Category: fox-news/politics/house-of-representatives/republicans

Wisconsin special election to fill open state Senate seat could give GOP supermajority, impeachment power

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A special election to fill an open Wisconsin Senate seat will determine whether Republicans gain a supermajority that would allow them to impeach Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and other office holders as well as move the GOP a step closer to overriding gubernatorial vetoes.

Voters on Tuesday will pick Democrat Jodi Habush Sinykin or Republican state Rep. Dan Knodl to represent Milwaukee's northern suburbs. The seat has been under Republican control for decades but came open in November after longtime incumbent Alberta Darling chose to retire after 30 years in the Senate. Evers scheduled a special election to fill the position to coincide with the state's spring Supreme Court election.

The stakes are huge. A Knodl win would give Republicans 22 votes in the chamber, enough to override gubernatorial vetoes if the state Assembly also votes to do so and enough to convict civil officers in impeachment trials.

Knodl denied accusations from Habush Sinykin that he would vote to impeach Evers if elected. He said in an email to The Associated Press that he has had success working with the governor.

Habush Sinykin said it's "essential" for Democrats to win the seat, saying impeachment isn't "just hypothetical."

WISCONSIN TEEN WHO SHOT 8 PEOPLE AT A MILWAUKEE MALL SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON

"It’s going to happen," she said. The election is "high stakes in every way for democracy, for the balance of power, to protect the governor’s veto, to protect against these nonsense impeachment threats. Will this be a government where we don’t have any checks or balances on the Legislature?"

Veto overrides, at least in the near future, appear unlikely. A successful override requires a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and Assembly and Republicans are two seats shy of the 66 they would need in the Assembly. But Democrats fear that if Senate Republican achieve a two-thirds majority their counterparts could launch a stealth override attempt during a floor session where two Democrats are absent.

Impeachment trials, though, could become a GOP tactic if Knodl wins.

Under state law, the Assembly can trigger a trial in the Senate with 50 votes. Conviction requires a two-thirds Senate vote. It's not clear who could be impeached, though. According to an analysis from the Legislative Reference Bureau, the state constitution says the Legislature can impeach "civil officers" but doesn't define that term.

The state Supreme Court has ruled that the constitution makes specific mention of the governor, lieutenant governor and judges as impeachable officers. The reference bureau analysis concludes that other constitutional officers such as the attorney general could be impeached as well. The Assembly has impeached someone only once, Judge Levi Hubbell in 1853, but the Senate ultimately acquitted him, according to the analysis.

WISCONSIN MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MAKING THREAT AGAINST COUNTY OFFICIAL

Knodl has served in the Assembly for 15 years. He was one of 15 Wisconsin Republicans who sent a letter to then-Vice President Mike Pence in January 2022 asking him to delay certifying presidential results that showed Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump.

While Evers apparently isn't in his impeachment sights, Knodl said on WISN-TV's "UpFront" earlier this month that he would consider impeaching Milwaukee County judges for being weak on crime. Asked whether that includes liberal Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz, should she remain a Milwaukee County judge, Knodl responded: "I certainly would consider it."

Protasiewicz faces conservative Dan Kelly in Tuesday's election, and a Protasiewicz win would give liberal justices a 4-3 majority on the court. State law doesn't specifically say that sitting justices can be impeached, but Wisconsin laws are based on federal law that opens up justices to impeachment and could be interpreted as permitting them to be impeached.

Republicans also could attempt to impeach her before she's sworn in as a justice. The question then would be whether releasing criminals on bail or handing out lenient sentences rises to the level of corruption.

Knodl also has said he would consider impeaching Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm. Republicans have long criticized the Democratic prosecutor as being soft on crime.

Habush Sinykin holds a law degree from Harvard and has worked as an attorney for Midwest Environmental Advocates. She was a key litigator in MEA's lawsuit to block Wisconsin wolf hunters from using dogs. A state appeals court ultimately rejected the group's arguments in 2014.

Habush Sinykin held a massive financial advantage over Knodl as Election Day approached.

According to the latest campaign finance reports, she raised nearly $1.1 million between Jan. 1 and March 20. A huge chunk of that money — $453,550 — came from the State Senate Democratic Committee. She received another $25,000 from the state Democratic Party.

Knodl raised $324,200 between Jan. 1 and March 20. The largest contribution he received was $2,000 from a political action committee that represents the interests of health insurers.

GOP leadership pushes back immigration, border bill markup amid infighting

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House Republican leadership is pushing for a delay to a planned markup next week of multiple immigration and border security bills as it deals with infighting between members – a move likely to upset immigration hawks keen to see action from the caucus on the historic migrant crisis at the southern border.

Punchbowl News reported Thursday that leadership has asked Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to delay a planned consideration of as many as eight border and immigration bills next week before the April recess.

But sources told the outlet that leadership had delayed the markup until after the recess, meaning it will be more than four months since Republicans took control of the House before there is any consideration of legislation to tackle the ongoing migrant crisis at the southern border. A source familiar with the situation confirmed the Punchbowl News report to Fox News Digital.

BIDEN ADMIN SCALING BACK DETENTION OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, EVEN AMID MIGRANT SURGE 

Jordan told Punchbowl that "we have eight pieces of legislation that we think makes sense, and we’re going to get done as soon as we can, but we’re working with the whole conference."

Republicans have little wiggle room when it comes to defections as they have just a five-seat majority in the lower chamber. While there has been consensus on the broad strokes of how the caucus should tackle the migrant crisis, deep divisions have emerged between members.

Specifically, legislation introduced by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, which would allow DHS to block the entry of illegal migrants into the U.S. until there was "operational control" of the border, has seen internal Republican opposition from a small number of lawmakers.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, has been the most vocal opponent of the bill, calling it anti-American and claiming it bans asylum – a claim Roy has denied. Gonzales' opposition to the bill was one factor in the Texas Republican Party’s move to censure him this month.

But Republicans had campaigned on coming up with solutions to the border crisis and have already held a number of hearings at the border to draw attention to the crisis. Last year, Republicans unveiled a number of policy proposals to secure the border that they said they would advance if they took the House. Policies include finished the Trump-era border wall, expanding Title 42, modernizing technology and overhauling the asylum system.

DHS PUSHES BACK AGAINST MCCARTHY CALL FOR MAYORKAS TO RESIGN OR FACE POTENTIAL IMPEACHMENT

Since then, some Republicans – including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy – have floated the possibility of impeaching DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. That move has yet to happen, although two lawmakers have introduced articles of impeachment.

A coalition of hawkish groups, including the Heritage Foundation, Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), America First Policy Institute and Numbers USA, had written to GOP leaders in February urging the party to keep its promises – and warning that resources alone were not enough and that laws needed to be changed to end loopholes.

In a statement on Thursday, Heritage Action Executive Director Jessica Anderson said border security needs to be the "top priority" for the House.

BORDER HAWKS SAY FAILURE TO PASS BORDER SECURITY BILL WOULD BETRAY GOP ‘COMMITMENT TO AMERICA’ 

"House Republicans have been in power for several months," she wrote. "They must immediately develop and consider a border security package that ends the asylum fraud, creates an authority to immediately expel illegal aliens, sends resources to complete the border wall, and gives border agents the personnel and tools needed to carry out their proper duties, not the mass release of illegal aliens as directed by the Biden administration. Migrants must be disincentivized from making the dangerous journey to cross the border illegally, and must not be promised any possibility of amnesty."

Anderson noted the ongoing fentanyl crisis, which is primarily smuggled across the border, as well as cartel trafficking and an increase in the number of individuals encountered on the terror watch list. While she blamed the "Biden administration’s deliberate border destruction," she also urged action from Republicans.

"The time is now – American sovereignty has been severely damaged. Heritage Action urges House Republicans to follow through on their Commitment to America and move forward on consideration of a border security package," she said.

Meanwhile, Democrats and the Biden administration have been attacking Republicans for failing to agree to border security funding requests made by the Biden administration. President Joe Biden himself has called for Republicans in Congress to support additional funding to the ports as well as pathways to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S.

Fox News' Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

GOP bill would force Mayorkas to fly commercial until he comes up with a border plan

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A handful of House Republicans are looking to ban Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and his staff from flying on federal executive aircraft or private jets until he presents a plan to Congress for securing the southwestern U.S. border.

The "Mayorkas Must Fly Coach Until We Secure the Border Act" would require Mayorkas to fly on commercial airlines, and reflects the growing frustration with the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis. A record 2.3 million migrant encounters were logged in fiscal year 2022, up from 1.7 million the year before.

A record-high 251,000 border encounters were seen in December, and while that number fell to about 150,000 in January, Republicans continue to argue that failing to control the border is putting migrant children at risk and allowing fentanyl and other dangerous drugs to enter the U.S. unchecked, along with millions of illegal immigrants.

OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE PROBES ‘NO-BID’ DHS CONTRACT TO LAW FIRM TO HANDLE MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT EFFORTS

"This bill simply recognizes what is already obvious to South Texans and millions of Americans: Secretary Mayorkas’ failure to secure the southern border has hurt the American people and resulted in a humanitarian crisis in communities like mine," said Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, the lead sponsor of the bill. "If he refuses to fulfill the most basic functions of his office, he should be stripped of the private flights he currently enjoys, courtesy of American taxpayers, until he does his job."

The legislation is a relatively minor punishment for Mayorkas compared to two other bills proposed by Republicans that would impeach him.

DHS TAPPED LEFT-LEANING FIRM FOR POTENTIAL MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT EFFORTS OVER SOUTHERN BORDER CRISIS

One of those bills, from Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, says Mayorkas has violated his constitutional oath by failing to maintain operational control over the border, as more than 5.5 million illegal immigrants have crossed into the U.S. under his watch. That resolution, which has 41 cosponsors, says Mayorkas terminated contracts for the remaining construction of the border wall started by President Trump and accuses him of lying to Congress by testifying last year that the U.S. government has operational control of the border.

A second impeachment resolution, from Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., makes similar arguments and notes that Mayorkas has violated the Immigration and Nationality Act by releasing illegal immigrants into the U.S. instead of removing them. "The Secretary of Homeland Security does not have the option of simply releasing those aliens into the interior of the United States," reads that resolution, which has 31 GOP cosponsors.

MAYORKAS MAINTAINS ‘BORDER IS SECURE’ DESPITE RECORD CROSSINGS; FBI SEES ‘SIGNIFICANT CRIMINAL THREATS’

Biggs is a cosponsor of De La Cruz’s bill banning Mayorkas from private jets, along with Reps. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., and Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga.

Despite widespread frustration with the Biden administration’s border policies, House Republicans have yet to schedule a vote on any bill aimed at pressuring Mayorkas into doing more to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the U.S.

Oversight Dem linked to consultants managing group funneling millions into torpedoing Biden investigations

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A Democratic congressman tasked with pushing back against Republican investigations into President Biden, his administration, and the president's son, Hunter Biden, has links to a major consultancy that manages a fund funneling millions to a group attempting to torpedo those very investigations, Fox News Digital has discovered.

Through his family foundation, Rep. Daniel Goldman, D.-N.Y, a member of the House Oversight Committee, has ties to Arabella Advisors, a Washington, D.C., consulting firm that overlooks the largest dark money network in the country. Arabella Advisors manages the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which has bankrolled the Congressional Integrity Project, a group of liberal operatives working behind the scenes with Democrats in attempts to smother the Biden investigations by Goldman's GOP colleagues on the Oversight Committee.

Goldman, a wealthy heir to the Levi Strauss jean company fortune, acted as the lead Democratic counsel for President Trump's first impeachment, making him a valuable asset for Democrats on the powerful Oversight Committee, where he'll serve as a main counterpunch to Republican investigators.

"Representative Goldman's deep-seated financial ties to a dark money network that is attempting to influence the Oversight Committee are extremely problematic," Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, told Fox News Digital. "How can Goldman be trusted to execute his duties ethically when he seems so fraught with conflicts himself?"

DEMOCRATIC REP. DAN GOLDMAN SAYS TRUMP, BIDEN CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT SCANDALS ARE 'APPLES AND ORANGES'

Goldman's ties to Arabella Advisors lie with his family foundation, the Richard W. Goldman Family Foundation, which works to "promote equality" and reduce "barriers to opportunity across generations for our nation's most disadvantaged." According to tax forms, Goldman held several roles at the foundation, which he typically operated alongside a few other family members. In 2012, he became its secretary; in 2018, he also took over its treasurer responsibilities. 

The same year he became its treasurer, Goldman's family foundation moved its books into the care of Arabella Advisors. But even before the influential firm took over its books, the foundation had paid Arabella Advisors hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees dating back to 2013, its tax forms show. The foundation has also doled out more than $1.2 million to the New Venture Fund, an Arabella Advisors-managed dark money nonprofit incubator, for endeavors.

Goldman's 2022 financial disclosure shows that he had shifted his position to the sole family foundation board member reported on previous years' tax forms.

Arabella Advisors, meanwhile, manages the Sixteen Thirty Fund, another dark money nonprofit incubator that pushes hundreds of millions of dollars into left-wing causes and initiatives each year. In 2020 and 2021, the Sixteen Thirty Fund funneled $1.5 million into the Congressional Integrity Project, the Washington Examiner first reported, which was nearly all of the Congressional Integrity Project's cash during that time. 

The Sixteen Thirty Fund told the publication that they're "proud to support efforts to strengthen integrity and transparency in government" and that their grants to the Congressional Integrity Project "funded important research to ensure effective, ethical leadership in Washington."

ARABELLA ADVISORS: FIRM OVERLOOKING MOST POWERFUL LEFT-WING DARK MONEY NETWORK IN AMERICA EXPANDS OPERATIONS

Despite receiving the cash, the Congressional Integrity Project, launched in 2020, had gone dormant for some time. It resurfaced late last year following the midterm elections to begin preparing to push back against the Biden investigations, primarily by setting its sights on the Republicans conducting them.

Politico reported last November that the group remobilized by launching a multi-million dollar hub to counter Republican investigative efforts, including rapid response teams, researchers, pollsters, and a media campaign to put Republicans "squarely on the defense," Kyle Herrig, a Congressional Integrity Project founder, told the publication. 

Herrig said his group would act as the party's "leading war room" to dent Republican investigators. A person familiar with its plans said they had briefed Democratic leadership on the group's operations last year, and they've since reportedly held calls with top party lawmakers.

House Oversight Republicans will zero in on various issues, ranging from the border crisis to the Biden family's domestic and international business dealings.

Goldman's office did not respond to a Fox News Digital inquiry on his ties to Arabella Advisors and if the Congressional Integrity Project had ever briefed him or anyone on his staff. His family foundation and the Congressional Integrity Project also did not respond to requests for comment.

LIBERAL DARK MONEY GROUP FORMS TO PUSH BACK AGAINST ANTI-CRT EFFORTS IN SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Arabella Advisors overlooks America's largest liberal dark money network and recently expanded its operations by acquiring the New York-based Kiwi Partners, which provides nonprofit accounting and consulting services.

The expansion happened as the nexus continued its operations as the pinnacle dark money network, further showing how Democrats have exploited anonymous donations while publicly railing against their political influence.

The five Arabella Advisors-managed funds - the Sixteen Thirty, New Venture, Hopewell, Windward, and North funds - experience massive cash flows that include billions of dollars raised and poured into progressive causes and initiatives across the country. None of the funds disclose their contributors, but some of the most prominent Democratic donors have passed cash to them, their own tax forms have shown. 

"As we've stated repeatedly, Arabella Advisors is a business dedicated to making philanthropic work more efficient, effective, and equitable," an Arabella spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital. "Our nonprofit clients hire us to provide HR, legal, payroll and other administrative services—and, like all service providers, we work for our clients, not the other way around. They make their own decisions on strategy, fundraising, and programmatic goals."

Groups tied to the network also work behind the scenes on Biden initiatives. For example, Governing for Impact, a group fiscally sponsored by the New Venture Fund and bankrolled by a George Soros nonprofit, has worked with Biden's administration to shape policy, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

Arabella Advisors did not respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment on this story.

Waltz, House Republicans drop resolution condemning Buttigieg and saying he ‘should resign’

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FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., is leading a House Republican resolution condemning Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and calling on him to resign.

Waltz and several of his fellow lower chamber GOP lawmakers introduced the resolution on Tuesday demanding Buttigieg resign over his track record as a Cabinet secretary.

"Whether it’s waiting weeks to visit East Palestine, vacationing in Portuguese wine country during vital union negotiations, his extended absence during one of the largest shipping crises we’ve faced, or his failure to prevent massive aviation groundings, Secretary Buttigieg has shown an inability to carry out the duties of his office," Waltz told FOX News Digital.

INSPECTOR GENERAL INVESTIGATING PETE BUTTIGIEG’S EXTENSIVE PRIVATE JET TRAVEL AFTER FOX NEWS DIGITAL REPORT

"It’s time for him to resign," the Florida Republican added.

The resolution, obtained by Fox News Digital, blasts Buttigieg as having "failed to mitigate or effectively respond to multiple national crises" and that his "ineptitude has jeopardized the safety and prosperity of the American people."

The lawmakers highlighted several controversies in Buttigieg’s career as transportation secretary, such as the secretary being "absent during a historical supply chain crisis when United States ports faced a record backlog of ships stranded off of United States coasts," as well as the "more than 15,000 flights" canceled under his watch in "the worst and most costly single airline operational disruption in the history of United States aviation."

Waltz and the Republicans said Buttigieg "neglected his duties and left the country to vacation in Portuguese wine country amidst ongoing negotiations of an impending railroad labor strike, leaving Congress to act in order to prevent the impending rail workers strike."

The lawmakers also hit Buttigieg for the "preventable malfunction in the Notice to Air Mission’s System" on January 11, 2023, where "the Federal Aviation Administration was forced to impose the largest nationwide ground stop since the attacks of September 11, 2001" as well as his sluggish response to the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment and toxic chemical spill.

Additionally, the lawmakers slammed Buttigieg as having "repeatedly demonstrated a gross level of incompetence and apathy in his role as Secretary of Transportation" and "has lost the confidence of the American people," calling on him to "resign."

Joining Waltz on the resolution are several of his GOP colleagues, including Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Ryan Zinke of Montana, Mike Collins of Georgia, and Greg Steube of Florida.

Buttigieg has been under GOP fire in the aftermath of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment and toxic chemical spill.

Collins recently published an opinion piece with Fox News Digital calling on Buttigieg to resign.

The congressman told Fox News Digital that impeachment is not off the table, should Buttigieg not resign.

GOP Rep. Collins blasts Buttigieg for Ohio response, says impeachment not off the table

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FIRST ON FOX: A Georgia congressman blasted Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for his response to the Ohio train derailment and toxic chemical spill, saying impeachment is not off the table.

Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., a freshman Republican who ascended to Congress in the 2022 midterm elections, weighed in on the Transportation Department’s response to the toxic chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio.

MY FAMILY HAS RUN OUR TRUCKING COMPANY FOR 30 YEARS. BUTTIGIEG IS A TRANSPORTATION DISASTER AND MUST RESIGN

Collins said, "They should have shown up immediately" and that "any time we have a problem, as far as small businesses are concerned, you get right to the scene and see exactly what's going on, so you can assess the problem" and "figure out what the solution is."

"Yeah, they sent people up there, but… this thing was a major catastrophe and something like that garners the head of the department showing up," Collins said.

"And, you know, he just was bent on not going," the congressman continued. "And there's reasons why he did that."

"That’s just another, in my opinion, another clear example of this agency and the fact that they have got their sights set on stuff other than trying to improve the infrastructure of this country," Collins said. "And that’s the woke culture that this guy is promoting."

Collins said that whether it’s a train derailment, "planes almost landing on top of each other," or "some person deleting a file that shuts down a whole industry, there's something else that is going on besides what you see," calling them "results of an administration that is pushing a woke culture."

The Georgia Republican also noted the CEO of the rail company at the center of the toxic chemical spill, Norfolk Southern, recently notified shareholders of the firm’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) push for "cultivating a safe, inclusive culture."

"They're more worried about appeasing an administration and gender pronouns than they are putting grease on wheel bearings," Collins said, adding air traffic controllers are leaving the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) "because of the culture."

Collins, whose family runs a three-decade-old trucking business, said Buttigieg was an "identity politics" pick for his position that only knows "how to push" the ideology. He also said the transportation secretary "knows nothing about the infrastructure and transportation problems in this country."

"If we identified the problem, that’s the problem," Collins said. "We’re more in tune with trying to fix culture problems and be woke than we are fixing transportation infrastructure problems."

"The solution is… you get rid of Pete Buttigieg and get somebody in there that knows what they’re doing and what they’re talking about," the Georgia Republican continued. "We spent over $1 trillion on the infrastructure bill and the rails aren’t safer, roads aren’t any better, and the airports and the runways aren’t any safer."

Collins said Americans are "already seeing" the dangers of woke culture taking root in government, noting that "congestion is crazy" and "not being addressed," and that a person "can’t get from point A to point B."

BUTTIGIEG MOCKED FOR APPEARING TO WEAR DRESS BOOTS WHILE ON THE GROUND IN EAST PALESTINE, OHIO

"We're barely addressing the potholes, the bridges that need to be replaced.… That's where we need to have our focus. They didn't even put in enough money in that infrastructure bill anyway to alleviate congestion, but you're going to see more of that due to the fact that they're more worried about who we call or what we call or making sure that we have the right diversity."

The Georgia Republican said he does not "think anything is off the table" when it comes to impeaching Buttigieg, should he not step down.

Collins also said that, if he were a person living in East Palestine, Ohio, he would think Buttigieg’s delay of travel to survey the rail disaster shows "he doesn’t even care" and that they are "not important enough."

"Pete Buttigieg needs to give you the real reason why he wasn’t there," Collins said. "But when something significant like that happens, a department head ought to be there. He ought to be right there, on the ground."

"In my private sector, we make our living out on the public roads," the congressman also said. "We don’t have an office building that we go to and we’re with the motoring public every day. And it’s important that we keep these roads safe."

"And in order to do that, you need competent people and a Department of Transportation head guiding that ship," Collins added. "And that's what you don't have."

Buttigieg traveled to East Palestine, Ohio, last week to view the derailment. Critics blasted Buttigieg for his choice of dress boots for surveying the toxic chemical spill.

A Transportation Department spokesperson pointed FOX News Digital to a tweet by Buttigieg when asked for comment.

"Beginning in the first hours when USDOT arrived on-site, and continuing for as long as it takes, our department is working alongside our administraiton partners to ensure that the residents in East Palestine are made whole and Norfolk Southern is held accountable," Buttigieg wrote.

NRCC gives embattled Katie Porter a Valentine vowing to ‘flip this seat’ in 2024

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FIRST ON FOX: The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) sent embattled Democrat Rep. Katie Porter of California a Valentine vowing to "flip" her seat after she retires to run for the Senate.

The NRCC delivered the note to Porter on Valentine’s Day on Tuesday with a personalized poem to the congresswoman and a photo of her infamous Batgirl Halloween costume.

"Roses are red. Violets are blue," the valentine taped to the outside of Porter’s Washington, D.C. office. "Thanks for retiring. We're going to flip this seat, too."

KATIE PORTER BERATED IRVINE MAYOR IN TEXTS: ‘LECTURE ME’ ON ‘PROFESSIONALISM’ AND ‘SEE WHAT HAPPENS’

"Whichever flawed candidate Democrats dredge up to replace chaotic Katie Porter, the NRCC will ensure their candidacy gets canceled like the Batgirl movie," NRCC spokesperson Ben Petersen told Fox News Digital.

Porter’s spokesperson Lindsay Reilly told Fox News Digital the congresswoman is looking forward to giving the valentine to California Democrat state Rep. David Min, who is running to replace the congresswoman in Washington.

"We look forward to passing this along to Democrat Dave Min when he's elected next November," Reilly said.

Porter announced she would be running for Senate to replace now-outgoing Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who said on Tuesday she would not be seeking re-election in 2024.

Feinstein has served in the Senate since 1992.

The California congresswoman, who is battling accusations of racism and a toxic work environment, announced her candidacy before Feinstein said she would retire.

Additionally, Porter — who infamously wore a skin-tight Batgirl costume for an impeachment vote against former President Trump — faced scrutiny after she berated Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan in their text conversation after trashing the Irvine police department after her violent 2021 town hall.

The congresswoman — a former law professor who was paid more than $285,000 one year during her time at the University of California, Irvine — made headlines when it was revealed she earned thousands of dollars in royalty fees from law school textbooks that she required her own students to purchase for the courses she taught.

Porter narrowly won re-election for a third term in 2022, defeating Republican candidate Scott Baugh to secure her seat.

From the border to the front lines of Congress, House Republicans are flexing their muscles

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The new House Republican majority is now flexing their muscles with hearings on China, education policy, pandemic learning loss and "woke" policies in schools, and Hunter Biden and his laptop.

House Republicans timed a hearing on the border crisis to just hours before President Biden delivered his State of the Union address. 

The border may be 1,700 miles from Washington, D.C., but Republicans brought the border front lines to the front lines of Capitol Hill. The border and illegal immigration are sizzling issues with the GOP base, so it is only natural that Republicans would make this a priority in the new Congress. 

The Biden Administration initially blocked the specific border agents who Republicans requested for testimony before the House Oversight Committee. The Department of Homeland Security finally relented — but sent other agents.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS PRESS HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN, ERIC SCHWERIN FOR BUSINESS DEAL DOCUMENTS

"After two years of gaslighting, obstruction, stonewalling and lies, we’re finally able to hear straight from the source," said Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.

Republicans hoped to blame President Biden for the border crisis.

"The policies put in place by this administration have opened the door for dangerous individuals - including but not limited to - terrorists to cross into our nation undetected," said Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich.

One witness testified that President Biden was to blame for the surge of migrants indirectly.

"The vast majority of (migrants) were saying that they believed that when the administration changed, the law and policy changed," said John Modlin, the Chief Border Patrol agent from Tucson, Ariz.

Republicans underscored the plight of those who protect the border.

"I have seen the despair in Border Patrol agents faces. Their morale is certainly decreasing," said Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo. 

One agent who testified — Gloria Chavez, chief patrol agent of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) sector — backed up Boebert.

"In the last two years, Border Patrol has had 13 suicides. Five in RGV. And it's a terrible thing that we experience," testified Chavez. 

The agents painted a damning picture of the border plight.

"In the Tucson sector last year, we seized about 700 pounds of fentanyl. To give you an idea based on the lethality of a dose of fentanyl, that's enough to kill everyone in Arizona 21 times," said Modlin.

However, Democrats say additional interdictions are a good thing.

HOUSE DEM CLAIMS SPIKE IN FENTANYL SEIZED AT BORDER IS A 'SUCCESS'

"The facts show we are seizing a lot more fentanyl. And for me, as a mom, that is a sign of success. I don't want that fentanyl in this country. It is dangerous and it kills people and it makes our communities dangerous. And to me, this is a sign that our border patrol and our agents at our ports of entry, which is, of course, where the vast majority of the fentanyl is seized, as you've acknowledged, are doing their jobs," said Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif.

The session sparked hyperbole on both sides.

"I just wonder what the real agenda is here for an open border?" asked Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala.

One Republican alleged that a porous border was part of a grand Machiavellian administration plot

"Why would Biden do this?" asked Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., about the administration’s border policy. "To create chaos? Sow discord? What is the answer to this mess for Biden and the Democrats? More big brother. More control. Even changing our culture."

However, Gosar offered no evidence to back up his assertions. However, Republicans did not monopolize inflammatory accusations.

A tweet from the formal Twitter feed of House Oversight Committee Democrats argued that Republicans conducted the hearing to propound "white nationalist conspiracy theories."

"Migrants are increasingly dehumanized as a direct result of Republican xenophobic rhetoric," claimed Washington, D.C., Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton.

"This isn’t about oversight," said Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla. "It’s about stoking the fears of immigrants and those seeking asylum."

Congressional Democrats regularly call out the Twitter feed of House Judiciary Republicans for caustic messages. Republicans returned the favor.

"This comment that we’re having this hearing to amplify White conspiracy theories is one of the most offensive things I’ve seen since I’ve been here," said Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wisc. 

"For my colleagues who want to state that we’re using this hearing for White nationalism? I’m not doing that," said Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla. "Leave that kind of silly stuff for somebody else. Don’t bring that here today."

Republicans intensified attacks against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

"I think he’s an embarrassment and should step down," lectured Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Tex. "We do not have confidence in your department."

Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Tex., asserted that agents possessed the wherewithal to control the border. "We have the manpower. We have technology. What we lack, Mr. Chairman, is Alejandro Mayorkas’s will and Joe Biden’s will to do so," said Fallon.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS CALL FOR IMPEACHMENT OF HOMELAND SECRETARY MAYORKAS AHEAD OF STATE OF THE UNION

It remains unclear if the GOP would ever have the votes to impeach Mayorkas. The House has not impeached a cabinet secretary since 1876. Impeachment would toss red meat to the conservative hardliners. However, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is trying to take a measured approach – despite the internal push from the right.

At some point, Republican voters will ask why the GOP House has not impeached Mayorkas or even President Biden. That is why Republicans want to focus as much as they can on the border. It presents a narrative that they’re working on the issue — even if they never get to impeachment.

Some Democrats tried to reframe the border calamity.

"What we are seeing on the southern border is a crisis. But it’s not a crisis our friends across the aisle would have us believe," said Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M. "It is truly a humanitarian crisis."

Stansbury spoke of how she lost relatives to fentanyl, "It is an absolute crisis to know the pain of what it feels like to lose someone to fentanyl. It’s something that I think many people in this room do not understand," continued Stansbury. "Let’s talk about these issues in reality and not try to score political brownie points and get on cable TV."

However, the hearing seemingly helped Democrats and Republicans alike achieve the benchmarks of which Stansbury spoke. Both sides scored political brownie points with their respective bases. And, they got on cable TV. 

Boebert introduces ELON Act to require DOJ report on money going to social media companies

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: Colorado GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert introduced legislation requiring the Department of Justice (DOJ) to report how much money it is spending with social media companies.

Boebert introduced the Exposing Lewd Outlays for Social Networking Companies, or ELON, Act Wednesday, Fox News Digital has learned.

The bill would require the U.S. comptroller general to submit a congressional report on all DOJ payments to Twitter, Meta, Google, Microsoft and Apple since January 1, 2015.

KAMALA HARRIS IS BIDEN’S ‘SHREWD INSURANCE POLICY’ AGAINST IMPEACHMENT, BOEBERT SAYS

"Big Tech is in bed with the FBI and other agencies to the point where Congress can’t tell where one ends and the other begins," Boebert told Fox News Digital.

"The millions of dollars sent to Twitter that we know of during an election year, when they were at the same time censoring the Hunter Biden laptop from hell, is incredibly concerning."

The Colorado Republican said her "bill, the ELON Act, requires a report from all agencies on federal dollars sent to big tech companies" and also places a one-year moratorium on additional funds."

"We must expose the incestuous relationship between Big Tech and the federal government," Boebert said. "My bill does exactly that."

Boebert’s ELON Act already has several GOP co-sponsors, including Reps. Matt Gaetz and Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Troy Nehls of Texas, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Mary Miller of Indiana and Eric Burlison of Missouri.

The bill comes amid GOP accusations against social media companies targeting conservatives.

Twitter’s censorship of the New York Post's 2020 Hunter Biden laptop story is frequently mentioned among congressional Republicans as proof of social media companies’ bias against conservatives.

The House Oversight Committee held a hearing Wednesday probing former Twitter executives about the censorship of that story.

Sarah Sanders delivers GOP rebuttal to Biden SOTU, says Americans have a choice ‘between normal or crazy’

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Newly-elected Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders delivered the GOP rebuttal to President Biden's second State of the Union address Tuesday, calling for a "new generation of Republican leadership" and describing the choice between Democrats and Republicans as a choice "between normal or crazy."

"Being a mom to three young children taught me not to believe every story I hear. So forgive me for not believing much of anything I heard tonight from President Biden. From out-of-control inflation and violent crime to the dangerous border crisis and threat from China, Biden and the Democrats have failed you," Sanders said.

"It’s time for a change. Tonight, let us reaffirm our commitment to a timeless American idea: that government exists not to rule the people, but to serve the people. Democrats want to rule us with more government control, but that is not who we are," she added.

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE SPEECH 

Sanders noted that she and Biden didn't have a lot in common because she is "for freedom" and he's "for government control," and went on to note the four decades difference in their ages.

"At 40, I’m the youngest governor in the country. At 80, he’s the oldest president in American history. I’m the first woman to lead my state. He’s the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that can’t even tell you what a woman is," she said.

"In the radical left’s America, Washington taxes you and lights your hard-earned money on fire, but you get crushed with high gas prices, empty grocery shelves, and our children are taught to hate one another on account of their race, but not to love one another or our great country," she added.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS CALL FOR IMPEACHMENT OF HOMELAND SECRETARY MAYORKAS AHEAD OF STATE OF THE UNION

She described the Biden administration as "completely hijacked by the radical left," and said that America's "dividing line" was no longer a separation between right and left.

"The choice is between normal or crazy," she said. "It is time for a new generation of Republican leadership."

She went on to tout her efforts in Arkansas to combat indoctrination and other Democratic policies like critical race theory and shutdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that Americans wanted common sense from their leaders, but that Biden was busy "doubling down on crazy."

"President Biden inherited the fastest economic recovery on record. The most secure border in history. Cheap abundant, home-grown energy. Fast-rising wages. A rebuilt military. And a world that was stable and at peace. But over the last two years, Democrats destroyed it all," Sanders said.

"Despite Democrats’ trillions in reckless spending and mountains of debt, we now have the worst border crisis in American history," she added.

BIDEN PLAGUED BY NEGATIVE APPROVAL RATINGS AHEAD OF SECOND STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH

Sanders expressed the need to secure the border and stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States, a drug responsible thousands of deaths every month, railed against Democratic calls to defend the police, and blasted Biden's "weakness" on foreign policy, especially China.

"Make no mistake: Republicans will not surrender this fight. We will lead with courage and do what’s right, not what’s politically correct or convenient," she said.

"Republicans believe in an America where strong families thrive in safe communities. Where jobs are abundant, and paychecks are rising. Where the freedom our veterans shed their blood to defend is the birthright of every man, woman, and child," she said.

Sanders vowed that under the leadership of Senate Republicans and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Republicans would hold the Biden administration accountable.

"America is great because we are free. But today, our freedom is under attack, and the America we love is in danger. President Biden and the Democrats have failed you. It’s time for a change. A New Generation of Republican leaders is stepping up… not to be caretakers of the status quo, but to be change makers for the American people," she said.

"We know not what the future holds, but we know who holds the future in His hands. And with God as our witness, we will show the world that America is still the place where freedom reins and liberty will never die," she added.

Sanders, who served as White House press secretary under former President Donald Trump, never held elected office prior to being elected as Arkansas' governor. She is also the daughter of the state's former Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee.