NationalWatch

President Biden’s campaign for reelection in 2024 is facing growing pressure from Muslim Americans who have vowed not to back him over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. 

On Saturday, Muslim leaders from several swing states – including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Nevada, and Pennsylvania – descended on Dearborn, Michigan to coordinate a national response. 

Organizers have dubbed their campaign #AbandonBiden, and vow to make sure President Biden does not get a second term in office. 

Muslim and Arab leaders have been pushing the Democratic president to call for a cease-fire as the death toll from the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza continues to mount. As of Saturday, the death toll in the war was 15,200 Palestinians according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Some 1,200 Israelis have been killed, most during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas that triggered the war.

The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas ended Friday after the IDF accused Hamas of firing at Israel. Hamas, meanwhile, has claimed that Israel rejected an offer to release more hostages. 

KIRBY BLAMES HAMAS FOR BREAKING CEASE-FIRE: ‘WE KNOW THEY ARE HOLDING’ MORE WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Minneapolis-based Jaylani Hussein, who helped organize the conference, said Biden’s unwillingness to call for a cease-fire has damaged his relationship with the American Muslim community beyond repair. 

“Families and children are being wiped out with our tax dollars,” Hussein said. “What we are witnessing today is the tragedy upon tragedy.”

“The anger in our community is beyond belief. One of the things that made us even more angry is the fact that most of us actually voted for President Biden,” Hussein, who is Muslim, told The Associated Press. “I even had one incident where a religious leader asked me, ‘How do I get my 2020 ballot so I can destroy it?” 

Around 3.45 million Americans – or 1.1% of the country’s population – identify as Muslim and the demographic tends to lean Democratic, according to Pew Research Center. Exit polls from 2020 conducted by AP show that some 64% of Muslim voters backed Biden, while 35% supported Trump. 

CHRIS CHRISTIE ‘CONFIDENT’ HE WILL BE ON FOURTH GOP DEBATE STATE, ADDRESSES POLL ACCURACY 

The White House has argued that President Biden has pushed for humanitarian pauses in the fighting to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, adding that “fighting against the poison of antisemitism and standing up for Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself have always been core values for President Biden.”

But Muslim leaders say the community’s support for Biden has vanished as more Palestinian men, women and children are killed in Gaza.

“We are not powerless as American Muslims. We are powerful. We don’t only have the money, but we have the actual votes. And we will use that vote to save this nation from itself,” Hussein said.

Muslim leaders said their refusal to support Biden does not indicate they will support the front-runner in the Republican party: former President Donald Trump. 

“We don’t have two options. We have many options. And we’re going to exercise that,” Hussein said.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Biden campaign for a response. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday asked whether former President Trump was seeking a second term in the White House to fulfill his personal retribution against his perceived enemies or to help improve the future of everyday Americans.

When asked on on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about Trump campaigning on promises to get back at his enemies, DeSantis challenged the former president with a single question: “Why are you running?”

“If he’s running for personal retribution, that is not going to lead to what we need as a country,” the governor said. “You got to be running for the American people and their issues, not about your own personal issues. And that is a distinction between us. I am focused on the folks. I am focused on what they want to see done for this country in a positive direction. I’m the vessel, but ultimately, it’s not about me.”

DeSantis was responding to a question from anchor Kristen Welker about Trump campaigning on promises “to jail his political enemies” and whether he condemns the use of the term “vermin” that Trump used to refer to his political opponents.

DESANTIS SUPER PAC FIRES INTERIM CEO AFTER LESS THAN 2 WEEKS IN LATEST SHAKEUP OF TOP OFFICIALS

“I don’t use the term,” DeSantis said “But what I don’t do is play the media’s game where I’m asked to referee other people. He’s responsible for his words. He’s responsible for his conduct. I’m responsible for mine.”

DeSantis claimed that the U.S. government is “out of control” through the “weaponization” of the FBI, IRS and Department of Justice, a claim that Trump has also made.

HALEY CELEBRATES MOMENTUM AS GOP RIVALS RAMP UP ATTACKS: ‘THESE GUYS KNOW WE’RE SURGING’

“I’m going to end that weaponization,” DeSantis said. “But that’s not because I’m doing it for me. It’s because I’m doing it for the people that have been under the thumb of these agencies, and I’m going to restore the rule of law.”

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DeSantis remains a distant second to Trump in polling and is facing new pressure from the campaign of former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has been rising in early-state polls and picked up the support of Americans for Prosperity, the political arm of the powerful Koch network.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Sunday countered a warning from former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., about the re-election of former President Trump dooming the American republic, saying that the re-election of President Biden would be disastrous for the entire world.

Graham appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” and was asked to respond to Cheney’s remark during an interview over the weekend that a second Trump presidency means that the U.S. is “sleepwalking into a dictatorship.”

“I understand why people don’t like what he does and says at times,” Graham said of Trump, “but in terms of actions and results, he was far better president [than] Biden. And if we have four more years of this, Liz Cheney, then we won’t recognize America and the world will be truly on fire.”

Graham, who has endorsed Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election, said he understood that Cheney’s “hatred of Trump is real,” but warned that Biden’s policies are a disaster for everyone.

LIZ CHENEY CALLS SPEAKER JOHNSON ‘DANGEROUS’ FOR HELPING TRUMP ‘UNDERMINE OUR REPUBLIC’

“I think a continuation of the Biden presidency would be a disaster for peace and prosperity at home and abroad,” Graham said. “Our border is broken; the only person really going to fix our broken border is Donald Trump.”

Graham also noted that Russia invaded Ukraine and terrorists attacked Israel under Biden’s tenure.

TRUMP CALLS OUT IMMIGRATION CRISIS DURING IOWA CAUCUS RALLY, SAYS HE WILL KEPP WORLD PEACEFUL, SAFE

“When [Trump] was president, none of this stuff was going on in Ukraine,” he said. “You know, Hamas and all these other terrorist groups were afraid of Trump.”

Cheney, a Republican who represented Wyoming’s at-large congressional district, was a vocal critic of Trump during his presidency and continued to assail the former president in her book “Oath and Honor,” which she has been making the rounds publicizing.

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Cheney was ousted from Congress last year after losing to pro-Trump candidate Harriet Hageman.  

Former New Jersey governor and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie told host Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation” that he is “confident” he will be on the fourth GOP debate stage this week.

“I’m confident, Margaret, that I will be there, that we have all the qualifications necessary to get there,” Christie said. The debate is set to happen Wednesday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Republican National Committee is expected to announce the participants Monday.

Christie also told the show host it is too early to make election predictions.

“Look, if we listen to all the polling, Margaret, Hillary Clinton would be in her second term. So I don’t believe that polling is nearly as reliable as it used to be. And I don’t believe that people tell the truth to pollsters,” he said, adding that in 2007 polls showed Mitt Romney in the lead, in 2011 Newt Gingrich and in 2017 Ben Carson, none of whom held the White House.

CHRISTIE TURNS UP THE HEAT ON HALEY AND DESANTIS AS HE TRIES TO BE THE TRUMP ALTERNATIVE IN GOP 2024 RACE

As Christie runs again for the presidency, he is concentrating most of his time and resources on New Hampshire, which holds the first primary in the Republican schedule and votes second after Iowa’s caucuses. Christie is currently in third place in New Hampshire polls, far behind President Trump and slightly trailing former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

In 2016, Christie became the first among the other GOP contenders to endorse Trump and for years was a top outside adviser to the then-president. However, the two had a falling out after Trump’s unsuccessful attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Biden. In the past three years, Christie has become one of the harshest Trump critics in the Republican Party.

2024 SHOWDOWN: CHRISTIE UPS HIS GAME IN KEY PRIMARY STATE AND TURNS UP THE HEAT ON HALEY

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On Sunday, Christie said he refused to support Trump because his way of leading is a threat to democracy.

“The reason is that he acts like someone who doesn’t care about our democracy, acts like someone who wants to be a dictator. He acts like someone who doesn’t care for the Constitution. In fact, he’s even said himself he’d be willing to suspend the Constitution if an election wasn’t going in his direction,” Christie said.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. 

Joe Biden won the White House in the 2020 election with narrow victories over Donald Trump in six crucial battleground states.

Fast-forward three years, and the most recent polling in those key swing states is raising fears regarding Biden’s re-election in 2024 as he faces a likely rematch with Trump, the commanding frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.

Numerous national polls and a couple battleground state surveys conducted in recent weeks, which have an indicted Trump edging Biden in hypothetical general election showdowns, have grabbed substantial media attention.

The polls suggest Biden’s support is deteriorating among Black, Latino and younger voters, who have all long been key constituencies in the Democratic Party’s base.

BIDEN FACES A BIGGER POLLING DEFICIT NOW THAT OBAMA DID A YEAR BEFORE THE 2012 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

“The lack of enthusiasm and declining support is certainly real,” noted Chris Anderson, a veteran Democratic pollster and strategist and the Democratic partner on the Fox News Poll for a decade and a half. 

HEAD HERE TO CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 POLLING

“In terms of where those folks will be next November, I would expect a lot, if not the vast majority of them, to return to the Democratic base if it’s a Biden-Trump matchup,” Anderson said. “I think as soon as Trump’s name is opposite Biden’s, everything is different than if you’re evaluating Biden on his own.”

Another potential electoral hazard for the president is the prospect of independent or third-party candidates such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Green Party candidate Jill Stein, progressive university scholar Cornell West and a potential bipartsan ticket supported by the centrist No Labels organization, which could draw votes from Biden. 

Here are the six battleground states (in alphabetical order) where Biden will likely need to work overtime to keep them in the Democrats’ column.

ARIZONA

Biden edged Trump by less than 11,000 votes out of more than 3.3 million cast. He became the first Democrat to carry the state — and its 11 electoral votes — since President Bill Clinton in 1996.

The most recent polls in the state of Arizona for a hypothetical 2024 rematch suggest Trump either slightly ahead or tied with Biden.

GEORGIA

Biden topped Trump by less than 12,000 votes out of roughly 4.5 million cast. He became the first Democrat to win the state — and it’s 16 electoral votes — since Clinton in 1992.

The most recent polls in Georgia for a potential 2024 rematch indicate Trump ahead of Biden from the lower to upper single digits.

MICHIGAN

Biden defeated Trump by 2.8 percentage points to flip a state Trump had captured in 2016. 

Michigan has 16 electoral votes up for grabs again in 2024, and polls suggest a tight contest between Biden and Trump in the Great Lakes battleground.

NEVADA

Biden defeated Trump by 2.4 percentage points to flip a state Trump had captured in 2016. It was the smallest margin of victory for any Democratic presidential nominee in the Silver State since the party last lost Nevada in 2004.

Nevada has six electoral votes up for grabs again in 2024, and polls suggest Trump is ahead of the president from the low single digits to the low double digits.

PENNSYLVANIA

Biden defeated Trump by 1.2 percentage points to reclaim a state for the Democrats that Trump had flipped in 2016. 

Pennsylvania will have 19 electoral votes up for grabs in 2024 — down one from 2020 — and the latest surveys indicate Biden either even with Trump or trailing slightly.

WISCONSIN

Biden edged Trump by just over 20,000 votes out of more than 3.2 million cast in the 2020 election. He reclaimed a state that Trump had flipped from blue to red in 2016.

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Wisconsin has 10 electoral votes up for grabs again in 2024, and polls suggest an extremely tight contest between Biden and Trump.

“Whether those six states in particular will be more difficult [for Biden], I think we’re a little far out to say that,” Anderson said.  

“I think it’s clear that we have a sharply divided country that hasn’t become less divided in the past four years.”

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

Never Back Down, the top super Political Action Committee supporting Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign for president, has fired its interim chief executive officer after less than two weeks on the job.

The super PAC confirmed to Fox News Digital that Kristen Davison is out as interim CEO, just a week and a half after she replaced Chris Jankowski.

The news comes after former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt resigned last week as Never Back Down board chairman. In his resignation letter to the board, Laxalt said he is turning his attention to his family and law practice but that he will continue to support DeSantis in whatever ways he can.

Never Back Down has named Scott Wagner, a longtime DeSantis ally, as interim CEO. He will also replace Laxalt as board chairman.

DESANTIS LOSES ANOTHER SUPER PAC OFFICIAL, THE SECOND IN THE LAST 2 WEEKS TO LEAVE HIS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

“Scott Wagner will now serve as Chairman of the Board and interim CEO of Never Back Down,” spokesperson Jessica Syzmanski said in a statement to Fox News Digital.” Never Back Down has the most organized, advanced caucus operation of anyone in the 2024 primary field, and we look forward to continuing that great work to help elect Gov. DeSantis the next President of the United States.”

Davison departure represents the super PAC’s latest staff shakeup in the last couple of weeks.

Jankowski left as CEO on Nov. 22, Laxalt resigned as board chairman four days later and Davison was terminated as interim CEO five days after that. Additionally, Never Back Down spokesperson Erin Perrine was also fired, according to Semafor.

Other staff have also departed from the super PAC in recent days, although it is unclear how widespread these departures are, POLITICO reported.

TOP DESANTIS BACKER RESIGNS FROM SUPER PAC AMID INTERNAL TURMOIL: ‘UNTENABLE’ ENVIRONMENT

The DeSantis campaign is plagued by other problems the super PAC is facing as well. The campaign believes Never Back Down’s TV ads have been ineffective, people close to the governor told POLITICO. DeSantis campaign manager James Uthmeier suggested in a memo last week the super PAC should shift its focus toward a get-out-the vote program.

Amid Never Back Down’s ongoing turmoil, DeSantis allies created a new super PAC, Fight Right. Never Back Down had been the only pro-DeSantis group and has been responsible for more campaign functions than most super PACs typically do. But the formation of the new group raises questions about Never Back Down’s role as the campaign prepares for the Iowa caucus on Jan 15.

Never Back Down has hosted several campaign events, which have included appearances from DeSantis, especially in his campaign tour of each of Iowa’s 99 counties. The super Pac has also focused on grassroots organization in Iowa.

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Following Uthmeier’s memo, Never Back Down has moved its attention toward field deployment ahead of the Iowa caucus while Fight Right will focus on TV advertising, according to POLITICO.

DeSantis continues to struggle to gain ground on former President Trump in the polls for the GOP nomination for president. Once considered the most viable competitor to the former president, DeSantis now finds himself in a fight to maintain second place, as former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has seen a surge in momentum in recent months.

Former President Donald Trump rallied voters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, during a “Commit to Caucus” campaign event Saturday, focusing on his agenda and calling out “the worst, most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America.” 

“We don’t like corrupt politicians like Joe Biden. Without question, this is the worst president, most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America without question,” Trump exclaimed, in anticipation of next month’s Iowa GOP presidential caucuses. “And I promise you this, if you put me back in the White House there, rain will be over and America will be a free nation once again.” 

When speaking about keeping America safe, Trump said he would immediately implement travel restrictions on terror-plagued countries.

“I will immediately restore and expand the Trump travel ban on entry from terror-plagued countries and I will implement strong ideological screening on all immigrants as we have no choice,” he said. “If you hate America, if you want to abolish Israel, if you sympathize with jihad[ists], then we don’t want you in our country, and you’re not going to come into our country.”

TRUMP CAMPAIGN CALLS DESANTIS ‘THIRSTY ONLYFANS WANNABE’ FOR DEBATING NEWSOM: ‘KISS OF DEATH’

Adding to his remarks on a travel ban and current unrest in the Middle East, Trump pointed to the historic Abraham Accords, and described how he would make sure there was worldwide peace once again if elected.

“So for four straight years, I kept America safe. I kept Ukraine safe. None of this stuff would have happened. And I kept the entire world safe,” Trump said. 

DESANTIS STOPS IN ALL 99 IOWA COUNTIES, BUT WILL IT HELP HIM CLOSE THE GAP WITH TRUMP, STAY AHEAD OF HALEY?

Trump added he would do everything in his power to keep the United States out of a war. 

“I will prevent World War III. I will prevent it. On my first day back in the White House, I will terminate every open-border policy of the Biden administration, stop the invasion on our southern border, and begin the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” Trump said. 

RAPPER SAYS HE ‘WISHES’ TRUMP WERE STILL PRESIDENT, ‘BIDEN GOT TO GO’ BECAUSE OF HIGH GAS AND FOOD PRICES

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“We are a nation that has lost its way, but we are not going to allow this horror to continue. Three years ago, we were a great nation, and we will soon be a great nation again,” he said. 

Another blow to Ron DeSantis‘ presidential campaign as another top official of his main political action committee (PAC) has left his campaign, the second to step down in the last two weeks, according to the Associated Press.

Former Nevada attorney general and Never Back Down Chairman Adam Laxalt submitted his resignation letter last Sunday, according to a spokesperson from the campaign, which was first reported by The New York Times.

According to the report, Laxalt turned in his resignation to the group’s board on Nov. 26, just four days after Jankowski’s exit, explaining that he needed to shift his focus. 

“Effective immediately, I am resigning from the Board of Directors of Never Back Down. After nearly 26 straight months of being in a full scale campaign, I need to return my time and attention to my family and law practice,” Laxalt wrote to the super PAC board. “I will continue to support Governor DeSantis in whatever ways I can, and I hope and pray that his campaign will be successful.”

TOP DESANTIS BACKER RESIGNS FROM SUPER PAC AMID INTERNAL TURMOIL: ‘UNTENABLE’ ENVIRONMENT

Last week, the super PAC’s chief executive, Chris Jankowski, was the first top official to resign from DeSantis’ campaign. 

Both departures come as DeSantis struggles to energize his presidential campaign, which officials say has fallen short of expectations.

According to reports, the departures mark a dark chapter for the super PAC, which launched earlier this year with more than $80 million in seed money.

HALEY CELEBRATES MOMENTUM AS GOP RIVALS RAMP UP ATTACKS: ‘THESE GUYS KNOW WE’RE SURGING’

Despite losing Laxalt and Jankowski, Never Back Down remains fueled by DeSantis supporters as another super PAC led by DeSantis loyalists has just launched, Fight Right, which is focused on leading the charge for television advertising for DeSantis. 

In a note sent to donors Monday, DeSantis campaign manager James Uthmeier outlined his vision for the roles the super PACs would play. 

DESANTIS STOPS IN ALL 99 IOWA COUNTIES, BUT WILL IT HELP HIM CLOSE THE GAP WITH TRUMP, STAY AHEAD OF HALEY?

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“In the final push for the Iowa Caucus victory, this campaign will proudly fight alongside NBD’s impressive ground game, and Fight Right’s television team, to show the people of Iowa that this is a time for choosing, and Ron DeSantis is the candidate that can WIN!” Uthmeier wrote. “We are blessed to have both an NBD-army and Fight Right-air force out there fighting for us.”

Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley responded Friday to a series of attacks from her political opponents, saying that her challengers in the race are losing and that they know that her campaign is “surging.”

Haley’s comments came during an interview with Fox News Channel’s Martha MacCallum on “The Story,” where she also took aim at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over his comments about her record as governor of South Carolina and suggested that it’s up to him whether to drop out of the race as she gains momentum in the polls.

Asked about recent campaign attacks by former President Donald Trump, who has referred to Haley as “bird brain” and insisted she is a globalist concerned about the prosperity of other nations, Haley said, “Look, all these guys know that we’re surging in the polls so they’re all starting to hit.”

“The nickname, he’s losing it, it’s not even a funny nickname. I don’t even think it was that great,” continued Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations in Trump’s administration. “But you look at everything else he says, he knows how strong I was when it came to China. I was actually tougher on China than he was.”

HALEY, BOLSTERED BY THE BACKING OF A MAJOR CONSERVATIVE GROUP, IS HAVING A MOMENT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

“He just handled the trade part of China, but he didn’t do anything about the fentanyl flow, he didn’t do anything about them stealing intellectual property, he didn’t do anything about them buying U.S. land, he didn’t do anything about defeating all of the intrusion that was happening in our universities from police stations to creating a spy center off the coast of Cuba. We’re gonna have to deal with all of that because he didn’t deal with any of it,” she added.

Referencing remarks made by California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom at The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate this week, MacCallum also asked Haley whether she would like to see DeSantis drop out of the race for the White House.

“I’ve always said it’s a personal decision to get into a race, it’s a personal decision to get out of a race,” Haley responded. “I’m never going to tell a candidate to get out of the race. That’s their decision. It’s up to Ron. But I think you can look at where we are right now. We’re second in the polls in Iowa, second in New Hampshire, second in South Carolina.”

“We’re gonna keep working hard, we’re gonna keep staying focused, and we’re gonna get this done at the end of the day,” she added.

Haley also responded to DeSantis’ attack on her record as the Palmetto State’s governor. Those comments, she suggested, came as a result of him “losing” in the polls.

DESANTIS STOPS IN ALL 99 IOWA COUNTIES, BUT WILL IT HELP HIM CLOSE THE GAP WITH TRUMP, STAY AHEAD OF HALEY?

“I think he went after my record as governor because he’s losing,” Haley said. “I mean, who else can spend $100 million and drop half in the polls. My record as governor is clear. I took a state that had 11% unemployment, we dropped it down to four percent. We were known as the Beast of the Southeast because we created so many jobs and brought so many companies in. . . . I’m proud of my record. South Carolinians should be proud of our record.”

Though she continues to weather attacks from other candidates, Haley said her campaign is focused on making Americans “strong and proud,” and insisted she plans to do that by prioritizing relief from economic struggles, working to enhance education for children, lowering crime, and securing the borders.

“We’re gonna let the world know America is back,” she said.

Haley has enjoyed momentum in the polls in recent months, thanks in part to well-received performances in the first three GOP presidential primary debates. She has also picked up a stream of strong endorsements in recent weeks, including one from Americans for Prosperity Action, the political wing of the influential and deep-pocketed fiscally conservative network founded by the billionaire Koch Brothers.

Haley recently showcased over 70 new Hawkeye State endorsements and on Friday launched a $10 million ad blitz in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Haley has leapfrogged DeSantis for second place in New Hampshire and in her home state, which holds the first southern contest. She has also pulled even with DeSantis in some of the latest polls in Iowa, whose caucuses kick off the GOP nominating calendar on January 15.

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But Haley and DeSantis remain far behind Trump, who continues to hold a commanding lead over the rest of the field as the former president makes his third straight White House run.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is looking to move forward with a formal impeachment inquiry vote against President Biden, saying that it is a “necessary step” as the White House continues to stonewall investigations by House Republicans into alleged wrongdoing by the Biden family.

Johnson’s remarks came during a Saturday appearance on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” where he, along with House GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., spoke to several topics and were asked about plans to bring forth a vote on impeachment.

“It’s become a necessary step,” he said. “Elise and I both served on the impeachment defense team of Donald Trump twice when the Democrats used it for brazen, partisan political purposes. We decried that use of it. This is very different. Remember, we are the rule of law team. We have to do it very methodically.”

“Our three committees of jurisdiction — judiciary, oversight, ways and means — have been doing an extraordinary job following the evidence where it leads,” he continued. “But now we’re being stonewalled by the White House, because they’re preventing at least two to three DOJ witnesses from coming forward, a former White House counsel, the national archives . . . the White House has withheld thousands of pages of evidence.”

HOUSE REPUBLICANS ANTICIPATE VOTE TO FORMALIZE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY ‘SOON’

Reaffirming his belief in moving forward with the process, Johnson said a “formal impeachment inquiry vote on the floor will allow [Republicans] to take it to the next necessary step.”

“I think it’s something we have to do at this juncture,” he added.

Johnson’s comments came after multiple Republicans said Friday that a vote to formalize the impeachment inquiry of President Biden is likely to come before the House of Representatives breaks for the December recess.

House Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., told reporters he expected his committee to get the legislation “sometime next week,” which will likely tee up a House-wide vote shortly thereafter.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said that he anticipates a House-wide vote “before we will break” on December 15.

“I think that every Republican should be convinced about voting for the impeachment inquiry, there’s plenty of smoke there,” Gimenez said.

The Republicans spoke after a closed-door House GOP Conference meeting where the three chairmen investigating Biden and his family — Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.; Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; and Ways & Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo. — reiterating their case for lawmakers.

Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., said that the meeting had been held “to see where the votes are and make sure everybody’s communicated with, people have had their chance to understand what an impeachment inquiry is versus impeachment.”

HOUSE GOP DISCUSSING VOTE TO FORMALIZE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

“It’s important we get it done as soon as possible so that we can move forward with this investigation,” Hern said.

Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., said a vote would likely come “soon” and contrasted the push to formalize Republicans’ impeachment inquiry with how House Democrats handled former President Donald Trump, moving forward with the impeachment process without a House-wide vote.

“We’re actually trying to do it the right way,” Murphy said.

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., directed the House to open an impeachment inquiry into Biden in September, but the White House has dismissed the probe as illegitimate without a formal vote on the matter.

The administration’s resistance to cooperating with House investigators’ subpoenas has inspired even Republicans in districts won by Biden in 2020 to support formalizing the inquiry.

Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital, “This is what the administration has asked for.”

“The administration made it very clear, they weren’t going to actually work with our constitutional authority, unless we did the vote. Fine,” Schweikert said.

Oversight Democrats sent out a five-page memo Friday morning rebutting Republicans’ claims, citing a “mountain of evidence” they said clears Biden of any wrongdoing.

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“Rather than accept these facts, Republicans have resorted to cherry-picking and distorting facts in order to justify continuing this sham investigation aimed at satisfying the demands for retribution of President Trump who was twice indicted and now faces 91 felony counts,” the memo read.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

As he aims for an upset victory in Iowa’s Republican presidential caucuses, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is fulfilling his goal of stopping in all 99 counties in the state that holds the first contest on the GOP nominating calendar.

DeSantis will make his final stop Saturday in Jasper County, where he’ll be joined by popular Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who endorsed him in early November.

Also teaming up with DeSantis will be Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The Family Leader, an influential social conservative organization in a state where evangelical voters play an outsized role in Republican politics. Vander Plaats endorsed DeSantis two weeks ago.

“We’re going to win here. We have what it takes,” DeSantis pledged in a recent Fox News Digital interview in Des Moines, Iowa.

GAME ON IN IOWA WITH THE CAUCUSES CLOSING IN 

As part of that push, DeSantis is completing what’s known as “the full Grassley,” named after Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa. The longtime Republican senator pioneered the all-county tour and has been doing it more than four decades.

“We’re going to complete the full Grassley. That’ll be 99 counties,” DeSantis told reporters Thursday. “We’re very excited about doing that. I think you have to do it to win Iowa. I think that’s what voters want to see. I think they want to be able to meet you.”

THIS CANDIDATE REMAINS IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT AS THE FIRST VOTES IN THE GOP PRESIDENTIAL RACE NEAR

And he pledged that “the fact that we did it doesn’t mean we’re not going to hit a lot more counties, again, over between now and caucus night.”

DeSantis is hoping to follow in the footsteps of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (2008), former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum (2012) and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (2016), who stopped in all 99 counties en route to Iowa caucus victories.

But none of those three won the GOP nomination.

Pointing to the Reynolds and Vander Plaats endorsements and backing from plenty of other politicians in Iowa, DeSantis argued his campaign is “in better shape by far than previous caucus winners. And so we’re going to continue to take that momentum all the way to caucus night for victory.”

Longtime Republican strategist David Kochel, a veteran of numerous presidential and statewide campaigns in Iowa, told Fox News that pulling a “full Grassley” is “kind of an inefficient use of candidate time because 70% of Iowans live in 30 counties. But it is a good messaging point, and it is a way to demonstrate that you’re committed to the process.”

“It’s a way to say, ‘I respect the Iowa caucus process. I’m going to do it the right way, and I’m going to go everywhere and earn your vote,'” Kochel said.

The Florida governor will be the second Republican White House hopeful this cycle to stop in all 99 counties, following long shot candidate Ryan Blinkley, a little-known pastor and entrepreneur from Texas who accomplished his quest in early November.

DeSantis is battling Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor, for second place in the latest GOP presidential nomination polls in Iowa, far behind former President Donald Trump. The former president remains the commanding Republican frontrunner in Iowa, the other early voting states and in national surveys as he makes his third straight bid for the White House.

Trump also returns to Iowa Saturday to hold caucus organizing events. And his campaign is ramping up its ad buys in the state the final weeks ahead of the caucuses.

While Trump has hosted nearly 20 events in Iowa this year, the Florida governor has made roughly 130 stops, many of them hosted by the DeSantis-aligned super PAC Never Back Down. Additionally, the super PAC has spent millions to put together a formidable ground game in Iowa.

However, what once appeared to be a two-candidate fight for the nomination is now a three-way battle.

Haley, who has enjoyed momentum in the polls in recent months, thanks in part to well-received performances in the first three GOP presidential primary debates, has leapfrogged DeSantis for second place in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary and votes second in the Republican nominating schedule, and her home state, which holds the first southern contest.

She aims to make a fight of it in Iowa, where she is pulling even with DeSantis in some of the latest polls.

“The momentum is real. The excitement is there. We’re going to keep working hard to win every Iowan’s vote. We’re not going to give up on Iowa,” Haley said in a Fox News Digital interview ahead of a recent town hall in Newton, Iowa.

Haley recently showcased over 70 new Hawkeye State endorsements and on Friday launched a $10 million ad blitz in Iowa and New Hampshire.

She also landed the backing earlier this week of Americans for Prosperity Action, the political wing of the influential and deep-pocketed fiscally conservative network founded by the billionaire Koch Brothers. AFP Action has pledged to spend tens of millions of dollars and mobilize its formidable grassroots operation to boost Haley and help push the Republican Party past Trump.

Pointing to DeSantis, Haley and Trump, Kochel said “it feels to me like everybody understands how determinative Iowa might be in setting this field up for a big dynamic change.”

There are also other long shots vying for the GOP nomination campaigning in Iowa.

Multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and first-time candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is basing his campaign in Iowa for the final stretch as he barnstorms the state. 

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North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who failed to make the stage at the third GOP presidential primary debate, is also spending plenty of time in Iowa.

And former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who sits at less than 1% in the polls and who has missed the past two debates, also remains in the race and is campaigning in the Hawkeye State.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is running for the White House a second time, is avoiding Iowa as he once again concentrates much of his firepower in New Hampshire, where he has double-digit support.

“Right now, people are starting to make up their minds,” Kochel said with just over six weeks to go until the caucuses. “They’ve had their top three or top four for a while. Now this thing is really coming down to, ‘Do we stick with Trump or which one of these Trump alternatives deserves to go on with some momentum?’”

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

CONCORD, N.H. – With the start of the Republican presidential nominating calendar just a month and a half away, Chris Christie is picking up the pace. 

As he sharpens his jabs at his 2024 White House rivals and vows he will qualify for next week’s fourth GOP presidential primary debate, the former two-term New Jersey governor making his second White House run is upping his sales pitch to voters.

“I’ve enjoyed the dating period. Now it’s time for us to get married,” Christie told the crowd Friday at Politics and Pies, hosted by the GOP committee in Concord, New Hampshire. It was a line he had used at a town hall the previous night.

Asked in an interview with Fox News Digital if he was getting marriage proposals from voters in the state that holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP nominating calendar, Christie said, “I got a bunch last night after the town hall meeting.”

WHAT CHRIS CHRISTIE TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT HIS 2024 CHANCES 

“The biggest difference between now and eight years ago is people that are coming to town halls are committing,” he said.

As Christie runs a second time for national office, he faces a steep uphill climb against former President Donald Trump, who’s the commanding frontrunner in the race as he makes his third straight White House bid. And he’s once again concentrating his time and resources in New Hampshire.

POPULAR GOP GOVERNOR IN A CRUCIAL PRIMARY STATE TEAMS UP WITH CHRISTIE, HALEY AND DESANTIS

Christie has shifted his lean campaign into a higher gear, increasing the number of events he’s hosting with Granite State voters. This week’s quick swing included two town halls, including one organized by the New Hampshire State Employees Association. The union said Christie was the first GOP candidate to meet with the membership in three decades. Christie returns to New Hampshire next week for a two-day tour of college campuses.

On Friday, Christie unveiled what his campaign touted was a “strong” and “influential” New Hampshire steering committee, which included former state GOP chair Wayne McDonald, former Rep. Charlie Bass, and two former Republican state Senate presidents.

Christie told Fox News he’s stepping up his game “because people here are starting to focus too in a way that was much different than, let’s say, the last four or five months. You can tell by the attendance at the town halls. You can tell by the kind of questions that you get. And you can tell by the way that they’re reacting. They’re getting ready to make their decisions too, and so, you gotta be up here and make sure that you’re making the case.”

The former governor, a one-time Trump ally turned vocal Republican critical of the former president, has been turning up the heat in recent weeks on two other rivals for the nomination.

HALEY’S HAVING A MOMENT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Christie’s amplifying criticism of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for not vigorously targeting Trump. DeSantis and Haley are battling for a distant second place behind Trump in Iowa, the state whose Jan. 15 caucuses kick off the GOP nominating calendar. In New Hampshire, Christie’s in third place, behind Trump and Haley.

With Christie and Haley both aiming to win the votes of Republicans and independents who seek a Trump alternative, Christie’s been targeting his rival.

“My point that I’ve been trying to make about Nikki is just pretty simple. You can’t be running against Donald Trump and then say he was the right president for the right time,” Christie told Fox News. “You can’t be trying to cuddle up to Trump at the same time you’re running against him.”

Christie emphasized that Trump’s “well ahead. So, let’s stop pretending that he’s not, and let’s go after him because there’s a big case made against him.”

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Haley, who’s been sharpening her jabs at Trump on the campaign trail and who’s made the case that she’s more electable than Trump in next year’s general election, has seen her standing in the race rise this autumn.  

Earlier this week, she landed the backing of Americans for Prosperity Action, the political wing of the influential and deep-pocketed fiscally conservative network founded by the billionaire Koch Brothers. The group pledged to spend tens of millions of dollars and mobilize its formidable grassroots operation to help push the Republican Party past Trump and support Haley.

Christie made the stage at the first three Republican presidential primary debates and pushed back at speculation he’ll fail to reach the higher qualifying thresholds for next week’s fourth debate.

In August, ahead of the first debate, Christie said Republican presidential candidates who didn’t qualify for the showdown should drop out of the race. 

Asked on Friday if his blunt suggestion would come back to haunt him, Christie quickly answered, “I’ll be on the debate stage next week, so we won’t have to worry about it.”

And he reiterated that he’s 100% confident he’ll qualify.

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

Washington state Democrat Rep. Adam Smith said his home was vandalized by cease-fire activists.

Smith said in a statement that his house in Bellevue, Washington, was vandalized on Thursday night.

“Last night, my house was vandalized by people advocating for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza. This attack is sadly reflective of the coarsening of the political discourse in our country, and is completely unwarranted, unnecessary, and harmful to our political system,” Smith said. 

“Throughout the course of my career, my staff and I have continually met with groups from all parts of the political spectrum, including Pro-Palestinian and left-wing activists, and I remain open to meeting with these groups and discussing our differences and where we can come together in a productive and peaceful way. We must engage with politics in this way and reject the rise in political violence that we have witnessed over the past several years.”

CALIFORNIA GOP REP. DAVID VALADAO’S OFFICE VANDALIZED BY ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTORS

The Washington Democrat called out the extremism on both sides of the political aisle, stating it needs to be addressed.

“The extremism on both the left and right side of our political spectrum is a threat to a healthy, functioning democracy and has been condoned for far too long. The simple truth is that extremism on both sides is degrading to our political system and must be rooted out for our democracy to be able to persist,” he said. 

“The world is increasingly complicated and full of tough challenges that require strong leaders. I am committed to taking on these challenges and this act of vandalism has only made me more determined to remain in politics to ensure that we resolve our differences in a peaceful way that truly reflects representative democracy,” Smith added.

Smith isn’t the only Congressman to be targeted in acts of vandalism related to the Israel-Hamas war.

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS BLASTS STUDENTS’ ‘VILE SHOW OF ANTISEMITISM’ THAT FORCED TEACHER TO HIDE IN OFFICE

California Republican Rep. David Valadao’s Hanford, California office was vandalized by anti-Israel activists on Nov. 27.

“This morning, my Hanford office was vandalized by anti-Israel protestors. I strongly support the right to peaceful protest, but violence and vandalism are never acceptable. In a democracy, harassment and intimidation is not how you make your voice heard,” Rep. Valadao posted on X.

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A picture posted by the California Republican shows the office covered in “Murdered by Israel” posters and fake blood.

Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.

A federal judge in Washington, D.C. denied former President Trump’s claim of presidential immunity on Friday and ruled against his request to drop the Jan. 6 case.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan of the District of Columbia, responding to Trump’s claim that the Constitution grants him “absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions performed within the ‘outer perimeter’ of his official responsibility,” wrote that the former president doesn’t have a “lifelong ‘”get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.”

“Former Presidents enjoy no special conditions on their federal criminal liability. Defendant may be subject to federal investigation, indictment, prosecution, conviction, and punishment for any criminal acts undertaken while in office,” Chutkan wrote in her opinion.

Responding to Trump’s First Amendment argument, Chutkan wrote that the Constitution doesn’t protect speech that’s used “as an instrument of a crime.”

TRUMP IS NOT IMMUNE FROM CIVIL LAWSUITS RELATED TO JAN. 6, FEDERAL APPEALS COURT RULES

Trump is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights. 

Earlier on Friday, a federal appeals court ruled that Trump isn’t immune from civil lawsuits stemming from the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

Following the ruling, Trump Campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung gave the following statement to Fox News Digital:

“Radical Democrats, under the direction of Crooked Joe Biden, continue to try and destroy bedrock constitutional principles and set dangerous precedents that would cripple future presidential administrations and our country as a whole, in their desperate effort to interfere in the 2024 Presidential Election. The corrupt leftists will fail and President Trump will keep fighting for America and Americans, including by challenging these wrongful decisions in higher courts,” Cheung said.

BIDEN JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SAYS TRUMP CAN BE SUED BY POLICE, DEMOCRATS OVER JAN. 6 RIOT

Sri Srinivasan, the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, wrote in the court’s opinion that Trump isn’t entitled to immunity.

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“The district court largely rejected his claim of immunity, and President Trump now appeals. The sole issue before us is whether President Trump has demonstrated an entitlement to official-act immunity for his actions leading up to and on January 6 as alleged in the complaints,” Srinivasan wrote. “We answer no, at least at this state of the proceedings.”

Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.

A federal appeals court has paused enforcement of a federal government regulation that allows abortion providers to receive federal family planning money — but only in Ohio, where state health officials said the policy took money away from them.

Since 1981, federal policy has changed several times regarding whether programs receiving family planning funds can provide abortions or refer patients to such services. Soon after President Joe Biden took office in 2021, the administration made rules to allow groups with abortion services to receive the funding again.

A dozen states with Republican attorneys general challenged the rule.

OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE FRANK LAROSE CONSULTED ANTI-ABORTION GROUPS WHILE DRAFTING ISSUE 1 BALLOT LANGUAGE

A U.S. District Court judge ruled last year that the Biden administration’s version of the rules could remain in effect while the challenge moves through the court system.

A majority of the three-judge panel from the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overruled that in a decision Thursday — but only as it applies to how the federal government distributes the grants in Ohio.

The majority judges — Joan Larsen and Amul Thapar, both nominated by Republican former President Donald Trump — said that Ohio was the only state that demonstrated it had suffered irreparable harm from the policy. The state health department said it was receiving 20% less in federal family planning funding under the current policy that it did under the regulation that was in place previously.

The judges said that’s because when referrals were banned, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio did not apply for funding. When the referrals were again allowed, the group, which also provides abortions, returned. And when that happened, the award to the state’s health department decreased by $1.8 million.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said the result could be that the state’s Planned Parenthood affiliate might need to make changes or risk losing funding.

A third judge, Karen Nelson Moore, who was nominated by former Democratic President Bill Clinton, dissented, saying her colleagues misunderstand the regulations.

REPUBLICANS CAN WIN ON ABORTION IF PRO-LIFERS TELL THEIR STORIES

The bigger case remains in the court system.

The abortion landscape has changed drastically since the lawsuit was initially filed. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a nationwide right to abortion.

Since then, most Republican-controlled states, including most of those challenging the Biden administration policy, have enacted bans or strict limits.

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Ohio adopted a ban on abortion after cardiac activity can be detected, about six weeks into pregnancy, which is often before women know they’re pregnant. But a court blocked enforcement, and voters last month adopted an amendment to the state constitution enshrining the right to abortion.

According to international space laws, no nation can claim sovereignty over the moon or other outer space entities. That’s why NASA is turning to private companies to advance its outer space goals. 

“If we want to maintain our lead, then we need to continue to invest and ensure that we’re the ones setting the pace and not another entity,” said Michael Usowski, senior defense intelligence analyst for space and counterspace at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

The initial space race to the moon brought about the United Nations 1966 treaty, which determined nations could not claim property rights in space. In the new space age, officials warn, China could ignore those laws and norms to advance its goals. 

“No sovereign country is supposed to plant that flag,” DIA’s John Huth, chief of the office of space and counterspace, said. “But we’ve also seen China do things in the South China Sea where they’ve built islands and then have claimed some exclusion zone around it. So, those are the things that we certainly want to keep an eye on.” 

HOW RARE EARTH ELEMENTS FACTOR INTO CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION

Lawmakers are also watching China and warn a new set of rules could be necessary to make sure everyone plays fair.

“We need some updated space law for sure. As space becomes not only available for mining, but it’s really becoming a warfighting domain as well,” Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said.

With rapidly advancing space programs, there are now more questions over who can explore and mine the moon’s resources. 

“It’s kind of opaque as far as what and when it comes to mineral extraction, whether or not there are any prohibitions against actually taking minerals away from the moon or another celestial body and then bringing them back to the earth,” Usowski said. 

The U.S. and other countries have been passing their own laws to allow for further exploration. 

“We make our own rules, so to speak,” Huth said. “There’s nothing that really precludes any one country from extracting minerals from the moon or other planets. It’s a matter of developing those best practices.”

A 2015 U.S. law asks private companies to explore outer space resources. President Donald Trump’s 2020 executive order encourages advancements in space mining. 

“An interesting piece on the treaty is it only looks at nation states. It doesn’t really pay much attention to commercial concerns,” Usowski said. “So, that’s an area that I think greater specificity would help as we see the greater commercialization of space.”

US-CHINA SPACE RACE FOR MOON MINING HEATS UP

The U.S. plans to return to the lunar surface by the end of the year by utilizing commercial partnerships. Private company Astrobotic will provide the launch and lander for the unmanned Peregrine Mission. 

“We have a flourishing commercial space sector in the United States, and I think encouraging that continued growth, working with our national organizations such as NASA, will allow us to be the leaders for that change for the positive,” Huth said.

NASA plans to contract commercial partners for up to five planned rover missions next year. It’s all part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services Initiative. China’s space program aligns more closely with its government.

“China is interesting in that there is a large amount of fusion between the civil and the government sector. So, it’s very difficult to separate the commercial concern from the government concerns,” Usowski said. “They’re very much intertwined with each other. So, one could reasonably assume that if a commercial entity is working on it that it’s funded and supported greatly by the nation state.”

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Satellites and other objects in orbit are compiled in national registers by country and reported to the United Nations. The U.S. has more objects in orbit than any other country. Landing, building and digging on solid ground in outer space is forcing the international community to rethink that shared space. 

“There’s certainly an understanding on Capitol Hill of the necessity to maintain that strong presence both from a government perspective, but also from that commercial perspective,” Huth said. 

Lawmakers and scientists agree while staying ahead of China is important, more needs to be studied about outer space resources before we consider it a reliable source to mine. 

“We need a dramatic increase in our ability to mine and process minerals both here in the United States and around the world,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said. 

A vote to formalize the impeachment inquiry of President Biden is likely to come before the House of Representatives breaks for the December recess, multiple Republicans said Friday.

House Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., told reporters he expected his committee to get the legislation “sometime next week,” which will likely tee up a House-wide vote shortly thereafter.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said he anticipates a House-wide vote “before we will break” on December 15.

“I think that every Republican should be convinced about voting for the impeachment inquiry, there’s plenty of smoke there,” Gimenez said.

WEISS SAYS HE ‘WASN’T GRANTED’ SPECIAL ATTORNEY AUTHORITY IN HUNTER BIDEN PROBE DESPITE REQUEST: TRANSCRIPT

They spoke after a closed-door House GOP Conference meeting where the three chairmen investigating Biden and his family – Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.; Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; and Ways & Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo. – reiterating their case for lawmakers.

Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., said the meeting was held “to see where the votes are and make sure everybody’s communicated with, people have had their chance to understand what an impeachment inquiry is versus impeachment.”

HOUSE OVERSIGHT SUBPOENAS HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN, ROB WALKER FOR TESTIMONY AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

“It’s important we get it done as soon as possible so that we can move forward with this investigation,” Hern said. 

Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., said a vote would likely come “soon” and contrasted the push to formalize Republicans’ impeachment inquiry with how House Democrats handled former President Trump, moving forward with the impeachment process without a House-wide vote.

“We’re actually trying to do it the right way,” Murphy said.

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., directed the House to open an impeachment inquiry into Biden in September, but the White House has dismissed the probe as illegitimate without a formal vote on the matter. 

The administration’s resistance to cooperating with House investigators’ subpoenas has inspired even Republicans in districts won by Biden in 2020 to support formalizing the inquiry.

SPEAKER JOHNSON: BIDEN ENGAGING IN ‘COVER-UP’ OF ROLE IN HUNTER BUSINESS DEALINGS, IMPEACHMENT PROBE CONTINUES

Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital, “This is what the administration has asked for.”

“The administration made it very clear, they weren’t going to actually work with our constitutional authority, unless we did the vote. Fine,” Schweikert said. 

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Rep. John Duarte, R-Calif., said he would “very, very, firmly support” authorizing an impeachment inquiry.

“I believe we have an unregistered foreign agent as our President of the United States and I believe the evidence is in place already to establish that,” he said.

Asked when he believed a House-wide vote could occur, Duarte said, “I think, if we have the votes, it would be by the end of the year.”

Oversight Democrats sent out a 5-page memo Friday morning rebutting Republicans’ claims, citing a “mountain of evidence” they said clears Biden of any wrongdoing.

“Rather than accept these facts, Republicans have resorted to cherry-picking and distorting facts in order to justify continuing this sham investigation aimed at satisfying the demands for retribution of President Trump who was twice indicted and now faces 91 felony counts,” the memo read.

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., is seeking answers from the U.S. Department of Commerce on why the Chinese Communist Party’s Institute for Forensic Sciences was removed from the department’s Entity List, which restricts trade from certain groups or individuals. 

Entities listed by Commerce are typically involved in activities contrary to U.S. national security or foreign policy interests. The trade control list includes foreign individuals, businesses, research institutions, government organizations and other branches that are subject to specific licensing requirements for the export, re-export or transfer of certain items. 

“This deeply misguided decision to lift sanctions on the CCP — as China continues to indoctrinate our children through social media and poison Americans with fentanyl — will only embolden President Xi,” Marshburn wrote to the department’s secretary Gina Raimondo on Friday. 

Sens. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn.; JD Vance, R-Ohio; and Katie Boyd Britt, R-Ala., co-signed the letter. 

WHITE HOUSE RECOGNIZES ‘BEST OF THE BEST’ OF LAW ENFORCEMENT IN FIGHT AGAINST FENTANYL, DRUG TRAFFICKING 

The department reportedly removed the CCP-run institute in hopes of halting China’s illicit fentanyl precursor exports. 

“While we agree that stopping the CCP’s exportation of these precursors is paramount and long overdue, your administration’s strategy is misguided,” Blackburn wrote. “By preemptively removing the Institute from the entity list, you continue to show weakness on the world stage.”

“We must also continue to stand for human rights around the world. In 2020, President Trump put the Institute on the sanctions list because of their abuse of the Uyghurs. The CCP — and the Institute for Forensic Sciences — subjects the Uyghurs to unthinkable evil,” the letter continued. 

Blackburn also linked America’s fentanyl crisis to the Biden administration’s border policies and urged a focus on border security measures and to “punish the criminal Mexican cartels who have partnered with the Chinese to poison Americans with fentanyl.”

MEXICAN CARTELS’ DRUG DEALINGS ‘TOP PRIORITY’ AS FENTANYL POURS ACROSS SOUTHERN BORDER, DEA SAYS

In July, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that the Chinese communist regime “bears responsibility” for helping tackle the fentanyl crisis in the U.S. — pointing to areas in which China can assist the U.S. in stopping the drug getting into the country.

“The precursor chemicals, many of which have legal use, the precursor chemicals, the pill presses that are used to manufacture fentanyl, it’s extremely easy to manufacture, it’s extremely quick, it’s easy to conceal,” he said at the time. “We seized vertical, long vertical candles that were hollowed out with pills. China bears responsibility. We need their assistance in interdicting the chemicals and pill presses that are going in volumes that don’t reflect legitimate use.”

HOUSE HOMELAND GOP REPORT ACCUSES MAYORKAS OF ‘INTENTIONAL’ DERELICTION OF DUTY OVER BORDER CRISIS

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Illicit fentanyl is typically created in Mexico by cartels in labs with the use of precursors shipped over from China. The U.S. has called for an international coalition to combat the crisis and has appealed for help from both China and Mexico.

Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report. 

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SANTOS EXPELLED …Read more

The House voted to expel Rep. George Santos 311 to 114 Thursday. Santos walked out of the House chamber just before all the votes that sealed his fate were cast and did not answer reporters’ questions on his way out. 

Slightly more Republicans voted not to expel Santos than to let him stay. But the overwhelming feeling was clearly that Santos needed to go. 

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said he was concerned about the precedent it sets to expel a member of congress who has not been convicted (Santos faces several charges in federal court).

New York Republican Rep, Nicole Malliotakis, however, said “it sets a bad precedent that [Santos] stole money from his donors…”

DEMS BACK SANTOS: These 4 Dems bucked their party on vote to expel George Santos from Congress …Read more

Tales from the Campaign Trail

FIGHT NIGHT: Here are the top moments from the DeSantis v Newsom showdown …Read more

‘EVEN DEBATE’: Trump says DeSantis, Newsom ‘both worked hard’ and in Red State vs Blue State showdown …Read more

‘KISS OF DEATH’: Trump campaign calls DeSantis ‘thirsty’ for debating Newsom …Read more

‘THIS IS A MASSACRE’: Conservatives praise DeSantis for ‘complete and total’ debate win over Newsom …Read more

TROUBLE AHEAD? Democrats still wondering whether Biden is best candidate for 2024 …Read more

‘TOUGHEST UPHILL CLIMB’: Political forecaster reveals shift towards GOP in top 2024 Senate race …Read more

NOT IMMUNE: Trump could face civil lawsuits related to Jan 6, appeals court rules …Read more

Capitol Hill

NOT AGAIN: GOP senators call for China travel ban to prevent spread of mystery illness …Read more

AMNESTY OR BUST? Dems want legal path for ‘long-standing’ illegal immigrants …Read more

ON THE MOVE: House passes bill to stop federal funds being used to house illegal immigrants …Read more

‘MOST TRANSPARENT’: Comer vows to release Hunter Biden transcript, schedule public hearing after first son is deposed …Read more

‘TRYING TO HIDE’: Democrat-led committee reject Epstein flight log subpoena request …Read more

White House Watch

‘TITANIC FIGURE’: Former White House staffers praise, critique the late Henry Kissinger …Read more

‘ECO-COLONIALISM’: Biden admin crackdown on oil drilling faces stiff opposition from Native Americans …Read more

‘NO SPECIAL TREATMENT’: Comer, Jordan demand Hunter Biden appear for deposition, say he will not receive ‘special treatment’ …Read more

Across the Nation

SCANDAL: Democrats call for resignation of Florida GOP Chairman Christian Ziegler amid sexual battery allegations …Read more

‘SHAMEFUL’: Dem senator unleashes on Biden admin after EV actions boosting China …Read more

REQUIEM: Reagan historian looks back at historic O’Connor appointment: ‘most qualified’ …Read more

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