Democrats not ready to ditch Biden over Hunter scandal fallout, strategists say

They aren’t thrilled with 80-year-old President Biden as their party’s standard-bearer in the 2024 election, but Democrats appear far from ready to cut bait with the president due to his connections to his son Hunter Biden’s expanding legal scandals.

Former Hunter Biden business partner Devon Archer on Monday told members of the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door interview that the younger Biden included his father on speakerphone while meeting with business associates at least 20 times. The Republican controlled panel is investigating Hunter Biden’s business dealings with foreign companies and what, if any, role his father played in those interactions.

The closed-door interview revelations will likely fuel Republican attempts to link the president to Hunter Biden’s business transactions, which could politically wound the elder Biden as he runs for re-election in 2024 to a second term in the White House.

But a Democratic lawmaker on the committee argued that Archer’s testimony does not show that then-Vice President Biden was involved in son Hunter’s business dealings.

A TOP HOUSE REPUBLICAN SAYS DEVIN ARCHER INTERVIEW ‘VERY PRODUCTIVE’ IN BIDEN FAMILY PROBE

"The witness indicated that Hunter spoke to his father every day, and approximately 20 times over the course of 10 year relationship, Hunter may have put his father on the phone with any number of different people, and they never once spoke about any business dealings," Rep. Dan Goldman of New York told reporters on Capitol Hill.

"As he described it, it was all casual conversation, niceties, the weather, ‘What’s going on?’" Goldman added. And he emphasized that "there wasn’t a single conversation about any of the business dealings that Hunter had."

WHAT FORMER HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE SAID ON CAPITOL HILL

Devon Archer’s interview comes in the wake of a whistleblower’s allegations that the FBI and the Justice Department are in possession of an unverified document that claims a criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions. And House Speaker Kevin McCarthy recently floated that the Republican majority in the chamber could consider an impeachment inquiry into the president over the unproven claims of financial misconduct.

The president’s approval ratings have been underwater for nearly two years and polls suggest Democrats are anything but enthused with Biden seeking a second four-year term in the White House. But regardless, Democrats don't appear buying – at least right now – what the Republicans appear to be selling.

Veteran Democratic consultant and pollster Doug Schoen argued in an opinion piece this past weekend that Hunter Biden’s multiplying legal controversies "are now Joe Biden’s problems." 

But Schoen, a top political adviser to then-President Bill Clinton and on Michael Bloomberg’s unsuccessful 2020 presidential campaign, told Fox News Digital on Monday that "from what I have seen, there still has been no direct evidence, or even testimony today from Devon Archer, Hunter Biden’s former partner, that President Biden was involved in their business dealings."

"At this point there is nothing to lead me to say anything about the president's likely candidacy being impacted by any developments in the Hunter Biden case," Schoen emphasized.

WHAT THE COLLAPSE OF THE HUNTER BIDEN PLEA DEAL MEANS FOR PRESIDENT BIDEN IN 2024

Asked if Democrats would look to jettison Biden as their party’s nominee if the president becomes increasing entangled in his son’s legal predicaments, Democratic strategist and communicator Chris Moyer told Fox News "no way."

Moyer, a presidential campaign veteran, scoffed at suggestions that party leaders would consider asking Biden to step aside in 2024, adding that "Republicans are always going to try to find something to drum up."

"There’s good news about the economy almost every day. That’s what’s going to matter most not just to Democrats but also to key swing voters in the general election," he argued.

Longtime political scientist Dante Scala of the University of New Hampshire emphasized that "until Democrats are confronted with incredibly solid evidence that the father himself has some wrongdoing in all this, their default is to confine the sins of Hunter Biden to Hunter Biden."

Hunter Biden’s legal saga and the mounting inquiries come as the battle for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination is heating up, and as Biden faces long-shot Democratic presidential primary challenges from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - the environmental lawyer and high-profile vaccine critic, and scion of arguably the nation’s most famous family political dynasty – and best-selling author and spiritual adviser Marianne Williamson, who’s making her second straight White House run. And progressive activist and professor Cornel West has launched a third-party bid for president that has some in the party nervous he might siphon votes from Biden in November 2024.

"The Hunter Biden circus is a concern for Democrats if President Biden’s opponents in the primary begin to bang the same drum as Republicans," warned longtime progressive strategist and communications consultant Michael Ceraso.

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Ceraso, a veteran of Sen. Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign and now-Transportation Secy. Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 White House bid, noted that "we have a short-term memory in politics, but Bernie benefited from the allegations stacked against Secretary Hillary Clinton. Her past propelled him to be competitive. Whether West or RFK lean in and step in line with Republicans to propel themselves in the primary is anyone’s guess. But six months of weathering Hunter-related attacks from primary challenges before advancing to the general election is not ideal for the president - especially when he needs to drum up support from voters around the policies the Democrats and his White House passed."

"Many Americans - those who are likely to elect to stay home on Election Day, or flip parties based on the candidate and their personality, and not the issues - need convincing that the president deserves a second term," Ceraso argued.

Pence’s political advocacy group calls for Congress to declare an invasion at southern border

Former Vice President Mike Pence’s political advocacy group is calling for a declaration of an invasion at the southern border as part of a legislative agenda to tackle the ongoing migrant crisis.

Advancing American Freedom, which was founded by the 2024 presidential candidate, released its agenda Monday to secure the border and end illegal immigration.

It calls for legislation to declare an "invasion" in response to the crisis that has seen record numbers of migrants hit the southern border since 2021.

OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SAY BORDER IS IN CRISIS OR ‘MAJOR PROBLEM’: POLL

"The United States Constitution declares that the federal government shall protect states from invasion. So long as the Biden administration refuses to do this job, Congress should officially declare an invasion so that states have the legal authority to secure the border for themselves," the agenda states.

The use of the term "invasion" has grown in Republican circles in recent years to describe the crisis. Both former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have used the term as part of their presidential campaigns – with DeSantis promising to "stop the invasion" as part of his border strategy.

Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has cited the "invasion" clause to authorize the return of illegal immigrants to the border with Mexico. That comes after there were more than 1.7 million migrant encounters at the southern border in FY 2021 and 2.4 million in FY 2022.

Democrats have taken aim at the use of the term, saying it is dangerous and encourages anti-immigrant sentiment.

"The invasion narrative some members push in this hearing room is bigoted, fact-free and dangerous," Jerry Nadler, House Judiciary Committee ranking member, said at a hearing last week.

The policy proposals put forward by Pence’s group also call for Congress to explore a possible impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas – something that has been called for by a number of House members. 

DHS has responded to those calls by urging Congress to pass legislation to fix a "broken" immigration system and provide the funding requested by the Biden administration.

DOJ TO SUE TEXAS OVER FLOATING BORDER BARRIER; ABBOTT SAYS 'SEE YOU IN COURT' 

Separately, the AAF agenda calls for an end to "chain migration" – which allows for immigrants to sponsor relatives for green cards into the U.S. – and also for reforms to temporary visa programs like the controversial H-1B visa program. Critics have said such visas are used by companies to replace American workers with cheaper foreign nationals.

It also backs legislation already introduced in Congress – including the GOP House border security package passed earlier this year. Other bills supported are Kate’s Law, as well as measures to end the visa lottery, allow victims of illegal immigrant crime to sue sanctuary cities, reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols, and continue border wall construction at state level.

 "Congress needs to hold President Biden, Secretary Mayorkas, and the Department of Homeland Security accountable for their dangerous failings at the border, while also passing legislation that gives our border agents the resources and restored powers they need to do their jobs and enforce the law, AAF Executive Director Paul Teller said in a statement. "Advancing American Freedom believes that a country without a secure border and the rule of law isn’t a country at all and will continue to call for decisive action from Congress and the administration to keep our country safe." 

The policy rollout, which will be followed by a visit by AAF staff this week, is the latest indicator of how the border crisis is likely to continue to be a top political and 2024 issue – even as the Biden administration has touted a recent drop in numbers at the border since the end of Title 42 in May.

Republicans have blamed the crisis on the Biden administration, with 2024 candidates rallying around calls to restore policies implemented when Pence was vice president. The Biden administration has said it is expanding lawful pathways while punishing illegal immigration as part of its post-Title 42 strategy.

However, the recent torpedoing of its asylum rule after a left-wing legal challenge has raised new fears that a potential new surge could be coming soon.

Biden suggests Republicans will impeach him because inflation is down

President Biden on Friday suggested that Republicans will impeach him because inflation has come down so much that his opponents can no longer attack the Biden economy.

The president made those remarks in Auburn, Maine, where he delivered a stump speech arguing that "Bidenomics" is strengthening the middle class, creating jobs and bringing inflation down. 

"In fact, we have the lowest rate of inflation among the world's major economies," Biden said. "While there's more work to do, earlier this week the Washington Post suggested that Republicans may have to find something else to criticize me for, now that inflation is coming down. 

"Maybe they'll decide to impeach me because it's coming down, I don't know," Biden said. "I love that one. Anyway, that's another story."

DOOR MAY BE OPEN TO IMPEACHING BIDEN FOR MISDEEDS COMMITTED PRIOR TO PRESIDENCY: LEGAL EXPERTS

House Republicans have floated launching an impeachment inquiry against Biden amid newly surfaced allegations that suggest his involvement in the business dealings his son, Hunter. Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has led House Oversight Committee investigations into the Biden family's allegedly corrupt business dealings for months, seeking evidence that Biden used his former office of vice president as leverage to enrich the family. 

The president has fallen directly at the center of that investigation in recent weeks as an unclassified FBI document — an FD-1023 form — was released, containing allegations that Joe Biden and Hunter Biden "coerced" the CEO of Burisma Holdings to pay them millions of dollars in exchange for their help in getting the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating the company fired.

That FD-1023 form is part of an ongoing federal investigation, law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital.

Biden's comments in Maine point to his strategy for a potential impeachment inquiry — to delegitimize the investigations as a last-ditch political effort by Republicans, who he will claim have run out of substantive issues to discuss ahead of the next election. 

TOP CONSERVATIVE GROUP DECLARES ‘BIDENOMICS IS BROKEN’ IN NATIONAL AD CAMPAIGN

Biden's case for re-election in 2024 rests on recent low unemployment numbers and GDP growth that he argues are the direct result of his policies. "Bidenomics" is the president's catch-all term for increased government spending, higher taxes on the wealthy and subsidies for the clean energy industry he claims will stimulate growth and create jobs. Bolstered by a strong economic report that showed GDP growth beat expectations and rose 2.4% in the second quarter of 2023, the president took credit for an improving economy.

"Yesterday, we learned the economy grew faster than expected last quarter. And this morning, we saw data showing that last month the annual rate of inflation continued to decline," Biden said Thursday. "So, inflation is now at its lowest point in two years, and wages are up after being adjusted for inflation." 

The president boasted that 13 million new jobs have been created since he assumed office, including 800,000 new manufacturing jobs. He noted that unemployment has been below 4% for the longest stretch in over 50 years, and declared that all jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic have now been recovered with higher pay and more job satisfaction. 

"I'm not here to declare victory on the economy. We have more work to do. We have a plan for turning things around," Biden said. "Bidenomics is just another way of saying restoring the American dream."

BIDEN SERVES WORD SALAD AT ‘KITCHEN TABLE’ ECONOMICS SPEECH

While recent economic indicators suggest the economy is improving, and fears of an imminent recession are fading, public opinion polling continues to indicate that Americans are giving Biden little credit. The president’s approval ratings on the economy remain deeply underwater in most surveys.

A Fox News national poll conducted last month indicated that most voters were unhappy with how things are going in the country and continued to rate economic conditions negatively. In addition, few voters believe they are gaining financial ground, according to the survey.

Fox News' Brooke Singman and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Possible 3rd Trump indictment looms after grand jury convenes in Jan. 6 probe

The federal grand jury investigating election interference convened Tuesday in Washington D.C., spurring speculation that a possible federal indictment related to the investigation into Jan. 6 against former President Trump may be imminent, Fox News has learned.

Sources told Fox News that the grand jury left the federal courthouse for the day just after 2:00pm on Tuesday afternoon. 

Trump's legal team met with Special Counsel Jack Smith and his team in Washington D.C. last week. Sources told Fox News that Trump's legal team was not given any specific timing about a possible indictment, but that they heard nothing suggesting an indictment would not happen at some point.

After the meeting ended last Thursday, the former president posted on his Truth Social account: 

"My attorneys had a productive meeting with the DOJ this morning, explaining in detail that I did nothing wrong, was advised by many lawyers, and that an Indictment of me would only further destroy our Country," Trump wrote. "No indication of notice was given during the meeting — Do not trust the Fake News on anything!

Trump, who is leading the 2024 GOP presidential primary field, announced last week that he had received a target letter from the Justice Department, which also asked that he report to the federal grand jury. Trump said he anticipated "an arrest and indictment."

TRUMP SAYS HE IS DOJ JAN. 6 GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION TARGET

"They’re in a rush because they want to interfere. It’s interference with the election — it’s election interference," Trump said during a town hall on Fox News with Sean Hannity last week. "Never been done like this in the history of our country, and it is a disgrace what’s happening to our country — whether it is the borders or the elections or kinds of things like this, where the DOJ has become a weapon for the Democrats."

He added: "An absolute weapon."

Smith has been investigating whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021.

TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO 37 FEDERAL FELONY CHARGES IN CLASSIFIED RECORDS CASE

On Jan. 6, 2021, pro-Trump rioters breached the U.S. Capitol during a joint session of Congress that was working to certify the Electoral College results in favor of President Biden.

The House of Representatives drafted articles of impeachment against Trump and ultimately voted to impeach him on a charge of inciting an insurrection for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot — making him the first and only president in history to be impeached, and ultimately acquitted, twice.

The Senate voted to acquit, but had Trump been convicted, the Senate would have moved to bar the 45th president from holding federal office ever again, preventing a 2024 White House run.

TRUMP SAYS DOJ IN AN ‘ABSOLUTE WEAPON’ FOR DEMOCRATS; SLAMS SPECIAL COUNSEL PROBE AS ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE’

Trump was indicted in June on charges stemming from Smith’s investigation into his alleged improper retention of classified records after his presidency. Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 counts including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements.

That indictment was the first time in U.S. history that a former president had faced federal criminal charges.

Will collapse of Hunter Biden plea deal help RFK Jr. in his longshot primary bid against President Biden?

The potential collapse of Hunter Biden’s plea deal with prosecutors during a contentious court hearing in federal court in Delaware on Wednesday will likely provide Republicans with more ammunition as they aim to link President Biden to his son’s high-profile legal difficulties.

But looking ahead to the president’s 2024 re-election campaign, while Democratic strategists scoff at the notion that the younger Biden’s scandals could weaken his father’s bid for re-nomination and potentially help primary challenger Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a veteran political analyst told Fox News that "this is not a good situation for a man who’s weak in the polls and is running for re-election."

Hunter Biden was expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax, as part of plea deal with federal prosecutors to avoid jail time on a felony gun charge. The younger Bien owned a handgun in 2018 – during a period where he’s admitted he was regularly using cocaine. That violates federal law, which prohibits drug users from possessing firearms.

But after the judge in the case refused to accept the plea agreement – due to questions of the constitutionality of the deal – Hunter Biden pleaded "not guilty" as federal prosecutors confirmed the president's son is still under federal investigation. 

HUNTER BIDEN PLEADS ‘NOT GUILTY’ AS PLEA DEAL FALLS APART DURING DELAWARE COURT APPEARANCE

Wednesday’s legal fireworks come after Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblower testimony revealed allegations of Department of Justice misconduct throughout the years long investigation into the president's son, which began during former President Donald Trump’s administration.

Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealing with Ukraine when his father was serving as vice president in the Obama administration are also in the spotlight. A separate whistleblower has alleged that the FBI and the Justice Department are in possession of an unverified document that claims a criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions. 

And this week House Speaker Kevin McCarthy floated that the Republican majority in the chamber may consider an impeachment inquiry into the president over the unproven claims of financial misconduct.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS SAYING ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN'S DAY IN COURT

"There’s a lot of questions and we need some answers," Republican presidential candidate and former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

Haley argued that "now there’s enough questions and enough whistleblowers to say ‘OK, should there be a congressional inquiry into looking into this and I think that’s what Speaker McCarthy’s talking about and if he decides to go through the inquiry, it would totally be warranted."

The White House has pushed back against Republicans, criticizing what it says were "unfounded, unproven, politically motivated attacks against the president and his family" made "without offering evidence for their claims or evidence of decisions influenced by anything other than U.S. interests."

Hunter Biden’s legal saga and the mounting inquiries come as the battle for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination is heating up, and as Biden faces longshot primary challenges from Kennedy – the environmental lawyer and high-profile vaccine critic, and scion of arguably the nation’s most famous family political dynasty – and best-selling author and spiritual adviser Marianne Williamson, who’s making her second straight White House run.

Fox News reached out to Kennedy’s campaign for reaction to Wednesday’s legal developments but didn’t receive a response by the time this story was published. 

But Kennedy, in a Fox News Channel interview this past weekend, said he backs McCarthy’s potential probe into the Bidens.

"The issues that are now coming up are worrying enough that we really need a real investigation of what happened," Kennedy told host Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’ "Sunday Morning Futures."

"I mean, these revelations …where you have Burisma, which is this notoriously corrupt company, that paid out apparently $10 million to Hunter and his dad, if that’s true, then it is really troubling….So I think … it needs to be investigated," Kennedy said. 

RFK JR RIPS WHITE HOUSE'S ‘BAD DECISIONS,’ WON'T SAY WHETHER BIDEN IS FIT TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT

Whether the controversy surrounding the Bidens will boost Kennedy’s bid against Biden is under debate in New Hampshire, which will likely be ground zero for attempts by Kennedy and Williamson to try and upend the president’s renomination.

Pointing to the president’s approval ratings – which have been underwater for nearly two years – and polls suggesting Democrats are anything but enthused with the 80-year-old Biden seeking a second four-year term in the White House, New Hampshire Institute of Politics executive director Neil Levesque told Fox News that "there is a lot of chatter right now and nervous Democrats concerned about Biden running anyway, and the polls indicate that."

"So if you add on any legal difficulties that his son might have that also tarnish the president’s image, it’s not good for him. This is not a good situation for a man who’s weak in the polls and is running for re-election," Levesque argued.

And he said that "every week that goes by where Hunter Biden has more legal troubles it creates a precarious position" for the president.

But veteran political scientist Dante Scala of the University of New Hampshire disagreed, emphasizing that "until Democrats are confronted with incredibly solid evidence that the father himself has some wrongdoing in all this, their default is to confine the sins of Hunter Biden to Hunter Biden."

"Until something emerges that clearly shows that the president did something wrong here, I think Democratic primary voters shrug. Especially given the alternatives. The alternative in no way is Robert F. Kennedy or Marianne Williamson," Scala argued.

Voicing what many Democratic strategists are saying in a party that appears united behind the president, New England based Democratic consultant Joe Caiazzo told Fox News that "the reason why the Republicans are going after the president on Hunter Biden is because they cannot attack him on his record of governing because he’s been a success."

"I think Democratic primary voters are focused on making sure that we win back the House and keep control of the Senate and keep President Biden in the White House in 2024," added Caiazzo, a veteran of multiple Democratic presidential campaigns.

The behavior of some controversial Republicans in Congress may also be energizing Democrats to support Biden.

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Pointing to conservative Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who is facing plenty of criticism for prominently displaying explicit photos of Hunter Biden at recent House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing, a progressive activist in New Hampshire said when it comes to Democratic primary voters, "even if there was something on Biden, it’s lost in all the nonsense and false accusations."

Fox News' Brooke Singman and Aubrie Spady contributed to this report

Choosing your opponent: Why Democrats are bashing the Supreme Court now

President Biden can’t choose his direct opponent next year. But Mr. Biden and Democrats can certainly manufacture one. 

The Supreme Court is on the ballot in 2024.

Liberals are incensed at the latest spate of Supreme Court opinions. Several of the decisions went against causes important to the left.

The High Court undid the President’s plan to cancel $400 billion in student loans. LBGTQ groups are infuriated that the Court ruled that a Colorado web designer doesn’t have to make sites for same-sex weddings. Finally, the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action requirements in higher education.

IMPEACHMENT ONCE AGAIN LOOMS LARGE IN CONGRESS

Expect Democrats to resort to a page in their playbook which likely helped the party gain a seat in the Senate and nearly cling to control in the House in 2022. The Dobbs opinion on abortion last year emerged as a game changer. It energized progressives and pro-choice Democrats and independents. The ruling infused the polls with a stream of voters, serving as a political life preserver to the party. 

Democrats have a lot more to campaign on in 2024 when it comes to the Supreme Court. Questions about the ethics of Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas abound. U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts declined to take part in a hearing called in the spring by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., about the conduct of the justices. The panel is prepping another clash with the Court as Senate Democrats write a bill about the ethics of justices.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told CNN the justices are "destroying the legitimacy of the Court." She endorses issuing subpoenas for justices.

"They are expanding their role into acting as though they are Congress itself. And that, I believe, is an expansion of power that we really must be focusing on the danger of this court and the abuse of power in this Court, particularly as it is related to the entanglements around conflicts of interest as well," said Ocasio-Cortez.

This is why left-wing Members hope to expand and potentially "pack" the Court with jurists who may do the bidding of progressives.

"Expanding the court is constitutional. Congress has done it before and Congress must do it again," said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass.

Markey is right. The composition of the Supreme Court has bounced around for decades. The size of the Court is not established by the Constitution. Congress set the makeup of the Court via statute. Congress would periodically increase or decrease the number of seats on the Court for political reasons.

The Judiciary Act of 1789 created a Supreme Court comprised of six justices. But in 1801, Congress reduced the size of the Court to five justices. That was an effort to undercut President Thomas Jefferson from filling the Supreme Court with one of his nominees. Don’t forget that the House of Representatives elected Jefferson as president in what is known as a "contingent election" following a dispute over the Electoral College. 

MUST-DO: WHAT CONGRESS HAS LEFT ON ITS PLATE AT YEAR'S HALFWAY MARK

Because of the burgeoning size of the federal judiciary, Congress added a seventh justice to help oversee lower courts in 1807. The Court grew to nine justices in 1837.

In 1863, Congress added a 10th seat to the Supreme Court for President Lincoln. This came right after the pro-slavery Dred Scott decision in the late 1850s. There was hope that Lincoln could retool the Court following the Dred Scott case by appointing a jurist aligned with the Union who opposed slavery. However, Lincoln never filled that seat. But after Lincoln’s assassination, there was fear that President Andrew Johnson may alter the court. So in 1866, Congress shrunk the size of the Supreme Court to seven justices. That prevented Johnson from nominating anyone to the Supreme Court as the nation was in the midst of Reconstruction.

Once Johnson was out of office Congress switched the number back to nine for President Ulysses S. Grant. It’s remained at nine ever since. 

But there have been efforts to change the Court’s composition since then.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt tried to "pack" the Court in 1937. He hoped to add justices for every member of the Supreme Court who was over the age of 70.

In a radio "Fireside Chat" on March 9, 1937, FDR squarely challenged the High Court.

"The Courts, however, have cast doubts on the ability of the elected Congress to protect us against catastrophe by meeting squarely our modern social and economic conditions," said Roosevelt.

FDR accused the Supreme Court of an "arbitrary exercise of judicial power" when it came to opinions about banks and railroads. So the president hoped to change the Court by adding more youthful members who might align more closely with his political agenda.

SUPREME COURT RULINGS LIKELY TO INTENSIFY CALLS FROM THE LEFT TO 'PACK' THE COURT

"There is nothing novel or radical about this idea," said FDR, noting that Congress also changed the Court’s membership in 1869. "It seeks to restore the Court to its rightful and historic place in our Constitutional government."

But FDR failed to marshal enough support for the plan with his Fireside Chats. The public opposed the idea and the Senate Judiciary Committee emphatically torpedoed the plan.

It’s doubtful that the Democrats efforts to increase the size of the Supreme Court will go anywhere. It’s unclear that the proposal has anywhere close to 51 votes to pass in the Senate. Commandeering 60 votes to overcome a filibuster is even more daunting.

However, this gives liberals another chance to rail against Senate procedures and call for an end to the filibuster. It energizes the base and helps Democratic candidates raise money. 

That’s why this effort is more about the ballot box in 2024.

"If you want to motivate American voters, you need to scare them," said Catawba College political science professor Michael Bitzer. 

Bitzer says that Democrats used last year’s abortion opinion "as a weapon in the campaign." It helped Democrats mitigate losses in the midterms.

Bitzer believes Democrats now have the opportunity to lean on three key voting blocs to help them in 2024. Democrats will lean on younger voters upset about student loans. There are minority voters upset about the Affirmative Action decision. Finally, Democrats will rely on the LBGTQ+ community. 

However, the closing argument could be the composition of the Supreme Court itself. 

"Democrats will look at the Court and argue there are individuals that should not be on the Court and that they are on the Court and we have to play hardball," said Bitzer.

Dial back to February 2016. 

Late Justice Antonin Scalia died unexpectedly. Former President Obama nominated current Attorney General Merrick Garland to fill his seat. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is the Majority Leader at the time. He refuses to grant Garland a hearing. McConnell says the next president should fill that seat. 

So former President Trump prevails in the 2016 presidential election and nominates Justice Neil Gorsuch. McConnell then shepherds Gorsuch’s nomination to confirmation after Democrats threatened a filibuster.

Upset by filibusters, Senate Democrats established a new precedent in the Senate in 2013 to short-circuit most filibusters of executive branch nominees, known as the "nuclear option." But they left in place the potential to filibuster a Supreme Court Justice. The Senate had never filibustered a Supreme Court nomination. However, the Senate did filibuster the promotion of late Justice Abe Fortas from Associate Justice to U.S. Chief Justice in the late 1960s. 

Facing a filibuster, McConnell deployed the nuclear option to confirm Gorsuch. McConnell again relied on the nuclear option to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the fall of 2018. 

After the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, McConnell ignored what he said in 2016 about confirming justices in a presidential election year. The GOP-controlled Senate rammed through the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett days before the 2020 presidential election. 

This is why liberals are apoplectic about the Supreme Court.

"Republicans have been very willing to change the rules of the game," said Bitzer. "Democrats are slowly coming to the realization that if (Republicans) are going to play that game by their rules, then (they) need to be playing that game by (their) own set of rules."

You can’t always pick your opponent in politics. 

NBA teams often pine to secure a certain matchup in the playoffs. Team A pairs up really well against Team B. Then team A is often disappointed it didn’t get the opponent it "wanted."

You can’t manufacture a potential adversary in sports. But you can in politics. 

President Biden can’t choose his direct opponent in 2024. But Mr. Biden and Democrats can certainly aim to put the Supreme Court on the ballot in 2024.

Censured Schiff raises over $8 million for Senate bid after being punished for Trump-Russia claims

Rep. Adam Schiff brought in a massive fundraising haul of $8.1 million in the second quarter of his campaign to replace retiring Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., after the high-profile House vote to censure him last month.

That's the largest amount ever brought in by a U.S. Senate campaign during an off-year election cycle, Schiff’s campaign said in a press release on Wednesday.

"When I say we are a grassroots campaign, I mean it! Last quarter, we raised over $8.1 million – with an average contribution of just $34. We're in this fight together – and I'm so grateful to have you on this team," Schiff wrote on Twitter.

Schiff, D-Calif., is running against fellow California House Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee and Katie Porter for Feinstein's seat.

SCHIFF BLASTED BY GOP OPPONENT FOR CALLING CENSURE A BADGE OF HONOR: ‘HE’S A NATIONAL DISGRACE’

His prominent role in former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment guaranteed him a higher national name recognition than his progressive rivals – while his accusations that Trump colluded with Russia to win the White House also made him a target for this Congress’ House GOP majority.

But Republican attempts to punish Schiff appear to have boosted his support in the blue stronghold of California. As of Wednesday’s announcement, Schiff’s campaign has more than $29 million in its war chest.

After chairing the House Intelligence Committee under Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Republicans stripped Schiff from the panel altogether when they took power in the chamber this year.

'NEEDED TO BE DONE': LAWMAKERS CONSIDER IF SCHIFF’S CENSURE WILL BOLSTER HIS SENATE CAMPAIGN

Last month, the resolution by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., to censure him over his probing of Trump-Russia collusion claims as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee was approved along party lines, though she was forced to remove a provision that suggested a $16 million fine against Schiff.

Schiff seized on the drama immediately after the censure bid was announced, rolling out video clips and other campaign materials based on the GOP’s effort to punish him. It also served as a massive publicity push, earning him wall-to-wall media interviews.

SCHIFF GLOATS ON 'THE VIEW' ABOUT CENSURE: 'I'M DOING PRETTY DAMN WELL'

"The authors of the Big Lie would attack me for telling the truth," Schiff said in a video posted to Twitter. "But the real goal is to intimidate, to silence critics of the president. It takes issue with me for investigating Donald Trump, for impeaching him, for getting the first bipartisan vote to convict a president in U.S. history."

"This is an attack on our democracy, even as it’s an attack on me and the institution of Congress. But I will never back down," he pledged.

Last quarter, Schiff sprung out the gate with $6.5 million raised for his Senate campaign, more than Porter and Lee’s hauls combined. Porter, who like Schiff is a prolific fundraiser, had raised $4.5 million, while Lee took in $1.4 million.

Trump lead grows following indictment, one factor continues to be thorn in Biden’s side with voters: poll

Former President Donald Trump continues to lead as the GOP frontrunner after being indicted on federal charges in early June, however, nearly half of GOP voters surveyed are skeptical over whether he should continue to lead the Republican Party, according to a new poll.

A new NBC poll shows a majority of Republican voters would vote for Trump in the Republican primary, with 51% listing him as their number one choice. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis came in second with 22% of the votes and former Vice President Mike Pence coming in third with 7%. 

These new numbers come in comparison to how the candidates fared with GOP voters back in April shortly after Trump was indicted in New York in connection to hush-money payments made in 2016. 46% of Republican voters supported Trump then and 31% said they were backing DeSantis. 

After pleading not guilty to 37 federal charges related to his handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in June, a combined total of 77% of GOP primary voters stated the federal charges gave them either minor concerns (14%) or no real concerns (63%). 64% of Republican voters also said the various indictments and investigations Trump faces are politically motivated. 

TRUMP SAYS HE'S 'PROUD TO BE THE MOST PRO-LIFE PRESIDENT' IN US HISTORY ON ANNIVERSARY OF ROE V. WADE OVERTURN

These numbers are then compared to 55% of all registered voters who say the charges give them either major concerns (47%) or moderate concerns (8%).

Trump remains the GOP frontrunner, even when poised in a hypothetical match against DeSantis, with 60% of Republican voters backing the former President and DeSantis receiving only 36%. 

HOUSE GOP SEEKING TO EXPUNGE 'SHAM' TRUMP IMPEACHMENTS

However, in a hypothetical Trump-Biden battle, President Joe Biden came out on top with a near majority of the vote (49%). Trump received 45% support. However, a total of 68% of those surveyed stated Biden's mental and physical health was a major/moderate concern for them. 

On the flip side, when asked if they agree with Trump remaining the party's leader, nearly half of GOP voters said yes, with 21% saying they believed he was a good president but it was time to consider other leaders. 

Trump appeared at a Miami federal courthouse in early June in connection to the classified documents case, marking the first time a former president has faced federal criminal charges. The charges include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements.

The former president slammed the federal indictment as "sham" and "election interference" by the Biden administration in a speech at his property Trump National Golf Club Bedminster after appearing in federal court, calling it "the most heinous abuse of power in the history of our country."

Trump also slammed Special Counsel Jack Smith at the time, calling him a "deranged lunatic" as well as blasting President Biden for having "his top political opponent arrested and charged."

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

Trump reveals his thoughts on barrage of legal charges, investigations: ‘In a sick way I sort of enjoy it’

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday said that "in a sick way" he enjoys the legal charges and investigations brought against him because they "expose" the motivations of his political opponents.

Speaking at the North Carolina Republican Party's convention in Greensboro, Trump addressed the newly unsealed federal indictment accusing him of mishandling classified documents, as well as the various investigations targeting him since he was elected president in 2016. 

"They launched witch hunt after witch hunt, and they just try to stop our movement," said Trump. "They want to do anything they can to thwart the will of the American people. It's called election interference. That's what they're doing now. And we've never seen it on a scale like this. The other side is downright crooked."

Trump, who said Trump said he has "5,000 prosecutors" going after him, was indicted Friday on 37 federal counts, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements.

TRUMP RAILS AGAINST BIDEN, 'DEEP STATE' AT FIRST SPEECH AFTER CLASSIFIED DOCS INDICTMENT: 'POLITICAL HIT JOB'

Trump also referenced the impeachment proceedings launched against him as well as the findings of Special Counsel John Durham, who last month released a final report on his investigation into the original probe concerning whether Trump and his campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election. Durham found that there was never any information to justify opening the FBI's investigation and that the bureau and the Department of Justice "failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law."

"We beat it all off, didn't we?" Trump said. "They put our country through hell, and they knew it was a lie the entire time."

The former president then suggested that any Republican who becomes president will be the subject of similar investigations and on the receiving end of unending political attacks, arguing that anyone but him will crumble under such pressure. 

TRUMP INDICTED ON 37 FEDERAL COUNTS OUT OF SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH'S INVESTIGATION INTO CLASSIFIED RECORDS 

"That person will not be able to withstand the fire," he said. "And they actually admit it. They come to me: 'How do you stand this?' And I usually look at them and say, 'In a sick way I sort of enjoy it, because it exposes them.' It exposes them for what they are. And it's also lifted the poll numbers to even higher legs."

Trump touted poll numbers showing him comfortably ahead as the front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

Trump also directed his ire at President Joe Biden, calling him "corrupt."

Earlier in the day, Trump delivered his first public remarks since being indicted, accusing Democrats of a "political hit job" against him and alleging a double standard in the Biden administration of justice.

Republican Eric Early enters California Senate race to replace Dianne Feinstein

Pro-Trump GOP attorney Eric Early announced Tuesday he's running for Senate in California, joining three high-profile Democratic candidates vying to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

Early — who ran unsuccessfully for state attorney general in 2022 and 2018 and for Congress against Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., in 2020 — launched his campaign with a video promising to secure the border and fight fentanyl, bring back manufacturing jobs and put parents, not"far-left extremists," in charge of their children's education.

On his campaign website, Early says he will "stand-up to the Socialist woke interests that control Washington, DC, fight to preserve and protect our Democracy, and fight for ordinary Californians who are being left behind." 

CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC REP. ADAM SCHIFF TO RUN FOR US SENATE SEAT HELD BY FEINSTEIN

CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT REP. KATIE PORTER ANNOUNCES 2024 SENATE RUN FOR SEN. FEINSTEIN'S SEAT

Feinstein, the oldest sitting senator at age 89, announced her retirement in February, stating that she will not seek reelection in 2024. Her term will expire in January 2025. 

Though Early is the first major Republican candidate to replace her, he remains a long shot in the notoriously liberal Golden State.

DIANNE FEINSTEIN ANNOUNCES SHE WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION IN 2024 

The last Republican to win a statewide election in California was Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006. Democrats currently hold veto-proof supermajorities in both houses of the state legislature, and of the 52 members of its congressional delegation, 40 are Democrats and 12 are Republicans, along with two Democratic senators. 

Early is joining a field led by three prominent Democratic members of Congress: Rep. Katie Porter, known for her tough questioning of CEOs and other witnesses at hearings; Rep. Adam Schiff, who rose to national prominence as the lead prosecutor in then-President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial; and Rep. Barbara Lee, the only member of Congress to vote against the authorization for the use of military force after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

In the 2022 primary election for attorney general, Early received 16% of the vote and did not advance to the November runoff. In the 2018 contest, he received 14% of the vote and did not advance then either. In his 2020 congressional race, he lost in a landslide to Schiff, who announced his candidacy for Senate in January and is campaigning with the endorsement of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., 

"Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee have been in Congress for a combined 51 years. Judge them by the results of their actions and their votes — they put us in this mess," Early said in a statement announcing his campaign. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.