Republicans blast GOP Sen Tuberville over objection to military promotions

A handful of Senate Republicans railed against Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Wednesday night after the former football coach rejected dozens of military nominations in protest over the Pentagon's abortion policy.

The group of GOP senators brought the promotions – a small batch of some 350 nominees still in limbo – to the floor for unanimous consent. 

But Tuberville objected to each one – despite a recent effort to force a vote to approve the Marine Corps' No. 2 leader after the service's top officer was hospitalized after a reported heart attack – due to the Department of Defense's controversial abortion policy that pays for some service members' abortion procedure expenses. 

"This is about the rule of law," Tuberville said on the floor. "That's what we're about in here. It's about the integrity of our military. It's about keeping politics out of military. I did not put it in the military, Joe Biden and Secretary Austin put politics in the military, and it's about the right to life."

TUBERVILLE NOT BUDGING ON MILITARY HOLDS OVER ABORTION POLICY AS DEMS EYE RULES CHANGE

Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, took turns on the floor urging Tuberville to rescind his opposition before selecting nominees one by one to be confirmed.

Graham, who said he disagreed with the Pentagon's policy, fired back at the Alabama senator and held up a photo of Maj. Gen. Laura Lenderman, a service member awaiting promotion to lieutenant general and deputy commander of Pacific Air Forces. 

"If you think they've done something illegal, go to court, that's how you handle these things," Graham said Thursday. "You just denied this lady a promotion. You did that."

"Don't hold hostage the men and women who have to follow civilian control," he said. "Let's don't ruin the lives of all these people who have been serving our nation for decades."

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Graham added he wants the "best people in command positions yesterday."

"So having frustration with the White House abortion policy and Pentagon I understand," he continued. "These officers had nothing to do with it. If we normalize this and every senator follows the lead of Sen. Tuberville, you'll ruin the military."

Romney agreed with Graham on taking the abortion policy – which senators argue violates the Hyde Amendment – to court, adding he would file a legal action to reverse the policy.

He also inquired if Tuberville would back the idea of the DOD withdrawing payments and instead relying on a private charity to finance the abortions.

TUBERVILLE FORCES SCHUMER'S HAND IN MILITARY NOMINEE VOTES: 'HE BLINKED'

"That was the type of negotiation I've been looking for the last nine months," Tuberville responded. "Nobody – zero – has come to me with any alternatives to bypass to get this done."

Ernst, Sullivan and Young all emphasized that service members should not be held responsible for Pentagon policies and argued the holds are affecting military readiness. Tuberville has consistently disagreed that readiness is plummeting. 

"There are readiness issues, and that's the whole point. We have a really dangerous world right now," said Young, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. 

TUBERVILLE SAYS HOUSE GOP MUST 'NOT WASTE TIME' WITH BIDEN IMPEACHMENT

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., threw his support Wednesday behind a Democrat-led proposal to change the chamber rules to funnel most military promotions through without a vote. Nine Republicans would have to vote with Democrats to make up the 60 votes needed to get the initiative across the finish line. 

Tuberville not budging on military holds over abortion policy as Dems eye rules change

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., has no plans to concede his protest against the Department of Defense (DOD) funding some costs for abortion procedures for military service members, even as Senate Democrats plan to advance a proposal to change the rules this week.

Democrats, some Republicans and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., plan to maneuver around Tuberville's hold on military promotions by introducing a change in the Senate Rules Committee that would allow them to approve a batch of nominees through 2024.

Tuberville said the "only power" senators have is "through holes" by trying to change the procedures. It would take nine Republicans to vote with Senate Democrats for a resolution bypassing the holds to pass. It would first go through the rules committee.

"I'm trying to keep the White House from playing dictator along with the Pentagon," Tuberville told Fox News Digital. "Abortion is the No. 1 issue in our country in our lifetime when it comes to social issues, and the American people need to have a say so now."

TUBERVILLE TO MAINTAIN HOLD ON MILITARY NOMINEES OVER PENTAGON ABORTION POLICY

The DOD's abortion policy was implemented after the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year.

Hundreds of promotion nominees remain in limbo as Tuberville's nearly nine-months-long hold continues in protest of the Pentagon's abortion policy, which allots paid leave and travel costs for service members who seek an abortion. He confirmed that he has no plans to lift the blockade unless it's punted in a floor vote.

"And then whichever way it goes, you know, that's life, but that's the only way that I will drop my hold," he said. "They're not going to press me any other way."

After talking to several generals and leaders in the military, there's no issue with "military readiness" as some might suggest, Tuberville added.

"I know there's some people [who] probably need promotions, and it means a little bit more money," he said. "But at the end of the day, I've talked to a lot of generals and admirals, and they've all said, ‘Listen, the job is getting done.’"

TUBERVILLE FORCES SCHUMER'S HAND IN MILITARY NOMINEE VOTES: 'HE BLINKED'

TUBERVILLE SAYS HOUSE GOP MUST 'NOT WASTE TIME' WITH BIDEN IMPEACHMENT

Despite efforts to overturn the current hold, Tuberville, a retired college football coach, said he doesn't think a rule change will happen. It would need 60 votes to pass. Republicans currently hold 49 seats in the Senate while Democrats hold the majority at 51.

"I think that we'll be able to hold her in the line and force them to eventually vote on this," he said.

"We're not the House," he added. "The House is a simple majority. Over here, you've got to get 60 votes. That means you got to have people from the other side convinced that this is what you need to do. That's the reason we're different."

Senate Democrats turn up the heat, announce ‘next step’ in Supreme Court ethics investigation

Democrats in the Senate have announced the next step in their ethics investigation of the U.S. Supreme Court, which was prompted after investigative reports found some justices enjoyed benefits that some suggested could have influenced their decisions on cases.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin announced on X, formerly Twitter, that he was seeking the ability to subpoena Harlan Crow, Leonard Leo and Robin Arkley II as the investigation moves into its "next step." Crow and Arkley are wealthy Republican donors, and Leo is an activist that has also been tied to gifts given to Supreme Court justices.

"The Supreme Court is in an ethical crisis of its own making," Durbin, D-Ill., said on Monday. "In order to adequately address this crisis, it is imperative that we understand the full extent of how people with interests before the Court are able to use undisclosed gifts to gain private access to the justices."

"The inquiries the Committee has sent to Harlan Crow, Leonard Leo, and Robin Arkley are critical to this work," the Democrat continued.

SENATE DEMS DEMAND CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS OPEN INVESTIGATION INTO CLARENCE THOMAS OVER 'MISCONDUCT'

In the statement, Durbin claimed Crow, Arkley, and Leo have "either refused to comply or offered to produce certain limited information that fell well short of what the Committee needs and to which it is entitled."

The Senate Judiciary Committee was then "forced to seek compulsory process" to obtain additional information, Durbin said.

REPORT ON CLARENCE THOMAS' TRAVEL HABITS IS ‘POLITICS PLAIN AND SIMPLE’: EXPERT

The Democrat credited the current Senate investigations with reports over the spring and summer that revealed some Supreme Court justices enjoyed gifts that were not publicly disclosed. 

"Thanks to investigative reporting, we now know that for decades, some justices have been joining billionaires with business before the Court on their private planes and yachts or receiving gifts such as private school tuition for a family member," Durbin said. "And it is through this reporting that we learned the justices have not been disclosing these gifts as required by federal laws that expressly apply to them."

AOC DOUBLES DOWN ON ‘IGNORING’ ABORTION RULE, CLARENCE THOMAS IMPEACHMENT: ‘ABUSE OF JUDICIAL OVERREACH’

"By accepting these lavish, undisclosed gifts, the justices have enabled their wealthy benefactors and other individuals with business before the Court to gain private access to the justices while preventing public scrutiny of this conduct," the Democrat continued.

Documents revealed over the summer showed Crow paid for trips and bought property from Justices Clarence Thomas while Leo and Arkley organized and paid for a trip for Justice Samuel Alito.

He also took a swipe at Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, saying he "could fix this problem today and adopt a binding code of conduct."

Roberts has been a frequent target of criticism and Democrats have demanded he investigate his fellow justices.

"As long as he refuses to act, the Judiciary Committee will," Durbin concluded.

Some Republicans have decried the Supreme Court investigations as efforts to delegitimize the court, cast doubt on its rulings or to allow President Biden to potentially replace justices on the bench.

Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville refers former CIA head Michael Hayden to Capitol Police

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., alerted Capitol Police on Tuesday to what he called a "politically motivated assassination" from former CIA and NSA Director Gen. Michael Hayden, with expectations the police will protect congressional members and bring "criminals to justice."

Earlier Tuesday, Hayden tweeted that he was, "surprised to wake up this morning and discover MAGAnuts had lost their minds over my suggestions that ‘Coach’ Tuberville not be considered a member of the human race."

The tweet was a direct response to comments he made the night before.

EX-CIA DIRECTOR SAYS TUBERVILLE SHOULD LEAVE ‘HUMAN RACE,’ TAUNTS ‘MAGANUTS’

When one social media platform X user asked if Tuberville should be removed from his committee, Hayden responded, "how about the human race?" The comment appeared to be in response to the senator’s decision to continue his hold on military nominations over the Pentagon’s abortion policy — which has left hundreds of leadership positions unfilled.

The policy pays for Department of Defense (DoD) personnel's out-of-state travel for reproductive services, including in-vitro fertilization and abortion.

A spokesperson for Tuberville told NBC News last weekend the senator had no intention of ending his hold amid the terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel.

Hayden has called Tuberville out in previous social media posts, including one in September, when a social media user asked if it was "wrong" to call Tuberville a "racist."

FORMER CIA DIRECTOR HAYDEN AGREES WITH JOURNALIST TWEET LABELING REPUBLICANS 'DANGEROUS' AND 'NIHILISTIC'

"I have aphasia. Sometimes my meaning isn’t clear. What I meant to say is Tuberville absolutely is a racist. Or, in other words, it is not wrong to say he is a racist," Hayden replied.

Tuberville responded on social media to statements made by Haden most recently.

"This morning, my office was made aware of a statement made by General Michael Hayden calling for a politically motivated assassination. This statement is disgusting, and it is repugnant to everything we believe in as Americans," Tuberville said. "Given General Hayden’s long career in Washington, he must have known that, by making such a statement, he was committing a serious crime. His own efforts today to reinterpret what he said are only a tacit admission of guilt.

TUBERVILLE FORCES SCHUMER'S HAND IN MILITARY NOMINEE VOTES: 'HE BLINKED'

"If we still have a nonpolitical justice system in this country, then General Hayden will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. My office has reported this incident to the Capitol Police, and I expect that they will once again do an excellent job protecting members of Congress and bringing criminals to justice," he added.

Tuberville continued by saying he was not aware of any congressional Democrats who condemned Hayden’s statement, and that Democrats have "only continued to attack" him by name on Tuesday.

"Sadly, General Hayden is just the latest in a long line of Washington Leftists who have engaged in reckless rhetoric against me over the past few months," Tuberville wrote. "This must stop, and it must stop now."

TUBERVILLE SAYS HOUSE GOP MUST 'NOT WASTE TIME' WITH BIDEN IMPEACHMENT

Tuberville called Hayden out for presiding over "some of the biggest failures" in American intelligence history, linking him to intelligence flaws with the 9/11 attacks, and lack of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

He also said Hayden lied about Hunter Biden’s laptop so that Joe Biden could be elected as president.

"Both of these lies tore our country apart and did enormous damage to the fabric of our republic. General Hayden is in no position to criticize anyone as his credibility was completely destroyed long ago," Tuberville said. "I am a conservative and a Republican, but above all, I am an American who cares about this country and is deeply concerned for its future. I am not a politician, and when I came to Washington, I did not expect to be popular among the clown show; but I certainly did not expect to be lied about on the Senate floor and threatened by former government officials like Michael Hayden.

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"Anyone who actually cares about our country must go on the record and condemn his reckless statements," he added.

Long-shot GOP presidential candidate Perry Johnson considering Senate bid in battleground Michigan

Long-shot Republican presidential candidate Perry Johnson isn't ruling out a run for the open Senate seat in battleground Michigan.

"Obviously, it’s no secret that I’ve had a lot of calls to run for this seat because they do want to win this seat. But at this point in time, my focus is right on the presidential [race], and, believe me, that’s taking all my time and energy at this point," Johnson said Thursday in a Fox News Digital interview.

The Michigan businessman and quality control industry expert failed to qualify for the first two Republican presidential nomination debates, including Wednesday's second showdown, a FOX Business co-hosted event at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Johnson now faces an even steeper climb to make the stage at the third showdown in early November in Miami, Florida, because the Republican National Committee continues to raise polling and donor thresholds the candidates need to reach to qualify for the upcoming debates.

PERRY JOHNSON DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS ‘TRUMP WITHOUT THE BAGGAGE’

Pointing to the polling threshold for the third GOP debate, Johnson said "4% is a big bar."

"When you’re an outsider, it’s very hard to get on the debate stage because, not only do you have to hit the poll numbers, then you have to have them [the RNC] say these polls are OK." He criticized the national party committee for not recognizing certain polls that don't meet its standards.

Johnson emphasized that, when it comes to his White House campaign, "right now, I think the plan is to go all in, in an individual state. If you’re not on the debate stage, that has to be the approach you take. …. The issue is to get to 4% nationally. 

"You can really only focus on one thing at a time, and when you’re running for president, it’s a full time for job."

POLITICAL PUNDITS PICK WINNERS AND LOSERS FROM SECOND GOP PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

Johnson ran last year for the 2022 GOP gubernatorial nomination in Michigan and was considered a top contender before he and four other Republican hopefuls were disqualified because of invalid signatures. He has poured millions of his own money into his 2024 presidential campaign.

As Republicans aim to win back the Senate majority in 2024, they're eyeing Michigan, where longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow is retiring rather than seeking another term.

"As you can imagine, I get inundated with calls because of the fact that Michigan has an open seat," Johnson said. "It’s literally a seat that Republicans have not had in Michigan in a long time."

Former longtime Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan, who served as House Intelligence Committee chair during his last four years in office, launched a GOP Senate campaign earlier this month. Former Rep. Peter Meijer, who backed the impeachment of President Donald Trump, has formed an exploratory committee.

And Michigan State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder, businessperson Michael Hoover and attorney Alexandria Taylor have filed to run for the GOP Senate nomination.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin is the front-runner for the Democratic Senate nomination in a field that also includes actor and businessman Hill Harper, state Board of Education President Pamela Pugh and former state Rep. Leslie Love. 

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

Legal experts weigh in on Menendez indictment, suggest ‘monster’ charges point to likely conviction

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., has found himself caught up in a wave of legal troubles, and multiple legal experts told Fox News Digital that the "monster" indictment and strong evidence presented against him last week could likely result in a conviction at trial.

The Menendez indictment alleges that the senator and his wife, from at least 2018 through 2022, "engaged in a corrupt relationship" with three New Jersey businessmen.

"Today, I'm announcing that my office has obtained a three-count indictment charging Sen. Robert Menendez, his wife, Nadine Menendez, and three New Jersey businessmen, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, for bribery offenses," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York said at a press conference on Friday.

"I'm hard-pressed to think of an honest explanation for a senator having that amount of cash, gold and other items of value," said Philip Holloway, a criminal defense attorney and former assistant district attorney. "This case will be very difficult, if not impossible, to defend. I think this is the end of Menendez' time in the Senate and his days of breathing free air are likewise coming to an end."

MENENDEZ DEFIANT AS GROWING CHORUS OF DEMOCRATS CALL FOR HIS RESIGNATION

"Prosecutors went out of their way to be very specific and to even show some of the evidence and fruits of the alleged crime, such as cash and gold bars. Undoubtedly, there is more to this case that they have not yet revealed," Holloway added. "I suspect there may be audio recordings obtained via wire taps, electronic communications such as emails and text messages, and witness testimony from people with direct knowledge of relevant matters. In short, the indictment appears to be very strong."

According to the indictment, the couple accepted "hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for using Menendez's power and influence as a senator to seek to protect and enrich Hana, Uribe, and Daibes and to benefit the Arab Republic of Egypt."

The alleged bribes included gold, cash, payments toward a mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury car and "other things of value."

After an investigation began, Menendez disclosed that in 2020 his family accepted gold bars.

According to prosecutors, Menendez gave sensitive U.S. government information to Hana, an Egyptian-American businessman who "secretly aided the Government of Egypt."

Menendez allegedly pressured an official at the Department of Agriculture with the goal of protecting a business monopoly granted to Hana by the Egyptian government. In return, Hana allegedly kicked back profits from the monopoly to Menendez, the indictment states.

FBI agents found "approximately $500,000 of cash stuffed into envelopes in closets" and jammed into the senator's jacket pockets while executing a search warrant at Menendez's home, Williams said during the press conference.

Similar to that of Holloway, Joseph Tully, a criminal defense attorney out of San Francisco, said the "monster" indictment is "very strong" and concerning for Menendez.

DEMOCRAT SEN BOB MENENDEZ STEPS DOWN 'TEMPORARILY' AS CHAIR OF SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE

"The indictment charges Robert Menendez, his wife, Nadine Menendez, as well as three businessmen, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, who are accused of being co-conspirators," Tully said. "Sen. Menendez faces up to 45 years if convicted of all charges."

"The indictment is very strong. Why? Because there is physical evidence presented in the indictment itself that you can put your finger on that points strongly to guilt," he added.

Like others who have processed the charges against the senator, Tully believes the case involving Menendez will be a "lengthy process."

"If I had to predict, I would say that the case will settle before trial in order to minimize incarceration time for Sen. Menendez, but this will be a lengthy process in part because the two sides will have to sort out what is real and what is overblown in the indictment," he said. "The government prosecutors will not want to budge, so the defense will have to keep hammering them with any investigation that they produce, which can undermine the prosecution’s accusations."

Echoing Holloway and Tully, David Gelman, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, told Fox he believes, based on what has been revealed, that Menendez "should be very concerned right now about these charges."

Speaking to its strength, Gelman said the indictment "appears to be anchored by physical evidence" recovered from the senator's home.

Gelman also outlined how a prolonged Menendez downfall could impact the New Jersey Senate election next cycle should he not resign.

"The charges are extremely serious and directly touch upon his public office. However, it's not the first time the senator has faced such allegations. If he were to resign, then the governor could appoint a replacement until the end of his term," said Gelman. "If convicted, or if it keeps going, which it will, the Senate will go through impeachment hearings in the event he doesn’t resign. If he does not, and with an election looming, this could assist any Democrat challenger in the primary."

Making a similar point about the 2024 election, Tully said, "Looking at the political landscape, the Democrats will likely rally around their colleague and keep him in his post for as long as possible."

"They will most likely take a wait-and-see approach to any congressional sanction or discipline and wait until the criminal action has run its course," Tully added.

Gerard Filitti, senior counsel at The Lawfare Project, said the indictment "paints a pretty detailed, well-documented and damning picture of alleged malfeasance by the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, acting illegally for the benefit of a foreign government."

"At a time when the Department of Justice is under scrutiny for what some call a two-tiered system of justice, the allegations that Sen. Menendez sought to influence state and federal prosecutions in exchange for cash are particularly troubling," said Filitti. "That Menendez was advising the president on whom to nominate as a United States attorney also calls to question the impartiality of the federal criminal justice system."

Discussing Menendez's fate, as compared to past cases presented against the senator, Filitti said the evidence outlined in the indictment "speaks to a higher likelihood that [Menendez] would be convicted at trial."

5 EXPLOSIVE REVELATIONS FROM DEM SEN BOB MENENDEZ'S BOMBSHELL FEDERAL INDICTMENT

In agreement with many of her counterparts, Alexandra Wilkes, an attorney and Republican strategist, said she believes the "strong indictment" included "clear evidence of accepting bribes for political favors."

"What is so shocking is the senator's arrogance and brazenness. Meetings were conducted in the open, and payments and gifts were accepted directly without even the slightest effort to conceal them," Wilkes said.

For Wilkes, it's too early to determine whether Menendez will face jail time or be removed from office, but she noted that the "gold bars" and "money in jackets" is "cartoonishly bad – even by New Jersey standards."

Others, including Ken Belkin, a criminal defense and civil rights attorney in New York, say that betting against the senator in this case is not a wise position to take.

"He beat one federal indictment against all the odds, I wouldn't necessarily bet against him," said Belkin. "There is a sense of mistrust regarding federal prosecution among a large segment of the population."

Pointing to "spousal privilege" and highlighting the fact that "communications between husband and wife are typically privileged," Belkin suggested that issue will be "fertile ground for the defense to assert that privilege in order to make a motion to suppress some of the government's evidence."

At least a dozen New Jersey and national Democrats have called on Menendez to resign from office in the wake of the indictment.

The calls ramped up after New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said the allegations that Menendez accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for favors were "deeply disturbing" and that Menendez should immediately step down. Should Menendez resign, Murphy would appoint an interim senator to serve until Menendez's current term ends in 2025.

"These are serious charges that implicate national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system," Murphy said Friday. The governor emphasized that Menendez is innocent until proven guilty but noted that "the alleged facts are so serious that they compromise the ability of Sen. Menendez to effectively represent the people of our state. Therefore, I am calling for his immediate resignation."

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Menendez, who temporarily stepped down from his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has denied all wrongdoing and insisted that he will not resign.

"Those who believe in justice believe in innocence until proven guilty. I intend to continue to fight for the people of New Jersey with the same success I’ve had for the past five decades," Menendez said in a statement. "This is the same record of success these very same leaders have lauded all along. It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere."

Fox News' Chris Pandolfo and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.

Media figures post identical ‘talking points’ equating Menendez indictment with Clarence Thomas accusations

Several left-wing activists and commentators took to social media to issue an identical message on Friday, equating the indictment of Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., on bribery charges to alleged ethics violations by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

The message, which suggest that either Menendez and Thomas should both step down from their roles or that Menendez should only be pushed to resign if Thomas does, came after it was alleged in a federal indictment that the New Jersey senator had accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for favors.

"Here's the deal: Menendez resigns. Clarence Thomas resigns. One standard. Corruption is corruption," Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin wrote in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter.

Rubin's message was echoed by several others, including retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who served as a witness during the first impeachment proceedings of former President Donald Trump.

MENENDEZ DEFIANT AS GROWING CHORUS OF DEMOCRATS CALL FOR HIS RESIGNATION

"Clarence Thomas resigns. Menendez resigns. One standard. Corruption is corruption," Vindman wrote.

Several other accounts made posts with the same language, drawing criticism from conservatives across social media.

Blasting what appeared to be coordinated "talking points," conservative activist Melissa Tate responded to Vindman and said, "Justice Clarence Thomas ain’t going nowhere sir."

"Even the ‘Journalists’ gets their talking points from the regime," Tate wrote in another tweet that featured a screenshot of the identical language being used by different people.

The similarity between Menendez and Thomas that was drawn by Rubin, Vindman, and others comes after a ProPublica report earlier this year revealed that Thomas had received gifts from Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow without reporting them. His defenders, however, have argued that he has followed the court's reporting guidelines.

Several stories regarding Thomas and other Supreme Court justices have since followed, leading to left-wing attacks against the high court. In March, the New York Times reported that rules were modified to require justices and other federal judges to reveal more activities, such as private jet travel and visits to commercial properties.

CRITICS SLAM LATEST PROPUBLICA 'HIT PIECE' ON JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS

The Menendez indictment alleges that the senator and his wife, from at least 2018 through 2022 "engaged in a corrupt relationship" with three New Jersey businessmen.

"Today, I'm announcing that my office has obtained a three count indictment charging Senator Robert Menendez, his wife, Nadine Menendez, and three New Jersey businessmen, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes for bribery offenses," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said at a press conference on Friday morning. 

According to the indictment, the couple accepted "hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for using Menendez's power and influence as a senator to seek to protect and enrich Hana, Uribe, and Daibes and to benefit the Arab Republic of Egypt."

The alleged bribes included gold, cash, payments toward a mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury car, and "other things of value."

After an investigation began, Menendez disclosed that in 2020 his family accepted gold bars.

According to prosecutors, Menendez gave sensitive U.S. government information to Hana, who's an Egyptian-American businessman, who "secretly aided the Government of Egypt."

Menendez allegedly pressured an official at the Department of Agriculture with the goal of protecting a business monopoly granted to Hana by the Egyptian government.

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In return, Hana allegedly kicked back profits from the monopoly to Menendez, the indictment states.

FBI agents found "approximately $500,000 of cash stuffed into envelopes in closets," and jammed into the senator's jacket pockets, while executing a search warrant at Menendez's residence, Williams said during the press conference.

Fox News' Adam Sabes and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

GOP senator latest Republican to throw hat behind Trump for president

FIRST ON FOX: A Republican senator running for his state's governorship threw his hat behind former President Trump's White House bid.

Republican Senator Mike Braun of Indiana, who is running to be the Hoosier State's next governor, told Fox News Digital that he is endorsing Trump for president in the 2024 race.

"As a Main Street Entrepreneur and political outsider, I’ve seen firsthand how the Washington swamp works against Hoosiers and works overtime to hamper our prosperity," Braun told Fox News Digital.

SPEAKER MCCARTHY PREDICTS TRUMP WILL BE GOP NOMINEE, SLAMS DESANTIS AS ‘NOT AT THE SAME LEVEL’

"Donald Trump is a businessman and outsider," Braun said. "Together, we took on the Washington swamp with a historic victory in the 2018 Indiana Senate race."

"We installed constitutional conservatives on the Supreme Court who have protected the unborn and our Second Amendment rights, and we disrupted the cozy, self-serving Washington elites who are bankrupting our country," the Indiana senator continued.

Braun said that "Donald Trump is the candidate capable of returning us to the America First policies that delivered unmatched prosperity and security for the American people."

"I give Donald Trump my endorsement for President of the United States," he added.

Braun has been a staunch ally of Trump through his first term and was a loud voice of support behind the former president in his first impeachment trial.

Trump was also a major ally behind Braun's 2018 Senate run when he defeated then-incumbent Democrat Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly for his seat.

Trump brought in thousands of people to his rallies supporting Braum as the now-senator ran amid a tough midterm election year for Republicans.

Braun's comments come as a top Republican predicts Trump will take the GOP White House nomination.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy predicted the former president will win the 2024 Republican presidential primary race on Sunday, bashing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as "not at the same level."

McCarthy made the comments during an appearance on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" with host Maria Bartiromo. McCarthy has previously remained neutral in the GOP primary, declining to endorse Trump in July.

"I think he will be the nominee," McCarthy said about Trump after Bartiromo asked if he thought the former president would be the party's choice for 2024. "The thing is, President Trump is stronger today than he was in 2016 or 2020, and there's a reason why. They saw the policies of what he was able to do with America – putting America first, making our economy stronger."

"We didn't have inflation. We didn't have these battles around the world. We didn't look weak around the world," he added.

"Well it looks like Ron DeSantis is now trying to work with your colleagues who are pushing for a shutdown," Bartiromo said.

"I don't think that would work anywhere. A shutdown would only give strength to the Democrats," McCarthy said. "It would give the power to Biden. It wouldn't pay our troops. It wouldn't pay our border agents."

"I actually want to achieve something, and this is where President Trump is so smart, that he was successful in this." McCarthy continued. "President Trump is beating Biden right now in the polls. He is stronger than he has ever been in this process, and, look, I served with Ron DeSantis – he's not at the same level as President Trump by any shape or form. He would not have gotten elected without President Trump's endorsement."

While McCarthy's comments do not amount to an official endorsement of Trump, they are a clear message of friendship to the former president. McCarthy had previously offended the Trump campaign with another television appearance in June.

Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom contributed reporting.

Senate GOP rallies behind McCarthy’s impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden: ‘Web of corruption’

Several Senate Republicans are uniting in support of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's move to initiate an impeachment inquiry against President Biden despite a growing number of skeptical GOP leaders in the upper chamber.

The inquiry will determine whether there are grounds to bring formal charges (articles of impeachment) against Biden over allegations of "abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption," McCarthy said Tuesday.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Wednesday on his "Verdict with Ted Cruz" podcast that he's been "calling for the House to open impeachment inquiries for months."

"I think the evidence long ago cleared that threshold, but they finally done it," he said.

"Joe Biden's confession on tape is direct evidence that he committed one of the critical elements of bribery," Cruz later said. "Now, we don't yet have direct evidence of every element of the crime, but we have direct evidence of one of the most critical aspects of the crime, which is the quote that Joe Biden has admitted and that is unequivocally direct evidence, and it's pretty damn compelling."

HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY ANNOUNCES FORMAL IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AGAINST PRESIDENT BIDEN

Meanwhile, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that he didn’t think "we would be down this road" if the Biden administration was "being open and transparent with everybody to begin with."

"There was a lot of information that was requested by the committee that has jurisdiction, from the Ways and Means [Committee] to Judiciary to Oversight," he said. "And the fact is, is they were slow-balling or just refusing to share the information."

If enough evidence is compiled and articles of impeachment are sent over to the upper chamber, Mullin said, "Then it's our job to put him on trial and, if so, convict him."

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said the House has "done an excellent job trying to uncover the tangled web of corruption that we've seen coming out of the Biden administration and specifically the Biden family."

"Clearly, there are facts that need further investigation," he said. "The House is headed in the right direction."

Also on Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters that he would probably be a "yes" vote on impeaching the president, The Messenger reported.

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"If I had any legitimate questions, and I think there are questions about the narrative, yeah, I would," he said.

"I've been involved in every impeachment in this country but one," Graham said.

Although Graham supports an inquiry, he said that "we need to have structure here" in response to McCarthy evading a floor vote before launching the inquiry. McCarthy said former Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi created that precedent when she sidestepped a vote to impeach former President Donald Trump for the second time in 2021.

Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., also said in a statement Tuesday that "serious allegations" have been elevated about Biden's "involvement with his son’s overseas business dealings that can’t be ignored."

"We need to get to the full truth, and an impeachment inquiry is the right way to do that," he said.

Conversely, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has not indicated his support of the inquiry. He told reporters Tuesday when asked about the House's effort: "I don't think Speaker McCarthy needs any advice from the Senate on how to run the House."

White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations Ian Sams slammed the effort as "extreme politics."

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"House Republicans have been investigating the President for 9 months, and they've turned up no evidence of wrongdoing. His own GOP members have said so. He vowed to hold a vote to open impeachment, now he flip flopped (sic) because he doesn't have support. Extreme politics at its worst," Sams wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The House is probing Biden’s foreign business ties with his son, Hunter, in Ukraine and China. Republicans hope to unearth bribery negotiations that suggest Biden leveraged his position as then-vice president under former President Barack Obama for personal gain.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., will lead the inquiry alongside House Oversight Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo.

Should the House vote to impeach Biden, the Senate would serve as a tribunal where senators would review evidence, listen to witnesses and cast votes for the acquittal or conviction of the impeached official.

GOP legislators may face an uphill battle as the Democrat-controlled Senate is unlikely to convict Biden. Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Wednesday called the decision to launch an impeachment inquiry "absurd."

Romney announces he won’t seek re-election in 2024, bashes Trump and Biden

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, on Wednesday announced that he is not seeking re-election in 2024 in a statement bashing both President Biden and former President Donald Trump while calling for "a new generation of leaders."

"I have spent my last 25 years in public service of one kind or another. At the end of another term, I’d be in my mid-eighties. Frankly, it’s time for a new generation of leaders. They’re the ones that need to make the decisions that will shape the world they will be living in," Romney said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.

"We face critical challenges — mounting national debt, climate change, and the ambitious authoritarians of Russia and China. Neither President Biden nor former President Trump are leading their party to confront them," Romney said.

"On the deficits and debt, both men refuse to address entitlements even though they represent two thirds of federal spending. Donald Trump calls global warming a hoax and President Biden offers feel-good solutions that will make no difference to the global climate," he added.

With respect to China, Romney said, "President Biden underinvests in the military and President Trump underinvests in our alliances. Political motivations too often impede the solutions that these challenges demand. The next generation of leaders must take America to the next stage of global leadership."

"While I’m not running for re-election, I’m not retiring from the fight. I’ll be your United States Senator until January 2025. I will keep working on these and other issues and I will advance our state’s numerous priorities. I look forward to working with you and with folks across our state and nation in that endeavor," he said.

"It is a profound honor to serve Utah and the nation, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to do so."

It comes as questions have swirled over his political future. Romney, who was the GOP's presidential candidate in 2012, has faced blowback from his own party over his vocal criticism of Trump. Romney had voted to convict Trump in both of his impeachment trials. 

He was first elected to the Senate from Utah in 2018, winning the GOP primary in landslide.

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

But his willingness to reach across the aisle and criticize other national Republicans has caused friction with the Utah GOP. Last month, more than 60 GOP Utah state lawmakers endorsed Utah state House Speaker Brad Wilson to mount a primary challenge against Romney. 

Wilson had formed a Senate exploratory committee in April but has not yet made a formal entrance into the race.