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

House Republicans unveil articles of impeachment against DHS Sec. Mayorkas

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House Republicans unveiled articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandrop Mayorkas on Sunday.

The articles, introduced by Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., accuse Mayorkas of "Willfull and systemic refusal to comply with the law" and "breach of public trust." 

"Throughout his tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro N. Mayorkas has repeatedly violated laws enacted by Congress regarding immigration and border security. In large part because of his unlawful conduct, millions of aliens have illegally entered the United States on an annual basis with many unlawfully remaining in the United States. His refusal to obey the law is not only an offense against the separation of powers in the Constitution of the United States, it also threatens our national security," Republicans allege in the first article.

"Alejandro N. Mayorkas knowingly made false statements to Congress that the border is 'secure,' that the border is ‘no less secure than it was previously,’ that the border is 'closed,' and that DHS has ‘operational control’ of the border," they allege in the second article.

'SENSE OF HOPELESSNESS': MICHAEL MCCAUL SOUNDS ALARM ON BORDER PATROL MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

"These articles lay out a clear, compelling, and irrefutable case for Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ impeachment. He has willfully and systemically refused to comply with immigration laws enacted by Congress. He has breached the public trust by knowingly making false statements to Congress and the American people, and obstructing congressional oversight of his department. These facts are beyond dispute, and the results of his lawless behavior have been disastrous for our country," said Green, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told fellow Republican lawmakers on Friday that he intends to hold a House-wide vote on whether to impeach Mayorkas "as soon as possible."

WATCH: MIGRANTS CLAIM ASYLUM ON COLD JANUARY NIGHT AS CBP UNION LEADER TALKS BORDER CRISIS

Johnson pointed out polling that showed illegal immigration as an increasingly urgent issue for American voters.

"The facts show that President Biden and his Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas have willfully ignored and actively undermined our nation’s immigration laws," the speaker wrote in a letter to colleagues. "Rather than accept accountability, President Biden is now trying to blame Congress for what HE himself intentionally created."

The Department of Homeland Security offered a response to the allegations on Sunday, arguing that Republicans failed to present evidence that Mayorkas has committed any "high crimes or misdemeanors."

CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS STRIKE DEAL TO PUNT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DEADLINES

The DHS argues the GOP effort has been a "cynical and hypocritical process" that was "predetermined from the start."

"This markup is just more of the same political games from House Homeland Security Committee (CHS) Republicans. They don’t want to fix the problem; they want to campaign on it. That’s why they have undermined efforts to achieve bipartisan solutions and ignored the facts, legal scholars and experts, and even the Constitution itself in their quest to baselessly impeach Secretary Mayorkas," the DHS said in a memo.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-MS., ranking member of the committee, rejected Republicans' argument in a statement.

"What is glaringly missing from these articles is any real charge or even a shred of evidence of high crimes or misdemeanors – the Constitutional standard for impeachment. That should come as no surprise because Republicans’ so-called ‘investigation’ of Secretary Mayorkas has been a remarkably fact-free affair. They are abusing Congress’ impeachment power to appease their MAGA members, score political points, and deflect Americans’ attention from their do-nothing Congress," Thompson said in a statement.

The GOP push to remove Mayorkas comes after years of skyrocketing illegal immigration under President Biden's administration.

Fox News' Chad Pergram, Tyler Olson, Griff Jenkins and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report

House GOP to hear additional witness testimony from Hunter Biden business partners amid impeachment inquiry

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House Republicans plan to hear testimony from several additional witnesses who did business with Hunter Biden this week as part of the ongoing impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

First up this week is Eric Schwerin, who is scheduled to appear on Tuesday after being subpoenaed last year by the House Oversight Committee for a deposition. The committee obtained bank records indicating Schwerin "had access to bank accounts" that could be relevant to their probe.

Schwerin’s testimony comes after Fox News Digital first reported that Joe Biden, as vice president, used email aliases and private email addresses to communicate with Hunter Biden and his business associates hundreds of times – including with Schwerin. The communications came between 2010 to 2019, with the majority of email traffic taking place while Biden was serving as vice president.

BIDEN WAS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH HUNTER’S BUSINESS PARTNERS USING EMAIL ALIAS AS VP

The House Ways & Means Committee, which is co-leading the impeachment inquiry alongside the Oversight and Judiciary Committees, said 54 of those emails were "exclusively" between Joe Biden and Schwerin. The House Ways & Means Committee describes Schwerin as "the architect of the Biden family’s shell companies."

Schwerin, during a March 2023 meeting with the House Oversight Committee staff, explained that "he was not aware of any transactions into or out of the then-Vice President’s bank account related to business conducted by any Biden family member," a spokesperson for the Democrats on the committee told Fox News Digital. 

The White House has also cited Schwerin's statement that Biden was not involved in his family's business dealings when pushing back against Republicans' impeachment inquiry. 

HUNTER BIDEN PAID JOE BIDEN FROM ACCOUNT FOR BIZ THAT RECEIVED PAYMENTS FROM CHINA: COMER

A person familiar with Schwerin's role in handling then-Vice President Biden's finances told Fox News Digital that Schwerin worked on Biden's personal budget and helped coordinate with his tax preparers.

The individual also pointed to the frequency of Schwerin's communications with Biden and his top aides and said it was "inevitable" Rosemont Seneca business came up in conversations.

Meanwhile, the data shows direct emails between Schwerin and then-Vice President Biden increased during times when the vice president traveled to Ukraine.

The committee said the data shows Joe Biden and Schwerin exchanged five emails in June 2014 before the vice president’s trip to Ukraine that month.

After that trip and before Biden’s November 2014 trip back to Ukraine, he and Schwerin emailed 27 times.

Hunter Biden joined the board of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings in April 2014. 

Biden has acknowledged that when he was vice president he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin. At the time, Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings. During the same period, Hunter Biden held a highly lucrative role on the board, receiving thousands of dollars per month.

OVERSIGHT DEMS ADMIT HUNTER'S LONGTIME BUSINESS PARTNER HANDLED BIDEN’S FINANCES THROUGHOUT VP TENURE

At the time, the vice president threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired.

Biden allies maintain the vice president pushed for Shokin's firing due to concerns the Ukrainian prosecutor went easy on corruption and say his firing was the policy position of the U.S. and international community. 

Meanwhile, the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees are also expected to hear testimony from Joey Langston on Wednesday.

Langston is said to have hosted fundraisers for Joe Biden and to have donated thousands of dollars to his political campaigns.

The committee says Langston, in 2008, pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to attempt to influence a judge by providing the judge with "favorable consideration" for a federal judgeship. Langston was sentenced to three years in federal prison and fined $250,000. The Mississippi state bar then disbarred him from practicing law, and in 2016, a federal judge denied his requests to have his "conviction for conspiring to bribe a judge thrown out," and to have his "record cleared." 

But the House Oversight Committee says it obtained bank records revealing that after Langston lost his appeal, his company, Langston Law Firm Consulting Inc., began making payments, totaling more than $200,000 to James and Sara Biden directly, and to their entity Lion Hall Group.

The committee says it is "interested in the nature and purpose of these payments, which totaled $187,000 while Joe Biden was serving as vice president."

EXCLUSIVE: JOE BIDEN ALLEGEDLY PAID $5M BY BURISMA EXECUTIVE AS PART OF A BRIBERY SCHEME, ACCORDING TO FBI DOCUMENT

House Republicans hope the witnesses can provide information on whether, among other things, Joe Biden, as vice president and/or president "took any official action or effected any change in government policy because of money or other things of value provided to himself or his family, including whether concerns that Chinese sources may release additional evidence about their business relationships with the Biden family have had any impact on official acts performed by President Biden or U.S. foreign policy; abused his office of public trust by providing foreign interests with access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him; or abused his office of public trust by knowingly participating in a scheme to enrich himself or his family by giving foreign interests the impression that they would receive access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him."

The expected testimonies come days after Hunter Biden business associates Mervyn Yan and Rob Walker appeared for their transcribed interviews before the committees, and weeks before the first son is set to take part in a closed-door deposition.

DEVON ARCHER: HUNTER BIDEN, BURISMA EXECS ‘CALLED DC’ TO GET UKRAINIAN PROSECUTOR FIRED

Hunter Biden defied his subpoena to appear for a deposition on Dec. 13, and was at risk of being held in contempt of Congress.

His attorneys and the committees came to an agreement last week that the first son will appear for a closed-door deposition on Feb. 28.

House Democrats, though, have blasted the impeachment inquiry, and have said witness testimony has not supported Republicans’ claims that Biden benefited from or was involved in his son's business dealings. House Democrats are calling for the inquiry to come to an end.

Speaker Johnson says House will vote on impeaching Mayorkas ‘as soon as possible’

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Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told fellow Republican lawmakers that he intends to hold a House-wide vote on whether to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas "as soon as possible."

Johnson made the announcement in a letter to colleagues sent on Friday, a copy of which was obtained by Fox News Digital.

"The facts show that President Biden and his Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas have willfully ignored and actively undermined our nation’s immigration laws," the speaker wrote. "Rather than accept accountability, President Biden is now trying to blame Congress for what HE himself intentionally created."

Johnson pointed out polling that showed illegal immigration as an increasingly urgent issue for American voters.

'SENSE OF HOPELESSNESS': MICHAEL MCCAUL SOUNDS ALARM ON BORDER PATROL MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

"The American people know better, and that’s why public opinion polls show the country has overwhelmingly sided with us on this issue. When we return next week, by necessity, the House Homeland Security Committee will move forward with Articles of Impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas," he said. "A vote on the floor will be held as soon as possible thereafter."

He also reaffirmed the House GOP’s support for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott amid a tense standoff with the federal government at the U.S.-Mexico border.

"I made clear that we stand with Texas Governor Greg Abbott in his heroic efforts to protect the citizens of his state and all Americans, and I am emphasizing again today that House Republicans will vigorously oppose any policy proposal from the White House or Senate that would further incentivize illegal aliens to break our laws," Johnson said.

It comes as a bipartisan deal on border security between the Senate and White House, talks Mayorkas has been a part of, appears increasingly out of reach. 

WATCH: MIGRANTS CLAIM ASYLUM ON COLD JANUARY NIGHT AS CBP UNION LEADER TALKS BORDER CRISIS

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who is involved in the talks, told reporters on Thursday that they would know in the next 24 to 48 hours whether a border deal was possible. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., leading talks for the GOP, said later when asked about text coming next week, "That's been the hope. Of course, a week ago I said we would have text that week too."

When asked about Johnson's Friday letter, a spokesperson for DHS pointed Fox News Digital to an earlier memo emphasizing Mayorkas' role in the talks to solve the crisis. "Instead of working in a bipartisan way to fix our broken immigration laws, the House Majority is wasting time on baseless and pointless political attacks by trying to impeach Secretary Mayorkas," they added.

CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS STRIKE DEAL TO PUNT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DEADLINES

But House lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have warned that whatever comes out of the Senate will not just be accepted by their chamber.

Johnson has gone further both in public and in private, calling for nothing short of the measures in H.R.2, the border security bill House Republicans passed in May. That bill, which includes Trump-era policies like Remain In Mexico, has been called a nonstarter by Democrats.

Republican lawmakers have also expressed skepticism of the talks over Mayorkas' role, after blaming him and Biden for the current border crisis. The GOP-led House Homeland Security Committee is expected to advance articles of impeachment against Mayorkas next week.

But Republicans are demanding concessions on border security in exchange for support on Democrats' $106 billion supplemental funding request for Ukraine 

Several senior House Republicans still silent on Trump 2024 amid growing pressure for party unity

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Former President Trump’s decisive victory in the New Hampshire primary this week spurred several new endorsements from lawmakers on Capitol Hill who have so far been silent on the race.

Among the most notable pivots was House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good, R-Va., who endorsed Trump over the weekend minutes after his preferred candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, dropped out of the race.

As of Thursday afternoon, Trump has more than 120 House Republican endorsements – the majority of the House GOP Conference and far outpacing former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley’s one backer.

Fox News Digital took a look at some of the senior House Republicans who have yet to weigh in despite mounting calls to unify behind the former president.

RAMASWAMY: HALEY SHOULD DROP OUT FOR GOOD OF COUNTRY AS OBSERVERS SAY SHE'S STILL ‘ALIVE AND KICKING’

Comer has not weighed in on the 2024 presidential primary publicly so far. It’s worth noting his hands have been full on Capitol Hill leading an impeachment inquiry into Trump’s rival, President Biden.

Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., who are also leading the inquiry, have both endorsed Trump. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Comer’s office but did not immediately hear back.

HALEY AND PHILLIPS OUTPERFORMED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, BUT IT'S STILL A TRUMP VS BIDEN HORSE RACE 

Fitzpatrick, a more moderate member from a Pennsylvania swing district, also hasn’t picked a side in the 2024 primary.

When Trump was indicted in June over his handling of classified documents, Fitzpatrick was one of the few Republicans who did not rush to his defense. The former FBI agent urged people to respect the legal process and not rush to judgment.

"No one is above the law or beyond prosecution," he said. "No one should be targeted for prosecution merely because of their status, position or affiliation."

Fitzpatrick’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

McMorris Rodgers is seen as one of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s closest allies on Capitol Hill, but unlike Johnson, R-La., she has yet to weigh in on the 2024 presidential primary race. Johnson endorsed Trump late last year.

In December 2019, she was named a state honorary co-chair for Trump’s reelection bid, according to the Spokesman-Review newspaper.

She made clear there was some distance between them after the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot, reportedly telling constituents in August 2023 that efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 loss that day were "un-American."

BIDEN CHALLENGER DEAN PHILLIPS BLASTS PRESIDENT AS 'UNELECTABLE AND WEAK' AS BIDEN SET TO SKIP NEW HAMPSHIRE

But she reportedly said, "I also believe that Donald Trump, or any American, deserves due process."

Fox News Digital reached out to McMorris Rodgers' campaign for comment.

Roy went into the 2024 presidential primary cycle as one of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ most enthusiastic supporters. But unlike Freedom Caucus Chair Good, Roy has not stepped behind Trump so far in the two-candidate race. 

Trump threatened to recruit a primary challenger against Roy, who is popular in his district and running unopposed, for his support of Trump’s former rival.

Roy said on CNN in late December, "I was just at multiple events with Ron DeSantis, where he’s shaking their hands and looking them in the eye while Donald Trump hangs out in his basement in Florida, afraid to actually debate."

He said on "Fox Across America" on Thursday that Trump is "likely going to be the nominee" and called on him to "stand up in defense of the hardworking American family getting steamrolled by corporate America and by Republicans too weak-kneed to fight for them."

Roy's office pointed to his earlier comments when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday afternoon.

Moore stepped into House leadership after a crowded race for a position left by Johnson when he took the gavel in October.

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He’s rarely spoken out about Republican Party politics in the 2024 presidential primary, preferring to keep election discussions focused on the House of Representatives.

With his recent leadership role, Moore is also the highest-ranking House Republican to have voted in favor of a Sept. 11-style bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Fox News Digital tried to contact his campaign but did not immediately hear back.

Fox News Digital also reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

Hunter Biden business associate to testify on Biden’s alleged role in China deals amid impeachment inquiry

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Hunter Biden’s business associate involved in his dealings with Chinese energy company CEFC is expected to appear for a closed-door transcribed interview Thursday morning before the House Oversight and Judiciary committees.

Mervyn Yan, who worked with the first son on deals with Chinese energy company CEFC, was subpoenaed last November to appear as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

He is expected to appear at 10 a.m. on Capitol Hill.

JOE BIDEN RECEIVED $40K IN 'LAUNDERED CHINA MONEY' FROM BROTHER IN 2017, COMER SAYS

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan notified Yan of his subpoena and explained the reason for compelling his appearance.

"President Biden has received money originating from China via James and Hunter Biden, individuals with whom your client has previously engaged in business," Comer and Jordan wrote to Yan's attorney. "James Biden maintained a business relationship with Hunter Biden, and the two engaged in several business deals, including a deal with Chinese energy company CEFC China Energy (CEFC), which is closely ties to the Chinese Communist Party through its founder, Chairman Ye Jianming."

Fox News Digital first reported on the funds transferred to Joe Biden in November.

Comer said the "money trail" began in July 2017 when Hunter Biden demanded a $10 million payment from a CEFC associate. In a WhatsApp message, Hunter Biden "was sitting with his father and that the Biden network would turn on his associate if he didn’t pony up the money," Comer said.

Hunter Biden in the WhatsApp message allegedly told a Chinese business associate from Chinese energy company CEFC that he and his father would ensure "you will regret not following my direction."

Hunter requested the $10 million wire for his joint-venture with CEFC called SinoHawk Holdings. 

"I am sitting here with my father, and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled," Hunter Biden told Henry Zhao, the director of Chinese asset management firm Harvest Fund Management. "And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction."

Zhao responded, in part, "CEFC is willing to cooperate with the family."

HUNTER BIDEN REQUESTED KEYS FOR NEW 'OFFICE MATES' JOE BIDEN, CHINESE 'EMISSARY' TO CEFC CHAIRMAN, EMAILS SHOW

The Oversight Committee then obtained bank records that showed on Aug. 8, 2017, the $5 million in funds were sent to Hudson West III, a joint venture established by Hunter Biden and CEFC associate Gongwen Dong. The same day, Hudson West III sent $400,000 to Owasco PC — a separate entity controlled and owned by Hunter Biden, Comer said.

Days later, on Aug. 14, 2017, the records show Hunter Biden wired $150,000 to Lion Hall Group, a company owned by James Biden and his wife, Sara Biden. By Aug. 28, 2017, Comer said Sara Biden withdrew $50,000 in cash from Lion Hall Group and later deposited it into her and James Biden’s personal checking account.

Sara Biden wrote a check to Joe Biden a few days later for $40,000, with a memo line of the check reading "loan repayment."

While President Biden has maintained he was never in business with his son, text messages obtained by Fox News Digital in 2020 revealed that in May 2017 he met with Hunter's business associates for the Sinohawk venture, specifically Tony Bobulinski. The meeting on May 2, 2017, would have taken place just 11 days before a May 13, 2017, email obtained by Fox News in 2020 that included a discussion of "remuneration packages" for six people in the business deal with CEFC.

HUNTER DEMANDED $10M FROM CHINESE ENERGY FIRM BECAUSE 'BIDENS ARE THE BEST,' HAVE 'CONNECTIONS'

The email includes a note that "Hunter has some office expectations he will elaborate." A proposed equity split references "20" for "H" and "10 held by H for the big guy?" with no further details.

The "big guy" has been said to be a reference to President Biden. 

Also, Fox News Digital in December 2020 reported that Hunter Biden, his CEFC associate, Gongwen Dong, and Joe Biden shared office space in Washington, D.C., in September 2017.

Meanwhile, Comer and Jordan, in demanding Yan’s testimony, said they expect he will "provide evidence that is relevant to the impeachment inquiry," specifically related to his "knowledge of how James Biden and Hunter Biden operated their businesses and structured their financial transactions, and your client may also know whether and how President Biden has been involved in his family’s business dealings."

FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN IN 2017 SENT 'BEST WISHES' FROM 'ENTIRE BIDEN FAMILY' TO CHINA FIRM CHAIRMAN, REQUESTED $10M WIRE

Comer and Jordan also said Yan could be in a position to provide information on whether Joe Biden, as vice president or as president, "took any official action or effected any change in government policy because of money or other things of value provided to himself or his family, including whether concerns that Chinese sources may release additional evidence about their business relationships with the Biden family have had any impact on official acts performed by President Biden or U.S. foreign policy."

They also said he may provide evidence of whether Joe Biden "abused his office of public trust by providing foreign interests with access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him" or "abused his office of public trust by knowingly participating in a scheme to enrich himself or his family by giving foreign interests the impression that they would receive access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him."

Yan’s transcribed interview is expected to take place a day before Hunter Biden business associate Rob Walker appears for testimony and weeks before Hunter Biden appears for his deposition.

Biden defied his subpoena to appear for a deposition on Dec. 13 and was at risk of being held in contempt of Congress.

His attorneys and the committees came to an agreement last week that the first son will appear for a closed-door deposition on Feb. 28.

Democrat Cuellar warns Biden: Border crisis will ‘absolutely’ be election issue in 2024

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MCALLEN, Texas — Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, is warning fellow Democrats, including President Biden, to prepare for border security to be a top election issue in the 2024 cycle.

Standing along the Rio Grande in Hidalgo, Texas, Saturday, Cuellar emphatically told Fox News Digital the situation at the southern border will "absolutely" be on voters’ minds this year.

He traveled to the border this weekend as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation that also included Reps. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas; Randy Weber, R-Texas; and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas.

'SENSE OF HOPELESSNESS': MICHAEL MCCAUL SOUNDS ALARM ON BORDER PATROL MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

"If they're looking at the same polls I've been looking at, the American public doesn't like what's happening," Cuellar said of fellow Democrats.

"I represent an area where it's almost 80% Hispanic, a lot of Democrats," he said. "So, yeah, the polls are showing that it's an important issue."

Speaking of Biden, he said, "It’s in the president’s best interest politically to come up with a solution on border security."

WATCH: MIGRANTS CLAIM ASYLUM ON COLD JANUARY NIGHT AS CBP UNION LEADER TALKS BORDER CRISIS

A Fox News poll from last month found that eight in 10 voters think the situation at the southern border is either an emergency (34%) or a major problem (45%). 

The group of lawmakers toured sections of the border Saturday and met with border and immigration officials. White House and Senate negotiators are working to cobble together a deal on border reform in exchange for GOP support for Biden’s $106 billion supplemental funding request for Ukraine, Israel and other issues.

KEY REPUBLICAN COMES OUT IN FAVOR OF IMPEACHING MAYORKAS, SAYS HE SHOULD BE 'TRIED FOR TREASON'

Cuellar insisted a show of bipartisanship like their trip was a move in the right direction.

"It's important that if the negotiations go well, and they work something out, that some of us are able to [be] bipartisan," Cuellar said.

He suggested reforms on what constitutes legal asylum was something Democrats were coming around to.

"For example, on the asylum when people come in, I support making changes. There's a lot of Democrats that don't," Cuellar explained. "Now, Democrats are saying, ‘Maybe we need to look at that.’ So, I think we're seeing now a shift where people are willing to get out of their comfort zones. If we have enough Democrats and Republicans, we can get it done."

Hunter Biden lawyer testifies that 1st Trump impeachment created ’emergency’ to file unpaid taxes

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Hunter Biden’s lawyer Kevin Morris told congressional investigators that it was the first impeachment of then-President Trump in February 2020 that made it an "emergency" for the president’s son to file his tax returns, according to a transcript of his testimony reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Morris testified behind closed doors at the House Oversight Committee last week as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

Congressional investigators had discovered an email from Morris in February 2020 citing "political risk" amid the election cycle, when then-former Vice President Joe Biden was a candidate in the Democratic primary.

KEVIN MORRIS GAVE 'MASSIVE' FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO HUNTER BIDEN, RAISING CAMPAIGN FINANCE CONCERNS: COMER

The email, which was shown to Morris during his interview, was dated Feb. 7, 2020, and said, "emergency is off for today. Still need to file Monday — we are under considerable risk personally and politically to get the [tax] returns in."

When asked what the emergency was, Morris pointed to the Trump impeachment, in which Republicans had threatened to call Hunter Biden to testify.

"You know, I believe that, you know, remember that the Trump impeachment process was going on at this time," Morris said. "And they were waiving around the possibility of calling Hunter…right until the very end. I believe that it wrapped up. I believe that was the…thing prompting us— you know, this is about preparing his tax returns."

Morris explained that he had just started working with Hunter Biden, a client who was coming in "from addiction stuff." Morris said "taxes are the most important thing," adding that it is his "custom and practice to get the taxes straight."

"It’s a part of— that’s part of recovery, making amends," he said. "It's critical."

FLASHBACK: DEMOCRATS CLASH WITH REPUBLICANS OVER PROSPECT OF CALLING HUNTER BIDEN IN IMPEACHMENT TRIAL

When pressed on whether the "political" concerns were due to Biden’s candidacy for office, Morris pushed back, saying "there’s no cardinality between these two things."

"Personally, he hadn’t filed his taxes. Okay? That’s his personal problem," Morris said of Hunter Biden. "And then, politically…look, there was an impeachment proceeding going on. His name was and face was everywhere in the world."

Morris, though, said the "political risk" had nothing to do with Joe Biden’s candidacy for the White House.

Morris testified that he loaned Hunter Biden at least $5 million and began paying his tax liability.

However, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer says that was a move to "insulate then-presidential candidate Joe Biden from political liability."

Morris also admitted to the committee that the "loans" he provided to Hunter Biden do not have to be repaid until 2025, after the next presidential election, and could be forgiven, the committee said.

Trump was acquitted on Feb. 5, 2020 on both articles of impeachment against him — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — after being impeached by the House of Representatives in December 2019.

BIDENS ALLEGEDLY 'COERCED' BURISMA CEO TO PAY THEM MILLIONS TO HELP GET UKRAINE PROSECUTOR FIRED: FBI FORM

Trump was impeached after a July 2019 phone call in which he pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to launch investigations into the Biden family’s actions and business dealings in Ukraine — specifically Hunter Biden’s ventures with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings and Joe Biden’s successful effort to have former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin ousted.

Hunter Biden was quietly under federal investigation, beginning in 2018, at the time of the call — a probe prompted by suspicious foreign transactions. 

Trump's request was regarded by Democrats as a quid pro quo because millions in U.S. military aid to Ukraine had been frozen. Democrats also claimed Trump was meddling in the 2020 presidential election by asking a foreign leader to look into a Democratic political opponent.

Republicans had been investigating Hunter Biden’s business dealings, specifically with regard to Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings. House Republicans, who were in the minority at the time, made several requests to subpoena Hunter Biden for testimony and documents related to the impeachment of Trump and his business dealings that fell at the center of the proceedings. 

Biden has acknowledged that when he was vice president, he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire prosecutor Viktor Shokin. At the time, Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings, and at the time, Hunter had a highly-lucrative role on the board, receiving thousands of dollars per month. The then-vice president threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired.

"I said, ‘You’re not getting the billion. I’m going to be leaving here in,' I think it was about six hours. I looked at them and said, ‘I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,’" Biden recalled telling then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Biden recollected the conversation during an event for the Council on Foreign Relations in 2018. 

"Well, son of a b----, he got fired," Biden said during the event. "And they put in place someone who was solid at the time."

Biden allies maintain the then-vice president pushed for Shokin's firing due to concerns the Ukrainian prosecutor went easy on corruption, and say that his firing, at the time, was the policy position of the U.S. and international community.

Now, as part of the impeachment inquiry, Republicans are investigating any involvement Biden had in his son’s business dealings.

Republicans obtained an FBI FD-1023 form with a confidential human source detailing allegations made by Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky. Zlochevsky alleged that he was "coerced" into paying Joe Biden and Hunter Biden millions of dollars to get Shokin fired, amid the investigation into his firm. 

Meanwhile, Hunter Biden has been under federal investigation since 2018. 

Special Counsel Weiss charged Biden with nine federal tax charges, which break down to three felonies and six misdemeanors concerning $1.4 million in owed taxes that have since been paid. 

Weiss charged Hunter in December, alleging a "four-year scheme" when the president's son did not pay his federal income taxes from January 2017 to October 2020 while also filing false tax reports.

Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to all charges. 

Weiss also indicted the first son on federal gun charges in Delaware last year. Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to those charges as well. His attorneys are attempting to have that case dismissed altogether. 

Hunter Biden’s business associates to appear for closed-door testimonies with lawmakers this week

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Hunter Biden’s business associates are gearing up to testify behind closed doors at the House Oversight and Judiciary committees later this week as part of the House impeachment inquiry against his father, President Biden.

First up is Mervyn Yan, who was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee last year for financial records related to his business dealings with Hunter Biden.

Yan worked with Hunter Biden through Chinese energy company CEFC and Hudson West III.

HUNTER BIDEN DEPOSITION SCHEDULED FOR NEXT MONTH AFTER RISK OF BEING HELD IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS

Yan is set to appear before both committees on Thursday for closed-door transcribed interviews.

Next is Rob Walker, who was also subpoenaed last year. He is expected to appear for his closed-door transcribed interviews before both committees on Friday.

Financial records subpoenaed by the committee revealed that members of the Biden family, including Hallie Biden and Sara Biden, received more than $1 million in payments from accounts related to Walker and his Chinese business ventures with Hunter.

FLASHBACK: COMER SUBPOENAS HUNTER BIDEN ART DEALER, BUSINESS ASSOCIATES FOR TESTIMONY AS PART OF ONGOING PROBE

Walker worked on a joint venture called Sinohawk Holdings, which was meant to be a partnership with Chinese energy firm CEFC.

Multiple Biden family accounts, including those belonging to Hunter, Hallie Biden and an unnamed Biden, also received approximately $1.038 million from the same Walker LLC account after Bladon Enterprises, which reportedly belonged to Gabriel "Puiu" Popoviciu, a Romanian tycoon, deposited more than $3 million between November 2015 to May 2017. According to a 2017 email from Walker, which was obtained by the Senate Finance Committee, Walker viewed himself as a "surrogate" for Hunter and his uncle, Jim Biden, when "gauging [business] opportunities."

The transcribed interviews with Yan and Walker this week come after the committees announced last week that they had confirmed a new date for Hunter Biden's closed-door deposition.

FLASHBACK: HOUSE OVERSIGHT SUBPOENAS HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN, ROB WALKER FOR TESTIMONY AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Hunter Biden had initially defied a subpoena to appear for a deposition and was at risk of being held in contempt of Congress.

The committees said Hunter Biden’s attorneys confirmed that he would appear for a deposition on Feb. 28, thus pausing all contempt of Congress proceedings.

Hunter Biden's deposition will come after his business associates share testimony with the committees.

The House Oversight and Judiciary committees plan to hear testimony from other Hunter Biden business associates like Eric Schwerin on Jan. 30, Tony Bobulinski on Feb. 5, and more.

Republicans probe DHS Secretary Mayorkas over role in housing migrants on federal lands

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: House Republican leaders on the Natural Resources Committee are probing the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) role in placing migrants on federal lands in New York.

In a letter sent Monday to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., who chairs the panel's oversight subcommittee, cited interviews they conducted with federal officials who confirmed DHS's involvement in the decision to house migrants at Gateway National Recreation Area's Floyd Bennett Field, managed by the National Park Service (NPS).

While DHS, according to the letter, intervened to ensure Floyd Bennett Field, in New York City's Brooklyn borough, would be leased to the local government for migrant housing, the land is managed by the Department of the Interior (DOI) and NPS. In one interview, a senior DOI official told congressional investigators that they "did what DHS asked us to do" when they moved forward with the plan last year.

"The Committee is deeply concerned with the Biden administration leasing NPS land for use as a migrant encampment, a use that is not only inconsistent with the National Park Service Organic Act, but publicly recognized as legally perilous by DOI," Westerman and Gosar wrote to Mayorkas. 

REPUBLICANS ACCELERATE PROBE INTO BIDEN ADMINISTRATION'S ACTIONS TO HOUSE MIGRANTS ON FEDERAL LANDS

"Moreover, the Committee is concerned with the role DHS played in the process, particularly as you described it in the letters to Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul and as described to Committee staff by DOI and NPS officials," the Republican lawmakers continued.

MAYOR'S OFFICE AVOIDS SAYING WHETHER IT BACKS NONCITIZENS VOTING AFTER WARNING MIGRANT CRISIS WILL DESTROY NYC

In August, Mayorkas sent letters to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, hitting back at the officials over their handling of the surge of migrants in New York City, Politico reported at the time. He further noted "structural issues" with New York's handling of the crisis and implored the city and state to accept a lease DOI sent for the temporary use of Floyd Bennett Field to house migrants.

"DOI seeks to finalize that lease as soon as you are ready," Mayorkas wrote to Hochul and Adams, according to Politico.

Weeks later, on Sept. 15, DOI and the local parties executed the agreement to lease portions of Floyd Bennett Field's property. Officials then constructed temporary housing on land along the shore of Jamaica Bay.

However, the Republican leaders have pointed out that, prior to the decision to lease the property, Hochul noted the DOI had itself argued such an action would likely violate federal laws. The governor, who has called for federal assistance in dealing with her state's migrant influx, remarked one month prior that officials told her office "they do not allow for use of shelter on any of their properties."

REPUBLICANS FUME AT BIDEN FOR VACATIONING AS BORDER CROSSINGS EXPLODE: 'DERELICTION OF DUTY'

The Republicans have also probed how the White House Council on Environmental Quality appears to have allowed DOI to bypass the normal eco review process mandated under the National Environmental Policy Act. The 1969 law requires federal agencies to review the environmental impacts of projects and proposals on federal land before approval.

Meanwhile, the housing facility erected at Floyd Bennett Field has been heavily criticized by migrants as inhumane and, according to a Venezuelan mother of three interviewed by The City, "like a hell." Thousands of migrants at the encampment were evacuated earlier this month and sent to a New York City high school, forcing the school to cancel in-person classes.

The Natural Resources Committee's ongoing investigation comes as migrants continue to flood the southern border in record numbers and Republicans call for the Biden administration to make structural reforms to secure the border.

In December, more than 302,000 migrants were encountered attempting to cross the U.S. southern border, by far the largest single month figure ever recorded. The number also brought fiscal 2024 first-quarter numbers to 785,000 encounters, the highest number ever recorded.

DHS didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

‘Sense of hopelessness’: Michael McCaul sounds alarm on border patrol mental health crisis

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

MCALLEN, Texas — House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Mike McCaul said he’s "profoundly" alarmed at the impact the ongoing border crisis is having on Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents’ mental health. 

The senior Republican spoke to Fox News Digital in the border city of McAllen, Texas, a bipartisan congressional delegation met with border and immigration officials while also touring facilities where migrants are brought and their asylum claims processed.

McCaul said the state of the border is "just worse" each time he’s seen it.

"Every time I come down here, it gets worse; the lack of detention space, the human tragedy you see here; what the Border Patrol has to deal with every day, day in and day out, looking at these migrants that are pouring in; this sense of hopelessness, that it won't stop," the Texas Republican said.

REPUBLICANS, DEMS SPAR AT MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT HEARING AS STATE AGS DESCRIBE IMPACT OF MIGRANT CRISIS

"Profoundly, I worry about the mental health of our border patrol. The suicide rate is going up. They don't have the proper resources."

Seventeen CBP agents died by suicide in 2022 alone, Chris Cabrera, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, told Congress in March 2023. That’s the highest number since CBP began tracking it in 2007. There were 19,357 CPB agents on the job in 2022.

Since then, the number of migrant encounters at the border has continued to see historic highs, most recently this past December, while CBP has struggled somewhat to replenish its retiring forces.

REPUBLICANS MOVE FORWARD WITH MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT AMID EMOTIONAL TESTIMONY: DEMS DECRY ‘MAGA SPECTACLE’

McCaul said the cartels on the other side of the border that are bringing a constant flow of drug and human trafficking are better equipped, in some ways, than the federal officials patrolling on the U.S. side.

"For instance, we only have 20 drones here in the Rio Grande Valley sector, and the cartels are way out numbering us. And that's just eyes and ears on the ground," McCaul said. "So, we're not equipping them. But most importantly, more than money, is just the lack of policy."

Cabrera spoke to the media during his recent border visit, describing what he said were regular instances of officers getting overwhelmed.

MEXICAN SOLDIERS FIND FACTORY PRODUCING DRONE BOMBS, GRENADE LAUNCHERS, FAKE MILITARY UNIFORMS

"There’s times when you’re out there, two, three agents, and you’ll have 100 people there," he said.

"But then you also have the medical emergencies: pregnant women, dehydration, kids with illnesses, people that have broken legs along the journey. And then we have people that fall off the wall. So, while we’re dealing with two, three hundred people, or 50 people, you’re also having to deal with medical emergencies and issues like that."