NationalWatch

FIRST ON FOX: A former top intelligence official gave a one-word answer when asked if he would retract the letter he signed along with 51 other former officials warning Hunter Biden’s infamous “laptop from hell” was Russian disinformation.

James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence in the Obama administration, signed the heavily scrutinized letter just weeks before the 2020 presidential election, claiming the laptop had “all the earmarks” of a Russian effort to influence the vote.

“No,” he simply said when asked by Fox News Digital if he regretted signing it despite the laptop now being used by prosecutors arguing Hunter committed a federal gun crime.

DEM IN MAJOR SENATE RACE ACCUSED OF ‘PANDERING’ TO BLACK VOTERS BY SUPPORTING REPARATIONS

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper (left) and Hunter Biden (right) (Getty Images)

Clapper also refused to publicly remove his name from the letter despite evidence proving the device and its contents were legitimate and would not concede he and the other former intelligence officials who signed on should have waited longer to weigh in.

The laptop, filled with videos and photos of drug use, sex acts and sensitive business communications, was shown to the jury Tuesday in an effort to prove the president’s son lied about using drugs on a gun purchase form. 

Critics took to social media to blast Clapper and others following revelations the laptop would be entered into evidence.

“No one is above the law, except: James Clapper — lied to Congress/never charged,” political science professor Nicholas Giordano wrote in a post on X. That was a reference to Clapper previously being accused of perjury when he testified before Congress that the Obama administration was “not wittingly” collecting Americans’ telephone records.

FOLLOWING TRUMP’S GUILTY VERDICT, FIRST SWING STATE POLL REVEALS HOW IT IMPACTS VOTERS’ DECISIONS

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill May 8, 2017, in Washington, D.C. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

“It was an intelligence community coup,” wrote another X user, suggesting the letter’s timing was meant to influence the 2020 election.

While the laptop has since been authenticated by a variety of news outlets, it was rejected when the New York Post first reported it in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election, including by Joe Biden’s campaign, which vigorously denied its legitimacy. 

The campaign, however, appeared to be coordinating the release of the letter signed by Clapper, which was published days before a debate between Biden and Trump in which Biden claimed, “There are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what he’s accusing me of is a Russian plant.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Despite claims from former officials that the laptop had the hallmarks of Russian disinformation, Fox News Digital reported that federal investigators with the Department of Justice knew in December 2019 that Hunter Biden’s laptop was “not manipulated in any way” and contained “reliable evidence.” 

But they were “obstructed” from seeing all available information, according to an IRS whistleblower involved in the probe, nearly a year before the former intelligence officials and Joe Biden declared it was part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

Fox News’ Brian Flood and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

President Biden was criticized by conservatives Friday over a speech at France’s Pointe du Hoc marking the anniversary of D-Day that they said closely resembled a speech former President Reagan delivered there 40 years ago.

“Unreal,” Young Americans for Liberty posted on X on Friday. “It appears that Biden’s D-Day speech is just a paraphrase of Reagan’s D-Day speech.”

“Joe Biden essentially plagiarized Ronald Reagan’s famous 1984 speech at Pointe du Hoc today in Normandy,” OutKick Founder Clay Travis posted on X. “Watch these clips side by side. Wow.”

“Biden camp tries to make Biden sound like Reagan,” former Wisconsin GOP Gov. Scott Walker posted on X. “But he wasn’t a great communicator just because of the words he said. He was a great communicator because he believed what he said and he made us believe it too. Joe Biden will never be as great a leader as Ronald Reagan!”

‘THE ARTICLE WAS BS’: BIDEN’S CABINET FIRES BACK AT SCATHING REPORT EXPOSING DECLINING MENTAL ACUITY

President Biden delivers a speech on the legacy of Pointe du Hoc and democracy around the world Friday, June 7, as he stands next to the Pointe du Hoc monument in Normandy, France.  (AP/Evan Vucci)

Walker went on to say in another post, “Biden had to drop out of the presidential race 37 years ago for this kind of plagiarism. He should drop out again.”

“Why would he do this?” former Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen posted on X. “Why invite a direct comparison with Reagan with whom no president could ever compete in telling this story, much less one as inarticulate as Biden?”

“Joe Biden: Once a plagiarist, always a plagiarist,” conservative communicator Steve Guest posted on X.

TRUMP RIPS BIDEN AS ‘INCOMPETENT TO STAND TRIAL’ IN DOCUMENT PROBE: DON’T WANT ‘THAT KIND OF EXONERATION’

President Biden walks with Superintendent of the Normandy American Cemetery Scott Desjardins June 7, 2024, as he arrives to deliver a speech at Pointe du Hoc, where U.S. Army Rangers scaled cliffs over 100 feet high on D-Day to destroy a heavily fortified German position. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Both speeches similarly described the events of the D-Day invasion, and videos circulating on social media showed clips of the two speeches side by side.

“At last the hour had come. Dawn. Sixth of June, 1944,” Biden began, similar to Reagan’s speech, in which he said, “At dawn on the morning of the 6th of June, 1944.”

Biden said, “Two hundred and twenty-five American Rangers arrived by ship, jumped into the waves and stormed the beach,” compared to Reagan who said, “Two hundred and twenty-five Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs.”

“They launched their ladders, their ropes and grappling hooks, and they began to climb,” Biden said, compared to Reagan who said, “They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up.”

TRUMP TOUTS SILICON VALLEY SUPPORT, SAYS TECH LEADERS CAN’T RELATE TO ‘LOW IQ’ BIDEN: ‘I HAVE A HIGH IQ’

President Biden, first lady Jill Biden, France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron attend a U.S. ceremony June 6, 2024, marking the 80th anniversary of the World War II D-Day Allied landings in Normandy at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, which overlooks Omaha Beach in northwestern France. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

“When the Nazis cut their ladders, the Rangers used the ropes, and the Nazis cut the ropes,” Biden said. “The Rangers used their hands.”

Reagan’s speech said, “When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again.”

Biden continued, “And inch by inch, foot by foot, yard by yard, the Rangers clawed, literally clawed their way up this mighty precipice until at last they reached the top.”

Reagan said, “Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top.”

“They breached Hitler’s Atlantic Wall, and they turned, in that one effort, the tide of the war that began to save the world,” Biden said.

“And in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe,” Reagan said. 

Days before Biden’s speech, Politico Playbook reported, “Biden Seeks His Gipper Moment. [Aides] have studied the Reagan trip closely and are looking to similarly capture the attention of a distracted, disillusioned public and remind them of how much is still at stake.”

GET THE FOX NEWS APP

President Reagan speaks at a news conference (Screenshot/Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute)

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response.

Travis later defended his post against an article from the left-leaning outlet Mediaite that argued Biden was not plagiarizing or copying Reagan in the speech but rather detailing what happened during the invasion. 

In his speech, Biden repeatedly referenced an “instinct” to “walk away” from democracy while discussing the heroics of the Army Rangers who scaled Pointe du Hoc more than 80 years ago on D-Day. 

“We talk about democracy, American democracy. We often talk about the ideals of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. What we don’t talk about is how hard it is, how many ways we’re asked to walk away, how many instincts there are to walk away,” Biden said. “The most natural instinct is to walk away.” 

It’s been two decades since a Republican carried Virginia in the race for the White House. 

You have to go back to then-President George W. Bush, who won the Commonwealth in his 2004 re-election victory.

Democrats have carried the state in four straight presidential elections, including President Biden’s 10-point victory over Donald Trump four years ago as he won the White House.

But GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin thinks the former president has a very good shot of ending the Republican losing streak in Virginia as Trump faces off this autumn with Biden in a 2024 election rematch.

REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS DRILL INTO BIDEN OVER HIGH ENERGY PRICES

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, speaking at the podium, is joined by, from left, Govs. Mike Dunleavy of Alaska, Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, Brian Kemp of Georgia, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Doug Burgum of North Dakota at a news conference at an oil refinery in Chalmette, Louisiana, on Monday.  (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

“Let’s just begin by remembering where we were in 2020 when Joe Biden won Virginia by 10 points, and the fact that we’re having this discussion is a huge turn of events,” Youngkin said earlier this week in a Fox News Digital interview in New Orleans, as he attended a Republican Governors Association (RGA) conference.

Youngkin emphasized that “we’re here in June and there’s still a lot of water to go under the bridge, but Virginia looks like it’s in play and that’s pretty exciting.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION

The governor was interviewed a couple of days ahead of the release of a Fox News poll that indicated Biden and Trump are deadlocked in Virginia. 

The survey, conducted June 1-4, shows the Democratic president and his Republican predecessor in the White House each with 48% support in a head-to-head match.

In a multi-candidate race, Biden stands at 42% and Trump at 41%, with Democrat-turned-independent Robert K. Kennedy at 9% and Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent Cornel West each at 2%.

Yougkin captured the governor’s office in 2021 as the GOP also won the races for lieutenant governor and attorney general in the party’s first statewide victories in a dozen years. They also flipped the state House, and the victories in a state that had trended blue over the previous decade energized Republicans nationwide.

But last November, Democrats won back the majority in the state House and defended their control of the state Senate in a setback for Youngkin, who led the Republican charge on the campaign trail even though his name wasn’t on the ballot.

Looking ahead to this autumn’s elections, Youngkin noted that he’s “fully endorsed” Trump and said “we’re going to enthusiastically campaign in order to win this thing.”

There was plenty of speculation last year that Youngkin would potentially launch a White House run of his own, but the governor has kept his focus squarely on his home state.

TRUMP LANDS ENDORSEMENT OF TOP TECH INVESTOR WHO HOSTED $12 MILLION FUNDRAISER

Asked about the possibility of a 2028 White House run, Youngkin pivoted and said his priority is “to be the best governor I possibly can in the Commonwealth and I gotta tell you, I love this job. We have made huge progress, and I’ve got almost another two years to continue to do for Virginia what Virginians hired me to do.”

Listing some of his accomplishments during his tenure so far as governor, Youngkin touted that “commonsense conservative policies work.”

Political pundits also view Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia as another potential contender for the 2028 GOP presidential nomination.

When asked about his next political chapter, Kemp told Fox News Digital “I am focused on winning in 2024. Then we’ll worry about anything else.”

Kemp, a popular conservative governor, earned Trump’s ire starting in late 2020, after he certified Biden’s narrow victory in Georgia in the presidential election following multiple recounts of the vote. 

Trump, who had unsuccessfully urged the governor and other top Republican officials in the state to overturn the results, returned to Georgia twice to campaign against Kemp as the governor ran for re-election in 2022. But in that year’s GOP gubernatorial primary, the governor squashed former Sen. David Perdue, whom Trump had backed in hopes of ousting Kemp.

Asked if he’ll be involved with helping Trump try to win back Georgia in the presidential election, Kemp said, “I’m involved right now. We have a lot on the ballot in Georgia… We’ve got to hold our majorities and we’ve got to hold Georgia, just like we did in 2022. That’s what I’m working on right now, helping to make sure we have a ground game to do that. And making sure that we keep Georgia red.”

CLICK HERE TO GET FOX NEWS APP

Kemp was interviewed in the wake of Trump’s convictions on all 34 felony counts in the first trial of a former or current president in the nation’s history.

Kemp wouldn’t say if Trump’s guilty verdicts will make the governor’s job harder in the autumn.

“We’ll let voters decide that. To me, at the end of the day, this is about the people, it’s not about me. It’s not about some DA in New York City that I think was being political,” he said.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is another Republican who’s far from a Trump ally.

Sununu is a longtime vocal GOP critic of the former president who was a top supporter and surrogate of Trump’s last challenger in the presidential primaries — former ambassador to the U.N. and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

After Haley dropped out of the race in March, Sununu reiterated that he would vote for the GOP standard-bearer. And Sununu said he will still vote for Trump even after the former president’s conviction.

Asked if he would join Trump on the campaign trail in swing-state New Hampshire, the governor said, “I’m going to campaign with the candidates that need the help. Trump is Trump. People are going to make their minds up about President Trump whether individuals are on the campaign trail with him or not. I’m really about making sure we win that Statehouse. We have more than 201 Republicans in the House of Representatives. More than 14 senators, a strong executive council and most importantly winning that Corner Office.”

Sununu, who joined Youngkin and Kemp and a handful of other governors at a news conference during the RGA gathering, emphasized that “the presidential race is going to take care of itself. We’re going to focus on the state house races where the effort needs to be.”

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

District Attorney Fani Willis had high hopes to take former President Trump to trial before the November election, but with the latest court decision on her scandalous relationship with a special prosecutor, that prospect has never appeared slimmer. 

Willis was accused in February of having an “improper” affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she had hired to help prosecutor the sweeping racketeering case against the former president.

A decision by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAffee not to disqualify her from the case is now on appeal, with that hearing slated for early October. And until then, McAfee can take no action in the electioneering against Trump – including taking any time this summer to decide how the Supreme Court’s decisions in the presidential immunity and “obstruction of official proceeding” matters will impact Willis’ case. 

Legal experts say the scandal could prove disastrous for the case. Clark D. Cunningham, an expert in legal ethics and a law professor at Georgia State University told the New York Times that Willis “just stabbed the case right in the heart.”

GEORGIA COURT PUTS PAUSE ON FANI WILLIS’ SWEEPING ELECTION CASE AGAINST TRUMP

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks after winning the Democratic primary on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Buckhead, Ga.  (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Trump was indicted in August along with 18 co-defendants in the yearslong criminal investigation led by Willis and state prosecutors in Georgia into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

In February, Michael Roman, a GOP operative and co-defendant in the case, dropped bombshell accusations that Willis had an “improper” affair with Wade, whom she hired to help prosecute the case in November 2021. 

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis looks on during a hearing in the case of the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump at the Fulton County Courthouse on March 1, 2024, in Atlanta. (Alex Slitz-Pool/Getty Images)

Other co-defendants made similar allegations, that she had financially benefited from her relationship with him by taking lavish vacations together. 

Both Wade and Willis denied they were in a romantic relationship prior to his hiring and that the couple would split the costs of their shared travels; Willis said she reimbursed Wade for her share of the trips in cash.

After evidentiary hearings held in February, Judge McAfee ordered that Wade had to be removed in order to keep Willis from disqualification in the Trump election interference case in Georgia. He also dismissed six of the states’ charges.

TRUMP’S APPEAL TO DISQUALIFY FANI WILLIS FROM GA CASE GETS OCTOBER HEARING DATE

Former President Donald Trump holds a rally in the historically Democratic South Bronx on May 23, 2024 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

“With 14 remaining defendants in the Georgia case, it was always a pipe dream to believe that the case would be tried before the election,” John Malcolm, a former federal prosecutor in Atlanta, told Fox News Digital. 

“The recent order from the Court of Appeals sent two signals, in my view. First, the court believes that the issues that have been raised – which include not only the payments made to Nathan Wade and her relationship with him, but also her ill-advised speech from a church pulpit essentially calling the defendants racists – are substantial and serious,” McAfee said. 

He referenced a speech made by Willis at an Atlanta church in January, when she claimed she and Wade were being scrutinized because of their race, which McAfee scolded in a court order. 

“And second, in light of that, the court believes it would be fundamentally unfair to put the defendants to the time and expense of litigating pretrial issues before Judge McAfee when there is a reasonable possibility, if not a likelihood, that Fani Willis and the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office will be disqualified from continuing with the case,” Malcolm added. 

“If that were to happen, the case would likely be turned over to another prosecutor who may decide to proceed or to drop the whole thing,” he added. 

REP JORDAN URGES CONGRESS TO ‘DEFUND LAWFARE ACTIVITIES’ OF TRUMP PROSECUTORS

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis looks on during a hearing in the case of the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump at the Fulton County Courthouse on March 1, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Photo by Alex Slitz-Pool/Getty Images)

Malcolm also said that the pending presidential immunity case before the Supreme Court “will have a dramatic impact on both the Georgia case and the federal case that is pending against former President Trump in D.C., and may make it difficult for Fani Willis (or some other prosecutor if she is disqualified) to continue to pursue Trump.”

Anthony Michael Kreis, a Georgia State Law professor, said that if Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, is elected in November, the trial will “almost certainly be delayed until 2029.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

When asked if Willis might consider recusing herself to put the litigation back on track, Kreis said, “she is not one to back down from a fight.” “

“I think the only way she might do that is if she really felt like the case was kind of getting out from underneath her,” Kreis said. “But I think we all know from Fani Willis, she is not one to back down from the fight. She’s not going to take that hit, right? If she’s going to be off the case it’s because the court will force her off.”

A representative for Willis did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

A clip of liberal comedian Chelsea Handler saying that 50 Cent “cannot vote” for former President Donald Trump during 2020 because he is Black sparked a snarky response from Sen. Tim Scott this week.

Sen. Scott, R-S.C, hit back at Handler in a social media post on Friday, saying, “tell another Black man how to think.”

“Yes, by all means, please tell another Black man how to think, White lady,” Scott wrote.

TIM SCOTT RESPONDS TO TRUMP CONSIDERING HIM FOR VICE PRESIDENT: ‘THE ONLY THING I CAN TELL YOU IS…’

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) speaks as Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump looks on during a campaign rally at the Grappone Convention Center on January 19, 2024, in Concord, New Hampshire.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The comedian made the comments about the rapper, 50 Cent, who she briefly dated in 2011, during a remote interview with Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show in 2020.

“And I had to remind him that he was a Black person, so he can’t vote for Donald Trump,” she told Fallon. 

Comedian Chelsea Handler during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)

The comedian argued that the rapper had a responsibility to not influence people to vote for Trump in 2020.

TIM SCOTT RESPONDS TO ‘THE VIEW’ MOCKING HIS CAREER

“He shouldn’t be influencing an entire swathe of people who may listen to him, because he’s worried about his own personal pocketbook,” she said. 

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – OCTOBER 23: Republican presidential candidate Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) takes a brief tour of the Woodlawn neighborhood with Pastor Corey Brooks before speaking at Brooks’ New Beginnings Church on October 23, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois. Scott spoke about “the radical left’s weaponization of race” during his speech to the majority African-American audience gathered at the church.  (Getty Images)

Scott previously pushed against the narrative that Black people should vote for Democrats, recently calling out “The View” after they mocked him for his leadership in bringing Black voters over to the Republican Party.

“Women of “The View”: My goodness gracious. Let me just be plain and simple. Without the Black vote, there is no Democratic Party,” Scott told “Hannity.” “And since I was elected in 2010 to Congress, before that, no Black Republicans [in Congress]. But since then, there’s been seven.” 

Scott said, “President Trump’s policies have led to a surge” of Black Republican political candidates taking office at the “city level, to the county level, to the state level, and in Congress.” 

“We’re seeing Black city council members, we’re seeing Black assembly members all across this nation,” he said. “There is a wave of Black elected officials who happen to be Republicans. But the Black vote is following.” 

“The View” co-host bashes Sen. Tim Scott’s engagement on Wednesday, suggesting he did it to become Donald Trump’s Vice President.  (Screenshot/The View)

“The View” co-host Sunny Hostin had said Friday that Scott was not making a strong case for Black conservatives. Scott got under Hostin’s skin last year when he rejected her beliefs on the show about systemic racism.

“Just to speak for African-American voters,” Hostin said. “If anyone thinks that Tim Scott is going to bring over a bunch of Black men, they need to just get with it, because Tim Scott is the only African-American senator in the Republican Party for a reason.” 

Senator Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, center, speaks during a campaign event with former US President Donald Trump, left, and Doug Burgum, governor of North Dakota, right, in Laconia, New Hampshire, US, on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Scott is one of several candidates that former President Trump is reportedly considering as his running mate in the 2024 election. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Scott ran for the Republican nomination but dropped out before the Iowa caucuses and went on to endorse Trump.

Fox News’ Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.

The judge presiding over former President Trump’s New York criminal trial notified his defense team on Friday of a comment on the court’s public Facebook page that implies one of the jurors discussed the guilty verdict ahead of time.

Fox News obtained the letter Judge Juan Merchan shared with Trump defense attorneys and Manhattan prosecutors. 

Judge Juan Merchan imposed over Donald Trump (AP)

TRUMP ATTORNEYS REQUEST MERCHAN LIFT GAG ORDER AHEAD OF PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE, FOLLOWING END OF TRIAL

“‘Today, the Court became aware of a comment that was posted on the Unified Court System’s public Facebook page and which I now bring to your attention. In the comment, the user, ‘Michael Anderson,’ states:

“’My cousin is a juror and says Trump is getting convicted! Thank you folks for all your hard work!!!!’”

TRUMP GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN NEW YORK CRIMINAL TRIAL

The comment was posted on May 29 “regarding oral arguments in the Fourth Department of the Appellate Division unrelated to this proceeding.” 

The profile for “Michael Anderson” has little publicly available information, but the user identifies himself as a “Transabled & professional sh– poster.”

TRUMP SAYS GUILTY VERDICT IS A ‘SCAR’ ON NEW YORK JUSTICE SYSTEM, VOWS TO ‘KEEP FIGHTING’

A Trump campaign official told Fox News Digital they are “investigating the matter.” 

Al Baker, state OCA spokesperson, said Friday that “as appropriate, the Court informed the parties once it learned of this online content.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The post came a day before Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump had pleaded not guilty to all charges. 

The six-week-long trial stemmed from charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. 

Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

What’s happening…

– Hunter Biden attorneys leave option open for president’s son to testify Monday …LIVE UPDATES

– Biden continues European tour commemorating D-Day…

– Trump finds windfall in Silicon Valley…

Amid concerns about Biden’s mental decline, former President Trump has a theory about why some Silicon Valley venture capitalists back him over the president: “they can’t relate to Biden because he is a stupid person — and I have a high IQ.” 

Trump told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that tech investor David Sacks’ endorsement — which came just ahead of a San Francisco fundraiser that raised $12 million for Trump’s campaign — is a testament to his “accomplishments.”

Trump also used his recent trial, where he was convicted by a New York jury, as evidence for his superior intelligence. Unlike himself, Biden is “incompetent to stand trial,” Trump said.

Former President Donald Trump and President Biden are seen in a split image. (Getty Images)

White House

‘THAT ARTICLE WAS B.S.’: Biden’s cabinet reacts to reports of his mental decline …Read more

PASSING THE BUCK: Biden tells Zelenskyy ‘some conservatives’ to blame for stalled aid …Read more

ON THE STAND? Hunter Biden considers testifying in gun trial, decision to be made over weekend …Read more

NO CHANGE: Day after Biden order, migrants are still arriving …Read more

WAR OF WORDS: George Clooney reportedly called White House to complain about something Biden said …Read more

Tales from the Campaign Trail

NEW DISCLOSURES: Justice Clarence Thomas lists controversial vacations on new disclosure forms …Read more

 BATTLEGROUND BRAWL: Michigan heats up as GOP pours money into swing state Senate race …Read more

‘INSTINCT IS TO WALK AWAY’: Biden speaks about democracy, slams Putin at Pointe du Hoc …Read more

‘UNICORNS’: ‘View’ co-hosts compares Black GOP voters to mythical creatures …Read more

‘NOT OKAY’: Dem in major Senate race accused of ‘pandering’ to Black voters over taxpayer-funded reparations …Read more

‘BIGGER THREAT’: Russell Brand says if it comes down to Trump or Biden, only one candidate will protect democracy, freedom …Read more

Capitol Hill

‘PROFOUND DISAGREEMENTS’: Progressives prompt Schumer explanation for Netanyahu invite to Congress …Read more

BACK IN TIME: House lawmakers parachute out of WWII era-plane in Normandy …Read more

‘PUTTING OUR GIRLS AT RISK’: Nearly 70 House Republicans back push to block Biden Title IX changes …Read more

TERMINATED: Ex-Bernie Sanders aide fired from reporting job amid anti-Israel comments …Read more

Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Republicans are making an early effort for the open Senate seat in Michigan, which is now in play as Democrats brace to lose their incumbency advantage with the departure of Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) announced a seven-figure expenditure on a new field program in the battleground state on Friday, emphasizing its effort to flip the long-time Democratic seat. 

The Republican Senate campaign arm will prop up GOP frontrunner former Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan, months ahead of the state’s official primary, where he still faces challengers in wealthy businessman Sandy Pensler and former Rep. Justin Amash. 

SCHUMER JUSTIFIES CONGRESSIONAL INVITE TO NETANYAHU AMID LIBERAL OUTRAGE

Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers is a former House representative. (Sam Wolfe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Rogers, who is endorsed by former President Trump, is expected to come out the victor in the Aug. 6 primary. 

The early spend includes ground-level infrastructure meant to increase Republican voter turnout and reach individuals who haven’t yet locked in their plan for the November election, the NRSC said.

“The Michigan Senate race is one of our top pickup opportunities in 2024. This investment is a direct reflection of our confidence in Mike Rogers’ ability to flip this seat in November,” NRSC spokesperson Maggie Abboud said in a statement.

BIDEN ADMIN ACCUSED OF PLAYING POLITICS WITH FLORIDA FUNDING IN PRO-UNION PUSH

Former President Trump endorsed Rogers for the Republican nomination. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

“Today’s unprecedented investment by the NRSC in support of Mike Rogers makes it very clear that not only is Michigan winnable, it’s the top opportunity for Republicans to secure the Senate Majority,” said Rogers campaign spokesperson Chris Gustafson in a statement.

“Along with our strong partnership with the Trump campaign and Republicans up and down the ballot, this investment allows our team to expand our outreach and share Mike’s message using a proven data-driven approach, and help ensure we defeat the Biden-Slotkin agenda to flip Michigan red in November,” he added. 

TRUMP VP CONTENDER LEADS GOP EFFORT TO REACH BLACK VOTERS AS BIDEN LOSES GRIP

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., is expected to win the Democratic nod. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Stabenow’s retirement has provided Republicans the opportunity to take on a candidate without an incumbent advantage, which is likely to be Democratic frontrunner Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich. She also faces a primary challenger in actor Hill Harper. 

Slotkin’s campaign did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. 

The race is rated as “Lean Democratic” by non-partisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report, alongside other close Senate races in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Wisconsin.

OBAMA STRESSES CRITICAL DEM SENATE MAJORITY FOR APPOINTING PREFERRED JUDGES

Trump is leading President Biden by just a few points in Michigan. (Win McNamee/Michael M. Santiago)

In response to the announced buy, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Maeve Coyle said in a statement, “Republicans are engulfed in a radioactive, expensive primary that will leave their eventual nominee deeply damaged.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Meanwhile, every day is bringing new and damaging revelations about National Republicans’ chosen candidate Mike Rogers — like how he supports a national abortion ban, enriched himself through ties to Chinese businesses, and ditched Michigan to live in a million dollar Florida mansion the first chance he got,” she said. 

Michigan is considered a significant pickup opportunity for Republicans, both congressionally and in the presidential race. In an April Fox News Poll, Trump led President Biden in Michigan by three points, 49% to 46%. In April 2020, Biden led Trump 49% to 41%.

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump touted the success of a San Francisco fundraiser Thursday evening as a major shift in support and a “great testament” to his accomplishments after raising $12 million and landing the endorsement of a top Silicon Valley venture capitalist.

Trump told Fox News Digital that tech leaders who hosted the fundraiser, David Sacks and Chamath Paliphapitiya — two high-profile figures in Silicon Valley and co-hosts of the “All In” podcast — are “very unhappy” with President Biden.

“These are brilliant guys — AI guys — these are the guys that are doing all the things you read about,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “These are just a brilliant group of people. And they can’t relate to Biden because he is a stupid person — and I have a high IQ.” 

“They don’t like dealing with an IQ that’s like, you know, 1/3 of theirs, because it is a difficult thing when someone has an IQ of 180, it is difficult to deal with a man with an IQ of 70 — or maybe lower,” Trump said, slamming his opponent. “Biden is a very low IQ individual.” 

Trump told Fox News Digital that Sacks’ “strong” endorsement “is a great testament to what I’ve accomplished.” 

TRUMP HEADS TO UNLIKELY DEEP BLUE STATE TO RAISE MAJOR CAMPAIGN CASH

Former President Donald Trump holds a rally in the historically Democratic South Bronx on May 23, 2024 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

“David Sacks — the king of that world — David Sacks and the group that we were with are the most respected people in San Francisco from both a business and high tech standpoint,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “They love our country and they understand what’s happening into the future with technology better than any group, anywhere in the world.” 

“One of the primary reasons for the endorsement was the four years that we had in office, which was the best four years ever for high tech, which will play an increasingly important role in the future of our country, especially as it relates to AI and all of the other new and brilliant technologies coming right at this moment,” Trump said. “It is a very exciting time and it is a great honor to have the most brilliant minds supporting, by far, the most brilliant leader.”

Sacks endorsed Trump Thursday night. 

“My reasons rest on four main issues that I think are vital to American prosperity, security and stability — issues where the Biden administration has veered badly off course and where I believe President Trump can lead us back,” Sacks said Thursday. 

Tickets at the sold-out event ranged from $50,000 per person to get in the door all the way up to $500,000 per couple for special access as part of the host committee. The event was sold out. The event was held at Sacks’ multimillion-dollar home in the tony Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco.

Trump said the fundraiser was attended by “the most powerful group of industrial intellects from the heart of San Francisco.” 

TRUMP LANDS ENDORSEMENT OF TOP INVESTOR WHO HOSTED $12 MILLION SAN FRANCISCO FUNDRAISER FOR FORMER PRESIDENT

“They liked the job I did, number one, and now, don’t forget, I wasn’t a politician when I started, so it is hard get support when you aren’t a politician,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “But for four years, they did better than they’ve ever done — they had less regulation, and they are a group that cannot stand regulation because it hinders their path to growth.” 

Former President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, is seen in attendance during the UFC 302 event at Prudential Center on June 01, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Trump described driving through traditionally blue San Francisco. 

“When Secret Service took us through the middle of San Francisco, there were thousands of people waving,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “We’re talking the heart of San Francisco — people were screaming on the streets with love. It was a very nice thing to see.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump added: “I was really surprised. There wasn’t one bad thing or one bad shout… We got a lot of love yesterday. The meeting was amazing.” 

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. 

Former President Trump’s stop in the blue bastion of San Francisco turned out to be fruitful in more than one way.

Not only did the presumptive Republican presidential nominee haul in roughly $12 million at a fundraiser on Thursday evening, he also officially landed the endorsement of a major tech investor.

The fundraiser was hosted by David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya, two of the heaviest hitters in Silicon Valley and co-hosts of the hot “All-In” podcast.

And it was held at Sacks’ multimillion-dollar home in the tony Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco.

TRUMP HEADS TO BLUE BASTION TO RAISE CAMPAIGN CASH

Tickets at the sold-out event ranged from $50,000 per person to get in the door all the way up to $500,000 per couple for special access and a photo with Trump.

A couple of hours before the fundraiser, Sacks took to social media to formally endorse Trump.

“I give to many, but endorse few. But today I am giving my endorsement to our 45th President, Donald J. Trump, to be our 47th President. My reasons rest on four main issues that I think are vital to American prosperity, security, and stability – issues where the Biden administration has veered badly off course and where I believe President Trump can lead us back,” Sacks wrote on X.

THIS IS HOW MUCH A TOP PRO-TRUMP SUPER PAC HAULED IN LAST MONTH

Sacks said that “the voters have experienced four years of President Trump and four years of President Biden. In tech, we call this an A/B test.”

“With respect to economic policy, foreign policy, border policy, and legal fairness, Trump performed better. He is the President who deserves a second term,” he argued.

According to sources familiar with the fundraising dinner on Thursday, Sacks reiterated his praise for Trump and explained why he’s supporting the presumptive GOP nominee in his 2024 election rematch with President Biden.

While his official endorsement came on Thursday, Sacks first signaled his support for Trump during a March meeting that he had with Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s eldest son, in Washington, D.C.

The impromptu meeting at the Conrad Hotel, held hours after Trump clinched the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, was first reported by The New York Times and confirmed by Fox News. It was at that meeting that Sacks indicated he was all-in for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

TRUMP GUILTY VERDICT IN CRIMINAL TRIAL FIRES UP HIS FUNDRAISING 

Vance, who is a Trump ally and a potential 2024 running mate who is close to Trump Jr., spent time a few years back in the San Francisco area working for hedge funds in the tech sector. Sources say he was instrumental in putting the top-dollar fundraiser together.

According to sources, Sacks said at the fundraiser that “this all started with JD Vance calling and asking if we could host an event for President Trump. Without JD’s advice and encouragement, this would never have happened.”

Trump heads south to Beverly Hills for a Friday fundraiser and a Saturday finance event in Newport Beach in Orange County.

President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at HoverTech International, Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, in Allentown, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP)

The trip doesn’t mean the Trump campaign thinks overwhelmingly blue California may be in play. 

Instead, Trump’s appearances — like those of two sold-out fundraisers in the Bay Area on Wednesday headlined by Vice President Harris and President Biden’s San Francisco area fundraisers last month — are the latest proof that the Golden State remains a crucial ATM for campaign cash.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump’s campaign on Monday said it and the Republican National Committee (RNC), fueled in part by the former president’s guilty verdicts in his criminal trial, hauled in a stunning $141 million in fundraising in May.

Trump was found guilty of all 34 felony counts in the first trial of a former or current president in the nation’s history.

The former president’s campaign highlighted that in the first 24 hours following last week’s verdict, it and the RNC brought in nearly $53 million in fundraising, which counted toward May’s total. 

President Biden speaks during a campaign event in Philadelphia on May 29. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

The Biden campaign has also been fundraising off of the Trump verdict, and a source familiar told Fox News that “the 24 hours after the verdict were one of the best fundraising 24 hours of the Biden campaign since launch.”

Trump has been aiming to close his fundraising gap with Biden. In April, his campaign and the RNC for the first time outraised the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee. 

Fundraising, along with public opinion polling, is a key metric used to measure the strength of candidates and their campaigns. Money raised can be used to build up grassroots outreach and get-out-the-vote operations, staffing, travel and ads, among other things.

Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., clarified his choice to join House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in extending an invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the move prompted backlash by progressive Democrats.

“I have clear and profound disagreements with the Prime Minister, which I have voiced both privately and publicly and will continue to do so,” Schumer prefaced in a statement late Thursday night.

“But because America’s relationship with Israel is ironclad and transcends one person or prime minister, I joined the request for him to speak,” he said.

BIDEN ADMIN ACCUSED OF PLAYING POLITICS WITH FLORIDA FUNDING IN PRO-UNION PUSH

Schumer clarified his decision to join the invitation to Netanyahu to address Congress after progressives expressed displeasure.  (Getty Images)

The majority leader’s statement came on the heels of a date being announced for Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress. The Israeli leader will deliver remarks to the lawmakers on July 24, ahead of the August recess. 

The invitation was accepted by Netanyahu, who said, “I am very moved to have the privilege of representing Israel before both Houses of Congress and to present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us to the representatives of the American people and the entire world.”

TRUMP VP CONTENDER LEADS GOP EFFORT TO REACH BLACK VOTERS AS BIDEN LOSES GRIP

Schumer signed the invitation alongside bipartisan leaders in both chambers.  (Getty Images)

Prior to Schumer’s clarifying statement, progressive lawmakers made their disapproval known, with some revealing their plans not to attend Netanyahu’s address. 

“It is a very sad day for our country that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited – by leaders from both parties – to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress,” Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said in a recent statement, also slamming Netanyahu as a “war criminal.”

OBAMA STRESSES CRITICAL DEM SENATE MAJORITY FOR APPOINTING PREFERRED JUDGES

Sen. Bernie Sanders, right, said he won’t attend Benjamin Netanyahu’s, left, joint address to Congress. (Getty Images)

The International Criminal Court (ICC) requested warrants last month for both Hamas and Israeli leaders, including Netanyahu. The body suggested that all parties had committed “war crimes.” The ICC decision has been widely criticized by Democrats and Republicans, including President Biden. 

Sanders said he would not be attending the address. 

MCCONNELL TAKES AIM AT ‘ISOLATIONIST’ COLLEAGUES IN SCATHING D-DAY ESSAY

AOC, left, said she might not attend the remarks. (Left: Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Right: Photo by ABIR SULTAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

“I don’t plan to attend, and I will plan to participate in whatever advocacy is being done to push for Netanyahu and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire,” Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, told Fox News Digital.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., suggested she may not go either, recently saying, “I certainly do not approve of it, potentially may not attend.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Schumer’s office did not provide comment when asked whether his statement was a direct response to displeased progressives.

The majority leader called on Israel to hold new elections earlier this year, specifically urging the country to replace Netanyahu as its prime minister. At the time, Schumer claimed the Israeli leader had “lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel.” 

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. 

President Biden’s Cabinet members circled the wagons in response to an alarming Wall Street Journal article portraying Biden as mentally “slipping.” 

The piece, which ran Tuesday, included examples of gaffes and instances of low energy during private meetings. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was direct, telling Fox News Digital, “The article was BS.”

“The president is utterly on his game,” she added. “He is the wisest, most knowledgeable person in the room.  He asks the toughest questions and has the keenest insights on the complex questions brought to him. He is sharp, thoughtful and wise.”

Fox News Digital contacted every member of the cabinet and many were quick to respond for this article.

Earlier this year, a report from Biden’s own Department of Justice’s special counsel called him an “elderly man with a poor memory” at the end of an investigation into his mishandling of classified documents dating back to his Senate tenure, which ultimately saved him from having charges brought against him by Special Counsel Robert Hur.

At 81, Biden is the oldest sitting president, and his critics say his age has caught up with him cognitively. If he is re-elected in November, he will be 86 when his second term ends.

TRUMP RIPS BIDEN AS ‘INCOMPETENT TO STAND TRIAL’ IN DOCUMENT PROBE: DON’T WANT ‘THAT KIND OF EXONERATION’

Biden has been prone to gaffes going back to when he was vice president, but the frequency and nature of his verbal missteps in recent years appear to be more significant. 

In May, Biden seemed to have a break with reality when he confused the timing of the COVID pandemic by a factor of years when he said, “And when I was vice president, things were kind of bad during the pandemic, and, what happened was Barack said to me: ‘Go to Detroit — and help fix it.’” The pandemic happened years after Biden’s time as vice president.

The president has, on several occasions, referenced dead people as being alive. In 2022, at a White House event, Biden called out former Rep. Jackie Walorski during a speech, “Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie?” Walorski had died in a car crash the previous month.

At a campaign rally in February, Biden told the audience, “Right after I was elected, I went to a G7 meeting in southern England. And I sat down and said, ‘America is back!’ and Mitterand from Germany — I mean France — looked at me and said, ‘How long you back for?'” Mitterand was president from 1981 to 1995 and died in 1996.

In 2021, Biden claimed he had spoken with the late German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who had died in 2017, while recalling past conversations during fundraising events.  

Late Tuesday night, the Wall Street Journal published a report detailing instances in which the president has demonstrated a lack of clarity in private meetings with staff and members of Congress.

Many of those who work most closely with the president are coming forward to say the Wall Street Journal got it all wrong.

‘NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE’: EX-WH DOCTOR RAISES ALARMS ON BIDEN’S MENTAL HEALTH AFTER BOMBSHELL REPORT

President Biden, second from right, holds a meeting with his cabinet in Washington, D.C., January 5. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Officials at the highest levels of government echoed Granholm’s sentiment, like Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“I’ve worked for President Biden for 22 years,” Blinken told Fox News Digital. “Now as then — in strategy discussions and in meetings with foreign leaders — his depth of knowledge, fluency with policy and politics and ability to cut to the chase and argue his case are exceptional. He’s invariably one step ahead of us.”

BIDEN’S STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH REINFORCED MENTAL ACUITY AND AGE CONCERNS, REPUBLICANS SAY

Attorney General Merrick Garland vouched for the president’s mental acuity on domestic issues.

“I have complete confidence in the president,” Garland said. “As a member of the president’s Cabinet and the National Security Council, I have consistently seen firsthand his ability to navigate issues of extraordinary complexity that are of the utmost importance to our national security.

“I have also seen him tackle domestic policy issues, clearly and decisively guiding us through complicated questions to reach results that benefit the American people.”

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also objected to the assertion that the president is in a state of mental decline, telling Fox News Digital in a statement, “Both in Washington and in meetings with world leaders around the globe — including during strenuous negotiations with President Xi — I’ve always seen President Biden to be extremely well-informed, in command of the facts and very effective in advancing American interests.”

President Biden arrives with U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, right, during a Medal of Valor ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., May 17, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas pushed back on the narrative, too. 

“I strongly disagree with the characterization in the story,” Mayorkas said. “I come fully prepared for my meetings with President Biden, knowing his questions will be detail-oriented, probing and exacting. In our exchanges, the president always draws upon our prior conversations and past events in analyzing the issues and reaching his conclusions.” 

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin concurred with Mayorka’s assessment, saying, “As someone who has watched President Biden make tough national security decisions and seen his commitment to keeping our troops safe, I have nothing but total confidence in our commander-in-chief.”

Gina Raimondo, the former Rhode Island governor and current commerce secretary, came out in full support of her boss, saying, “I’ve spent countless hours with President Biden, discussing everything from our strategic competition with China to the technical aspects of the CHIPS for America program, and in every conversation he’s been sharp, focused and insightful. I could not disagree more with the false portrayal of the president in that article. There is nobody I’d rather have leading our country today.”

FOREIGN OUTLETS PULL NO PUNCHES OVER BIDEN ‘CONFUSION’ AND ‘RAGE’ AFTER SURPRISE PRESS CONFERENCE

President Biden speaks as Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas listen during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House November 12, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

VA Secretary Denis McDonough also came to Biden’s defense.

“President Biden is not only as sharp and incisive as ever, he’s holding VA accountable every day — he’s holding me accountable every day — to deliver for veterans,” McDonough said, “That article is completely inconsistent with the man I’ve been serving for 12 years.” 

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement, “I have been in dozens of personal and larger meetings with President Biden, and I always note that his ability to simultaneously handle difficult issues is astounding.

“President Biden has always had a depth of understanding of policies at every level and always remembers to bring the policies back to how they are helping the American people.”

GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Former President Trump and President Biden.  (Associated Press )

It is not surprising that President Biden’s most senior advisers are countering the narrative that the president’s mental acuity may be waning. But the talk of his decline started well before The Wall Street Journal article. Former President Trump and his supporters have sustained a long attack on Biden’s cognitive state. Trump has referred to his opponent as “Sleepy Joe” since 2019.

Those attacks may have been effective in shaping public opinion. According to a Pew Research poll released in late April, just 21% of respondents are extremely or very confident in Biden’s mental fitness to act as president, with 16% somewhat confident and 62% having little or no confidence.

 Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

FIRST ON FOX: The Democrat running in what could be one of this year’s top Senate races is being accused of “pandering” to Black voters with taxpayer-funded reparations.

The conservative Win it Back PAC announced Friday its launch of a new ad, part of a massive seven-figure media buy, targeting Rep. Colin Allred, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas, specifically calling him out for what it says are his ties to the movement for reparations for Black Americans.

The ad will begin running Friday in the El Paso media market amid the Texas Democratic Convention, which is taking place in the city and will target Hispanic voters, a group research shows is largely opposed to reparations. The ad will run in both English and Spanish.

FOLLOWING TRUMP’S GUILTY VERDICT, FIRST SWING STATE POLL REVEALS HOW IT IMPACTS VOTERS’ DECISIONS

Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, arrives at the U.S. Capitol for the last votes of the week on Thursday, April 20, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“My grandparents came in the sixties in search of the American Dream. They were farmworkers. My grandma would always say, ‘con tanto sacrificio,’” a Hispanic woman named Sonia says in the ad, citing a Spanish phrase meaning “with much sacrifice.”

“Like, nobody gave me this, and nobody is going to take it away. Colin Allred would take our tax dollars to pay for reparations. I’m not okay with it — to take away from one group to pander to another group. I grew up poor, and I’ve worked really hard, and I don’t feel like it’s fair for me to have to pay for that. It’s all pandering. Collin Allred is not fighting for us,” she adds.

A majority of Hispanic voters (58%) say they do not support repaying the descendants of slaves in America with cash or land, according to a 2022 study published by the Pew Research Center.

TRUMP ENDORSEMENT TAKES CENTER STAGE IN BRUTAL SWING STATE PRIMARY AS ACCUSATIONS OF ‘DISLOYALTY’ FLY

Democrat Texas Rep. Colin Allred (left) and Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (right). (Getty Images)

Fox News Digital has reached out to Allred’s campaign to ask for his position on reparations, as well as his response to the ad.

Allred has served in groups with pro-reparations positions, including as Vice Chair on the Board of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, as well as being a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

What little polling has been done on the race suggests that Allred trails incumbent Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the November general election and has a lot of ground to make up in the traditionally Republican-leaning state.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

The first full day after the announcement of President Biden’s executive order restricting asylum for most illegal immigrants appeared to have no immediate impact on the massive number of migrants coming across the southern border.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources tell Fox News that Border Patrol apprehended about 4,000 illegal immigrants between ports of entry at the southern border on Wednesday. That is about on par or a little bit higher than what the averages have been in recent weeks, which is usually in the mid to high 3,000s or around 4,000.

Overall, there were roughly 5,600 CBP encounters on Wednesday, which includes the 4,000 illegal crossings and CBP One App releases at ports of entry.

‘IT IS INSULTING’: BIDEN BORDER ORDER TAKES HEAT FROM DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS

Migrants line up at the southern border in San Diego on June 6, 2024.

On top of that, data show that more than 1,000 illegal immigrants were released into the U.S. yesterday in the San Diego sector alone, meaning that the practice of “catch and release” is continuing.

Biden announced the order on Tuesday and said he was “moving past Republican obstruction and using executive authorities available to me as president to do what I can on my own to address the border.”

The presidential proclamation will temporarily suspend the entry of migrants across the southern border once the number of average border encounters exceeds 2,500 a day over seven days, officials said. It is accompanied by a rule from DHS and DOJ that will increase standards for asylum.

However, the rule comes with a series of significant exceptions. In addition to not applying to legal immigrants, it also does not apply to unaccompanied children or to those judged to be “victims of severe forms of trafficking.” It also doesn’t apply to those who schedule an appointment on the CBP One app at a port of entry, where about 1,500 enter each day.

There is also an exception for those who are allowed to enter “based on the totality of the circumstances, including consideration of significant law enforcement, officer and public safety, urgent humanitarian, and public health interests that warrant permitting the noncitizen to enter.”

BIDEN ORDER TO BLOCK MOST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHEN CROSSINGS SURGE AS ELECTION NEARS

President Biden talks about his executive order limiting asylum during remarks at the White House on June 4, 2024. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, internal DHS guidance obtained by Fox News Digital shows that officials will be restricting the time migrants can see a lawyer to four hours from 24 and will not ask migrants individually if they wish to request an asylum screening. Forms of the guidance have gone out to CBP, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS.)

However, agents have been told to look out for behavior that may indicate fear of being returned to their home country, including “non-verbal” actions including shaking, unusual behavior and an “unusual level of silence.”

Agents have been told to post signs in detention centers and run accompanying videos telling migrants about their ability to be referred to an asylum officer.

Democrats have slammed the move as a return to Trump-era policies.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

“This attempt to shut down the border to asylum seekers uses the same section of U.S. immigration laws that convicted felon Donald Trump used to implement the Muslim Ban and in attempts to cut off all access to asylum,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said in a statement. “While there are some differences from Trump’s actions, the reality is that this utilizes the same failed enforcement-only approach, penalizes asylum seekers, and furthers a false narrative that these actions will ‘fix’ the border.” 

Republicans said the move was too little, too late, and conservative critics pointed to the new ICE guidance as proof it lacked teeth.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“It’s bad enough that smugglers and taxpayer-funded NGOs coach illegal aliens on how to get released into the country, but now CBP and ICE are being instructed to coach them, too,” Lora Ries, head of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, told Fox News Digital. “Biden has defrauded the American people and our entire immigration system.”

The Arizona House of Representatives approved a bill Wednesday that will allow voters to decide on the fate of the state’s border security.

Patterned after a Texas law, HCR 2060, titled the Secure the Border Act, passed the state House on a party-line vote, with Republicans holding a slim one-vote majority in the chamber.

The bill, which already passed through the Senate, would make it a crime to enter Arizona illegally and would allow local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws while also allowing state judges to deport people convicted of breaking the new law.

SWING STATE GOP LOOKS TO GO AROUND DEM GOVERNOR, PUT TEXAS-STYLE BORDER BILL BEFORE VOTERS

Immigrants line up at a remote Border Patrol processing center after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on Dec. 7, 2023, in Lukeville, Arizona. (John Moore/Getty Images)

“Nothing good comes from open borders,” Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma said in a statement to the New York Post. “Only crime, deadly drugs, violence, unsafe communities, and an unending financial drain on American taxpayers. Yet, Democrat leaders fiercely oppose doing anything about it.”

Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed similar legislation earlier this year and has signaled opposition to the new effort, though this time the Republican bill will bypass the governor and be put in front of voters in November for approval.

“On the contrary, it will be harmful for businesses and communities in our state and a burden for law enforcement personnel,” Hobbs said in a statement about the legislation. “I know there’s frustration about the federal government’s failure to secure our border, but this bill is not the solution.”

BORDER STATE GOP PUSHES TO DEFY WHITE HOUSE, ADOPT TX-STYLE IMMIGRATION LAW

But Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen has argued the bill, which was modeled after Texas’ controversial SB 4 legislation, is the right solution to secure the state’s border while also noting that it is not similar to an Arizona law known as SB 1070 that was partially struck down by the Supreme Court.

“This is not SB 1070,” Petersen told Fox News Digital last month as the bill made its way through the state’s Senate. “We’re truly just dealing with the border… this is truly a border security bill. It’s not an immigration bill.”

Immigrants walk along the U.S.-Mexico border barrier on their way to await processing by the Border Patrol on Dec. 30, 2022 in Yuma, Arizona. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)

The new Arizona effort will now be put to voters on the same ballot they will decide between former President Trump and President Biden in this year’s election. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Arizona, a critical swing state narrowly won by Biden in 2020, promises to be close again. According to the Real Clear Politics polling average in the state, Trump currently holds a four-point lead over Biden.

President Biden on Tuesday introduced executive actions to limit asylum claims at the southern border, but emerging details of the move show that the block contains significant exceptions that critics say you can “drive a truck through.”

“Today, I’m moving past Republican obstruction and using executive authorities available to me as president to do what I can on my own to address the border,” Biden said in a speech on Tuesday afternoon.

The presidential proclamation will temporarily suspend the entry of migrants across the southern border once the number of average border encounters exceeds 2,500 a day over seven days, officials said.

‘IT IS INSULTING’: BIDEN BORDER ORDER TAKES HEAT FROM DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS

Migrants at the front of the line are processed for entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. (Jon Michael Raasch/Fox News Digital)

That will stay in effect until 14 days after there has been a seven-day average of less than 1,500 encounters along the border. It is accompanied by an interim final rule from the departments of Homeland Security and Justice. That rule will also apply a higher standard migrants must meet for initial asylum screenings. The move brought criticism from Democrats as well as Republicans and a threat of a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

However, the rule comes with a series of significant exceptions. In addition to not applying to legal immigrants, it also does not apply to unaccompanied children or to those judged to be “victims of severe forms of trafficking.” It also doesn’t apply to those who schedule an appointment on the CBP One app at a port of entry, where about 1,500 enter each day. There is also an exception for those who are allowed to enter “based on the totality of the circumstances,” which includes urgent humanitarian or law enforcement considerations.

BIDEN ORDER TO BLOCK MOST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHEN CROSSINGS SURGE AS ELECTION NEARS

Finally, it allows for the entry of noncitizens “due to operational considerations that warrant permitting the noncitizen to enter.”

Those exceptions sparked additional concern from Republicans, who were already sour on the order and believed it was too little too late.

President Biden walks off after speaking about an executive order at the White House on June 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

“The exceptions to Biden’s new EO are broad enough to drive a truck through,” Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“So, the message to the cartels and the smugglers is you have the greenest of green lights to smuggle trafficked children into this country, into various forms of servitude, slavery, sex trafficking, labor trafficking, other forms of abuse, imprisonment and torture,” former senior Trump White House official Stephen Miller said in response to the exception for unaccompanied minors.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas challenged that assertion on “Your World” when he was asked by Neil Cavuto if this was a green light for smugglers. He called the cartels “unscrupulous.”

“They exploit individuals of all different types of vulnerabilities. We are taking it to the cartels. We exempted unaccompanied children from this asylum bar because of the compelling humanitarian picture they present,” he said.

The Biden administration has also embraced those exceptions as a way in which the order differs from the Trump-era use of the authority used by Biden.

‘IT IS INSULTING’: BIDEN BORDER ORDER TAKES HEAT FROM DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS

“The action will not ban people based on their religion. It will not separate kids from their mothers. There are also narrow humanitarian exceptions to the bar on asylum, including for those facing an acute medical emergency or an imminent extreme threat to life or safety. And the Trump administration’s actions did not include these exceptions,” a senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the action tightens policy for when officials seek to remove an illegal immigrant quickly under “expedited removal.” They previously asked each migrant if they feared persecution in their home country, and if they said yes, they would be given a “credible fear” screening. Now agents will no longer ask individually but will provide general notice to migrants and be on the lookout for verbal and nonverbal signs that someone may be fearful of being deported.

Behaviors officials are told to look out for include explicit statements expressing fear from migrants but can also self-harm and “non-verbal actions,” including hysteria, shaking, unusual behavior, “incoherent” speech patterns and an “unusual level of silence.” The guidance says that if an agent determines that a migrant is showing such a fear, they must first provide them with information and refer them to an asylum officer. 

As a result, signs will be posted in detention centers that say: “If you are hungry or thirsty, need medical care, fear persecution or torture if removed from the United States, have been a victim of abuse, have been a victim of a sexual assault, have witnessed a crime, tell an Officer. Your claim will be heard. You may be referred to a medical professional, an asylum officer, or other law enforcement professional.”

Translations will be made available in Arabic, Bengali, French, Haitian Creole, Hindi, K’iche’/Kxlantzij, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Turkish, and Vietnamese. The guidance also says that a video explaining the circumstances should be played every two hours on a daily basis. 

Conservative critics said the guidance shows that, despite the rollout, little will change.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“The guidance basically spells out that if an illegal alien claims fear they have to be referred to the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) rubber stamp without question, which means nothing really changes, except CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection

 and ICE doesn’t ask them out the gate if they are scared to return home,” RJ Hauman, president of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement (NICE) and a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation told Fox News Digital. “Traffickers and cartels are sure to quickly adapt to this political gimmick. They will immediately instruct everyone to claim fear immediately upon arrest instead of waiting to be asked.”

WILMINGTON, Del. — Hunter Biden’s sister-in-law-turned-girlfriend, Hallie Biden, took the stand in the first son’s criminal trial on Thursday, walking the jury through the ex-couple’s use of crack cocaine and events surrounding the disappearance of Hunter’s Cobra Colt .38.

“It was a terrible experience I went through, and I was embarrassed and ashamed. … I regret that period of my life,” Hallie Biden told the court on Thursday about her use of crack cocaine. 

Hallie Biden is Beau Biden’s widow, and she began a relationship with Hunter Biden in 2015, following her husband’s death from brain cancer. The pair had an on-and-off romantic relationship until about 2019, with Hunter Biden living in her home in Wilmington as well as the pair sharing a home in Annapolis, Maryland.

She testified that Hunter Biden introduced her to crack cocaine in 2018, noting that she deeply regretted her dalliances with the addictive drug and has since become sober. 

HUNTER BIDEN TRIAL ENTERS DAY 4 AFTER WILD TESTIMONY FROM EXES ON RAMPANT DRUG USE, TRASHED HOTEL ROOMS

Hunter Biden arrives at the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building in Wilmington, Delaware, on June 6, 2024, as his trial on felony gun charges continues. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Hallie Biden is a key figure in the trial: She was the one to toss Hunter Biden’s gun in a trash can outside a Wilmington supermarket, which led to police involvement ahead of the indictment last year. She also provided further insight into his addiction to crack cocaine during the year he purchased the gun.

Prosecutors are working to prove that Hunter Biden lied on a federal firearm form, known as ATF Form 4473, in October 2018 when he ticked a box labeled “No” when asked if he is an unlawful user of a firearm or addicted to controlled substances. Hunter Biden purchased the gun from a store called StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply in Wilmington.

HUNTER BIDEN TRIAL ENTERS 3RD DAY WITH CROSS-EXAMINATION OF FBI AGENT

Hunter Biden’s defense team does not deny the first son’s issues with addiction, which are well documented in his memoir, “Beautiful Things,” they instead argue that at the time of the gun purchase, Hunter did not consider himself a user of illegal substances. 

Hunter Biden is facing charges of making a false statement in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.

A court sketch depicts Hallie Biden testifying on the stand during Hunter Biden’s trial in Wilmington, Delaware, on June 6, 2024. (William J. Hennessy Jr.)

He pleaded not guilty in the case.

The total maximum prison time for the three charges could be up to 25 years. Each count also carries a maximum fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release.

Hallie Biden was matter-of-fact in her responses to prosecutors on Thursday as they peppered her with questions about her relationship with Hunter Biden, how she learned Hunter Biden was a crack cocaine user, and the events surrounding her tossing out his gun in a panic in October 2018.

“I found [crack] and googled it because I didn’t know what it was,” Hallie Biden told the court of the first time she saw the drug in her home. “[Hunter Biden] told me what it was, crack cocaine.”

‘LIKE A SON’: FORMER TOP BIDEN ADVISER WITH DEEP BUSINESS TIES TO CHINA SPOTTED INSIDE HUNTER BIDEN GUN TRIAL

Hallie Biden, who testified under immunity, said she smoked crack cocaine and even accompanied Hunter Biden on drug deals. She became sober by August 2018.

The widowed mother of two was joined in court by her husband, John Hopkins Anning, who she married just last weekend.

She was grilled by both prosecutors and the defense team surrounding her discovery of Hunter Biden’s gun in the console of his truck on her property in Wilmington. She explained that after not seeing Hunter Biden for a while, he visited her home late Oct. 22, 2018, or early Oct. 23 and that he looked “tired, exhausted” and “could have been” on drugs. 

After dropping her children off at school on the morning of Oct. 23, Hallie Biden went over to clean out Hunter Biden’s truck to rid it of any potential drugs or alcohol in an effort to help his sobriety.

A court sketch depicts Hallie Biden testifying on the stand during Hunter Biden’s trial in Wilmington, Delaware, on June 6, 2024. (William J. Hennessy Jr.)

“Aside from trash and clothes, I found remnants of crack cocaine, paraphernalia – oh, and the gun, obviously,” she said. 

Hallie Biden said she “panicked” when she found the gun, which was accompanied by a box of ammunition and a couple of loose bullets, and placed anything that appeared related to the firearm in a leather pouch she also found in the truck. She then placed the pouch in a shopping bag.

HUNTER BIDEN’S WIFE LASHES OUT AT FORMER TRUMP AIDE DURING COURT APPEARANCE: ‘PIECE OF S—‘

“I panicked, and I wanted to get rid of them,” she said of the pistol and box of ammo. “I didn’t want him to hurt himself or [for] my kids to find it and hurt themselves.”

She then drove to a nearby grocery store, called Janssen’s Market, and tossed the gun in a trash can located outside the store. The court was presented with surveillance footage of her dropping the bag containing the pouch and gun into the receptacle.

She told the court that she was “flustered” after discovering the firearm and now realizes it was a “stupid idea” that she made when she “panicked.” 

An evidence photo presented by the prosecution shows the gun that Hunter Biden purchased. (U.S. Government Exhibit)

Hallie Biden walked the court through her messages and phone calls with Hunter Biden after she disposed of the gun. 

“I was just going to pretend like it wasn’t me,” she said, before Hunter Biden discovered his firearm was missing and texted her: “Did you take that from me?”

The first son apparently became angry with her actions regarding the gun, demanding she return to the market and “look for it.” She said that after her attempts to locate the pistol in the trash can, Hunter Biden told her to contact police and file a report.

HUNTER BIDEN’S DRUG USE: WHAT THE PROSECUTION NEEDS TO PROVE AND WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW

The jury was presented with video footage of her outside the market searching for the gun.

Hallie Biden’s testimony, when questioned by defense attorney Abbe Lowell, became confusing Thursday as he repeatedly questioned her on the timeline of events that day. Hallie Biden repeatedly used the phrase “I don’t recall,” and even remarked she was “confused” by his questions.

“There are just some things you remember and many things you don’t,” Lowell shot back.

Attorney Abbe Lowell arrives at federal court during Hunter Biden’s trial in Wilmington, Delaware, on June 5, 2024. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

In addition to the court hearing testimony from the first son’s sister-in-law-turned-romantic partner, jurors heard continued testimony in the morning from the gun shop employee who sold Hunter Biden the gun in 2018, Gordon Cleveland; Delaware State Police Trooper Joshua Marley, who responded to Janssen’s Market when Hallie Biden filled a police report; former Delaware State Police Lt. Millard Greer; and an elderly man, Edward Banner, who discovered Hunter Biden’s discarded gun in the trash can.

Gordon Cleveland leaves federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, on June 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

HUNTER BIDEN TRIAL: 9 KEY FIGURES WHO MAY TESTIFY

Banner, an 80-year-old man who is hard of hearing, elicited chuckles and laughter from the court for his responses to both prosecutor Derek Hines and Hunter Biden’s attorney, Lowell, on Thursday. The elderly man took the stand with the assistance of presiding Judge Maryellen Noreika, who hopped out of her leather chair to help seat Banner.

Hunter Biden and wife Melissa Cohen Biden arrive at the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building in Wilmington, Delaware, on June 6, 2024. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Hines and Lowell both questioned Banner from just feet away from the witness stand, as he could not hear them otherwise. Banner, a former employee of General Motors and a Navy veteran, recounted to the court that he has long gone through trash bins looking for materials to recycle in an effort to make money – “especially now with gas prices,” he quipped. 

Surveillance footage was played in court that showed Banner retrieving the gun from the trash can outside of Janssen’s Market. He said he remembered finding the gun, though not the exact day. He took the gun to his home and stored it in a box with another firearm he said he received from a former GM employee. He told the court he also remembered when a police officer, Greer, tracked him down and ultimately took the pistol into custody.

US V HUNTER BIDEN: OPENING STATEMENTS TO BEGIN IN FIRST SON’S FEDERAL GUN TRIAL AFTER JURY SEATED

Banner was an apparent delight to the jury, who chuckled at his remarks throughout the testimony, including when Hines asked him how long he’s been married. Banner said he believes he’s been married 11 years but that his wife would “know better than I do.” Hunter Biden was also seen smiling as Banner spoke before the court.

After Banner wrapped his testimony, Noreika joked with the attorneys that their up-close and personal questioning of the man at the witness stand was “not like in the movies.”

“No, it’s not the same as when Perry Mason did it,” Lowell joked in response.

Hunter Biden and wife Melissa Cohen Biden arrive at federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, on June 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Hunter Biden was attentive throughout court proceedings, as he has been each day this week, taking notes, chatting with his defense team and making a beeline to his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, when court took breaks. He was seen planting a kiss on the top of his wife’s head ahead of court kicking off on Thursday.

First lady Jill Biden was not in court on Thursday, the first time so far this trial, instead traveling to Normandy, France, to join President Biden for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. She is expected back in the Wilmington, Delaware, court on Friday before flying back to France.

HUNTER BIDEN’S CRIMINAL TRIAL ON FEDERAL GUN CHARGES BEGINS WITH JURY SELECTION

Prosecutors said – after the jury left court for the day – that they will call their final two witnesses Friday: forensic chemist Jason Brewer and DEA Special Agent Joshua Romig. They anticipate resting by mid-Friday morning.

Lowell told the court he anticipates calling two to three witnesses, including making a determination tomorrow if he will call their own expert chemist. He said they could rest by Monday.

Hunter Biden’s former wife, Kathleen Buhle, leaves the federal courthouse after taking the stand during his trial on June 5, 2024. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

It is unclear if the defense team will call Hunter Biden to testify.

Court resumes Friday at 9 a.m. and concludes for the week at 4:30 p.m.

Zoe Kestan, former girlfriend of Hunter Biden, leaves federal court after testifying in his trial on June 5, 2024. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The trial previously included testimony from Hunter Biden’s ex-girlfriend, Zoe Kestan, who met the first son while working as a stripper in New York City when she was 24 and he was 48, FBI Special Agent Erika Jensen, and Hunter Biden’s ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle. 

A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has ordered Steve Bannon, longtime ally of former President Trump, to report to prison on July 1.

Judge Carl Nichols’ decision revokes Bannon’s bail. Bannon lost an appeal of his contempt of Congress conviction in May. Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison for ignoring a Congressional subpoena to testify regarding the January 6 capitol riot.

Bannon has yet to comment on Nichols’ ruling.

Bannon claimed he acted on the advice of his legal team and did not intend to break the law. Judge Bradley Garcia wrote that an acting on “advice of counsel” defense is “no defense at all.”

HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE INVESTIGATES ‘MANIPULATED’ EVIDENCE SEIZED BY FBI IN TRUMP CLASSIFIED RECORDS PROBE

A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has ordered Steve Bannon, longtime ally of former President Trump, to report to prison on July 1. (AP)

Bannon was first sentenced in October 2022. The sentence also included a $6,500 fine. DOJ prosecutors in the case had sought a 6-month sentence and a $200,000 fine.

REP. MASSIE PRESSES GARLAND ON CONSTITUTIONALITY OF SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S APPOINTMENT

“I want to say one thing — I respect the judge, the sentence he came down with today is his decision. I’ve been totally respectful to this entire process on the legal side,” Bannon said after the sentencing.

Bannon was first sentenced in October 2022. The sentence also included a $6,500 fine. (Curtis Means-Pool/Getty Images)

Bannon’s defense team had argued that his attorney at the time he received the subpoena, Robert Costello, advised his client that he was not permitted, as a matter of law, in any way to respond to the notice, saying executive privilege had been raised and that it was not his privilege to waive. Costello wrote the committee to inform them that Bannon would comply if the panel worked out any privilege issues with former President Trump or if a court ordered him to comply, Bannon’s current attorney David Schoen said. 

FEDERAL JUDGE POSTPONES TRUMP’S CLASSIFIED RECORDS TRIAL WITH NO NEW DATE

Bannon was convicted for refusing to testify before Congress regarding the January 6 riot. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“In America, we do not criminally prosecute, let alone convict and send to prison people who not only don’t believe their conduct to be wrongful or in violation of the law, but, as in this case, people who follow the advice of their lawyers who tell them that the law does not permit them to comply with a congressional subpoena when executive privilege has been invoked,” Schoen said last month.

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.