Hunter Biden intends to plead guilty on federal tax charges brought by special counsel David Weiss

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Hunter Biden plans to change his plea to guilty on federal tax charges brought against him by special counsel David Weiss, his attorney said in court Thursday, shocking federal prosecutors.

Abbe Lowell, the first son's attorney, said Thursday in federal court that Biden intends to switch his plea and intends to plead guilty. He initially pleaded not guilty. 

Federal prosecutor Leo Wise said that "this is the first we are hearing about this."

The trial began Thursday with jury selection in Los Angeles. 

Weiss charged Biden with three felonies and six misdemeanors concerning $1.4 million in owed taxes that have since been paid. Weiss alleged a "four-year scheme" when the president’s son did not pay his federal income taxes while also filing false tax reports. 

HUNTER BIDEN'S CRIMINAL TAX TRIAL BEGINS WITH JURY SELECTION IN CALIFORNIA

In the indictment, Weiss alleged that Biden "engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019, from in or about January 2017 through in or about October 15, 2020, and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns in or about February 2020."

Weiss said that, in "furtherance of that scheme," Biden "subverted the payroll and tax withholding process of his own company, Owasco, PC by withdrawing millions" from the company "outside of the payroll and tax withholding process that it was designed to perform."

HUNTER BIDEN TAX TRIAL POSTPONED TO SEPTEMBER

The special counsel alleged that Biden "spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills," and that in 2018, he "stopped paying his outstanding and overdue taxes for tax year 2015."

Weiss alleged that Biden "willfully failed to pay his 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 taxes on time, despite having access to funds to pay some or all of these taxes," and that he "willfully failed to file his 2017 and 2018 tax returns on time."

This is the second time Biden is on trial this year stemming from charges out of Weiss' investigation. 

Biden was found guilty on all counts in Delaware after Weiss charged him with making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm; making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a licensed firearm dealer; and one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. 

A date has not yet been set for sentencing for those charges. With all counts combined, the total maximum prison time for the charges could be up to 25 years. Each count carries a maximum fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release. 

President Biden has vowed not to pardon his son. 

Hunter Biden’s criminal tax trial begins with jury selection in California

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Jury selection in Hunter Biden’s criminal tax trial stemming from special counsel David Weiss’ yearslong investigation into the first son begins Thursday in California. 

United States District Court for the Central District of California Judge Mark Scarsi is presiding over the trial. 

Biden’s tax trial was set to begin in June, but his attorneys requested it be delayed to September, and Scarsi approved that request.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS REFER HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN FOR CRIMINAL PROSECUTION AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Weiss charged Hunter Biden with three felonies and six misdemeanors concerning $1.4 million in owed taxes that have since been paid. Weiss alleged a "four-year scheme" when the president’s son did not pay his federal income taxes while also filing false tax reports. 

Biden pleaded not guilty. 

In the indictment, Weiss alleged that Biden "engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019, from in or about January 2017 through in or about October 15, 2020, and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns in or about February 2020."

Weiss said that, in "furtherance of that scheme," Biden "subverted the payroll and tax withholding process of his own company, Owasco, PC by withdrawing millions" from the company "outside of the payroll and tax withholding process that it was designed to perform."

HUNTER BIDEN TAX TRIAL POSTPONED TO SEPTEMBER

The special counsel alleged that Biden "spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills," and that in 2018, he "stopped paying his outstanding and overdue taxes for tax year 2015."

Weiss alleged that Biden "willfully failed to pay his 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 taxes on time, despite having access to funds to pay some or all of these taxes," and that he "willfully failed to file his 2017 and 2018 tax returns on time."

This is the second time Biden is on trial this year stemming from charges out of Weiss' investigation. 

Biden was found guilty on all counts in Delaware after Weiss charged him with making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm; making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a licensed firearm dealer; and one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. 

A date has not yet been set for sentencing for those charges. With all counts combined, the total maximum prison time for the charges could be up to 25 years. Each count carries a maximum fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release. 

President Biden has vowed not to pardon his son. 

Jury selection in California is expected to take place Thursday and Friday. Weiss and Biden's defense attorneys are expected to deliver their opening arguments the following Monday.

Trump’s refusal to change up his campaign only helps Harris

Posted on by kos

A very limited number of people like Donald Trump, and his handlers have finally come to terms with that. Yet their answer—to drag Vice President Kamala Harris into the muck with him—only works if he focuses his attention on her. 

Instead, he can’t get past me, me, me. 

This is hardly an original thought. Our own Mark Sumner wrote about it Tuesday, saying, “[Trump is] caught in a trap of reacting to Harris, and when he tries to struggle out, he and his arrogant campaign staff make things all the worse.” But the notion is certainly worth exploring even more. 

There is an old political adage, “When you’re explaining, you’re losing.” No one wants to hear excuses, and by responding to an attack, it inherently both restates it once again, and validates it.” A smart politician knows when to ignore an attack and when to engage it. 

BASH: Trump suggested that you happened to turn Black recently for political purposes, questioning a core part of your identity. HARRIS: Same old tired playbook. Next question, please. BASH: That's it? HARRIS: That's it. pic.twitter.com/RTNin7siVL

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 30, 2024

By ignoring the question about race and asking CNN’s Dana Bash to move on, she not only starved Trump’s sad attempt at an attack line of oxygen, but she made Bash look the fool for even asking it. 

There was no way for the media to even talk about it without being utterly scorched, as Politico found out to its chagrin, when it changed the headline to a corresponding story three times to avoid being dragged by commenters. Here is White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre giving Fox News’ Steve Doocy the same treatment. 

For all the legitimate attacks Trump faces such as on his illegal Arlington National Cemetery campaign video stunt, his flailing on abortion rights, his pledge to be a dictator on Day One, or his claims that this is the last election anyone has to vote, he also faces a ton of stupid, niggling ones. A smart politician would ignore all that noise and focus on salient attack lines. The old Trump was able to do that. 

But today’s Trump, haunted by his litany of grievances, cannot escape the gravitational pull of even the slightest criticism. Rather than entertain his base with his old formula of crass bigotry and childish schoolyard taunts, he now bores people to tears responding to slights they have no clue even existed. 

For example, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Trump is incapable of holding a coherent thought in his brain, and more and more people are discussing whether he is suffering from cognitive decline. Trump could ignore those attacks. Instead …  “I do the weave,” Trump responded at a rally, likely confusing attendees and leaving them wondering what he was prattling about. “You know what the weave is? I’ll talk about, like, nine different things, and they all come back brilliantly together ... and friends of mine that are, like, English professors, they say it's the most brilliant thing I've ever seen.”

Democrats have been getting a lot of traction calling the Republican ticket weird. "[Gov. Tim Walz] is weird, right? He's weird. I'm not weird. No, he's a weird guy, a weird dude, you know?” Trump said at a Wisconsin town hall. “They always come up with sound bites, and one of the things they say is that JD [Vance] and I are weird. But wouldn't that guy, who's so straight, say that? JD is doing a great job—he's smart, a top student, a great guy, and he's not weird. And I'm not weird either. I mean, we're a lot of things, but we're not weird, I will tell you. But that guy is weird. Don't you think?"

Trump can’t handle Michelle and Barack Obama criticizing him at the Democratic National Convention, complaining about it here, here, and here. The former president’s joke about Trump’s manhood broke him. 

He can’t even get over President Joe Biden passing the baton over to Harris. As recently as last week, on Aug. 26, he whined about Biden while visiting a campaign office in Michigan.

"It's so disappointing" -- Trump is currently at his Michigan campaign office whining that he's no longer running against Biden pic.twitter.com/2pCZovIjmI

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 26, 2024

“They basically take away his nomination,” he said. “No one has ever seen anything like that before.”

You can feel the lack of energy in the room. 

No one cares about his thoughts on Biden’s campaign exit or Obama’s convention dick joke, but by repeatedly bringing up those and other items, he gives new life to the attacks. Frankly, it makes them even funnier. 

But his campaign isn’t laughing. “Americans’ views of the Republican nominee have barely budged over the past nine years, spanning three White House bids, two impeachments, an insurrection, four indictments and an assassination attempt. He remains deeply divisive, with enthusiastic support and intense opposition,” The Washington Post reported Monday. “With little chance of improving Trump’s standing, Trump’s advisers see the only option as damaging hers.”

CNN had its own version of that story. “Donald Trump is trying to crush Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’ persona as a force of change and to destroy her personal credibility as a potential president as their still-fresh competition careens into the final nine weeks before Election Day,” the network reported. “In recent days, the ex-president has unveiled a broad assault using the insult-driven politics with which he won power in 2016, even as his advisers have been pleading with him to focus his attention on top voter concerns including high prices and immigration.”

There are 61 days until Election Day. These Trump advisers are right—Trump needs to drag Harris down in order to win the race. So far it hasn’t happened. Every single day that Trump is fixated on responding to Democratic attacks, big and small, is one day less that Republicans have to hurt Harris.

And yet Trump can’t focus. Even when he does, screeching about Harris being a “communist” is so patently absurd, it doesn’t land with anyone outside the MAGA bubble. 

The consequences of Trump’s inability to focus speak for themselves. In the 538 polling aggregate, Harris had a favorability rating of 37.8 favorable, 52.4 unfavorable on July 21, when Biden dropped out, or a net negative 14.6 percentage points. 

Today? She’s at 46.3% favorable, 46.8% unfavorable, a net improvement of almost 14 percentage points despite the combined mighty efforts of the entire right-wing noise machine. The last seven polls all have Harris either in net positive territory except one, which has it even. The trend is unmistakable. 

Trump is at 43% favorable, 52.5% unfavorable. That is far better than he deserves, but still well underwater. That disparity in the candidates’ favorabilities will cost Trump the election unless they are reversed.

Yet no one can convince him to focus on Harris. He still has feelings about Biden’s exit he needs to process … and he’s doing so very publicly. 

So it seems they’re doomed to watching their nominee waste valuable days by focusing on the most trivial, irrelevant topics, like arguing how attractive he is in response to jokes about his appearance (especially compared to Harris). “I was sort of like a hot guy,” he said to his confused audience. “I was hot as a pistol. I think I was hotter than I am now and I became president. Okay. I don't know. I said to somebody, was I hotter before or hotter now? I don't know.” 

Trump: I was sort of like a hot guy. I was hot as a pistol. I think I was hotter than I am now and I became president. Okay. I don't know. I said to somebody, was I hotter before or hotter now? I don't know pic.twitter.com/7SA1wWkZ4w

— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) May 23, 2024

In any case, tired old Trump isn’t campaigning much these days. His next campaign rally isn’t until Saturday, after having just seven campaign events last month. His people will point to all the media he’s doing, but it’s a combination of Fox News, right-wing podcasts, and other assorted MAGA media hanger-ons. 

Those audiences already hate Harris. He’s not damaging her where Republicans need to kneecap her, among the broader mainstream. 

Let's Kamala Harris keep Trump on the defensive, and put more states in the blue column with a $5 donation to the Harris/Walz campaign.

Harris could defy history. Just 1 sitting VP has won the presidency since 1836

Posted on by Associated Press

As Vice President Kamala Harris begins her fall campaign for the White House, she can look to history and hope for better luck than others in her position who have tried the same.

Since 1836, only one sitting vice president, George H.W. Bush in 1988, has been elected to the White House. Among those who tried and failed were Richard Nixon in 1960, Hubert Humphrey in 1968 and Al Gore in 2000. All three lost in narrow elections shaped by issues ranging from war and scandal to crime and the subtleties of televised debates. But two other factors proved crucial for each vice president: whether the incumbent president was well-liked and whether the president and vice president enjoyed a productive relationship.

“You really do want those elements to come together,” says Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. “If the person the vice president is working for is popular, that means people like what he’s doing and you can gain from that. And you need to have the two principals working together.”

In 1988, Bush easily defeated Democrat Michael Dukakis, the Massachusetts governor whom Republicans labeled as ineffectual and out of touch. Bush was otherwise helped by a solid economy, the easing of Cold War tensions and some rare luck for a vice president. President Ronald Reagan's approval ratings rose through much of the year after falling sharply in the wake of the 1986-87 Iran-Contra scandal, and Reagan and Bush worked well together during the campaign. Reagan openly backed his vice president, who had run against him in the 1980 primaries. He praised Bush at the Republican convention as an engaged and invaluable partner, appeared with him at a California rally and spoke at gatherings in Michigan, New Jersey and Missouri.

President George H.W. Bush

“Reagan was not a man to hold grudges,” said historian-journalist Jonathan Darman. “And Bush did a good job of navigating the complexity of their relationship while he was vice president.”

Past vice presidents who ran

When Gore ran in 2000, his advantages were similar to those enjoyed by George H.W. Bush. The economy was strong, the country was at peace and the president, Bill Clinton, had high approval ratings despite his recent impeachment over his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Gore had worked closely with Clinton over the previous eight years, but the scandal led to enduring tensions between them. He minimized the president’s presence during the campaign and pronounced himself “my own man” during his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. Commentators would cite his distance from Clinton as a setback in a historically close race, decided by a margin of fewer than 1,000 votes in Florida.

“Instead of finding a way to embrace the accomplishments of the Clinton administration, Gore ran away from Clinton as fast as his legs could carry him,” Slate's Jacob Weisberg wrote soon after the election.

Like Gore, Nixon could not — or would not — capitalize on the incumbent Dwight Eisenhower's popularity. In 1960, Eisenhower was still so admired as he neared the end of his second term that Nixon's opponent, Democrat John F. Kennedy, feared the president's active support would prove critical. But Eisenhower and Nixon had a complicated relationship dating back to when Eisenhower ran eight years earlier. He had chosen Nixon as his running mate, but nearly dropped him because of the so-called Checkers scandal, in which Nixon was accused of misusing funds donated by political backers.

Nixon was more than 20 years younger than Eisenhower, the victorious World War II commander who often looked upon his vice president as a junior officer, according to Nixon biographer John A. Farrell. At the end of a summer press conference in 1960, Eisenhower was asked if he could cite Nixon's influence on any important decision. He answered, “If you give me a week, I might think of one." Meanwhile, Nixon was reluctant to have Eisenhower campaign, out of a desire to forge his own path, and, allegedly, out of concern for the 70-year-old president.

“Nixon very much wanted to be his own man,” says Farrell, whose prize-winning “Richard Nixon" was published in 2017. “He always said he was worried about Eisenhower's health, but there are also anecdotes that Eisenhower was chafing at the bit. Both could be true.”

Nixon's luck changed when he ran eight years later against Lyndon B. Johnson's vice president. No vice president was more entrapped by his predecessor than Hubert Humphrey, whose candidacy was only possible because Johnson decided not to seek reelection.

Humphrey faced challenges within the party from the anti-war candidates Eugene McCarthy and Robert F. Kennedy (who was assassinated in June 1968 after winning the California primary) and was tied to Johnson's divisive, hawkish stance.

Humphrey privately advocated a less hardline approach to the war, but Johnson intimidated him into silence and he trailed Nixon badly in many polls. Only in the fall did Humphrey diverge and call for a bombing halt with North Vietnam. The vice president rallied, but ended up losing the popular vote by less than a percentage point while falling short more decisively in the Electoral College.

“Johnson did catastrophic damage to Humphrey, in my opinion,” says Boston Globe columnist Michael Cohen, author of a book on the 1968 election, “American Carnage.”

How does Harris fare?

Like Johnson, President Joe Biden declared he wouldn’t seek a new term less than a year before Election Day, though he waited much longer in the cycle than Johnson did. Unlike Humphrey, Harris quickly consolidated Democratic support and accepted her party’s nomination at an uplifting convention that concluded without significant damage from protests, unlike the violence-marred 1968 event in the same city, Chicago.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris

In an AP-NORC survey conducted in July, after Biden dropped out of the race, about 4 in 10 Americans approved of his performance as president, roughly where his approval numbers have stood since the summer of 2021 and comparable to those of the Republican nominee, Donald Trump. Eisenhower, Reagan and Clinton frequently held higher approval ratings than Biden, although all served in less polarized eras.

Harris wants to succeed a president who himself served as vice president and ran for president, four years later. President Barack Obama discouraged Biden from seeking election in 2016 and waited to endorse Biden in 2020 until the crowded Democratic primary field was clear.

“Obama became an enthusiastic backer, which helped unify the party at a time when Biden’s record on race in the 1990s, including his support for the crime bill, was fueling doubts among young progressive voters,” Biden biographer Evan Osnos says. “Obama’s endorsement of Biden was about more than his candidacy; it was about his character, and that proved to be important.”

As president, Biden has worked to include Harris on his major policy calls and conversations with foreign leaders. He’s pledged to be Harris’ top campaign volunteer and to do whatever she asks of him for her election, though aides are still determining where the still-unpopular president would best be utilized. On Labor Day, Biden and Harris will appear together in Pittsburgh for a campaign event in a key swing state, Pennsylvania.

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Balance of power: Five races that could decide control of the House in November

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

As the presidential race heats up with less than three months until Election Day, candidates in smaller-scale races across the country are also sprinting to the November finish line.

Those include the 435 races that will decide control of the House of Representatives next year.

"I feel sort of bullish for Republicans right now," veteran GOP strategist Doug Heye told Fox News Digital. "This [presidential] race, especially in the swing states, is going to be so close that, to me, mitigates some of the ‘If Trump wins, Republicans keep the House, if Harris wins, Democrats take it back’ – that mitigates it for me to some extent."

Democratic strategist Joel Rubin, on the other hand, was confident in his party’s redistricting wins and renewed political enthusiasm since Vice President Kamala Harris took over the mantle from President Biden last month.

KEY SENATOR REPORTEDLY BEHIND HARRIS' RISE TO POWER WITHHOLDS HIS ENDORSEMENT FOR PRESIDENT

"These 35, 40 swing districts, I think about 18 to 20 are Biden wins in red seats. So the map looks promising," Rubin said. "And the thing that’s distinct now from a month ago, obviously, is Democratic enthusiasm . . . I do think Democrats can take back the House with these kinds of numbers and these kinds of structural gains."

And with ever-shrinking margins in the House in recent years, it’s likely control of the House will come down to just several key races, five of which Fox News Digital highlighted below:

Freshman Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., is running against former Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones in the New York suburbs just north of the Big Apple. His district is among several that Biden won in 2020, and Democrats see an opening to win it back.

Both Jones and Lawler have sought to paint each other as radicals, each tying his rival to the most unpopular policy stances in their respective parties. 

Lawler, for his part, has been ranked among the most bipartisan lawmakers in the 118th Congress.

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: FIVE THEMES EMERGE IN THE BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE GAVEL

Jones, meanwhile, has reshaped himself closer to the center, going so far as to endorse the primary opponent of a former progressive anti-Israel colleague, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, which earned him ire from that faction of House Democrats.

"I think that’s a really important one, that’s a potential pickup for Democrats against a moderate, well-regarded Republican – but in a district that had been blue, and there are . . . seats that Democrats lost in New York that we should not have lost two years ago – and that was the difference between minority and the majority," Rubin said.

Heye said, "I’m betting on Lawler, he’s a good fit for that district. And I think there are still some divisions on the Democratic side."

Both Republicans and Democrats are looking at a portion of the Washington, D.C., suburbs in Virginia as a chance for victory in a district that Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., is vacating to run for governor.

The Democrat running is Eugene Vindman, the brother of Alexander Vindman, whose congressional testimony sparked the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump.

On the GOP side is Derrick Anderson, an attorney and former Special Forces Green Beret.

Spanberger won in 2017 by defeating a Tea Party Republican, and the GOP is eyeing a chance to take the seat back.

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: THREE GOVERNOR'S RACES TO WATCH ON ELECTION NIGHT

"If I were designing, like, a prototype Democrat to run in a swing district, Spanberger is who I would design – perfect for that district, but she’s not running again. So that makes it harder for Democrats, and I know outside groups are putting money into [that race]," said Heye.

Rubin defended Vindman, pointing out both he and Spanberger were relevant to the national security space between his military experience and her time in the FBI.

"I think this is one where he can build off the Spanberger brand," he said.

Another competitive seat will be the one being vacated by Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., at the end of this year. 

The central Michigan district has grown more conservative in recent years, according to Bridge Michigan, though Biden eked out a 2% victory there over Trump in 2020.

That race is between Democratic State Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet and former Trump administration appointee Paul Junge.

Heye said of the open seat there and in Virginia, "What I’ve been hearing for a while now… is that the open seats have become a liability for Democrats with their math in taking back the House."

Maryland’s 6th congressional district could be Republicans’ best pickup opportunity in an otherwise majority-blue state, with Democratic Rep. David Trone leaving at the end of this year.

April Delaney, whose husband John Delaney held the Seat from 2013 to 2017, is running on the Democratic side against Republican former state delegate Neil Parrott.

The district leans blue, but a Washington Post story on the race pointed out that it also has 141,000 unaffiliated voters who could decide the outcome.

Rubin noted he was supportive of Delaney’s bid but conceded that having popular former governor Larry Hogan on the ballot for Senate could inspire more middle-of-the-road people to vote Republican in state congressional races.

Heye said he was also growing confident about Republicans’ chances in Alaska, where its lone congressional seat will be decided using ranked-choice voting.

"In Alaska, [Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola] could win, but to do so, she’s going to have to massively over-perform," the GOP strategist said. "If we’re talking two weeks ago, I would say Republicans are split, ranked-choice voting, the Democrats win. That framework doesn’t exist anymore."

The general election was meant to be a three-way race between Peltola, Republican Nick Begich, and Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom. 

Republicans have consolidated in recent days, however, with House GOP leadership getting behind Begich and Dahlstrom dropping out of the race.

Peltola, a moderate Democrat, is generally well-liked in the state, which voted for Trump by roughly 10 points over Biden in 2020. Those dynamics now make for what’s expected to be a close race.

Democrats dare fractured House Republicans to impeach Biden

Posted on by Joan McCarter

House Republicans released their bogus impeachment report on President Joe Biden on Aug. 19, hoping to distract from the display of joy and unity on the first day of the Democratic National Convention. GOP leaders—and plenty of Republicans in vulnerable House seats—wanted that to be the end of it, but the extremists in the conference don’t agree and could try to force a vote. That’s got Democrats popping their popcorn, ready for the show.

When the report was released, House Speaker Mike Johnson simply stated that he hoped everyone would read it and thanked the committees for their work. He didn't say anything about what would happen next, suggesting he just wants the partisan and sloppy attempt to nail the Biden “crime family” to go away. That way, Republicans won’t have to take an embarrassing vote to impeach Biden that would surely fail.

But Johnson immediately heard back from the peanut gallery. The House hard-liners are getting ready to raise hell, and the rest of the GOP is starting to freak out over the possibility that one of the troublemakers is going to try to force the vote when the House reconvenes in September.

It takes just one member to force a vote via a privileged resolution, a procedure that has been vexing leadership since Republicans took control of the House. The likeliest suspects to force a vote, Axios hears from its sources, are ultra-right Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Andy Biggs of Arizona, and Anna Paulina Luna of Florida.

The rest of the GOP accepts reality: Forcing a vote would be a distraction at best, and would more likely piss off voters. It could very well motivate progressive voters to turn out for downballot Democrats running against vulnerable Republicans, and would make MAGA voters mad at any GOP representatives who vote against it. It is absolutely a lose-lose scenario for Republicans, and Democrats are totally here for it.

"The whole investigation has been a debacle for them, they have egg all over their face," Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland told Axios. Have the vote, he says, and “either prove that all of them are invested in this nonsense, or that they can’t even ... get all the Republicans in the House to vote for it.”

“If they actually take it to a vote, then individual [Republican] members are going to be politically punished,” he added.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida has one message for the House hard-liners: Bring it on.

"Call the vote. They should do that. That vote is a paved road to the minority," Moskowitz said, noting that there are plenty of Republicans who "have never wanted to do the vote." But if GOP House members do vote for impeachment, he continued, Senate Democrats should “call their bluff” and have a trial. “We should make them own it, every day on TV.”

"If they want to show that their top issue is impeaching Joe Biden, a lame-duck president, then we should make them own it. We're not going to go on the defense, we're going to go on the offense," Moskowitz said.

That’s just one more headache for Johnson. He’s already facing rebellious opposition from his own members to the one task Congress must complete in three short September weeks: funding the government. Having to vote on impeachment—and further roiling up his fractured conference—will only make his job harder. 

September is shaping up to be a nightmare for Johnson, which is just what he deserves. 

Let’s make Hakeem Jeffries speaker! Donate $3 apiece to help flip these 11 vulnerable Republican seats so we can take back the House in 2024!

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Ex-Trump impeachment manager accuses House GOP of ‘fishing’ for Biden crimes after bombshell report

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

A House Democrat who played a major role in the first impeachment of former President Trump is criticizing Republicans' own push against former President Biden.

"I don't see any evidence here. The problem is, is they wanted to try to create an impeachment, so they started with an impeachment and they went looking for evidence – fishing for it," Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., told Fox News Digital last week.

"There's just nothing there. And it's clear the report again confirms that. It's too bad we wasted so much valuable time in Congress going through that process."

Crow was one of seven House Democrats chosen by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to make the case for impeaching Trump in 2020. He was one of just two first-term lawmakers on that team.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS REFER HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN FOR CRIMINAL PROSECUTION AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

"Congress actually passed Ukraine funding. He withheld that funding, which is actually against the law – the president does not have the authority to withhold funding that's dedicated by Congress for a specific purpose," Crow said. "The job of the president is actually to make sure that funding is used appropriately and to implement it. So that happened, and then Congress investigated it, and then we went through an impeachment proceeding."

"Contrast that with the Republican approach, they just said they want to impeach Biden. And then they went looking for things to impeach him on – and, of course, didn't come up with anything."

His comments come after House Republicans released a report accusing Biden of committing impeachable offenses relating to his family's foreign business dealings.

It's the product of a years-long probe by the House committees on Oversight, the Judiciary and Ways & Means into whether Biden used his position as vice president to benefit himself or his family.

HUNTER DEMANDED $10M FROM CHINESE ENERGY FIRM BECAUSE 'BIDENS ARE THE BEST,' HAVE 'CONNECTIONS'

Rep. James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, pushed back on Crow's comments via a spokesperson, telling Fox News Digital, "It comes as no surprise that a Democrat congressman who dismisses concerns about Joe Biden’s mental fitness to serve the remainder of his term also dismisses the clear evidence of Joe Biden’s involvement in his family’s business schemes. 

"Bank records don’t lie and reveal the Bidens and their associates raked in nearly $30 million by selling the Biden brand. Multiple witnesses have confirmed Joe Biden was involved in his family’s business schemes as he dined, spoke, had coffee, and met with nearly all of his family’s foreign business associates. This is blatant corruption and abuse of public office."

The report said that "overwhelming evidence demonstrates that President Biden participated in a conspiracy to monetize his office of public trust to enrich his family."

FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN IN 2017 SENT 'BEST WISHES' FROM 'ENTIRE BIDEN FAMILY' TO CHINA FIRM CHAIR, REQUESTED $10M WIRE

"Among other aspects of this conspiracy, the Biden family and their business associates received tens of millions of dollars from foreign interests by leading those interests to believe that such payments would provide them access to and influence with President Biden," the report said.

The committees said the Biden family and its associates received more than $27 million from foreign individuals or entities since 2014.

The White House said in response to the report last week, "This failed stunt will only be remembered for how it became an embarrassment that their own members distanced themselves from as they only managed to turn up evidence that refuted their false and baseless conspiracy theories. The American people deserve more from House Republicans, and perhaps now they will finally join President Biden in focusing on the real issues that American families actually care about."

Fox News Digital also reached out to the committees on the Judiciary and Ways & Means for comment on Crow's remarks but did not hear back by press time. 

Vermont GOP sees ‘record’ ballot boost as blue-state citizens ‘see the need for change’

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After tabulations from the state's recent primary were finalized, the Vermont Republican Party recorded 22 new candidates for state House races, on top of the 74 that had already been on the ballot for the 150-member chamber.

While nationally considered a blue state, Vermont Republican Party Chairman Paul Dame said Monday the development was exceptional, given the state’s actual penchant to blur partisan lines.

He ascribed the GOP’s boost to a recently enacted "double-digit" property tax hike in the state, as well as voters’ renewed focus on the presidential race.

"I think we're absolutely poised to pick up seats from where we have been, there seems to be much more energy and cohesion on the Republican side than we've had in a while," Dame said.

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Gov. Phil Scott, a moderate Republican ranked the most popular such official in the country at 81%, has also been involved with party work, Dame said. A request for comment from Scott was not immediately returned.

Dame said he’s talked to several of the new candidates, including a man from Colchester, who had been on the fence when petitions were circulated in May.

"Over the summer, you always get his kids ready to enroll in school. And he said, ‘You know what – now Vermont is going to be our home. We're going to make a commitment to stay here. If that's the case, I want to run and change the course that we're on,'" Dame recalled.

In Vermont, many of the latecomers to the ballot appear to follow a similar timeline. 

After the primary ballot is finalized in May, voters realize there are vacancies on the final ballot and then may try to organize write-in campaigns.

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If 25 voters write the same name in for a House seat, or 50 voters for a state Senate seat, that name will then appear on the November general election ballot.

While 96 Republicans is still somewhat distant from two decades ago when Vermont saw 130 Republicans on the ballot, the significance is that Vermonters are stepping up to serve.

"It's a story of regular voters, seeing the need for change and deciding that they're willing to step up and be part of that change," he said.

"It’s definitely inflation and affordability. I think that that's sort of the national… but then Vermont is adding a new layer on top of that."

With the Democrats recently earning a supermajority in the legislature, Scott has issued a record number of vetoes and Democratic lawmakers in return have issued a record number of veto overrides.

Thus was the case in the property tax debate, with Scott calling for "tax relief now," while House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Chittenden, said the governor failed to offer a sufficient alternative plan.

As for the GOP’s prospects in November, Vermont has had a penchant for ideologically divergent election results.

Scott is just as much a heavy favorite as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the self-described "democratic socialist."

"Vermonters vote for authenticity," Dame added. 

"And both Gov. Phil Scott and Sen. Bernie Sanders have a relationship with Vermonters that Vermonters know that they believe what they're saying – they say very different things, but they know that they can trust what they're saying there and they're not pandering."

Both Scott and Sanders are not afraid to criticize their own party.

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Sanders has critiqued President Biden and members of the Democratic caucus in Congress on occasion, while Scott was the first GOP governor to back impeachment inquiries against former President Trump.

In the latest University of New Hampshire poll, Sanders leads his Republican challenger Gerald Malloy 66-25%. Scott leads Democrat Esther Charlestin by a similar 55-28%.

Former Sen. Jim Jeffords, R-Vt., who notably ceded Republican control of the Senate when he switched to a Democrat-caucusing-Independent in 2001, was the last GOP member of Congress from the Green Mountain State.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Vermont Democratic Party for comment but did not hear back by press time.

The Home Stretch: VP Harris fills Democrats with optimism as Election Day nears

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Vice President Harris infused Democrats with optimism as the 2024 election cycle heads for the home stretch.

There was real concern that a continued campaign by President Biden might suppress Democratic turnout. That would damage an opportunity by Democrats to reclaim the House and even hold the Senate.

But the rapid ascendancy by Harris to the top of the ticket changed all of that.

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Fundraising for House Democrats soared – especially in July. House Democrats were already leading their Republican counterparts at the end of June. The GOP brass implored rank-and-file Republican members to bolster their money game. Leaders requested Republicans to cough up cash to help safeguard the GOP majority.

"It was a great response. Everyone stepped up. We had a number of people pledge more money to the committee," said Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., head of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). "We don't have to match them. But we’ve got to be in the game."

Democrats must only flip a handful of seats to gain control of the House. California and New York are ripe for Democrats to win seats. But they must also preserve vulnerable Democrats in red or battleground districts. Think Reps. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash.

Frankly, it’s tough for Democrats to hold the Senate. The Senate currently features 50 senators who caucus with the Democrats and 49 Republicans. There is a temporary vacancy after the resignation of former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., following his conviction on corruption charges. Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.V., currently caucuses with the Democrats. But he’s retiring. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) is expected to win that seat for the GOP. Democrats must retain several very competitive seats in either red or battleground states. Those Democrats on the ballot this fall include Sens. Bob Casey, D-Penn., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev. Democrats are also trying to hold seats in swing states like Michigan and Arizona. Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., who caucuses with the Democrats, are both retiring.

But Democrats are brimming with optimism. That’s partly because they believe they can sell a more optimistic message compared to the rhetoric of former President Trump.

"(Vice President) Kamala Harris is an inspiring young candidate. A fresh face which people in this country have been looking for," said Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). "Donald Trump is very polarizing and he has people who want to turn out and vote against him in big numbers."

Democrats now believe that competitive states at the presidential level could determine if they win Senate seats. The theory goes like this: if Vice President Harris prevails in Michigan, that enhances chances that Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., would defeat former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., in the race to succeed Stabenow. Or if former President Trump is victorious in Nevada, then Republican Senate nominee Sam Brown could topple Rosen.

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"Michigan is the center of the political universe. You cannot be president if you do not win Michigan," said Peters. "We will not be in the majority in the Senate unless we elect Elissa to the United States Senate. She has to win. It’s all on us."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is even making the case he’ll be Senate Majority Leader again next year.

"We’re going to hold the Senate again. And we’re poised to pick up seats," said Schumer.

Picking up seats is yeoman’s task for Democrats.

We mentioned West Virginia earlier. Even if Democrats run the table and hold all of the competitive seats mentioned above, that only gets the Democrats to 50. Sure, Democrats could still be in the majority if it’s 50/50. It’s been custom (but not etched in stone) over the past quarter century that the party which secures the presidency captures the Senate majority in an evenly split Senate. That’s because the Vice President – as President of the Senate – can break ties. So yes, a prospective Vice President Walz could propel Democrats into the majority. But the only other path for Democrats to a Senate majority is to knock off Republican incumbents.

But here’s the problem: GOP seats which are up this year are in red states. It’s doubtful Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., will lose. Former President Trump scored nearly 70 percent of the vote in Wyoming four years ago. Mr. Trump marshaled 65 percent of the 2020 vote in North Dakota.

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., leads the GOP’s Senate re-election efforts as head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). He scoffed at Schumer’s suggestion.

"He would have to win Texas and Florida. He'd have to beat (Sen.) Ted Cruz, R-Tex., and (Sen.) Rick Scott. R-Fla., That's just not going to happen," said Daines on Fox. "They're running like they're five points behind when, indeed, they are eight to nine points ahead."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., steps down from his leadership post later this year but remains in the body. McConnell wants to usher in a new Senate majority as one of his final acts as the chamber’s top Republican.

"I'd like to be turning my job over to the Majority Leader rather than the Minority Leader," said McConnell. "And that's what I'm focusing on in my current activities."

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McConnell is warning voters what he believes Democrats will do if they hold the Senate.

"Schumer is talking about getting rid of the filibuster," said McConnell.

Manchin and Sinema are two of the most ardent defenders of the Senate tradition. But they’re retiring. Some on the left have long pressured Democratic leaders to torpedo the filibuster.

"With a simple majority in the Senate, I think the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico would be admitted as states," said McConnell.

He asserts that means four new Democratic senators "in perpetuity, which significantly disables our side." 

Of course, it’s unclear if Democrats would hold the Senate. And then, kill the filibuster. And it’s far from guaranteed that potential senators from Washington, DC and Puerto Rico would all be Democrats. Let alone "in perpetuity." When Alaska and Hawaii became states in 1959, Alaska was supposed to be the "Democratic" state and Hawaii the "Republican" state. However, the politics of both evolved over time. Alaska is now more Republican. Hawaii is more Democratic.

Republicans are skeptical Democrats can maintain their momentum following Chicago.

"They're on a sugar high right now. I think they'll come off of that after the convention. And the real campaign starts after Labor Day," said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Fox. "We are going to grow the majority and we're very bullish about November."

In politics, sides which are privy to favorable polling data sometimes exude caution to purposely diminish expectations. Then surprise everyone when their candidates actually win.

That’s certainly not the case with Schumer predicting victory in the Senate and Johnson prognosticating success in the House.

But politics is also about cheerleading. We’re at the home stretch. And right now, both sides are trying to electrify voters before November.