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

House Republicans cry ‘vindication’ after Hunter Biden guilty plea

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Congressional Republicans are claiming vindication after Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine federal tax-related charges on Thursday — and warning President Biden not to pardon his son.

Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital that he believes the plea "absolutely" affirms the accusations and findings GOP lawmakers have levied against the first family since before President Biden took office.

"It's also vindication for the whistleblowers," he added, accusing Hunter's defenders of trying to "wreck their careers."

Davidson said of Biden potentially pardoning his son, "I think it would be an abuse of that power for the president to do that, but I think a lot of people will be surprised if Joe Biden doesn't."

HUNTER BIDEN FOUND GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN GUN TRIAL

The White House has said multiple times that the president will not pardon his son, but that has not stopped Republican-led skepticism from pouring in.

It comes after a bombshell House GOP report, which the White House has pushed back on, that accused the president of committing "impeachable offenses" by allegedly helping enrich himself and his family through foreign deals.

Meanwhile, House Ways & Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., whose committee is one of three that was investigating Biden via impeachment inquiry, similarly said the guilty plea upheld the testimony of whistleblowers who came to his panel.

HUNTER BIDEN TRIAL ENTERS DAY 5 AFTER TESTIMONY FROM SISTER-IN-LAW-TURNED-GIRLFRIEND: 'PANICKED'

"Hunter Biden’s decision to plead guilty once again affirms the integrity of the IRS whistleblowers who recommended these exact charges over two years ago before being stonewalled by the Biden-Harris Justice Department. Had Joseph Ziegler and Gary Shapley not come forward, putting their reputations and careers at great risk in the process, Hunter Biden would have received a sweetheart plea deal for merely two misdemeanors," Smith told Fox News Digital.

Smith added as a veiled warning, "It remains to be seen whether President Biden will abuse the power of his office to ensure his son avoids the consequences of his felony tax crimes."

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., who also co-led the probe, said, "Hunter Biden is finally admitting the obvious: he didn’t pay taxes on income he received by selling access to his father, Joe Biden."

A member of that committee, Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital, "We also can’t let Hunter Biden’s plea deal distract from the fact that he was the bag man in the Biden family’s influence peddling scheme that saw them amass some $27 million by selling political access to ‘the big guy,’ Joe Biden."

"For more than a decade, Hunter and his associates enriched themselves at the expense of the American people. By all means, Hunter needs to be held to account, but this is by no means the end when it comes to equal justice under the law," Fallon said.

DOJ REVEALS IT HAS BIDEN TRANSCRIPTS AT ISSUE IN CLASSIFIED DOCS CASE AFTER INITIAL DENIAL

Biden and his allies have consistently pushed back on accusations levied by House Republicans, dismissing them as misrepresentations and political attacks.

But that has not convinced GOP lawmakers like Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who warned Biden not to pardon his son.

"Hunter Biden’s bait-and-switch stunt is a clear effort to avoid a messy trial that would reveal his father’s role in the family’s corrupt business dealings. Americans will once again witness the Bidens’ corruption go unpunished as President Biden will likely pardon his son on his way out of the Oval Office," Biggs said.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday that "no," Hunter Biden would not get a presidential pardon from his father, hours before he entered his guilty plea.

Biden himself said in June that he would "abide by the jury’s decision" when asked if he would pardon his son.

The practical politics of impeachment: What the math says about the House GOP’s report on Biden

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"Impeachable conduct."

"The totality of the corrupt conduct uncovered by the Committees is egregious." 

"A concerted effort to conceal President Biden’s involvement in the family’s influence peddling scheme."

These are the findings of a trio of House committees – led by Republicans – into the conduct of President Biden. It’s the final report of the GOP’s impeachment inquiry into Mr. Biden. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., initiated the inquest verbally last summer, trying to quash an uprising from his right flank. The House finally formalized the probe through a roll call vote in December.

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

Note that many Republicans wanted any impeachment investigation wrapped up by the start of last fall, not a couple of months before the 2024 election.

"Republicans have worked to impede and obstruct any effort to investigate Mr. Trump’s actual and proven corruption, including his unconstitutional receipt, while Commander-in-Chief, of millions of dollars from foreign governments that sought, and often received, favors from his Administration," said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, in his own "counter" report. 

House Republicans released their 292-page report hours before the president was scheduled to speak to the Democratic convention in Chicago.

The document argues that Mr. Biden’s conduct warranted sanctions, saying his "flagrant abuse of office is clear: impeachment by the House of Representatives and removal by the Senate."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., encouraged "all Americans to read this report." But besides thanking the committees for their work, Johnson didn’t signal there would be a vote on impeachment or imply that the House Republican leadership brass would entertain such a possibility. 

That’s because, at this stage, a prospective vote to impeach President Biden would likely fail on the floor.

Why? It’s about the math. There are at least a dozen House Republicans who oppose impeachment. One senior House GOP leadership source characterized a vote now as "moot."

Fox is told Republicans soured further on impeachment when President Biden decided against seeking reelection. Plus, Mr. Biden only has five more months before the end of his term. Moreover, a vote on impeachment would put moderate Republicans from swing districts in a bind as the GOP tries to maintain its slim majority. Trotting out a vote on impeachment – just to have a vote on impeachment at this stage – would likely produce a loss on the floor. Democrats could then boomerang the failed impeachment vote on those vulnerable Republicans. Democrats would underscore how Republicans tried for more than a year to impeach President Biden. And it culminated in a failed vote on the floor.

POLITICAL PARALLELS BETWEEN 1968 AND 2024 AS THE DEMOCRATS RETURN TO CHICAGO

A botched impeachment vote would undercut the Republicans’ report itself and constitute an unforced error for the GOP.

It would also mean Republicans may have placed the emphasis on the wrong syllable – just before the election. Mr. Biden’s issues should be old news to Republicans. But focusing on President Biden, right or wrong, is not where the GOP needs to spend its time. Anything tied to impeachment simply steals the spotlight from the narrative Republicans are trying to craft about Vice President Harris. Republicans are still trying to define Harris. Backpedaling to President Biden diminishes that strategy. 

If House Republicans truly want to impeach the president – and do it by the book – they would likely need at least another public hearing or two. That would also entail a "markup" session by the Judiciary Committee before sending the matter to the House floor. 

The measure would then go to the House Rules Committee. Then the floor for debate and vote.

And how many articles of impeachment could the GOP engineer for President Biden? One? Two? Four?

COMMENTATOR ON LEFT-LEANING SQUAWK BOX BLASTS DEMS FOR HAVING CLINTON AT DNC

The House impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas earlier this year, slapping him with two articles of impeachment: breaking the law and breaching the public trust.

The House levied a singular article of impeachment against former President Trump in 2021 for "incitement of insurrection" after the riot at the Capitol.

In 1998, the House Judiciary Committee prepared four articles of impeachment for former President Clinton after his affair with Monica Lewinsky. The House only approved two articles, lying under oath and obstruction of justice. The House rejected the other articles.

House Republicans will read and consider the impeachment report over the remainder of the congressional recess. Expect some internal debate when House Republicans first meet in a GOP Conference meeting on the morning of September 10.  

But just because House Republican leaders don’t want the House to tangle with impeachment doesn’t mean there won’t be pressure to do so. It’s possible there could be an attempt by hardline conservatives to force a vote on the floor. Fox is told that Republican leaders are bracing for that possibility when the House returns. A rank-and-file Republican member could compel a vote on impeachment via a "privileged" resolution. Such specialized resolutions must come to the floor right away or within two legislative days. Democrats would likely move to table or kill the resolution. Republicans are then placed in the dubious position of voting against tabling the resolution to bring it to the floor – or voting to kill it.

One senior House Democratic source even speculated to Fox that since it was doubtful the House could impeach President Biden, maybe Democrats wouldn’t try to table impeachment. They’d leave that up to Republicans. Imagine this scenario: Republicans moving to table their own impeachment measure. That would certainly slather some egg on the face of the GOP.

But that’s the least of the problems for Republicans. A vote to table the impeachment resolution is one step removed from actually voting on impeachment itself. A failure to table the resolution prompts the House to vote, up or down, on impeachment itself. A vote where Republicans reject impeachment – after they talked about it for the better part of this Congress – looks ham-fisted. It also underscores the problem Republicans struggled with since early 2023 – under both McCarthy and Johnson: ultra-conservative members create headaches for the rest of the party. That includes fights over who should be Speaker to battles over government funding.

In its "conclusion" section of its report, the trifecta of House committees declare the President’s deeds amount "to impeachable conduct." The committees add that it's now up to the full House for "evaluation and consideration of appropriate next steps."

Most Republicans don’t want to wrestle with the impeachment of an elderly president who is partly out the door. Especially as Republicans try to maintain a threadbare House majority – and as former President Trump faces a serious challenge from Vice President Harris. The macro politics of the 2024 election may dictate that impeachment dies quietly on the vine. But the micro politics of the House Republican Conference could suggest something else. 

Reddy wins primary for Rep Davids’ seat that GOP is gunning to flip red

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An Indian-born U.S. military veteran won the GOP primary in the 3rd Congressional District of Kansas on Tuesday, a seat Republicans are hoping to win back in November.

Dr. Prasanth Reddy, a former physician-turned-high level Labcorp executive, was heavily favored to win the primary against challenger Karen Crnkovich.

Reddy was endorsed by top House Republicans including Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and was named to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) "Young Guns" list just last week.

He’s now moving on to face Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., a moderate Democrat seeking a fourth term in the House.

"Extreme House Democrat Sharice Davids has fueled the border, crime and cost of living crises that are wreaking havoc on Kansans’ safety and security. Prasanth Reddy is in a prime position to flip Kansas’ 3rd District red and help grow our House majority in November," Delanie Bomar, a spokeswoman for the House GOP campaign arm, said last week.

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Reddy had far outraised Crnkovich during the primary cycle, bringing in more than $1.3 million compared to her total of just over $150,000.

Both totals are significantly lower, however, than the $3 million and change that Davids has managed to raise. 

FLASHBACK: THESE ARE THE 10 REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED TO IMPEACH TRUMP 

Davids won her seat during the blue wave of 2018 and was among the first Native American women to be sworn into Congress. Davids is also the only Democrat in Kansas’ congressional delegation.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has her seat ranked as an R+1 district, making it a top target for Republicans hoping to keep and expand their razor-thin House majority.

GEN Z STOPPED REPUBLICANS' EXPECTED RED WAVE - HERE'S HOW GOP CAN WIN OVER YOUNG VOTERS

Davids won the district after defeating incumbent former Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan., by just under 10 points, and has modestly expanded her margin of victory since.

The district is majority-White and includes much of the Kansas City metro area. It’s also the least red of Kansas’ congressional districts.

Trump endorses second GOP candidate in primary to replace pro-impeachment congressman

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Former President Trump has endorsed a second GOP candidate in the primary for Washington’s 4th Congressional district in an effort to oust Rep. Dan Newhouse, who is one of ten Republicans who voted to impeach him in 2021 following the January 6 Capitol protests. 

Trump, in a post on Truth Social ahead of Tuesday’s vote, said, "Tiffany Smiley is a tremendous America First Candidate running to represent the Great People of Washington’s 4th Congressional District!" 

"Likewise, Jerrod Sessler, who I have Endorsed in the past, would be fantastic, fighting for the same things that Tiffany, and I, want for our Country," Trump continued. "They are both running against a weak and pathetic RINO, Dan Newhouse, who stupidly voted to impeach me for absolutely no reason, and he now strongly wishes he didn’t make that Decision. The other Impeachers are mostly all gone, a good thing for the U.S.A…." 

"Newhouse has to go, and Republicans need to unite behind a WINNER to ensure we have a tremendous Victory in November. Therefore, I give my Complete and Total Endorsement to both Tiffany Smiley and Jerrod Kessler – EITHER OF WHICH WILL DO A TREMENDOUS JOB, AND NEVER LET YOU DOWN!" he also said. 

WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS HAVE BANNED TRUMP AND WHY? AN OVERVIEW 

Trump described Smiley as a "Triage Nurse, Veterans Advocate, Army Wife, Loving Mother, and a Strong Supporter of our Movement to Make America Great Again," who "will be an INCREDIBLE Fighter in Congress who will work hard to Stop Inflation, Grow our Economy, Secure our Border, Strengthen our Incredible Military/Vets, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment." 

Newhouse, who is seeking his sixth term in office, told KEPR in May that "[s]ome people are still very adamant in their opposition to me," following his vote to impeach Trump on Jan. 13, 2021,"but I gotta tell you, there are a lot of people that will come up to me and say, 'Hey Dan maybe I disagree with that one vote but I support you on all the other things you're doing, I'm beyond that.’" 

FLASHBACK: THESE ARE THE 10 REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED TO IMPEACH TRUMP 

"And that's a good thing because we have so many issues that we face as a nation," he added. 

Smiley told KEPR the same month that if elected, she will focus on preserving dams in the lower Snake River, keeping illegal drugs out of communities in the central part of Washington state, and boosting agriculture. 

"The party here in this district is so divided and it's confusing, so this district deserves true representation, a representative who really reflects who we are in this district," she said. 

Balance of power: Jockeying begins for House Freedom Caucus top spot after leader’s unprecedented primary loss

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The House Freedom Caucus is discussing who could take the lead of the ultra-conservative group with its chairman, Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., expected to step aside.

Multiple people granted anonymity to speak with Fox News Digital indicated they expect Good to step aside from his role after he lost his primary race in June and a subsequent recount Thursday night by a few hundred votes. Good had previously said that he would do so.

It puts the GOP rebel group in uncharted territory. A chairman has never stepped down before the end of a term, and a sitting chair has never lost re-election.

Two sources familiar with the discussions said they expected a previous Freedom Caucus chair, Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., or Scott Perry, R-Pa., specifically, to step in for the remainder of Good’s term.

TRUMP ENDORSES 2 GOP CANDIDATES IN SAME KEY ARIZONA HOUSE PRIMARY

Both sources, however, said discussions were leaning slightly toward Biggs.

"I am going to push for Andy Biggs to take over during the remainder of Bob’s term. He supported Trump, and he knows how to be the chair already," one Freedom Caucus member told Fox News Digital.

Biggs did not comment when reached via spokesperson by Fox News Digital. A spokesperson for Perry also declined to comment.

One of the two earlier sources told Fox News Digital Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, the group’s policy chair, has also been floated as a possible replacement. 

But Roy, who also chairs the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on the Constitution and limited government, has not publicly indicated interest in the role. 

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2024 ELECTIONS

Freshman Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., has also shown interest in the role, according to another source. But it’s not immediately clear if he would be interested in serving out the remainder of the year filling in for Good or whether he’d want to run in the group’s closed-door election for a new term, which usually takes place at the end of the year.

Ogles' office did not respond to a request for comment, while Roy declined, via spokesperson, to discuss private conversations.

Politico reported last week that Perry and Biggs were both in consideration to finish out the remainder of Good’s term.

Both have a significantly better relationship with former President Trump than Good does, a divide that drove his political unraveling.

Trump backed Good’s primary rival, John McGuire, and actively spoke out against the Virginia conservative’s re-election. Good had originally endorsed Trump’s primary rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, before switching to the ex-president when DeSantis dropped out.

THIS REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN FILES IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES AGAINST VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS, AGAIN

Good’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital about whether he would follow through on stepping aside.

A Freedom Caucus spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "HFC does not comment on membership or internal processes."

Good’s tenure as chairman has been a bumpy one, and multiple members left the group this year.

Most recently, Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, who opposed Good’s chairmanship, was voted out of the Freedom Caucus shortly after he endorsed McGuire in the primary.

Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, resigned in protest of Davidson’s ouster on the same day.

Balance of power: Jockeying begins for House Freedom Caucus top spot after leader’s unprecedented primary loss

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

The House Freedom Caucus is discussing who could take the lead of the ultra-conservative group with its chairman, Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., expected to step aside.

Multiple people granted anonymity to speak with Fox News Digital indicated they expect Good to step aside from his role after he lost his primary race in June and a subsequent recount Thursday night by a few hundred votes. Good had previously said that he would do so.

It puts the GOP rebel group in uncharted territory. A chairman has never stepped down before the end of a term, and a sitting chair has never lost re-election.

Two sources familiar with the discussions said they expected a previous Freedom Caucus chair, Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., or Scott Perry, R-Pa., specifically, to step in for the remainder of Good’s term.

TRUMP ENDORSES 2 GOP CANDIDATES IN SAME KEY ARIZONA HOUSE PRIMARY

Both sources, however, said discussions were leaning slightly toward Biggs.

"I am going to push for Andy Biggs to take over during the remainder of Bob’s term. He supported Trump, and he knows how to be the chair already," one Freedom Caucus member told Fox News Digital.

Biggs did not comment when reached via spokesperson by Fox News Digital. A spokesperson for Perry also declined to comment.

One of the two earlier sources told Fox News Digital Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, the group’s policy chair, has also been floated as a possible replacement. 

But Roy, who also chairs the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on the Constitution and limited government, has not publicly indicated interest in the role. 

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2024 ELECTIONS

Freshman Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., has also shown interest in the role, according to another source. But it’s not immediately clear if he would be interested in serving out the remainder of the year filling in for Good or whether he’d want to run in the group’s closed-door election for a new term, which usually takes place at the end of the year.

Ogles' office did not respond to a request for comment, while Roy declined, via spokesperson, to discuss private conversations.

Politico reported last week that Perry and Biggs were both in consideration to finish out the remainder of Good’s term.

Both have a significantly better relationship with former President Trump than Good does, a divide that drove his political unraveling.

Trump backed Good’s primary rival, John McGuire, and actively spoke out against the Virginia conservative’s re-election. Good had originally endorsed Trump’s primary rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, before switching to the ex-president when DeSantis dropped out.

THIS REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN FILES IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES AGAINST VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS, AGAIN

Good’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital about whether he would follow through on stepping aside.

A Freedom Caucus spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "HFC does not comment on membership or internal processes."

Good’s tenure as chairman has been a bumpy one, and multiple members left the group this year.

Most recently, Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, who opposed Good’s chairmanship, was voted out of the Freedom Caucus shortly after he endorsed McGuire in the primary.

Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, resigned in protest of Davidson’s ouster on the same day.

Trump shooting task force missing this critical component, House GOP military veteran says

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EXCLUSIVE: Former Navy SEAL Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., is concerned that the bipartisan House task force to investigate the attempted assassination of former President Trump is missing a critical component in terms of the experience of its members.

"I did reach out to the speaker and volunteered and reminded the speaker that I was…one of the snipers in Congress. I think there's only three of us. So clearly it's not about me," Crane told Fox News Digital in an interview.

"I think there's three – myself, [Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., and Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas]. If even one of us was put on that committee, I think it would have shown that they were actually trying to put at least a cross-section of experience on the committee. But that didn't happen."

Crane argued that the circumstances of the shooting – a 20-year-old gunman firing an AR-style rifle from 400 to 500 feet away from Trump, then subsequently being killed by a Secret Service sniper – added to the need for someone with his experience.

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"I am a former Navy SEAL sniper. The actual term would be NSW, Naval Special Warfare sniper. I graduated from sniper school in 2009 and went to several other advanced sniper schools. And I think the reason that it's important is because, obviously…the alleged individual that tried to kill the president, did take a shot at the president, was training prior to taking a shot at the president," Crane said.

"You're dealing with counter sniper teams. You're dealing with the advance work that was done, you're dealing with, you know, someone who can cite angles, trajectories – all sorts of things that snipers have to be proficient and experienced in. And so I don't know, it just kind of makes sense that in this specific case, you would probably want people to have that background and experience on your task force."

The task force, comprised of six Democrats and seven Republicans, was announced by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., after a unanimous House vote to commission it. 

Crane and Mills are aiming to launch a parallel probe to make up for what they see are shortfalls on the existing task force, Mills indicated on X Monday.

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT VICTIM SAYS HE IS ‘SAD’ WITH STATE OF ‘POLITICAL DIVISION’ IN US 

"I wish the members of [the] Task Force well, and think it’s time for a parallel independent investigation with subject matter experts (SME) and the whistleblowers who’ve already come forward," Mills wrote, adding that he and Crane had already heard from people in those groups.

The current task force is led by Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., whose district the shooting took place in and who has deep ties with the local law enforcement who were also charged with security that day, and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., a retired Army Ranger with combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The panel also includes several other veterans, including Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa. It also includes legal experts like Crow, a lawyer, and Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., a former assistant district attorney.

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However, both Mills and Crane accused House leaders of political motivations in selecting the task force.

"I think some of the most qualified people were clearly left off of there. And so, like many things in Washington, there's a lot of politics that went into the formation of…that task force," Crane said. 

He said "several" other "pretty impressive" lawmakers share their concerns.

Jeffries, Johnson, Kelly and Crow have all emphasized that they want the probe to be free of politics. Crow told Fox News Digital earlier this week that it would be a "robust and serious" investigation.

Jeffries' office declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital. Johnson's office did not return a request for comment.

When asked whether he was concerned that setting up their own GOP-led probe could itself be viewed as political, Crane said, "I'm not really worried about it, but is it possible? Absolutely." 

However, panel member Waltz told Fox News Digital he was not worried about either investigation politicizing the other.

"Look, if we have folks that want to bring in – like, Representative Cory Mills, who I plan to call on his expertise as a former sniper, Representative Eli Crane, former Navy SEAL sniper – look, I mean, we should be using their expertise," Waltz said. "If they want to bring outside experts from their networks – I think this is an all-of-the-above approach. So the more eyeballs looking at it, the better."

Kamala Harris hit with articles of impeachment over border crisis, ‘misleading’ people on Biden

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A House Republican lawmaker is filing articles of impeachment against Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, over both her handling of the border and knowledge, if any, of President Biden's alleged cognitive decline. 

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., is accusing Harris of breaching public trust and of willfully refusing to uphold U.S. immigration law in two impeachment articles, obtained by Fox News Digital.

The former article on public trust accused Harris of having "knowingly misled the people of the United States and the Congress of the United States, principally to obfuscate the physical and cognitive well-being of the President of the United States, Joe Biden."

It comes as a growing number of Republican lawmakers question what Harris knew and when about Biden's mental state after even allies observed that it had worsened over the course of the 81-year-old's White House term.

HOW WOULD A PRESIDENT HARRIS HANDLE IMMIGRATION, BORDER CRISIS?

The latter article is targeted at Harris's handling of the crisis at the southern border over her role as the Biden administration's "border czar." She was tasked early on in the administration with addressing the root causes of mass migration from Central and South America.

It's now the cornerstone of GOP-led attacks against the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, as states across the country continue to struggle with the migrant crisis, though the number of border crossings has somewhat slowed in recent months compared to the record numbers seen last year.

CREATOR OF IMMIGRATION CHART THAT ‘SAVED’ TRUMP'S LIFE FROM WOULD BE ASSASSIN CREDITS ‘PROVIDENCE’ 

"Kamala Devi Harris has demonstrated extraordinary incompetence in the execution of her duties and responsibilities, a stark refusal to uphold the existing immigration law, and a palpable indifference to people of the United States suffering as a result of the ongoing southern border crisis in the United States," the impeachment articles state.

"During her tenure as the designated border czar, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency ‘encountered' nearly 302,000 illegal aliens at the southwest border in December 2023, the highest monthly total ever recorded and representing 4 consecutive months of over 240,000 illegal alien ‘encounters.'"

Ogles' impeachment articles are the latest update in the House GOP's legislative offensive against Harris ever since she took up Biden's mantle on Sunday.

FLASHBACK: KAMALA HARRIS COMPARED ICE TO KKK IN SENATE HEARING 

Biden caught millions of Americans by surprise on Sunday afternoon when he announced he would drop out of the presidential race after mounting pressure to do so by fellow Democrats.

Just as Ogles introduced his legislation on Tuesday, the House Rules Committee advanced a resolution by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to condemn Harris over the border crisis. That bill is expected to get a House-wide vote sometime this week.

Fox News Digital reached out to Harris' office for comment.

Luna’s bid to force Garland to hand over Biden-Hur tapes fails in House

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House Democrats and some Republicans joined together to block Rep. Anna Paulina Luna's bid to fine Attorney General Merrick Garland $10,000 per day until he released audio tapes of President Biden's interview with special counsel Robert Hur.

Democrats failed to block the resolution from hitting the floor on Wednesday evening, setting up a vote on the measure for Thursday.

Luna has for weeks threatened to force a vote on holding Garland in "inherent contempt" and appealed to both Republicans and Democrats to support the effort, citing concerns about Biden's mental acuity spurred by his disastrous performance in the CNN Presidential Debate.

Her initial bill would have directed the House sergeant-at-arms to arrest Garland in order for the chamber to hold its own trial. It is a little-known procedure, not invoked since the 1930s, that has never been used on a Cabinet official.

DOJ WON'T PROSECUTE AG GARLAND FOR CONTEMPT FOR REFUSAL TO TURN OVER AUDIO FROM BIDEN, HUR INTERVIEW

Luna agreed to delay forcing the vote until this week after discussing the matter with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. 

She also modified her bill to fine Garland instead of arresting him.

A Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesperson said in response to the GOP effort, "This is unconstitutional. We are confident our arguments would prevail in court." 

Republicans have been seeking the audio tapes of Biden's interview in Hur's classified documents probe for months as part of their impeachment inquiry into the president. 

ANNA PAULINA LUNA CALLS FOR $10,000 PER DAY FINE ON GARLAND FOR BIDEN-HUR AUDIO TAPE

House GOP lawmakers, some of whom long held that Biden is not mentally fit for office, voted to hold Garland in contempt of Congress last month for his refusal to turn over audio tapes of Hur’s interview with Biden on his handling of classified documents. The DOJ has refused to prosecute, citing Biden’s decision to call for executive privilege over the tapes.

Democrats have also pointed out that the full transcript is already available and have bashed the effort as nakedly partisan.

However, Republicans argue that the tapes would provide necessary context about Biden’s mental acuity that could not be gleaned from the transcript.

EX-REP. CHARLIE RANGEL, 94, QUESTIONS WHETHER BIDEN BELONGS IN NURSING HOME, NOT WHITE HOUSE

Some GOP lawmakers reignited those calls in the wake of Biden's debate performance late last month. 

The 81-year-old president spoke with a hoarse voice, reportedly due to a cold, and stumbled over his own answers several times during the primetime event. Viewers also observed him appearing tired and noticeably less sharp than he looked the last time he faced former President Trump in 2020.

The House GOP also sued Garland last week in order to obtain the tapes, with the lawsuit being led by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

Republicans furious that Hunter Biden is reportedly sitting in on White House meetings

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House Republicans are crying foul over reported revelations that first son Hunter Biden has been sitting in on President Biden's White House meetings in recent days.

"Joe and Hunter Biden have a record of selling their last name to foreign adversaries like Russia and China. Having Hunter now engaged in official, executive business only further enhances the urgency for transparency and accountability regarding the Biden family's corrupt business dealings," House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., called Hunter Biden "a walking national security threat."

"He's raked in more than $20 million from foreign entities, including the CCP, for the Biden [family]. He's also the owner of the FBI-investigated laptop from hell. … Does Hunter have the clearance necessary to sit in on high-level White House meetings with his dad?" Steube told Fox News Digital.

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It comes after NBC News reported that the president's son has sat in on meetings between Biden and his top White House aides in recent days.

He began joining the sessions after Biden returned from Camp David on Monday, according to the report.

"Hunter Biden wants Joe Biden to remain president more than anyone in America. He should be worried [about] what a new attorney general would consider criminal activity under a possible Trump administration. No more sweetheart deals the moment his father leaves office," said Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis.

Hunter Biden has long been a target of Republican scrutiny, with House GOP impeachment inquiry investigators accusing him of enriching himself via foreign business dealings by using his father's political stature and connections. House GOP leaders also believe President Biden himself participated in and benefited from the schemes, something he and his allies have denied.

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Hunter Biden was also recently convicted on three felony firearm charges and faces more legal troubles in a federal probe into his taxes. The latter case is going to trial in California in September.

The report comes as Biden is facing mounting pressure to step aside as the 2024 Democrat presidential nominee after his performance in last Thursday's CNN debate, with concerns over his advanced age and mental fitness for office plastered across headlines this week.

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., said on Fox Business' "Mornings with Maria" that Hunter Biden has a vested interest in keeping his father in power because it's a shield from the worst scrutiny.

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"I think it's probably very predictable that Hunter wants his dad to be in the White House. His best option for protection and immunity going forward is his dad in the White House," Ogles said when asked about the report. "The moment you have a change of regimes, you're going to have a change of personnel. And suddenly, Hunter is not going to have the umbrella and the protection of his father."

The NBC News report said aides were "struck" by Hunter Biden's sudden presence at White House meetings. One was quoted as saying, "What the hell is happening?"

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president's son was also present during debate prep, and she dismissed concerns about his presence when asked in Tuesday's regular news briefing.

"It is a week where there's going to be more family members who are going to come to the White House. I'm sure you'll see some of them on Fourth of July," she said.

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