Biden is caving to campus agitators in threatening to cut aid to Israel, senators say: ‘All about November’

WASHINGTON, D.C. Republican senators believe President Biden's "disgraceful" warning to cut offensive aid to Israel during its conflict with Hamas was a political decision to appease "the pro-Hamas wing of the Democrat Party" in November.

President Biden recently threatened to cut aid to America's ally Israel if the country invades Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip.

"If they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities — that deal with that problem," the president told CNN Wednesday.

The decision comes after weeks of anti-Israel agitators causing chaos on college campuses across the nation, and lawmakers are connecting the two as the president seeks another term in the White House.

HOUSE GOP DRAFTING BIDEN IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES OVER ISRAEL AID CUTOFF THREAT

When asked about Biden's decision coming amid the anti-Israel riots, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital "the pro-Hamas wing of the Democrat Party is growing." 

"I do think he caved to the folks on campus, who are calling for the death of Israel. And I think the pro-Hamas wing of the Democrat Party is growing. And these are political decisions, trying to meddle in another country's elections," Schmitt said.

"You know, Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden called for Benjamin Netanyahu to be ousted in the middle of a war, and now he's withholding arms that have been appropriated. It's really outrageous," he added. "And I think, again, it just sort of shows how desperate Joe Biden is to try to again appease these radicals in his party. He's willing to risk U.S.-Israel relations."

Biden has received bipartisan backlash for his recent comment about aid to Israel, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country "will stand alone" to defeat Hamas if necessary.

"Sadly, this administration has been the most anti-Israel administration we've ever seen," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. "And right now, what do you see the Biden administration doing? They are simultaneously flooding cash to the Hamas terrorists while they're cutting off weapons to Israel. They're undermining our friend and ally Israel. It is disgraceful. And, yes, part of it is that today's Democrat Party is terrified of the radical left in the party, the extreme anti-Israel, antisemitic protesters we see at college campuses all across the country."

The senator added there is a "pro-Hamas wing" of the Democratic party.

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When asked by Fox News Digital if the campus riots were linked to Biden's recent warning to Israel, Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C. said the two events are "absolutely" connected to Biden seeking another term.

Budd said Biden's warning to Israel was about the November election and Biden "collapsing in these swing states."

"I just got back from Israel this week, met with the prime minister. Met with many people here rather easily. They're wondering, ‘What the heck is the U.S. doing?’ This is all about November, Joe Biden. This is about Minnesota. This is about Michigan. He's collapsing in these swing states. And so he's trying to stitch this together, and it's completely off the rails. 

"It's showing the world that you can't trust the U.S.," Budd added. "It's very frustrating, particularly when you're trying to get the eight U.S. hostages home and respect these families that have been waiting and waiting for over 200 days. This just demonstrates weakness and confusion to the world."

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., agreed Biden's statement was in response to the protests, saying, "I think he's caved to the college agitators. And just, in general, the Palestinian community. It just doesn't make sense to any of us. And that's why I encourage everybody to not listen to what he says. Watch what Joe Biden does. It makes no sense.

"I describe it as Biden's schizophrenic national security policies," he continued. "On the one hand, he says he wants to minimize casualties, public casualties. But, on the other hand, he keeps us from sending smart bombs. On the one hand, he says that he wants a minimum loss of life, that he wants the hostages released. But when he tells the world, 'We're not going to send any more weapons,' what is the message? Do they back out of the negotiations? So, everything that Joe Biden touches when it comes to national security just turns to mud."

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., filed articles of impeachment against Biden Friday for his threat against Israel, saying ahead of the move that "these are the same accusations made against President Trump, which resulted in his impeachment by Democrats. The same must happen for Joe Biden, which is why we’re drawing up articles of impeachment now."

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

Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Biden ripped over resurfaced anti-Trump tweet critics say ‘endorses his own impeachment’

President Joe Biden was blasted on social media this week over a past anti-Trump tweet that critics said showed he should be impeached for withholding some weapons from Israel if it moves forward with a military operation in Rafah, Gaza.

"President Trump withheld Congressionally appropriated aid to Ukraine unless they granted him a political favor," Biden tweeted as a candidate in 2019 about the impeachment push against Trump over a phone call with Ukraine that Democrats claimed was a "quid pro quo."

"It's the definition of quid pro quo. This is no joke—Trump continues to put his own personal, political interests ahead of the national interest. He must be impeached."

Trump was ultimately impeached  for "abuse of power" and "obstruction of Congress" related to his dealings with Ukraine.

NETANYAHU SAYS ISRAEL 'WILL STAND ALONE' IF NECESSARY AFTER BIDEN THREATENS TO WITHHOLD WEAPONS

Biden’s 2019 post drew immediate push back on social media from conservatives who argued that Biden’s recent move to withhold some military aid from Israel due to his objection to their military campaign in Gaza was similar to what Democrats accused Trump of during the impeachment.

"Joe Biden endorses his own impeachment," Red State writer Bonchie posted on X.

"Wow — how newly relevant,"  New York Post reporter Jon Levine posted on X.

"Joe Biden is withholding Congressionally appropriated aid to Israel unless they grant him a political favor. It's the definition of quid pro quo," conservative communicator Steve Guest posted on X.

"This is no joke—Biden continues to put his own personal, political interests ahead of the national interest. He must be impeached," Federalist co-founder Sean Davis posted on X. 

GOP GOVERNOR FUMES OVER BIDEN'S THREAT TO CUT OFF ISRAEL AID: 'HE'S NEGOTIATING FOR THE TERRORISTS'

"Joe Biden withheld Congressionally appropriated aid to uproot Hamas in a political pay off pro-Hamas radicals," Trump adviser Stephen Miller posted on X. "This warrants impeachment and criminal investigation — including exploring all ties between Biden aides and Iran."

Some have pushed back on the suggestion that Biden committed an impeachable offense, including those who have pointed to a 2020 report from the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan office that analyzes U.S. policy, that says, "The Arms Export Control Act of 1961 "prohibits the sale or delivery of U.S.-origin defense articles if the President finds that a recipient country has used such articles for unauthorized purposes."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a White House official dismissed the accusations of hypocrisy as "ridiculous."

ISRAEL BOMBS RAFAH, PREPARES FOR GROUND INVASION AFTER CEASEFIRE TALKS WITH HAMAS FALL APART

"Senior administration officials had already made multiple public statements about Rafah similar to the President’s, including that we are also ensuring Israel gets every dollar appropriated in the supplemental," the official said. "Trump failed to spend dollars appropriated by Congress that he was legally required to spend. This is about a purchase made by a foreign government using its own funds, not funds appropriated by Congress, and our decision whether to deliver that purchase right now, which could enable an operation we’ve publicly and privately objected to." 

House Republicans disagree with the assessment from the White House as evidenced by news on Friday that articles of impeachment were filed against President Biden over the controversy.

"In violation of his oath to faithfully execute the office of President and to uphold the Constitution, President Biden abused the powers of his office by soliciting a 'quid pro quo' with Israel while leveraging vital military aid for policy changes," GOP Rep. Cory Mills said in a statement first reported by Fox News Digital.

"This egregious action not only compromised the credibility of the United States but also undermined the interests of our longstanding ally, Israel. Therefore, President Biden's conduct warrants impeachment, trial, removal from office, and disqualification from holding any future office under the United States."

Biden has faced criticism from members of his own party as well including Democratic Rep. Ritchie Tores, who said he suspects that Biden is "pandering to the far left."

"It looks like election year politics was driving it," Tores said. "That's my impression." 
 

GOP rep files impeachment articles using Dem precedent set during Trump administration

FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., formally filed articles of impeachment against President Biden on Friday over his recent comments about withholding offensive weapons aid to Israel, drawing parallels to House Democrats' first impeachment of former President Trump.

The first-term House Republican told Fox News Digital it was his "constitutional duty" to do so.

His legislative text, first obtained by Fox News Digital, accuses Biden of "abuse of power" and charges that he tried to force Israel into changing its own defense policies by leveraging lethal aid.

"In violation of his oath to faithfully execute the office of President and to uphold the Constitution, President Biden abused the powers of his office by soliciting a 'quid pro quo' with Israel while leveraging vital military aid for policy changes. This egregious action not only compromised the credibility of the United States but also undermined the interests of our longstanding ally, Israel. Therefore, President Biden's conduct warrants impeachment, trial, removal from office, and disqualification from holding any future office under the United States," Mills said in a statement.

ANTI-ISRAEL OCCUPIERS COULD LOSE FEDERAL STUDENT LOANS UNDER NEW GOP SENATE BILL

Fox News Digital was first to report Mills' intent to file the impeachment articles on Thursday. He and other GOP lawmakers have drawn comparisons between Biden's comments on Israel and Trump's leveraging of lethal aid to Ukraine unless Kyiv announced an investigation into the Bidens.

"Joe Biden is pressuring Israel, our biggest ally in the Middle East, by pausing their funding that has already been approved in the House, if they don't stop all operations with Hamas. It’s a very clear message, ‘this for that,'" Mills said Thursday. "These are the same accusations made against President Trump, which resulted in his impeachment by Democrats. The same must happen for Joe Biden, which is why we’re drawing up articles of impeachment now."

Biden made the high-stakes ultimatum to Israel's government in a CNN interview that aired Wednesday night as it prepares for a ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The city is currently home to more than a million Palestinians who left other parts of the Gaza Strip, where Israel has conducted its mission to eradicate the terrorist group Hamas.

Biden said Israel would continue to see U.S. support for its defensive systems, like the Iron Dome, in the CNN interview. He added, however, that "if they go into Rafah, I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, that deal with that problem."

'NO CHOICE' BUT TO IMPEACH BIDEN OVER DELAYED ISRAEL AID, GOP SENATOR SAYS

Mills' legislative text argues that in making those comments, Biden "used the powers of the presidency in a manner that compromised the national security of the United States and its ally Israel."

It's highly unlikely for the push to reach the level of a Senate trial, with the House's current ongoing impeachment inquiry into Biden still searching for smoking gun evidence amid accusations of improper behavior and bribery, all of which the White House has denied.

But it shows the sky-high tensions that have taken over Washington amid Israel's war on Hamas after the terrorist group's Oct. 7 attack.

A White House official told Fox News Digital that Mills' push was "ridiculous" on Thursday.

BIDEN'S DECISION TO PULL ISRAEL WEAPONS SHIPMENT KEPT QUIET UNTIL AFTER HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE ADDRESS: REPORT

"Senior administration officials had already made multiple public statements about Rafah similar to the President’s, including that we are also ensuring Israel gets every dollar appropriated in the supplemental. Trump failed to spend dollars appropriated by Congress that he was legally required to spend. This is about a purchase made by a foreign government and our decision whether to deliver that purchase right now, which could enable an operation we’ve publicly and privately objected to," the official said.

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Meanwhile, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters on Thursday, "As the President said, Israel has not yet launched such an operation, so he was talking about what would happen in the future if they did.  That is a choice Israel will have to make.  We hope they don't. We will keep working with them to develop alternative approaches that we think have a better chance of strategic success and a better chance of eliminating the threat that Israeli people still face from Hamas."

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for further comment on Friday.

Mike Pence accuses Biden of impeachment hypocrisy amid Israel arms threat

EXCLUSIVE: Shortly after President Biden announced Wednesday that he would withhold weapons from Israel if it entered the southern Gaza city of Rafah, former Vice President Mike Pence accused him of hypocrisy, in light of how his former boss was impeached on similar grounds.

On Wednesday, Biden lamented Gazan civilian casualties to CNN host Erin Burnett, telling her he "made it clear if they go into Rafah… I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah; to deal with the cities, to deal with that problem."

"We're going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that came out of the Middle East recently. It's just wrong."

On X, formerly Twitter, Pence tore into Biden, calling his comments "totally unacceptable."

JOHNSON: ‘I HOPE ITS A SENIOR MOMENT’ WHEN BIDEN THREATENED TO PULL ISRAEL SUPPORT

"I’m old enough to remember when Democrats impeached another president for supposedly withholding foreign aid that had been approved by Congress," he said.

"Stop the threats, Joe. America Stands with Israel."

In comments to Fox News Digital, Pence said Biden abandoned Israel in order to "win over the Hamas apologist wing of his party."

"Israel is our ally and the only message we should be sending is that we will stand beside them until they finish the job in Gaza and eradicate Hamas, once and for all," Pence said. 

"Congress passed the legislation, President Biden signed it, and it is his job to execute it. He can’t withhold aid for political convenience."

The Indiana Republican said Democrats used the same exact argument to impeach then-President Trump over his 2018 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump reportedly asked Zelenskyy to look into the Hunter Biden-Burisma affair while dangling $214 million in U.S. security assistance, which Democrats considered an act of soliciting foreign election interference.

"Israel is our most cherished ally," Pence went on to say. "And they deserve American support to defeat Hamas – not to be used as a political pawn." 

On Thursday, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., took his criticism a step further by calling on the House to initiate similar impeachment proceedings against the incumbent.

US LAW COULD FORCE BIDEN TO PULL UN FUNDING IF PALESTINIAN RECOGNITION BYPASS SUCCEEDS, EXPERTS SAY

"The House has no choice but to impeach Biden based on the Trump-Ukraine precedent of withholding foreign aid to help with reelection," he said.

"Only with Biden, it’s true."

In Trump's case, Democrats claimed it was "undisputed" that Trump asked Zelenskyy for a political favor in return for security assistance.

In opening remarks by Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., at a December 2019 impeachment inquiry hearing, he alleged Trump's call with Zelenskyy was part of "concerted effort" to "solicit a personal advantage in the next election – this time, in the form of an investigation of his political adversaries by a foreign government."

In an apparent response to Biden's warning, Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, introduced the Immediate Support for Israel Act on Friday, which she said would force the administration to deliver aid and support passed by Congress.

"Weeks ago, Congress came together in a bipartisan manner to pass an aid package for Israel. In an unprecedented move, President Biden not only halted the shipment of aid but also unilaterally added conditions to that very same aid – defying Congressional intent. Israel is currently engaged in a war with a terrorist organization that is still holding over 100 civilian hostages. There is simply no excuse for this delay," Van Duyne said in a statement obtained by Fox News.

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In a statement in Hebrew on the eve of Israeli Independence Day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "If we need to stand alone, we will stand alone."

"I have said that, if necessary, we will fight with our fingernails."

Meanwhile, billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who has been vocally critical of antisemitism on campus, responded to a clip of Biden's CNN interview with the comment: "Crazy: This is one of the worst acts against an ally of a sitting president ever."

"Hopefully, this means he won’t be sitting for much longer," Ackman wrote on X.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Pence's reaction.

Fox News' Chad Pergram and Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

‘No choice’ but to impeach Biden over delayed Israel aid, GOP senator says

A Republican senator is renewing the call to impeach President Biden following reports of aid to Israel being delayed during its war with the terrorist organization Hamas. 

"The House has no choice but to impeach Biden based on the Trump-Ukraine precedent of withholding foreign aid to help with reelection. Only with Biden, it’s true," Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote on X on Thursday. 

A recently passed $95 billion supplemental foreign aid package included roughly $26 billion for both Israel and humanitarian aid for areas including Gaza. The aid was encouraged by the Biden administration, which had proposed it nearly six months prior. 

Cotton suggested that Biden should be impeached for delaying an aid shipment to Israel, which he claimed had to do with the president's re-election bid as he balances a divided Democratic Party on the Israel war. 

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The White House Counsel's office did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

Earlier this week, Israeli officials claimed the U.S. had paused a shipment of ammunition from the U.S., as Axios reported. 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre maintained that the U.S.'s commitment to Israel is "ironclad," despite the report. 

FANI WILLIS SUGGESTS SHE WON'T TESTIFY IN 'UNLAWFUL' GEORGIA SENATE INVESTIGATION

The report was ultimately confirmed by a U.S. official, who said the administration paused shipments of two types of precision bombs to Israel. One shipment would provide 2,000-pound bombs, with 1,800 to be delivered. The second held 500-pound bombs, with 1,700 to be delivered. 

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"The U.S. position has been that Israel should not launch a major ground operation in Rafah, where more than a million people are sheltering with nowhere else to go," a U.S. official said. 

"We are especially focused on the end-use of the 2,000-lb bombs and the impact they could have in dense urban settings as we have seen in other parts of Gaza. We have not made a final determination on how to proceed with this shipment," they added. 

Per the official, "None of these shipments have anything to do with the Israel supplemental appropriations passed last month. All are drawn from previously appropriated funds, some many years ago."

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Biden drew a red line for ally Israel. "I made it clear that if they go into Rafah – they haven’t gone in Rafah yet – if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – that deal with that problem," he said. 

The White House did not immediately confirm the delayed shipment when prompted by Fox News Digital. 

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The Democratic-led House's impeachment of then-President Trump in 2019 indicted him on a charge of abuse of power, arguing he withheld aid to Ukraine while asking the country's leader to investigate his political rivals, including Biden. The Senate acquitted Trump on the House's charges. 

Cotton argued the same precedent should apply to Biden.

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Trump's campaign did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

Republicans in the House have appeared eager to impeach the president, heavily investigating Biden's family's business ties, particularly his son Hunter Biden. 

House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

Fox News' Liz Friden and Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report. 

Liz Cheney joins old foe Trump in public slam of Biden’s latest move in Israel: ‘Wrong and dangerous’

Former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney has found common ground with former President Trump, who she previously voted to impeach, as they both oppose President Biden’s latest move in Israel.

On Wednesday, the anti-Trump Republican said withholding aid from America’s closest ally in the Middle East "wrong and dangerous." The comment came just hours apart from Trump tweeting that Biden was helping the Hamas terror group and "taking the side of these terrorists."

"Withholding aid to Israel is wrong and dangerous. America must not abandon Israel. Doing so would mean victory for Iran and all its terrorist allies," she wrote.

Both Republicans chided Biden after he vowed to withhold weapons from Israel if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu goes forward with an invasion of Rafah, the last stronghold for Hamas in Gaza.

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Cheney’s public criticism of Biden comes amid his re-election rematch with Trump, who has called Biden "weak" and said his foreign policies were "leading the world straight into World War III."

In Trump’s own post, he reminded Biden about Hamas’ terror attack on Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, when 1,200 people were killed, making it the deadliest terror attack in Israel’s history.

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"Crooked Joe Biden, whether he knows it or not, just said he will withhold weapons from Israel as they fight to eradicate Hamas Terrorists in Gaza. Hamas murdered thousands of innocent civilians, including babies, and are still holding Americans hostage, if the hostages are still alive," Trump wrote. "Yet Crooked Joe is taking the side of these terrorists, just like he has sided with the Radical Mobs taking over our college campuses, because his donors are funding them."

He added: "Biden is weak, corrupt, and leading the world straight into World War III. Remember - this war in Israel, just like the war in Ukraine, would have NEVER started if I was in the White House. But very soon, we will be back, and once again demanding peace through strength!"

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Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, was an ally of Trump's at times when he was in office and ascended to chair of the House Republican Conference.

She then vehemently opposed him after Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election. She further angered Republicans when she joined the Jan. 6 House Select Committee that investigated the events surrounding the 2021 Capitol riot.

Upon the Jan. 6 committee, Cheney recommended and ultimately voted to impeach Trump.

As a result, she was defeated in a landslide in her GOP primary race for Wyoming's at-large congressional seat in 2022.

Edward Snowden calls on Biden to veto FISA renewal after Senate vote

Whistleblower Edward Snowden called for President Joe Biden to veto the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) on Saturday after the Senate voted to pass the re-authorization on Friday. 

"The House has voted to approve unconstitutional, warrantless searches of Americans' communications," Snowden wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Now the Senate has too—late on Friday, after the media had gone home. Only the President can stop it from becoming law, and he won't—because he's the one that asked for it."

Snowden's statements come after the upper chamber voted 60-34 to pass the re-authorization. Section 702 serves as a critical tool used by the government to gather intelligence on foreign subjects using the compelled assistance of electronic communication service providers. 

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The measure is now headed to Biden's desk for his signature. 

Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a statement following the vote, calling Section 702 "indispensable to the Justice Department’s work to protect the American people from terrorist, nation-state, cyber, and other threats." 

"In today’s heightened global threat environment, the Justice Department will continue to use Section 702 to ensure that our efforts to keep our country safe are informed by the most valuable and timely intelligence, as we continue to uphold our commitment to protect the rights of all Americans," Garland said in the statement. 

The provision lapsed for less than an hour at midnight on Friday. Had the provision expired, companies would not have been forced to comply with government requests for surveillance aid under the bill. The government would then be required to obtain a warrant to compel any such assistance from companies.

Bipartisan coalitions have grown on both sides of Section 702 renewal, with some arguing that the provision is a vital national security necessity, and others expressing concern over its violations of constitutional protections.

‘CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY’ OF SENATE DEMS QUASHING MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL QUESTIONED BY EXPERTS

Amendments proposed by Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., were voted on prior to the bill's final consideration. 

"We cannot continue sacrificing our freedoms in the name of security. Rather than reining in FISA overreach, RISAA expands it dramatically," Paul said before voting on his amendments commenced. "I urge my colleagues to support meaningful reforms that protect both national security and civil liberties."

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., spoke out against the consideration of the amendments given the short deadline. None of the amendments secured enough votes, however, and were not added to the bill as a result. 

The House of Representatives voted to pass the bill earlier this month, placing Speaker Mike Johnson in a tough spot between privacy and national security hawks within his conference. 

Fox News' Julia Johnson and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. 

Fetterman highlights need for ‘safe, pure, taxed’ marijuana in 4/20 push to legalize weed

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., made his case for marijuana legalization ahead of April 20, known as a holiday of sorts for those who enjoy smoking or otherwise consuming the drug. 

"Right now, we're doing this interview in Washington, D.C., and right now I could leave [and] go buy marijuana legally," Fetterman told Fox News Digital in an interview on Friday. He compared the capital's policy on the drug to that of his home state Pennsylvania, which only allows residents to legally use marijuana for medicinal purposes. 

"Pennsylvanians wanted this five years ago," he claimed, recalling his time campaigning throughout the state. "We're still not there."

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Fetterman noted that most of the states surrounding the Keystone State had already made the drug legal for adults. "It's not complicated. Other states have done that," he said. 

Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, which surround Pennsylvania, have legalized marijuana for adult recreational use in small amounts. 

The origins of 4/20's association with marijuana are not agreed on, but it has been speculated that the holiday could have started in several ways. Some theorize that the number 420 was used by police to reference the drug, while others point to Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35," noting that when the numbers are multiplied they equal 420. Despite the various theories, there does not appear to be consensus on how the day began. 

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"It needs to be safe, pure, taxed and available," Fetterman said, explaining that illegally purchased versions of the drug are difficult to trace and could be cut with dangerous substances, such as fentanyl.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, marijuana in small amounts has been made legal for recreational use by adults in 24 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and two U.S. territories. 

"Any adult should be allowed to do that legally without any criminal … blowback," the Pennsylania senator said. 

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Fetterman told Fox News Digital that he has encouraged President Biden directly to take federal steps towards "liberalizing" the drug. 

He has also lobbied Biden to deschedule marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), under which the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) currently lists it as schedule I. This schedule includes drugs "with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse." Marijuana is included in the list of schedule I substances, alongside heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ecstasy, and peyote, among others. 

Fetterman stressed he doesn't believe "anyone [should] have their lives impacted criminally for a nonviolent marijuana charge."

‘CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY’ OF SENATE DEMS QUASHING MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL QUESTIONED BY EXPERTS

As for illegal markets that still exist in states where marijuana has been legalized, he noted that no states have implemented the policy perfectly, "but I think you'll see that that will continue to evolve."

"Marijuana is going to continue" to become cheaper as policy develops, and "that will absolutely eliminate any of [those] illegal markets," he claimed. 

The senator also emphasized the bipartisan nature of efforts to reform marijuana policy. "Republicans want legal weed. Democrats want legal weed," he said. "And I think this is a [place] where we could come together in a bipartisan way to say, 'Look, let's do this and just get on with it.'" 

Biden mocks Trump for legal woes: ‘A little busy right now’

President Biden took a jab at his presumptive Republican rival for the presidency while campaigning in Pennsylvania.

Biden made the remark while speaking at the United Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday.

"Under my predecessor, who’s a little busy right now, Pennsylvania lost 275,000 jobs," Biden said while boasting of his economic policies' benefit to blue collar workers.

WHITE HOUSE DEEMS HOUSE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY 'OVER,' PRESIDENT BIDEN FORMALLY DECLINES TO TESTIFY

United Steelworkers endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket last month, applauding the president's investments in "worker-centered trade policy."

"President Biden proved time and again during his first term that he stands with working families," USW International President David McCall said in the March announcement. 

He added, "His vision and leadership allowed our nation to strengthen workers’ access to collective bargaining, grow the middle class, and embark on a path to widespread prosperity."

BIDEN RETURNS TO CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS TRUMP FORCED TO REMAIN IN COURT FOR SECOND DAY OF NEW YORK HUSH MONEY TRIAL

While Biden is on the road campaigning, Trump is currently stuck in New York City for his criminal trial surrounding alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels during his successful 2016 presidential campaign. 

Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. It is the first ever criminal trial of a former president.

Trump has been ordered to attend the daily court proceedings of the trial. Judge Juan Merchan told Trump that if he fails to be present, a warrant will be issued for his arrest.

"It’s a scam. It’s a political witch hunt," Trump said after court adjourned Monday. Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts last year.

Fox News Digital's Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.

White House deems House impeachment inquiry ‘over,’ President Biden formally declines to testify

The White House formally declined an invitation by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., for President Biden to testify in connection to his son Hunter’s business dealings.

"As our Office has demonstrated, and you acknowledged in a recent fundraising email, your impeachment investigation is over," Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, wrote in a letter to Comer on Monday. "It is past time for the House to focus on the issues that matter to the American people rather than continuing to waste time and taxpayer resources on this partisan charade." 

Sauber said the House Oversight Committee’s impeachment inquiry "has succeeded only in turning up abundant evidence that, in fact, the President has done nothing wrong." 

"Yet rather than acknowledge this reality, your March 28, 2024, letter contains the same litany of false allegations that have been repeatedly debunked and refuted by the very witnesses you have called before your Committee and the many documents you have obtained," the special counsel told Comer. "Your insistence on peddling these false and unsupported allegations despite ample evidence to the contrary makes one thing about your investigation abundantly clear:  The facts do not matter to you." 

BIDEN IMPEACHMENT EFFORT STARTING TO 'LOSE STEAM,' HOUSE REPUBLICANS SAY

The National Review published a full copy of the letter also obtained by The Associated Press and other outlets.

Reacting to President Biden’s refusal to testify, Comer issued a blistering statement on his X account, declaring, "The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in the Biden family." 

"Like his son, Hunter Biden, President Biden is refusing to testify in public about the Bidens’ corrupt influence peddling," Comer wrote. "This comes as no surprise since President Biden continues to lie about his relationships with his son’s business partners, even denying they exists when his son said under oath during a deposition that they did. It is unfortunate President Biden is unwilling to answer questions before the American people and refuses to answer the very simple, straightforward questions we included in the invitation. Why is it so difficult for the White House to answer those questions? The American people deserve transparency from President Biden, not more lies."

Despite providing testimony behind closed doors, Hunter Biden declined to testify in a public committee alongside former business associates, Tony Bobulinski and Jason Galanis, regarding alleged "pay-for- influence" schemes to provide access to certain offices in exchange for payments to the Biden family.    

Notably, Bobulinski at the committee hearing accused Hunter Biden and his uncle, James Biden, of lying under oath regarding the nature of their dealings with the Chinese conglomerate CEFC. 

In a March 28 letter, Comer invited President Biden to "explain, under oath," what involvement he had in the Biden family businesses, claiming the committee "has accounted for over $24 million that has flowed from foreign sources to you, your family and their business associates." 

FBI INFORMANT CHARGED WITH GIVING FALSE INFORMATION ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN IN 2020

The letter included questions about Biden’s interactions with specific foreign business officials. 

Comer told President Biden that "you have asserted your pressuring Ukraine in 2015 to fire a government official investigating a company in which your son has a financial interest was wholly in line with U.S. policy." 

The committee received bank records showing Hunter Biden was paid $1 million per year for his position on the board of the Ukrainian company Burisma until Joe Biden left office, when Hunter’s salary "was inexplicably cut in half," Comer wrote. The letter specifically asks if President Biden has interacted with executives at Burisma Holdings, which was at the center of the indictment of a former FBI informant in February who the Justice Department accused of providing false information to the FBI.  

The indictment says the former informant, Alexander Smirnov, claimed that during meetings with Burisma executives, they admitted to hiring Hunter to "protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems," and later that they had specifically paid $5 million for such protection. But the DOJ goes on the claim that those events that Smirnov first reported to the FBI Agent in June 2020 were "fabrications." 

Sauber, who was brought on in 2022 to oversee the president’s response to congressional investigations into the Biden family, is leaving the White House early next month to return to the private sector. 

To replace him, the White House is elevating his deputy, Rachel Cotton. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.