Category: fox-news/politics/elections/senate

Schiff decries Bove’s confirmation as ‘corruption’ despite DOJ referral into his own mortgage dealings

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Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., blasted Republicans for confirming President Donald Trump’s former defense attorney Emil Bove as a federal judge Tuesday after the senator himself was referred to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution amid allegations of mortgage fraud. 

The Senate voted to confirm Bove to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit in a 50–49 vote Tuesday, amid a challenging confirmation process involving allegations from three whistleblowers who alleged Bove disregarded court orders surrounding Trump’s mass deportation agenda and misled lawmakers during his confirmation hearing. 

"Republicans just voted to confirm Emil Bove. Despite whistleblowers confirming he urged them to ignore court orders," Schiff said in a Tuesday X post. "Despite it being clear he lied to the Judiciary Committee. And despite the danger he poses to the rule of law. The corruption of the bench continues."

TRUMP PICK EMIL BOVE CONFIRMED AS FEDERAL JUDGE AFTER FURIOUS DEMOCRAT WALKOUT, WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINTS

No Democrats voted to back Bove. They were joined by Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.

Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Tuesday on the Senate floor he backed Bove and said that Bove had faced "unfair accusations and abuse."

After representing Trump in his criminal prosecutions, Bove joined Trump’s Justice Department to serve as the principal associate deputy attorney general.

Meanwhile, Schiff has come under scrutiny for his own alleged misconduct and was referred to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution stemming from a mortgage document controversy. 

The director of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) wrote a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in May, outlining Schiff’s alleged misconduct over his homes in both Maryland and California. 

TOP DOJ OFFICIAL FACES TEST IN SENATE OVER NOMINATION TO BECOME FEDERAL JUDGE

FHFA Director William Pulte wrote in the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital Monday, that Schiff "falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms, impacting payments from 2003–2019 for a Potomac, Maryland-based property." 

It’s unclear whether the Justice Department has launched any actions against Schiff yet, and the Justice Department declined to provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

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

Meanwhile, Trump has railed against Schiff for years — and did so again in July, claiming he would love to see Schiff "brought to justice." 

"I have always suspected Shifty Adam Schiff was a scam artist," Trump posted to Truth Social on July 15. "And now I learn that Fannie Mae’s Financial Crimes Division have concluded that Adam Schiff has engaged in a sustained pattern of possible Mortgage Fraud."

KEY TRUMP NOMINEES STALLED BY SENATE DEMS PUT PRESSURE ON GOP LEADERS

In response, Schiff said that Trump’s claims amounted to a "baseless attempt at political retribution." 

"Since I led his first impeachment, Trump has repeatedly called for me to be arrested for treason," Schiff said in a July 15 X post. "So in a way, I guess this is a bit of a letdown. And this baseless attempt at political retribution won’t stop me from holding him accountable. Not by a long shot." 

Fox News’ Ashley Oliver, Danielle Wallace and Peter Doocey contributed to this report. 

GOP Louisiana state senator says he’s running for US Senate because incumbent Republican ‘sucks’

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Louisiana state Sen. Blake Miguez announced a U.S. Senate bid, declaring in a campaign video that he is "running for the U.S. Senate because Bill Cassidy sucks."

The video highlights old footage of Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, noting that he voted to convict President Donald Trump. Cassidy voted to convict after the House impeached Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. 

However, the Senate vote happened after Trump left office, and it ultimately fell short of the threshold necessary for conviction.

"Today, I'm announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate," Miguez declared in a Tuesday post on X that features the campaign video. "I'm running because the American Dream is worth fighting for - and DC phonies forget that. Bill Cassidy betrayed our state, our President, and our principles.

"As your next Senator, I won't bend. I won't break. I'll stand with President Trump. And I'll never stop fighting to put America First. Bill Cassidy had his shot. He missed. I won't," the Republican state lawmaker's post reads.

TRUMP'S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ CRACKS DOWN ON BIDEN'S STUDENT LOAN ‘SCHEME,’ TOP REPUBLICAN SAYS

Fox News Digital has reached out to Cassidy's campaign for comment.

LOUISIANA RACETRACK ICE RAID NETS MORE THAN 80 ILLEGAL MIGRANTS DURING WORKSITE ENFORCEMENT OPERATION

Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming, who is also targeting Cassidy for ouster, announced a U.S. Senate bid last year.

The Bayou State's next U.S. Senate election will be held in 2026.

WHO IS JOHN FLEMING, THE FREEDOM CAUCUS FOUNDING MEMBER CHALLENGING GOP SEN BILL CASSIDY?

Cassidy has served in the Senate since 2015. He previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, and before that, in the Louisiana state Senate.

Who are the most vulnerable Senate Republicans in 2026?

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There are 35 U.S. Senate seats up for election in 2026, with at least four battleground states expected to decide the balance of power – and whether Republicans maintain control of all three branches of government during the second half of President Donald Trump's term. 

In 2025, Republicans control the Senate 53-47, including two independent senators who caucus with the Democrats. Republican Sens. Thom Tillis, Susan Collins, Jon Husted, John Cornyn and Bill Cassidy could all face fierce fights to maintain their U.S. Senate seats next year. 

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) announced in January that Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., will chair the DSCC with Sens. Mark Kelly, Adam Schiff and Lisa Blunt Rochester as vice chairs during the 2026 election cycle. The DSCC has not yet announced their target races for next year. 

"Democrats have a Senate map that is ripe with offensive opportunities, particularly when coupled with the building midterm backlash against Republicans. Republicans have more seats to defend, and they’re doing it in a hostile political environment," DSCC Spokesman David Bergstein said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

GOP GEARS UP TO CHALLENGE GEORGIA'S DEM SENATOR IN STATE TRUMP WON BY 2%

As the party in power tends to struggle more during the midterm elections, Democrats are already identifying "offensive opportunities" to regain Republican Senate seats. 

"I am confident that we will protect our Democratic seats, mount strong challenges in our battleground races, and look to expand our efforts into some unexpected states. Over the course of my career, I’ve won in red and purple places, and I look forward to helping the next generation of Senate candidates do the same," Gillibrand said when she was named DSCC chair. 

'WE ARE BULLISH': HOUSE GOP TAKES AIM AT THESE 26 DEM SEATS IN MIDTERMS

Sen. Thom Tillis was censured by the North Carolina Republican Party in 2023 for reportedly veering from Republican ideology on gun control policies, LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights. 

Tillis is considered a moderate Republican for his commitment to Ukraine funding, support for gun control legislation that expanded background checks and implemented red flag laws, voting to codify same-sex marriage and supporting legal pathways for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients. 

The bipartisan senator was first elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2020. He went against his more conservative colleagues by voting to certify former President Joe Biden's victory over Trump in 2020. 

Tillis has fallen in line with Republicans in 2025 by voting to confirm Trump's cabinet nominees, even as some expressed concern over his more controversial picks. However, that does not mean Tillis has been able to escape the ire of Trump's orbit. 

"Thom Tillis is running 20 points behind DJT in North Carolina. We’re going to need a new senate candidate in NC unless we want to hand the gavel back to Schumer," a political advisor to Donald Trump Jr., Arthur Schwartz, said on X earlier this month. 

The Cook Political Report, a top nonpartisan political handicapper, rated Tillis' 2026 re-election bid as "lean Republican." 

Maine has long been a political outlier as one of only two states to split its electoral votes for the presidential election. Former Vice President Kamala Harris won Maine in 2024, but Trump still secured one electoral vote for winning Congressional District 2. 

Republican Sen. Susan Collins is considered another moderate Republican – which could serve her once again in the politically split state. 

Collins voted against the Senate confirmations of Trump's nominees for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and FBI Director Kash Patel. She has not shied away from criticizing Trump either, slamming his Jan. 6 pardons and proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health grants. 

Collins has been a U.S. senator since 1996, surviving many primary and general election challenges from both sides of the political aisle. She became the first Republican woman to win a fifth term in the Senate in 2020. 

She is already facing two 2026 challengers – Democrat Natasha Alcala and Independent Phillip Rench. Maine's Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who sparred with Trump over transgender athletes playing in women's sports, has not ruled out a run for Collins' Senate seat. 

 The Cook Political Report also rated Collins' race "lean Republican."

Ohio's Republican Sen. Jon Husted finds himself in a unique position heading into the 2026 midterms. He was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine on Jan. 17, 2025 to fill the vacancy left by Vice President JD Vance. 

Husted is Ohio's former lieutenant governor. He also served as Ohio's secretary of state and as a state legislator. 

Because Husted was not elected U.S. senator, he will need to campaign in 2026 for the special election. If he wins, Husted will retain his seat and complete the remainder of Vance's term – through 2029. 

Rumors swirled that DeWine could choose Trump-ally Vivek Ramaswamy to replace Vance this year, but the moderate Republican governor ultimately chose his politically similar ally. Meanwhile, Ramaswamy has launched his own bid for Ohio governor. 

The race is rated "likely Republican" by The Cook Political Report.

Sen. John Cornyn has been the senator for Texas since 2002. While Cornyn is solidly conservative and has supported Trump, he has expressed private disagreement with the president on issues such as budget deficits and border security.

Cornyn is already gearing up for tough potential primary challenges from Trump-ally Rep. Wesley Hunt and conservative Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. 

Both Hunt and Paxton have not formally announced campaigns to primary the long-time Texas senator, but both candidates would set up a competitive race for Cornyn to keep his seat. 

The race is ranked "solid Republican" by The Cook Political Report with some GOP infighting expected if Hunt or Paxton announce Senate campaigns. 

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy is also expected to face a tough primary challenge in 2026. John Fleming, the Louisiana state treasurer and former representative, has declared a Senate bid.

Rep. Clay Higgins, who was also expected to challenge Cassidy, announced on Thursday that he will not pursue a Senate campaign in 2026. 

Cassidy voted to convict Trump during his 2021 impeachment trial, alienating him from the Trump-loyalists of the party. 

The former physician raised concerns over Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., during his confirmation hearing. While he ultimately voted to confirm Kennedy, Cassidy questioned Kennedy's vaccine skepticism as it conflicted with his own medical background.  

Cassidy has served in the Senate since 2015, after starting his political career in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Louisiana State Senate. 

While Republicans work to maintain incumbent Senate seats, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has identified four battleground states in 2026 as opportunities to pick up seats and widen their slim majority in the U.S. Senate. 

"Every battleground state — Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire and Minnesota – is in play, and we play to win," NRSC regional press secretary Nick Puglia said in a statement to Fox News Digital last week. 

Pro-Trump impeachment Republican Sen Bill Cassidy targeted for ouster Freedom Caucus founding member

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Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming announced a bid to unseat Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican who voted to convict following the House impeachment vote against former President Donald Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.

Fleming, a former U.S. congressman, was one of the founders of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, according to a press release about his Senate bid.

"Senator Cassidy has failed the people of Louisiana," Fleming said, according to the press release. 

"I will fight to bring real, conservative solutions to the U.S. Senate, I will not cut-and-run on these conservative principles, and I will stand and work with President Trump like I have many times before," he declared.

Fox News Digital attempted to request comment from the senator.

LOUISIANA LAWMAKERS WEIGHING CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT THAT WOULD SEND MORE JUVENILE OFFENDERS TO ADULT JAILS

Fleming held posts in Trump's prior administration.

"I cannot fully express the deep sense of pride I have, having served President Trump in the West Wing of the White House as he was literally fighting for his political life against those who were attacking him and turning their backs on him," Fleming noted, "but the opportunity to stand with him for the principles of America First is why I seek to serve the citizens of Louisiana in the United States Senate."

Trump endorsed Cassidy for re-election in 2020, before the lawmaker became one of the Senate Republicans who voted to convict after the House impeachment vote against Trump in early 2021.

That Senate vote took place after Trump had already departed from office, and the number of senators who voted to convict failed to reach the threshold necessary for a conviction.

CASSIDY INTRODUCES BILL TO STOP FEDERAL TAX DOLLARS FROM GOING TO HEALTHCARE FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Trump lambasted Sen. Cassidy in posts on Truth Social earlier this year.

"One of the worst Senators in the United States Senate is, without question, Bill Cassidy, A TOTAL FLAKE, Republican though he may be," Trump declared on April 1.

"Bill Cassidy is now shunned in his own State as a disloyal lightweight, and it’s a beautiful thing to watch," Trump declared in another post.

FEDERAL COURTS ARE DECLARING WAR ON AMERICAN OIL WORKERS: SEN. BILL CASSIDY

Cassidy's current U.S. Senate term ends in early 2027.

Fleming previously ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2016.

Trump urges California GOP US Senate candidate Garvey to reach out for endorsement: ‘No chance’ without MAGA

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Former President Trump told reporters on Friday that California Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Garvey "hasn’t reached out to MAGA" after the presidential nominee was asked why he hadn’t endorsed Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff’s opponent. 

"I don’t know much about Steve Garvey. I think he’s made a big mistake because he hasn’t reached out to MAGA," Trump said outside his Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes following a press conference where he spoke out against "Comrade Kamala Harris and the communist left."  

He said if the former Major League Baseball star Garvey "doesn’t have MAGA, he has no chance." 

Trump was fundraising in California Thursday and Friday. 

EX-MLB STAR CALLS ON SOROS-BACKED DA TO PROSECUTE LA SYNAGOGUE ATTACKERS: ‘UNCONSCIONABLE’

"Well, I haven’t spoken to him," Trump added of Garvey. "I’m hearing he wants the MAGA endorsement, but he’s got to call me. If he had the MAGA endorsement, he could win. If you had an honest election he’d win, but you don’t have an honest election." 

Garvey previously told FOX 11 he voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020. 

He told Fox News Digital in a statement, "Since day one, I've ran a different type of campaign, I have not taken or asked for a single political endorsement. The only endorsements I want are from the law enforcement community and first responders. This week, we launched a historic campaign dedicating all of our resources to talk with California's Latino community from now until the election.

"My focus is, and always has been, on the issues that truly matter to Californians — affordability, public safety, securing the border, fixing the homelessness crisis and restoring California's leadership. I'm running a ‘Steve Garvey’ campaign for all the people of California, not for partisan or special interests. I'm committed to tackling the challenges that families and communities face every day and making sure that California has the voice it deserves in Washington." 

Trump also disparaged Schiff as "one of the sleaziest politicians in history, Crooked Adam Schiff. He’s one of the most disgusting human beings and to think he’s going to be a senator. That’s why you need me as president, because this guy is a sleazebag." 

He called it "impossible to believe" Schiff could represent the area. 

TRUMP ACCEPTS LARGEST POLICE UNION ENDORSEMENT, BLASTS HARRIS AS A ‘DEFUNDER’: ‘KAMALA’S CRIME WAVE'

The former president has long disliked the Los Angeles-area congressman, who served as the lead impeachment manager in Trump's first Senate trial and was a vocal critic throughout his presidency. 

Schiff responded to Trump's comments about him on X, writing, "I don’t think he likes me."

"Steve Garvey’s a nice guy. I don’t know him at all," Trump told reporters. "But if he doesn’t reach out to MAGA, he has absolutely no chance." 

Schiff is heavily favored to win in the deep blue state that hasn’t had a Republican senator since John Seymor lost his election in 1992. 

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The most recent Real Clear Politics polling average has Schiff leading Garvey 57.3% to 33%. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump and Schiff campaigns for comment.

Key Dem Senate candidate who accused opponent of election denialism has history of questioning results

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FIRST ON FOX: The Democrat running in one of this year's top Senate races, who accused his opponent of election denialism, also has a history of questioning the legitimacy of the vote.

Rep. Colin Allred, the Democratic nominee in Texas' Senate race, recently launched attacks against incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz for avoiding directly saying he would accept the results of the upcoming election, but appears to have forgotten his own statements openly suggesting that future election outcomes may need to be questioned.

"Ted Cruz views questions about our democracy as part of a cynical partisan game. Our democracy isn’t a game. It’s fundamental to who we are as Americans. Ted Cruz is a danger to our freedoms and shared values. We must fire him this November," Allred wrote on X, referencing an appearance by Cruz on liberal network CNN, where he clashed with one of its hosts asking if he'd accept the results this November.

DEM IN MAJOR SENATE RACE ACCUSED OF ‘PANDERING’ TO BLACK VOTERS BY SUPPORTING REPARATIONS

Cruz pushed back during the interview, questioning why the media never asks Democrats if they would accept election results. He argued that laws in place allowing for results to be challenged on the basis of voter fraud were there for a reason, and hit back at the host's claims there was no fraud during the 2020 election.

Allred, in fact, warned of such fraud ahead of the 2020 election, specifically during an August 2019 appearance at a town hall in Garland, Texas. During the event, he peddled claims that the 2016 election results were due to Russian interference by referencing the Mueller report and Russia hacking into election databases. He also argued there was a need to have "paper trails" on electronic voting machines.

"What we saw in that report may color some of what is happening here, in terms of a willingness to accept foreign interference in elections and things like that. And I think this has raised an entirely new specter for us, which is, is our next election going to be a legitimate one? And that, I think, is a proximate danger for our democracy," Allred said during an appearance on a local radio show in September 2019, again referencing the Mueller report.

DEM SENATE CANDIDATE ATTENDS EVENT WHERE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WERE INFORMED ON HOW TO EVADE LAW ENFORCEMENT

He similarly told a meeting of the Richardson Area Democrats a month later that he was troubled by "the idea that the next election might not be legitimate," suggesting then-President Trump might attempt to use foreign influence to boost his chances at re-election, and said he was "worried still about some of the abilities to hack and change voter rolls and even change vote totals."

Allred said at another town hall meeting that same month that the reason for the then-ongoing Trump impeachment inquiry was "because the legitimacy of the next election was put into question by this President’s actions." 

He said during a Capitol Hill press conference the following year, "We have to decide in this country who’s going to determine our elections. This is only the beginning of this. The Russians in 2016, other foreign influences in 2018. In 2020, there will be other adversaries who will try to take advantage of this."

TOP DEM SENATE CANDIDATE DIVERTED MILLIONS FROM POLICE DURING CRIME SURGE TO FUND MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY

Allred continued using similar rhetoric following the 2020 election, including in a 2022 Business Insider article, where he warned of election subversion in that year's midterm elections and in 2024.

"I think there's a very real possibility that we will see in the next two elections, get some results sent to us for ratification – whether it's presidential, congressional or Senate, that's not consistent or that we're gonna have to question… I think that's the reality of the situation we can no longer pretend like these elections are just going to continue to proceed the way they have in the past," he said.

Fox News Digital asked Allred's campaign the same question CNN posed to Cruz: Whether he would accept the outcome of the 2024 election. It offered no response.

Josh Stewart, a spokesperson for Allred's campaign, told Fox regarding the congressman's past questioning of elections, "The only person in this race who tried to overturn a free and fair election is Ted Cruz. Texans saw it with their own eyes on Jan. 6, and come November, they are going to hold him accountable."

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

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

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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.

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

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.

Dem senator’s claim downplaying border crisis resurfaces after staffer killed by illegal immigrant

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Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nev., claimed that there were "no open borders," just two days before the migrant arrested in a deadly car accident that killed her adviser illegally entered into the U.S.

In a resurfaced video from March 10, 2021, a month when Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) reported over 170,000 migrant encounters at the border, Cortez Masto is seen telling MSNBC that there was "a lot of misinformation" surrounding the southern border crisis.

"There's no open border," the Democrat Senator claimed. "As someone who was attorney general for eight years, my state worked very closely on the border with Mexico. There are no open borders."

Just two days later, on March 12, 2021, an illegal immigrant by the name of Elmer Rueda-Linares reportedly entered at or near the Rio Grande City, Texas, Port of Entry without inspection by an immigration official, ICE confirmed to Fox News Digital. That same migrant would go on to be arrested in connection with the death of one of Cortez Masto's own senior advisers.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTED IN CRASH THAT KILLED DEMOCRATIC SENATOR'S ADVISER

Kurt Englehart, senior advisor to Cortez Masto, was killed in a car collision south of Downtown Reno, Nevada, on April 6, 2024. Rueda-Linares, the illegal migrant driving the vehicle that collided with Englehart, was arrested and charged with failing to stop at the scene of the accident.

HAITIAN MIGRANT, NOW A DOUBLE HOMICIDE SUSPECT, WAS ALLOWED INTO US BY BIDEN ADMIN VIA CONTROVERSIAL APP

CBP noted that encounters increased by 71 percent over February 2021 in March of that year, the same month Cortez Masto made the claim about the border.

Also that month, Fox News Digital reported that CBP agents had encountered a "large group" of illegal immigrants near Las Lomas, Texas, apprehending 134 illegal immigrants who had come to the southern border from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

When asked about the 2021 comment, a spokesperson for Cortez Masto stated that the Senator "has repeatedly pushed for additional border security funding under both the Trump and Biden administrations." Cortez Masto signed a letter in 2020 that demanded the reversal of Trump-era border policies, "condemning the Trump Administration for its harmful policies that have dismantled the United States’ asylum system."

"Senator Cortez Masto has repeatedly pushed for additional border security funding under both the Trump and Biden administrations and voted in February for the bipartisan border security package that Donald Trump and Senate Republicans refused to consider," Lauren Wodarski, spokesperson for Cortez Masto, told Fox News Digital in a statement. "To indicate otherwise is a distortion of her record."

In February 2021, Cortez Masto voted against an amendment that would prioritize "taking into custody aliens charged with a crime resulting in death or serious bodily injury."

Again in August 2021, Cortez Masto voted against establishing "a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to ensuring that the Department of Homeland Security, pursuant to Title 42, United States Code, conducts expulsions of illegal immigrants who may contribute to the spread of COVID-19, including any of the dangerous variants originating overseas, in order to protect the public health of the American People, save American lives, and assist in eradicating the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States." 

The Senator has since cosponsored pieces of legislation that seek to combat the ongoing fentanyl crisis. In 2024, Cortez Masto cosponsored the Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act "to improve border security, imposing new reporting requirements relating to border security, and enhancing criminal penalties for destroying or evading border controls," as well as signing onto the bipartisan Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act with GOP Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.

Most recently, the Democrat voted to dismiss the articles of impeachment filed against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the southern border crisis.

Republicans in the House unveiled articles of impeachment against Mayorkas in January, claiming that the Biden administration secretary has "repeatedly violated laws enacted by Congress regarding immigration and border security."

"In large part because of his unlawful conduct, millions of aliens have illegally entered the United States on an annual basis with many unlawfully remaining in the United States," Republicans alleged. "Alejandro N. Mayorkas knowingly made false statements to Congress that the border is 'secure,' that the border is ‘no less secure than it was previously,’ that the border is 'closed,' and that DHS has ‘operational control’ of the border."

Cortez Masto called the impeachment inquiry a "waste of time." 

"There is no evidence that @SecMayorkas committed high crimes and misdemeanors, so I voted to end this waste of time," the Senator said in an April 17 post on X. "Republicans could have made real policy changes, but they decided to play games and killed the bipartisan border package in favor of this frivolous impeachment."

During the Senate's meeting Wednesday on the dismissal of impeachment articles against Mayrokas, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, appeared to mention the incident in which Cortez Masto's staffer was killed as an example of ramifications of the ongoing southern border crisis. 

"The consequences of our open border policy can touch all of us," Lee said. "One of our dear, respected colleagues having lost a beloved staff member in the last few days. Having lost that staff member as a consequence of the actions taken by an immigrant in this country, who was here unlawfully, who shouldn't have been here. That's a troubling thing."

Fox News' Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Top Democrat in tight Senate race backs citizenship, voting rights for millions of illegal immigrants

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The Democrat frontrunner in what could be one of the most unexpectedly tight Senate races this year recently declared his support for granting citizenship and voting rights to the millions of illegal immigrants residing in the U.S.

Speaking at a candidate forum in Bladensburg, Maryland, earlier this month, Rep. David Trone, who represents the state's 6th Congressional District, argued illegal immigrants should have the same rights under the Constitution as U.S. citizens.

"We need to welcome all 12 million folks here now that are DACA, TPS, and undocumented – make them citizens, and move forward. They have all the rights everybody here should have also," Trone said, referencing Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA), also known as "Dreamers," who were brought to the U.S. as children by illegal immigrant parents, as well as migrants granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

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Just days after the forum, Trone voted against the bipartisan Laken Riley Act, a bill named after a nursing student who was tragically murdered on the campus of the University of Georgia while jogging. Jose Antonio Ibarra, the illegal immigrant from Venezuela charged in the murder, was arrested in New York prior to the murder but was not detained by ICE. He was also cited in Georgia for misdemeanor shoplifting in October 2023. 

The bill would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants who commit theft, burglary, larceny or shoplifting offenses and mandate that those who commit such crimes are detained until they are removed from the U.S., so they cannot break the same law or commit further crimes.

Additionally, the bill would ensure that states have standing to bring civil actions against federal officials who refuse to enforce immigration law or who violate the law. It passed the House in a 251-170 vote, and the Senate is currently considering its version of the legislation.

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Last month, Trone signed a letter urging impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to close illegal immigrant detention centers just one day after a toddler was allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant right outside his district, the Daily Caller reported.

"Our immigration system is broken. Unfortunately, positive legislative reforms in immigration are unlikely this congress due to extreme MAGA Republican opposition. Until that changes, we must do our best to operate within the current system to ensure that we are treating immigrants with dignity and utilizing our limited resources wisely. You have testified regarding your concern about ‘the overuse of detention… where alternatives to detention would suffice.’ We share that concern," Trone wrote in the letter.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Trone's campaign for comment.

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Trone faces a crowded Democrat primary field, where he holds a massive fundraising and polling advantage. His closest challenger is Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.

He will likely face Maryland's former Republican governor, Larry Hogan, in the general election. Few polls have been conducted on the race so far, but those that have been completed suggest a neck-and-neck race between the two.

Elections analysts rate the race as "likely" Democrat, but Hogan's name recognition and high approval rating at the conclusion of his second term last year could further pose a challenge to Democrats' hopes of maintaining control of the Senate.

Fox News' Kyle Morris contributed to this report.

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

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to what to look for in a leadership race to succeed McConnell

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

It is almost too early to truly understand and divine where the votes might for someone to succeed retiring Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

The reason? The universe and conditions under which Republican senators will vote next fall to pick their new leader haven’t formed yet. Yes, take a look at the three Johns: Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), former Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). Even someone like Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) could be in play. A source tells FOX is interested in the race. 

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But beyond that, we don’t know much.

Here’s why:

We have to first know who wins the presidential election. And if 2024 is anything like 2020, we might not definitively know until week or more after the election. A delay in figuring out the winner could delay the internal secret leadership election which Senate Republicans will take in mid to late November. But the winner of the presidential election will dictate who the GOP wants – especially if former President Trump prevails and has much to say about it.

Ironically, FOX is told that the antipathy between the former President and McConnell was not a major factor in the decision-making of the Kentucky Republican to step down.

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Another factor: who has control of the Senate – and by how many seats. Keep in mind we didn’t know until January 2021 as to which party would control the Senate in the last Congress.

This is why other figures may emerge. Especially dark horses. 

As I have written before, leadership elections in Congress are not "partisan politics" They are "particle politics." The person who is propelled into leadership is not always the obvious choice: Think former House Speakers John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). Or even current House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

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FOX is told that some Senate Republicans are tired of what one senior Senate GOP leadership source termed a "weekly MAGA show" by Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), JD Vance (R-Ohio) and others at the weekly Senate Republican Conference meetings. So if former President Trump loses and if the GOP doesn’t have control of the Senate, that could dictate who Republicans pick.

However, if Republicans prevail with a substantial majority, look at Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) as a possibility. He leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the GOP’s campaign arm. Daines has made many of the right moves so far in GOP contests. If Republicans win the Senate by a good margin, some members (especially the new ones), might be willing to give Daines a look – if he’s interested. 

The same factor could undercut Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.). It’s not clear if Scott is interested. He ran unsuccessfully against McConnell in the fall of 2022. Scott led the GOP’s campaign efforts in 2022 – and Republicans failed to win the Senate. That could be an albatross for Scott and potentially inhibit him from making another run at leadership.