Category: fox-news/politics/executive/white-house

Instead of impeachment, Dems are using Article II challenges to impede Trump this time

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Democrats tenaciously working to thwart the second Trump administration seemingly have thrown out their playbook from the president's first administration — abandoning repeated attempts to impeach President Donald Trump in favor of broadening their focus on leveraging Article II of the Constitution to impede MAGA policies. 

Democrats, since the early days of Trump's second presidency, have accused him of taking steps that amount to a "gross overreach of presidential authority" or launching "illegal power grabs," most notably in response to some of the more than 200 executive orders the president has signed this term. Lawsuits challenging the administration also have focused language on claims Trump is exceeding his executive authority, sparking some policies to get tied up in the courts. 

Article II of the Constitution lays out the foundation for the balance of power between the office of the president and other branches of the government, including establishing the executive branch. Section II of Article II details the duties and powers of a president. 

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Political foes have turned to Article II in their legal battles against Trump, repeatedly claiming he has exceeded his authority.

"Trump Derangement Syndrome takes on many forms — despite the Democrats’ failure to stop President Trump’s incredibly popular agenda in his first term, they’re trying a new strategy this time and failing again," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital Thursday when asked about the increase in claims and cases claiming Trump is overstepping his presidential bounds. 

"The Trump Administration’s policies have been consistently upheld by the Supreme Court as lawful despite an unprecedented number of legal challenges and unlawful lower court rulings from far-left liberal activist judges," she continued. "The president will continue implementing the policy agenda that the American people voted for in November and will continue to be vindicated by higher courts when liberal activist judges attempt to intervene." 

Trump's first administration was underscored by two impeachment efforts, which landed Trump as the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice. Trump was acquitted by the Senate both times. 

The first impeachment effort in 2019 accused Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to allegedly seeking foreign interference from Ukraine to boost his re-election efforts in 2020. 

The focus of that impeachment focused on a July 2019 phone call in which Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to launch investigations into the Biden family’s business dealings in Ukraine, including Hunter Biden’s business dealings with Burisma holdings company. Biden was under federal investigation at the time. 

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The House impeached Trump on both articles of impeachment in December 2019, with the Senate voting to acquit Trump on both articles of impeachment in February 2020. 

Months later, Democrats teed up another Trump impeachment after the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. 

Trump notched another first, when the Senate tried a former president after the House voted to impeach him just a week before Joe Biden was inaugurated as the nation's 46th president. The Senate ultimately acquitted Trump in the case. 

The second impeachment focused on the breach of the U.S. Capitol by throngs of Trump supporters when the Senate and House convened to certify Biden's 2020 election win. Trump was accused of working to overturn the results of the election and that he incited an insurrection with rhetoric regarding the election ahead of the Capitol breach. 

"I will never forgive the people who stormed the Capitol for the trauma that they caused in our young people, our members of the press who were covering that day, our staffers, the maintenance crew, the people who keep the Capitol neat and clean," then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said in an interview on MSNBC in 2022.  

"This was a disgrace. And the president instigated an insurrection, refused to stop it and as those films show, would not, in a timely fashion, allow the National Guard to come in and stop it. And that is sinful," she continued.

The Senate acquitted Trump of the impeachment charge of inciting an insurrection in February 2021. 

The impeachment efforts followed Democrats threatening and vowing to impeach Trump at various points throughout his first administration. 

"I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to call for the impeachment of the President of the United States of America for obstruction of justice. I do not do this for political purposes, Mr. Speaker. I do this because I believe in the great ideals that this country stands for — liberty and justice for all, the notion that we should have government of the people, by the people, for the people," Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green declared in May 2017 in regard to former FBI Director James Comey's investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

TRUMP HAS NOW BEEN IN OFFICE FOR SIX MONTHS, FOR THE SECOND TIME. HERE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS

"The time has come to make clear to the American people and to this president that his train of injuries to our Constitution must be brought to an end through impeachment," Tennessee Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen said in November 2017 over claims Trump obstructed justice when he fired Comey in May 2017. 

Trump's four years after his first administration were riddled with a handful of civil and criminal cases, including standing trial in New York when he was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in May 2024. 

District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office worked to prove that Trump falsified the business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged 2006 affair with Trump. Trump has maintained his innocence in the case, and was sentenced after his election win to an unconditional discharge, meaning he faced no prison time or fines. 

Trump also was indicted in Georgia on racketeering charges over claims he attempted to overturn the state's 2020 election results, which the president denied. That case was put on hold after District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified from prosecuting it. 

A pair of federal criminal cases were dismissed, including one that alleged Trump mishandled sensitive government documents at his Florida Mar-a-Lago home after his presidency, as well as another claiming Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 election results. Special counsel Jack Smith oversaw both cases. 

Trump also faced civil cases, including New York Attorney General Letitia James accusing Trump and the Trump Organization of inflating asset values. In another case, E. Jean Carroll, a former columnist who alleges Trump raped her in a New York City department store dressing room in the 1990s, accused Trump of defamation in a 2022 case. 

Trump railed against the accusations and cases as examples of lawfare to prevent him from winning a second presidency, taking a victory lap upon his 2024 win that the efforts failed. 

"These cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought," Trump wrote on Truth Social in November 2024, when Smith announced he would drop the felony cases. 

TRUMP IS ‘UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO AVOID’ FATE OF MOST TWO-TERM PRESIDENTS, WASHINGTON POST EDITORIAL EXPLAINS

"It was a political hijacking, and a low point in the History of our Country that such a thing could have happened, and yet, I persevered, against all odds, and WON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump added.

Trump's second administration has been his with more than 400 lawsuits, according to Just Security's lawsuit tracker targeting the administration, with many disputing Trump's executive orders and policies as they relate to slimming down the size of the federal government, his policies removing diversity, equity and inclusion language and initiatives from the federal government, protecting girls' sports from the inclusion of biological male players, and his various directives to remove the millions of illegal immigrants who have flooded the U.S. in recent years. 

Trump and his administration are in the midst of cleaning up U.S. cities that have historically been rocked by crime, including working to remove illegal immigrants residing in the cities. Most recently, Trump ordered the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, in response to "radical left terrorism" in the city, specifically members of the recently-designated domestic terrorism organization, Antifa. 

"The Radical Left’s reign of terror in Portland ends now, with President Donald J. Trump mobilizing federal resources to stop Antifa-led hellfire in its tracks. While Democrat politicians deny reality, it’s obvious what’s happening in Portland isn’t protest; it’s premeditated anarchy that has scarred the city for years — leaving officers battered, citizens terrorized, and property defaced," the White House said in an announcement that Trump was deploying federal resources to Portland on Sept. 30. 

WHITE HOUSE SAYS ‘THE REAL CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS IS TAKING PLACE WITHIN OUR JUDICIAL BRANCH’

"What President Trump is trying to do is an abuse of power," Democratic Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said in September of Trump's order to deploy the troops to Portland. "And it is a threat to our democracy. Governors should be in command of their National Guards, our citizens soldiers who sign up to stand up in an emergency to deal with real problems."

Oregon sued the Trump admistration over the order, claiming Trump lacked the authority to deploy the National Guard. 

U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued a temporary restraining order halting Trump’s plan to deploy 200 Oregon National Guard troops, then again on Sunday expanded the order to bar the administration from deploying any National Guard units from any state to Oregon pending further proceedings. Immergut determined Trump's order likely exceeded his presidential authority. 

The White House has hit back that Trump is within his presidential limits. 

"I think her opinion is untethered in reality and in the law," Leavitt told reporters at a White House press briefing. "The president is using his authority as commander in chief, U.S. code 12 406, which clearly states that the president has the right to call up the National Guard and in cases where he deems it's appropriate. … The ICE facility has been really under siege. And, by these anarchists outside, they have been, disrespecting law enforcement. They've been inciting violence."

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted Immergut's ruling that blocked the Oregon National Guard troops from deploying to Portland, but the other ruling baring any National Guard troops from deploying to Portland remains in effect. 

‘Dr. Strangelove with a mustache’: Bolton blasted for ‘profiteering’ off US secrets by White House advisor

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Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro tore into John Bolton for "profiteering off America’s secrets" on Tuesday after the FBI raided his home last week in a reported classified document probe.

"I served with Bolton, and he was far too frequently a loose cannon, bent on bombings and coups — Doctor Strangelove with a mustache," Navarro, who also advised Trump on trade during his first term, wrote in an op-ed for The Hill.

"He agitated for airstrikes, pushed regime-change fantasies, and obsessed over military solutions when diplomacy was working. Then, instead of honoring executive privilege and confidential debate, Bolton acknowledged that in writing his memoir he relied on the ‘copious notes’ he had conspicuously taken inside the White House." 

Bolton published a book in 2020, The Room Where it Happened, reportedly receiving a $2 million advance for a tell-all of his time in the Trump administration. He served as Trump’s national security advisor starting in 2018 but fell out with the president and left the position in 2019. 

BOLTON UNLEASHES ON TRUMP UKRAINE POLICY DAYS AFTER FBI RAID

Navarro accused Bolton of "sharing information about Oval Office conversations and national security that should have stayed secret — either by law or under executive privilege."

"That isn’t service. That isn’t patriotism. That’s profiteering off of America’s secrets."

Navarro noted that Bolton had described confidential U.S. deliberations on how to fracture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s control and prompt military defections. 

"That kind of blueprint isn’t something you hand to the public — or to Maduro’s intelligence services."

He noted that disclosing national defense information without authorization could violate U.S. code. 

"If evidence is found and indictments made, Bolton may one day go to prison for shredding that Constitution, defying executive privilege, and trampling safeguards meant to protect America’s security," Navarro said. "If that happens, Bolton won’t be remembered for his book tour. He’ll be remembered for the sequel he writes in prison."

Fox News Digital has reached out to a spokesperson for Bolton for comment. 

DEMOCRATS OPPOSED JOHN BOLTON FOR YEARS — UNTIL THEY SOUGHT HIM AS AN ALLY AGAINST TRUMP

Navarro spent four months in prison last year after being convicted of contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas from the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack.

The FBI executed a search warrant on Bolton’s home and office on Friday. 

Democrats have also fumed about Bolton’s book: when the former national security advisor refused to serve as their star witness during the first Trump impeachment related to Ukraine, they accused him of saving the juicy details for his memoir. 

In June 2020, Judge Royce Lamberth found Bolton had "likely jeopardized national security by disclosing classified information in violation of his nondisclosure agreement obligations." 

He’d submitted the 500-page manuscript for a national security review, but when the review wasn’t completed in four months, he "pulled the plug on the process and sent the still-under-review manuscript to the publisher for printing," according to the judge. 

Lamberth allowed the book to hit the shelves because "the horse is already out of the barn" – the book’s excerpts had already been leaked and 200,000 copies had been shipped.

‘Doctor Strangelove with a mustache’: Bolton blasted for ‘profiteering’ off US secrets by White House advisor

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro tore into John Bolton for "profiteering off America’s secrets" on Tuesday after the FBI raided his home last week in a reported classified document probe.

"I served with Bolton, and he was far too frequently a loose cannon, bent on bombings and coups — Doctor Strangelove with a mustache," Navarro, who also advised Trump on trade during his first term, wrote in an op-ed for The Hill.

"He agitated for airstrikes, pushed regime-change fantasies, and obsessed over military solutions when diplomacy was working. Then, instead of honoring executive privilege and confidential debate, Bolton acknowledged that in writing his memoir he relied on the ‘copious notes’ he had conspicuously taken inside the White House." 

Bolton published a book in 2020, "The Room Where it Happened," reportedly receiving a $2 million advance for a tell-all of his time in the Trump administration. He served as Trump’s national security advisor starting in 2018 but fell out with the president and left the position in 2019. 

BOLTON UNLEASHES ON TRUMP UKRAINE POLICY DAYS AFTER FBI RAID

Navarro accused Bolton of "sharing information about Oval Office conversations and national security that should have stayed secret — either by law or under executive privilege."

"That isn’t service. That isn’t patriotism. That’s profiteering off of America’s secrets."

Navarro noted that Bolton had described confidential U.S. deliberations on how to fracture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s control and prompt military defections. 

"That kind of blueprint isn’t something you hand to the public — or to Maduro’s intelligence services."

He noted that disclosing national defense information without authorization could violate U.S. code. 

"If evidence is found and indictments made, Bolton may one day go to prison for shredding that Constitution, defying executive privilege, and trampling safeguards meant to protect America’s security," Navarro said. "If that happens, Bolton won’t be remembered for his book tour. He’ll be remembered for the sequel he writes in prison."

Fox News Digital has reached out to a spokesperson for Bolton for comment. 

DEMOCRATS OPPOSED JOHN BOLTON FOR YEARS — UNTIL THEY SOUGHT HIM AS AN ALLY AGAINST TRUMP

Navarro spent four months in prison last year after being convicted of contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas from the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack.

The FBI executed a search warrant on Bolton’s home and office on Friday. 

Democrats have also fumed about Bolton’s book: when the former national security advisor refused to serve as their star witness during the first Trump impeachment related to Ukraine, they accused him of saving the juicy details for his memoir. 

In June 2020, Judge Royce Lamberth found Bolton had "likely jeopardized national security by disclosing classified information in violation of his nondisclosure agreement obligations." 

He’d submitted the 500-page manuscript for a national security review, but when the review wasn’t completed in four months, he "pulled the plug on the process and sent the still-under-review manuscript to the publisher for printing," according to the judge. 

Lamberth allowed the book to hit the shelves because "the horse is already out of the barn" – the book’s excerpts had already been leaked and 200,000 copies had been shipped.

WATCH: Texas Dem censured for heckling Trump renews push to impeach presidential ‘Goliath’

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Progressive Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, is once again renewing his call to impeach President Donald Trump, vowing to drop new articles of impeachment soon. He likened his crusade against Trump to the biblical David versus Goliath and anti-Trump activists as "one million Davids." 

"This is what's important, President Trump is a Goliath. He has military might. He has persons who are loyal to him in the military and the judiciary and in the Congress. But for every Goliath, there is a David," said Green, adding, "But in this case, we have nearly one million Davids, one million Davids willing to take on and challenge the president for his unconstitutional behavior. And I say to you that this number is growing."

In June, the House of Representatives voted along bipartisan lines to quash Green’s bid to impeach Trump. Lawmakers agreed to table the measure in a 344–79 vote. A vote to table is a procedural mechanism allowing House members to vote against consideration of a bill without having to vote on the bill itself.

A majority of House Democrats joined Republican lawmakers to kill Green's resolution, a sign of how politically caustic the effort appears to be. Just 79 Democrats voted to proceed with the impeachment vote, while 128 voted to halt it in its tracks.

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Despite this, Green said he was undeterred, telling reporters on Wednesday "we’re not going to make this a one-off" and "there's also a set of articles that I have not presented that I will be presenting. This is not the last time." 

Asked whether he believes pursuing impeachment is productive given the Republican House majority, Green answered, "it is always a good time to impeach." 

"I think focusing on impeachment is productive whenever there's a breach of the Constitution," he said. "The timing is not associated with when you have a majority in the House, it's not associated with when it feels good, it is always good to impeach when a president violates the Constitution. It really is that simple."

IMMIGRANTS NEEDED FOR ‘REDISTRICTING PURPOSES,' HOUSE DEM ADMITS IN VIRAL CLIP: ‘QUIET PART OUT LOUD’

Besides being known for repeatedly attempting to impeach Trump, the Texas Democrat is also known for infamously disrupting the president’s joint address to Congress in March by shouting and waving his cane at him. 

Green was removed from the House floor after repeatedly disrupting the beginning of the president's speech, a move that the Democrat called "invidious discrimination." 

House lawmakers voted to censure Green over the disruption. Ten Democrats joined Republicans in voting for the measure. Green himself voted "present," along with first-term Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala. 

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When reached for comment by Fox News Digital, the office of Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., referred to his comments on the censure on X, formerly Twitter, this week.

Johnson posted, "Rep. Al Green’s shameful and egregious behavior during President Trump’s Joint Address disgraced the institution of Congress and the constituents he serves. Despite my repeated warnings, he refused to cease his antics and I was forced to remove him from the chamber. He deliberately violated House rules, and an expeditious vote of censure is an appropriate remedy. Any Democrat who is concerned about regaining the trust and respect of the American people should join House Republicans in this effort."

Key advisor called Hunter Biden’s role on strategy call ‘inappropriate’ after he overruled legal guidance

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A top advisor to former President Joe Biden reportedly labeled Hunter Biden’s presence on a call about the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that former presidents have some immunity from prosecution "inappropriate," according to a new book. 

The book, "2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America," was published Tuesday and chronicles how Biden’s team dismissed concerns about his age during the 2024 election cycle, along with how President Donald Trump secured his victory. 

The book said Biden’s White House chief of staff, Jeff Zients, coordinated a video call with key Biden staffers, including White House Counsel Ed Siskel, communications director Ben LaBolt, senior advisor Mike Donilon and others to discuss whether Biden should provide an on-camera statement to the Supreme Court’s July 2024 decision. 

TRUMP IMMUNITY CASE: SUPREME COURT RULES EX-PRESIDENTS HAVE SUBSTANTIAL POWER FROM PROSECUTION 

While Donilon already had drafted a written statement, Biden wanted to speak about the matter on-camera, the book claims. Staffers on the call started to hash out specifics of such an appearance, when Biden’s son started to chime into the call. 

"Suddenly an unidentified voice piped up from Biden’s screen and recommended an Oval Office address," the book said. "At first, some aides had no idea who was speaking. It soon became clear the voice belonged to Hunter Biden, who the White House staff had not known was on the call. Siskel expressed some concern about the appearance of using the Oval Office."

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"Hunter snapped back: ‘This is one of the most consequential decisions the Supreme Court has ever made.’ He said his father had every right to use the powerful imagery of the Oval Office to deliver that message," the book said. "They later settled on the Cross Hall, the long hallway on the first floor of the White House. After the call ended, Siskel told colleagues. Hunter’s presence was inappropriate."

Biden ultimately delivered a brief speech responding to the Supreme Court’s ruling and took no questions from the press, per the suggestion of his son, the book claimed.  

Siskel and a spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. 

On July 1, 2024, the Supreme Court issued a 6–3 ruling in Trump v. United States that former presidents have significant immunity from prosecution for acts they committed in an official capacity. The case made its way to the Supreme Court after Trump faced charges stemming from then-Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into whether Trump was involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and engaged in any other alleged election interference. 

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges, and claimed a former president could not face a prosecution without a House impeachment and a Senate conviction. 

BIDEN AIDES PUSHED FOR EARLY DEBATE TO SHOW OFF BIDEN'S ‘STRENGTH,’ EXPOSE TRUMP'S ‘WEAKNESS,’ BOOK SAYS 

The book "2024" is one of several that have been released in this year detailing Biden’s mental deterioration while in office and how Trump won the election. It is authored by Josh Dawsey of the Wall Street Journal, Tyler Pager of the New York Times and Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post. 

Another book covering similar material is "Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," released May 20.

Fox News Digital has written extensively dating back to the 2020 presidential campaign about Biden's cognitive decline and his inner circle’s alleged role in covering it up.

According to Dawsey, Hunter Biden’s involvement in his father’s affairs as president was not out of the ordinary during the former president’s time in office. 

"What we found out over the course of reporting for our book is, Hunter Biden (was) a major figure in the president's orbit," Dawsey said in a Sunday interview with ABC's "This Week." "He was often on these calls, he would pipe in to calls, he was helping him make campaign decisions, and the president was very concerned about his son. It was one of the things that was an albatross on him as he tried to run for re-election."

Trump’s Iran strikes follow long pattern of presidents sidestepping Congress

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President Donald Trump’s decision to order military strikes on Iran without first seeking congressional approval was met with immediate, yet familiar, criticism from lawmakers across the political spectrum.

Presidents have for decades taken actions similar to Trump's and attracted backlash for skirting Congress’s authority. The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war but presidents the power to control the military and foreign policy.

Gene Healy, a senior vice president with the libertarian Cato Institute, told Fox News Digital that in terms of "crossing a constitutional Rubicon, this is territory that presidents have been dancing over since at least Harry Truman."

"In each case, it’s at odds with the original design of constitutional war powers, which is that one single person should not have the power to embroil the United States in foreign wars," Healy said.

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His think tank also rebuked former President Barack Obama in 2011 after Obama unilaterally authorized airstrikes in Libya as part of a NATO-led effort to enforce a no-fly zone in the country and protect civilians there.

"The president is derelict in his duty to obey the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution. And Congress is derelict in its duty to assert its constitutional authority," another member of the thinktank wrote at the time.

Congress passed the War Powers Act in 1973 to install guardrails for presidents who seek to authorize military action, but critics have said the resolution has lacked potency and that the legislative branch needs to reassert its authority by passing a tougher policy or making good on government funding threats.

Bob Bauer, who served as Obama’s White House counsel, recently spoke with former federal prosecutor Jack Goldsmith in an interview on Substack about what they viewed as the ever-expanding war powers of the president and the ever-shrinking war powers of Congress.

Bauer said that generally, presidents have consulted with their White House counsel and other agencies to make sure they have acquired enough support behind-the-scenes ahead of any anticipated military action.

"It’s just generally understood that this is a choice the president can make," Bauer said, adding, "This is not a tenable situation over the long run, and we’re facing the consequences again now."

TRUMP HINTS AT REGIME CHANGE IN IRAN WHILE DECLARING ‘MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN’

Trump garnered informal support for his actions from crucial members of Congress, including the Senate and House Republican leaders, but lawmakers at the farthest ends of the political spectrum lashed out at him.

"The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., wrote on X, calling for Trump’s impeachment.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., blasted Trump's actions as unconstitutional, saying Congress must pass a resolution giving the president permission to carry out a military act. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., did not outright address Congress’ role in declaring war, but signaled on Monday on X that she opposed Trump’s attack on Iran because, in her view, it defied his Make America Great Again ethos.

The president’s actions were a "complete bait and switch to please the neocons, warmongers, military industrial complex contracts, and neocon tv personalities," Greene said.

The Office of Legal Counsel, which is part of the Department of Justice, justified Obama's attack on Libya in 2011 in a 14-page opinion, spelling out its position that the then-president did not flout the Constitution or the law by bypassing Congress.

'NOT CONSTITUTIONAL': CONGRESS EVOKES NEW WAR POWERS RESOLUTION TO REJECT TRUMP'S STRIKES ON IRAN

The Trump administration's justification for attacking Iranian nuclear facilities echoed sentiments from the Obama-era memo.

Both administrations cited a broad threat to "national interests" rather than a direct threat to the United States or a dire need for self-defense. Neither president's military actions included "regime change" as a goal, though Trump has since floated that language. 

Former President George H.W. Bush did not have explicit authorization from Congress to deploy thousands of troops to Somalia as part of a United Nations mission in 1992, nor did former President Bill Clinton when he sent troops to Bosnia in 1995 and intervened in the Kosovo conflict in 1999 by authorizing airstrikes against Serbian forces.

The Office of Legal Counsel typically advises the executive branch on the legality of its actions, and the memo on the Libya strikes cited a string of other examples that signal presidents have long tiptoed around seeking out congressional authorization, which would require a vote in the House and Senate.

The memo stated that "one possible" limit under the Constitution to a president circumventing Congress to use military force would be when the planned action "constitutes a ‘war’ within the meaning of the Declaration of War Clause."

"But the historical practice of presidential military action without congressional approval precludes any suggestion that Congress’s authority to declare war covers every military engagement, however limited, that the President initiates," the memo read.

Why Trump’s constant attacks and his sniping with Elon Musk helps him and keeps the media scrambling

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Donald Trump is relishing all this, flaming every target in sight – or trying to put out fires in Los Angeles – as a president who loves being at war. 

Elon Musk, clearly missing the spotlight, is using X as a weapon, calling for his former pal's impeachment – but deleting his tweet tying Trump to Jeffrey Epstein in what might be viewed as an apology. 

Gavin Newsom is all fired up, daring Trump's border czar to arrest him and accusing the president of inflaming the situation by dispatching the National Guard over his objections. 

TRUMP BORDER CZAR RESPONDS TO NEWSOM'S 'ARREST ME' CHALLENGE AS CALIFORNIA RIOTS OVER ICE RAIDS

The media are eagerly drinking from the Trump fire hose in the greatest, most entertaining breakup since Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni were denouncing each other. But several journalists were injured covering the violent L.A. protests, even as they reported that the vast majority of demonstrators are peaceful. 

And for me, it meant a crazy hour of television. 

We made lots of last-minute changes on "Media Buzz," but the biggest one involved ABC correspondent and anchor Terry Moran. I was tapping out the script on my phone during commercial breaks. 

For reasons I'll never be able to fathom, Moran posted a scathing attack on White House domestic policy chief Stephen Miller, calling him a "world-class hater." He also put Trump in the same category. 

LIBERALS, ANTI-TRUMP FIGURES BASH ABC FOR SUSPENDING TERRY MORAN OVER SOCIAL MEDIA RANT

On Maria Bartiromo's show, which airs before mine, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Moran should be suspended or fired. Shortly after we went off the air, ABC suspended Moran, saying he had violated company standards. I’ll never fathom why he blew up his career.  

You can't overcover a public meltdown like this – Trump now saying Musk had "worn thin" and he'd asked him to leave – but journalists have a high-minded justification for the low-rent sniping. The president's entire agenda is wrapped up in the not-so-beautiful bill, including border funding, tax cuts, food stamps and trimming the Medicaid rolls. 

The measure passed the House by a single vote because a number of hard-line Republicans agree with Musk that it's a "disgusting abomination" which, at a minimum, would boost the deficit by $2.4 billion over 10 years. 

But Trump is like a movie studio mogul who simultaneously moves from one sound stage to the next. And that is a challenge to journalists who race to keep up–but also boosts ratings as he constantly taking questions from the reporters and producers he also denigrates. It’s a love-hate relationship, but lately, mostly hate.

BOLD MOVE TO KEEP AMERICANS SAFE FROM ‘TERRORISTS’ IS BASIS FOR US TRAVEL BAN FOR SOME AFRICAN NATIONS

Trump issued a travel ban on 12 countries, mostly in the Middle East and Africa. Big story.

Trump brought Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the U.S., after saying it couldn’t be done, and the mistakenly deported Salvadoran will face charges of human trafficking of illegal migrants – months after the Supreme Court ordered his return.

Trump is battling elite law firms, many of which are caving and agreeing to provide up to $125 million in free services rather than lose access to classified material that would cause an exodus of clients. Big story.

Trump backed off on criticizing Vladimir Putin after that incredible Ukrainian drone strike decimated a third of the Russian fleet, thousands of miles away. Now he says he may walk away from a war in which Putin has no conceivable interest in peace. Big story.

ZELENSKYY DISMISSES TRUMP'S CLAIM THAT RUSSIA WANTS PEACE, SAYS HE KNOWS PUTIN 'MUCH BETTER'

Trump issued a wave of controversial pardons, especially one for a man who committed fraud by stealing from his employees, which came after his mother, a big-time GOP donor, paid $1 million to get face time with the president at a Mar-a-Lago fundraising dinner. Now he avoids a jail term and having to make over $4 million in restitution to his victims. Big story.

Trump is freezing funds for Harvard and investigating the Harvard Law Review. Big stories.

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE'S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY'S HOTTEST STORIES

Trump has ordered an investigation of Joe Biden and the undisputed coverup of his mental decline, arguing that his actions could be overturned if top aides were making the decisions. Huge story. But the coverage has been muted, in part because the press doesn’t take it seriously and Democrats don’t want to fuel any story that involves more visibility for Biden.

This nonstop gusher may deflect criticism that Trump is profiting from the presidency by selling meme coins and other items that once would have prompted an uproar. 

By the time you read this, the president may have made news on several other controversial subjects. It’s a strategy that helps him and, in many ways, the media that are always scrambling to keep up.

Here are Biden’s most controversial pardons, with most signed using AutoPen

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

The Justice Department is reviewing the list of people that were granted pardons by former President Joe Biden, amid new concerns about his use of an AutoPen to automatically sign documents, as well as concerns about his state of mind and mental acuity in his final months in office. 

TRUMP DOJ INVESTIGATING BIDEN-ERA PARDONS AMID CONCERNS OVER STATE OF MIND

Biden used his final weeks as commander-in-chief to grant clemency and pardon more than 1,500 individuals, in what his White House described as the largest single-day act of clemency by a U.S. president. 

But critics blasted Biden for some of the pardons and preemptive pardons for members of his family, inner circle, and some allies, amid concerns that the Trump administration would investigate and attempt to punish their actions. 

WHAT IS AN AUTOPEN? THE SIGNING DEVICE AT THE HEART OF TRUMP'S ATTACKS ON BIDEN PARDONS

Biden signed the pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, by hand. But the others appear to have been signed by AutoPen. 

Here is a list of the former president’s most controversial pardons: 

Former President Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden in December 2024—after vowing to the American people for months that he would not do so. 

Hunter Biden was found guilty of three felony firearm offenses stemming from Special Counsel David Weiss’ investigation. The first son was also charged with federal tax crimes regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. Before his trial, Hunter Biden entered a surprise guilty plea. 

Biden, in December, announced a blanket pardon that applies to any offenses against the U.S. that Hunter Biden "has committed or may have committed" from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024. 

HUNTER BIDEN: A LOOK AT HOW THE SAGA SPANNING OVER SIX YEARS UNFOLDED

"From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted," Biden said. "There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me — and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough."

Biden added, "I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision." 

Just a day before leaving office on Jan. 20, 2025, Biden signed an Executive Grant of Clemency for his brother James Biden and his wife Sarah Jones Biden; his sister Valerie Biden Owens and her husband John T. Owens; and his brother Francis W. Biden. 

The "full and unconditional" preemptive pardon for his family members covered "any nonviolent offenses against the United States which they may have committed or taken part in during the period from Jan. 1, 2014, through the date of this pardon," which was signed on Jan. 19, 2025. 

The pardon appears to have been signed with AutoPen. 

Members of the Biden family had fallen at the center of the congressional investigation into their business dealings. 

The House of Representatives launched an impeachment inquiry against Biden, finding that Biden committed "impeachable conduct" during his time as vice president and "defrauded the United States to enrich his family." 

PRESIDENT BIDEN PARDONS HIS SIBLINGS JUST MINUTES BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE

During the inquiry, congressional investigators heard testimony from James Biden, who ultimately was referred to the Justice Department for prosecution for making false statements to Congress about "key aspects" of the impeachment inquiry. 

The House of Representatives found that the Biden family and its associates received more than $27 million from foreign individuals or entities since 2014.

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

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

Biden, on Jan. 19, 2025, pardoned Milley, after an administration marred by the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. 

Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has admitted the withdrawal where 13 U.S. troops lost their lives was a "strategic failure."  

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

"My family and I are deeply grateful for the President’s action today," Milley said in a statement, accepting the pardon. "After forty-three years of faithful service in uniform to our Nation, protecting and defending the Constitution, I do not wish to spend whatever remaining time the Lord grants me fighting those who unjustly might seek retribution for perceived slights." 

The pardon appears to have been signed with AutoPen. 

Biden, also on Jan. 19, 2025, pardoned former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci. Fauci also served as Biden’s chief medical advisor and oversaw the U.S. public health response and research on the COVID-19 virus and vaccine development. 

Fauci accepted the pardon in a statement shortly after Biden announced the move, claiming he was subject to "politically motivated threats of investigation and prosecution."

DR. FAUCI SAYS HE APPRECIATES PRESIDENT BIDEN'S PARDON BUT INSISTS 'NO CRIME' WAS COMMITTED

"Let me be perfectly clear: I have committed no crime and there are no possible grounds for any allegation or threat of criminal investigation or prosecution of me. The fact is, however, that the mere articulation of these baseless threats, and the potential that they will be acted upon, create immeasurable and intolerable distress for me and my family. For these reasons, I acknowledge and appreciate the action that President Biden has taken today on my behalf," Fauci said. 

Fauci’s pardon also appears to have been signed with AutoPen. 

Biden, also on Jan. 19, 2025, used AutoPen to sign a pardon for members of Congress who served on the House Select Committee to investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. 

BIDEN PARDONS MARK MILLEY, ANTHONY FAUCI, J6 COMMITTEE MEMBERS

The pardon also covered committee staff and the police officers from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police who testified before the committee. 

Espionage, constitutional concerns abound from Trump detractors, allies over Qatari jet offer

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Both Democrats and Republicans have criticized President Donald Trump after he announced the Department of Defense plans to accept a jumbo jet from the government of Qatar, arguing the gift is riddled with both espionage concerns and constitutional questions. But as one expert tells Fox, the latter concern is likely overblown.

Trump ally Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for example, said during an interview on Tuesday that the acquisition of the plane poses "significant espionage and surveillance problems," while Democrats such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., declared, "Trump cannot accept a $400 million flying palace from the royal family of Qatar. Not only is this farcically corrupt, it is blatantly unconstitutional."

Reports spread Sunday morning that the Trump administration was expected to accept a $400 million Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar's royal family, setting off concerns that Trump would personally take ownership of the plane and violate the emoluments clause of the Constitution. ABC News reported that Trump would use the jet until the end of his term, when it would be given to his presidential library. 

Trump confirmed and clarified in a Truth Social post later on Sunday that the Department of Defense was slated to receive the gift, while slamming Democrats for their criticism of the offer. 

HOUSE DEMOCRAT CALLS FOR 'IMMEDIATE' ETHICS PROBE OF QATARI PLANE GIFT TO TRUMP

"So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane," Trump wrote. "Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!! MAGA."

At the heart of Democrats' concern over the matter is the emoluments clause in the Constitution, which states: "No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."

"Trump is literally trying to fly around on a plane from a foreign government while serving as president. That’s a violation of the Constitution. The Emoluments Clause wasn’t a suggestion. It’s the LAW," Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said Monday morning following the announcement. 

Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that it's questionable if the emoluments clause even applies to the president, as the Constitution typically stipulates when a clause specifically affects a president and cites the title, such as in the impeachment clause. 

"The clause was specifically inserted because of concerns by the Founders at the Constitutional Convention over corruption of our foreign diplomats, especially by the French government. It is questionable whether the emoluments clause even applies to the president since he is not named and the Constitution usually names the president when a provision applies to him. That is why the impeachment clause specifically provides that it applies to the ‘president, vice president and all civil officers of the United States.’ If ‘officers’ of the U.S. included the president, there would be no need for him to be separately listed," von Spakovsky explained. 

He added that the president is the individual "who appoints the ‘officers’ who are subject to the emoluments clause."

"Antonin Scalia, when he worked at the Justice Department, certainly agreed since he issued an opinion in 1974 pointing out that when the Constitution refers to an ‘officer,’ ‘it invariably refers to someone other than the President or Vice President,’" he continued. 

FLASHBACK: DEM CRITICAL OF TRUMP'S QATARI JET GIFT RODE CAMEL IN EXPENSES-PAID 2021 TRIP TO GULF EMIRATE

The jet offer comes after Trump railed against Boeing for pricey government deals to construct a new fleet of Air Force Ones. Even ahead of his first administration, Trump posted on social media in December 2016 that the Boeing "costs are out of control, more than $4 billion" to build the two aircraft.

Trump in 2018 awarded Boeing a $3.9 billion fixed-price agreement to manufacture two new jets. The construction of the jets, however, is not expected to be completed until 2029. 

"We're very disappointed that it's taking Boeing so long to build a new Air Force One," Trump said during a press conference on drug prices Monday morning. "You know, we have an Air Force One that's 40 years old. And if you take a look at that, compared to the new plane of the equivalent, you know, stature at the time, it's not even the same ballgame." 

TRUMP CLARIFIES OWNERSHIP OF AIRCRAFT IN DEFENSE OF QATAR'S GIFT

"When I first came in, I signed an order to get (the new Air Force One fleet) built," he continued. "I took it over from the Obama administration, they had originally agreed. I got the price down much lower. And then, when the election didn't exactly work out the way that it should have, a lot of work was not done on the plane because a lot of people didn't know they made change orders. That was so stupid, so ridiculous. And it ended up being a total mess, a real mess."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also brushed off concern over the Qatari royal family donating a Boeing jumbo jet to the U.S. Department of Defense, arguing on Monday there will be no quid pro quo arrangement and that the donation is under legal review to ensure full compliance with the law. 

Von Spakovsky said that if the plane is in fact a government-to-government gift – and not a personal gift to the president – the Trump administration is likely in the legal clear to accept the gift. 

"If this gift is being considered as a gift to the government of the U.S., there is no legal issue to consider, since there is no constitutional or legal problem with such a gift. If this is a personal gift to the president, the Justice Department would be weighing the constitutional issue I have raised – whether the emoluments clause even applies to the president," he said. 

Von Spakovsky said such a government-to-government gift "is no different than the thousands of cherry trees gifted to the U.S. by the Japanese government" in 1912 that still draw more than a million tourists to Washington, D.C., each spring. 

Allies of the president, such as Cruz, said espionage concerns weigh heavily over the planned deal, citing Qatar's ties to terrorist groups. 

"I’m not a fan of Qatar. I think they have a really disturbing pattern of funding theocratic lunatics who want to murder us, funding Hamas and Hezbollah. And that’s a real problem," Cruz said during an interview Tuesday on CNBC.

"I also think the plane poses significant espionage and surveillance problems," he added. "We’ll see how this issue plays out, but I certainly have concerns." 

TRUMP DEFENDS QATAR JUMBO JET OFFER AS TROUBLED BOEING FAILS TO DELIVER NEW AIR FORCE ONE FLEET

Democrats, such as Sens. Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Dick Durbin of Illinois also warned that the plane would come with security issues. Reed, for example, claimed in a statement that using the plane as Air Force One "would pose immense counterintelligence risks by granting a foreign nation potential access to sensitive systems and communications."

While Democrats and some Republicans have criticized Trump over the move, other Republican lawmakers have said they are zoned in on legislative matters and are not looped into the plane issue. 

"I actually haven't paid attention to it," Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., previously told Fox News Digital. "I'm sorry to be so out of the loop on that. I've just been thinking about Medicaid and about what the House is sending over."

QATAR OFFERS TRUMP JUMBO JET TO SERVE AS AIR FORCE ONE

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, another Trump ally, said she didn't know enough about the deal to comment on it when pressed by Fox News Digital. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Eric Schmitt of Missouri also said they did not know details of the plane. 

Trump is currently in the midst of a four-day trip to the Middle East, including visiting Qatar on Wednesday, where his motorcade was met by dozens of camels, as well as Tesla Cybertrucks in an apparent nod to Department of Government Efficiency official and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

The plane is not expected to be presented to the president nor accepted by Trump during his trip abroad. 

"The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME!" Trump posted to his Truth Social account while in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. "It is a gift from a Nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years. It will be used by our Government as a temporary Air Force One, until such time as our new Boeings, which are very late on delivery, arrive."

100 days of injunctions, trials and ‘Teflon Don’: Trump second term meets its biggest tests in court

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

President Donald Trump has spent the first 100 days of his second White House term signing a flurry of executive orders aimed at delivering on his policy priorities: slashing government spending, cracking down on illegal immigration and eliminating many diversity and equity initiatives enacted under the Biden administration.

The more than 150 executive orders Trump has signed far outpace those of his predecessors. But they have also triggered a torrent of lawsuits seeking to block or pause his actions, teeing up a high-stakes showdown over how far Trump can push his Article II powers before the courts can or should intervene. 

It’s a looming constitutional clash spinning like a top through the federal courts; a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it set of hearings and appeals and emergency orders that deal with weighty issues of due process and First Amendment protections guaranteed by the Constitution. 

Trump’s critics argue the fast-paced strategy is meant to confuse and overwhelm his opponents. His supporters counter that it allows him to strike with maximum precision and sidestep a clunky, slow-moving Congress as the president pursues his top priorities.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW EL SALVADOR DEPORTATION FLIGHT CASE

In his first 100 days, administration lawyers have gone to bat in courtrooms across the country to defend Trump's early executive orders and halt a wave of lawsuits and emergency restraining orders aimed at blocking them. 

Trump, meanwhile, has steadfastly maintained that he would "never defy" the Supreme Court as recently as in an interview last week. 

"I'm a big believer in the Supreme Court and have a lot of respect for the justices," Trump told Time Magazine.  

Critics say he already has.

"The second Trump administration has taken the guardrails off of the norms that historically governed the rule of law and is undertaking steps to enhance the perceived power of the executive branch to the detriment of the two other co-equal branches," Mark Zaid, an attorney who has gone toe-to-toe with the Trump administration in several court cases this year, told Fox News Digitial.

APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN'S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT

"These actions threaten the fundamental notion of our democracy, particularly as the Administration seeks to eliminate due process protections in a quest for power."

The biggest fights so far have centered around the Trump administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime law, to deport certain migrants to El Salvador. Another major case to watch will be challenges to Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship. 

Two separate federal judges, in D.C. and Maryland, have suggested they could move to begin possible contempt proceedings against some Trump officials for refusing to comply with their orders.

In one case, a judge issued a scathing rebuke against Trump officials for failing to return a Maryland resident and alleged gang member who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador this year. Separately, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said there was probable cause to find Trump administration officials in criminal contempt for defying his order to return deportation flights to El Salvador on March 15.

The Trump administration has fought back, questioning the authority of lower courts to stop his agenda. The Supreme Court agreed to hear oral arguments on a challenge to some of the nationwide injunctions, beginning with a birthright citizenship case in early May.

Meanwhile, White House officials have railed against the "activist" judges who they say have overstepped and are acting with a political agenda to block Trump's policies. They’ve blasted judges for pausing Trump’s transgender military ban, reinstating USAID programs and blocking Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing federal offices.

Some congressional allies have threatened impeachment against judges who defy Trump, but so far Congress has not advanced any impeachment articles.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined this week to rule out the arrest of federal judges, including Supreme Court justices.

Asked at a press briefing about the hypothetical on Monday, Leavitt referred the matter to the Justice Department but said a judge in New Mexico was arrested in "a clear-cut case of obstruction."

"And so anyone who is breaking the law or obstructing federal law enforcement officials from doing their jobs is putting themselves at risk of being prosecuted, absolutely," she said.

Jonathan Turley, a law professor and Fox News contributor, told Fox News Digital that he sees Trump's early actions as getting ahead of the 2026 primaries and moving with maximum force to implement his agenda.

Trump "knows that he has no alternative but to push ahead on all fronts if he is going to make meaningful progress on his promised reforms," Turley told Fox News. 

"The midterm elections are looming in 2026. If the Democrats retake the House, he knows that he can expect investigations, impeachments and obstruction. That means that he has to expedite these cases and establish his lines of authority in areas ranging from migration to the markets."