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Hochul’s office silent when pressed if she sticks by ‘no one is above the law’ belief amid AG’s indictment

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New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul offered her support of Empire State Attorney General Letitia James when she was first indicted on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, following years of the New York governor celebrating legal challenges originating in her home state and elsewhere against President Donald Trump. 

"New Yorkers know @NewYorkStateAGJames for her integrity, her independence, and her relentless fight for justice," Hochul posted to X following James' indictment. "What we're seeing today is nothing less than the weaponization of the Justice Department to punish those who hold the powerful accountable." 

A grand jury in Virginia indicted James Thursday, months after Federal Housing Finance Director Bill Pulte said in a criminal referral to the Department of Justice in April that James allegedly falsified mortgage records to obtain more favorable loans. She faces charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.

Pulte alleged in his criminal referral that James purchased a home in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2023, but identified it as her primary residence on mortgage documents and a Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac form. James is legally required to live in New York as a statewide elected official in that state. 

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"No one is above the law. The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust," U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan said when James was indicted. "The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served."

Hochul, as well as other prominent Democrats, have pointed to the indictment as alleged "political weaponization" and political persecution of a Trump foe at the hands of the administration. 

James and Trump have long traded barbs, with James campaigning for the attorney general job in 2018 by vowing to pursue legal charges against Trump if elected. Her office ultimately filed nearly 100 legal challenges against the first Trump administration and vowed to continue the legal battles upon his re-election in November 2024. 

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Trump accused Democrats of waging lawfare — which is understood as leveraging the courts to gain political advantage — as a last-ditch attempt to prevent him from running for the Oval Office again in the 2024 cycle and securing another federal election win. Trump, for example, was indicted and found guilty in a New York case that accused him of falsifying business records, he was indicted on racketeering charges in Georgia, faced federal criminal cases claiming he mishandled sensitive government documents after his first presidency, and another claiming he attempted to overturn the 2020 election results. 

Trump also faced civil cases, including James accusing Trump and the Trump Organization of inflating asset values in a lawsuit that found Trump and his companies liable. 

Fox News Digital took a look back at Hochul's previous comments on Trump and the legal cases that plagued the president during his first administration through his interim as the 45th and 47th president, and found the governor frequently celebrated cases that conservatives identified as "lawfare." 

Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul's office for comment on her past remarks on legal cases against Trump as she promotes the narrative that the administration is weaponizng the justice system against political foes, but did not immediately receive a reply. Fox Digital specifically asked if Hochul stands by her previous comments that "no one is above the law," considering James' indictment, but did not receive replies. 

Trump is the first and only president to be impeached twice by the House, with Hochul remaking during his first impeachment in 2019 — which accused him of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to allegedly seeking foreign interference from Ukraine to boost his re-election efforts in 2020 — that no one is above the law.

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"It’s really quite simple — NO ONE is above the law. Not now, not ever," she posted to Facebook. "Speaker Pelosi & Democrats in Congress are holding the president accountable because they have a patriotic duty to uphold our Constitution, not play partisan politics."

As Trump stood trial for the civil fraud case launched by James that accused Trump and Trump Organization of financial fraud, Hochul commented that she had "full confidence" that he would be held accountable, while also remarking that he had "temper tantrums" in court. 

"Former President Donald Trump is testifying in an unprecedented civil trial brought by our own Attorney General, Tish James. So far from telling the truth as he's required to do, he's throwing temper tantrums from the witness stand and verbally attacking judges and courtroom staff,"  she said in November 2023. "His conduct has been a disgrace and I have full confidence that Donald Trump will be held accountable for his actions." 

A month later, the Democratic governor appeared to throw her support behind a lawsuit that aimed to prevent Trump's name from appearing on voting ballots for the 2024 election. 

NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES' INDICTMENT SPARKS SHARP PARTISAN DIVIDE

A group of Colorado voters brought forth a lawsuit in 2022 arguing Trump should be deemed ineligible from holding political office under a Civil War-era insurrection clause. The lawsuit argued Trump's action on Jan. 6, 2021 — when supporters breached the U.S. Capitol — violated a clause in the 14th Amendment that prevents officers of the United States, members of Congress or state legislatures who "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the Constitution from holding political office.

"Jan. 6 will live in infamy. Shame on us if we forget that," Hochul said in December 2023, when the Colorado Supreme Court declared him ineligible to run for president. "Shame on us what happened to this country when a Capitol that I used to proudly walk in as a member of Congress was literally under siege, people died, people were injured, and if he doesn’t take responsibility for that, then the American people ought to hold him accountable. So that’s what’s starting in Colorado."

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in March 2024 to keep Trump on the ballot.

After Trump was found liable in James' civil fraud case in 2023 and ordered to pay $355 million fine, Hochul worked to calm other business leaders' concerns that they could face similar trials, citing that Trump and "his behavior" set him apart. 

"I think that this is really an extraordinary, unusual circumstance that the law-abiding and rule-following New Yorkers who are business people have nothing to worry about, because they’re very different than Donald Trump and his behavior," Hochul said on the radio show "The Cats Roundtable" in February 2024. 

An appeals court threw out the monetary penalty in the case earlier in 2025. 

Later that same year, Hochul celebrated that "no one is above the law" when Trump was found guilty in NY v. Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records. 

"Today's verdict reaffirms that no one is above the law," Hochul said in a statement in May 2024. "In preparation for a verdict in this trial, I directed my Administration to closely coordinate with local and federal law enforcement and we continue to monitor the situation. We are committed to protecting the safety of all New Yorkers and the integrity of our judicial system."

As the election came down to the wire in 2024, Hochul slammed Trump as a "fraud" and "philanderer" who lacked New York values, while pointing to the New York v. Trump case. 

"Donald Trump was born a New Yorker but ended up a fraud, a philanderer, and a felon. He wasn’t raised with the New York values that I know," Hochul declared during her Democratic National Convention speech in Chicago in 2024. "Trust me, America, if you think you’re tired of Donald Trump, talk to a New Yorker. We’ve had to deal with them for 78 long years, the fraud, the tax dodging, the sham university, the shady charities."

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Trump won the Republican primary in the 2024 election cycle, and swept the seven battleground states on Election Day, defeating then-Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed then-President Joe Biden in the Oval Office. 

Hochul and James held a press conference the day after the election, and vowed to battle the Trump agenda while honoring the results of the election. 

"I want to be very clear that while we honor the results of this election and will work with anyone who wants to be a partner in achieving the goals of our administration in our state, that does not mean we'll accept an agenda from Washington that strips away the rights that New Yorkers have long enjoyed," Hochul said on Nov. 6, 2024. 

"We did not expect this result, but we are prepared to respond to this result," James said during the same press conference. "And my office has been preparing for several months because we've been here before," James said. "We faced this challenge before, and we used the rule of law to fight back. And we are prepared to fight back once again because, as the attorney general of this great state, it is my job to protect and defend the rights of New Yorkers and the rule of law. And I will not shrink from that responsibility."

Trump slammed the onslaught of court cases against him in recent years, denying wrongdoing and identifying them as attempts from his political foes as tools to prevent him from seeking and winning re-election. 

"They're playing with the courts, as you know, they've been playing with the courts for four years," Trump said in January, just days before he was sworn back into office. "Probably got me more votes because I got the highest number of votes ever gotten by a Republican by far, actually, by a lot. And, you know, we had a great election, so I guess it didn't work. But even to this day, they're playing with the courts and they're friendly judges that like to try and make everybody happy. … It's called lawfare, it's called weaponization of justice." 

Democrats attempting to visit Brooklyn ICE facility reportedly ‘trapped’ after being rebuffed by agents

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Three Democratic New York City federal lawmakers attempted to gain entry to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, where as many as 100 illegal immigrants are being held, according to one state lawmaker.

Images posted Wednesday by the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) showed Reps. Adriano Espaillat, Nydia Velazquez and Daniel Goldman walking toward the MDC with the Gowanus Expressway in the background.

The NYIC said the lawmakers had been refused entry to the prison, which has a history of high-profile inmates, including currently Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Luigi Mangione, and formerly ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen and MSNBC host Al Sharpton after he was arrested for trespassing on a Puerto Rican bombing range in 2001.

"Masked agents refused [the lawmakers’] oversight access to Sunset Park [MDC] and have now trapped them between a fence and the facility," NYIC tweeted.

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"They can’t get out or get in."

A spokesperson for Espaillat told Fox News Digital officials "closed the gate and ran away for about 20-30 minutes."

"No one could get in or out – either way – locking the members in for that time period."

Fox News Digital reached out to Goldman and Velazquez for further comment.

Fox News Digital also reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for their accounting of the incident.

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The situation marks the third time in recent weeks that lawmakers have attempted to gain entry to otherwise secure federal holding facilities.

Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., was arrested for allegedly accosting federal agents outside a jail in her home city of Newark.

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McIver had been joined by several other lawmakers, including Rep. Robert Menendez Jr., D-N.J., son of the former senator, who is currently imprisoned separately on bribery charges.

Reps. Kweisi Mfume, Sarah Elfreth, Johnny Olzewski Jr. and Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., were all similarly rebuffed at a Baltimore ICE office where a handful of detained immigrants were reportedly being held.

ICE said at the time that the building, near Charles Center in the city’s downtown, is not a true holding facility and only a processing center.

In the Brooklyn case, New York Democrats have railed against ICE for some time for their use of the jail as a detention facility for illegal immigrants.

State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, D-Bay Ridge, said in July that MDC Brooklyn recently began holding more than 100 detainees and claimed that many have no criminal records.

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"ICE is disappearing immigrants, many of whom have no criminal records, into a jail that a judge called ‘contemptuous of human life and dignity.’ That should appall all of us," Gounardes said in a statement.

"This isn’t about public safety—it’s a show of force meant to instill fear in our communities and keep immigrants in the shadows. It’s incredibly dangerous, disturbing and un-American. It must end now."

Prior to his visit Wednesday, Goldman – who served as Sen. Adam Schiff’s, D-Calif., lead attorney in the congressional impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump – lambasted the president for his administration’s decision to utilize the MDC.

"Rather than continuing the Biden administration’s efforts to boost staffing and reduce lockdowns at the MDC, the Trump administration has reversed those improvements and is now further overloading an already unsafe and understaffed facility with dozens of immigrants with no criminal history," Goldman said.

According to ICE’s Office of Congressional Relations website, members of Congress need only submit a request via email at least seven days in advance of their desired visit.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson explained to Fox News Digital that the seven-day requirement is meant to "prevent interference with the President’s Article II authority to oversee executive department functions."

The spokesperson also noted that "ICE law enforcement has seen a surge in assaults of 830%, as well as disruptions and obstructions to enforcement, including by politicians themselves," in an apparent reference to McIver.

Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.

AOC’s childhood nickname revealed amid ‘Bronx girl’ claims

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s tough Bronx persona is under fresh scrutiny with a resurfaced childhood nickname from her suburban upstate New York upbringing casting doubt on that publicly portrayed image.

The progressive champion’s latest spat with President Donald Trump over the Iran strikes again called into question her true upbringing when she declared on X that she was a "Bronx girl" to make a point against the president. 

The 35-year-old "Squad" member wrote in part on X last week: "I’m a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully," she said, referring to the president’s upbringing in Queens as she called for his impeachment over his decision to bypass Congress in authorizing U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. 

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Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx but moved to Yorktown – which is nearly an hour outside New York City -- when she was 5 years old and went on to attend Yorktown High School, from where she graduated in 2007.

She was considered an accomplished student there and well-thought of by teacher Michael Blueglass, according to a 2018 report by local media outlet Halston Media News. 

"There, known by students and staff as ‘Sandy,’ she was a member of the Science Research Program taught by Michael Blueglass," the report states.

"She was amazing," Blueglass said, per the report. "Aside from her winning one of the top spots and going to the [Intel International Science and Engineering Fair], she was just one of the most amazing presenters in all of the years I've been at Yorktown. Her ability to take complex information and explain it to all different levels of people was fantastic."

After high school, Ocasio-Cortez attended Boston University, where she majored in economics and international relations, per the report.

Ocasio-Cortez’s "Sandy" nickname — which carries a more suburban and preppy tone — appears to undercut her politically crafted image as a tough, inner-city fighter, one she has portrayed since her famous 2018 congressional campaign, where she eventually ousted former 10-term Congressman Joe Crowley. 

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New York GOP Assemblyman Matt Slater, who now represents Yorktown, added to the scrutiny of Ocasio-Cortez’s persona in the wake of her brush with Trump and released images of Ocasio-Cortez from his high school yearbook. He claimed he and the rising Democratic star attended Yorktown High School at the same time when she was a freshman and he was a senior. 

"I saw the attacks on the president and her [Ocasio-Cortez] claims that she's a big, tough Bronx girl," said Slater. "To sit there and say that she’s a Bronx girl is just patently ridiculous." 

"Everybody in our community knows this is just a bold-face lie," said Slater on "Fox & Friends First" last week. "She grew up in Yorktown, she was on my track team." 

"She's lying about her background, she's lying about her upbringing," Slater claimed.  

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Slater’s post sent social media ablaze and prompted Ocasio-Cortez to respond after an image of her family’s home in Yorktown was posted online. 

"I’m proud of how I grew up and talk about it all the time," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X Friday, responding to the post. "My mom cleaned houses and I helped. We cleaned tutors’ homes in exchange for SAT prep."

"Growing up between the Bronx and Yorktown deeply shaped my views of inequality & it’s a big reason I believe the things I do today!"

Fox News' Madison Colombo contributed to this report. 

Jeffries gives answer for not yet endorsing Mamdani for NYC mayor

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., acknowledged on Sunday that he has not yet endorsed Zohran Mamdani for mayor of New York City, and faced questioning as to why he has yet to back the progressive candidate in his home city.

Jeffries made his remarks to Jonathan Karl on ABC's "This Week," adding that he did speak with Mamdani on Wednesday to congratulate him on the campaign "that clearly was relentlessly focused on the high cost of living in New York City and the economy."

When asked what is holding him back from endorsing the mayoral candidate, the House minority leader said he and Mamdani "don't really know each other well."

"Our districts don't overlap. I have never had a substantive conversation with him," noting that it is "the next step in terms of this process."

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Jeffries did say that the two of them have agreed to sit down soon "in central Brooklyn."

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Mamdani has faced controversy over a number of his statements and positions. The democratic socilalist's website includes a housing policy document that states that if he were elected, his administration would "shift the tax burden from overtaxed homeowners in the outer boroughs to more expensive homes in richer and Whiter neighborhoods."

He has also faced scrutiny for anti-Israel positions, such as support for the "Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions" movement targeting the Jewish state. He has also stated that, if elected mayor, he would have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested if he visits the city.

Despite this, Mamdani came out on top in last week's Democratic mayoral primary, defeating rivals such as former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. In the general election, he is slated to face Republican Curtis Sliwa and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an Independent.

Olbermann leads left-wing meltdown against CNN, calling to ‘burn it down’ after Biden’s performance

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Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann led liberal outrage toward CNN, calling for the network to be "burn[ed] down," after its moderators otherwise received praise over its forum between President Biden and former President Trump.

While bipartisan voices lauded moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, Olbermann and other Biden loyalists appeared to take their outrage at the president’s performance out on the moderators and network.

"No audience, no moderators, no journalism," Olbermann fumed as he opened the latest episode of his "Countdown" podcast.

Olbermann called what he characterized as the refusal to "fact-check" former President Trump one of the most "immoral decisions" in the history of American journalism.

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"Literally, I am suggesting that at some point tonight CNN should -- it will not -- go off the air in shame, fire everybody, seal off the buildings, make sure everybody's out, and burn the Godd--- place to the ground," the onetime ESPN anchor added.

Olbermann lashed out at CNN Worldwide CEO Sir Mark Thompson and called for Bash and Tapper to be "fired for journalistic malpractice" for how the debate went on.

In an interview Friday, Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro – a Biden campaign surrogate – also criticized the network directly to anchor John Berman’s face.

"Frankly, I think CNN could have a done a better job in calling [Trump's] lies out," Shapiro said while admitting Biden had a rough night.

"I’ll be the first to admit that…," Shapiro said, while adding that Biden’s "bad night" is less egregious than Trump being a "bad president."

Rep. Daniel Goldman, D-N.Y., one of Trump’s staunchest critics who served as Democratic counsel during his impeachment, claimed CNN did not properly push back when the Republican "blatantly mischaracteriz[ed] the disaster that was his presidency."

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"He intimidated your network," Goldman told CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.

Former Playboy White House correspondent Brian Karem, a columnist at Salon who was known for his outbursts in the briefing room during Trump’s tenure, also took aim at Bash and Tapper.

"The biggest sin was the fact that the moderators failed to moderate the debate. A complete abdication of journalistic responsibility," Karem said, according to the Daily Mail.

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff – a former top adviser-turned-critic of former first lady Melania Trump who wrote a "tell-all" about her former boss – criticized CNN's lighting during the debate.

Wolkoff claimed on X that the network's choice of framing and lighting design conveyed "intended perceptions of fragility vs. dominance in visual composition."

"Biden was filmed in profile, looking pale as a ghost. Trump was filmed straight on, not looking his usual shade of tangerine, but more like marmalade," she said. 

"Biden is a man of honor, integrity, resilience, and resolve."

Meanwhile, liberal actor John Cusack claimed CNN was letting a "deranged liar lie with no consequences," adding on X that "this is the end, my beautiful friends."

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In a statement, CNN pointed to the aforementioned bipartisan praise, citing quotes from Republicans, Democrats and Fox News talent Sean Hannity and Charlie Gasparino, defending its debate production.

"The role of the moderators is to present the candidates with questions that are important to American voters and to facilitate a debate, enabling candidates to make their case and challenge their opponent," a CNN spokesperson said.

"It is up to the candidates to challenge one another in a debate. CNN offered robust fact-checking coverage in post-debate analysis on TV and across our digital platforms during and following the debate’s conclusion."

Biden mocks Trump for legal woes: ‘A little busy right now’

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President Biden took a jab at his presumptive Republican rival for the presidency while campaigning in Pennsylvania.

Biden made the remark while speaking at the United Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday.

"Under my predecessor, who’s a little busy right now, Pennsylvania lost 275,000 jobs," Biden said while boasting of his economic policies' benefit to blue collar workers.

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United Steelworkers endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket last month, applauding the president's investments in "worker-centered trade policy."

"President Biden proved time and again during his first term that he stands with working families," USW International President David McCall said in the March announcement. 

He added, "His vision and leadership allowed our nation to strengthen workers’ access to collective bargaining, grow the middle class, and embark on a path to widespread prosperity."

BIDEN RETURNS TO CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS TRUMP FORCED TO REMAIN IN COURT FOR SECOND DAY OF NEW YORK HUSH MONEY TRIAL

While Biden is on the road campaigning, Trump is currently stuck in New York City for his criminal trial surrounding alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels during his successful 2016 presidential campaign. 

Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. It is the first ever criminal trial of a former president.

Trump has been ordered to attend the daily court proceedings of the trial. Judge Juan Merchan told Trump that if he fails to be present, a warrant will be issued for his arrest.

"It’s a scam. It’s a political witch hunt," Trump said after court adjourned Monday. Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts last year.

Fox News Digital's Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.

Trump to renew push for delay in New York hush money trial as $454M fraud bond comes due

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Former President Trump will appear in a Manhattan court on Monday, where he is expected to renew his push for a delay in his hush money payments trial.

The trial is currently scheduled for April 15, a date that was already delayed 30 days thanks to the discovery of new evidence material in early March. In a separate case, Trump also faces a Monday deadline to pay a $454 million bond in the civil fraud case brought against him by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Judge Juan Merchan is holding Monday's hearing to make a final determination for the date of the trial. Trump's team argues that the evidence uncovered in early March requires more time for review. They also say that prosecutors with Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's office received elements of the new evidence before the defense and allegedly violated discovery rules.

Trump is accused of falsifying business records in relation to hush money payments he made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

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Bragg's office urged Merchan do deny Trump's push for further delays in a filing last week. Prosecutors argue Trump's team is seeking to delay the trial for as long as possible, with an ultimate goal of pushing his legal battles past the November election.

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"Defendant's accusations of a discovery violation are a distraction from the only issue actually presented here, which is how this Court should respond to the late arrival of potentially relevant evidence from sources outside of the People's direction or control," Bragg wrote in last week's court filing.

"On that question, the appropriate remedy is the brief adjournment that this Court has already granted, which is more than enough time for the parties to review what the People now have good reason to believe is the limited number of relevant records in the USAO's recent productions. This Court should accordingly deny defendant's request for more extreme sanctions," the filing continued.

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The new evidence is some 15,000 records produced by the Justice Department relating to its investigation of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who is serving as a star witness in the hush money case.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said much of the material is unrelated to the state case against Trump. Federal prosecutors have already provided at least 104,000 pages of records — 74,000 of which initially went just to Bragg's office and not to Trump's lawyers.

Bragg's office has since turned over those 74,000 pages to the defense.

In the civil fraud case brought by the state attorney general's office, Monday is the end of the 30-day grace period Trump was given to post a $454 million appeal bond. If he fails to do so, Attorney General James can enforce the trial court's judgment against the former president and start seizing his property and/or assets.

Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this report

Mayors want work permits extended to keep migrants employed, receive new asylum seekers

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More than 40 mayors and county executives from around the country are calling on the federal government to extend work authorizations for illegal migrants, saying that without the measures thousands will lose their jobs, businesses will suffer and districts will find it harder to cater to new asylum seekers.

The elected officials – which include New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson – wrote a letter on Monday to Department of Homeland Security Secretary (DHS) Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ur Jaddou, calling for automatic extensions for existing work permits of at least 540 days.

Historically, migrants have been granted a 180-day grace period if their Employment Authorization Document (EAD) renewal application is still pending.

In 2022, USCIS extended the 180-day grace period to 540 days due to lengthy processing delays. 

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That extension expired on Oct. 26 and now the mayors are requesting a "permanent automatic extension of work authorization" in the form of an interim final rule that extends work permits for 540 days or longer. 

"Without this, hundreds of thousands of immigrant workers will lose their work authorization, businesses will lose staff, and our cities and counties will face an increasing challenge to provide shelter to the public," the mayors and county executives wrote. 

"If DHS does not address this impending crisis, local economies will suffer additional harm in the face of large job losses."

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The signees wrote that local businesses are still struggling to address the current labor shortage and cannot handle further disruptions to their operations by losing immigrant workers. 

"We are concerned that the lengthy delays in adjudicating renewal applications for work authorization have not improved."

They wrote that as of June 2023, there were approximately 263,000 EAD renewal applications pending. 

Given these delays, they wrote, hundreds of thousands of immigrants will likely experience a lapse in their work authorization in the coming months. 

"As a result, cities and counties are bracing for similar events to transpire, and we are already hearing from businesses who may soon be forced to lay off their workers until their renewed EADs arrive."

The officials also wrote that if extensions are not granted it will "significantly impact our ability to receive newly arrived asylum seekers."

"Cities and counties across the United States are quickly running out of shelter space. If hundreds of thousands of already-employed immigrants lose their jobs, they are likely to lose their homes, and this will result in cities and counties experiencing even greater difficulty providing shelter space and additional services to the public," the letter reads.

"If DHS does not implement a permanent change to the automatic extension, any temporary extension should be for a period of no less than three years, to allow sufficient time for USCIS to work through the extensive work permit renewal backlog. We ask that you act swiftly so that the communities we represent do not experience the destabilizing effects of immigrant workers falling out of the workforce."

The signees are part of a group called the Cities For Action (C4A), made up of nearly 180 U.S. mayors and county executives who advocate for "humane immigration policies that strengthen their cities and reflect the nation’s values of inclusion and opportunity."

Adams, who has criticized the federal government’s response to the crisis, saying it would destroy New York City, said the migrants have a right to work in the Big Apple. At least 170,000 illegal migrants have arrived in New York since the spring of 2022.

"New York City thrives on the diverse and dedicated contributions of these community members and stripping people of their right to work is simply un-American," Adams said in a statement accompanying the letter.  

"I'm hopeful the federal government acts swiftly to protect the stability and security of hundreds of thousands of immigrant workers and their families."

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Meanwhile, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, who last week announced cuts to public services to help fund the cost of his city’s migrant crisis, also signed the letter. About 40,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, have arrived in Denver over the past year, and more than 3,500 are living in city-funded hotel rooms, according to the Colorado Sun.

"Over the past few weeks, Denver has seen record-high numbers of migrants arriving in our city, and very few have the ability to work and make a living for their families," said Johnston. 

"This has created simultaneous humanitarian and fiscal crises for our city, forcing us to look at significant budget cuts and reduction in services. We know that the ability for migrants to work is critical to Denver’s success, and it is imperative that DHS take immediate action to prevent even more migrants from losing their work authorization."

New York Republican calls on Hochul, Adams to denounce Biden’s border policy amid migrant crisis in Big Apple

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FIRST ON FOX: Amid the migrant crisis in the Big Apple, one New York House Republican is calling for state and local leaders in the Empire State to strongly denounce the Biden administration's immigration policies as conditions at the southern border continue to deteriorate.

New York GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, whose district has been forced to deal with the massive influx of migrants in New York City, told Fox News Digital that now is the time for New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul to speak out against President Biden's blatant disregard for stronger border security measures.

Lawler, who represents New York's 17th Congressional District, said the ongoing situation in New York City is a result of policies offered or supported by both Adams and Hochul.

"Both of them need to be voicing support for the fact that we need to enforce our laws," he said. "We need to secure our border. We need to stop this massive influx of illegal immigration. They are bearing the consequences of their policy decisions, but also that of President Biden and his administration's failure to enforce the law."

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"It's costing the state and the city billions of dollars every year to deal with this migrant crisis," he added. "So, it's illogical not to demand action at the root cause of it, which is our porous southern border."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began bussing migrants to New York City and other sanctuary jurisdictions last year. Abbott’s office has said it has sent around 27,000 migrants to New York City and has done so to relieve pressure on besieged border communities.

A handful of migrants expressed to one local outlet this month that they are aggravated with their taxpayer-funded living arrangements in the Big Apple, insisting that their living situation at the time differed immensely from that which they were allegedly promised.

"They told me that we would have a decent place to live. They told me I'd have support finding work. They told me I'd have support with my children. Those were lies," Yenifer Vargas, the mother of three, told ABC 7.

While it is unclear who allegedly promised support for Vargas, the mother of three said the shelter she and her family had been living in — the so-called "tent city" at Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field — was not a "decent place" for her children.

Like Vargas, Ayimar Araque told the outlet she also has struggled to apply for work authorization and complete certain casework because she cannot reach anyone by phone.

"I'm given a phone number that I'm supposed to call, but I get an answering machine," she said at the time.

Asked about those comments, Lawler said he believes the "crisis of their own making" has been "handled horribly by the state and the city."

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Pointing to the city's decision to move migrants from that shelter to a nearby high school and force the students there into remote learning, as well as the costs of health care, food and education, Lawler said the city has "mismanaged" the crisis.

"It stems from their failed policies. Change your policies. Stop this sanctuary city nonsense. Start cooperating with ICE. Stop this interpretation of the right to shelter to mean that illegal immigrants are entitled to housing at taxpayer expense," said Lawler, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

"They need to stand up to the president and not demand more money, not demand work authorizations," he added. "They need to demand the president secure the border."

Echoing the sentiments shared by Lawler, House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, who represents New York's 21st Congressional District, told Fox News Digital Hochul and other Democrats in the state have seemingly welcomed the migrants to the state through their support for certain policies.

"Kathy Hochul and radical New York Democrats have incentivized the raging illegal and border crisis plaguing New York," she said. "Illegal immigrants continue to arrive in New York state in record numbers, attracted by far left Albany Democrats' failed open border and sanctuary state policies, overwhelming resources and costing New York taxpayers an additional $2.4 billion in 2025.

"Enough is enough," she added.

Abbott claimed Monday that President Biden is in violation of federal law because he refuses to enforce immigration statutes already on the books, adding that Biden is giving "mass parole" to foreign nationals who illegally enter the United States.

Abbott told "Hannity" Monday evening both members of the Border Patrol and the Border Patrol Council, its union apparatus, have told Texas officials they side with them when it comes to the controversy over the construction of razor wire at a state-owned park along the border at Eagle Pass.

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"They want to have nothing to do with regard to tearing down that razor wire or tearing down the barriers that Texas has erected for one simple reason. And that's because they are working," Abbott said.

"Border patrol says that what Texas has done to secure the border actually makes their job even easier. The only resistance we're facing is coming from Joe Biden."

Fox News' Charles Creitz contributed to this report.

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

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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. 

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"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.

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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."

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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.