Democrats look at defunding ICE, impeaching Noem after Minneapolis shooting

Posted on January 8, 2026 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Democratic lawmakers are increasingly calling to defund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after a federal agent shot and killed a woman in Minnesota on Wednesday.

The defunding push is creating problems for lead Democrats, however, as they argued earlier this week that any attempt to defund ICE is off the table. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., have emphasized that the Affordable Care Act remains their priority.

Nevertheless, Wednesday's killing of a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis has galvanized ranks of Democrats.

"Certainly everyone in that room, at least on my side, is livid at what happened to this woman," said Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., who has previously called for a government shutdown to defund ICE. "Not just a resident of Minnesota, a U.S. citizen... a 37-year-old White woman, was shot, and then they lied about it."

NOEM UNLOADS ON WALZ OVER ICE RAID CRITICISM: ‘REALLY? YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT TAXPAYER DOLLARS?’

"They're disappearing people off the street, and this has nothing to do with citizenship at all, increasingly, in who they're going after," argued Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., said Wednesday that she plans to introduce articles of impeachment against Noem.

MINNEAPOLIS POLICE CHIEF BLASTS ICE AFTER AGENT SEEN DRAGGING WOMAN THROUGH STREET, KNEELING ON HER BACK

"Secretary Kristi Noem is an incompetent leader, a disgrace to our democracy, and I am impeaching her for obstruction of justice, violation of public trust, and self-dealing," Kelly said. "Secretary Noem wreaked havoc in the Chicagoland area, and now, her rogue ICE agents have unleashed that same destruction in Minneapolis, fatally shooting Renee Nicole Good."

While Kelly's effort is more far-fetched, Democrats seeking to throw a wrench in the legislative process over ICE funding could potentially see some success.

"Democrats cannot vote for a DHS budget that doesn't restrain the growing lawlessness of this agency," wrote Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said in a statement.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., echoed Murphy's sentiment, saying Congress cannot "keep authorizing money for these illegal killers," going on to call ICE a "rogue force."

Cruz demands impeachment of Boasberg and judge who sentenced Kavanaugh’s attempted assassin

Posted on January 8, 2026 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Wednesday called on Congress during a Senate hearing to impeach two federal judges, making his most elaborate case yet for imposing the extraordinary sanction on a pair of closely scrutinized jurists.

Cruz acknowledged that impeaching federal judges is exceedingly rare — 15 have been impeached in history, typically for straightforward crimes like bribery — but the Texas Republican argued it was warranted for judges James Boasberg and Deborah Boardman.

"Rarer still, until now, were the deeper offenses the framers feared most — judges who, without necessarily breaking a criminal statute, violate the public trust, subvert the constitutional order or wield their office in ways that injure society itself," Cruz said. "That is why, throughout history, Congress recognized that impeachable misconduct need not be criminal."

JACK SMITH DEFENDS SUBPOENAING REPUBLICAN SENATORS’ PHONE RECORDS: ‘ENTIRELY PROPER’

Cruz, a Senate Judiciary Committee member with an extensive legal background, said the House needed to initiate impeachment proceedings over controversial gag orders Boasberg signed in 2023 and a sentence Boardman handed down last year in the case of Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s attempted assassin.

Impeachment proceedings must be initiated in the House and typically run through the House Judiciary Committee.

Russell Dye, a spokesman for the GOP-led committee, said "everything is on the table" when asked if Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was open to the idea. If the House were to vote in favor of impeachment, it would then advance to the Senate. Two-thirds of senators would need to vote to convict the judges and remove them, a highly improbable scenario because the vote would require some support from Democrats.

Cruz’s counterpart at the hearing, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., defended the judges and accused Republicans of threatening impeachment as an effort to intimidate the judiciary because it routinely issues adverse rulings against the Trump administration.

"There was a time when I'd have hoped a Senate Judiciary subcommittee would not be roped into a scheme to amplify pressure and threats against a sitting federal judge," Whitehouse said. "But here we are."

In the case of Boardman, a Biden appointee, the judge sentenced Sophie Roske, who previously went by Nicholas Roske, to eight years in prison after the Department of Justice sought a 30-year sentence. Roske pleaded guilty to attempting to murder Kavanaugh. Boardman said she factored into her sentence that Roske identified as transgender and therefore faced unique adversity.

Cruz argued Democrats' concerns about threats that judges have faced for ruling against President Donald Trump fell on deaf ears, in his view, because they did not speak out about Boardman's leniency toward Roske.

"My Democrat colleagues on this committee do not get to give great speeches about how opposed they are to violence against the judiciary, and, at the same time, cheer on a judge saying, 'Well, if you attempt to murder a Supreme Court justice, and you happen to be transgender, not a problem. We're going to deviate downward by more than two decades,'" Cruz said.

In the case of Boasberg, former special counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed several Republican Congress members' phone records while conducting an investigation into the 2020 election and Trump's role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Smith sought gag orders so that the senators would not immediately be notified about the subpoenas, and Boasberg authorized those orders.

JUSTICE KAVANAUGH'S ATTEMPTED ASSASSIN SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS IN PRISON

Prosecutors seeking gag orders is not unusual, but senators have layers of protection from prosecution under the Constitution. The targeted Republicans have decried the subpoenas, saying their rights were violated.

Smith and an official representing the federal courts have both said that Boasberg was not notified that the subpoenas and gag orders were related to members of Congress.

Rob Luther, a law professor at George Mason University, was a witness for Republicans at the hearing and said Boasberg still should not have signed the gag orders without knowing who they applied to. Luther cited stipulations included in the orders.

"One must ask on what basis Judge Boasberg found that the disclosure of subpoenas would result in destruction of or tampering with evidence, intimidation of potential witnesses, and cause serious jeopardy to the investigation, end quote," Luther said. "Did Judge Boasberg merely rubber stamp the requested gag order, or was he willfully blind?"

Smith's actions also aligned with a DOJ policy at the time that did not require the special counsel to alert the court that the subpoenas targeted senators, a point raised by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., during the hearing. Luther said the policy did not matter.

"DOJ policy does not supplant federal law," he said.

Trump says Democrats are ‘meaner’ than Republicans, warns of impeachment if GOP loses midterms

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Latest Political News on Fox News

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Republicans need to come out on top in the upcoming midterm elections or else Democrats will move forward with impeachment proceedings and other policies the majority of American voters are against.

Trump was making his address at the House GOP members retreat at the Trump-Kennedy Center when he talked about the important elections that could determine whether Republicans keep the majority in both chambers of Congress.

"They'll find a reason to impeach me," Trump said if Democrats move into power. "We don't impeach them. You know why? Because they're meaner than we are. We should have impeached Joe Biden for 100 different things."

However, he said, Democrats have unpopular policies that could prevent them from retaking the House and Senate.

TIM SCOTT TELLS MAGA VOTERS TRUMP ‘IS ON THE BALLOT’ AS GOP FIGHTS TO GROW SENATE MAJORITY IN 2026

"But when they want open borders, when they want, as they said, men in women's sports, when they want transgender for everyone," he said, "Bring your kids in. We're going to change the sex of your child."

"We have great, solid common sense policy," he added. "They have horrendous policy. What they do is they stick together. They never have a no vote."

DOUBLING DOWN: TOP HOUSE DEMOCRAT SAYS FOCUS ON HIGH PRICES ‘ABSOLUTELY GOING TO CONTINUE’

Trump was impeached twice during his first term in office, the only U.S. president to experience that.

The first time was based on allegations that he improperly sought help from Ukraine to boost his chances of re-election. He was cleared during his Senate trial.

He was impeached a second time over allegedly inciting a riot at the U.S. Capitol amid his protest of his 2020 presidential election loss. He was later cleared at his trial.

"They impeached me. I never knew I was going to be impeached," he said. "I get a phone call. You just got impeached. I said, ‘What does that mean?’"

"It took them ten minutes … they impeached the president … who did a damn good job," Trump added. "I rebuilt our military space force. I got everything. I did a lot. They impeached me for nothing twice. For nothing."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Democratic National Committee for comment, but they did not immediately respond.

Pelosi heir-apparent calls Trump’s Venezuela move a ‘lawless coup,’ urges impeachment, slams Netanyahu

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Latest Political News on Fox News

A San Francisco Democrat demanded the impeachment of President Donald Trump, accusing him of carrying out a "coup" against Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro.

California state Sen. Scott Wiener, seen as the likely congressional successor to Rep. Nancy Pelosi, also took a swipe at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Wiener has frequently drawn national attention for his progressive positions, including his legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom designating California as a "refuge" for transgender children and remarks at a San Francisco Pride Month event referring to California children as "our kids."

In a lengthy public statement following the Trump administration’s arrest and extradition of Maduro to New York, Wiener said the move shows the president only cares about "enriching his public donors" and "cares nothing for the human or economic cost of conquering another country."

KAMALA HARRIS BLASTS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S CAPTURE OF VENEZUELA’S MADURO AS ‘UNLAWFUL AND UNWISE’

"This lawless coup is an invitation for China to invade Taiwan, for Russia to escalate its conquest in Ukraine, and for Netanyahu to expand the destruction of Gaza and annex the West Bank," said Wiener, who originally hails from South Jersey.

He suggested that the Maduro operation was meant to distract from purportedly slumping poll numbers, the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents, and to essentially seize another country’s oil reserves.

"Trump is a total failure," Wiener said. "By engaging in this reckless act, Trump is also making the entire world less safe ... Trump is making clear yet again that, under this regime, there are no rules, there are no laws, there are no norms – there is only whatever Trump thinks is best for himself and his cronies at a given moment in time."

GREENE HITS TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA STRIKES, ARGUES ACTION 'DOESN'T SERVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE'

In response, the White House said the administration's actions against Maduro were "lawfully executed" and included a federal arrest warrant."

"While Democrats take twisted stands in support of indicted drug smugglers, President Trump will always stand with victims and families who can finally receive closure thanks to this historic action," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.

Supporters of the operation have pushed back on claims of "regime change" – an accusation Wiener also made – pointing to actions by Maduro-aligned courts that barred top opposition leader María Corina Machado from running, even as publicly reported results indicated her proxy, Edmundo González Urrutia, won the vote.

"Trump’s illegal invasion of Venezuela isn’t about drugs, and it isn’t about helping the people of Venezuela or restoring Venezuelan democracy," Wiener added. "Yes, Maduro is awful, but that’s not what the invasion is about. It’s all about oil and Trump’s collapsing support at home."

EX-ESPN STAR KEITH OLBERMANN CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT OF TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA STRIKES THAT CAPTURED MADURO

Around the country, a handful of other Democrats referenced impeachment or impeachable offenses, but did not go as far as Wiener in demanding such proceedings.

Rep. April McClain-Delaney, D-Md., who represents otherwise conservative "Mountain Maryland" in the state’s panhandle, said Monday that Democrats should "imminently consider impeachment proceedings," according to TIME.

McClain-Delaney said Trump acted without constitutionally-prescribed congressional authorization and wrongly voiced "intention to ‘run’ the country."

SCHUMER BLASTED TRUMP FOR FAILING TO OUST MADURO — NOW WARNS ARREST COULD LEAD TO ‘ENDLESS WAR’

One frequent Trump foil, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., cited in a statement that she has called for Trump’s impeachment in the past; blaming Republicans for letting the president "escape accountability."

"Today, many Democrats have understandably questioned whether impeachment is possible again under the current political reality. I am reconsidering that view," Waters said.

"What we are witnessing is an unprecedented escalation of an unlawful invasion, the detention of foreign leaders, and a president openly asserting power far beyond what the Constitution allows," she said, while appearing to agree with Trump that Maduro was involved in drug trafficking and "collaborat[ion] with… terrorists."

Wiener's upcoming primary is considered the deciding election in the D+36 district, while a handful of other lesser-known candidates have reportedly either filed FEC paperwork or declared their candidacy, including San Francisco Councilwoman Connie Chan.

White House torches Democrats’ Jan 6 ‘gaslighting’ claims in anniversary takedown

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Latest Political News on Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: The White House published a new website Tuesday detailing the timeline of the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump, taking aim at Democrat lawmakers for allegedly promoting a "gaslighting narrative" surrounding the protest to silence their political opponents.

"The Democrats masterfully reversed reality after January 6, branding peaceful patriotic protesters as ‘insurrectionists’ and framing the event as a violent coup attempt orchestrated by Trump—despite no evidence of armed rebellion or intent to overthrow the government," the new website states.

"In truth, it was the Democrats who staged the real insurrection," the website continued, pointing to the certification of the 2020 election that the White House described as "fraud-ridden" and for allegedly "weaponizing federal agencies to hunt down dissenters."

"All while (then-Speaker of the House Nancy) Pelosi’s own security lapses invited the chaos they later exploited to seize and consolidate power," the website continues. "This gaslighting narrative allowed them to persecute innocent Americans, silence opposition, and distract from their own role in undermining democracy."

BBC SAYS IT WILL FIGHT TRUMP’S $10 BILLION LAWSUIT OVER EDITED JAN 6 COMMENTS

Tuesday marks the fifth anniversary of the protest that has haunted U.S. politics throughout the Biden administration and through the 2024 campaign cycle, as Democrats slammed Trump for allegedly promoting a riot. The new website works to shed accurate light on the events of the protest following years of Democrats describing it as a dark moment in U.S. history.

The new site boasts the historic date with black and white images of Democrats and others who investigated the breach, a timeline of Trump supporters gathering in Washington, D.C., ahead of and after the breach, and how the House Administration Subcommittee’s Interim Report reviewing the breach uncovered "critical security failures on January 6, 2021, that were largely due to politicized decisions by Democratic leadership and the Pentagon."

The Jan. 6th Select Committee was charged with the initial investigation into the breach and ultimately referred Trump for prosecution in 2022. The committee became a lightning rod of criticism for Trump and Republicans, who accused the congressional body of "deleting and destroying" evidence related to the investigation, which was detailed in the House Administration Subcommittee’s Interim Report published in December 2024.

TRUMP SAYS LAWSUIT AGAINST BBC WILL BE FILED IMMINENTLY

The website's timeline of Jan. 6, 2021, kicks off with Trump's "call to action" for Americans to travel to Washington, D.C., "for a peaceful and historic demonstration."

The timeline walks users through the events of the day, including excerpts focused on: "President Trump Delivers Powerful Speech," "Patriots March to the Capitol," "Capitol Police Response Escalates Tensions," "President Trump Urges Calm," and "Leaked Pelosi Video Exposes Security Lapses."

Supporters of Trump gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, when Congress was set to certify the Electoral College vote that determined President Joe Biden was elected to the nation's highest office.

Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi was a key figure in the protest's subsequent investigations, as she served as speaker of the House at the time. Footage from inside the Capitol during the protest showed that she admitted to taking "responsibility" for the breach.

"Leaked footage captured by Nancy Pelosi’s daughter shows the Speaker during the chaos admitting, 'I take responsibility,' for security failures," the White House website states. "The video exposes Pelosi’s catastrophic failure to prepare, including rejecting President Trump’s reported advance offers of 10,000 troops to maintain security. Pelosi’s daughter’s own footage shows she knew security was so limited under her watch, exposing the deliberate refusal to accept offered reinforcements that could have prevented or delayed required reinforcements."

Pelosi's office has slammed the promotion of the video as cherry-picked statements that don't contradict that Pelosi was not responsible for handling security at the Capitol, as tactical decisions ahead of the protest fell under the Capitol Police's and the Capitol Police Board's purview.

When asked about the new site and remarks focused on Pelosi, the House Speaker emerita's spokesman, Ian Krager, slammed the use of "cherry-picked, out-of-context clips" to allegedly downplay "the deadly insurrection," which included the fatal shooting of Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt while in the Capitol.

"Numerous independent fact-checkers have confirmed again and again that Speaker Pelosi did not plan her own assassination on January 6th," Krager said. "Cherry-picked, out-of-context clips do not change the fact that the Speaker of the House is not in charge of the security of the Capitol Complex — on January 6th or any other day of the week. The ongoing attempts to whitewash the deadly insurrection are shameful, unpatriotic, and pathetic."

Pelosi published a statement Tuesday on the anniversary of the breach, calling it an "attempted coup" via "a violent insurrection incited by the President of the United States."

"We must speak plainly: January 6th was an attempted coup. It was an effort to nullify millions of lawful votes and subvert the will of the American people," Pelosi wrote in the statement published Tuesday. "But the attack failed because of the courage of public servants who gave proof through the night that our flag was still there by refusing to bend to pressure, threats, or intimidation. On that day, the Constitution held and we kept the Republic."

LEGAL ANALYST PREDICTS TRUMP COULD WIN 'CONSIDERABLE' DAMAGES FROM BBC DOCUMENTARY LAWSUIT

Jan. 6, 2021, thrust Trump into a legal and political storm that followed him out of office, fueling his second impeachment and years of courtroom battles. Democrats cited his words and actions surrounding the Capitol riot as grounds for "incitement of insurrection," while prosecutors later built separate cases probing election interference and efforts to overturn the 2020 results.

Democrats stated that Jan. 6 was one of the darkest days in U.S. history, repeatedly pointing to it throughout the Biden administration and 2024 campaign cycle as the Biden–Harris ticket, followed by the Harris–Walz ticket, worked to preserve the party's control of the executive branch.

Biden called Jan. 6 a "dark moment" and "an assault on the citadel of liberty" back in 2021, while former Vice President Kamala Harris said during the 2024 presidential debate that it was "the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War."

Trump has hit back at Democratic rhetoric, defending that he told supporters to march "peacefully and patriotically" outside the Capitol, while also describing the day as "a day of love" and casting many defendants as unfairly targeted. The president granted clemency to all individuals convicted or awaiting trial over the breach, roughly 1,600 people, upon his return to the Oval Office in January 2025.

TRUMP ISSUES FRESH PARDONS FOR JAN 6 DEFENDANTS, INCLUDING WOMAN ACCUSED OF THREATENING FBI ON SOCIAL MEDIA

The new White House website page argues in one section that "President Trump Corrected a Historic Wrong—freeing Americans Who Were Unjustly Punished and Restoring Fairness Under the Law."

"With his triumphant return to the White House, President Trump wasted no time righting one of the darkest wrongs in modern American history," the site states. "On Inauguration Day 2025, he issued sweeping pardons and commutations for the vast majority of January 6 defendants—patriotic citizens who had been viciously overcharged, denied due process, and held as political hostages by a vengeful regime."

The major legal cases targeting Trump that were tied to claims he worked to overturn the 2020 election were later dropped after Trump returned to office, while a Georgia election-interference prosecution against Trump and others was also dismissed.

The BBC is currently wrapped up in a $10 billion defamation lawsuit leveled by Trump in a Florida federal court over a documentary the outlet published ahead of the 2024 election that included an edited clip of Trump's 2021 speech on Jan. 6. The outlet has apologized for an "error of judgment" regarding editing the speech, but has rejected demands for financial compensation. The edited video is also included on the White House's latest website.

Maduro’s wife suffered ‘significant injuries’ in dramatic capture, attorney alleges

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's wife arrived to court in New York City wearing bandages on her face and complaining of bruises on her ribs, according to her lawyer.

Her attorney, veteran prosecutor Mark Donnelly, told the court that Cilia Flores suffered "significant injuries" when U.S. forces raided the couple's compound in Caracas on Saturday. Donnelly requested that Flores receive a full X-ray to determine whether she fractured a rib in the incident.

Flores was already wearing two bandages on her face, one on her forehead and another above her eye.

Both she and her husband pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism and other charges in their first appearance on Monday.

SWITZERLAND IMPOSES 4-YEAR ASSET FREEZE LINKED TO MADURO, ASSOCIATES FOLLOWING VENEZUELAN LEADER'S CAPTURE

Maduro faces four charges: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Flores faces three charges, including cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Donnelly filed a motion to serve as counsel for Flores earlier Monday. He previously served 12 years at the Department of Justice, including as senior advisor to the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas.

DEFIANT MADURO DECLARES HE IS A 'PRISONER OF WAR' IN FIRST US COURT APPEARANCE

"Mark has extensive experience investigating white collar cases, having run the Southern District’s fraud division for over two years. His white collar practice included FCPA investigations, Healthcare Fraud, joint SEC matters, large scale investor fraud, and cyber security matters," Donnelly's biography on the website for the Parker Sanchez & Donnelly law firm reads.

The Texas House of Representatives also enlisted Donnelly to assist in the 2023 investigation and impeachment trial for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton's impeachment case made it to the Texas Senate, but he was ultimately acquitted on all charges.

Maduro and Flores, who have been married for 12 years, were first introduced while working closely with Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chávez. At the time, Maduro described her as having a "fiery character," according to Reuters.

The pair did not marry until nearly two decades after first meeting, after Maduro was elected president in 2013.

Fox News' Emma Bussey contributed to this report.

Trump flips Democrats’ ‘no one is above the law’ mantra after Walz drops re-election bid

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Latest Political News on Fox News

President Donald Trump flipped the script on Democrats’ "no one is above the law" mantra after years of hearing it aimed at him, invoking the phrase after news broke Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz would not seek re-election as a sweeping fraud scandal rocks his state.

"Governor Walz has destroyed the State of Minnesota, but others, like Governor Gavin Newscum, JB Pritzker, and Kathy Hochul, have done, in my opinion, an even more dishonest and incompetent job. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW!" Trump posted to Truth Social Monday afternoon.

The message followed Walz announcing Monday that he was withdrawing his re-election effort to continue serving as governor. Walz was first elected the state's top leader in 2018 in a political career that also included him campaigning coast-to-coast in 2024 as former Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate.

"As I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all," Walz wrote in a statement. "Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences."

KEVIN MCCARTHY SAYS MINNESOTA'S 'ENTIRE DEMOCRAT ADMINISTRATION' WILL HAVE TO RESIGN OVER FRAUD SCANDAL

Minnesota has come under fierce scrutiny in recent weeks as a sprawling fraud scandal that has led to dozens of arrests, mostly from the state's large Somali community, since 2022 comes to light. Minnesota was allegedly home to a massive COVID-era scheme that allegedly involved money laundering operations related to fraudulent meal and housing programs, daycare centers and Medicaid services, according to investigators.

The Minnesota fraud is still being tabulated, with local officials speculating it could exceed $1 billion and rise to as high as $9 billion.

NICK SHIRLEY GLOATS HE 'ENDED TIM WALZ’ AFTER MINNESOTA GOVERNOR SCRAPS RE-ELECTION BID AMID FRAUD SCANDAL

Trump's use of the phrase "no one is above the law" follows years of Democrats employing the same rhetoric against him as he faced a barrage of charges and court cases in between his first and second administrations.

"No one is above the law," President Joe Biden said after Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsified business records in a Manhattan court in May 2024.

Trump faced four criminal indictments, which resulted in accusations of "lawfare" on the national stage as Trump maintained his innocence and slammed the cases as efforts by the Democratic Party to hurt his political chances for re-election in 2024.

DAVID MARCUS: TIM WALZ'S WHITE GUILT FINALLY ENDS HIS CAREER AS MINNESOTA’S FRAUD EXPLODES

"As I’ve said before, no one is above the law, including Donald Trump," then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in 2023 after the Biden administration's Department of Justice announced Trump had been indicted on 37 counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Even during Trump's first administration, Democrats championed the phrase as they combated MAGA Republicans and Trump policies.

"Everybody wants the president to be held accountable in the most serious way," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said of Trump in 2019 amid a discussion at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, underscoring that Democrats believe "no one is above the law." "And everybody believes, now I'm talking on the Democratic side, that no one is above the law, especially the president of the United States."

"We must be clear: no one, not even the president, is above the law," Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said in a statement in 2019 when introducing articles of impeachment against Trump.

COMER WARNS WALZ ABSENCE AT MINNESOTA FRAUD HEARING WOULD BE 'ADMISSION TO GUILT' BY GOVERNOR

Upon his victory over the Harris–Walz presidential ticket in 2024, Trump has taken a victory lap for allegedly snuffing out the weaponization of government.

"We have ended weaponized government, where, as an example, a sitting president is allowed to viciously prosecute his political opponent, like me. How did that work out?" he said during his joint address to Congress in 2025. "Not too good. Not too good."

Trump added in his Monday Truth Social post that "Minnesota’s Corrupt Governor will possibly leave office before his Term is up," and that he's confident the fraud investigations "will reveal a seriously unscrupulous, and rich, group of 'SLIMEBALLS.'"

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson added in comment to Fox Digital on Monday afternoon when asked about the Truth Social post: "It shouldn’t take an education from the Quality Learing Center for Democrats to understand this: Tim Walz and his Somali friends have been caught ripping off hardworking Minnesota taxpayers and now they will face the consequences. President Trump is right, no one is above the law."

Walz has taken ownership of correcting the fraud. He said his administration had been taking action to stop some suspected fraudulent payments over the summer and that his office referred some for prosecution. The governor, however, has said that multibillion figures were "sensationalized" by Republicans.

"This is on my watch, I am accountable for this and, more importantly, I am the one that will fix it," Walz told reporters in December.

Fox Digital reached out to Walz's office for a response to Trump's Truth Social but did not immediately receive a reply.

Fox News Digital's Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

Democrats label Trump’s Venezuela operation an ‘impeachable offense’

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Democrats' anger over President Donald Trump's weekend operation in Venezuela is now turning into demands for his impeachment by some members of the party's leftmost flank.

Several progressives have now called for proceedings against Trump after the administration carried out strikes in Caracas and captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

"Many Americans woke up to a sick sense of déjà vu. Under the guise of liberty, an administration of warmongers has lied to justify an invasion and is dragging us into an illegal, endless war so they can extract resources and expand their wealth," Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., a member of the House's "Squad," posted on X over the weekend.

"We must pass Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s War Powers Resolution that asserts Congress' authorities, and Trump must be impeached."

GREENE HITS TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA STRIKES, ARGUES ACTION 'DOESN'T SERVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE'

Ramirez was referring to a resolution led by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., aimed at blocking Trump from carrying out military action against Venezuela.

Meanwhile, Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., who is facing a primary challenge from his left, criticized Trump for bypassing Congress to launch what he called a "war" with Venezuela, and he argued the administration failed to give lawmakers "any satisfactory explanation."

"This violation of the United States Constitution is an impeachable offense," Goldman said in a statement. "I urge my Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives to finally join Democrats in reasserting congressional authority by holding this president accountable for this gross violation of the Constitution."

HOUSE DEMOCRAT CALLS TRUMP'S MADURO CAPTURE 'WELCOME NEWS' AS LEFT ACCUSES HIM OF 'ILLEGAL ACTIONS'

Rep. April McClain Delaney, D-Md., did not mention Trump by name, but she posted on X, "Let’s be clear, invading and running another country without a congressional declaration of war is an impeachable offense. Whether it makes sense to pursue impeachment as the best strategy to end this lawlessness is a tactical judgment that our Caucus needs to seriously deliberate."

And Golden State gubernatorial hopeful Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., did not rule out supporting Trump's impeachment when asked at a press conference in California, according to local outlet Pleasanton Weekly.

Progressive House candidates also spoke up, including Kat Abughazaleh, who is running for an open seat in Illinois.

"I demand that Congress exercise its power, halt this conflict, and impeach this war criminal president," Abughazaleh posted on the Bluesky app.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response.

HOUSE GOP CRITICS BREAK WITH TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA OPERATION THAT CAPTURED MADURO

Republicans and Democrats have, for the most part, been sharply divided in their responses to the operation in Venezuela.

Democrats have accused Trump of running afoul of U.S. laws to launch an illegal invasion of a sovereign country.

Republicans, meanwhile, have defended it as a successful move to take out a dictator and longtime hostile actor to the U.S. and in the region as a whole.

Top GOP lawmakers have also argued there was no need to notify Congress prior to what they called a law enforcement action rather than a military operation.

These House mavericks defied their own parties more than anyone else in 2025

Posted on January 2, 2026 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Party-line votes still dominate the House of Representatives, but a small group of lawmakers regularly break ranks — defying leadership, reshaping close outcomes and exposing the fault lines inside both parties.

Based on voting data from the 119th Congress, the following list includes the members who voted against the tide the most in 2025, from well-known mavericks to low-profile lawmakers whose dissent surprised even Capitol Hill insiders.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS ON THE HILL: 'FIGHTING' IN THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN 'FAMILY'

Although Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., is tied for 10th place with Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., and Rep. Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., his entry on this list is arguably more surprising. Unlike the other two who have reputations for breaking ranks, the mild-mannered Republican largely focuses on policy and isn’t known for an eagerness to step out of line.

And yet his 46 votes against a majority of Republicans put his dissent rate last year at a top-ten 13.8%.

In 2025, Burlison diverged from the bulk of his party whenever legislation came up that would increase regulation or add burdens to federal workloads. He also voted in favor of many amendments that ultimately went unadopted — many of which were proposed by similarly conservative colleagues.

Once chairman of the rebel-filled House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., is known for his strong stances on issues like immigration, the size of government and fiscal accountability. He has voted against the majority of Republicans on 48 votes last year, or 14.2% of the time.

Like many of the Republicans in the top 10, Biggs has voted against measures that have passed with broad bipartisan support, but that lost the backing of more conservative wings of the party.

Early in the year, he was one of five lawmakers to vote against the Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act, a bill that would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to conduct a working group and submit a report to Congress on how the agency can streamline its grant information.

While Chip Roy, R-Texas, isn’t the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, he often acts as its messaging rudder. The group is known for a willingness to toe the party line on issues like the size of government and government spending.

Few members in the group are as influential in their messaging as Roy. He has voted against the majority of his party on 53 occasions, accounting for 15.7% of the votes he took last year.

He has consistently voted against bills that would increase the size of government, such as the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act. He was one of only five votes against a bill that provided additional funding to counties containing federal land.

Roy will not pursue re-election to the House in 2026 and will instead run for Texas attorney general.

Rep. Adam Gray, D-Calif., holds a seat in one of the most competitive districts in the country. In 2024, he won election to Congress by just 187 votes — less than one percentage point more than Republican incumbent Rep. John Duarte, R-Calif.

He has voted against a majority of Democrats on 60 occasions, accounting for 18.4% of his votes cast in the 119th Congress. That led him to vote with Republicans on several largely party-line votes.

On one such recent occasion, he joined with Republicans to reopen the government after a record-breaking 43-day shutdown — one of just six Democrats to cross the aisle to do so.

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Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, faced tight election odds in 2024. In that race, he narrowly won in a 51.3%-48.7% victory over Rep. Mayra Flores, R-Texas.

In the 119th Congress, Gonzalez has broken with Democrats on 65 occasions, accounting for 19.76% of his total. On the final day of the 2025 session alone, Gonzalez voted with Republicans and against the bulk of his party eight times — including in favor of three amendments offered by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas.

Notably, Gonzalez helped Republicans pass the Laken Riley Act in January, a bill that empowered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to more easily detain illegal immigrants arrested for burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting.

Just one day later, Gonzalez voted present on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, a piece of legislation that would extend protections for children who survive an attempted abortion.

Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., voted against a majority of his party on 70 occasions in the 119th Congress, amounting to 20.3% of all his votes cast and putting him within the top five members in the House most likely to break with party leadership.

Davis has joined Republicans on several notable votes, including a motion to dismiss an impeachment resolution against President Donald Trump in early December — an effort spearheaded by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas. He also voted alongside Republicans to reopen the government during its record-breaking shutdown and joined a group of 11 Democrats to pass the Stop Illegal Entry Act — a bill that increases criminal penalties for illegal immigrants who commit a felony or reenter the U.S. after being deported.

Like many of the other Democrats on the top 10 list, Davis narrowly won election in 2024. He beat out Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout by just 1.7%.

One of the most well-known dissenters in Congress, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, has crossed the aisle on a wide range of issues.

Golden’s 72 votes against a majority of Democrats make up 20.8% of his votes in the 119th Congress. He voted alongside 23 other Democrats to pass a congressional disapproval of Rep. Chuy Garcia, D-Ill., and he voted with Republicans to end the government shutdown.

Most notably, Golden was the lone Democrat to help Republicans pass a year-long funding bill back in March.

Golden announced he would not pursue re-election in 2026, citing a climate of increasing political polarization. He last won election in 2024 by just 0.6% of the vote.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is perhaps the most visible Republican dissenter in the House. His willingness to break with the party on high-profile issues like government spending, transparency and accountability has garnered him national recognition.

Most recently, the political maverick spearheaded efforts to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act — a bill that compelled the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release all its documentation on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019 while incarcerated.

He has voted against a majority of Republicans on 73 occasions or 22.3% of the time in the 119th Congress and was just one of two Republicans to oppose the final passage of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

A relatively quiet member who represents a highly competitive district, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., is the second most likely member to buck the party trend on any given vote in the 119th Congress. Last year, she voted 77 times against the majority of Democrats, accounting for 22.5% of her record in the first session.

Gluesenkamp Perez narrowly won re-election in 2024 in a 51.7%-47.9% victory over Republican Joe Kent.

Recently, she joined Republicans in a vote to condemn the horrors of socialism, voted to advance an annual defense bill that sets the priorities for the country’s military, was one of 10 Democrats to support the censure of Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, and helped pass the immigration-focused Laken Riley Act.

Most recently, Gluesenkamp Perez drew the ire of many of her fellow Democrats for leading an effort to rebuke fellow Democrat Chuy Garcia, D-Texas, after he effectively prevented a Democratic primary by announcing his retirement at a filing deadline.

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In 2025, no member was more likely to break with his own party than Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas.

His whopping 83 votes against a majority of Democrats put him solidly atop a list of the other rebels, political mavericks and party dissenters in the 119th Congress — accounting for nearly a quarter of every vote he’s cast this year at 24.1%.

Cuellar faced questions earlier in 2025 about whether he would consider a party switch as his political future hung in the balance. Cuellar faced an indictment from the DOJ for allegedly accepting bribes and acting as a foreign agent.

The Trump administration granted the embattled lawmaker a pardon in early December. Moments after receiving his pardon, Cuellar filed for re-election as a Democrat.

Despite his voting record, Cuellar faced the least competitive election of any Democrat on the top 10 list. He last won re-election in 2024 in a 52.8%-47.2% win over Republican challenger Jay Furman, accounting for a 5.5% margin of victory.

These House mavericks defied their own parties more than anyone else in 2025

Posted on January 2, 2026 by Latest Political News on Fox News

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And yet his 46 votes against a majority of Republicans put his dissent rate last year at a top-ten 13.8%.

Like many of the Republicans in the top 10, Biggs has voted against measures that have passed with broad bipartisan support, but that lost the backing of more conservative wings of the party.

Few members in the group are as influential in their messaging as Roy. He has voted against the majority of his party on 53 occasions, accounting for 15.7% of the votes he took last year.

Roy will not pursue re-election to the House in 2026 and will instead run for Texas attorney general.

He has voted against a majority of Democrats on 60 occasions, accounting for 18.4% of his votes cast in the 119th Congress. That led him to vote with Republicans on several largely party-line votes.

On one such recent occasion, he joined with Republicans to reopen the government after a record-breaking 43-day shutdown — one of just six Democrats to cross the aisle to do so.

MODERATE DEMOCRATS PUSH BACK AS PROGRESSIVES MOVE TO OUST JEFFRIES, CLARK OVER TRUMP STRATEGY

Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, faced tight election odds in 2024. In that race, he narrowly won in a 51.3%-48.7% victory over Rep. Mayra Flores, R-Texas.

Just one day later, Gonzalez voted present on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, a piece of legislation that would extend protections for children who survive an attempted abortion.

Like many of the other Democrats on the top 10 list, Davis narrowly won election in 2024. He beat out Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout by just 1.7%.

One of the most well-known dissenters in Congress, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, has crossed the aisle on a wide range of issues.

Most notably, Golden was the lone Democrat to help Republicans pass a year-long funding bill back in March.

Golden announced he would not pursue re-election in 2026, citing a climate of increasing political polarization. He last won election in 2024 by just 0.6% of the vote.

Gluesenkamp Perez narrowly won re-election in 2024 in a 51.7%-47.9% victory over Republican Joe Kent.

HOUSE GOP TENSIONS ERUPT AFTER MODERATE REPUBLICANS' OBAMACARE 'BETRAYAL'

In 2025, no member was more likely to break with his own party than Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas.

The Trump administration granted the embattled lawmaker a pardon in early December. Moments after receiving his pardon, Cuellar filed for re-election as a Democrat.