Ex-Wisconsin Supreme Court justice fights subpoena over Protasiewicz impeachment advice

A former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice is fighting a subpoena ordering her to appear in court in a lawsuit related to advice she gave about possible impeachment of a current liberal justice, calling it "unreasonable and oppressive."

Republican lawmakers have threatened possible impeachment of current Justice Janet Protasiewicz related to comments she made during the campaign calling GOP-drawn legislative maps "rigged" and "unfair." She joined with the liberal majority of the court in agreeing to hear a lawsuit supported by Democrats that seeks to overturn the GOP maps and enact new ones.

Wisconsin Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos asked three former conservative Supreme Court justices for advice on impeachment. Two of the three told him that impeaching Protasiewicz was not warranted. The third, former Chief Justice Patience Roggensack, has not said what her advice was and Vos has repeatedly refused to disclose it.

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The liberal watchdog group American Oversight filed a lawsuit alleging that the three former justices researching impeachment for Vos had violated both the state open meetings and open records laws. American Oversight wants the judge to order the former justices to meet in public and to release records related to their work. It was also seeking attorneys fees.

Last week, Roggensack received a subpoena compelling her to attend a hearing in the case was scheduled for this Thursday. On Monday, she asked to be released from the subpoena.

"I believe it would be unreasonable and oppressive to require me to appear at a hearing on a motion for preliminary injunction and even for the Court to consider such a motion," Roggensack wrote.

The judge scheduled another hearing for Wednesday afternoon, likely to address Roggensack's request.

Roggensack, in her affidavit with the court, said the order being sought, which included requiring the former justices to meet in public, would impair her First Amendment rights of freedom of expression, peaceably assembling and petitioning the government.

Roggensack said that Vos, the Republican legislator, asked for her advice on impeachment. Roggensack said she told him she had been researching the issue on her own "because I found the topic to be interesting and because I had not previously considered the standards for impeachment of a Supreme Court justice."

Roggensack said she never considered Vos’s request to mean she was becoming part of a governmental body or committee as American Oversight alleged in its lawsuit.

Vos himself called the effort a panel when he announced in September that he was seeking their advice.

Roggensack said she had a lunch with the other two former justices, David Prosser and Jon Wilcox, along with Vos’s attorney. Prosser and Wilcox have also said that was the only meeting the three former justices had. They all said that they separately advised Vos and did not collaborate on their advice.

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American Oversight filed open records requests with the former justices. Prosser released the email he sent Vos that included his impeachment advice, as well as voicemail messages from Roggensack and text messages they exchanged.

Neither Wilcox, Roggensack, nor Vos’ office have responded to its requests for records, American Oversight said.

Vos originally said he was considering impeachment if Protasiewicz did not recuse herself from the redistricting case. She didn’t recuse. Vos didn't move to impeach her, following the advice against impeachment from the former justices. But now he's suggesting he may attempt to impeach her if she does not rule in favor of upholding the current Republican maps.

The Wisconsin Constitution reserves impeachment for "corrupt conduct in office, or for crimes and misdemeanors."

Report shows blue counties have higher murder rate than red, calls out ‘flawed’ studies promoted by top Dems

FIRST ON FOX: A report from the Heritage Foundation shows that homicide rates have been higher in Democrat-run "blue counties" than they have been in "red counties" since 2002 – contradicting a popular talking point recited by prominent liberals like California Gov. Gavin Newsom and billionaire George Soros.

Newsom has publicly stated that "8 of the top 10 murder states are red" while liberal mega-donor Soros wrote in the Wall Street Journal last year that "violent crime in recent years has generally been increasing more quickly in jurisdictions without reform-minded prosecutors" and "murder rates have been rising fastest in some Republican states led by tough-on-crime politicians."

The problem, according to Heritage Foundation’s Kevin Dayaratna, who authored the report along with former research assistant Alexander Gage, is that studies cited by Democrats to make that argument – including a recent study from Third Way titled "The Two-Decade Red State Murder Problem" – use a "flawed" methodology because crime is a local issue and, therefore, crime analysis must be undertaken at the local level.

"It is true that red states have higher homicide rates than blue states, but the problem with this is that crime is a hyper-localized phenomenon," Dayaratna told Fox News Digital. "It doesn't make sense to talk about at the state level. It makes sense to talk about at the local level because that's where the prosecutions occur. The local level crime is handled at the local level by local police, so when you look at this question on a local basis, namely the county level, you'll see that the trend is reversed."

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"If you look at the analysis on a state-by-state level, it's 34% higher in red states and blue states, according to the most recent data we analyzed, but then when you look at it as a county-by-county level, it is 60% higher in blue counties than red counties."

The study says that "drawing conclusions from state-level homicide data in such a manner is flawed, as each state consists of a combination of federal, state, county, and local law enforcement agencies, as well as prosecutors with different approaches to law enforcement often based on highly divergent political beliefs."

"Violations of state law are prosecuted largely at the county or city level and, thus, amalgamating data across such units neglects important variation in these different approaches," the study continues.

"Looking at homicide rates by county, states show skewed distributions with many counties having little or no homicides, and a handful of counties with excessively high homicide rates. Thus, state homicide rates can be heavily influenced by a few counties. When those counties have different politics from the rest of the state, it can flip the conclusion about the association between political identifications and homicides."

Dayaratna also told Fox News Digital that Third Way’s conclusion that homicide rates are higher in red states is flawed because it did not update the changes in red states and blue states, in terms of how they shifted in presidential elections over the past 20 years, when compiling the data.

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"Third Way held ‘red’ states and ‘blue’ states constant in terms of how they voted in the 2020 presidential election. This approach is fundamentally flawed because electoral sentiment changed across the time period used for the study," the report states.

"For example, although President Biden won Arizona in 2020, the previous Democrat who won the state was Bill Clinton in 1996. Similarly, Donald Trump won Florida in both 2016 and 2020, despite the fact that Barack Obama had won the state in 2008 and 2012."

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Dayaratna said that between 2002 and 2008, there was an 88% higher rate of homicide in blue counties than red counties and between 2014 and 2022 there was a 62% increase.

"It is undoubtable that this blue county murder problem has been persisting for quite some time," Dayaratna told Fox News Digital. "And it is quite disingenuous for the Third Way to just present the data as they did. We analyze it from a variety of perspectives at the Heritage Foundation. And we wanted to make sure we put out the proper story."

Last year, Dayaratna partnered with fellow Heritage scholars Cully Stimson and Zack Smith and released a study showing that of the 30 American cities with the highest murder rates, 27 have Democratic mayors, and at least 14 Soros-backed prosecutors.

A spokesperson for Third Way told Fox News Digital that "data is missing or suppressed for many suburban and rural counties, making a complete county-level analysis impossible. But to test a prevalent narrative, we removed the county containing the largest city from only the red states and we found that even after removing the murders from the biggest cities in red states, red state murder rates were still significantly higher than in blue states, which were given no similar advantage."

In response to not updating the electoral map, the spokesperson said they "chose an approach that categorized states consistently across all 21 years" and that "including electoral changes would only increase red state murder rates."

A spokesperson for Newsom's office told Fox News Digital that Newsom has cited more localized crime studies in the past and pointed to a specific interview where he did so in September. 

Wisconsin Gov. Evers finds $170M in federal funds to continue COVID-era childcare subsidies

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers will use newly discovered federal dollars to keep a pandemic-era child care subsidy program going for another year and a half, his administration announced Monday after Republican legislators refused to devote any more money to the program.

Officials with Evers’ administration said Monday they will use $170 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency pandemic response operations to keep the Child Care Counts program running through June 2025. Evers ripped Republicans in a news release, saying that it’s "unconscionable" that the GOP wouldn’t extend the program.

"It’s time for Republicans to get serious about solving our problems and join us in doing the right thing for our kids and families, our workforce, and our state," Evers said.

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Spokespersons for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Launched in 2020, the Child Cares Counts program provides child care providers across the country with money to help retain staffs as well as cover curriculum, utility and rent costs. The program handed out almost $600 million dollars to nearly 5,000 child care providers in Wisconsin between March 2020 and March 2023, according to the state's nonprofit Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

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The program is set to expire in January, leading many to warn that the loss of the subsidies could lead to child care providers shutting their doors or a decline in early education services, particularly in rural areas.

Evers has been trying to persuade Republicans to use Wisconsin's $7 billion surplus to keep Child Care Counts afloat in Wisconsin. His state budget called for spending $300 million in state money for the program over the next two years.

GOP lawmakers stripped the plan from the budget. Evers called a special legislative session last month in hopes of prodding Republicans to take action, but they have refused to cooperate with the governor.

Comer demands answers on whether Biden classified records mention countries related to family business deals

FIRST ON FOX: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is demanding answers from Special Counsel Robert Hur on whether the sensitive, classified documents President Biden retained were related to specific countries— countries that were involved in his family’s lucrative foreign business deals.

Comer, R-Ky., is investigating the Biden family’s foreign business dealings as part of the House impeachment inquiry, as well as Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Comer, in a letter to Hur, who is investigating Biden’s alleged improper retention of classified records, said his committee has "developed significant evidence regarding President Biden’s retention of classified materials at Penn Biden Center."

BIDEN INTERVIEWED BY SPECIAL COUNSEL ABOUT CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS

"As detailed in the Oversight Committee’s bank memoranda and Impeachment Inquiry Memorandum, evidence suggests President Biden may have used certain members of his family — particularly his son, Hunter Biden — to accumulate millions of dollars from foreign individuals and entities for the benefit of his family and himself," Comer wrote to Hur. "Indeed, the Biden family received millions of dollars from foreign sources while President Biden served in public office and afterwards."

Comer added, "If any of the classified documents mishandled by President Biden involved countries or individuals that had financial dealings with Biden family members or their related companies, the Committee needs access to that information to evaluate whether our national security has been compromised."

Comer noted that Biden family members, their business associates and their "related companies" received "significant payments from individuals and companies in China, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Romania." He also referred to "other evidence recently released by the Ways & Means Committee identified over 20 different countries with ties to the Biden family’s influence peddling schemes."

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Comer said the House Oversight Committee has learned throughout its investigation that the Biden family and their business associates brought in more than $24 million between 2014 and 2019 by "selling Joe Biden as ‘the brand’ around the world."

"The Committee is concerned that President Biden may have retained sensitive documents related to specific countries involving his family’s foreign business," Comer wrote.

Meanwhile, Comer also questioned Hur on information to help the committee to "understand whether the White House or President Biden’s personal attorneys placed any limitations or scoping restrictions during the interview that would have precluded a line of inquiry regarding evidence (emails, text messages, or witness statements) directly linking Joe Biden to troublesome foreign payments."

"President Biden’s retention of certain classified documents begs the question as to why he kept these particular materials," Comer wrote. "Of the many classified documents he reviewed over his lengthy career, why did President Biden keep these specific documents in his home and office?"

He added, "The sensitive nature of the information contained in the documents may answer that question for the Committee, which is why we seek to review those materials."

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Comer requested that Hur determine a "mutually agreed upon secured location" and provide information without redactions to the committee, including "any terms, agreements or scoping limitations" related to his office’s review of the president.

Comer also requested a list of the countries named in any documents with classification markings recovered from Penn Biden Center, Biden’s residence, including the garage, in Wilmington, Delaware, or elsewhere; and a list of all individuals named in those documents with classification markings; and all documents found with classified markings.

Comer is also asking if Hur was "permitted" to ask about evidence obtained by the U.S. Attorneys’s Office for the district of Delaware — which has been investigating Hunter Biden — and on any information released by IRS whistleblowers related to the Biden family’s business dealings.

Comer also asked for the copy of the report and agents’ notes following the special counsel’s interview of the president and any interview with former White House counsel Dana Remus.

Comer’s letter comes just days after President Biden was interviewed by Hur.

The White House Counsel’s Office confirmed the voluntary interview took place earlier this month at the White House over the course of two days — last Sunday and Monday and concluded Monday.

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"As we have said from the beginning, the president and the White House are cooperating with this investigation, and as it has been appropriate, we have provided relevant updates publicly, being as transparent as we can, consistent with protecting and preserving the integrity of the investigation," White House spokesperson for investigations Ian Sams said. 

Hur’s investigation comes after a batch of records from President Biden's time as vice president, including a "small number of documents with classified markings," were discovered at the Penn Biden Center by the president's personal attorneys on Nov. 2, 2022. 

Additional classified records were discovered at President Biden’s Wilmington home in January. After that discovery, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Hur as special counsel to investigate the matter.

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team negotiated with lawyers for then-President Trump for an interview, but Trump never sat for one. His lawyers instead submitted answers to written questions.

President George W. Bush sat for a 70-minute interview as part of an investigation into the leak of the identity of a CIA operative. President Clinton in 1998 underwent more than four hours of questioning from independent counsel Kenneth Starr before a federal grand jury.

CEO of bankrupt electric vehicle company still on top White House advisory council

Gareth Joyce, the CEO and a board member of California-based electric bus maker Proterra, continues to serve on a top White House council advising President Biden on trade policy even after his company filed for bankruptcy.

Joyce has served on the White House Export Council, the principal national advisory committee on international trade which advises Biden on "government policies and programs that affect U.S. trade performance," since February. According to the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration, Joyce remains a member of the council.

However, in August, Joyce's company Proterra filed a voluntary Chapter 11 reorganization under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code as a result of negative financial performance. He explained at the time that Proterra, despite its bankruptcy filing, had created a foundation setting the stage for "decarbonization across the commercial vehicle industry as a whole."

"While our best-in-class EV and battery technologies have set an industry standard, we have faced various market and macroeconomic headwinds, that have impacted our ability to efficiently scale all of our opportunities simultaneously," Joyce said on Aug. 7. "As commercial vehicles accelerate toward electrification, we look forward to sharpening our focus as a leading EV battery technology supplier for the benefit of our many stakeholders"

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Joyce's continued role advising the White House — which has lauded him for his work "accelerating the transition of transit and other commercial vehicles to zero emission solutions" — recently sparked criticism from Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee Ranking Member John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who called for his removal.

"It is unclear why Joyce, having overseen the failure of Proterra, should continue to advise you on issues of such great importance to our nation’s economic security and wellbeing," Barrasso wrote to Biden in a letter Thursday. "It appears that by retaining Joyce, you are continuing to play political favorites with a company your administration has systematically promoted time and again since you took office."

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Proterra, meanwhile, has been boosted by Biden on multiple occasions since he took office in January 2021.

On April 20, 2021, Biden hosted a virtual White House event to spotlight Proterra's business. During the event, Proterra executives took the president on a virtual tour of the company's South Carolina manufacturing facility where its buses are assembled.

"I want you all to know I used to be a bus driver," Biden remarked at the conclusion of the event. "You think I'm kidding, I'm not. I worked my way through law school driving a school bus."

"I'm going to come down and see you in person. So, I look forward to seeing y'all," he concluded.

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Biden also touted his support for billions of dollars in federal funding to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission transit buses and school buses during the tour. He has set a goal for all buses made in America to be zero-emissions by 2030.

The president has since touted Proterra as an American electric vehicle success story in multiple speeches about his green energy goals.

In addition, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has faced widespread criticism for her ownership stake in Proterra. 

Granholm had served on Proterra’s board before her confirmation to lead the Department of Energy and continued holding shares of the company for months after her confirmation.

"Mr. President, it is evident that the promotion and favoritism towards Proterra Inc. have resulted in significant losses for taxpayers and investors, including those in my home state of Wyoming," Barrasso continued in his letter to Biden on Thursday.

"The bankruptcy of Proterra, despite the administration's support, raises serious questions about the reasoning behind these endorsements," the Wyoming Republican wrote. "The American people deserve accountability and transparency in matters of public policy and the businesses the President of the United States and his cabinet officials choose to promote."

The White House didn't respond to a request for comment.

Most Americans believe Biden acted ‘illegally or unethically’ in Hunter business dealings: poll

A majority of Americans believe that President Biden has acted either illegally or unethically in how he has handled the controversial business dealings of his son, Hunter.

Only 30% of American adults believe Biden has "note done anything wrong" when it comes to the business dealings of his son, according to the results of an AP-NORC poll released this week, while 68% believe the president has acted either illegal or unethical. 

Thirty-five percent of respondents indicated thy felt the president had done something illegal, while 33% said they believed Biden has done something unethical.

Broken down by party, 40% of Democrats believe Biden has done something illegal or unethical in his handling of his son's business dealings, with 58% indicating that the president has done nothing wrong. Of those that believe Biden has done something wrong, 8% said the president acted illegally and 32% said that he has acted unethically. Meanwhile, 96% of Republicans believe Biden has done something wrong, with 65% responding the president has done something illegal and 35% indicating they believe he has acted unethically.

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The poll comes as Republicans have launched an impeachment inquiry into Biden over his handling of Hunter Biden's business dealings, though most respondents to the poll indicated they do not approve of the GOP move. Only a third (33%) said that they either strong or somewhat approve of the impeachment inquiry into Biden, with 39% indicating that either strongly or somewhat disapprove. Another 26% of respondents did not indicate whether they approved or disapproved.

Republicans were more likely than Democrats to say they approve of the inquiry, with 67% saying they either strongly or somewhat approve compared to 11% who disapprove. Meanwhile, only 7% of Democrats approve of the inquiry compared to 73% who disapprove.

But a large percentage of the public has heard little or nothing about the inquiry, with only 54% of respondents indicating they are familiar with the current process. Of those who have heard about it, 49% of those respondents disapprove of the impeachment inquiry.

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Americans are split on which party is better suited to root out government corruption, with 19% saying their preference would be Republicans compared to 28% who indicated Democrats. Another 14% said both parties are equally trustworthy to root out corruption, while 38% said neither party should be trusted.

The AP-NORC poll, which was conducted between October 5-9 and sampled 1,163 adults nationwide, has a margin of error of +/- 3.9 percentage points.

The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

House adjourns in disarray as support for Jordan looks weaker than expected

House Republicans are adjourning for the weekend after their designated candidate for speaker, Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, appears to be well short of the support needed for a chamber-wide vote to give him the gavel.

GOP leaders are looking at potentially scheduling another member-wide conference on Monday and a full House vote sometime after that, two sources told Fox News Digital. But those sources stressed that plans are still very much tentative.

It's the second time GOP lawmakers have gathered to pick a speaker-designate in three days. Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., won an internal vote on Wednesday but stepped back from the race on Thursday night after it became clear he did not have enough support for a House floor vote. 

Jordan won 124 votes against his rival in the race, Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., who won 81.

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After the first ballot, Jordan called for a second round in which lawmakers were asked whether they will support Jordan on the House floor. 

He managed to win 152 votes on that round, but 55 Republicans still said they would vote against him. A GOP candidate for speaker would need to reach 217 votes to win a House-wide vote with no Democratic support.

Jordan is virtually guaranteed to get zero help from Democrats – he's made his career in Congress as one of the GOP's most effective attack dogs and previously served as head of the hardline-right House Freedom Caucus. He's also playing a central role in the impeachment inquiry of President Biden.

He's expected to have a hard time winning moderate support within his own conference, as well.

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Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., an ally of ousted ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., indicated he would be one of those steadfastly opposing Jordan on the floor.

"Our Congress is still without a Speaker of the House, because 8 Republicans joined all the Democrats to plunge our nation into chaos," Gimenez said on social media immediately after the vote, referencing McCarthy's removal. "I'm still OK. Only Kevin."

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But even those in Jordan's corner are not fully on the same page, it seems.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., one of Jordan's fellow Freedom Caucus members, said Republicans should not adjourn for the weekend.

"I know it's frustrating. I know tensions are high. I know people are a little worn out, but we should, we should be in there and we should get this thing done," Donalds told reporters after the vote. "I don't think we should leave until then. But again, that's a decision for Jim Jordan and I'm going to respect that decision."

He added that he was "surprised" at the level of support Jordan received, adding, "I thought it would be higher."

GOP Harvard graduates send scathing letter blasting school’s response to pro-Hamas students: ‘Abhorrent’

FIRST ON FOX: Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik of New York and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, along with several other GOP Harvard graduates in Congress, have sent a letter to the president of Harvard University demanding a clear condemnation of antisemitism after more than 30 student organizations said Israel was "entirely responsible" for "unfolding violence" against the country by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists. 

"As Harvard University alumni, we write today to express our outrage and profound disappointment over the statement made by over thirty Harvard student organizations that blames Israel for the Hamas terrorist attacks brutally carried out against Israeli civilians," Cruz and Stefanik, both graduates of Harvard, wrote to university president Claudine Gay this week. 

The letter was also signed by Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Rep. Kevin Kiley, Rep. Brian Mast, Sen. Mike Crapo, and Sen. Dan Sullivan.

"This statement is abhorrent, and we demand that you immediately condemn it publicly and clarify that Harvard University strongly opposes this dangerous antisemitism."

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The Harvard student organizations' statement, released on the day of the Hamas attacks, said the events did not occur "in a vacuum." The groups who signed the letter included the Harvard Islamic Society, the Harvard Jews for Liberation, the Society of Arab Students and the Harvard Divinity School Muslim Association.

"We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence," the message says.

Harvard released a statement two days after the controversy that did not condemn Hamas specifically or antisemitism and "emphasized" their "commitment to fostering an environment of dialogue and empathy."

Following that statement, Gay released a statement on Oct. 10 that condemned the actions of Hamas but did not mention antisemitism. The group of Harvard Republicans in Congress wrote in the letter that the response was not adequate and did not go far enough. 

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"This should have warranted an immediate unequivocal condemnation from yourself and Harvard University leadership," the Republicans wrote. " Instead, you waited two days to release an initial statement that failed to even condemn the terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians, much less address the antisemitism on your campus."

"Your original statement claims that Harvard is committed to fostering an environment of open dialogue and empathy. However, your delayed response makes it clear you are only committed to intentionally fostering an environment that allows rampant and dangerous antisemitism on Harvard’s campus."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Rep. Crenshaw said, "What we are seeing at campuses across the United States is disgusting, but it speaks to a deeper long standing post-modernist rot in academia. There is debate and the free exchange of ideas – and then there is what we are seeing this week."

"These same students probably scream about microaggressions and implicit bias, but now celebrate actual aggression based on [antisemitism] against women, children, and the elderly. At Harvard, students should be learning the university motto, truth - but in reality they are propagandizing for terrorism, and they should be denounced for their actions."

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Rep. Mast told Fox News Digital that when he was a student at Harvard, pro-Palestinian protesters harassed his family when they found out he was a veteran.

"There’s no logic with these people - if there was, they’d realize there is no equivalency between Israelis defending themselves and terrorists beheading children. But Harvard leadership should know better," Mast said. 

"They need to make it clear that antisemistism will not be tolerated within the halls of one of the world’s most established institutions."

Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Several student groups at Harvard withdrew their signatures from the controversial document following the backlash it received.

"We regret that our decision to co-sign the latest PSC statement to call attention to historical injustices against Palestinians, with an earnest desire for peace, has been interpreted as a tacit support for the recent violent attacks in Israel," The Harvard Undergraduate Nepali Student Association posted in a statement to Instagram.

Campus newspaper The Harvard Crimson reported Wednesday that at least five of the document's original 34 signatories had withdrawn their endorsement of the polarizing statement.

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"The leadership at Harvard University should be ashamed. After over thirty Harvard student organizations released an antisemitic statement blaming Israel for Hamas’ vicious terrorist attacks it took Harvard President Claudine Gay three days to even condemn Hamas’ attacks," Rep. Stefanik told Fox News Digital.

"Harvard leadership has still not denounced the students’ statement, this is morally sickening. Any voice that can defend the raping, killing, and kidnapping of innocent women and children has chosen the side of terrorism. I am proud to lead my colleagues and fellow Harvard alumni in demanding better from our alma mater."

Sen. Cruz, in a statement to Fox News Digital, said, "Sadly, there are few places on earth with more vicious antisemitism and hatred of Israel than American ‘elite’ universities. It’s disgusting, and it's dangerous. I’m particularly ashamed that student groups from my alma mater, Harvard, blamed Israel for the genocidal war that Hamas terrorists are brutally waging." 

"It is past time for universities to stand up and squarely address the antisemitism that they have been breeding and unleashing, including on their own Jewish students. Harvard must decide whether it wants to be a true institution of higher learning or an incubator of bigotry and antisemitism whose students try to rationalize and justify child rape and mass murder."

On Friday morning, shortly before the letter was sent, Gray released a video message that said the school rejects "terrorism" and "hate."

"Our university embraces a commitment to free expression," Gay said. "That commitment extends even to views that many of us find objectionable, even outrageous. We do not punish or sanction people for expressing such views."

Fox News Digital's Kristine Parks contributed to this report

Tennessee lawmaker calls on House GOP to ‘lock the door’ and work through weekend to elect speaker

A Tennessee Republican lawmaker is calling on his party to convene and "lock the door" until a speaker is chosen — even if it means sacrificing the weekend.

Tennessee GOP Rep. Andy Ogles is sending around a dear colleague letter to his fellow House GOP lawmakers calling for the conference to continue meeting until a speaker is chosen.

Fox News Digital obtained the letter Ogles is sending around to his House Republican colleagues amid the battle for the gavel.

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"As the GOP Conference remains deadlocked in the contest for Speaker of the House of Representatives, it is clear that going to the Floor and having a drawn-out competition damages our credibility with the American people," Ogles wrote in the letter Thursday.

"For the sake of good governance, we owe it to our constituents to meet later today at Conference, lock the door, and not adjourn until we have selected our new Speaker — weekends are no longer eligible for time off," the Tennessee freshman lawmaker continued.

Ogles wrote that the GOP conference "can no longer continue the song and dance routine of meeting and adjourning without coming to a consensus."

"Americans shouldn't be asked to wait longer for Congress to renew its efforts to tackle the opioid crisis, the border crisis, the spending crisis, and the barbaric terrorists responsible for the unprovoked attack against Israel," the letter reads.

"We cannot afford to allow our Caucus to appear as if it is [lackadaisical] in its approach to good governance," Ogles wrote. "I look forward to seeing each of you later tonight."

Ogles' letter comes as the House sits at a standstill without a top dog to lead the lower chamber after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's historic ouster last week.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., was chosen as the GOP's nominee for speaker on Wednesday, but he dropped out of the race Thursday night following a closed-door meeting with fellow House Republicans.

SCALISE DROPS OUT OF RACE FOR HOUSE SPEAKER

It quickly became clear after his nomination that Scalise did not have the support needed to win a House-wide vote. With just a razor-thin majority, he could only afford to lose four GOP members to still clinch the gavel without Democratic support.

House Republicans are expected to meet Friday morning to choose a new speaker candidate.

Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed reporting.

Top Wisconsin Republican stands by Protasiewicz impeachment threats

The Republican leader of Wisconsin’s Assembly refused to back down on Thursday from possibly impeaching a newly elected liberal state Supreme Court justice over her refusal to step aside in a redistricting case, even after two former conservative justices advised him against the unprecedented move.

"No, absolutely not," Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said when asked at a news conference if impeachment of Justice Janet Protasiewicz was off the table.

"If they decide to inject their own political bias inside the process and not follow the law, we have the ability to go to the U.S. Supreme Court," Vos said, "and we also have the ability to hold her accountable to the voters of Wisconsin."

FORMER WI SUPREME COURT JUSTICE REFUSES TO NAME THOSE INVOLVED IN PROTASIEWICZ IMPEACHMENT PUSH

The Wisconsin Democratic Party said the comments are a signal that Republicans are backing off from impeaching Protasiewicz "by moving the goalposts in an effort to save face."

Vos first floated the possibility of impeachment in August after Protasiewicz called the Republican-drawn legislative boundary maps "rigged" and "unfair" during her campaign. Impeachment has drawn bipartisan opposition and two former conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court justices, asked by Vos to investigate the possibility, told him in the past week it was not warranted. Vos refused to say what advice he got from the third retired justice.

Protasiewicz refused to recuse from the redistricting lawsuit last week and sided with the liberal majority in accepting the lawsuit. Vos suggested Thursday that impeachment may hinge on how Protasiewicz rules on that case.

"She said she’s going to follow the law," Vos said. "The most important aspect of the law is following past precedent."

Vos also said Protasiewicz’s acceptance of nearly $10 million from the Wisconsin Democratic Party would unduly influence her ruling.

Protasiewicz last week rejected those arguments, noting that other justices have accepted campaign cash and not recused from cases. She also noted that she never promised or pledged to rule on the redistricting lawsuit in any way. A state judiciary disciplinary panel has rejected several complaints against Protasiewicz that alleged she violated the judicial code of ethics with comments she made during the campaign.

With Vos tying impeachment to how Protasiewicz rules on redistricting, it’s nearly certain that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers would be able to name a replacement if the Legislature removes Protasiewicz from office or she resigns.

A special election is only triggered if a vacancy occurs before Dec. 1. Oral arguments in the redistricting case are set for Nov. 21, which makes it nearly certain a ruling won’t come until after the special election deadline.

That means if the Legislature moves to impeach and convict Protasiewicz, they would do it knowing that Evers would name her successor — who would certainly be another liberal.

ETHICS COMPLAINTS OVER WI JUSTICE PROTASIEWICZ'S CAMPAIGN STATEMENTS REJECTED

Other justices, both conservative and liberal, have spoken out in the past on issues that could come before the court, although not always during their run for office like Protasiewicz did. Current justices have also accepted campaign cash from political parties and others with an interest in court cases and haven’t recused themselves. But none of them has faced threats of impeachment.

The legislative electoral maps drawn by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2011 cemented the party’s majorities, which now stand at 64-35 in the Assembly and a 22-11 supermajority in the Senate. Republicans adopted maps last year that were similar to the existing ones.

Wisconsin’s Assembly districts rank among the most gerrymandered nationally, with Republicans routinely winning far more seats than would be expected based on their average share of the vote, according to an Associated Press analysis.

Both lawsuits ask that all 132 state lawmakers be up for election in 2024 in newly drawn districts.