Category: fox-news/person/joe-biden

Trump hit for hiring loyalists like Pam Bondi: Doesn’t every president do that?

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

It’s spat out like a dirty word.

Donald Trump – take a deep breath – is hiring loyalists.

The president-elect – can you imagine?? – is nominating people he knows will support him. He’s used plenty of curse words, but nothing said by the media is more disdainful than loyalists.

TRUMP DROPPED MATT GAETZ AFTER COMPLAINING ABOUT HIGH POLITICAL COST OF DEFENDING HIM

Now stop and think: Doesn’t every president hire loyalists? 

Didn’t Joe Biden surround himself with folks who had been with him for decades? Ron Klain, Steve Richetti and Tom Donilon created a protective bubble around the president. But few, if any, prognosticators dismissed them as loyalists.

Why? The press generally approved of Biden’s picks, including Tony Blinken; the non-communicative Lloyd Austin (who didn’t tell the boss about his cancer surgery), and the equally non-communicative Janet Yellen. The only person who stood out for great TV skills was Pete Buttigieg, the former presidential candidate and outgoing Transportation secretary.

It’s hardly a recent development. George Washington took a team-of-rivals approach, naming Thomas Jefferson secretary of state and Alexander Hamilton as treasury secretary. So did Abraham Lincoln, with Salmon Chase as treasury secretary and William Seward as secretary of war.

But if Trump picks people he expects to support him, the knee-jerk media reaction is that they’re dangerous to the country and will run roughshod over the rule of law.

Trump didn’t make much use of his Cabinet in his first term and I doubt he will this time, except for a handful of top positions. Besides, he runs the show. Any Cabinet member who strays off the reservation can get fired, "Apprentice"-style. Serving at the pleasure of the president and all that.

HACKER OBTAINS HOUSE ETHICS TESTIMONY ON MATT GAETZ AS TRUMP MAKES CALLS FOR AG NOMINEE

For what it’s worth, Trump wound up with an ideologically balanced Cabinet. The first wave – from Marco Rubio as secretary of state to a spate of current and former members of Congress – is generally impressive.

But then there was the fiasco over Matt Gaetz, now charging hundreds of dollars for Cameo videos, and such controversial nominees as Pete Hegseth, RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. And also Dr. Oz. Not to mention animosity toward pro-union Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as labor secretary.

It’s quite obvious that the president-elect likes people he’s seen on TV, and he watches a lot of Fox News.

But consider: Jen Psaki and Symone Sanders-Townsend were both CNN contributors when they joined the Biden campaign and then held top jobs in the White House. Now they’re hosting or co-hosting shows on MSNBC. Nobody bats an eye because they’re viewed as good guys joining the right team.

From Fox, Trump has picked Army combat veteran Hegseth; ex-Congressman Sean Duffy, a FOX Business co-host, and two frequent medical commentators. 

What’s fascinating is the way many in the media have turned on Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general and career prosecutor who possesses the experience Gaetz lacked. 

TRUMP, DEFYING MEDIA PREDICTIONS, MAINLY PICKS SEASONED CAPITOL HILL VETERANS SUCH AS MARCO RUBIO

Sure, Bondi has said plenty of partisan things over the years, such as "prosecuting the prosecutors," then quickly adding, "the bad ones." She was part of Trump’s first impeachment legal team and then ran the legal arm of a pro-Trump PAC.

Bondi was passed over in the first Trump term because she accepted a $25,000 campaign donation from Trump’s foundation while her office was conducting a probe of Trump University (itself a mess). 

In 2013, Bondi accepted a $25,000 campaign donation from Trump’s foundation at the same time her office was conducting a fraud investigation into Trump University. 

"Her acceptance of the donation coincided with her decision not to bring fraud charges against Trump University," says MSNBC legal analyst Barbara McQuade. No evidence of a quid pro quo emerged. And a Florida ethics panel cleared her of any wrongdoing. But that’s old news now.

"Bondi has shown a taste for vengeance herself — at the 2016 Republican National Convention, Bondi embraced chants of ‘lock her up,’" McQuade says. "Even joking about jailing a political opponent is an insult to the rule of law."   

But wait – didn’t Barack Obama’s AG, Eric Holder, describe himself as the president’s "wingman"? There’s clearly a different standard for Democrats. 

Rachel Maddow producer Steve Benen says Bondi "falsely accused then-special counsel Robert Mueller of leading a ‘corrupt’ investigation that was "worse than Watergate.’" 

On the other hand, Dave Aronberg, now state’s attorney for Palm Beach County, lost his race to challenge Bondi as AG, but she hired him anyway as drug czar. "She’s someone who believes in the rule of law..I do not believe she will be Matt Gaetz 2.0. She is not going to burn it all down."

I suppose it comes down to a question of trust. The pro-Kamala media refuse to give many Trump nominees the benefit of the doubt. Bondi has criticized the weaponization of the DOJ. You might even call her a loyalist. 

But she will be the new attorney general, and that will be the ultimate test.

Trump, defying media predictions, mainly picks seasoned Capitol Hill veterans such as Marco Rubio

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

The media warned for months that Donald Trump would have "no guardrails" in a second term, and would probably hand out top positions to a bunch of right-wing crazies.

Instead, he picked Marco Rubio yesterday as secretary of State, a 14-year Senate veteran and son of Cuban immigrants who has been informally advising him on foreign policy.

MEDIA LIBERALS SAVAGE KAMALA AS TRUMP PICKS EXPERIENCED HARD-LINERS

The president-elect has also tapped a number of Hill veterans who are conventional conservatives, agree with him on key issues and could just as easily have been named by Mitt Romney.

Also yesterday, Trump selected Kristi Noem, the South Dakota governor, as Homeland Security secretary, after she overcame the dog-shooting incident that knocked her out of the veepstakes.

Trump has been rolling out these appointments at hyper-speed, just a week after the election. He has stayed off TV and hasn’t made any inflammatory posts. He’s trying to demonstrate a seriousness about governing, by hitting the ground running.

In the past, presidents and presidents-elect have appeared on air, praising their nominee or maybe two, and yielding to a short, grateful speech by the chosen ones. But Trump appears to be skipping all that. 

All the top jobs haven’t been filled, obviously, but even some top Democrats are praising the choice of Rubio (while some in the MAGA movement are disappointed). He’s unquestionably a hawk, and will be the face of American foreign policy as he travels around the world. 

Sure, he said some terrible things about Trump, who derided him as Little Marco, when both ran in 2016. I watched Rubio on the trail that year and he’s a very charismatic speaker.

But the two have long since mended fences. Rubio tried to push immigration reform a decade ago as part of various Senate gangs, but has since distanced himself from the effort.

I keep seeing television chyrons that, almost in accusatory fashion, say Trump is hiring "loyalists." Excuse me–do you think that Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton didn’t hire loyalists? Presidents want aides who generally agree with them and won’t turn into troublemakers. Biden hired such longtime advisers as Ron Klain, Mike Donilon and Steve Richetti.

From a conservative point of view, when Biden hired top officials who wanted to strengthen environmental rules, boost labor unions and spend hundreds of billions of dollars to dig out of the pandemic, that was a hard-line departure from Trump 1.0. Now Trump will reverse many Biden policies with the stroke of a pen.

DEPRESSED MEDIA REACT TO TRUMP VICTORY: HOW COULD THIS POSSIBLY HAVE HAPPENED?

The other picks so far: Upstate New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a member of the House leadership and impeachment defender, has been tapped for U.N. ambassador. 

Trump also chose former Long Island congressman Lee Zeldin to run the EPA. He’s a mainstream conservative who has crusaded against excessive environmental regulations and gotten a lifetime score of 14 percent from the League of Conservation Voters. He told Fox News that the administration will "roll back regulations" that are causing businesses to "struggle" and are "forcing" them to move overseas.

After that, Trump tapped Florida GOP congressman Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret, as White House national security adviser, which doesn’t require Senate confirmation. He’s a China hawk and Ukraine skeptic. "Stopping Russia before it draws NATO and therefore the U.S. into war is the right thing to do," Waltz wrote. "But the burden cannot continue to be solely on the shoulders of the American people, especially while Western Europe gets a pass." 

These are serious people who know how Washington works.

By the way, Trump has shrunk what’s expected to be a very small GOP edge in the House by picking two members. But in Rubio’s case, Gov. Ron DeSantis can appoint a replacement who would serve until the midterm elections.

As I’m typing this, Trump just named Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate, as ambassador to Israel. Huckabee has led many delegations to the country and is staunchly pro-Israel. 

And after I filed this, Trump named Bill McGinley, who worked on election integrity for the RNC and was general counsel for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, as his White House counsel.

And after I filed the insert, another announcement: John Ratcliffe being tapped for CIA director. The former Texas congressman, known for criticizing the FBI as biased against Trump, became his director of national intelligence in 2020. 

Last night, Trump made his first hire from Fox News. Pete Hegseth, an Army combat veteran and co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend," has been named Defense secretary. Trump noted that Hegseth did tours in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan, was awarded two Bronze Stars, and just published the best-selling "The War on Warriors."

Trump tried to get him confirmed the previous year, but Ratcliffe withdrew after GOP senators and ex-intel officials raised concerns about him, amid media disclosures that he’d embellished his prosecutorial efforts in immigration and terrorism cases. So he certainly qualifies as a highly partisan pick.

The two appointees who can fairly be described as aggressive hard-liners–critics would say extremists–are Stephen Miller and Tom Homan–both hired to deal with Trump’s top priority, the border.

Miller, who spearheaded immigration policy in the first Trump term, has been promoted to deputy chief of staff, and even that title doesn’t capture the clout he’ll have as a trusted member of the inner circle. He pushed the family separation policy that was extremely controversial.

WHY THE MEDIA WAITED TILL NOW TO ADMIT HARRIS RAN A LOUSY CAMPAIGN

Homan, who ran ICE in the first term, is being called the border czar. When asked if there was a way to avoid separating families, as happened last time, he said sure–deport them all together.

He said at a conference over the summer: "Washington Post can do all the stories they want on me about ‘Tom Homan’s deportin’ people, he’s really good at it!’ They ain’t seen s*** yet! Wait till 2025!"

Miller and Homan will be responsible for carrying out mass deportations of the roughly 11 million illegal immigrants living in America, or at least starting the process so the president-elect can say he kept his promise. Critics call the goal utterly unrealistic.

Now there are others who will also enjoy huge influence. Elon Musk, who donated $119 million to help Trump, is now the most powerful private citizen ever–heading a waste commission, posting hundreds of messages on X, sitting in on Trump call to Volodymyr Zelenskyy – all while seeking billions in federal contracts.

Trump said last night that Musk will head a Department of Government Efficiency - he promised to "send shockwaves through the system" - with help from former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. 

RFK Jr. will get some title, but Trump has to decide whether to go along with his hotly disputed ideas on vaccines and removing fluoride from water systems. He’s also threatened to fire FDA officials who have waged a "war on public health," saying the agency has suppressed such products as raw milk, ivermectin and vitamins.

And of course J.D. Vance will be an unusually active vice president and heir apparent.  

Still to come: the top jobs of Treasury secretary and the extraordinarily sensitive post of attorney general. I also want to know who’ll be press secretary!

One reason we’re in for weeks and weeks of skeptical to negative coverage is that every beat reporter on the planet must now do obligatory pieces on Donald Trump.

Whether they cover sports, religion, labor, housing, entertainment, courts, energy, television, schools or crime, they need to write about the impact of the 47th president–keeping in mind that he weighs in on everything.  

From yesterday alone: 

Washington Post: "Trump Pledged to Close the Education Department. What would that mean?"

New York Times: "Trump’s ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Cuts Two Ways for Oil Companies."

And: "Colleges Wonder if They Will Be ‘the Enemy’ Under Trump"

But my personal favorite: "What a Trump Presidency Means for the Liquor Industry."

(Trump doesn’t drink, but every industry wants less regulation.)

There’s also this Drudge headline: "Wife Divorces Husband Over Vote."

As the Mirror reports, "A man has said he can’t believe his wife was ready to ‘throw away our entire life’ after filing for divorce over his vote for Donald Trump.  

The distraught husband wrote on social media that he has been left without words that the marriage could fall apart over politics." 

I guess a family separation policy comes in many forms.

Hunter Biden intends to plead guilty on federal tax charges brought by special counsel David Weiss

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Hunter Biden plans to change his plea to guilty on federal tax charges brought against him by special counsel David Weiss, his attorney said in court Thursday, shocking federal prosecutors.

Abbe Lowell, the first son's attorney, said Thursday in federal court that Biden intends to switch his plea and intends to plead guilty. He initially pleaded not guilty. 

Federal prosecutor Leo Wise said that "this is the first we are hearing about this."

The trial began Thursday with jury selection in Los Angeles. 

Weiss charged Biden with three felonies and six misdemeanors concerning $1.4 million in owed taxes that have since been paid. Weiss alleged a "four-year scheme" when the president’s son did not pay his federal income taxes while also filing false tax reports. 

HUNTER BIDEN'S CRIMINAL TAX TRIAL BEGINS WITH JURY SELECTION IN CALIFORNIA

In the indictment, Weiss alleged that Biden "engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019, from in or about January 2017 through in or about October 15, 2020, and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns in or about February 2020."

Weiss said that, in "furtherance of that scheme," Biden "subverted the payroll and tax withholding process of his own company, Owasco, PC by withdrawing millions" from the company "outside of the payroll and tax withholding process that it was designed to perform."

HUNTER BIDEN TAX TRIAL POSTPONED TO SEPTEMBER

The special counsel alleged that Biden "spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills," and that in 2018, he "stopped paying his outstanding and overdue taxes for tax year 2015."

Weiss alleged that Biden "willfully failed to pay his 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 taxes on time, despite having access to funds to pay some or all of these taxes," and that he "willfully failed to file his 2017 and 2018 tax returns on time."

This is the second time Biden is on trial this year stemming from charges out of Weiss' investigation. 

Biden was found guilty on all counts in Delaware after Weiss charged him with making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm; making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a licensed firearm dealer; and one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. 

A date has not yet been set for sentencing for those charges. With all counts combined, the total maximum prison time for the charges could be up to 25 years. Each count carries a maximum fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release. 

President Biden has vowed not to pardon his son. 

Ex-Trump impeachment manager accuses House GOP of ‘fishing’ for Biden crimes after bombshell report

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

A House Democrat who played a major role in the first impeachment of former President Trump is criticizing Republicans' own push against former President Biden.

"I don't see any evidence here. The problem is, is they wanted to try to create an impeachment, so they started with an impeachment and they went looking for evidence – fishing for it," Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., told Fox News Digital last week.

"There's just nothing there. And it's clear the report again confirms that. It's too bad we wasted so much valuable time in Congress going through that process."

Crow was one of seven House Democrats chosen by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to make the case for impeaching Trump in 2020. He was one of just two first-term lawmakers on that team.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS REFER HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN FOR CRIMINAL PROSECUTION AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

"Congress actually passed Ukraine funding. He withheld that funding, which is actually against the law – the president does not have the authority to withhold funding that's dedicated by Congress for a specific purpose," Crow said. "The job of the president is actually to make sure that funding is used appropriately and to implement it. So that happened, and then Congress investigated it, and then we went through an impeachment proceeding."

"Contrast that with the Republican approach, they just said they want to impeach Biden. And then they went looking for things to impeach him on – and, of course, didn't come up with anything."

His comments come after House Republicans released a report accusing Biden of committing impeachable offenses relating to his family's foreign business dealings.

It's the product of a years-long probe by the House committees on Oversight, the Judiciary and Ways & Means into whether Biden used his position as vice president to benefit himself or his family.

HUNTER DEMANDED $10M FROM CHINESE ENERGY FIRM BECAUSE 'BIDENS ARE THE BEST,' HAVE 'CONNECTIONS'

Rep. James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, pushed back on Crow's comments via a spokesperson, telling Fox News Digital, "It comes as no surprise that a Democrat congressman who dismisses concerns about Joe Biden’s mental fitness to serve the remainder of his term also dismisses the clear evidence of Joe Biden’s involvement in his family’s business schemes. 

"Bank records don’t lie and reveal the Bidens and their associates raked in nearly $30 million by selling the Biden brand. Multiple witnesses have confirmed Joe Biden was involved in his family’s business schemes as he dined, spoke, had coffee, and met with nearly all of his family’s foreign business associates. This is blatant corruption and abuse of public office."

The report said that "overwhelming evidence demonstrates that President Biden participated in a conspiracy to monetize his office of public trust to enrich his family."

FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN IN 2017 SENT 'BEST WISHES' FROM 'ENTIRE BIDEN FAMILY' TO CHINA FIRM CHAIR, REQUESTED $10M WIRE

"Among other aspects of this conspiracy, the Biden family and their business associates received tens of millions of dollars from foreign interests by leading those interests to believe that such payments would provide them access to and influence with President Biden," the report said.

The committees said the Biden family and its associates received more than $27 million from foreign individuals or entities since 2014.

The White House said in response to the report last week, "This failed stunt will only be remembered for how it became an embarrassment that their own members distanced themselves from as they only managed to turn up evidence that refuted their false and baseless conspiracy theories. The American people deserve more from House Republicans, and perhaps now they will finally join President Biden in focusing on the real issues that American families actually care about."

Fox News Digital also reached out to the committees on the Judiciary and Ways & Means for comment on Crow's remarks but did not hear back by press time. 

Byron Donalds urges House GOP leaders to hold vote on Biden impeachment after bombshell report

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., is urging House GOP leaders to hold a chamber-wide vote on impeaching President Biden days after a highly anticipated report accused the commander in chief of committing impeachable offenses.

"I've felt that way for a long time. I'm on the Oversight Committee, I've seen all of the evidence up close and personal. It is without a doubt that he used his office when he was vice president to enrich his family as pay for play," Donalds told Fox News Digital. "That's public corruption."

Referencing the phone call with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy that precipitated the first impeachment of former President Trump, Donalds added, "Listen, if a phone call is quote-unquote, an impeachable offense, then public corruption absolutely is. I think the House should hold that vote."

House Republicans released a 292-page report on Monday, a joint effort by the House Oversight Committee, House Judiciary Committee and House Ways and Means Committee, arguing Biden engaged in "impeachable conduct."

HOUSE REPUBLICANS REFER HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN FOR CRIMINAL PROSECUTION AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Those committees have been working on a monthslong investigation into whether Biden helped enrich himself and his family through foreign business deals while he was vice president.

Donalds' public pressure is significant; while a majority of House Republicans have publicly accused Biden of at least acting improperly, it's not clear that House leaders would risk forcing their most vulnerable GOP members to take such a weighty vote with just a razor-thin majority in the chamber.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., indicated in March that criminal referrals could be the end of the road for the probe. He told Newsmax the House "would vote to impeach Joe Biden right now," but "the best path to accountability is criminal referrals."

In his statement on the impeachment report on Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., praised the investigation as "thorough, diligent and thoughtful" but made no mention of a House-wide vote. Johnson himself has previously said he believes Biden is guilty of wrongdoing.

Donalds appeared to reference his colleagues' hesitation when he told Fox News Digital he would make the case for an impeachment vote to Johnson the next time he spoke with the GOP leader.

HUNTER DEMANDED $10M FROM CHINESE ENERGY FIRM BECAUSE 'BIDENS ARE THE BEST,' HAVE 'CONNECTIONS'

"It'll definitely probably come up, and we'll see where it is," Donalds said. "And look, I know members, they all are trying to figure out what they're going to do in their re-elections, but we have a responsibility to hold the executive branch accountable. That is the job of Congress."

"I think one of the reasons why a lot of people are losing faith in our institutions is because it appears that people at the top of our politics just get away with everything and are never held accountable. And that's wrong."

In their report, Republicans said there is "overwhelming evidence" that Biden participated in a "conspiracy to monetize his office of public trust to enrich his family." They alleged that the Biden family and their business associates received tens of millions of dollars from foreign interests by "leading those interests to believe that such payments would provide them access to and influence with President Biden." 

The committees said the Biden family and its associates received more than $27 million from foreign individuals or entities since 2014.

FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN IN 2017 SENT 'BEST WISHES' FROM 'ENTIRE BIDEN FAMILY' TO CHINA FIRM CHAIRMAN, REQUESTED $10M WIRE

They also alleged that the Biden family leveraged Biden’s position as vice president to obtain more than $8 million in loans from Democratic benefactors. The loans "have not been repaid and the paperwork supporting many of the loans does not exist and has not been produced to the committees."

The White House said in response to the report, "This failed stunt will only be remembered for how it became an embarrassment that their own members distanced themselves from as they only managed to turn up evidence that refuted their false and baseless conspiracy theories. The American people deserve more from House Republicans, and perhaps now they will finally join President Biden in focusing on the real issues that American families actually care about."

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Donalds' remarks.

The practical politics of impeachment: What the math says about the House GOP’s report on Biden

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

"Impeachable conduct."

"The totality of the corrupt conduct uncovered by the Committees is egregious." 

"A concerted effort to conceal President Biden’s involvement in the family’s influence peddling scheme."

These are the findings of a trio of House committees – led by Republicans – into the conduct of President Biden. It’s the final report of the GOP’s impeachment inquiry into Mr. Biden. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., initiated the inquest verbally last summer, trying to quash an uprising from his right flank. The House finally formalized the probe through a roll call vote in December.

BIDEN COMMITTED ‘IMPEACHABLE CONDUCT,’ ‘DEFRAUDED UNITED STATES TO ENRICH HIS FAMILY’: HOUSE GOP REPORT

Note that many Republicans wanted any impeachment investigation wrapped up by the start of last fall, not a couple of months before the 2024 election.

"Republicans have worked to impede and obstruct any effort to investigate Mr. Trump’s actual and proven corruption, including his unconstitutional receipt, while Commander-in-Chief, of millions of dollars from foreign governments that sought, and often received, favors from his Administration," said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, in his own "counter" report. 

House Republicans released their 292-page report hours before the president was scheduled to speak to the Democratic convention in Chicago.

The document argues that Mr. Biden’s conduct warranted sanctions, saying his "flagrant abuse of office is clear: impeachment by the House of Representatives and removal by the Senate."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., encouraged "all Americans to read this report." But besides thanking the committees for their work, Johnson didn’t signal there would be a vote on impeachment or imply that the House Republican leadership brass would entertain such a possibility. 

That’s because, at this stage, a prospective vote to impeach President Biden would likely fail on the floor.

Why? It’s about the math. There are at least a dozen House Republicans who oppose impeachment. One senior House GOP leadership source characterized a vote now as "moot."

Fox is told Republicans soured further on impeachment when President Biden decided against seeking reelection. Plus, Mr. Biden only has five more months before the end of his term. Moreover, a vote on impeachment would put moderate Republicans from swing districts in a bind as the GOP tries to maintain its slim majority. Trotting out a vote on impeachment – just to have a vote on impeachment at this stage – would likely produce a loss on the floor. Democrats could then boomerang the failed impeachment vote on those vulnerable Republicans. Democrats would underscore how Republicans tried for more than a year to impeach President Biden. And it culminated in a failed vote on the floor.

POLITICAL PARALLELS BETWEEN 1968 AND 2024 AS THE DEMOCRATS RETURN TO CHICAGO

A botched impeachment vote would undercut the Republicans’ report itself and constitute an unforced error for the GOP.

It would also mean Republicans may have placed the emphasis on the wrong syllable – just before the election. Mr. Biden’s issues should be old news to Republicans. But focusing on President Biden, right or wrong, is not where the GOP needs to spend its time. Anything tied to impeachment simply steals the spotlight from the narrative Republicans are trying to craft about Vice President Harris. Republicans are still trying to define Harris. Backpedaling to President Biden diminishes that strategy. 

If House Republicans truly want to impeach the president – and do it by the book – they would likely need at least another public hearing or two. That would also entail a "markup" session by the Judiciary Committee before sending the matter to the House floor. 

The measure would then go to the House Rules Committee. Then the floor for debate and vote.

And how many articles of impeachment could the GOP engineer for President Biden? One? Two? Four?

COMMENTATOR ON LEFT-LEANING SQUAWK BOX BLASTS DEMS FOR HAVING CLINTON AT DNC

The House impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas earlier this year, slapping him with two articles of impeachment: breaking the law and breaching the public trust.

The House levied a singular article of impeachment against former President Trump in 2021 for "incitement of insurrection" after the riot at the Capitol.

In 1998, the House Judiciary Committee prepared four articles of impeachment for former President Clinton after his affair with Monica Lewinsky. The House only approved two articles, lying under oath and obstruction of justice. The House rejected the other articles.

House Republicans will read and consider the impeachment report over the remainder of the congressional recess. Expect some internal debate when House Republicans first meet in a GOP Conference meeting on the morning of September 10.  

But just because House Republican leaders don’t want the House to tangle with impeachment doesn’t mean there won’t be pressure to do so. It’s possible there could be an attempt by hardline conservatives to force a vote on the floor. Fox is told that Republican leaders are bracing for that possibility when the House returns. A rank-and-file Republican member could compel a vote on impeachment via a "privileged" resolution. Such specialized resolutions must come to the floor right away or within two legislative days. Democrats would likely move to table or kill the resolution. Republicans are then placed in the dubious position of voting against tabling the resolution to bring it to the floor – or voting to kill it.

One senior House Democratic source even speculated to Fox that since it was doubtful the House could impeach President Biden, maybe Democrats wouldn’t try to table impeachment. They’d leave that up to Republicans. Imagine this scenario: Republicans moving to table their own impeachment measure. That would certainly slather some egg on the face of the GOP.

But that’s the least of the problems for Republicans. A vote to table the impeachment resolution is one step removed from actually voting on impeachment itself. A failure to table the resolution prompts the House to vote, up or down, on impeachment itself. A vote where Republicans reject impeachment – after they talked about it for the better part of this Congress – looks ham-fisted. It also underscores the problem Republicans struggled with since early 2023 – under both McCarthy and Johnson: ultra-conservative members create headaches for the rest of the party. That includes fights over who should be Speaker to battles over government funding.

In its "conclusion" section of its report, the trifecta of House committees declare the President’s deeds amount "to impeachable conduct." The committees add that it's now up to the full House for "evaluation and consideration of appropriate next steps."

Most Republicans don’t want to wrestle with the impeachment of an elderly president who is partly out the door. Especially as Republicans try to maintain a threadbare House majority – and as former President Trump faces a serious challenge from Vice President Harris. The macro politics of the 2024 election may dictate that impeachment dies quietly on the vine. But the micro politics of the House Republican Conference could suggest something else. 

Biden committed ‘impeachable conduct,’ ‘defrauded United States to enrich his family’: House GOP report

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

President Biden engaged in "impeachable conduct," House Republicans found in their months-long impeachment inquiry, declaring in their highly anticipated report that he "abused his office" and "defrauded the United States to enrich his family." 

Fox News Digital obtained a copy of the 292-page report prepared by the House Oversight Committee, House Judiciary Committee and House Ways and Means Committee. Those panels have been leading the impeachment inquiry against Biden. 

"The Committees have accumulated evidence demonstrating that President Biden has engaged in impeachable conduct," the report, which lays out evidence gathered to date, says. 

HOUSE REPUBLICANS REFER HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN FOR CRIMINAL PROSECUTION AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Republicans said there is "overwhelming evidence" that Biden participated in a "conspiracy to monetize his office of public trust to enrich his family." They alleged that the Biden family and their business associates received tens of millions of dollars from foreign interests by "leading those interests to believe that such payments would provide them access to and influence with President Biden." 

The committees said the Biden family and its associates received more than $27 million from foreign individuals or entities since 2014.

They also alleged that the Biden family leveraged Biden’s position as vice president to obtain more than $8 million in loans from Democrat benefactors. The loans "have not been repaid and the paperwork supporting many of the loans does not exist and has not been produced to the committees."

The Republicans said the conspiracy took place while Biden was serving as vice president.

HUNTER DEMANDED $10M FROM CHINESE ENERGY FIRM BECAUSE 'BIDENS ARE THE BEST,' HAVE 'CONNECTIONS'

"As Vice President, President Biden actively participated in his conspiracy by, among other things, attending dinners with his family’s foreign business partners and speaking to them by phone, often when being placed on speakerphone by Hunter Biden," the report states.

Republicans referenced in the report a 2014 dinner that Biden attended for his son, Hunter, with Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina. After the dinner, Baturina wired $3.5 million to Hunter Biden’s firm, Rosemont Seneca Thornton. 

Fox News Digital had previously reported that Biden attended dinners with Hunter Biden’s business associates, including Baturina, in Washington, D.C., at Café Milano in Georgetown in both 2014 and 2015. Biden also met with Jonathan Li of BHR in China in 2013. 

Fox News Digital also previously reported that Biden met with the chair of Chinese energy firm CEFC, Ye Jianming, in 2017. 

"Based on the totality of evidence, it is inconceivable that President Biden did not understand that he was taking part in an effort to enrich his family by abusing his office of public trust," the report states.

FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN IN 2017 SENT 'BEST WISHES' FROM 'ENTIRE BIDEN FAMILY' TO CHINA FIRM CHAIRMAN, REQUESTED $10M WIRE

Republicans also said the Biden family "went to great lengths to conceal this conspiracy."

"Foreign money was transmitted to the Biden family through complicated financial transactions," the report states. "The Biden family laundered funds through intermediate entities and broke up large transactions into numerous smaller transactions."

Republicans said Hunter Biden and his business associates leveraged Joe Biden’s position as vice president to garner "favorable outcomes in foreign business dealings and legal proceedings." 

"Several witnesses testified that Hunter Biden invoked his father in business dealings with Romanian, Chinese, Kazakhstani, and Ukrainian companies, resulting in millions of dollars flowing to the Biden family," the report states.

DEVON ARCHER: HUNTER BIDEN, BURISMA EXECS ‘CALLED DC’ TO GET UKRAINIAN PROSECUTOR FIRED

"President Biden’s participation in this conspiracy to enrich his family constitutes as impeachable conduct," they said. "By monetizing the Vice Presidency for his family’s benefit, he abused his office of public trust, placing the welfare of his family ahead of the welfare of the United States."

Republicans added, "He also put foreign interests ahead of the interests of the American people."

Meanwhile, Republicans in their report also said Biden used his official position to "conceal his mishandling of classified information as a private citizen." 

"During his tenure as Vice President, Joe Biden removed highly sensitive classified documents from the White House, despite having no authority to do so," the report states. 

FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE'S TEXT MESSAGES INDICATE MEETING WITH JOE BIDEN

Special Counsel Robert Hur investigated Biden’s improper retention of classified records for months but did not recommend charges against the president. The records included classified documents about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan, among other records related to national security that implicated "sensitive intelligence sources and methods."

But Hur earlier this year described Biden as a "sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory" and said it "would be difficult to convince a jury they should convict him."

The report also shifts to allegations from IRS whistleblowers, who said federal investigators allowed the statute of limitations to expire on Hunter Biden’s alleged tax crimes. 

"The Justice Department prevented line attorneys from conducting key interviews and pursuing important lines of inquiry," the report states. "The special treatment for Hunter Biden, which only ceased at the onset of congressional attention on the Department’s investigation, may be a basis for impeachment, as the distortion of an official investigation was a basis in the prospective impeachment of President Nixon in 1974." 

BIDEN MET WITH CHAIR OF CHINESE ENERGY FIRM HUNTER DID BUSINESS WITH IN 2017, EX-ASSOCIATE TESTIFIES

The report adds, "In certain circumstances the President may be impeached for the actions of subordinate officials." 

"The totality of the corrupt conduct uncovered by the Committees is egregious," the report states. "President Joe Biden conspired to commit influence peddling and grift. In doing so, he abused his office and, by repeatedly lying about his abuse of office, has defrauded the United States to enrich his family." 

Republicans argue that "not one of these transactions would have occurred, but for Joe Biden’s official position in the United States government." 

JOE BIDEN RECEIVED $40K IN 'LAUNDERED CHINA MONEY' FROM BROTHER IN 2017, COMER SAYS

"This pattern of conduct ensured his family – who provided no legitimate services – lived a lavish lifestyle. The evidence uncovered in the Committees’ impeachment inquiry reflects a family selling the ‘Biden brand’ around the world with President Biden – the ‘big guy’ – swooping in to seal the deal on speaker phones or in private dinners," the report states. "It shows a concerted effort to conceal President Biden’s involvement in the family’s influence peddling scheme."

House Republicans pointed to the Constitution, saying the remedy for a president’s "flagrant abuse of office is clear: impeachment by the House of Representatives and removal by the Senate."

"Despite the cheapening of the impeachment power by Democrats in recent years, the House’s decision to pursue articles of impeachment must not be made lightly," the report states. "As such, this report endeavors to present the evidence gathered to date so that all Members of the House may assess the extent of President Biden’s corruption." 

House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry report comes weeks after Biden suspended his re-election campaign amid pressure from within the Democratic Party after the first presidential debate in June against former President Trump.

House Republicans have been leading the impeachment inquiry since mid-2023. The full House of Representatives formalized the inquiry in December 2023. 

In June, House Republicans sent criminal referrals to the Justice Department recommending Hunter Biden and James Biden, the president's brother, be charged with making false statements to Congress about "key aspects" of the impeachment inquiry. 

Hunter Biden was found guilty on federal gun charges in Delaware earlier this year, stemming from charges brought against him by Special Counsel David Weiss. His trial on federal tax charges is set to begin in California in September.

Biden’s Cabinet condemns attempted assassination of former President Trump

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Amid a sea of inflammatory political rhetoric this election season, President Biden and White House Cabinet members unequivocally condemned political violence after the attempted assassination of former President Trump over the weekend, with many also expressing sympathy for Trump and condolences to the family of a spectator killed during the attack.

Vice President Harris wrote on X that "assassination attempts have no place in our nation," adding that she and her husband, Doug Emhoff, were praying for the family of the deceased victim, identified as a former fire chief, Corey Comperatore.

"As @POTUS said, we must work toward unity as Americans. Assassination attempts have no place in our nation, or anywhere. Doug and I pray for the family of the victim who was senselessly killed yesterday and hope for a speedy recovery for those injured.

TRUMP SAYS HE WAS ‘SHOT WITH A BULLET’ IN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AT PENNSYLVANIA RALLY

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas also condemned "political violence in America." 

"I’m shocked and saddened by the shooting at former President Trump’s rally and grateful that he is safe. As @POTUS said, there is no place for political violence in America and we must all condemn it," Blinken posted to X on Saturday night.

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SHINES LIGHT ON RALLY SECURITY

Austin said the "entire" Department of Defense "condemns this violence, which has absolutely no place in our democracy."

"This is not the way that we resolve our differences in America — and it must never be. I’m relieved that reports indicate former President Trump is safe, and I am praying for him and his family and everyone affected by this appalling incident," he said.

Garland – who caught the ire of House Republicans this year who voted to hold him in contempt of Congress over the Biden-Hur audio recordings – released a lengthy statement on Sunday offering condolences to the victim's family and thanking law enforcement officers who responded to the attempted assassination.

"I want to reiterate that the violence that we saw yesterday is an attack on our democracy itself," Garland said. "The Justice Department has no tolerance for such violence. And as Americans, we must have no tolerance for it. This must stop."

SUSPECTED TRUMP SHOOTER MAY HAVE BEEN CONFRONTED BY AN OFFICER ON THE ROOF

Becerra, who previously brought a lawsuit against Trump during his presidency over allegedly violating the Clean Air Act, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, said he was "relieved" to hear that Trump was safe.

"Political violence is never acceptable. While we learn more about what happened, there is no escaping the fact that gun violence is an urgent public health crisis in this country," Becerra's post on X read.

Buttigieg, who has been one of Trump's vocal critics over the years, called the incident a "horrible moment" and said he was "encouraged" that Trump was doing well.

"An entire nation must speak with one voice today to completely and unequivocally reject all political violence," he wrote on X. 

Other Cabinet members offering sympathies include Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Veteran Affairs Denis McDonough and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

"My prayers are with all of the victims who were injured or killed during yesterday's attack, and with those traumatized by the violence. Such acts ought not to happen at a political rally, or any place else, in our country," Vilsack wrote on X. 

BIDEN VOWS SECRET SERVICE WILL PROVIDE TRUMP WITH 'EVERY RESOURCE' TO ENSURE 'CONTINUED SAFETY'

"We condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms and commend the Secret Service for their swift action today," Mayorkas – who has also been the subject of House GOP impeachment inquiries – wrote on X. "We are engaged with President Biden, former President Trump, and their campaigns, and are taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security."

He added that maintaining the safety of presidential candidates is one of the department's "vital priorities."

The statements come just a day before the Republican National Convention is scheduled to begin on Monday in Milwaukee, where delegates will officially select Trump to be the presumptive GOP presidential candidate. Biden said early Sunday he instructed the Secret Service to thoroughly examine all the Republican National Convention's security measures ahead of its start time, but the agency said it will not change its current protocol for the weeklong event.

Chip Roy plans House discussion on 25th Amendment regarding Biden’s mental fitness

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, plans to bring up options under the 25th Amendment in terms of President Biden’s fitness during a meeting with House Republicans on Tuesday.

Roy told Fox News he believes Republicans need to have a position on where they stand regarding Biden’s competence.

Section 4 of the 25th Amendment provides a series of steps for removing a president from office if he or she becomes incapacitated.

But a resolution on the 25th Amendment cannot just be presented to the House floor immediately.

CRITICS PILE ON BIDEN FOLLOWING ABC INTERVIEW, BLAST HIS REFUSAL TO COMMIT TO COGNITIVE TEST: 'DISQUALIFYING'

The bill would not be "privileged" and go straight to the front of the legislative line because it deals with the executive branch and not Congress.

Impeachment, on the other hand, could be considered "privileged" because those powers are enumerated in the Constitution as being under the purview of Congress.

PRESIDENT BIDEN FACES THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL WEEKEND OF HIS POLITICAL CAREER

Any resolution on the 25th Amendment would need to go through committee first, a senior House Republican leadership source told Fox.

Roy’s plan comes a week-and-a-half after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., spoke about the cabinet weighing in on the 25th Amendment regarding Biden.

Comer reveals White House physician was involved in Biden family business deals, demands he testify

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX – House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is demanding that the White House physician appear before Congress to answer questions on President Biden’s "declining mental state," while also revealing that the doctor has been involved in the Biden family’s business dealings. 

Fox News Digital obtained the letter Comer, R-Ky., sent to Dr. Kevin O’Connor on Sunday. Comer is seeking to question O’Connor, given his "connections" with the Biden family, on whether he is "in a position to provide accurate and independent reviews of the President’s fitness to serve."

Comer wants to know whether O'Connor's medical assessments of the president have been improperly influenced by his work with the Biden family with the company Americore. 

COMER DEMANDS WHITE HOUSE PROVIDE RECORDS TO PROVE $200K PAYMENT TO BIDEN FROM BROTHER WAS A LOAN

"After a concerning debate performance by President Biden against former President Donald Trump on June 27, journalists have rushed to report on what Americans have seen plainly for years: the President appears unwell," Comer wrote. 

Comer said that because Americans have been questioning Biden’s "ability to lead the country," his committee has been investigating circumstances surrounding O’Connor’s February assessment of the president. 

Comer noted that O’Connor determined in February that the president "is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old-male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency." 

Comer, though, pointed to reports that O’Connor did not recommend that Biden take a cognitive test. 

TOP DEMS PLANNING MEETING ABOUT BIDEN'S FUTURE DESPITE PRESIDENT'S VOWS TO CONTINUE CAMPAIGN

"The Oversight Committee is concerned your medical assessments have been influenced by your private business endeavors with the Biden family," Comer wrote. 

Comer said the committee has obtained evidence that shows he was involved with Americore Health, LLC, along with the president’s brother, James Biden. 

Americore, a company which operates rural hospitals, has been investigated by the committee as part of its impeachment inquiry against the president – specifically related to James Biden's work, which brought him more than $600,000. 

The committee says James Biden, while serving as a principal at Americore, received payments for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The committee found that James Biden received a $200,000 wire in 2018 from the company that he then used to write a $200,000 check to his brother, President Biden, which he labeled as a "loan repayment." 

JAMES BIDEN GIVEN LOAN, DIDN'T PROVIDE SERVICES TO AMERICORE DESPITE PROMISES TO USE LAST NAME, TRUSTEE SAYS

James Biden, according to testimony from other Americore employees, did not provide any services to the company, but instead, promised that his "Biden" name could bring funding to the struggling hospital operator from the Middle East. 

That employee, Carol Fox, a Chapter 11 trustee for Americore, testified that the loan was provided to Biden with no documentation in return for the promise of funding from the Middle East that never came. She filed a lawsuit against James Biden, saying he made "representations that his last name, ‘Biden,’ could ‘open doors’ and that he could obtain a large investment from the Middle East based on his political connections." 

But during James Biden’s interview with the committee earlier this year, he told investigators that O’Connor "provided him counsel in connection with the alleged work he was performing for Americore." 

"I met with, for example – my brother wasn’t in office at the time. He was a private citizen. And I had gotten through his – as vice president, his personal physician was Colonel Kevin O’Connor," James Biden testified. "And Kevin O’Connor – there was a very – and still there is an outcry for a solution for post-traumatic stress disorder." 

James Biden said O’Connor "introduced me to a team" that worked with PTSD and alcoholism amid a "backlog" at the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

COMER RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT $200K 'DIRECT PAYMENT' FROM JAMES BIDEN TO JOE BIDEN IN 2018

Comer, in the letter, also notes that O’Connor, along with Hunter Biden, "joined a meeting with Jim Biden and the president of a hospital being acquired by Americore." 

Meanwhile, the White House maintains that Biden has not been examined by a doctor since February. But during a call with Democratic governors last week, the president himself told governors "he was checked out by a doctor and that everything was fine." 

"The statements by the White House Press Secretary and President Biden appear inconsistent, and the Committee seeks to understand the extent of your role at the White House at this time," Comer wrote. "Given your connections with the Biden family, the Committee also seeks to understand if you are in a position to provide accurate and independent reviews of the President’s fitness to serve." 

Comer requested that O’Connor make himself available for a transcribed interview with counsel for the House Oversight Committee by July 14. He is also demanding all documents and communications that O’Connor has regarding Americore and James Biden. 

The request for O'Connor's cooperation with Congress comes amid calls for Biden to suspend his re-election campaign – even from top Democrats, former staffers and allies. 

But the White House maintains that President Biden is "absolutely not" considering dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.

"I am running. I am the leader of the Democratic Party. No one is pushing me out," Biden said last week.