It was your FBI that did this. It was your FBI that was sending – and we have the memos, we have the emails – undercover agents into Catholic churches," Van Drew asserted.

GOP REP. CALLS FOR MERRICK GARLAND'S IMPEACHMENT OVER ROLE IN BIDEN'S ‘COVERUP’: HE'S THE ‘HEAD OF THE SNAKE’

"Both I and the director of the FBI have said that we were appalled by that memo," Garland said.

The pair then spoke over each other for an extended period, with Van Drew repeatedly asking, "Are they extremists or not, attorney general?"

"Catholics are not extremists, no," Garland ultimately said in a frustrated tone.

Garland went on to say that parents attending school board meetings should "of course" not be considered a domestic terror threat, as they had apparently been categorized in a past memo.

The heated exchange arose from an internal FBI memo that leaked to the public earlier this year. The memo suggested there may be a public threat posed by Catholics who attend Latin Mass, express a preference for pre-Vatican II teachings, or endorse Catholic doctrine on sex and marriage.

Garland had several tense exchanges with lawmakers during his testimony before the Judiciary Committee. Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, grilled the Biden appointee over the DOJ's handling of the investigation into Hunter Biden's dealings with Burisma in Ukraine.

The hearing focused on GOP allegations of bias by Biden's DOJ, allegations that Garland fervently denied.

AG Garland slaps down 2 tiers of justice narrative in opening statement ahead of House testimony

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Attorney General Merrick Garland will target the narrative that Democrats benefit from a two-tiered justice system in his opening statement before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

Republicans across the country have pointed to Hunter Biden's case as a prime example of such a system, contrasting his treatment with that of former President Trump. Excerpts of Garland's planned remarks obtained by Fox News Digital show the Biden appointee will reject allegations of bias, as well as go on to chide unnamed figures for "singling out" career officials for public criticism.

"Our job is to uphold the rule of law. That means that we apply the same laws to everyone. There is not one set of laws for the powerful and another for the powerless; one for the rich, another for the poor; one for Democrats, another for Republicans; or different rules, depending upon one’s race or ethnicity or religion," Garland plans to say.

"Our job is to pursue justice, without fear or favor. Our job is not to do what is politically convenient. Our job is not to take orders from the president, from Congress, or from anyone else, about who or what to criminally investigate. As the President himself has said, and I reaffirm here today: I am not the President’s lawyer. I will also add that I am not Congress’s prosecutor," the remarks continue.

BIDEN CLAIMS HE WAS ‘RAISED’ IN SYNAGOGUES, ADDING TO EVER-GROWING LIST OF EXAGGERATED BACKGROUND CLAIMS

"The Justice Department works for the American people. Our job is to follow the facts and the law, wherever they lead. And that is what we do. All of us at the Justice Department recognize that with this work comes public scrutiny, criticism, and legitimate oversight. These are appropriate and important given the gravity of the matters before the Department. But singling out individual career public servants who are just doing their jobs is dangerous – particularly at a time of increased threats to the safety of public servants and their families. We will not be intimidated. We will do our jobs free from outside interference. And we will not back down from defending our democracy," he plans to say.

GOP REP. CALLS FOR MERRICK GARLAND'S IMPEACHMENT OVER ROLE IN BIDEN'S ‘COVERUP’: HE'S THE ‘HEAD OF THE SNAKE’

At Wednesday's hearing, led by committee chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, members plan to examine how the Justice Department became "politicized and weaponized under the leadership of Attorney General Merrick Garland."

The committee has been investigating the alleged politicization of the DOJ throughout the Biden administration. Most recently, IRS whistleblowers came to Congress to testify that prosecutorial decisions made throughout the yearslong federal investigation into Hunter Biden have been influenced by politics.

BIDEN ADMIN HIRES SCAR TO MONITOR SCHOOL BOOK BAN: ‘THREAT’ TO STUDENTS

However, Democrats have complained that Republicans are stealing the "two-tiered" terminology from the civil rights movement.

"Since January 6th, these Republicans and Trump have complained about a two-tier justice system, co-opting the language of the decades-long civil rights movement for Black lives and Black freedom," Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., said in a July hearing.

"There is a two-tier justice system, but it’s not about Democrats versus Republican," Frost continued. "This language, two-tier justice system, has a real history. It has a real history of Emmitt Till. It has a real history with Breonna Taylor. It has a real history with George Floyd, the Central Park Five."

Garland is scheduled to testify Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. ET.

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Former long-serving House Republican sentenced to 22 months in prison for insider trading

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A former Republican lawmaker was sentenced to 22 months in prison for insider trading on Tuesday.

Stephen Buyer, 64, who served as a U.S. representative from Indiana from 1993 to 2011, was convicted earlier this year for operating off insider information after leaving office. In addition to incarceration, Buyer was ordered to forfeit the $354,027 he had gained with the trades in addition to a $10,000 fine.

Buyer's conviction arose from his purchase of stocks in Navigant, a management company that one of Buyer's clients, Guidehouse, was set to purchase weeks later. He also purchased shares of Sprint after learning of the company's non-public plans to merge with T-Mobile.

"Stephen Buyer was convicted by a jury of twice engaging in insider trading. He abused positions of trust for illicit personal gain, and today he faced justice for those acts. No insider trader is above the law, and we will continue to bring those who undermine the fairness and integrity of our markets to justice," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement Tuesday.

INDIANAPOLIS HAIRDRESSER REPORTEDLY KILLED IN MURDER-SUICIDE BY ‘JEALOUS’ EX-BOYFRIEND

Buyer,64, is scheduled to report to prison on November 28.

INDIANA MAN GETS 41 YEARS FOR VAN CRASH THAT KILLED 6-YEAR-OLD

U.S. District Judge Richard Berman also accused Buyer of obstruction of justice for providing false explanations for his trades to the court.

Buyer, a lawyer and Persian Gulf War veteran once chaired the House Veterans’ Affairs committee and was a House prosecutor at then-President Bill Clinton’s 1998 impeachment trial.

Buyer's lawyers had urged Berman to limit his sentence to home confinement and community service.

Prior to sentencing, the defense told the court that Buyer, who once made as much as $2.2 million in a year, has suffered so much from the cost of litigation that he and his wife have sold most of their assets, including their home, condo and two cars, and his wife will have to return to the workforce at age 65.

Prosecutors had previously pushed for Buyer to pay an additional $1.4 million to cover the cost of legal fees for both sides, but the judge ruled against it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

House Republican moves to protect gun owners’ rights from ‘radical left’ national emergency declarations

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Texas Rep. Michael Cloud re-introduced a bill Tuesday that would prohibit the president and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from declaring public health emergencies to enforce gun control measures. 

If enacted, the Protecting the Right To Keep and Bear Arms Act would also prevent government officials from restricting the production, sale or transfer of firearms and ammunition during major disasters or emergencies, "thereby preventing them from illicitly using public health authority."

"For a long time, radical left politicians have been open about their willingness to use executive authority and rob Americans of their Second Amendment rights," Cloud said in a statement.

The bill comes as some Democrat politicians have declared public health emergencies due to gun violence. 

HOUSE REPUBLICANS PUSH TO CONDEMN NEW MEXICO GOV FOR 'BLATANTLY VIOLATING' SECOND AMENDMENT

Last week, Democrat New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham tried to enact an immediate 30-day prohibition on carrying firearms in public areas or on state-owned properties in Albuquerque, calling gun violence a public health crisis.

"That is unacceptable, and it is Congress’ duty to prevent it," Cloud said. "The Biden administration, Gov. Grisham, and others have exercised extraordinary executive power to push their liberal agenda and expand the power of the government. My bill would push back against any infringement on the Second Amendment and prevent the federal government from gaming the system to implement sweeping gun control regulations."

A judge blocked Lujan Grisham’s 30-day gun ban on open and concealed weapons, leading the governor to amend the rule to restrict firearms at public parks or playgrounds, "where we know we have high risk of kids and families," she said, ABC reported.

NEW MEXICO DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR'S SWEEPING GUN ORDER HITS MAJOR TEMPORARY ROADBLOCK

A GOP resolution introduced in the House last week would condemn Lujan Grisham in response to her emergency order. Republicans, some Democrats and Second Amendment advocates have heavily criticized Lujan Grisham, arguing the order infringes on Americans' constitutional rights.

"This instance of New Mexico's tyrant governor using a 'public health emergency' to unilaterally suspend the Second Amendment is just the latest example of public officials illegally using 'emergency powers' to infringe on constitutional rights," Aidan Johnston, director of federal affairs for Gun Owners of America, said in a statement.

He added, "We saw countless similar examples during the COVID pandemic, and lawmakers must act with a sense of urgency to ensure that President Biden and his anti-gun administration do not attempt something similar to these examples on a national level."

NEW MEXICO REPUBLICANS BELIEVE DEMOCRATS WILL BACK IMPEACHMENT OF LEFT-WING GOVERNOR OVER 'ROGUE' GUN ORDER

Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., also support Cloud's bill and criticized Grisham's move to ban open firearms. 

In May, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra labeled gun violence a "public health crisis" following a mass shooting at an Atlanta medical office building. Earlier, California officials had written a letter urging Becerra to formally recognize it as a public health emergency.

Newsom justifies Hunter Biden business deals, says using family to ‘get a little influence’ is ‘hardly unique’

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom brushed off allegations of Hunter Biden's corrupt business dealings on Monday, saying it is "hardly unique" for people to use their family members to get ahead.

Newsom made the comment in an interview with CNN that aired Monday. The California governor defended the Biden family on issues ranging from Hunter's businesses to President Biden's age.

"One of the things that Republicans are relentless on, of course, is Hunter Biden," CNN host Dana Bash began. "There is no evidence that Joe Biden benefited from anything that Hunter was doing, but Republicans have shown that Hunter Biden – he tried to leverage his father's name, and that the president allegedly before he was president joined phone calls that Hunter Biden's business associates were on. Do you see anything inappropriate there?"

"I don't know enough about the details of that. I mean I've seen a little of that," Newsom responded. "If that's the new criteria, there are a lot of folks in a lot of industries – not just in politics – where people have family members and relationships and they're trying to parlay and get a little influence and benefit in that respect. That's hardly unique."

BIDEN'S NIECE UPDATED HUNTER'S COMPANY ON CHINESE SOVEREIGN WEALTH FUND DURING STINT AT TREASURY: EMAILS

"I don't love that any more than you love it or other people I imagine love that. We want to see a lot less of that, but an impeachment inquiry? Give me a break," he continued.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES SAYS IT HAS 5,000 EMAILS POTENTIALLY LINKED TO ALLEGED BIDEN PSEUDONYM: LAWSUIT

"Threatening a government shutdown again after we went through that process with the debt ceiling. This is student government," he added. "This is a joke. Ready, fire, aim. I mean, this is a perversity that the founding fathers never conceived of and imagined. So, if that’s the best they can do, give me a break. That’s about public opinion."

Meanwhile, Hunter's legal team has filed a lawsuit against the IRS, claiming the agency "targeted and sought to embarrass" him by exposing his tax returns to the public.

Hunter's legal opponents claim the tactic is merely an attempt to shift attention away from his own legal troubles, which involve a felony gun charge.

BIDEN BREAKS SILENCE ON POSSIBLE IMPEACHMENT, BLAMES GOP DESIRE TO 'SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT'

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has also launched an impeachment inquiry into the president relating to his alleged involvement in his son's business deals. Republicans point to statements Hunter has made, phone calls, and dinners Biden attended as evidence that he was aware of what his son was doing.

Biden has brushed off the impeachment inquiry, however, suggesting it was a tactic by Republicans aimed at making a government shutdown more likely.

GOP border hawks fear Mayorkas could be let off the hook thanks to Biden impeachment inquiry

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Some House Republicans fear that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas may get off the hook for his alleged mishandling of the U.S. border due to the new impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

While House Republicans are overwhelmingly in favor of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's newly announced impeachment inquiry, the House Oversight Committee has also been digging into Mayorkas for months. Lawmakers have repeatedly blasted the Biden administration official for his role in the ongoing crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.

"With Mayorkas, it grows worse and worse by the day," Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said Monday. "I am worried that it’s going to go by the wayside."

Other members of the Oversight Committee and Homeland Security Committee have echoed the sentiment.

HOUSE HOMELAND GOP REPORT ACCUSES MAYORKAS OF ‘INTENTIONAL’ DERELICTION OF DUTY OVER BORDER CRISIS

"This does shift the focus in our long-standing efforts to hold the administration accountable for the failures of the southern border," Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Punchbowl News.

GOP REPS TENNEY, ROY LEAD PUSH TO REDUCE MAYORKAS' SALARY TO $1 OVER BORDER CRISIS

Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, admitted to the outlet that it would be "tough" to impeach Biden and Mayorkas at the same time.

Fellow Texas Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson said he hopes the party does not "get too distracted" with Biden's proceedings and let Mayorkas off easy.

Earlier in September, the House Homeland Security Committee released a report accusing Mayorkas of ceding control of the southern border to Mexican cartels.

WHITE HOUSE BLASTS GOP FOR LOOMING SHUTDOWN, SAYS IT COULD HURT FENTANYL FIGHT

Committee Chairman Mark Green launched an investigation into Mayorkas’ conduct and handling of the southern border crisis earlier this year, as the DHS chief faced a barrage of criticism from Republicans over the border crisis that has seen record encounters at the border, where encounters remain high.

"The massive increase in the number of people now traveling up through Mexico on their way to the Southwest border represents a historic business opportunity for the cartels, as each person is someone off whom they can profit," the report said, also finding that the surge of individuals has taken Border Patrol agents off the beat to process migrants instead, leaving broad stretches of the border open to cartel exploitation.

"Americans must understand the sheer control these organizations exert over the flow of illegal aliens and illicit drugs across the Southwest border, and how they profit from it all. The cartels control smuggling routes throughout Mexico and exert near-complete control on the movement of individuals through that country, particularly at and near the Southwest border," the report continued.

Mayorkas has rejected accusations of wrongdoing, however, pointing to the Biden administration's efforts to combat fentanyl smuggling and transnational gangs.

"We seized nearly 2 million pounds of narcotics last fiscal year. Operations Blue, Lotus and Four Horsemen alone stopped nearly 10,000 pounds of fentanyl from the U.S., led to 284 arrests, and yielded invaluable insights into the transnational criminal organizations wreaking this death and destruction on our communities," Mayorkas told lawmakers in July.

Speaker McCarthy predicts Trump will be GOP nominee, slams DeSantis as ‘not at the same level’

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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy predicted former President Trump will win the 2024 Republican presidential primary race on Sunday, bashing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as "not at the same level."

McCarthy made the comments during an appearance on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" with host Maria Bartiromo. McCarthy has previously remained neutral in the GOP primary, declining to endorse Trump in July. 

"I think he will be the nominee," McCarthy said about Trump after Bartiromo asked if he thought the former president would be the party's choice for 2024. "The thing is, President Trump is stronger today than he was in 2016 or 2020, and there's a reason why. They saw the policies of what he was able to do with America – putting America first, making our economy stronger."

HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY ANNOUNCES FORMAL IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AGAINST PRESIDENT BIDEN

"We didn't have inflation. We didn't have these battles around the world. We didn't look weak around the world," he added.

"Well it looks like Ron DeSantis is now trying to work with your colleagues who are pushing for a shutdown," Bartiromo said.

BIDEN BREAKS SILENCE ON POSSIBLE IMPEACHMENT, BLAMES GOP DESIRE TO 'SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT'

"I don't think that would work anywhere. A shutdown would only give strength to the Democrats," McCarthy said. "It would give the power to Biden. It wouldn't pay our troops. It wouldn't pay our border agents."

"I actually want to achieve something, and this is where President Trump is so smart, that he was successful in this." McCarthy continued. "President Trump is beating Biden right now in the polls. He is stronger than he has ever been in this process, and, look, I served with Ron DeSantis – he's not at the same level as President Trump by any shape or form. He would not have gotten elected without President Trump's endorsement."

While McCarthy's comments do not amount to an official endorsement of Trump, they are a clear message of friendship to the former president. McCarthy had previously offended the Trump campaign with another television appearance in June.

THE SPEAKER’S LOBBY: ELECTION STRATEGY IF 2024 IS A TRUMP VS. BIDEN REMATCH

In that instance, he told CNBC that he was not sure whether Trump was the best candidate to defeat Biden. He soon apologized to Trump and recanted, sending out an email fundraiser declaring Trump to be "the STRONGEST opponent to Biden."

McCarthy's compliment to Trump comes as he faces down ardent Trump allies in the House Freedom Caucus over the ongoing budget deal.

It is unclear whether the HFC will budge, however, as several members held up McCarthy's own speakership despite Trump's endorsement.

Planned Parenthood announces return of abortion in Wisconsin after key court ruling

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Planned Parenthood will resume offering abortion services to women in Wisconsin following a key court ruling against existing abortion restrictions in the state.

Planned Parenthood's clinics in Milwaukee and Madison had previously been forced to close due to the state government attempting to use an 1849 law to ban abortions. A state judge ruled that the law does not, in fact, apply to abortions, paving the way for providers to resume services.

"With patients and community as our central priority and driving force, we are eager to resume abortion services and provide this essential care to people in our State," Tanya Atkinson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, said in a Thursday statement. 

"With the recent confirmation from the Court that there is not an enforceable abortion ban in Wisconsin, our staff can now provide the full scope of sexual and reproductive health care to anyone in Wisconsin who needs it, no matter what," she continued.

WASHINGTON POST COLUMNIST CALLS OUT FACT-CHECKERS OVER CLAIM DEMOCRATS DON’T SUPPORT ABORTION UP UNTIL BIRTH

Abortions will resume at the pair of Wisconsin clinics on Monday.

The 1849 law in question bans the killing of fetuses, something that Republican leaders in the state argued applied to abortion. Dane County Circuit Judge Diane Schlipper disagreed, however, ruling this summer that "consensual medical abortions" do not constitute killing a fetus.

PSAKI REPEATS CLAIM THAT DEMS DON’T SUPPORT ABORTION UNTIL BIRTH: ‘ENTIRELY MISLEADING’

Instead, Schlipper interpreted the law to ban an intentional attack on a mother with the goal of killing a fetus.

"There is no such thing as an ‘1849 Abortion Ban’ in Wisconsin," she wrote in her ruling.

Democratic Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers had attempted to overturn the 1849 ban via a repeal bill, but the Republican-held legislature refused to take up the legislation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Hunter Biden sues former WH aid for altering, publishing ‘pornographic’ photos from ‘laptop’ he still denies

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Hunter Biden filed a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump aide Garrett Ziegler on Wednesday, alleging that Ziegler had violated federal computer laws by hacking into the now-infamous laptop that was left in a Delaware repair shop in 2019.

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

Ziegler’s company website claims to be a nonprofit research group "exposing corruption & blackmail." The website has several sections pertaining to Biden’s laptop, including his emails, text messages, phone calls and financial data that culminates into a massive "online searchable database."

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

FBI AGENT INVOLVED IN HUNTER BIDEN PROBE DOES NOT BELIEVE POLITICS WERE INVOLVED

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

"Defendants not only admit to accessing, tampering with, manipulating and copying Plaintiff’s data from their claimed Plaintiff’s ‘laptop’ computer without Plaintiff’s authorization or consent, they regularly brag about their illegal activities in interviews with members of the media, on social media, and on right-wing podcasts," they wrote.

Attorneys argue data on the laptop — which included bank and credit card records — was backed up on Biden’s iCloud.

Thus, the lawsuit alleges Ziegler and his associates hacked into the storage "by circumventing technical or code-based barriers that were specifically designed and intended to prevent such access" and significantly "tampered with, manipulated, damaged and copied" the data without Biden’s permission.

BIDEN'S NIECE UPDATED HUNTER'S COMPANY ON CHINESE SOVEREIGN WEALTH FUND DURING STINT AT TREASURY: EMAILS

Ziegler "required more time and effort than uploading photos from Plaintiff’s data because Defendants needed ‘to use AI tools’ on the data as part of their purported efforts to 'censor' portions of videos that Defendants consider to be ‘pornographic,’" the lawsuit states.

Ziegler said in a statement to Politico that either he nor his company "have been served with any lawsuit."

"But the one I read this morning out of the Central District of California should embarrass Winston & Strawn LLP," he wrote.

"Apart from the numerous state and federal laws and regulations which protect authors like me and the publishing that Marco Polo does, it’s not lost on us that Joe’s son filed this SLAPP one day after an Impeachment inquiry into his father was announced."

According to the court filings, Biden’s team is requesting a jury trial based on the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and California's Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act.

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE LEAVES DURING A QUESTION ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN

The federal law prohibits various forms of computer-related activities such as hacking, unauthorized access, and the distribution of malicious software, while the state law provides legal protections against unauthorized access, use, or manipulation of computer data within California. Both carry lengthy sentences if convicted. 

Prior to this suit, Biden had already taken steps to punch back in the courtroom over the contested laptop, which some of his attorneys argue may not belong to him.

In March, he initiated a countersuit, asserting that the Wilmington repair shop owner, John Pul Mac Isaac, had unlawfully disseminated Biden's personal information, and leveled six invasion of privacy charges against him. Mac Isaac first filed a lawsuit against the president’s son — as well as CNN, Politico, and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.— in October 2022 for defamation.

According to Mac Isaac, Biden did not return for the laptop within three months days after dropping it off, and he could not be reached. He then alerted the FBI after seeing emails on the laptop illustrating information about then-Vice President Joe Biden’s purported foreign business dealings and videos of Biden taking drugs and performing sex acts with prostitutes.

Before federal agents picked up the laptop, Mac Isaac made a copy of its hard drive and gave it to Trump’s campaign lawyer Rudy Giuliani the following year.

Biden was expected to plead guilty in July to two misdemeanor tax counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax as part of a plea deal to avoid jail time on a felony gun charge. Instead, he pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and one felony gun charge last month.

McCarthy exasperated with fellow Republicans on funding fight: ‘I’m not quite sure what they want’

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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy expressed exasperation with a small group of his fellow Republicans on Thursday, saying he is not sure what they want to get out of ongoing funding negotiations.

House lawmakers are debating funding for the Department of Defense this week, and McCarthy claims he has members who have "no complaint" about the bill but still oppose it. Meanwhile, members of the House Freedom Caucus (HFC) say they have made their demands clear and blame GOP leadership for refusing to go toe-to-toe with Democrats in a government shutdown.

"Yeah, I don't understand how members, they have no complaint about the DOD bill. But they don't want to pass it. I got a small group of members who don't want to vote for CR, don't want to vote for individual bills and don't want to vote for an Omni. I’m not quite sure what they want," McCarthy told Punchbowl News on Thursday.

WHITE HOUSE SENDS LETTER TO MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS DEMANDING ‘SCRUTINY’ OF REPUBLICANS AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

McCarthy made the public comment ahead of a private meeting with fellow Republicans. After the meeting, McCarthy told reporters that he "showed frustration" with his colleagues.

"Nobody wins in a government shutdown. Nobody wins. I've been here. But what we want to do is we want to be able to win the policies that we've been fighting for and telling the American public we want to make sure our border becomes secure. We want to stop the runaway spending," he said.

McCarthy went on to say he is not concerned about threats from a handful of Republicans to file a motion to vacate against him.

"If it takes a fight, I'll have a fight," he said.

HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY ANNOUNCES FORMAL IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AGAINST PRESIDENT BIDEN

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, responded to McCarthy during a radio appearance with Glenn Beck on Thursday just after the closed-door meeting. He referenced demands about border security and President Biden's use of the federal bureaucracy.

"I just came out of a Republican conference meeting, and it wasn't where I wanted it to be," Roy said of the negotiations. "Your Republican conference, all too happy to campaign on border security, won't do a damn thing about it."

"We have to use the power of the purse to force change. So we are trying to force Kevin and the leadership of the Republican conference to understand that now's the time to force Biden to come to the table. They're so afraid of a shutdown that they are unwilling to, you know, stand up and lock arms and tell President Biden, ‘No more,'" he added.

Roy's office has previously pointed to a letter from the HFC last month detailing their demands for the budget battle. It said they will oppose any budget move that does not include the House-passed "Secure the Border Act of 2023," address the "weaponization" of the Justice Department and FBI, as well as end "the Left's cancerous woke policies in the Pentagon."

WAPO COLUMNIST ARGUES BIDEN 'TOO OLD' TO RUN AGAIN, SHOULD HAVE STOPPED HUNTER'S 'ATTEMPTS TO IMPRESS CLIENTS'

McCarthy emerged from Thursday morning's contentious meeting and announced that the House will reconvene next week and will not leave until the government has been funded.

McCarthy's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

The Republican in-fighting comes just days after McCarthy announced an impeachment inquiry against Biden, a long-sought priority for HFC members.

Fox News' Kelly Phares contributed to this report