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

House Speaker Johnson says White House doesn’t ‘call the shots’ on when impeachment is over

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House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News on Friday that the White House does not get to "call the shots" on when the President Biden impeachment inquiry ends after he received a letter this morning from a White House lawyer arguing that it’s "over." 

White House Counsel Ed Siskel, in his message to the Louisiana Republican, said "it’s obviously time to move on, Mr. Speaker." 

"This impeachment is over," Siskel declared. "There is too much important work to be done for the American people to continue wasting time on this charade." 

But Johnson told Fox News’ Chad Pergram on Capitol Hill Friday that "They don’t call the shots on it" and "we’ll deliberate over that when the investigation is complete." 

HUNTER BIDEN’S FORMER BUSINESS PARTNER TONY BOBULINSKI SLAMS HIM FOR ‘RUNNING AWAY’ FROM HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE 

"We’re allowing the process to play out as the Constitution anticipates. Our committees of jurisdiction have done their duty," Johnson added. "They’ve done an extraordinary job. They’ve revealed some alarming information." 

In his letter, Siskel said "The House Majority ought to work with the President on our economy, national security, and other important priorities on behalf of the American people, not continue to waste time on political stunts like this." 

HUNTER BIDEN REFUSES TO ATTEND HOUSE HEARING WITH FORMER BUSINESS ASSOCIATES 

"The House Majority has reportedly collected more than 100,000 pages of records, interviewed dozens of witnesses, and held multiple public hearings—but none of the evidence has demonstrated that the President did anything wrong," Siskel also said, noting that "Hunter Biden testified that he never involved his father in his business dealings" and "Several witnesses have testified debunking claims related to President Biden’s handling of classified documents." 

"Instead of admitting the truth that the President did nothing wrong, the Majority is wasting even more time on abusive steps like trying to re-interview witnesses who already testified -- perhaps hoping the facts will be different the second time around," Siskel continued. "This is just the latest abusive tactic in this investigation. It has targeted the President’s children, grandchildren, siblings, and in-laws for no reason. It has intruded into private citizens’ personal records on everything from medical visits to birthday presents. Enough is enough." 

Siskel sent the letter two days after Hunter Biden’s lawyer said his client would not attend a House Oversight Committee hearing next week regarding alleged influence peddling and the Biden family’s business dealings, calling it a "carnival side show." 

Fox News’ Patrick Ward contributed to this report. 

Lauren Boebert won’t ‘further imperil’ slim GOP majority by running in special election for Ken Buck’s seat

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Populist firebrand Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., will not run in the special election for Colorado GOP Rep. Ken Buck's seat, she declared Wednesday.

Buck stunned Republicans Tuesday by announcing he will leave Congress on March 22, a move that triggers a special election on June 25 to temporarily fill the vacancy in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District. His early retirement will reduce the House GOP majority even further. 

Boebert, who currently represents Colorado's 4th Congressional District, earlier this year announced she would run to succeed Buck in the 3rd. But on Wednesday, the congresswoman clarified she will not run in the special election to fill Buck's vacancy, as doing so would require her to vacate her own seat. 

In a post on X, Boebert called Buck's announcement "a gift to the uniparty" and claimed establishment Republicans were attempting to "rig" an election "I'm winning by 25 points." 

GOP COLORADO REP KEN BUCK TO RESIGN FROM CONGRESS BY END OF NEXT WEEK

"Forcing an unnecessary Special Election on the same day as the Primary Election will confuse voters, result in a lameduck Congressman on day one, and leave the 4th District with no representation for more than three months. The 4th District deserves better," Boebert said.

"I will not further imperil the already very slim House Republican majority by resigning my current seat and will continue to deliver on my constituents’ priorities while also working hard to earn the votes of the people of Colorado’s 4th District who have made clear they are hungry for a real conservative," she continued.

"I am the only Trump-endorsed, America First candidate in this race and will win the 4th District’s Primary Election on June 25th and General Election on November 5th." 

HOUSE GOP LEADERS TEAR UP BIDEN'S NEW $7.3T BUDGET PROPOSAL

Buck will leave Congress after serving in the House of Representatives since 2014. He is currently assigned to the House Judiciary Committee and Foreign Affairs Committee. 

Though he holds a conservative voting record, Buck has demonstrated an independent steak that has at times put him at odds with other Republicans.

Buck was one of three House Republicans who opposed the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

LAUREN BOEBERT SWITCHES DISTRICTS, ANNOUNCING RUN FOR COLORADO SEAT BEING VACATED BY KEN BUCK

After his resignation, the breakdown of Congress will be 431 members with 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats. The GOP will only be able to lose two votes of their own on any given issue. 

The next special election is for the seat occupied by former Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., on April 30. 

If that seat stays in Democratic hands, the new breakdown is 432 members with 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats. That would mean the margin would effectively be one seat for the GOP.

Should the GOP lose just two votes there is a tie, and by rule, the vote will fail in the House. 

Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price and Chad Pergram contributed to this update. 

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

Hunter Biden’s ex-business partner Tony Bobulinski slams him for ‘running away’ from House Oversight Committee

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Hunter Biden’s former business partner, Tony Bobulinski, has criticized the president’s son for "running away" from the American people after he declined to appear for a congressional hearing next week.

Hunter Biden declined an invite from Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., to attend the House Oversight Committee hearing on March 20, when committee members of both parties will get a chance to ask about alleged influence peddling and the Biden family's business dealings, his lawyer said in a letter Wednesday.

"One week from today – on Wednesday, March 20 – I will testify publicly before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability," Bobulinski responded in a statement to Fox News Digital. "I was disappointed to see the news today that Hunter is running away from his chance to tell the American people the truth. He’s been adamant in wanting to go before the American people, and Oversight is now giving him that opportunity."

Bobulinski added: "Now is the time to step up, Hunter, as you have said you want to do. Don’t cower in the face of accountability and in this fight for truth and democracy!"

HUNTER BIDEN’S FEDERAL GUN CHARGES TRIAL SLATED FOR EARLY JUNE

Bobulinski previously testified that President Biden "enabled" Hunter to sell access to America's "most dangerous adversaries," including China and Russia. 

In his statement, Biden’s former business partner called for "truth and transparency" to prevail.

"Joe Biden and Hunter Biden, along with countless members of Congress, keep claiming that they are 'fighting for our Democracy.' Why don't we as a nation agree to fight for the truth!" Bobulinski said. "Nearly three-quarters of the American people believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, and I can’t blame them. Truth and transparency would help expose the rot at the center of our political system and begin to fix what ails us."

"I am excited and happy to have the opportunity to once again share the facts with the American people. I am deeply committed to getting the full truth before the nation," he said, calling for the witnesses in the hearing, including himself, to be subject to a polygraph with "real time results to be viewed by the American people."

HUNTER BIDEN REFUSES TO ATTEND HOUSE HEARING WITH FORMER BUSINESS ASSOCIATES

"What better way to ensure that the truth is being told by every witness, including Joe, Hunter and Jim Biden in any future potential hearings?" he asked.

Bobulinski also openly offered to appear before the committee for an additional hearing whenever it is convenient for Hunter Biden.

"If by chance March 20th really doesn't work due to your multiple criminal indictments, please name the date and time and I will be happy to join you at a second hearing for the American people," he wrote. 

In addition to Hunter Biden and Bobulinski, the House Oversight Committee invited Devon Archer and Jason Galanis to testify at the 10 a.m. hearing on March 20.

On Wednesday, Biden attorney Abbe Lowell criticized the hearing as a "carnival side show." 

"To begin, even if that hearing was a legitimate exercise of congressional authority, neither Mr. Biden nor I can attend because of a court hearing the very next day in California," Lowell said in a letter sent to Comer. "The scheduling conflict is the least of the issues, however."

"Your blatant planned-for-media event is not a proper proceeding but an obvious attempt to throw a Hail Mary pass after the game has ended," Lowell wrote. 

"Mr. Biden declines your invitation to this carnival side show," the attorney concluded.

Comer responded Wednesday, saying his committee has "called Hunter Biden's bluff." 

"Hunter Biden for months stated he wanted a public hearing, but now that one has been offered alongside his business associates that he worked with for years, he is refusing to come," Comer said.

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Republicans to spearhead oversight hearing on growing Chinese threat to US agriculture

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FIRST ON FOX: A top House panel is planning an oversight hearing to examine the threat China poses to the U.S. agriculture industry as part of broader efforts to curb foreign influence in the key strategic sector.

The hearing — titled "The Danger China Poses to American Agriculture" — will be hosted by the House Agriculture Committee on March 20 and will cover a range of issues related to China's involvement in the domestic agriculture sector. Notably, the hearing will include testimony from South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who has enacted aggressive limitations on foreign ownership of agricultural lands in her state.

"It’s no secret that China poses significant threats to our way of life, agriculture is no exception," Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., said in a written statement to Fox News Digital.

"We’ve seen China steal our intellectual property, hack our cyber infrastructure, and buy up American farmland," Thompson continued. "We will look to every available legislative vehicle, including the farm bill, to stop China in its tracks and strengthen our food and national security."

REPUBLICANS UNVEIL EFFORT BARRING CHINA, RUSSIA FROM BUYING US LAND

According to the committee, the hearing will focus on various ways Chinese entities seek to influence the agricultural industry. In addition to China's growing ownership of productive lands in the U.S., it will examine the intellectual property theft of patented seeds and how cyberattacks harm the industry.

Noem will testify during the hearing's first panel alongside other officials, including Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. A second expert panel will include testimony from Kip Tom, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture.

FORMER CIA DIRECTOR LEON PANETTA WARNS CHINA MAY USE MICHIGAN EV PLANT FOR ESPIONAGE

Last week, Noem signed legislation prohibiting six foreign governments — China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela — and associated entities from owning agricultural land in South Dakota. Her office explained at the time that the bill was one of her "top priorities."

"China is aggressively purchasing land and purchasing property close to our strategic national areas that will house our greatest weapons, and we are going to ensure that, in South Dakota, that never happens," Noem remarked at a bill signing event on March 4.

The House Agriculture Committee's hearing comes shortly after the U.S. Government Accountability Office released a sprawling report earlier this year showing that the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has failed to consistently share timely data on foreign investments in U.S. agricultural land as required under the 1978 Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act.

The USDA's most recent data suggests that, as of 2021, foreign investment in U.S. agricultural land grew to approximately 40 million acres. Additionally, Chinese agricultural investment in the U.S. increased tenfold between 2009 and 2016 alone. However, data on Chinese ownership since 2016 has yet to be released.

REPUBLICANS UNVEIL EFFORT PROTECTING FEDERAL LANDS FROM FOREIGN INVESTORS, CLIMATE ACTIVISTS

Additionally, in recent months, certain Chinese projects have received local and federal scrutiny. For example, officials in Grand Forks, North Dakota, rejected a Chinese company's proposed corn mill over concerns about its proximity to a U.S. Air Force base in February 2023, and locals have pushed back against Chinese green energy firm Gotion High-Tech's purchase of 270 acres of land in Michigan months later.

The Government Accountability Office conducted its review after Thompson and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., led a letter alongside nearly 130 fellow House Republicans requesting such a probe in October 2022.

"Growing foreign ownership of U.S. farmland, particularly by China, poses a direct threat to our food security and national security," Thompson and Comer said in a joint statement in January.

The USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

GOP lawmaker reveals ‘perverse implication’ of Robert Hur’s argument on Trump ‘deterrent effect’

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A House GOP lawmaker targeted former Special Counsel Robert Hur over what he called a "perverse implication" that the current prosecution of former President Donald Trump at least partially factored into Hur’s decision not to recommend charges for President Biden.

Hur testified before House lawmakers on Tuesday in a lengthy and, at times, heated hearing on his report — the product of a monthslong investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents. 

Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., took issue with a part of Hur’s report that downplayed the "deterrent effect" of charging Biden, both because of "little risk he will reoffend" and that "future presidents and vice presidents are already likely to be deterred by the multiple recent criminal investigations, and one prosecution, of current and former presidents and vice presidents for mishandling classified documents."

HUR TESTIFIES BIDEN 'WILLFULLY RETAINED CLASSIFIED MATERIALS,' BUT PROSECUTORS 'HAD TO CONSIDER' MENTAL STATE

Kiley argued during the hearing, "The perverse implication here is that the administration, by the very terms of your analysis, actually made it less likely that the president would face charges by [Special Counsel Jack Smith] bringing an indictment [against Trump]."

"I’ll stand by the way and the specific terms in which I characterize my assessment of deterrence value of a case under the principles of federal prosecution," Hur told him just minutes earlier.

Kiley stood by his argument in a brief interview with Fox News Digital on Tuesday afternoon, explaining, "It's the implication that is perverse, because it means that Biden sort of lowered his chances of facing charges when the administration brought charges against former President Trump."

Trump has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges stemming from Smith’s federal investigation into alleged election interference. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review whether Trump has presidential immunity from prosecution in the case.

BIDEN RETAINED RECORDS RELATED TO UKRAINE, CHINA; COMER DEMANDS 'UNFETTERED ACCESS' AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

"I think there's a lot here that's fairly troubling," Kiley said. "That’s why I wanted to sort of bring it to light. I didn't know, maybe, even if Mr. Hur had really thought that through, that particular implication."

"I think that really, broadly, the report was well done. I think that particular factor was not thought through as carefully as it should be."

Meanwhile, Fox News contributor and Georgetown University law professor Jonathan Turley argued that the section of the report suggesting Biden himself was at "little risk" of reoffending is not an accurate conclusion on deterrence. 

SPECIAL COUNSEL CALLS BIDEN 'SYMPATHETIC, WELL-MEANING, ELDERLY MAN WITH A POOR MEMORY,' BRINGS NO CHARGES

"The finding seems inherently in conflict with the acknowledgment that Joe Biden continued to remove classified material over 40 years since he was a senator," Turley said. "There was no evidence of deterrence despite repeated warnings given to him by counsel and staff. If anything, that record shows a certain habitual violation of well-known rules on the handling of classified material."

Hur found that Biden did willfully mishandle classified materials but did not recommend charges, citing, in part, that he came off "as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory," and that "it would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him — by then a former president well into his eighties — of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department but did not immediately hear back.

Biden impeachment effort starting to ‘lose steam,’ House Republicans say

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House Republicans are growing increasingly skeptical of whether their push to impeach President Biden will succeed.

"I don't think we have the will to impeach Joe Biden. … We just don't. We’ve got a two-seat majority. You've got some guys in these tough districts that don't want to alienate maybe independents or moderates," Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital.

"They've laid out a good case for impeaching Joe Biden … but I just don't think we have the will to do it."

Each of the GOP lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital expressed the belief that what the investigation has uncovered looks bad for Biden, but even those who think it rises to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors were unsure the House would see an impeachment vote.

FBI INFORMANT CHARGED WITH GIVING FALSE INFORMATION ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN IN 2020

Several noted that House Republicans' razor-thin two-seat majority has made it difficult to pass significant legislation in the past. 

"That’s always a question with everything," Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., said of the numbers. "We have some folks who love to scream, rant and rave and have gotten all involved in their ego. You never know where those folks are going to come out one moment or the other."

He added, "I do surely think there's evidence there."

Another GOP lawmaker granted anonymity to speak freely agreed the impeachment push has lost momentum, chalking it up to the hectic environment of a presidential election year.

BIDEN, NOT SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR, BROUGHT UP SON'S DEATH IN QUESTIONING

"I think it was always going to lose steam. I think as soon as we transitioned into a formal presidential election, I don't know that it was going to continue with the same fervor," the GOP lawmaker said.

Asked about the amount of skepticism within the conference over actually voting to impeach Biden, they said, "I’m not the one to worry about, but there are dozens of others."

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., who represents a district Biden won in 2020, noted investigators have not yet uncovered a smoking gun but defended the inquiry as a fact-finding mission.

SPECIAL COUNSEL ROBERT HUR TO TESTIFY PUBLICLY AT HOUSE HEARING ON BIDEN CLASSIFIED RECORDS PROBE

"When the staff tells you that they can't identify a particular crime, that's a problem. But we should welcome the investigation. It's more about letting the voters know the truth," Bacon said.

The House voted to formalize their impeachment inquiry into Biden in mid-December, with every member of the Republican Conference supporting the investigation. The House Oversight Committee is now leading a joint investigation with the House Judiciary and Ways and Means committees into whether Biden used his former position as vice president to enrich himself and his family – claims the White House has denied.

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

Ex-Trump aide sued by Hunter Biden wants Biden-appointed judge off laptop case, fears ‘2020 all over again’

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Garrett Ziegler, a one-time aide to former President Trump who is being sued by Hunter Biden for publishing the contents of his infamous laptop, is seeking to have a judge who was appointed by President Biden removed from the case. Ziegler argues that the outcome of the lawsuit not only has implications for the congressional impeachment inquiry, but also the 2024 election. 

In a recent motion in U.S. District Court for Central California, Ziegler's attorney, Robert Tyler, requested that Judge Hernán D. Vera recuse himself from the case because his "impartiality will be reasonably questioned." Vera made donations to Joe Biden’s campaign for president in 2020. He also was appointed to his position by President Biden just three months before Hunter Biden filed the lawsuit against Ziegler and one day after then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced a presidential impeachment inquiry had commenced in Congress. 

Tyler emphasized that he is not arguing against Vera's integrity and assumes the court system assigned the judge to Hunter Biden's lawsuit at random. 

"But there’s something called forum shopping that lawyers do," he told Fox News Digital. "And here’s a case where our client resides in Illinois, he has no contact with California such that California should have any jurisdiction over this case, yet Hunter Biden’s lawyers filed this lawsuit to the Central District of California just shortly after Judge Vera’s appointed." 

Fox News Digital reached out to Biden's legal team for comment on Tuesday.

HUNTER BIDEN SUES FORMER WH AIDE FOR ALTERING, PUBLISHING 'PORNOGRAPHIC' PHOTOS FROM LAPTOP HE DENIES IS HIS

The relief requested in Hunter Biden’s complaint would prevent and inhibit the public, media and Congress from accessing highly relevant evidence to the impeachment inquiry of President Biden, the motion says. Ziegler's attorney further argued that Vera must recuse himself from the case "because the district court rulings in this case may affect the impeachment inquiry along with the future presidency of Joseph Biden, toward which Judge Vera made a financial investment and for which Judge Vera has an obvious interest and affinity." 

"The availability of the information from the Hunter Biden laptop is incredibly important so that we don’t have 2020 all over again where somehow the Biden laptop is brushed under the rug and ignored or worse yet, it's censored," Tyler told Fox News Digital on Tuesday, referring to how the Hunter Biden laptop story was dismissed as "Russian disinformation" by a large portion of the media and suppressed by social media platforms. "That’s important I think not only to the presidential impeachment inquiry but also to the election." 

Tyler's motion criticizes how Hunter Biden filed the lawsuit against Ziegler, his company – Marco Polo USA – and 10 unidentified associates in September 2023, in the middle of his father’s re-election campaign and nearly three years after the dissemination of files emanating from the laptop he "abandoned" at a Delaware computer repair shop. The repair shop owner turned the laptop over to the FBI on or around October 2019 after discovering its "disturbing materials," the motion notes.

Hunter Biden’s lawsuit accused Ziegler and others of spreading "tens of thousands of emails, thousands of photos, and dozens of videos and recordings" that were considered "pornographic" on the laptop. The lawsuit describes Ziegler as a "zealot who has waged a sustained, unhinged and obsessed campaign" against the entire Biden family for over two years to "advance his right-wing agenda" and spent hours "accessing, tampering with, manipulating or copying" Hunter Biden’s data with his associates.

GOP REP SPOTLIGHTS 3 KEY PIECES OF EVIDENCE THAT THE BIDEN FAMILY ‘CONTRADICTED’ THEIR BUSINESS COVERUP

The lawsuit seeks a jury trial based on the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and California's Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act. 

Ziegler’s attorney counters that the former Trump aide and associates "prepared a credible investigative report," known as the "Report on the Biden Laptop," not to wage a campaign against Hunter Biden, but to "expose instances of foreign compromise" by Hunter Biden and his father, President Biden, which are "matters of great public interest and concern." In preparing the report, Ziegler relied on copies of files from the laptop that "had already been widely circulated since at least October 2020 to numerous media outlets," Tyler wrote. 

The motion states that Ziegler’s website with the Biden laptop report has been accessed by over 5 million Americans since its inception in June 2023 and more than 8 million Americans have accessed the free digital version of the report made available in November 2022. 

"Millions upon millions of visitors have come to this website for information," Tyler said. "The information on this website is not altered except to the extent to black out genitals. Other than that, the content of the website, according to my client, has not been altered or manipulated, and so this information is critical, I believe, to the availability for the public, for the media and for Congress itself to be able to access and determine whether or not this president is one we should bring back in 2024, 2025."

Tyler noted how Marco Polo provided background research to the House Oversight, Judiciary and Ways and Means Committees related to the Biden impeachment inquiry. 

During a recent House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing related to Hunter Biden’s refusal to attend a congressional deposition pertaining to his father’s impeachment inquiry, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., presented exhibits of evidence she received directly from Ziegler and other defendants, the motion says. 

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., then requested that the Democrats on the committee be provided the Biden laptop files. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., interjected that she can provide every Democrat a copy because "Marco Polo has the actual, entire publication." 

"You mentioned you wanted to read some stuff, that would probably be something good to read, the Marco Polo Report," Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., added. "It’s public record." 

Biden fuzzy on dates, fumbled details in interviews with Special Counsel Hur

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Transcripts of President Biden's interviews with former Special Counsel Robert Hur show the president repeatedly told prosecutors he did not know how classified documents ended up in his home and offices. 

More than five hours of Biden's interviews were turned over to Congress by the Justice Department on Tuesday, hours before Hur is set to testify to the House Judiciary Committee on his investigation into the Democratic president's handling of classified documents. The interview transcripts show Biden was at times fuzzy about dates as he recalled decades-old stories. 

"I have no idea," Biden said when asked how classified information ended up at his Delaware home and former Penn Biden Center office in Washington, D.C. The president added that had he known the documents were there, he would have returned them to the government.

The president did acknowledge that he intentionally kept his personal diaries — which officials said contained classified information. Biden insisted they were his own property, a claim also asserted by previous presidents and vice presidents, and that he had a right to keep them.

SPECIAL COUNSEL ROBERT HUR TO TESTIFY PUBLICLY ON FINDINGS FROM BIDEN CLASSIFIED RECORDS PROBE

Biden said that he left it to his staff to safeguard classified information that was presented to him, often leaving papers on his desk in heaps for aides to sort through and secure.

"I never asked anybody," Biden said. He noted that many of his staff had worked with him for years, to the point where they didn't need direction from him. "It just — it just got done. I don’t know. I can’t remember who."

Hur, in his report on President Biden’s alleged improper retention of classified records, did not recommend criminal charges against Biden. 

"We conclude that no criminal charges are warranted in this matter," said the report, which was released in early February. "We would reach the same conclusion even if the Department of Justice policy did not foreclose criminal charges against a sitting president." 

The special counsel infamously described Biden as "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."  

Hur stood by those remarks in his prepared testimony to the Judiciary Committee. He will say his report "reflects my best effort to explain why I declined to recommend charging President Biden."

BIDEN RETAINED RECORDS RELATED TO UKRAINE, CHINA; COMER DEMANDS 'UNFETTERED ACCESS' AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

"My assessment in the report about the relevance of the President’s memory was necessary and accurate and fair," Hur wrote in a copy of the remarks obtained by Fox News. "Most importantly, what I wrote is what I believe the evidence shows, and what I expect jurors would perceive and believe. I did not sanitize my explanation. Nor did I disparage the President unfairly. I explained to the Attorney General my decision and the reasons for it. That’s what I was required to do."

Confusion over the timing of the death of Biden's adult son Beau — who died May 30, 2015 — was highlighted by Hur in his report as an example of the president's memory lapses. But the transcript shows that Hur never asked Biden about his son specifically, as a visibly angry Biden had suggested in comments to reporters the day the report was released.

"How in the hell dare he raise that," Biden said of Hur. "Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself it wasn’t any of their damn business."

However, the transcript shows that Biden recalled the interview incorrectly.

SPECIAL COUNSEL CALLS BIDEN 'SYMPATHETIC, WELL-MEANING, ELDERLY MAN WITH A POOR MEMORY,' BRINGS NO CHARGES

Hur asked Biden about where he kept the things that he was "actively working on" while he was living in a rental home in Virginia immediately after leaving the vice presidency in January 2017. And in that context, it was Biden himself who brought up Beau's illness and death as he talked about a book he'd published later in 2017 about that painful time.

"What month did Beau die?" Biden wondered aloud, adding, "Oh God, May 30th." 

A White House lawyer who was present supplied the year, 2015.

"Was it 2015 he died?" Biden said.

The president went on to tell a story about how his late son had encouraged him to remain involved in public life after the Obama administration ended.

Several portions of the transcript were redacted by the Justice Department, National Security Council and State Department to hide sensitive intelligence and details of foreign affairs matters. 

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman, Brooke Singman and Fox News' Tyler Olson, as well as the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Top House Republican reverses retirement plans after urging from Trump

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A top House Republican lawmaker is changing his mind about retirement after urging from former President Trump.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., said on Thursday that he is reversing course on his decision to not run for a fourth term.

"While my strong desire was to leave Congress at the end of this year, since my announcement, I have received countless calls from constituents, colleagues, and President Trump urging me to reconsider," Green said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"I will be running for re-election so I can be here on Day 1 next year to help President Trump end this border crisis once and for all."

TRUMP WINS THE MICHIGAN GOP PRIMARY, BRINGING HIM ONE STEP CLOSER TO SECURING REPUBLICAN NOMINATION

His announcement came shortly after Trump urged Green to reconsider in a post on his Truth Social account. The former president said he would endorse Green if he ran.

"Mark Green has had lots of options because of his political talents, and the great job he has done as a Congressman, but given the fantastic work he’s doing as Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, I hope he runs for Re-Election to the U.S. House of Representatives. If he does, he has my Complete and Total Endorsement!" Trump wrote.

In addition to running for his own re-election, Trump is throwing his influence into House and Senate races across the country with various endorsements and behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

TRUMP HOLDS LARGE DOUBLE-DIGIT LEAD OVER HALEY AHEAD OF CRUCIAL SHOWDOWN

He met recently with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, House Republicans’ campaign arm.

Their sit-down at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month primarily involved discussions about the 2024 election cycle and how to keep and expand Johnson’s razor-thin two-seat House majority.

As chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Green has played a leading role in the House’s impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. 

He told Fox News Digital last week that his role has been "challenging, rewarding, and meaningful."

USER’S MANUAL TO WHAT’S NEXT NOW THAT THE HOUSE IMPEACHED MAYORKAS

"I am unbelievably proud of and grateful for the other Republican Committee members as well as the staff of the Homeland Security Committee," Green said at the time.

"I will never forget the hard work and long hours they put in to respond to an unprecedented and self-inflicted border crisis by holding Secretary Mayorkas accountable and passing H.R. 2."

Hunter Biden faces backlash for claiming his father was not involved in business deals: ‘Perjuring himself’

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Critics lambasted Hunter Biden on Wednesday after he claimed during his opening statement before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees that he "did not involve" his father, President Biden, in his business dealings.

Hunter appeared on Capitol Hill for a closed-door deposition as part of the committees' ongoing impeachment inquiry into his father, where he accused Republicans of having no evidence to justify their investigation.

"The goalposts are moving," Republican strategist Steve Guest wrote in a post on X. "Joe Biden used to say he [had] never spoken with Hunter about his business dealings. Hunter Biden is now playing cute linguistic games."

HUNTER BIDEN TESTIFIES BEHIND CLOSED DOORS AS PART OF THE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AGAINST HIS FATHER

"REMINDER:  E-mails, texts, photos, voicemails, visitor logs, and witness testimony have shown that Joe Biden was INVOLVED in his son Hunter’s foreign business deals," Guest later wrote in another post.

Federalist co-founder Sean Davis wrote that Hunter had "no problem perjuring himself" with the claims because he "knows Daddy's DOJ will never charge him for it," while Washington Free Beacon reporter Chuck Ross wrote that there was "plenty of evidence Hunter did involve Joe in his business."

"Joe attended meetings w/ Hunter and CEFC, and with Tony Bobulinski to discuss China business. These were strictly business meetings," he added.

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"Well if we can’t trust a crackhead, who can we trust?" another critic wrote, while Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., accused Hunter of "falsely" making the claim, and posted an image of what he described as a text message from Hunter "using his father's name to shake down a Chinese businessman for millions of dollars."

"Hunter Biden clearly used his dad's brand to conduct corrupt business overseas. Even Hunter's closest business partners have testified that Joe Biden was THE BRAND and the BIDEN LIFT. How else does the Biden family and their associates get $24 million in 5 years?" Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., added.

Despite Hunter's claims he "did not involve" his father in any of his business dealings, one of his ex-business associates testified earlier this month that in 2017 Biden met with the chairman of a Chinese energy firm that Hunter sought to create a joint business venture with.

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"I don’t remember the exact time, but I remember being in Washington, D.C., and the former vice president stopped by. We were having lunch," Rob Walker told the committees, according to a transcript of his interview reviewed by Fox News Digital. He mentioned how there were several CEFC executives at the meeting also.

Additionally, records show some of Hunter's business associates visited the White House more than 90 times while Biden was serving as vice president. Those visits included former associates connected with Hunter's now-defunct investment firm Rosemont Seneca Partners.

The House Oversight Committee previously told Fox News Digital that it can "now confirm Joe Biden met with nearly every foreign national who funneled money to his son, including Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina, Romanian oligarch Kenes Rakishev, Burisma’s corporate secretary Vadym Pozharsky, Jonathan Li of BHR, and CEFC Chairman Ye Jianming."

Devon Archer, another former business partner of Hunter, told House Oversight investigators last summer that Hunter used his dad as "defensive leverage" to send "the right signals" to his foreign business partners, while selling him as "the brand" that offered "capabilities and reach," as well as a "unique understanding of D.C."

Archer also described how the elder Biden was put on the phone to sell "the brand" and that he was put on speakerphone at least 20 times by Hunter during meetings, contradicting multiple claims by the elder Biden on the campaign trail and during his presidency about talking to his son about his business dealings.

During his opening statement, Hunter said his claim that he "did not involve" his father in his business dealings was an "uncontestable fact that should end the false premise of this inquiry."

The first son said House Republicans "have built your entire partisan house of cards on lies told by" past witnesses, and blasted his ex-business associates Bobulinski and Jason Galanis, who also testified as part of the impeachment inquiry, as well as the since-indicted former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov. 

Hunter went on to address the "mistakes" he made in his life, including his battle with addiction, and claimed Republicans had taken the records of his various communications with individuals over the years "out of context."

He said he hoped his testimony would "put an end to this baseless and destructive political charade." 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and representatives of Hunter for comment.

Fox News' Brooke Singman, Jessica Chasmar and Cameron Cawthorne contributed to this report.