Hunter Biden hires Alex Murdaugh’s lawyer in latest court case; Abbe Lowell out

Hunter Biden has hired a heavyweight South Carolina attorney – with a similar high-profile to his last lawyer – to go after a right-wing business executive for defamation.

Former state Sen. Dick Harpootlian, D-Columbia, a self-described "Joe Biden guy" who recently represented Low Country prosecutor-turned-convicted killer Alex Murdaugh, is the younger Biden’s new lawyer as he pursues ex-Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne in court.

Harpootlian confirmed to The State newspaper in Columbia that he is replacing Abbe David Lowell – who led Biden through his special counsel probe and gun charges in Wilmington.

Biden, who was pardoned by his father for those allegations, is primed to go to Los Angeles court in July against Byrne.

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The suit claims Byrne wrongfully accused Biden of being in touch with Iranian officials in 2021, seeking a bribe in exchange for unfreezing $8 billion in funds at the behest of his father.

Meanwhile, Biden is reportedly facing "lagging" art sales and "several million dollars in debt" from fighting past cases when he was represented by Lowell, according to ABC News. 

In the Byrne case, Biden is reportedly claiming defamatory statements from the Iran allegation that led him to lose "economic opportunities," including memoir and art sales and speaking engagements estimated to be collectively worth about $500,000.

Harpootlian was ousted from the state Senate in a narrow November upset by state Sen. Russell Ott, D-St. Matthews, as both men were seeking a redrawn, open seat.

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Ott criticized Harpootlian’s representation of Murdaugh, according to the Daily Gazette, and while the longtime Biden ally performed well in urban Richland County, where he also practices law, Ott overperformed in rural Calhoun County, where he and his father long held office.

"We went through a process… I lost. The process worked. I’m not accusing anybody of stealing anything. I’m not having a temper tantrum. I’m not expressing some doubt in our system," Harpootlian said in conceding the race.

Harpootlian also told a 2023 crime-themed convention that he would rather represent Murdaugh pro-bono in a second trial than splurge on a vacation or a racehorse:

"What's so astounding about that? We do cases for free all the time," he said at CrimeCon. 

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Meanwhile, Lowell was a constant presence while Biden was fighting various allegations in the special counsel probe and House Republicans’ investigations.

After a 2024 deposition, Lowell slammed GOP lawmakers for ending the day "where they started."

"They have produced no evidence that would do anything to support the notion that there was any financial transactions that involved Hunter with his father. Period," Lowell said.

"It seems to me that the Republican members wanted to spend more time talking about my client's addiction than they could ask any question that had anything to do with what they call their impeachment inquiry."

Lowell is also facing a defamation suit, to the tune of $20 million, brought by IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley Jr. and Joseph Ziegler.

Fox News Digital reached out to Harpootlian’s Columbia office and a communications email for Lowell seeking additional comment.

South Carolina man faces federal charges for allegedly threatening to assassinate Trump

A 47-year-old South Carolina man faces federal charges after he allegedly threatened to kill President Donald Trump. 

Travis Keith Lang, 47, of Irmo, South Carolina, was arraigned on federal charges Friday in a Columbia courthouse after being arrested Thursday. 

He pleaded not guilty and was denied bond. 

Lang is being held at the Lexington County Detention Center, according to WLTX-TV. 

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Lang’s indictment, filed Tuesday, said he had threatened to "take the life of, to kidnap, and to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States."

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating the allegations. 

Lang is scheduled to next appear in court for a March 14 bond hearing. 

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Last year, Lang filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for president as a Republican, but he was not on the Republican primary ballot in South Carolina or anywhere else, and the only donation he received was for $6,000 from himself, according to FEC filings. 

He could face up to five years in prison, the South Carolina Daily Gazette reported, citing the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Carolina.

Lang’s Facebook page still says "Travis Lang for President," and his picture on his social media accounts is a split of his face and Abraham Lincoln. 

He has also been critical of former President Joe Biden, at one point in 2023 writing on Facebook that Congress should begin articles of impeachment against him. 

A U.S. attorney this week told a judge that Lang had previously made multiple threats to both Trump and Biden, the newspaper reported, adding that the Secret Service had visited him to tell him to stop making threats. 

Lang referenced the Secret Service visit on his social media, claiming it was sent there because Biden got "scared" when Lang decided to run for president. 

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The threats come after Trump faced two assassination attempts last year, including when he was grazed in the ear by a bullet while speaking at an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Lexington County Sheriff's Office and the Secret Service for comment. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.  

Trump draws massive crowd of at least 50K in small South Carolina town of 3,400: police

Former President Donald Trump packed the house at his South Carolina rally on Saturday, drawing a massive crowd that was significantly larger than the population of the town which hosted it.

The leading Republican presidential candidate barnstormed in Pickens, a town of about 3,400 residents, on Saturday, speaking to more than 50,000 people who gathered at the downtown venue and lined the surrounding streets, according to Pickens police chief Randal Beach.

Beach told the Associated Press on Sunday that authorities were unable to calculate the exact number, but he estimated the rally was attended by "somewhere between 50-55,000" people.

South Carolina's first-in-the-South presidential primary makes it popular among GOP hopefuls, many of whom have already held events in the state. None of the other candidates in the race, however, drew an audience like Trump, who continues to dominate in 2024 polls.

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The former president's campaign told Fox News Digital that no other candidate can match the enthusiasm seen in Pickens because no one else has "delivered for the American people" in the ways that Trump has.

"The Supreme Court decisions ending racist college admissions, protecting religious liberty, and stopping an illegal student loan forgiveness scheme were a reminder of how President Trump kept the promises he made to voters," the Trump campaign said in a statement. "Mind you, the tens of thousands of patriots that turned out in Pickens, South Carolina did it on a day with temperatures over 90 degrees. The Trump train has left the station and is not stopping until President Trump is seated behind the Resolute Desk."

Saturday’s event marked a return to the large-scale rallies of his previous presidential campaigns, and his appearance effectively shuttered Pickens' quintessential Southern downtown area.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be to kick off the Fourth of July weekend than right here on Main Street, with thousands of hardworking South Carolina patriots who believe in God, family and country," Trump said Saturday.

The tens of thousands who attended Saturday's rally, which attendees began lining up for the night before, seemed to agree with the president's sentiments.

Greg Pressley and his wife, Robin, said they drove more than three hours from their home in Tennessee to see Trump, a candidate they've supported since his first White House bid in 2016.

"Donald Trump's the best president in history," Greg said. "I love his policies. I love the man. I'm here to support him getting back to where he needs to be, to begin with."

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have all held events in the state. The two South Carolinians in the race, former Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott, have campaigned there as well.

Shelley Fox, of Spartanburg, who also said she has supported Trump since 2016, said she didn't feel it necessary to even think about any other candidates for next year's election.

"I'd write him in," she said when asked if she would consider another hopeful. "No question – I'd write him in."

Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., also spoke at the event.

In 2016, Trump handily won the state during a crowded Republican primary, garnering 32.5% of the vote and earning the state’s 50 delegates. Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz were second and third, respectively, both receiving about 22%.

The huge event shows Trump continues to sit firmly in the driver’s seat of the Republican Party and that his supporters stand unwaveringly beside him during his third bid for the White House.

Contrasted with his 2016 and 2020 campaigns, which drew thousands to rallies in states across the country, Trump's 2024 effort has been noticeably different. 

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This was only Trump's second large rally of the 2024 campaign – the first took place in Waco, Texas, in March. Another scheduled outdoor rally in Iowa in May was canceled due to tornado warnings.

The former president has mostly focused his efforts on smaller events this go around, including a series of speeches before state party organizations, frequent media interviews and town halls, working relationships with delegates and local officials, and unannounced stops at restaurants in cities he is visiting.

Trump has also appeared at many of the multi-candidate events of the primary season so far, including this past week's Moms for Liberty gathering in Philadelphia.

Saturday’s massive showing comes as Trump faces an indictment on hush-money charges in New York, federal charges related to his retention of classified documents after leaving the White House and several other investigations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Facing Trump-backed primary challenge over his impeachment vote, Rice says he ‘upheld…oath’ to Constitution

Republican Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina is facing a primary challenge from Donald Trump-backed state lawmaker Russell Fry. At issue - Rice's vote for impeachment.

Freshman Republican lawmaker describes her first 100 hours in Congress as ‘hell’ after riot, impeachment

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., described her first 100 hours on Congress as "hell" Monday, telling "The Story" that the deadly Capitol riot, the fight over the Electoral College vote count and the second impeachment of President Trump represented an unbelievable series of events.