NationalWatch

Lawyers for former President Donald Trump have filed a new motion in his New York civil fraud case alleging that the judge engaged in “prohibited communications” and should recuse himself. 

In a motion filed with the New York State Supreme Court, Trump’s lawyers accuse Judge Arthur Engoron of engaging in actions “fundamentally incompatible with the responsibilities attendant to donning the black robe and sitting in judgment.”

That action refers to a conversation Engoron allegedly had with New York City real estate attorney Adam Leitman Bailey “regarding the merits of this case, the permissible scope of the New York State Attorney General’s and this Court’s own authority under Executive Law…and the consequences of this Court’s decision on business in the State.”

“The New York Code of Judicial Conduct exists to ensure that litigants are afforded a fair and impartial trial. Justice Engoron’s communications with Attorney Adam Leitman Bailey regarding the merits of this case, however, directly violate that code and demonstrate that Judge Engoron cannot serve as a fair arbiter. It is clear that Judge Engoron should recuse himself immediately,” Alina Habba, spokesperson for Trump said in a statement. 

TRUMP POSTS $175M BOND IN NY CIVIL FRAUD CASE, AVERTS ASSET SEIZURE

Justice Arthur Engoron presides over the civil fraud trial of the Trump Organization at the New York State Supreme Court in New York City on November 13, 2023. (ERIN SCHAFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

According to the filing, Bailey told ABC in an interview that he had tried to advise Engoron weeks before the judge’s decision. 

“Although Mr. Bailey claims that President Trump was not mentioned by name in the conversation, when asked whether ‘it was obvious that [his] input was related to this case,’ Mr. Bailey stated ‘well[,] obviously we weren’t talking about the Mets,’” the filing says. 

Engoron in February found Trump liable for more than $350 million in damages in the civil fraud case brought against him by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

James’ case also targeted Trump’s family and the Trump Organization. Engoron ruled that Trump and defendants were liable for “persistent and repeated fraud,” “falsifying business records,” “issuing false financial statements,” “conspiracy to falsify false financial statements,” “insurance fraud,” and “conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.”

The judge criticized Trump’s behavior during the trial, saying that he “rarely responded to the questions asked, and he frequently interjected long, irrelevant speeches on issues far beyond the scope of the trial.”

TRUMP UNLOADS ON JUDGE, NYAG FOR TARGETING HIM ‘FOR POLITICAL REASONS’ DURING UNPRECEDENTED TESTIMONY

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference, Sept. 21, 2022, in New York.   (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman, File)

According to the ABC report cited in the filing, a spokesperson for the court said: 

“[N]o ex parte conversation concerning this matter occurred between Justice Engoron and Mr. Bailey or any other person. The decision Justice Engoron issued February 16 was his alone, was deeply considered, and was wholly uninfluenced by this individual.”

The filing notes that since those allegations have come to light, “it is reported that the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct has launched an investigation into this Court’s conduct” and that “at least a dozen news outlets have reported on both the alleged ex parte communication and the pending investigation.”

“The law is clear that any communication outside of the presence of the parties or their lawyers must be strictly scrutinized,” lawyers for Trump argue in the filing. “The Court is obligated to avoid attempted ex parte communications, and if an ex parte communication does occur, the Court should, at minimum, promptly notify all parties of the communication.”

“The appropriate remedy for the ex parte communication is notification to the parties and recusal,” it states. 

“Here, it is beyond dispute that neither Defendants nor the Attorney General were present during the purported communication with Mr. Bailey. Nor did this Court ever notify either party that the purported communication took place, which would have at least permitted an opportunity for comment on the substance of the conversation, as conveyed by this Court,” the filing states. 

“Worse yet, Mr. Bailey’s account indicates that this Court not only permitted but welcomed such prohibited communication. According to Mr. Bailey, this Court was an active participant in a conversation concerning the merits of the case, wherein this Court asked Mr. Bailey a ‘lot of questions.'” 

BILL MAHER GRILLS ESPER FOR NOT BACKING BIDEN AFTER CALLING TRUMP A ‘THREAT TO DEMOCRACY;: A ’BINARY’ CHOICE

Donald Trump arrives to Trump Tower, Thursday, May 30, 2024 after being found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)

Bailey did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Notably, Bailey years ago successfully sued then-real estate mogul Trump over a condo dispute. 

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“For the foregoing reasons, Defendants respectfully request that this Court recuse itself, or, in the alternative, set the matter down for an evidentiary hearing, and grant any such other and further relief it may think proper,” the filing concludes. 

Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz and Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

Senate Democrats are looking to strike a provision in a federal law that bars materials related to abortion from being transmitted through the mail, warning that it could be wielded by a Republican president and Congress to ban abortions nationally. 

Sen. Tina Smith, (D-Minn.), is leading an effort to revise the 1873 Comstock Act, repealing the piece making the mailing of abortion materials illegal. 

“There is a very clear, well-organized plan afoot by the MAGA Republicans to use Comstock as a tool to ban medication abortion, and potentially all abortions,” Smith said in a statement to the Washington Post, which first reported on the bill. “My job is to take that tool away.”

MIKE PENCE’S GROUP URGES GOP TO OPPOSE MEASURE INCLUDING WOMEN IN FUTURE DRAFT

Sen. Tina Smith is hoping to strip a controversial abortion provision from the 1800s-era Comstock Act. (Getty Images)

However, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has maintained that the law does not outright ban drugs that can induce abortion from being sent through mail, because intent is not always known. “The mere mailing of such drugs to a particular jurisdiction is an insufficient basis for concluding that the sender intends them to be used unlawfully,” Christopher Schroeder, assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel in the DOJ concluded in a 2022 opinion. 

Such a measure is likely to receive full Democratic support if it scores a vote on the Senate floor. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has not said whether this measure will be included in the parade of reproduction-related votes that have been scheduled in the summer months. 

TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE WINS VIRGINIA’S REPUBLICAN SENATE PRIMARY TO TAKE ON TIM KAINE

Mifepristone is one of the medications used to facilitate abortions. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)

Schumer did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.

Smith’s bill could also manage to pick up some Republican support from moderate Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who have joined their Democratic counterparts on abortion and reproduction related votes in the past. 

VA DEM TIM KAINE WARNS AGAINST TAKING ELECTION FOR GRANTED AS TRUMP EYES BLUE STATE

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has teed up several reproductive votes. (REUTERS/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/File Photo)

Despite having a good outlook for Senate support, the measure would not be expected to be brought to a vote in the House or have enough votes to pass. 

Democrats in the Senate have concentrated their legislative efforts in the upper chamber on safeguarding access to contraception, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and abortion ahead of a recess-heavy fall schedule. 

So far, votes have occurred for Democrat-backed bills to ensure accessibility of both birth control and IVF procedures, but both procedural hurdles have failed, as Republicans opposed the broad nature of both bills. 

SENATE GOP STOPS DEM ATTEMPT TO BAN BUMP STOCKS AFTER SCOTUS REVERSES TRUMP-ERA RULE

The overturn of Roe v. Wade was incredibly controversial. (AP Photo/Anna Johnson)

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In the next month, Schumer is expected to schedule a vote on a bill that would codify Roe v. Wade and the federal right to an abortion. Such a measure is similarly expected to fail. 

The series of votes on the subject come as Democrats fight to retain their very vulnerable Senate majority in the November elections. Five incumbent Democrats are embroiled in tough elections in the most competitive Senate races of the cycle, according to non-partisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report, which rates three as “Toss Ups” and two as only “Lean Democratic.”

• Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed legislation that cuts the state’s top individual tax rate from 4.4% to 3.9% and the top corporate rate from 4.8% to 4.3%. Finance officials say the cuts will cost about $483 million the first year and $322 million a year after that.
• The cuts are the latest in a series of income tax reductions Arkansas has enacted over the past several years. Sanders has signed three cuts into law since taking office last year.
• Lawmakers also approved legislation to keep the state’s Game and Fish Commission, which issues hunting and fishing licenses and oversees wildlife conservation, in operation.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday signed legislation cutting the state’s property and income taxes after lawmakers wrapped up a special session where they also approved legislation to keep the state’s hunting and fishing programs running.

Sanders signed the measure cutting the state’s top corporate and individual income tax rates, and another raising the homestead property tax credit, hours after the predominantly Republican Legislature adjourned the session that began Monday.

The cuts are the latest in a series of income tax reductions Arkansas has enacted over the past several years. Sanders, a Republican, has signed three cuts into law since taking office last year and has said she wants to phase the levy out over time.

BIDEN WANTS TO RAISE YOUR TAXES. HERE ARE 5 REASONS EVEN HE SHOULD LEARN TO LOVE THE TRUMP TAX CUTS

“We are moving in the right direction and we’re doing so responsibly,” Sanders said at a news conference before signing the legislation.

The measures will cut the state’s top individual tax rate from 4.4% to 3.9% and the top corporate rate from 4.8% to 4.3%, retroactively, beginning Jan. 1. Finance officials say the cuts will cost about $483 million the first year and $322 million a year after that.

Supporters argued the state is in a healthy position for the reductions, noting that Arkansas is forecast to end the fiscal year with a $708 million surplus.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, front, speaks about tax cuts while surrounded by state Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Beebe), left, Speaker of the House Matthew Shepherd (R-El Dorado), rear center, and state Sen. Steve Crowell (R-Magnolia), right, during a news conference on June 19, 2024, at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Arkansas. (Thomas Metthe/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)

But opponents of the measures have said the benefits are too skewed toward higher earners and that the state should instead put more money toward reducing the high maternal mortality rate and providing more services for people with disabilities.

“Now is not the time to be underfunding the programs that deal with these problems,” Democratic Rep. Denise Garner said before the House voted on the cuts Tuesday.

The tax cut legislation also requires the state to set aside $290 million from its surplus into a reserve fund in case of an economic downturn.

The other legislation signed by Sanders increases the homestead tax credit from $425 to $500, retroactive to Jan. 1. That cut will cost $46 million.

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Lawmakers had expected to take up tax cuts later this year, but that plan was accelerated after the Legislature adjourned its session last month without a budget for the state Game and Fish Commission. That created uncertainty about whether the agency, which issues hunting and fishing licenses and oversees wildlife conservation, would operate beyond July 1.

Sanders on Wednesday signed a compromise budget proposal for the agency aimed at addressing concerns from some House members who had objected to the maximum pay for the agency’s director.

The new measure includes a lower maximum salary for the director, and requires legislative approval to increase his pay by more than 5%.

Vice President Kamala Harris shared a video of her meeting with original and current cast members of the TV show “Queer Eye,” which featured a caption that did not match what was said.

In the clip, Harris is seen greeting Carson Kressley, Jai Rodriguez, Karamo Brown and Jonathan van Ness at the door.

After walking into the White House, cast members are seen hugging Harris before Rodriguez tells her they are “going to fight every urge not to open drawers,” warning Harris it was in their DNA.

After sharing a picture with the cast members, the video jumps to a scene where van Ness refers to Harris as “Honey,” before correcting himself and saying, “I mean, Madam Vice President.”

KAMALA HARRIS ARGUES PEOPLE STILL GETTING USED TO FIRST WOMAN VP, SAYS THEY ‘LOVE TO TALK ABOUT MY LAUGH’

Vice President Kamala Harris met with cast members of “Queer Eye” at the White House, in which captions in a clip of the meeting did not match what was said. (Vice President Harris X post)

However, the video caption underneath read, “Madam President.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and van Ness’ team about the apparent caption error but did not hear back.

STEVE HARVEY DEFENDS GIVING KAMALA HARRIS EASY QUESTIONS TO HELP ADMIN ‘GET THE WORD OUT’

The caption on the video quoted Jonathan van Ness as saying “Madam President” instead of “Madam Vice President.” (Vice President Harris X post)

Harris shared the video on X, saying, “The cast of [Queer Eye] joined me at the White House to discuss the hard-fought progress the LGBTQI+ community has made in the past 20 years. Thank you for a meaningful conversation, for giving my office your stamp of approval, and for being fabulous.”

This is not the first time Harris has been referred to as “Madam President.”

‘GREATEST THREAT’: FORMER TOP KAMALA HARRIS AIDE REVEALS WHICH TRUMP VP PICK COULD SINK HER CANDIDACY

Last year, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mistakenly referred to the vice president as “the president” during an afternoon press conference.

The slip-up came in the first few minutes of the press conference, as Jean-Pierre announced Harris’ planned speaking engagement commemorating the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

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“This Sunday, the president will speak about the fight to secure women’s fundamental right to reproductive health care in the face of these attacks,” Jean-Pierre said, without realizing or correcting her mistake. “She will talk about what’s at stake for millions of women across the country and most importantly, the need for Congress to codify the protections of Roe into law.” 

Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s favorability and job approval ratings are at their lowest ever, according to a new poll.

A statewide Siena College survey conducted last week showed the Democratic governor’s approval rating sits at 44%, a record low, according to the pollster, with 50% disapproving of how Hochul has performed as governor. Her favorability rating is also underwater at 38-49%, favorable to unfavorable.

The good news for Hochul is that a plurality of voters in both parties support her decision to halt New York’s congestion pricing program, which would have inflicted higher toll fares on commuters to New York City. Voters approve of her decision by 45% to only 23% who disapprove, with 16% staking a position in the middle, according to the poll.

“Despite strongly supporting Hochul’s decision to put congestion pricing on hold, and even more strongly supporting the social media bill she championed, voters now give Hochul the lowest favorability and job approval ratings she’s had in nearly three years as governor,” Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said in a statement. 

NY’S DEM GOVERNOR INDEFINITELY HALTS CONGESTION PRICING PLAN, PUTTING PARTY OVER CLIMATE

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul faces all-time low approval and favorability ratings, according to a new Siena College poll. (Probe-Media for Fox News Digital)

“Among Democrats, she continues to have a two-to-one favorability rating and even stronger job approval rating, however, she’s viewed unfavorably by 81% of Republicans and 61% of independents, while 84% of Republicans and 63% of independents disapprove of the job she’s doing as governor.”

The Siena College survey also recorded President Biden’s lowest-ever favorability in the Empire State, 42%, and found he continues to lead presumptive Republican nominee former President Trump by single digits, 47%-39%.

“While Biden maintains the support of three-quarters of Democrats, Trump has support from 85% of Republicans and leads Biden 45-28% with independents,” Greenberg said. “A gender gap has reopened as men support Trump 46-42% and women favor Biden 51-33%. White voters are evenly divided. And while Biden has a commanding lead with non-white voters, Trump garners support from 29% of Black and 26% of Latino voters.”

“Two-thirds of voters say they plan to watch next week’s debate between Trump and Biden, the earliest general election presidential debate in memory. It remains to be seen what impact the debate has on the race, but the last time the presidential election was as close as it is now in New York was 1988 when Democrat Michael Dukakis beat Republican George H.W. Bush by only four points, 52-48%. Ronald Reagan was the last Republican to carry New York — by eight points, 54-46% — in 1984.”

NEW YORK GOV. KATHY HOCHUL CALLS TRUMP SUPPORTERS ‘CLOWNS’ IN HER OWN ‘BASKET OF DEPLORABLES’ MOMENT

A bipartisan plurality of New York registered voters support New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to pause a congestion pricing plan that would raise toll fares to $15 for New York City commuters. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

The congestion pricing plan was set to begin on June 30, but earlier this month, Hochul made the surprise decision to put it on hold, reportedly due to concerns about voter backlash in the upcoming election.

Hochul reaffirmed her “commitment to a greener, more sustainable future” in a speech announcing her decision on June 5, but she said the move was best for “the little guy.” 

The stated goal of congestion pricing in the Big Apple is to get greener by improving air quality and reducing traffic. Politico reported that House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., had asked Hochul to consider delaying the unpopular program as he works to capture the House majority in November.

The GOP managed to reclaim a thin majority in the House two years ago largely due to several key Republican congressional victories in New York. 

NYC MAYOR ADAMS SAYS HE SUPPORTS MASK BAN TO CURB CRIME: ‘COWARDS COVER THEIR FACES’

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during the State of the State address in Albany, New York, on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The first-in-the-nation congestion pricing plan was to take effect as New York City transit ridership has taken a nosedive due to public safety concerns. It had received serious blowback from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, former President Trump and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Under the transit authority’s plan, trucks would be subject to a charge of $24 or $36 per trip, depending on their size. Most drivers in private passenger cars, in contrast, should expect to pay about $15, with lower rates for motorcycles and late-night entries into the city, according to the proposal finalized in March. 

Republican critics have called the plan a tax on commuters. However, left-wing activists criticized Hochul’s decision, saying it would deprive the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of needed funding. 

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Suburban voters were the strongest group in support of Hochul’s decision to delay congestion pricing, backing the move by 56%. 

The Siena College survey included 805 registered voters from across New York state reached by landline, cell phone and through an online panel. The poll’s margin of error is 4.1%.  

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this update.

President Biden’s allies have donated at least $10 million in an effort to compete against the Trump campaign’s prolific use of social media, according to a new report.

Leaders at Biden’s top re-election super PAC, Future Forward USA Action, fear that the current president is losing the viral video war to Trump and his allies, Reuters reported. Trump and his fellow Republicans have bombarded social media with videos of Biden freezing or otherwise appearing old at public events for weeks.

The Democratic super PAC boasts supporters like Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and LinkedIn founder Reed Hoffman. The effort aims to help Biden’s campaign understand how social media algorithms work, in addition to collaborating with pro-Biden influencers.

“Future Forward is around to help solve problems, and TikTok is a problem and the group is reasonably trying to solve that problem,” one Democrat source told Reuters.

BIDEN’S ‘PERPETUAL STATE OF CONFUSION’ ON DISPLAY IN NORMANDY AMID RISING COGNITIVE QUESTIONS

President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Since February, when the Biden campaign officially joined the TikTok platform, it has posted more than 200 times and garnered just over 380,000 followers. Trump joined TikTok barely two weeks ago but has already accumulated 6.4 million followers.

Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee has been leaning into Biden’s age issues by sharing footage of him freezing up or appearing confused at public events. 

The White House has condemned the clips as “cheap fakes,” but there is little evidence to suggest the clips have been altered in a deceptive way.

SOCIAL MEDIA MOCKS BIDEN BEING LED OFFSTAGE BY FIRST LADY

Since February, when the Biden campaign officially joined the TikTok platform, it has posted more than 200 times and garnered just over 380,000 followers. Trump joined TikTok barely two weeks ago but has already accumulated 6.4 million followers. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)

The “cheap fakes” line has proven to be the White House’s primary defense against embarrassing videos of Biden in recent weeks.

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE DOUBLES DOWN ON ‘CHEAP FAKE’ BIDEN VIDEOS: ‘SO MUCH MISINFORMATION’

The term was used in some news articles as early as 2019, but there were significantly more this week following the videos on social media of Biden.

Not everyone is buying the explanation, however. This is all part of “election slogans and buzzwords,” according to Heritage Foundation tech researcher Jake Denton.

The “cheap fakes” line has proven to be with White House’s primary defense against embarrassing videos of Biden in recent weeks. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“It’s very clear what’s going on here,” Denton told Fox News Digital. “They’re trying to push a new term underneath the school of misinformation to try and pressure social media companies to take action on videos of this nature.”

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“This kind of requires a ramp-up stage where you allege that something is a ‘cheap fake,’ or that it’s malicious in some way related to misinformation, and then you have essentially the evidence, the fact pattern, whatever, to go and push the social media companies with takedown requests, because it’s misinformation regarding an election. So to me, that’s kind of the seed that’s being planted here.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

Top immigration experts are hammering the Biden administration over its plan to establish so-called “parole-in-place” qualifications for illegal immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens.

The idea of parole-in-place stemmed from a memo crafted by President Bill Clinton in 1998 and has been used since 2016 to categorize non-citizen immediate family members of U.S. service members.

A forthcoming executive order expanding the construct is expected to shield as many as half a million illegal immigrants from deportation.

Former Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan said the move will cause further damage to the U.S. and lead to an uptick in marriage fraud – as the policy is set to focus on spouses.

BORDER RANCHER RECORDS 3,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT IMAGES ON CAMERA

“This administration has done nothing to secure the border – they’re playing a shell game,” Homan said. “This is just another enticement… for more illegal aliens to cross the border to take advantage of a giveaway program.”

Homan, who served in the Trump administration, previously said he hopes to help establish a “historic deportation program” if the real estate mogul is elected in November.

He told reporters the parole-in-place program will incentivize illegal immigrants to venture across the southern border and simply “hide out” until a program like this comes along to provide them amnesty.

“A record number of migrants are dead, a record number of American citizens are dead, a record number of terrorists have crossed the border. And what’s your focus? Let’s get another giveaway program, which is going to entice more people to come. This is nothing but a political ploy,” he said.

There are several conditions for qualifying for the program – a key stipulation being that the spouse must have resided in the U.S. for at least 10 years, have a legally valid marriage to a U.S. citizen and must have a clean criminal history. 

Joe Edlow, former acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), added that federal estimates of parole-in-place leading to upwards of 500,000 qualifying individuals is, at best, a minimum figure.

“From my perspective, there is absolutely no other amount of amnesty that I would support or accept… there will be no integrity if we continue to allow people to flagrantly flaunt the immigration laws,” said Edlow, who also served as chief counsel for USCIS.

‘GREEN’ GOVERNANCE IS THE NEW GUISE FOR ‘MERCANTILISM’ AND WILL LEAD TO GLOBAL INSTABILITY: HERITAGE PRESIDENT

“They say 500,000. I think we’ve seen other estimates up to 1.1 million. But the bottom line is we don’t actually know yet what this [policy] is ultimately going to include.”

In Edlow’s view, the Biden administration essentially has “shut down” immigration enforcement for four years, so the actual figures on how many people will be permitted to remain on U.S. soil via parole-in-place is indeterminate.

Another expert on the issue said that whether parole-in-place allows 500,000 or many more people to come to or stay in the U.S., it essentially creates a 51st state.

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Heritage Foundation President Dr. Kevin Roberts previously served as a college president in Wyoming – the 50th most populous state. He suggested the Biden administration will be essentially adding another collective population between it and 49th-place Vermont.

“[The White House] has articulated and will soon release details of what we think is going to be the largest mass amnesty scheme in American history. That’s not hyperbole. It’s true,” said Roberts.

“Having lived in Wyoming, adding the population of an entire state on top of more than 10 million illegal aliens who are already here is just more in fundamentally reordering America,” he said.

As of the 2020 census, Wyoming had just over 576,000 residents, while Vermont had about 643,000.

The White House and ICE did not respond to requests for comment for purposes of this story. 

As the general election season nears, White House officials are dismissing as “cheap fakes” a series of viral videos circulating on social media that purport to show President Biden in declining mental acuity. But a conservative tech expert counters that the videos are genuinely troubling and that the Biden shop’s pushback is part of an “election buzzword” effort aimed at pressuring social media platforms to “take action” against it.

“The discredited right-wing critics of President Biden who spread other debunked lies, including that the 2020 election was stolen, are clearly threatened by the wide range of nonpartisan fact-checkers that have pulled back the curtain on the cheap fake smears they’re forced to rely on – since the last thing they want to discuss is Joe Biden’s agenda to cut taxes for working families and keep bringing violent crime to historic lows,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Fox News Digital.

“Their panicked reaction to mainstream reporters, including at The Washington Post, NBC News, and PolitiFact, citing misinformation experts taking anti-Biden cheap fakes apart says more than we ever could,” Bates added.

SOCIAL MEDIA MOCKS BIDEN BEING LED OFFSTAGE BY FIRST LADY

The Republican National Committees research division posted several videos on X Thursday that appeared to show President Biden in a “perpetual state of confusion.”

In recent weeks, videos of Biden from various events appear to show him “confused.” One video shows him turning away from the group of world leaders at a D-Day anniversary event in France to speak to a parachuter. Another video appeared him being uncertain of when it was time to sit down, and another video this week showed him being led off the stage by former President Obama at a fundraising event. 

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre doubled down that these videos were “cheap fakes,” which the Media Manipulation Case Book defines as “altered media” that does not require advanced technology, like “photoshopping (including face swapping), lookalikes, as well as speeding and slowing video.” 

The term was used in some news articles as early as 2019, but there were significantly more this week following the videos on social media of Biden.

“It looks horrible because it is.”

— Heritage Foundation Researcher Jake Denton

“It’s also very insulting to the folks, the viewers who are watching it. And so we believe we have to call that out. We’ve been calling it ‘cheap fakes.’ That is something that came directly from the media outlets in calling it that, the fact-checkers … calling it that. And so we’re certainly going to be really, really clear about that as well. And calling it out from where we are, from where we stand,” Jean-Pierre told MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace on Tuesday.

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE DOUBLES DOWN ON ‘CHEAP FAKE’ BIDEN VIDEOS: ‘SO MUCH MISINFORMATION’

President Biden walks on the South Lawn to board Marine One before departing the White House on Dec. 8, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Not everyone is buying the explanation, however. This is all part of “election slogans and buzzwords,” according to Heritage Foundation tech researcher Jake Denton.

“It’s very clear what’s going on here,” Denton told Fox News Digital. “They’re trying to push a new term underneath the school of misinformation to try and pressure social media companies to take action on videos of this nature.”

The term “cheap fake” is also being used just a week before Biden is scheduled to debate former President Trump, the GOP front-runner in the general election.

“This kind of requires a ramp-up stage where you allege that something is a ‘cheap fake,’ or that it’s malicious in some way related to misinformation, and then you have essentially the evidence, the fact pattern, whatever, to go and push the social media companies with takedown requests, because it’s misinformation regarding an election. So to me, that’s kind of the seed that’s being planted here.”

Denton additionally labeled “misinformation experts” under the umbrella of “pseudo-science” born from “digital politics.” Failed academics who then try to rebrand themselves have found a home in this emerging area online, Denton said, at independent fact-check websites and organizations, and even media outlets.

BIDEN’S ‘PERPETUAL STATE OF CONFUSION’ ON DISPLAY IN NORMANDY AMID RISING COGNITIVE QUESTIONS

President Biden and former President Trump (Win McNamee/Getty Images | Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

“At the end of the day, there’s really not a lot of science to it,” Denton said. “They’re experts, but what are they really analyzing? There is truth that there’s a need for expertise in deepfake production, but when it comes to something like a cheap fake or just the broader term of misinformation, you’re largely just sifting through junk on social media and saying what’s real and what isn’t; it’s not really a very scientific or professional exercise.”

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Denton continued that the administration’s intention is to “gaslight” the American public into believing that what they see on social media misrepresents his current state. However, the reality is that the videos accurately reflect his current cognitive ability, he said, and urged people to “reject these terms and buzzwords and just assess the videos as they are, because they’re very damning.”

“It looks horrible because it is,” he said.

The president’s mental acuity has become the center of political discourse this month after a bombshell Washington Journal report, which the White House dismissed, revealed that many lawmakers on Capitol Hill had questions about Biden’s mental acuity after many said his aging was apparent in private meetings.

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, penned another letter to New York Attorney General Letitia James on Tuesday, threatening a subpoena if she does not provide information on a former Justice Department official who helped prosecute former President Trump in the Manhattan hush-money trial.

Tuesday’s letter reiterated how Jordan first wrote James on May 15 requesting information and documents related to Colangelo’s prior employment at the New York Attorney General’s Office. 

The House Judiciary Committee asked that she provide that information by May 29, but so far James has “failed to comply with or respond to our request,” the new letter says. “The Committee is continuing to conduct oversight of politically motivated prosecutions by state and local officials.” Fox News Digital reached out to the New York Attorney General’s Office for comment but they did not immediately respond.

“Popularly elected prosecutors, such as New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg, have engaged in an unprecedented abuse of authority by prosecuting a former President of the United States and current leading candidate for that office,” Jordan wrote Tuesday. “Notably, Bragg’s prosecution has been led in part by Mr. Colangelo, a former prosecutor in your office and subsequent senior Justice Department official in the Biden Administration. As such, the Committee continues to seek information and documents related to Mr. Colangelo’s employment at the New York Attorney General’s Office.” 

JIM JORDAN DEMANDS NY AG HAND OVER DOCUMENTS RELATED TO FORMER DOJ OFFICIAL AT HEART OF NY V. TRUMP

Rep. Jim Jordan chairs the House Judiciary Committee on June 13, 2024, during a hearing set to examine Alvin Bragg’s prosecution of former President Trump. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The letter, first reported by The Hill, states that the Supreme Court has recognized that Congress has a “broad and indispensable” power to conduct oversight, which “encompasses inquiries into the administration of existing laws, studies of proposed laws, and surveys in our social, economic or political system for the purpose of enabling Congress to remedy them.”

It also states the committee is charged by the House of Representatives with “upholding fundamental American civil liberties and with promoting fairness and consistency in our nation’s criminal justice system.” Jordan cited Rule X of the Rules of the House, which authorizes the Judiciary Committee to conduct oversight of criminal justice matters and matters involving civil liberties to inform potential legislation. 

Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference following a verdict against former President Trump in a civil fraud trial on Feb. 16, 2024, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

“Congress has a specific and manifestly important interest in preventing politically motivated prosecutions of current and former Presidents by elected state and local prosecutors, particularly in jurisdictions like New York County where the prosecutor is popularly elected and trial-level judges lack life tenure,” Jordan wrote. 

“Among other things, if state or local prosecutors are able to engage in politically motivated prosecutions of Presidents of the United States (current or former) for personal acts, this could have a profound impact on how Presidents choose to exercise their powers while in office,” the letter says. “Accordingly, the Committee reiterates its May 15 request and ask that you produce the requested information immediately, but not later than 5:00 p.m. on July 2, 2024. The Committee is prepared to resort to compulsory process to obtain compliance with our requests.” 

TRUMP LAWYER SPARS WITH HOST OVER EX-BIDEN DOJ OFFICIAL TAPPED IN NEW YORK HUSH-MONEY CASE

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his legal team hold a press conference following the Trump verdict on May 30, 2024, in New York. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Colangelo, a former high-ranking Justice Department official who was hired by Bragg in 2022 and helped lead the Trump investigation, agreed to testify before the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government on July 12. 

That is one day after Trump’s sentencing in the case.

Former President Trump arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court during jury deliberations in his trial, May 30, 2024. (Michael M. Santiago/Pool Photo via AP)

Before Trump’s verdict last month, Jordan sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding information about the Justice Department’s role in the local prosecution of the former president.

The DOJ responded in a letter, saying that while it does not “generally make extensive efforts to rebut conspiratorial speculation,” a review by the department of all communications from the start of the New York case in January 2021 until the verdict showed no contact between federal prosecutors and those involved in the hush money case.

“The District Attorney’s office is a separate entity from the Department,” the DOJ letter said. 

Bragg is in his first term as Manhattan’s district attorney. He also oversaw the prosecution of Trump’s company in an unrelated tax fraud case before moving to indict Trump last year.

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He and Colangelo previously worked together on Trump-related matters at the New York attorney general’s office. During the trial, Colangelo delivered the opening statement and questioned several witnesses including former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., suggested the pro-Israel lobby is targeting him for being an “outspoken Black man” during a heated debate with his primary challenger on Tuesday night.

The debate was Bowman’s last televised faceoff against Westchester County Executive George Latimer before next week, which will be the culmination of one of the most expensive House primary races in U.S. history.

The progressive Democrat took shots at the bipartisan-focused American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) several times throughout the event, accusing it of operating as a right-wing organization. AIPAC is supporting Latimer, and its campaign arm has poured millions into the race.

AOC SLAMMED FOR SAYING ‘FALSE ACCUSATIONS’ OF ANTISEMITISM ARE ‘WIELDED AGAINST PEOPLE OF COLOR’

Rep. Jamaal Bowman is fighting for his political life in a high-profile primary race on Tuesday. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“The majority of his money comes from right-wing Republicans who support Trump,” Bowman said of Latimer.

Without naming AIPAC, he said, “They are spending more money in this primary than any PAC has ever spent in U.S. history.”

“Why? Because I’m an outspoken person of color. I’m an outspoken Black man. I fight against genocide in Gaza, and I fight for justice right here,” Bowman said, before referring back to Latimer and adding, “And his supporters don’t want that because it challenges their power.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Bowman’s campaign to clarify whether his comments targeted AIPAC specifically.

Latimer shot back at him that groups like AIPAC not only supported him but also people like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., and House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y. – none of whom are White.

‘SQUAD’ MEMBER DEFENDS ‘RIVER TO THE SEA’ PHRASE INTERPRETED AS CALLING FOR ‘EXTERMINATION’ OF JEWS

Westchester County Executive George Latimer is backed by AIPAC. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“The support that they have and I have from individuals comes because of our support of the state of Israel. His opposition comes because he has been anti-Israel, hostile to Israel,” Latimer said. “I have never once flipped a position because of campaign donation. Not once.”

Bowman responded, “Just because you’ve got a few Black friends doesn’t make you an anti-racist organization.”

“He keeps naming off these Black names as if it doesn’t make AIPAC and their supporters racist,” Bowman said.

Latimer earlier called accusations of racism against himself “baloney.”

Bowman namedropped AIPAC again in his closing statement, arguing, “I work in collaboration with the people, displaying servant leadership, while my opponent is big money in politics personified. He takes billions from right-wing Republicans to serve them and AIPAC.”

NIKKI HALEY WRITES CLEAR MESSAGE TO HAMAS ON IDF ARTILLERY SHELL

During the debate, Latimer countered Bowman’s accusations against AIPAC by pointing out it also endorsed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, pictured here. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Latimer’s closing statement emphasized his decades in local New York politics, adding, “Who do you trust? Who do you believe has your interest first?”

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A recent poll by Pix11, which hosted the debate, conducted along with Emerson College and The Hill, showed Latimer leading Bowman 48% to 31%.

If he wins the June 25 primary, Latimer will be the first moderate Democrat to knock off a member of the left-wing “Squad.”

A bipartisan United States congressional delegation met with the Dalai Lama Wednesday at his residence in India’s Dharamshala, sparking anger from China which views the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism as a dangerous separatist.

This comes as Washington and Beijing have recently restarted talks after several years of turmoil that began after the imposition of tariffs on Chinese goods under the Trump administration. Relations at the time deteriorated even more following the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising military tensions in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

DALAI LAMA SAYS HE WAS BEING ‘INNOCENT AND PLAYFUL’ WHEN ASKING YOUNG BOY TO ‘SUCK MY TONGUE’

The high-level delegation, led by Republican Rep. Michael McCaul and including Democratic former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, arrived Tuesday at the hillside town, which the Nobel Peace Prize laureate has made his headquarters since fleeing from Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. There, they met with officials from the Tibetan government-in-exile, which wants more autonomy for Tibet.

Beijing doesn’t recognize said administration and hasn’t held any dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama since 2010.

In this photo shared by the Office of the Dalai Lama, Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, left, is greeted by Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, at the Tibetan leader’s residence in Dharamshala, India, Wednesday, June 19, 2024.  (Tenzin Choejor/Office of the Dalai Lama via AP)

After meeting the spiritual leader on Wednesday, the seven U.S. lawmakers addressed hundreds who had gathered at a monastery just outside the 88-year-old Dalai Lama’s residence, waving American and Tibetan flags.

They told the crowd that a key focus of their visit was to underscore the Resolve Tibet Act, passed by the U.S. Congress last week, and aims to encourage dialogue between the Dalai Lama and Chinese officials with the hopes of finding a peaceful resolution between Tibet and Beijing. The bill should now be sent to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign into a law.

Pelosi said the bill is “a message to the Chinese government that we have clarity in our thinking and our understanding of this issue of the freedom of Tibet,” eliciting applause.

McCaul, the Republican representative, said it reaffirmed American support for the Tibetan right to self-determination. “Just this week our delegation received a letter from the Chinese Communist Party, warning us not to come here… but we did not let the CCP intimidate us for we are here today,” he said as people cheered.

However, the visit and newly passed bill have triggered swift backlash from Beijing.

Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, urged Washington on Tuesday not to support Tibetan independence and said the White House “must not sign the bill into law,” or China will take “resolute measures,” without elaborating on what they may be.

“It’s known by all that the 14th Dalai Lama is not a purely religious figure, but a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion,” Lin added, urging the U.S. side to “have no contact with the Dalai group in any form, and stop sending the wrong signal to the world.”

The Dalai Lama denies being a separatist and says he only advocates substantial autonomy and protection of Tibet’s native Buddhist culture.

The Tibetan spiritual leader has a history of engaging with U.S. officials, including American presidents — from Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama — except for Donald Trump. He has yet to meet Biden since he took office in 2021.

The Dalai Lama is expected to travel to the U.S. on Thursday for medical treatment for his knees, but it is unclear if he will meet any officials while there.

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Meanwhile, Beijing has repeatedly asked the U.S. not to interfere with Tibetan affairs and has argued that the people of Tibet have enjoyed social stability and economic growth under its rule.

While India considers Tibet to be part of China, it hosts Tibetan exiles.

President Biden’s campaign manager on Wednesday appeared to dodge questions about whether the president’s new executive order giving illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship was a political move aimed at shoring up more votes before Election Day on Nov. 5. 

Julie Chavez Rodriguez appeared on CBS News’ “America Decides” for an interview with Fin Gomez that aired Wednesday evening. 

Gomez asked Rodriguez why the president’s new policy was implemented now “four and a half months out from the Nov. 5 election.”

President Biden speaks during an event marking the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals program at the White House. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Rodriguez said immigration reform has been a major priority of the Biden administration since day 1. She also bashed former President Trump for encouraging Republicans to vote against a bipartisan immigration bill earlier this year.

Gomez asked whether Rodriguez believed Biden’s new policy would encourage “mixed-status families” who benefit from this to vote for the president.

Rodriguez said families who are eligible for Biden’s executive order “will be able to sleep better tonight knowing that they have an opportunity to help ensure that they are not separated by cruel policies.”

VIDEO SHOWS NYPD DRAG ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RAPE SUSPECT FROM HIDING UNDER CAR AFTER CITIZEN’S ARREST

“They will be able to hug each other a little bit tighter knowing that they can remain together as a whole family in this country as a result of this executive order. Those are the things that matter most,” Rodriguez said.

Gomez noted that many Latino voters are turning away from President Biden and asked Rodriguez to respond to critics who say the executive order is a “political move to maintain support among Latino voters.”

President Biden is announcing new changes to keep families together who have DACA Dreamer spouses seeking to change their immigration status. (Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Rodriguez again invoked the president’s track record on immigration since taking office, including expanding the Affordable Care Act for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. 

At no point was the issue of border security brought up in the interview. Fox News Digital has reached out to Biden’s campaign team and the White House for additional comment.

ACCUSED MIGRANT RAPIST PASSED THROUGH BORDER HOT SPOT AT CENTER OF TEXAS-BIDEN FEUD

Biden announced Tuesday that his administration will allow U.S. citizens’ spouses without legal status to apply for permanent residency and eventually citizenship without having to first depart the country for up to 10 years. About 500,000 immigrants may benefit, according to senior administration officials.

To qualify, an immigrant must have lived in the U.S. for 10 years and be married to a U.S. citizen, both as of Monday. 

Immigration rights activists take part in a rally in front of the Supreme Court in 2019. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

The Obama-era DACA program, which has shielded from deportation hundreds of thousands of people who came to the United States as young children, required applicants to be in the U.S. on June 15, 2012, and continuously for the previous five years.

More than 1 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. are married to American citizens, according to advocacy group FWD.us, meaning hundreds of thousands won’t qualify because they were in the U.S. for fewer than 10 years.

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About 50,000 noncitizen children with parents who are married to a U.S. citizen could also potentially qualify, according to senior administration officials who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity. 

Biden also announced new regulations that will allow some DACA beneficiaries and other young immigrants to more easily qualify for long-established work visas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reel back to June 2021. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., did not yet wield the committee gavel. But he had questions about COVID-19, which gripped the planet.

“For most of the pandemic, anyone who raised questions about the origin of the virus was dismissed as a crazy conspiracy theorist,” opined Green on the House floor.

Many were even reluctant to dip into the idea that COVID-19 could have come from a lab in China in 2021.

FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: WHO NEEDS WHO?

Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., is a doctor and the top Democrat on the House panel investigating the start of the pandemic. Some Republicans touted the lab leak theory. Yet Ruiz was careful to note that the concept was far from proven. The Department of Energy and FBI suggested a lab leak was the culprit. But most U.S. intelligence agencies suspected the virus emanated from nature.

“They do not strongly with high confidence say that this was a lab leak,” said Ruiz at a July 2023 hearing. “But we heard that they do from the other side. That’s a lie.”

Like Green, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., argued in 2023 that Democrats “accused everyone who believes that there was a lab leak to be a conspiracy theorist.” 

But the theory of a lab leak potentially sparking the pandemic no longer flits around the fringes. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is sworn-in before testifying before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic at the Rayburn House Office Building on June 3, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The House COVID committee unearthed a message last year from Dr. David Morens – an associate of Dr. Anthony Fauci. Fauci was the public face of the pandemic response. He just retired as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Morens wrote that “Tony doesn’t want his fingerprints on origin stories.”

In an appearance on Fox in January 2023, Fauci declared that “the evidence points very strongly, very strongly to this being a natural jump from an animal species to a human.”

But Fauci may have tempered those views.

“I’ve also been very, very clear and said multiple times that I don’t think the concept of there being a (lab) leak is inherently a conspiracy theory,” said Fauci to the House coronavirus committee this month. “What is a conspiracy is the kind of distortions that it was a lab leak and I was parachuted into the CIA like Jason Bourne and told the CIA that they should really not be talking about a lab leak.”

BIDEN’S ATTORNEY GENERAL IS FIGHTING BACK AS THE GOP-LED HOUSE CONTEMPLATES CONTEMPT

In 2020, Fauci cited an article from the British scientific magazine Nature when talking about what caused the pandemic. The House COVID committee is scrutinizing communications between Fauci and the essay’s authors just before the item went to print. Some Republicans accuse Fauci of trying to use the article to shield criticism about a possible lab leak.

The Senate probed the origins of the pandemic at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing this week.

“Today we are here to examine one of the most critical and debated questions of our time,” said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has long been suspect of what the government said about what fueled the pandemic.

“Just like the Hunter Biden laptop story, the experts said this was disinformation,” snapped Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., about the lab leak concept.

Tulane Medical School Dean Dr. Robert Garry co-authored the 2020 article in Nature. Garry argued it wasn’t plausible for a lab leak to trigger the pandemic. 

Dr. David Morens testified in Congress about released emails between Morens and an NGO president that received federal funding for COVID-19 research in Wuhan, China. (House Oversight Committee)

“So you’re saying that (idea) came to you overnight?” questioned Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

“There was new data,” replied Garry.

“Like a revelation from God? Overnight? ‘I’ve figured it out, and now I can definitely rule it out. It’s amazing!’ Is that what happened?” countered Hawley.

“It’s just the scientific method,” responded Garry. 

Garry holds firm that he believes the pandemic started in nature. But he concedes some of the science evolved. 

That’s why Republican senators chided Garry about the article, leaning on a zoonotic origin of the pandemic.

STATUESQUE REV GRAHAM TRIBUTE COMES TO THE CAPITOL, BUT SHIES AWAY FROM THE LIMELIGHT

“That is scientific misconduct and fraud,” charged Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. “The reason the American public legitimately don’t trust scientists and health agencies because people like you, you bear that responsibility for violating the public’s trust from your scientific misconduct. And fraud.”

“It was not fraud,” countered Garry. “We didn’t put anything in that paper that we didn’t believe was true. The conclusions of that paper have held up very well. In fact, there’s been an abundance of scientific evidence that has come forward since then to support all the conclusions, everything we wrote in that paper. So, there’s no fraud.”

But even other scientists upbraided Garry. 

“This is the most egregious form of scientific misconduct. Publishing a paper where you know the conclusions are untrue,” alleged Dr. Richard Ebright of Rutgers University.

Still, questions linger about what went down in Wuhan, China. That’s the site of the Wuhan Institute of Virology. It’s close to the Wuhan wet market. That’s the locale some identify as the geographic center of the pandemic. 

“It’s one jump from one animal to one human. The most likely place that happens is in a laboratory,” said Steven Quay of Atossa Therapeutics and a former Stanford University faculty member. “The Wuhan Institute (of) Virology. That’s where I’d look.”

A worker takes a swab sample for a COVID-19 test at a mobile test site on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

However, China is seemingly impenetrable when it comes to providing western investigators data about the pandemic.

“The Chinese government may never fully disclose all the information they have about the initial COVID-19 outbreak,” said Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Gary Peters, D-Mich., who called the hearing.

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., is advocating a 9/11-style commission to investigate the origins of COVID. Marshall also raised the possibility of classifying COVID-19 as a bioweapon. The Kansas Republican framed this in the context of national security.

“What did the U.S. do to contribute to (this) and how do we keep this from happening again?” asked Marshall.

Some senators acknowledge that the start of COVID many remain a stumper.

“We might be 98% or something. But we’ll always be a little uncertain,” said Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah. 

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And like much of the pandemic, that uncertainly seems to be the only thing we do know for sure.

In April 2022, the White House celebrated the Biden administration’s sale of the first 30 million of an eventual 180 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), which seemed an unprecedented election year move at the time.

In May, the Energy Department similarly celebrated a planned liquidation of 1 million barrels from the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve (NGSR), a Perth Amboy-to-Boston contingent of the SPR, aimed at lowering summertime gas prices.

Fox News Digital took a deeper dive into the numbers to see whether administration critics have ground to stand on when it comes to claims President Biden is wielding U.S. oil reserves as an unprecedented election-year cudgel, versus simply helping Americans better afford to travel.

The findings showed the SPR saw its most sweeping drawdowns during Biden’s tenure, and that he and former Presidents Trump and Clinton oversaw the largest historical decline in reserves.

BIDEN CANCELS PLANS TO REFILL EMERGENCY OIL RESERVES AMID HIGH PRICES

In the 2022 case, a White House announcement blamed in part Russian President Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine for supply disruptions that elevated oil prices, after Siberia was no longer permitted as a U.S. source of fuel.

However, Republicans, including former President Trump, blamed Biden’s cancellation of transcontinental pipeline projects and executive actions affecting energy production in Alaska and elsewhere that caused gas prices to soar from roughly $2 per gallon during the prior administration.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm called this year’s sale evidence the administration is “laser focused” on slashing consumer costs, particularly ahead of the summer travel season.

“By strategically releasing this reserve in between Memorial Day and July 4th, we are ensuring sufficient supply flows to the tri-state and northeast at a time hardworking Americans need it the most,” Granholm said in a statement.

MAJOR LITHIUM DISCOVERY IN FRACKING WASTEWATER LEAVES LEFT FACING EV IRONY

Figures uncovered by Fox News showed that in the years since the SPR got up to speed during the Carter years — it had been established following the 1973 oil crisis as an energy security measure — it was depleted the most under Biden’s tenure.

Following the 1980 election, the SPR notched 112.5 million barrels in January 1981, and by the end of President Reagan’s term, it had grown to nearly 450 million barrels in January 1989. As of 2023, the SPR has a maximum capacity of 714 million barrels.

Both Presidents Bush increased the capacity of the SPR — George H.W. Bush added 13.8 million barrels, while his son, who announced a full-throated effort to shore up reserves after 9/11, added a net 162 million barrels by January 2009.

During Operation Desert Storm, 21 million barrels were depleted, and 11 million were utilized following Hurricane Katrina, which decimated coastal oil refineries.

Every other president since that time, plus Clinton, has seen the reserves depleted under his watch.

The Arkansas Democrat saw a net depletion of 33.7 million barrels, while the Trump administration oversaw a drawdown of about 57 million barrels.

President Biden has more than quadrupled that figure from January 2021 through March, with a net decrease of 274 million barrels — which does not include any selloffs from the administration’s May announcement.

President Obama also saw the SPR reduced by about 9 million barrels during his term.

Fox News’ analysis found releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve via a president’s orders — such as during Desert Storm and following Katrina — have been rare, and only substantively fallen under an “emergency release” scenario.

A Congressional Research Service report from 2022 after Putin invaded Ukraine claimed such drawdowns in SPR reserves are permissible and that they should not always be characterized as politically motivated.

YOUNGKIN DECLARES ‘INDEPENDENCE FROM CALIFORNIA’ AS VIRGINIA EXITS EMISSIONS PACT

Congress itself is also permitted to occasionally mandate sales of oil reserves to fund legislative priorities.

But, this time, congressional Republicans have called out Biden, alleging he is playing politics with America’s energy security in an election year.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso and Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers — the top Republicans on their respective energy committees — accused Biden of doing just that in a scathing letter to Granholm:

“Under President Biden, the SPR has reached its lowest level since 1983. The DOE has overseen the largest sale in history, amounting to a total of 290 million barrels. When President Biden took office in January 2021, the SPR contained 638 million barrels of oil,” they said.

“Today, the SPR currently contains 367 million barrels of oil, which represents nearly a 42 percent decline from when President Biden took office.”

The lawmakers called the Biden release in 2022 “a transparent attempt to influence the midterm elections and distract from the Biden administration’s energy policy failures.”

In an apparent attempt to halt politicization, McMorris-Rodgers authored the Strategic Production Response Act, which would limit SPR drawdowns until Congress can provide oversight while banning depletion for “nonemergency purposes.” The bill passed the House.

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When Trump attempted to do the opposite and fill the SPR while oil prices were at a rock-bottom $24 per barrel, he was conversely stopped by Democrats. 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., celebrated the block at the time, claiming removing the provision from a bill “eliminated a $3 billion bailout for Big Oil.”

However, the White House did announce opposition to McMorris-Rodgers’ bill, claiming it would “significantly weaken a critical energy security tool.”

“This administration’s use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve has been essential to protecting our energy security and to lowering gas prices for Americans,” the White House said in 2023.

The Energy Department and White House did not respond to requests for further comment for purposes of this story. 

Fox News’ Mark Bentley contributed to this report.

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., is questioning why a federal prosecutor declined to bring charges against a man who threatened his family while the Justice Department has prosecuted similar threats against Democrats – but the DOJ is denying a double standard.

Aaron Thompson, 33, of Fort Wayne, pleaded guilty in October to felony and misdemeanor charges after he left menacing voicemails with Banks’ office. Allen County prosecutors pursued the case and Thompson was sentenced to two years probation, but a letter Banks sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanded to know why the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Indiana did not file federal charges.

“I’m thankful for Allen County Prosecutor Mike McAlexander and Deputy Prosecutor Adam Mildred for taking these threats seriously and for enforcing the law impartially,” Banks told Fox News Digital. “I want an answer from AG Garland explaining why he ignored threats against my family but prosecuted similar threats against Democrats. It appears to be just another example of the Biden administration’s political weaponization of our justice system.”

Reached for comment, a Justice Department spokesperson pointed to over a dozen prosecutions of individuals who threatened Republican members of Congress, including threats to Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., and Clay Higgins, R-La.

The DOJ “investigates threats to public officials regardless of their party affiliation, and we have prosecuted multiple cases of threats made to both Republican and Democratic” congressional lawmakers, the DOJ spokesperson said, adding that Garland “has told Congress that he views threats to public officials as threats to our democracy and the department will continue to treat them as such.” 

In interviews with U.S. Capitol Police, Thompson admitted to making at least eight calls to Banks’ D.C. office. He said he was intoxicated at the time and that he disagreed with the Republican lawmaker’s political positions.

INDIANA MAN CHARGED WITH FELONY AFTER THREATENING TO KILL GOP REP. JIM BANKS, HIS DAUGHTERS

Rep. Jim Banks sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking why a man who made threats against his family was not charged by federal prosecutors. ( Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

In one such call, Thompson said he owns a gun and gave Banks a choice between his or his daughter’s lives. Banks has three young daughters.

“Here’s the choice. Your daughters grow up without their dad, or you grow old without your daughters,” Thompson said, according to an affidavit for probable cause. “… [B]oom, boom you pick…”

READ: REP JIM BANKS LETTER TO ATTORNEY GENERAL MERRICK GARLAND. APP USERS: CLICK HERE 

In the letter, which was sent in December but not publicized until this week, Banks said FBI agents visited Thompson’s home in Fort Wayne to investigate the threats. 

“Thompson, who previously posted on social media encouraging his followers to ‘Vote Democrat,’ admitted he had threatened me and my family with violence because he disagreed with my political beliefs,” Banks wrote. 

TEXAS MAN CONVICTED OF THREATENING TO KILL REP MAXINE WATERS GETS NEARLY 3 YEARS IN PRISON

Aaron Thompson, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, called Rep. Banks’ office at least eight times in April 2023 and left threatening messages. (Allen County Sheriff’s Department)

“When Capitol Police referred the criminal case against Aaron Thompson to the U.S. Attorney for Northern District of Indiana, they declined to prosecute despite clear evidence that Thompson violated federal law.” 

Court records show Thompson pleaded guilty to a state felony charge of intimidation and a misdemeanor charge of harassment. Intimidation is a Level 6 felony in Indiana, while harassment is a Class B misdemeanor. 

Banks, who is running for an open Senate seat in Indiana, quoted public statements Garland has made reaffirming DOJ’s commitment to prosecuting violent threats made against public servants and questioned why federal charges weren’t brought against Thompson when similar threats made against Democratic Reps. Eric Swalwell of California and Bennie Thompson of Mississippi were prosecuted. 

Most recently, a Texas man received a nearly three-year jail sentence after his criminal conviction for leaving threatening and racist voicemails for California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters. 

JOHNSON FLOATS DEFUNDING SPECIAL COUNSEL’S OFFICE AMID JACK SMITH’S TRUMP PROBE

Attorney General Merrick Garland testifies during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on June 4, 2024, on Capitol Hill. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

Last week, Garland penned an op-ed in the Washington Post that decried political violence and condemned any suggestion that his department has politicized its work.

“Disagreements about politics are good for our democracy. They are normal,” Garland wrote. 

“But using conspiracy theories, falsehoods, violence and threats of violence to affect political outcomes is not normal. The short-term political benefits of those tactics will never make up for the long-term cost to our country.” 

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Mike Ferrara, a partner at New York firm Kaplan Hecker & FInk LLP and former assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, told Fox News Digital it can sometimes be difficult for prosecutors to bring charges for menacing statements. 

“The federal threat statutes can be tricky to charge because they require prosecutors to prove very specific things about what the perpetrator intended. It’s not enough to prove that someone hearing the words would’ve perceived them as a threat. Instead, federal prosecutors have to prove, for example, that the perpetrator made the threat to impede the performance of the official’s duties, or intended his words as a threat, or knew that the person to whom the words were directed would take them as a threat. These proof problems are especially complicated in a case like this one where the perpetrator’s defense is that he made the statements because he was drunk,” Ferrara said. 

“States, of course, have an entirely different set of statues they can choose from to prosecute threats, which might not have those proof issues and might be a better fit for the perpetrator’s conduct. I’m not familiar with Indiana’s statutes, but if the state brought a criminal prosecution against the perpetrator using state laws, then it would be pretty unremarkable – and I think a good exercise of prosecutorial discretion – for the federal government to defer to the state prosecutors.”

Fox News Digital’s Joe Schoffstall contributed to this report.

Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin has a long history of criticizing tax loopholes for the rich, despite her partner’s career reportedly helping ultra-high-net-worth clients pay less in taxes.

Labeled by Morgan Stanley as one of its “private wealth advisors,” Maria Brisbane, Baldwin’s partner since 2018, works to deliver “tax minimization strategies” for her clients at the firm.

Brisbane’s work, as well as how it stands in contrast to Baldwin’s own preaching about wealthy Americans using tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share in taxes, was first highlighted in a report by the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.

On Tax Day this year, Baldwin and two other Democrats in the upper chamber introduced the Carried Interest Fairness Act in an effort to eliminate the “carried interest tax loophole and make wealthy fund managers pay what other American workers do,” according to an April press release.

TRUMP THROWS SUPPORT BEHIND REPUBLICAN BUSINESSMAN LOOKING TO FLIP WISCONSIN SENATE SEAT: ‘GO OUT AND WIN’

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., speaks during the WisDems 2024 State Convention on June 08, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for The Democratic Party of Wisconsin)

“Hardworking Wisconsin families should not be paying more in taxes than the wealthiest Americans. But right now, our tax code has loopholes that allow super wealthy hedge fund managers to avoid paying their fair share,” Baldwin said at the time. “By closing the carried interest loophole, we’ll make our tax code fairer for working families, cut the deficit, and ensure that those at the top of the food chain aren’t exploiting the system to further enrich themselves.”

Brisbane, who was named to Forbes’ “America’s Top Women Wealth Advisors” list in February, has worked alongside private wealth adviser Alex Zachary at Morgan Stanley since early 2024. Their practice, the Brisbane Group, previously operated under Merrill Lynch’s “private wealth management unit focused on ultra-wealthy clients,” according to a January report by Advisor Hub.

“The Brisbane Group is focused on helping Ultra High Net Worth individuals, families, and not-for-profit organizations create customized investment strategies with a focus on custom tailored equity portfolios,” Morgan Stanley states on its website.

Additionally, Morgan Stanley touts the firm’s private wealth management division, which is “dedicated to serving the firm’s most affluent clients, including some of the world’s most accomplished entrepreneurs, executives and stewards of multigenerational wealth.”

Based in New York, the multinational investment bank and financial services company touts its wealth management division’s offering of “investment opportunities spanning private equity, private credit, real assets, hedge funds and more.”

SEN. TAMMY BALDWIN REPAYS TAXPAYER-FUNDED NOVEMBER 2020 NYC TRIP TO SEE PARTNER

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill on April 20, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

In February 2022, Baldwin targeted “activist hedge funds,” saying they “promote short-term gains at the expense of workers, taxpayers and local communities.”

The Tuesday report from the Examiner also included a comment from the Wisconsin Republican Party, which took aim at Baldwin and Brisbane:

“Baldwin and Brisbane are enriching themselves by helping out-of-state clients avoid paying their taxes,” Matt Fisher, a Wisconsin Republican Party spokesman, told the outlet.

Regarding Baldwin’s past comments and Brisbane’s work at Morgan Stanley, Baldwin’s campaign insisted the senator’s record “speaks for itself.”

“Tammy Baldwin has been a leader in the fight to ensure the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share for years … Attacking Tammy Baldwin for her partner’s work is baseless and wrong,” Andrew Mamo, a spokesperson for Baldwin’s Senate campaign, told Fox News Digital.

Baldwin’s campaign also pointed to legislation the senator has introduced or supported in recent years to address certain loopholes, including the Carried Interest Fairness Act, Paying a Fair Share Act, and the Billionaires Income Tax Act.

Baldwin is expected to face off in the state’s Nov. 5 general election against Eric Hovde, her leading Republican challenger in the race. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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The report comes as Baldwin, who has represented Wisconsin in the Senate since 2013, seeks re-election to a third term in office. She is expected to face off in the state’s Nov. 5 general election against Eric Hovde, her leading Republican challenger in the race.

Baldwin’s campaign accused Hovde of refusing “to disclose his finances” and claimed he “worked to avoid taxes.” Additionally, the campaign highlighted Hovde’s efforts to self-finance his campaign and his investment in a hedge fund based in the Cayman Islands.

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…

– Fox News crushes CNN, NY Times and other competitors in news-heavy May

– Biden’s senior aides are concerned that he has no serious plans to beat Trump

– Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes removing phones from California schools

Clinton Soirée Bolsters Biden War Chest

President Biden is enjoying a fresh infusion of cash into his campaign coffers, thanks to help from the Clintons.

The president’s 2024 re-election campaign says Biden hauled in $8.1 million at a fundraiser where he was joined by former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State and former Sen. Hillary Clinton, who was the Democrats’ 2016 standard-bearer.

The fundraiser took place in McLean, Virginia, an upscale suburb of the nation’s capital, at the home of former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a longtime friend and adviser to the Clintons and former DNC chairman.

In his comments at the fundraiser, Biden took aim at former President Trump, his GOP challenger in their 2024 election rematch. “Democracy is on the ballot this year,” he said.

Hillary Clinton, left, and Joe Biden, right (Getty Images)

White House

‘DIRE’ SITUATION: Biden’s senior aides concerned he has no serious plan to beat Trump …Read more

EVERYTHING IS ‘FINE’: Jane Fonda’s take on Biden’s mental fitness for office …Read more

VISAS FOR ‘DREAMERS’: Biden announces new measure aimed at helping some illegal migrants …Read more

Capitol Hill

IN CONTEMPT: Push to revoke Trump allies’ contempt of Congress charges backed by over 20 Republicans …Read more

VICTORY IN VA: Anti-Trump whistleblower’s twin wins Democratic primary in blue Northern Virginia district …Read more

‘OUTSPOKEN BLACK MAN’: New York Dem Jamaal Bowman says this is the reason the pro-Israel lobby is against him …Read more

‘ELECTION PLOY’: GOP lawmakers claim political motivations behind Biden ‘amnesty’ order …Read more

PHOTO OOPS: Progressive ‘Squad’ member slammed after asking Jewish leader for pic …Read more

REPUBLICAN CLIFFHANGER: Will Trump and McCarthy get their revenge against a top House conservative? …Read more

MILITARY DRAFT: Mike Pence’s group takes a stand on question of including women in military draft …Read more

Former Vice President Mike Pence (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

Tales from the Campaign Trail

MAKING THE CASE: This Trump running mate contender’s leveraging of billionaire GOP donors may boost standing in Veepstakes …Read more

‘COMMITTEE OF CHAT GPTS’: Biden campaign ripped for ‘irrelevant’ ad blitz targeting Trump’s conviction …Read more

‘NOT CONSISTENT’: Key Dem Senate candidate who accused opponent of election denialism has history of questioning results …Read more

VIRTUAL MP: UK parliamentary candidate runs as ‘first AI lawmaker’ with an interactive avatar …Read more

Trials and Tribulation

YOU GOTTI BE KIDDING ME: Legal expert says not even New York’s highest-profile mobsters were ‘silenced’ like Trump by gag order …Read more

SUBPOENA THREAT: Jim Jordan warns New York AG Letitia James of possible action over an ex-DOJ official on Trump hush-money case …Read more

Across America

‘PANDORA’S BOX’: Family group warns that a vaguely worded constitutional amendment could lead to state-approved child marriage, polyamory …Read more

IVF INCLUSION: NYC Council members accuse city of discriminating against gay men who lack IVF coverage …Read more

HUNTER SEASON IS OVER: District of Columbia bar moves to suspend first son’s law license after felony conviction …Read more

‘NIGHTMARE SCENARIO’: The porous southern border is increasing terror threat in U.S., experts say …Read more

VICTORY LAP: Fox News Digital thrashes CNN in key metrics in news-packed May 2024 …Read more

HANG IT UP: Blue-state governor moves to restrict students’ cellphone use in public schools …Read more

SOLDIER ABROAD: An American soldier arrested in Russia has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison …Read more

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

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

President Biden is adding to his campaign war chest, thanks to help from the Clintons.

The president’s 2024 re-election campaign says Biden hauled in $8.1 million at a fundraiser where he was joined by former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State and former Sen. Hillary Clinton, who was the Democrats’ 2016 standard-bearer.

The fundraiser took place in McLean, Virginia, an upscale community in the suburbs of the nation’s capital, at the home of former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a longtime friend and adviser to the Clintons.

BIDEN STRIKES GOLD IN CALIFORNIA, ONE WEEK AFTER TRUMP’S MASSIVE HAUL IN THE BLUE BASTION 

Former Presidents Clinton and Obama, and President Biden (Getty Images)

Well-known author John Grisham, known for his best-selling legal thrillers, also attended the event.

In his comments at the fundraiser, Biden took aim at former President Trump, his GOP challenger in their 2024 election rematch.

He once again labeled Trump a “convicted felon,” as the president pointed to Trump’s 34 felony convictions last month in the first criminal trial ever in the nation’s history of a former or current president.

“Democracy is on the ballot this year,” Biden emphasized.

The fundraiser was held three days after Biden set a new Democratic Party fundraising record, as he hauled in over $30 million at a star-studded fundraiser in Los Angeles with former President Obama, Hollywood heavyweights George Clooney and Julia Roberts, and late night TV talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.

President Biden laughs with former President Obama during a campaign fundraiser at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 15, 2024. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

The Biden campaign highlighted that Tuesday’s fundraiser in northern Virginia, Saturday’s gala, and a fundraiser in California last Friday headlined by first lady Jill Biden, combined raked in over $40 million.

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Biden has the lead over Trump in overall fundraising, but the former president has been working to close the gap. In April, Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) for the first time, raised more than the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC). 

Former President Trump headlines a campaign rally at Sunset Park in Las Vegas on June 9, 2024. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump’s campaign announced a week and a half ago that it and the RNC hauled in a stunning $141 million in May, fueled in part by the former president’s guilty verdicts in his recently concluded criminal trial. The Biden campaign and the DNC have yet to announce their June fundraising figures.

Trump’s team also touted that they hauled in roughly $27.5 million during a fundraising swing by the former president in California and Nevada last week.

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 one of this year’s top Senate races, who accused his opponent of election denialism, also has a history of questioning the legitimacy of the vote.

Rep. Colin Allred, the Democratic nominee in Texas’ Senate race, recently launched attacks against incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz for avoiding directly saying he would accept the results of the upcoming election, but appears to have forgotten his own statements openly suggesting that future election outcomes may need to be questioned.

“Ted Cruz views questions about our democracy as part of a cynical partisan game. Our democracy isn’t a game. It’s fundamental to who we are as Americans. Ted Cruz is a danger to our freedoms and shared values. We must fire him this November,” Allred wrote on X, referencing an appearance by Cruz on liberal network CNN, where he clashed with one of its hosts asking if he’d accept the results this November.

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

Democratic Texas Rep. Colin Allred, left, and Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (Getty Images)

Cruz pushed back during the interview, questioning why the media never asks Democrats if they would accept election results. He argued that laws in place allowing for results to be challenged on the basis of voter fraud were there for a reason, and hit back at the host’s claims there was no fraud during the 2020 election.

Allred, in fact, warned of such fraud ahead of the 2020 election, specifically during an August 2019 appearance at a town hall in Garland, Texas. During the event, he peddled claims that the 2016 election results were due to Russian interference by referencing the Mueller report and Russia hacking into election databases. He also argued there was a need to have “paper trails” on electronic voting machines.

“What we saw in that report may color some of what is happening here, in terms of a willingness to accept foreign interference in elections and things like that. And I think this has raised an entirely new specter for us, which is, is our next election going to be a legitimate one? And that, I think, is a proximate danger for our democracy,” Allred said during an appearance on a local radio show in September 2019, again referencing the Mueller report.

DEM SENATE CANDIDATE ATTENDS EVENT WHERE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WERE INFORMED ON HOW TO EVADE LAW ENFORCEMENT

Rep. Colin Allred and members of the Congressional Black Caucus address the media on the House steps of the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 8, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

He similarly told a meeting of the Richardson Area Democrats a month later that he was troubled by “the idea that the next election might not be legitimate,” suggesting then-President Trump might attempt to use foreign influence to boost his chances at re-election, and said he was “worried still about some of the abilities to hack and change voter rolls and even change vote totals.”

Allred said at another town hall meeting that same month that the reason for the then-ongoing Trump impeachment inquiry was “because the legitimacy of the next election was put into question by this President’s actions.” 

He said during a Capitol Hill press conference the following year, “We have to decide in this country who’s going to determine our elections. This is only the beginning of this. The Russians in 2016, other foreign influences in 2018. In 2020, there will be other adversaries who will try to take advantage of this.”

TOP DEM SENATE CANDIDATE DIVERTED MILLIONS FROM POLICE DURING CRIME SURGE TO FUND MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY

Rep. Colin Allred arrives on the House floor before President Biden’s State of the Union address in the U.S. Capitol on March 7, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Allred continued using similar rhetoric following the 2020 election, including in a 2022 Business Insider article, where he warned of election subversion in that year’s midterm elections and in 2024.

“I think there’s a very real possibility that we will see in the next two elections, get some results sent to us for ratification – whether it’s presidential, congressional or Senate, that’s not consistent or that we’re gonna have to question… I think that’s the reality of the situation we can no longer pretend like these elections are just going to continue to proceed the way they have in the past,” he said.

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Fox News Digital asked Allred’s campaign the same question CNN posed to Cruz: Whether he would accept the outcome of the 2024 election. It offered no response.

Josh Stewart, a spokesperson for Allred’s campaign, told Fox regarding the congressman’s past questioning of elections, “The only person in this race who tried to overturn a free and fair election is Ted Cruz. Texans saw it with their own eyes on Jan. 6, and come November, they are going to hold him accountable.”

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

There is a new House GOP-led effort to revoke subpoenas that the House select committee on Jan. 6 sent to key aides of former President Trump. 

Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Eric Burlison, R-Mo., introduced a resolution on Tuesday to rescind subpoenas that the now-defunct committee sent to Steve Bannon, Mark Meadows, Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino.

It would also withdraw the contempt of Congress resolutions filed against each individual over his defiance of those subpoenas.

PELOSI SAYS IT’S ‘WRONG’ TO INVITE ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU TO SPEAK TO CONGRESS: ‘VERY SAD’

A new House GOP-led resolution is aimed at revoking the subpoenas against former President Trump aides Steve Bannon, left, Peter Navarro, center, Mark Meadows, right, and Dan Scavino, not pictured. (Getty Images)

“The Committee was used as a political weapon with a singular focus on taking down Trump and his advisors through the intentional manipulation of facts and the silencing of the minority party,” Burlison said on X. “The subpoenas issued by the illegitimate Committee for Bannon, Navarro, Scavino, and Meadows were insufficient and should be rescinded, and the contempt of Congress referrals based on those subpoenas should be withdrawn.”

Massie wrote on the platform, “Time is of the essence. Speaker Johnson should immediately bring this resolution to the floor for a vote!”

Fox News Digital reached out to Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the former chairman of the committee, for comment on the resolution. Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s office declined to comment.

PELOSI REBUKED TO HER FACE DURING OXFORD DEBATE AFTER CONDEMNING AMERICANS CLOUDED BY ‘GUNS, GAYS, GOD’

The four individuals were subpoenaed by the now-defunct House select committee for the Jan. 6 riot. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

As of Wednesday, the GOP legislation has 22 additional co-sponsors beyond the three lawmakers supporting it.

Bannon, Trump’s former strategic adviser, and Navarro, his former trade adviser, were both sentenced to four months in prison in cases stemming from their contempt referrals by Congress.

The Department of Justice did not prosecute Meadows or Scavino.

Pelosi established the select committee in mid-2021 in response to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, when the former president’s supporters stormed the building in protest of his election loss to President Biden.

DOJ WILL NOT TURN OVER BIDEN’S RECORDED INTERVIEW WITH SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR TO CONGRESS

Former Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi established the Jan. 6 committee. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

An initial vote to create a 9/11-style commission to investigate the riot passed the House, with 35 Republicans and all Democrats, but died in the Senate. The House subsequently voted to create a select committee – with just two GOP votes – which granted Pelosi full power of appointments in “consultation” with Republicans.

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GOP critics of the panel have used that fight as evidence of the committee being a partisan exercise, including Pelosi’s rejection of two Trump-allied Republicans that were nominated by then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

One of those allies, Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., is one of the co-sponsors of Burlison’s resolution.