NationalWatch

He’s long defied the norms of political gravity, but former President Donald Trump’s years of resistance to scandals and controversial comments seemed to once again be in question this week.

The race for the White House was turned upside down by a sneak attack by Hamas on Israel resulted in the deadliest assault on the Jewish State in decades.

Days after the initial attack — which resulted in thousands killed and wounded after Hamas militants swarmed into Israel and butchered civilians, spurring Israeli counterattacks on the Hamas controlled Gaza Strip — Trump stirred controversy earlier this week courtesy of comments critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his description of a terror group as “smart.”

His comments drew scorn not only from Democrats but also from some of his top rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. 

HEAD HERE FOR FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

In interviews with Fox News, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Trump’s comment “just doesn’t make any sense.”

And former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, emphasized “we can’t be doing this. You don’t need to be talking about how good Hezbollah is, and you don’t need to be talking about how bad Netanyahu is.”

Trump, who often showcases that he was the strongest defender of Israel ever to serve as president, criticized Netanyahu, claiming the Israeli leader backed out at the last minute in the plan to kill Iran’s top security and intelligence commander, Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, who was taken out by an American drone strike in 2020.

“I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down. That was a very terrible thing,” Trump said. “We were disappointed by that, very disappointed. But we did the job ourselves, and it was absolute precision, magnificent, beautiful job. And then Bibi tried to take credit for it. That didn’t make me feel too good,” Trump said.

HALEY, DESANTIS, TAKE AIM AT TRUMP OVER CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS 

Pointing to the apparent Israeli intelligence failure to anticipate the Hamas attack, Trump said Israel must “straighten it out” and “strengthen themselves up.”

Trump also blamed President Biden’s administration for the terror attack on Israel — as well as for clashes on Israel’s northern border with Hezbollah, which like Hamas is backed by Iran. Trump then credited Hezbollah, which along with Hamas is committed to the destruction of the Jewish State, saying “Hezbollah, they’re very smart.”

“I don’t know what he was doing. I know they got him on the teleprompter. When he gets off that teleprompter, then there’s things that happen,” DeSantis argued, as he pointed to Trump. “But the reality is this is the time to be strong, it’s a time for moral clarity and to make sure that Israel is able to defend itself to the hilt.”

Haley charged that Trump “can’t leave the past alone. I’m mean everything that he thinks about is how someone treated him or what they said to him or what happened in the past. The world is a dangerous place. We’ve got to be dealing with our issues straight on. Focused, disciplined, and ready to go.” 

CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS NATIONAL POLL IN THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Asked about the controversy, Trump’s two-time running-mate, former Vice President Mike Pence shook his head as he told Fox News on Friday that he “found the former president’s comments to be reckless and irresponsible.”

Another 2024 rival, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, told Fox News that if “you want to do that, then be a pundit on TV.”

While Trump and Netanyahu were close allies for years, the former president turned on the embattled Israel leader after Netanyahu congratulated then-President-elect Biden for winning the 2020 election while Trump was still trying to overturn the results.

White House spokesman Andrew Bates called Trump’s statements “dangerous and unhinged.” Israeli communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, told Israel’s Channel 13 that it was “shameful that a man like that, a former U.S. president, abets propaganda and disseminates things that wound the spirit of Israel’s fighters and its citizens.”

A Trump campaign spokesperson clarified the GOP front-runner’s remarks in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“President Trump was clearly pointing out how incompetent Biden and his administration were by telegraphing to the terrorists an area that is susceptible to an attack,” the spokesperson said. “Smart does not equal good. It just proves Biden is stupid.”

The spokesperson also pointed to another moment from Wednesday’s speech, when Trump said that if he regains office, “the United States will fully support Israel, defeating, dismantling, and permanently destroying the terrorist group, Hamas.”

Hours later, on Thursday evening, Trump touted in a statement that “there was no better friend or ally of Israel than President Donald J. Trump. Under my leadership, the United States stood in complete solidarity with Israel, and as a result, Israel was safe, America was safe, and for the first time in decades, we made historic strides for Peace in the Middle East.”

On Friday Trump took to social media to write “#IStandWithIsrael #IStandWithBibi.”

 “I have always been impressed by the skill and determination of the Israeli Defence Forces. As they defend their Nation against ruthless terrorists, I want to wish every soldier the best of luck. May you return home safely to your families, and may God bless you all!” he wrote in a separate posting.

The political question going forward is whether Trump’s comments will hurt his current political standing as the commanding front-runner in the GOP presidential nomination race. 

“It’s a bigger deal than the usual screw up. These comments and the personal pique he has against Netanyahu just feels like such a selfish, stupid thing when the country (and the GOP specifically) seem to be squarely behind Israel and their government,” said David Kochel, a longtime Republican consultant and veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns in Iowa and nationally.

Kochel, who’s neutral in the 2024 GOP nomination battle, argued that “this all goes back to the fact that Netanyahu congratulated Biden for winning the election. If these are the issues that will dictate Trump’s foreign policy thinking, he’s not putting America first, he’s putting Trump first. Maybe it’s time to rename his agenda.” 

Longtime New Hampshire based Republican consultant Jim Merrill said “I think he stepped in it, but I think like almost everything else, it’s not likely to leave a lasting mark.”

Pointing to Trump’s record in the White House, including his moving of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, Merrill said the former president’s “kind of inoculated himself on Israel.”

“Time will tell, but I think it’s likely this will be just another one of those things that we all thought might be an issue for him but won’t be,” Merrill, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns who’s not taking sides in the 2024 nomination battle, predicted.

Pence acknowledges fundraising struggles

Pence is skipping the Nevada GOP’s Feb. 8 presidential caucuses and instead this past week filed for the state run primary, which will be held two days earlier.

Four Republican contenders have filed to take part in the caucuses. Pence is the first candidate to take part in the state’s primary. 

Nevada’s GOP is barring candidates who take part in the primary to also put their names in the caucus, where the state’s small number of Republican delegates to next year’s convention will be up for grabs.

The move may be a sign that Pence wanted to pass on investing in the kind of organization needed to perform well in a caucus, and instead will aim for the less expensive option of trying to score a symbolic finish in the primary.

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Asked about his move as he filed Friday at the Statehouse in New Hampshire to place his name on the state’s presidential primary, Pence told reporters “we just made a decision that we would compete in the primary and not in the caucus.”

Pence, who is facing an uphill climb for the nomination thanks in great part to his alienation of MAGA voters due his turning down of Trump’s overtures for the then-vice president to overturn the 2020 election through his constitutional role overseeing congressional certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021.

Pointing to the upcoming deadline for the candidates to disclose their latest fundraising reports, Pence said “it may be obvious in the days ahead that other campaigns have more money than ours. But it’s not about money. It’s about votes. And so we want the people of Nevada to know that we look forward to carrying our message in Nevada.”

“We’re going to do our very best to marshal our resources,” Pence said. But he acknowledged that “.we probably have to be a little bit more selective in where we invest resources.”

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

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., are floating a potential debate in New Hampshire.

The potential showdown was suggested this week after Ramaswamy slammed the Republican National Committee for halting a joint appearance with GOP rival Chris Christie on FOX News’ “Special Report” over alleged violation of the GOP debate rules. 

After tech billionaire Elon Musk offered to host a debate on his platform X, Ramaswamy replied, “The RNC won’t let the GOP candidates do it, but I’d go for it with a smart Democrat who’s willing.”

“The University of Chicago Institute of Politics wants to have a civil discourse with the two of us on race, identity and the American dream. I accepted. I assume, as a speech advocate, you’re game @VivekGRamaswamy?” Khanna challenged the 2024 hopeful on Wednesday. 

GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES DECLARE SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL AFTER HAMAS ASSAULT: ‘JOE BIDEN FUNDED THESE ATTACKS’

Ramaswamy was previously slated to debate independent presidential candidate Dr. Cornel West at the University of Chicago, but the progressive rival canceled due to a scheduling conflict. Ramaswamy surmised that Khanna was called by the university to fill in. 

“You’re a solid dude with whom I disagree on a lot, and I’d be glad to have a discussion at some point, just need to balance it in the context of campaign priorities. If you are willing to do it in New Hampshire, I’m game,” Ramaswamy said. 

PROTESTERS HIT RAMASWAMY CAMPAIGN VEHICLE OUTSIDE IOWA EVENT

Khanna offered to do a “fireside conversation” at St. Anselm New Hampshire Institute of Politics.

“Let’s have a thoughtful discussion & elevate national discourse, instead of 30 second sound bites, shallow answers and name calling,” the Democratic lawmaker said. 

Ramaswamy has yet to publicly respond to Khanna. FOX News Digital has reached out to both Khanna and Ramaswamy’s campaign for comment. 

The potential event comes as one of Ramaswamy’s GOP rivals, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, is set to square off against Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a debate on Nov. 30 moderated by FOX News’ Sean Hannity. 

Ramaswamy’s campaign criticized the RNC for allowing DeSantis to debate Newsom while quashing his previously scheduled discussion with Christie. 

According to the RNC’s debate rules, Republicans candidates agree to not participate “in any non-RNC sanctioned debate for the remainder of the election cycle.” 

RAMASWAMY FIRES BACK AT MEXICAN PRESIDENT IN BORDER SPAT: ‘NEW DADDY IN TOWN’

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Newsom, notably, is not a declared presidential candidate, despite the buzz he has received as being a potential alternative to President Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket in 2024. He has dismissed the rumors and expressed his support for Biden’s re-election multiple times. 

Like Newsom, Khanna’s name has also been floated as a potential presidential contender in 2028. 

The latest FOX News poll released this week showed Ramaswamy with 7% support among GOP voters, placing fourth behind former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley at 10%, DeSantis at 13% and former President Donald Trump, who maintains a commanding lead at 59%.

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

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

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HEIR JORDAN

Republicans voted to designate Rep. Jim Jordan as nominee for House speaker Friday — then recessed for the day …Read more

Jordan won 124 votes from Republicans in the secret ballot (which is more than the 113 Majority Leader Steve Scalise won earlier in the week). The next step would be a vote on the House floor, but it’s not clear when that will occur.

MATH PROBLEM: Jordan still has to get a majority vote on the House floor to become speaker. 

The math problem proved impossible for Scalise this week, and Jordan is facing a similar issue. A second GOP conference vote Friday only gave him 152 votes. If, as expected, every Democrat opposes the GOP nominee, Jordan can only afford to lose a handful of Republican votes.

NEW CHALLENGER: Ousted former speaker McCarthy endorses Jordan – but another candidate made a surprising entrance into the speaker fight …Read more

‘LOCK THE DOOR’: On Thursday a GOP lawmaker called on the party to work through weekend to elect speaker …Read more

‘PAY FOR DAMAGES’: Senator suggests new use for Iran’s $6B unfrozen assets …Read more

Israel’s war

Stay up to date on the latest developments in Israel’s fight against Hamas terrorists 

‘DAY OF RAGE’: Anti-Israel protests erupt …Read more

HEZBOLLAH ATTACKS: Lebanese terror group takes responsibility for attacks …Read more

LIGHTNING ROD: Trump takes heat for comments on Israeli president, terrorists …Read more

UNDER PRESSURE: Biden facing congressional probe into climate work program …Read more

A NEW FIGHTER: Georgia GOP congressman throws hat in ring for speaker’s gavel …Read more

‘UNWAVERING SUPPORT’: Schumer to lead lawmakers on congressional delegation to Israel this weekend …Read more

‘ABHORRENT’: GOP Republicans who graduated from Harvard blast school’s response to antisemitism …Read more

BIPARTISAN PROPOSAL: Reps seek funding to protect US Jewish communities from terror …Read more

Campaign Trail

LAS VEGAS SHOW: Trump and 2024 GOP presidential rivals on same stage at confab in key early voting state …Read more

PHILLY TRIP: Biden stumbles up podium stairs …Read more

RACE FOR 2ND PLACE: Two candidates battling in the polls behind Trump …Read more

FAMILY TIES: Top Biden aide with close ties to Hunter was involved with handling of classified docs …Read more

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

As Israel reels from the deadliest terror attack in years by Hamas, the United Nations Security Council still does not recognize or sanction Hamas as a terror group — despite multiple other nations declaring it to be so.

“The U.N. Security Council votes to impose sanctions and designations on groups like al Qaeda, the Taliban or ISIS. But no such sanctions or designations exist for Iran’s axis of terror groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah,” Richard Goldberg, senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. 

The Council, under resolutions passed in 1999, 2011 and 2015, sanctions ISIS and al Qaeda, along with associated individuals and groups. The Council’s committee on those resolutions oversees sanctions measured imposed by the council.

ISRAEL AMBASSADOR SLAMS UN COUNCIL’S STATEMENT CRITICIZING ISRAEL: ‘HOW MANY MURDERED JEWS DOES IT TAKE’ 

However, there are no such sanctions in place for Hamas and Hezbollah. The lack of sanctioning comes as Israel is pushing back against Hamas after it was hit by a surprise attack that killed more than 1,300 Israelis. 

“The U.N. insists these are legitimate political movements and therefore can freely work with them,” said Goldberg, who previously served as the director for countering weapons of destruction at the White House National Security Council between 2019 and 2020.

Israeli and U.S. officials have criticized the U.N., including the Security Council — which is made up of 15 members, including permanent membership for the U.S., U.K., France, China and Russia — for allegedly having an anti-Israel bias. The U.S. under former President Trump introduced a resolution in 2018 to label Hamas as a terror group, but it received only one vote in favor – that of the United States.

Russia and its veto power often form a roadblock on the Council for any action against Iran and Iran-backed entities. The Associated Press reported this week that the U.S. demanded the Council condemn “these heinous terrorist attacks committed by Hamas,” but no immediate action was taken.

SENIOR HAMAS OFFICIAL ADMITS ISRAEL ATTACKS HAD BEEN PLANNED FOR YEARS UNDER GUISE OF GOVERNING GAZA

U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood said afterward that “a good number of countries” did condemn the atrocity but not all council members.

Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan has criticized the U.N. reaction to the attack against Israel. In a Tuesday statement, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called for both Israel Defense Forces and Hamas to “respect international humanitarian law” and defuse tensions. He also criticized Israel’s “full siege” of Gaza.

“The U.N.’s response to Israel’s early warning to the residents of Gaza is shameful,” Erdan told Fox News Digital. “For many years, the U.N. has turned a blind eye to the arming of Hamas and its use of the civilian population and civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip as a hiding place for its weapons and murder.” 

“Now, instead of standing by Israel, whose citizens were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists and who tries to minimize harm to those not involved, it preaches to Israel. It is better for the U.N. to focus now on returning the hostages, condemning Hamas, and supporting Israel’s right to defend itself.”

Goldberg, meanwhile, said that the failure of the Council to designate Hamas a terror group has knock-on effects on other agencies — including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) when vetting staff.

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“There is zero requirement for UNRWA to submit its list of staff and beneficiaries for U.S. counterterrorism vetting. They use their own lists instead and wouldn’t you know it, since Hamas isn’t a U.N. terror group they magically find no evidence of support for terrorism.”

An email sent to the spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary General was not immediately returned by press time. 

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

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

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

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

ANTI-ISRAEL STATEMENTS SWEEP MORE COLLEGES; CRITICS SLAM LEADERS FOR STAYING OUT OF FRAY

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

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

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

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

PROTESTERS FACE OFF NEAR HARVARD, MAN CALLS PRO-ISRAEL DEMONSTRATORS ‘NAZIS’ AND ‘PIGS’

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

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

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

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

TRUMP CALLS FOR TLAIB’S IMPEACHMENT OVER SILENCE ON HAMAS TERRORISM QUESTIONS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fox News Digital’s Kristine Parks contributed to this report

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump will appear on the same stage as some of his top rivals for the 2024 GOP nomination at a major gathering of top Republican leaders, donors and activists later this month.

Fox News has learned that Trump will speak at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership summit on Saturday, Oct. 28, in Las Vegas.

Also addressing the audience will be GOP presidential candidates Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

The RJC’s confab is once again being held at the Venetian Conference Center along the Las Vegas Strip. This cycle, Nevada is holding the third contest in the GOP presidential nominating calendar, following the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.

2024 SHOWDOWN: HALEY, DESANTIS, BATTLE FOR SECOND PLACE BEHIND TRUMP 

Trump, the commanding front-runner in the race for Republican nomination as he makes his third straight White House run, has spoken in person at one other major cattle call of 2024 GOP contenders — the Iowa GOP’s annual Lincoln Dinner in late July. 

HALEY, DESANTIS, TAKE AIM AT TRUMP OVER CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS 

Trump skipped the first two Republican presidential debates and has said he will not take the stage at the third showdown, which will take place Nov. 8 in Miami.

The RJC’s annual summit in Las Vegas has attracted many of the GOP White House hopefuls the past two years. Last year, Trump addressed the crowd remotely.

“This year’s RJC Annual Leadership Summit will be the biggest and best-attended in organizational history, featuring every major Republican candidate for President of the United States. The world will be watching,” RJC National Political Director Sam Markstein told Fox News.

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Markstein emphasized that “as the horrific events of the last week have unfolded in Israel, the issue of American foreign policy has taken on an even greater role. American strength and American resolve – and our candidates’ vision for America’s role in the world – are more important than ever. As the leading Republican voice in the Jewish community and for American Jews in the GOP, RJC is proud and honored to be hosting such a pivotal event at such a perilous time. RJC stands unapologetically with Israel.”

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

A top aide to President Biden who has close ties to Hunter Biden, even referring to him as a “brother” in emails, was the first person to “take inventory” of Biden’s documents and materials at his think tank, according to a new timeline released by the House Oversight Committee.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer recently pressed the White House on an “incomplete and misleading” timeline he said that they provided his committee with regard to who had searched through the papers at the Washington, D.C., office for the president’s think tank, the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement.

Annie Tomasini, a senior Biden aide, had inspected the classified documents on March 18, 2021, two months after Biden had taken office and nearly 20 months before they were said to be found, Comer said.

“President Biden’s team has misled the American people about the series of events related to his mishandling of classified documents,” Comer told Fox News Digital. “Biden’s team told the American people that documents were unexpectedly found in November 2022, but now we know a White House official and close friend of Hunter Biden was tasked with taking inventory of President Biden’s documents and materials in March 2021.”

HUNTER BIDEN, CHINA, CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS: MYSTERY SWIRLS AROUND PENN BIDEN CENTER

“Why did the White House and President Biden’s attorney omit this critical piece of information? The Biden White House may have known President Biden had a document problem as early as 2021 and enlisted at least five White House employees to coordinate, organize, move and remove boxes from Penn Biden Center through 2022,” Comer said. “The Oversight Committee will continue to pursue the facts and provide the transparency and accountability that the American people demand.”

Tomasini is not only a senior adviser to Biden but also a close friend of the Biden family, including Hunter. She maintained close relations with Hunter, in some cases referring to him as her “brother,” and often ended her emails with “LY” for “love you,” according to emails dating from 2010 to 2016.

For example, in December 2010, Biden announced that Tomasini was stepping down to take a position with Harvard University. Tomasini kept Hunter clued in on the details of that position before she took it, according to emails on his abandoned laptop, which Fox News Digital has verified.

The month prior, in November 2010, she forwarded information to Hunter about Harvard’s employee benefits and added, “Thanks.”

“Hey – I looked at benefits And they look pretty amazing. Any word on comp?” Hunter responded.

“I’ll keep you posted. Thanks for looking at all the background Hunt,” Tomasini said.

Later that month, Tomasini was offered the job, writing to Hunter, “Director of intergovernmental relations. > 120k ish – may be a little higher.”

Tomasini thanked him and said she would tell his father the news. Months later, Hunter gave a speech at Harvard, but only after he ran the draft by Tomasini first.

JOE BIDEN NOMINATES FORMER HUNTER BIDEN LAW FIRM COLLEAGUE AS SPECIAL COUNSEL

Furthermore, President Biden regularly met with his inner circle at the Wilmington, Delaware, home where classified documents were also discovered. Hunter Biden had stayed at the house during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the White House said no visitor logs exist for the president’s Wilmington residence, several people have been identified as guests at the house, a previous Fox News Digital review found.

Biden converted the basement of his Wilmington residence into a de facto campaign headquarters in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic, and he frequently hosted virtual events and would have had to rely on campaign aides to help.

Tomasini and Anthony Bernal, a senior adviser in first lady Jill Biden’s office, “were allowed in regularly” because “neither of them had their own families, which meant they could devote themselves entirely to the Bidens,” according to the book, “Lucky: How Joe Biden Barely Won the Presidency,” by Amie Parnes and Jonathan Allen.

Biden has spent considerable time in Delaware since taking over the presidency. During the visits, Biden stays at his Wilmington or Rehoboth Beach residences and has a full security detail.

After the discovery of classified documents at the Penn Biden Center, questions reignited on the likes of Chinese donations to the University of Pennsylvania, which houses the think tank. Hunter Biden had also discussed the center in emails before its launch, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS FLOATED SEX TRAFFICKING CHARGES AGAINST HUNTER BIDEN, DOC SHOWS

Special Counsel Robert Hur, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, is leading the current probe of Biden’s handling of the classified materials.

The investigation stems from a batch of records from his time as vice president, including a “small number of documents with classified markings,” discovered by the president’s attorneys at the Penn Biden Center in early November 2022.

The documents were found in a locked closet while preparing to vacate office space at the center, which the president used from mid-2017 until he began the 2020 presidential campaign. The National Archives were notified of the finding and took possession of the documents on Nov. 3, 2022.

Biden, meanwhile, recently conducted two “voluntary” interviews with Hur on Sunday and Monday.

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“As we have said from the beginning, the President and the White House are cooperating with this investigation, and as it has been appropriate, we have provided relevant updates publicly, being as transparent as we can consistent with protecting and preserving the integrity of the investigation,” said Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House Counsel’s Office, the New York Post reported.

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

Fox News Digital’s Jessica Chasmar, Louis Casiano and Jacqui Heinrich contributed reporting.

The White House opted not to respond to a request for comment after a Biden administration communications official’s pro-Palestine social media post resurfaced amid the Middle East crisis.

Tyler Cherry, who is now the Department of the Interior’s principal deputy communications director and senior spokesperson, said in the 2014 post that he was celebrating the end of the “occupation of Palestine.” The post came amid the 2014 Gaza War in which Palestinian forces, led by the radical Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas, launched hundreds of rockets into Israel, sparking a forceful Israeli response that involved airstrikes and a ground invasion.

“Cheersing in bars to ending the occupation of Palestine — no shame and f— your glares #ISupportGaza #FreePalestine,” Cherry said on July 25, 2014, in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The White House, Interior Department and Cherry himself all ignored requests for comment about the post.

WHITE HOUSE SILENT AFTER BIDEN OFFICIAL’S POSTS ATTACKING POLICE, BOOSTING RUSSIA ‘SCANDAL’ RESURFACE

According to the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, an Israeli think tank, the 2014 war between Israel and Palestine — which began in early July 2014 and ceased in late August 2014 — began as a result of Palestinian militants’ aggressive barrage of rocket attacks on Israel. An estimated 735 rockets fired from Gaza were ultimately intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome system.

The war started on July 8, 2014, when Israel launched Operation Protective Edge which was mainly focused on destroying — via airstrikes and, later, ground troops entering the Gaza Strip — an intricate network of tunnels the Hamas terrorist group used to cross into Israel underground, according to a report from the RAND Arroyo Center.

POLICE FIND FEMALE DESIGNER’S STOLEN CLOTHES IN EX-BIDEN OFFICIAL SAM BRINTON’S HOME

“While this was a war Israel did not want, it was a war that inadvertently preempted a terrorist massacre inside Israel’s heartland, principally through a network of sophisticated tunnels built deep under the border, and intended to stream hundreds, if not thousands, of dedicated terrorists, many on suicide missions, in the quiet of night, to destinations where they could kill as many innocent people as possible and leave Israel mauled as never before,” Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs stated in its own report.

Overall, according to the United Nations, 72 Israelis died during the war while there more than 2,000 Palestinian deaths, the vast majority of which occurred after Palestine rejected a ceasefire proposed by Israel on July 15, 2014.

While the United Nations and other global groups condemned Israel for the civilian deaths caused by its operations, now-retired U.S. Gen. Martin Dempsey, who served as chairman of U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff between 2011 and 2015, said after the war that Israel had gone to “extraordinary lengths to limit collateral damage and prevent civilian casualties in the Gaza conflict.”

BIDEN STANDS BY CLAIM CLIMATE CHANGE IS GREATEST THREAT AS HAMAS UNLEASHES TERROR ACROSS ISRAEL

Meanwhile, Cherry’s post during the 2014 war resurfaced amid the latest conflict between Israel and Palestine. Last weekend, Hamas unleashed a series of coordinated attacks on innocent civilians across Israel, resulting in thousands of deaths.

Overall, the escalating conflict has claimed the lives of at least 2,500 people, including at least 1,000 Israelis and 27 Americans, according to the latest information.

“We have only started striking Hamas,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address this week. “What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations.”

Since Tuesday, Israeli warplanes have unleashed an aerial bombardment of downtown Gaza City, and the nation is considering sending its troops on the ground into Palestinian territories.

ISRAELI COUPLE REPORTS FOR DUTY AFTER SURVIVING HAMAS’ ATTACK ON MUSIC FESTIVAL: ‘WE WANT TO HELP OUR FRIENDS’

“The brutality of Hamas — this bloodthirstiness — brings to mind the worst — the worst rampages of ISIS. This is terrorism,” Biden remarked in a speech on Tuesday. “But sadly for the Jewish people, it’s not new.”

“Like every nation in the world, Israel has the right to respond — indeed has a duty to respond — to these vicious attacks. I just got off the phone with — the third call with Prime Minister Netanyahu. And I told him if the United States experienced what Israel is experiencing, our response would be swift, decisive and overwhelming.”

Cherry’s past social media posts attacking police officers as racist and boosting the “Russiagate” conspiracy theory during the Trump administration recently came to light. While the White House declined to comment on those posts, it attacked conservatives for what it characterized as personal attacks on Cherry.

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“No one should be targeted simply for being themselves. It is cruel and unacceptable,” a White House spokesperson told The Advocate, an LGBT-focused news outlet, last week. “This is an administration that believes to our core in the principle that out of many we are one — and we are proud that the people who serve in it reflect those values as well.”

“Tyler is an invaluable member of our team who continues to deliver for the Department of Interior and the American people.”

Cherry, who has served at the Interior Department since early 2021, previously worked for President Biden’s presidential campaign, left-wing consulting firm SKDK, and Media Matters for America, a progressive publication.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says that he has rejected a Biden administration request to set up migrant processing centers in Mexico, where migrants could apply for U.S. work and refugee visas.

“We have been looking at setting up sites in Mexico, because they [the United States] have asked for it,” Lopez Obrador said, according to the Associated Press. “We have not accepted it, first we want to talk to the presidents.”

He was referring to the leaders of 11 countries along the migration routes in the Hemisphere — including Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti and Cuba. They will meet later this month. He did not rule out building the centers in the future, but reportedly said that he would prefer to have centers in countries that are the sources of migration. However, Mexico is a key source of migration to the U.S.

WHITE HOUSE AGREES TO ACCEPT MORE FOREIGN NATIONALS LIVING IN MEXICO AS REFUGEES 

The Biden administration announced earlier this year the establishment of migrant processing centers as part of its efforts to expand “lawful migration pathways.” It marks a key plank of the administration’s plan to tackle the ongoing border crisis, which the administration has noted is Hemisphere-wide.

‘This is a hemispheric challenge that demands hemispheric solutions,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said at a press conference in April. “Working with our neighbors in the region, we can and will reduce the number of migrants who reach our southern border.”

MIGRANT NUMBERS HIT HIGHEST EVER RECORDED IN ONE MONTH: SOURCES

The processing centers, one of which has already been established in Guatemala, allows for migrants to be screened to see if they are eligible for refugee status, a variety of humanitarian parole programs and even employment access. 

The processing centers will be run by “international organization partners,” officials said in April. The Biden administration has expanded the refugee cap to 125,000 from just 15,000 under the Trump administration. It has also agreed with Mexico to accept refugee referrals of some nationalities from Mexico. In July, the administration said that Mexico would be establishing an “international multipurpose space” to offer “new refugee and labor options for the most vulnerable people who are currently in Mexico.”

Additionally, the administration has parole programs for family reunification and for certain nationalities — including Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, Cubans and Haitians — for which migrants could be eligible. Employment pathways could include temporary worker visas, including temporary seasonal and agricultural visas.

But while the administration has touted a number of areas of cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico, there have also been tensions. Lopez Obrador has bristled at Republican calls for military action to take out drug labs, and has called on Hispanics not to vote for Republicans as a result.

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Recently, it has protested Texas’ moves to build a buoy barrier in the Rio Grande, and also increased truck inspections at the border that led to delays.

So far, the crisis is only worsening. Sources told Fox News recently that September’s borders numbers exceed 260,000 encounters — marking a new monthly record. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Preventing a shutdown caused a shutdown.

A shutdown of the House of Representatives.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., advanced a plan to prevent a government shut down late last month. McCarthy’s gambit cost him his job. It also plunged the House into an unprecedented period of parliamentary sclerosis.

THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO WHY SCALISE’S SPEAKER MATH MAY NEVER WORK AND THE PUSH TO RESURRECT MCCARTHY

The House has now lacked a Speaker for nine days. And it doesn’t look like the House can fix this any time soon, not after the news broke Thursday that House Majority Leader Scalise had dropped his bid to be Speaker.

Scalise, R-La., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, squared off in a closed door, secret ballot contest among House Republicans Wednesday. The winner would become the GOP’s nominee for Speaker on the House floor.

Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., is not exactly a soothsayer. But when Scalise and Jordan presented their arguments for Speaker to House Republicans Tuesday night, Buck was skeptical anyone would wrap this up quickly.

“I’m not thrilled with either candidate. And I don’t know that they’re the only candidates who are going to arise,” said Buck. “I think that we will have other candidates that step forward if this becomes a mess tomorrow.”

Yours truly asked Buck why he thought the ballot would devolve into “a mess.”

“Oh, Chad,” responded Buck with a heavy sigh. “I have a sense that it will not be a clean vote.”

I pressed Buck further on what signal reporters should look for if the Speaker’s election officially crossed into “mess” territory.

“I think if at 3 or 4 in the afternoon if you don’t see white smoke, we’ve got a mess,” said Buck.

By 1:15 pm et Wednesday there was “white smoke” from room 1100 of the Longworth House Office Building. The GOP conference voted in favor of Scalise over Jordan. But it was far from clear that Scalise had anywhere close to the votes to win on the floor and become Speaker. And by late afternoon – as Buck forecast – Republicans had “a mess.”

Republicans voted. But the lawmaker they tapped couldn’t become Speaker – yet.

“Leader Scalise won and it’s not over,” said Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, an acolyte of his fellow Buckeye. “I’m still throwing my support behind Jim Jordan for speaker. I’m not going to change my vote now or any time soon on the House floor.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said she would continue to back Jordan. That’s because Scalise is suffering from cancer.

“(Being) the Speaker of the House is the hardest job in Congress,” said Greene. “I want to see (Scalise) be able to put all of his time and energy into defeating cancer.”

Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., voted present in the GOP conference.

“I think it’s unhealthy for us not to have a debate in the conference until we get to consensus. I don’t think it should be on the floor,” said Spartz.

THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO HOW THE HOUSE DEADLOCK OVER A SPEAKER STANDS

When asked who she would support on the floor, Spartz replied “I’m not going to tell you because I don’t know yet.”

The vision of Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., was clearer than that of Spartz.

“I’m ready to vote for (Rep.) Chip Roy, R-Tex., as Speaker, y’all,” said Boebert. “I’m ready for somebody who’s gonna throw down.”

It was thought Scalise may try to go to the floor to win the Speakership immediately on Wednesday afternoon. Kind of like in football. Your team made a big play and your opponent is about to toss the challenge flag. So you snap the ball quickly before they contest the play. The only problem with Scalise is that he would have lost – badly – on the floor. A failed Speaker vote is precisely what rank-and-file Republicans hoped to avoid after the 15 round marathon to elect McCarthy in January. Moreover, a feeble vote tally by Scalise on the floor could euthanize his chances to become Speaker.

Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., endorsed forcing the issue.

“We need to go to the floor,” said Womack, adding that a roll call vote would help everyone know where Scalise or other candidates stood.

“Until you know, you don’t know,” said Womack.

But what about the prospect of a series of failed Speaker votes, ala McCarthy last winter?

“It didn’t really bother us in January,” said Womack.

The delta between the support for Scalise and what he needed to succeed on the floor shocked Capitol Hill veterans.

“This is bad,” said one senior House Republican leadership source. “I didn’t think it would get this bad.”

Scalise and Jordan met after the internal GOP election. The Ohio Republican then pledged his support to Scalise. But Jordan’s endorsement lacked juice. Many Republicans aligned with Jordan remained pledged to Jordan.

This infuriated those who were loyal to Scalise.

“The question is why we even have elections,” grumbled Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla. “We had an election. There was a winner. And now we should all coalesce around that winner. And if we can’t do that for the person who got the highest number of votes, we sure as heck are not able to do that for someone who got less.”

Still, Scalise’s deficit remained steep.

“He may never get there,” sighed one source of Scalise’s steep climb to the Speakership. 

There’s no plan to hold a vote for Speaker on the floor, especially after Scalise dropped out. A failed vote has the potential to roil global financial markets. And, any failed vote only underscores Republican dysfunction, mirroring the January exercise with McCarthy.

“We don’t have a Paul Ryan,” said one senior House Republican.

That’s a reference to former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc. Ryan salvaged Republicans after former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio resigned unexpectedly in 2015 and McCarthy failed to round up the votes for Speaker.

Let’s consider the Scalise math inside the House Republican Conference. He commanded only 113 ballots in the GOP Conference Wednesday. It was thought he may be north of 150. Had Scalise scored 112, the vote would have gone to a second ballot.

But examine where Scalise’s support came from. He secured the votes of the three non-voting delegates to Congress from American territories who are part of the Republican Conference but cannot vote for Speaker on the floor. Dels. Amata Radewagen, R-American Samoa, James Moylan, R-Guam and Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez, R-Puerto Rico, all backed Scalise.

That trio boosted Scalise from 110 votes to 113. The support of the three delegates infuriated some House Republicans. Those members are eligible to vote in the conference. But they lack a floor vote because they are not full Members.

So where does this stand after Scalise dropped out late Thursday?

Fox is told the House may be in a stasis for days. 

One would be hard-pressed to say the House has never found itself in such a twisted position.

Some Republicans began wondering if they could resurrect McCarthy. Others began pondering an effort to grant temporary powers to Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, R-N.C.

McHenry took the dais shortly after the House removed McCarthy from the Speakership last week. He hammered down the gavel with such anger that the head nearly spiraled off into the well of the chamber.

So far, McHenry’s aggressive slamming of the gavel has been his most significant act yet.

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McHenry may get more opportunities if Republicans fail to elect a Speaker soon.

Otherwise, the House remains a mess.

CONCORD, N.H. – EXCLUSIVE: Some of Donald Trump’s leading rivals for the 2024 GOP nomination are blasting the former president over his controversial critical comments of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his description of a terror group as “smart.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in an exclusive Fox News interview on Thursday, pointed to Trump’s comments and argued that the former president “makes no sense.”

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations during Trump’s first two years in office, said in a one-on-one interview with Fox News Digital a couple of hours later that “we can’t be doing this. You don’t need to be talking about how good Hezbollah is, and you don’t need to be talking about how bad Netanyahu is.”

Trump’s comments, made during a speech Wednesday night in Florida, came just days after a sneak attack Saturday by Hamas on Israel resulted in the deadliest assault on the Jewish State in decades. Thousands have been killed and wounded after Hamas militants swarmed into Israel and butchered civilians, and in the resulting Israeli counterattacks on the Hamas controlled Gaza Strip.

HEAD HERE FOR LIVE FOX NEWS UPDATES ON THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

Trump, who often showcases that he was the strongest defender of Israel ever to serve as president, criticized Netanyahu, claiming the Israeli leader backed out at the last minute in the plan to kill Iran’s top security and intelligence commander, Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, who was taken out by an American drone strike in 2020.

“I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down. That was a very terrible thing,” Trump said. “We were disappointed by that, very disappointed. But we did the job ourselves, and it was absolute precision, magnificent, beautiful job. And then Bibi tried to take credit for it. That didn’t make me feel too good.”

WATCH FOX NEWS CHANNEL COVERAGE OF THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

Pointing to the apparent Israeli intelligence failure to anticipate the Hamas attack, Trump said Israel’s “got to straighten it out” and “strengthen themselves up.”

Trump also blamed President Biden’s administration for the terror attack on Israel — as well as for clashes on Israel’s northern border with Hezbollah, which like Hamas is backed by Iran. Trump credited Hezbollah, which along with Hamas is committed to the destruction of the Jewish State, saying “Hezbollah, they’re very smart.”

The Florida governor, who signed an executive order Thursday to conduct rescue operations in Israel and to provide support to Jerusalem in its war against Hamas, told Fox News that “our ally has been under an unprecedented assault. You’ve seen the death toll continue to mount in the most barbaric fashion. This is a time to be standing with Israel.”

2024 DIVIDE: GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES SPAR OVER ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

Pointing to Trump’s comments, DeSantis argued that to be attacking the prime minister and the defense minister just makes no sense. To be saying that Hezbollah, talking about how smart they are, just doesn’t make any sense.”

“I don’t know what he was doing. I know they got him on the teleprompter. When he gets off that teleprompter, then there’s things that happen. But the reality is this is the time to be strong, it’s a time for moral clarity and to make sure that Israel is able to defend itself to the hilt,” added DeSantis, who was interviewed at the New Hampshire Statehouse, minutes before he formally filed to place his name on the state’s GOP presidential primary.

Haley, interviewed in Rochester, New Hampshire following a town hall, charged that Trump “can’t leave the past alone. I’m mean everything that he thinks about is how someone treated him or what they said to him or what happened in the past. The world is a dangerous place. We’ve got to be dealing with our issues straight on. Focused, disciplined, and ready to go.”

“We can’t be doing this. You don’t need to be talking about how good Hezbollah is and you don’t need to be talking about how bad Netanyahu is,” Haley said. “Right now we need to have the backs of Israel. We need to do what it takes to eliminate Hamas. We need to do what it takes to get those American hostages and Israeli hostages home. And we need to do what it takes to bring peace in the world and stop all the other nonsense and chaos.”

Haley wasn’t the only Trump administration official to criticize the former president.

Trump’s two-time running-mate, former Vice President Mike Pence, said in an interview on radio show “New Hampshire Today with Chris Ryan” that “Hezbollah aren’t smart, they’re evil.”

“This is no time for the former president, or any other American leader to be sending any message other than America stands with Israel,” Pence added. “And look, I know the former president was frustrated with Netanyahu; he’s been critical over the last two years… I consider him a friend, and I’m proud of the relationship that America had under our administration with Israel.”

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, another rival for the GOP presidential nomination, also criticized Trump’s comments.

Burgum, after filing to place his name on the New Hampshire primary ballot, told Fox News Digital that “it’s about leading forward. It’s not about criticizing something you know. You want it you want to do that, then be a pundit on TV. Do you want to lead? Then you actually get it in. And you have to you have to take responsibility for what’s going on. And you have to say, here’s our path forward.”

A Trump campaign spokesperson clarified the GOP front-runner’s remarks in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“President Trump was clearly pointing out how incompetent Biden and his administration were by telegraphing to the terrorists an area that is susceptible to an attack,” the spokesperson said. “Smart does not equal good. It just proves Biden is stupid.”

The spokesperson also pointed to another moment from Wednesday’s speech, when Trump said that if he regains office, “the United States will fully support Israel, defeating, dismantling, and permanently destroying the terrorist group, Hamas.”

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While Trump and Netanyahu were close allies for years, the former president turned on the embattled Israel leader after Netanyahu congratulated then-President-elect Biden for winning the 2020 election while Trump was still trying to overturn the results.

White House spokesman Andrew Bates called Trump’s statements “dangerous and unhinged,” while the Israeli communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, told Israel’s Channel 13 that it was “shameful that a man like that, a former U.S. president, abets propaganda and disseminates things that wound the spirit of Israel’s fighters and its citizens.”

The political question going forward is whether Trump’s comments will hurt his current political standing as the commanding front-runner in the GOP presidential nomination race. 

“I think he stepped in it, but I think like almost everything else, it’s not likely to leave a lasting mark,” longtime New Hampshire based Republican consultant Jim Merrill told Fox News.

Pointing to Trump’s record in the White House, including his moving of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, Merrill said the former president’s “kind of inoculated himself on Israel.”

“Time will tell, but I think it’s likely this will be just another one of those things that we all thought might be an issue for him but won’t be,” he predicted.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman, Danielle Wallace, and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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

Counties in Pennsylvania have told Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and lawmakers that it is too late to move up the state’s 2024 presidential primary date if counties are to successfully administer the election.

In a letter, the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania said there is no longer enough time for counties to handle the tasks associated with moving next year’s primary election from the current date set in law, April 23.

The counties’ association drafted the letter after weeks of efforts by lawmakers to move up the primary date, in part to avoid a conflict with the Jewish holiday of Passover. That became embroiled in partisan and intraparty disagreements after Senate Republicans then touted moving up the date as a way to give the late primary state more say in deciding 2024’s presidential nominees.

PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE GREENLIGHTS EARLIER 2024 PRIMARY, BUT WILL LIKELY RUN AFOUL OF SENATE

County officials say they are planning for 2023’s election, less than five weeks away, and already spent many months of planning around holding 2024’s primary election on April 23.

“While we thank the General Assembly and the administration for their thoughtful discussions around this matter, at this date counties can no longer guarantee there will be sufficient time to make the changes necessary to assure a primary on a different date would be successful,” the organization’s executive director, Lisa Schaefer, wrote in the letter dated Friday.

Shapiro has supported changing the primary date to avoid it falling on Passover, but his administration has been silent about the protracted fight in the Legislature over moving it. Lawmakers have not yet shown a willingness to let the matter drop.

On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, a Republican, released a letter insisting that the House agree to the Senate’s preferred date of March 19, instead of the House’s counterproposal of April 2.

“In the Senate we now consider this matter to be closed,” Pittman wrote.

Counties face a number of challenges if the primary date moves.

Those include rescheduling more than 9,000 polling places that are typically contracted a year or more ahead of time, including in schools that then schedule a day off for teacher training. Schools would have to consider changing their calendars in the middle of the academic year, Schaefer said.

Counties also would need to reschedule tens of thousands poll workers, many of whom were prepared to work April 23 and had scheduled vacations or other obligations around the date, Schaefer said.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania — a presidential battleground state won by Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 — is still buffeted by former President Donald Trump’s baseless lies about a stolen election.

Schaefer said county elections staff are facing an increasingly hostile environment that has spurred “unprecedented turnover.”

Changing the presidential primary at this late date would put the state “at risk of having another layer of controversy placed on the 2024 election, as anything that doesn’t go perfectly will be used to challenge the election process and results,” Schaefer said. “This will add even more pressure on counties and election staff, and to put our staff under additional pressure will not help our counties retain them.”

PENNSYLVANIA CONSIDERING EARLIER 2024 PRIMARY DATE

Senate Republicans had backed a five-week shift, to March 19, in what they called a bid to make Pennsylvania relevant for the first time since 2008 in helping select presidential nominees. County election officials had said April 9 or April 16 would be better options.

House Democrats countered last week with a proposal to move the date to April 2, two days after Easter. However, Senate Republicans are echoing the concerns of county election officials who say the nexus with Easter will make it difficult to get voting machines and election materials into churches that also serve as polling places.

House Republicans opposed a date change, saying it threatened counties’ ability to smoothly administer the primary election.

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Critics also suggested that moving up the date would help protect incumbent lawmakers by giving primary challengers less time to prepare and that 2024’s presidential nominees will be all-but settled well before March 19.

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

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UNCERTAIN SPEAKER

The House has been in limbo for 10 days without a speaker. The GOP nominee with the most support from his party — Rep. Steve Scalise — doesn’t have enough to support to win the top job in the House …Read more

LOW ODDS: Why Scalise’s speaker math may never work …Read more

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: In private meetings with GOP members, Scalise does not appear to have made headway in convincing his colleagues to support him. Some hardliners are calling to have the fight out in the open …Read more

War rages on in Israel

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: Suspended Biden Iran envoy once pushed engagement with terror groups …Read more

‘HELP IS ON THE WAY’: DeSantis moves to help Americans stranded in Israel …Read more

FAILING UP: Top Biden adviser’s blunders come back to haunt him after recent claim about Middle East …Read more

‘NONSENSE’: Israeli Minister of Communications characterizes Trump’s recent comments on Netanyahu as ‘shameful,’ says ex-president cannot be relied on …Read more

‘ABSURD’: DeSantis slams Trump for ‘attack’ on Netanyahu, calling terror group ‘smart’ …Read more

SHOW OF SUPPORT: Senators set to introduce bipartisan resolution supporting Israel as fighting continues with Hamas …Read more

CAMPUS PROTECTION: Lawmakers call on Biden admin to do something to help Jewish college students in the face of  pro-Hamas  demonstrations …Read more

Around DC

‘POT MET KETTLE’: Fetterman roasted for comment on quality of D.C. politicians …Read more

‘FAILURE TO COMPLY’: Rubio calls on Biden to crack down on Iran amid Israel-Hamas war …Read more

‘NO REASON TO DOUBT’: White House official shuts down reporter questioning ‘authenticity’ of dead Israeli children photos …Read more

‘BOTTLENECKING’: Fossil fuel permitting plummets to two-decade low amid Biden’s war on oil drilling …Read more

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

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., was roasted on social media after he claimed Wednesday America is failing to send its “best and brightest” to serve in Congress.

“You all need to know that America is not sending their best and brightest to Washington, D.C.,” Fetterman remarked during a late-night interview with Stephen Colbert, sparking laughter from the audience. “Sometimes you literally just can’t believe these people are making the decisions that are determining the government here. It’s actually scary.”

Fetterman’s comments came in response to a question from Colbert about whether it was “awkward” to face a lawmaker in person who he posted a meme about. 

Shortly after his remarks, Fetterman was roundly mocked by social media users who commented that he “embodies the very truth he speaks.”

CRITICS DRESS DOWN SENATE’S ‘PATHETIC’ DECISION TO AXE FORMAL DRESS CODE: FETTERMAN MUST BE ‘VERY FRAGILE’

“Fetterman speaks truth. He’s unaware of it, but he embodies the very truth he speaks,” former GOP Gov. Mike Huckabee wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “This could have been a skit on SNL. But it was a rare funny moment on Colbert.”

REPUBLICAN SENATORS SLAM RELAXED DRESS CODE, DEMAND SCHUMER REVERSE CHANGES

“Yes. Fetterman — the guy who lived off of his parents into his 40s and has never held a job in the real world in his life — actually said that,” conservative columnist and author Joe Concha wrote.

Steve Guest, a former staffer for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, added, “Pot met kettle,” while Libs of TikTok creator Chaya Raichik said in a post, “Does he own a mirror.”

FETTERMAN BLASTED BY CONSERVATIVES AFTER SENATE DROPS DRESS CODE: ‘STOP LOWERING THE BAR!’

“Just wait until John Fetterman hears about John Fetterman,” Alex Lorusso, a conservative commentator and media producer, said.

“The whole Fetterman thing is just one giant troll,” added Monica Crowley, a conservative podcast host and former Trump administration official.

“For once in his life, John Fetterman is correct. But is he aware that includes himself is the question,” conservative commentator Benny Johnson said.

Fetterman’s appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” comes weeks after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., relaxed dress requirements for the chamber that allowed Fetterman to continue to wear his trademark hooded sweatshirts and gym shorts. The move was blasted by critics who argued for decorum in the Senate.

Shortly after the rule change, a resolution introduced by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was passed unanimously, formalizing a dress code for men that includes wearing a coat, tie, and slacks.

During the interview Wednesday, Fetterman and Colbert both mocked the outrage sparked by the brief relaxation of the Senate’s dress code.

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The pair also discussed at length Fetterman’s recovery from a stroke and his mental health issues. The Pennsylvania Democrat was hospitalized earlier this year to treat depression, and he continues to struggle with auditory processing problems that have made communication difficult.

Fetterman used a tablet to transcribe Colbert’s questions during the interview.

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

Fox News Digital’s Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

An Israeli official on Thursday slammed former President Trump’s remarks on Israeli intelligence and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “shameful.” 

Shlomo Karhi, member of the Knesset in the Likud party and serving as Israel’s minister of communications, reportedly told Israel’s Channel 13 that it is “shameful that a man like that, a former U.S. president, abets propaganda and disseminates things that wound the spirit of Israel’s fighters and its citizens.”

“We don’t have to bother with him and the nonsense he spouts,” Karhi added. 

When asked if Trump’s remarks make it clear that he cannot be relied on, Karhi reportedly replied, according to the Times of Israel, “Obviously.”

DESANTIS SLAMS TRUMP FOR ‘ATTACK’ ON NETANYAHU, CALLING TERROR GROUP ‘SMART’

Both Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, competing against Trump for the 2024 presidential election, and the Biden administration have condemned Trump’s Wednesday speech in Florida on Israel. 

Addressing a crowd in West Palm Beach, Trump criticized Israeli intelligence for not detecting Gaza-based Hamas’ brutal, large-scale terror operation over the weekend in advance and blamed the Biden administration purportedly for outwardly signaling to Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon of Israel’s vulnerability along its northern border. 

Seemingly referring to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Trump said, “They have a national defense minister or somebody saying, ‘I hope Hezbollah doesn’t attack us from the north.’ So the following morning, they attacked … If you listen to this jerk, you would attack from the north because he said, ‘That’s our weak spot.’”

Trump remarked that Hezbollah was “very smart” for following every word put out by American and Israeli officials. When reached by Fox News Digital, a Trump campaign spokesperson clarified that “President Trump was clearly pointing out how incompetent Biden and his administration were by telegraphing to the terrorists an area that is susceptible to an attack.” 

BLINKEN, IN ISRAEL, SAYS MORE AMERICANS KILLED, VOWS SOLIDARITY ‘ALWAYS’

“Smart does not equal good. It just proves Biden is stupid,” the campaign spokesperson said. 

Also in his speech, Trump criticized Netanyahu, claiming the Israeli leader backed out at the last minute in the Trump administration’s plan to kill Iran’s top security and intelligence commander, Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, who was taken out by an American drone strike in 2020. “I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down. That was a very terrible thing,” Trump said.

The former president and current 2024 GOP front-runner added in the speech that if he regains office, “the United States will fully support Israel, defeating, dismantling, and permanently destroying the terrorist group, Hamas.”

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White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates categorized Trump’s statements as “dangerous and unhinged,” while Biden has condemned Hamas’ “sickening atrocities” as “pure evil.”

Fox News Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

Offshore oil and gas permitting under President Biden has fallen to a low the energy industry has not experienced since the Bush administration two decades ago, according to federal data reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Since January 2021, when Biden took office, the federal government has approved applications for permit to drill on just 157 new wells, according to the data compiled by Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). The figure represents a 29% decline compared to the same period under the Trump administration and a 55% decline compared to the same period under the Obama administration.

“Policymakers should leverage the Gulf of Mexico to help meet growing global oil demand,” Erik Milito, the president of the National Ocean Industries Association, told Fox News Digital. “The Gulf of Mexico is a prime example of doing more with less.”

“We were producing more than 2 million barrels of oil per day in the Gulf of Mexico prior to the pandemic, despite the number of active lease blocks being much lower than they were 5, 10, or 15 years ago,” he continued. “We produce a massive amount of energy with a small footprint. However, bottlenecking the permitting process is a surefire way to discourage the success of the region despite growing global demand.”

REPUBLICANS URGE BIDEN ADMIN TO STOP DELAYING MAJOR GAS PIPELINE PROJECT

In 2021 and 2022, the BSEE reported the federal government green-lit 52 and 53 offshore drilling permits, respectively, marking the first time since 2003 the figure had fallen below 60. 

Additionally, while the Biden administration issued 105 permits in its first two years, the Trump administration issued 148 permits, the Obama administration issued 275 permits, and the Bush administration, in the first two years of its second term, issued 704 permits.

MANCHIN, OTHERS TORCH BIDEN FOR BANNING OIL DRILLING ACROSS MILLIONS OF ACRES: ‘ASSAULT ON OUR ECONOMY’

“Given that a production well in the Gulf of Mexico can cost hundreds of millions of dollars in total to develop, decision-makers must be judicious in deciding to develop a lease,” added Milito, whose organization represents both traditional and renewable offshore energy producers. “Their job is made much more difficult when they cannot depend on a predictable regulatory process.”

“Without a fair and stable leasing and permitting system, energy producers will be incentivized to leave and go to regions with a more predictable regulatory environment,” he said.

In addition to its permitting policies, the Biden administration has been heavily criticized by both industry and lawmakers over its approach to oil and gas leasing. Biden entered office after making a campaign promise to block all new leasing on federal lands and waters and, in May 2022, his administration canceled all three remaining offshore fossil fuel lease sales set for the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska.

The administration was ultimately forced to resume leasing after a federal court struck the policy down and the canceled lease sales were reinstated under the Inflation Reduction Act.

BIDEN ADMIN UNVEILS SWEEPING NEW ACTIONS INCREASING COSTS FOR OIL, GAS LEASING

However, the Department of the Interior (DOI) proposed a five-year offshore oil and gas leasing program late last month that includes just three lease sales through 2029, the fewest number of offshore lease sales ever proposed by the federal government.

“The proposed final program, with three potential oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico is nothing short of a slap in the face to the American taxpayer. And for what? This plan will go down as one of the great blunders of the Biden administration,” House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., said in response to the plan.

Overall, both onshore and offshore fossil fuel production on federal lands and waters has yet to return to its pre-pandemic level of 13.1 million barrels a day recorded in March 2020, Energy Information Administration data showed. As of Sept. 29, when the latest data was released, overall production hit 12.9 million barrels a day.

Offshore oil production remains at 1.9 million barrels a day, about 200,000 barrels per day less than the pre-pandemic level under the Trump administration.

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“U.S. energy production is at an all-time high, reflecting not only industry security but also the Administration’s work to encourage responsible production in existing areas,” DOI spokesperson Melissa Schwartz told Fox News Digital in a statement. “There are millions of acres of leased, non-producing acres of federal land and waters for oil and gas development.” 

“There are similarly thousands of approved permits that industry is letting sit, un-developed,” she continued. “The Interior Department will continue to support responsible development of our natural resources. Offshore permitting reviews are conducted by the same dedicated career civil servants that have always done them. We will defer to BSEE on any further information.”

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., who chairs the Congressional Western Caucus, introduced legislation that would block a federal proposal to release grizzly bears in a forest area in his state.

The legislation would force the Department of the Interior to withdraw a proposed rule and draft environmental impact statement (EIS) that opens the door to release the apex predator in the federally-managed North Cascades National Park in northern Washington. The proposal — unveiled in September by the National Park Service (NPS) and Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) — was cheered by left-wing eco groups but criticized by local lawmakers and residents.

“Central Washingtonians have consistently voiced their concerns and opposition over the introduction of grizzly bears into the North Cascades Ecosystem, yet unelected bureaucrats from the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service continue to try to force these predators upon our communities,” Newhouse said in a statement. 

“These agencies should listen to the people who would be most impacted by these actions and immediately withdraw their proposed rule and draft EIS statement so members of the region can rest safely knowing that an 800 pound apex predator is not going to enter into their backyard,” added the Washington lawmaker who represents communities that would be impacted by the proposal.

REPUBLICANS URGE BIDEN ADMIN TO STOP DELAYING MAJOR GAS PIPELINE PROJECT

The Biden administration’s proposal late last month included three options, two that would involve actively restoring populations of the threatened apex predator species and one “no action” alternative that would maintain current management practices. As part of the announcement, the public is invited to comment on the proposed actions through mid-November.

Under the plan, NPS and FWS would release up to seven grizzly bears annually into the North Cascades ecosystem over the course of the next five to 10 years. The federal government’s overarching goal would be to establish a grizzly bear population of roughly 200 bears in the coming decades.

WHITE HOUSE PROHIBITING OFFICIAL TRAVEL TO FOSSIL FUEL CONFERENCES, INTERNAL MEMO SHOWS

“If this part of our natural heritage is restored, it should be done in a way that ensures communities, property, and the animals can all coexist peacefully,” Hugh Morrison, the regional FWS director, said in a statement.

Grizzly bears occupied the North Cascades and served as an “essential part of the ecosystem” for thousands of years. However, in the 20th century, as a result of aggressive hunting practices, the species was driven into near extinction and the last confirmed sighting of a grizzly bear in the North Cascades ecosystem was in 1996, the NPS said.

According to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, unintentionally or intentionally killing a grizzly bear in the state can result in massive fines and penalties since the species is listed as federally threatened and state-listed as endangered.

BIDEN SIGNS BILL INTO LAW THAT REVERSES HIS ADMIN’S DEFUNDING OF SCHOOL HUNTING, SHOOTING PROGRAMS

“We have previously provided extensive comments opposing grizzly bear reintroduction into our local communities,” the commissioners of Chelan County, Washington, which is located near North Cascades, wrote to the NPS in December. “We continue to oppose grizzly bear reintroduction given the likely negative impacts to public safety, economic development, recreation opportunities and the overall livelihood of our rural communities.” 

“The federal agencies leading this effort have generally failed to address these concerns and have failed to engage in any meaningful way Chelan County and other neighboring counties in the proposed grizzly bear restoration area,” they added in their letter.

Plans to reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascades dates back to the Obama administration. Then, after significant state opposition led by Newhouse, the Trump administration concluded that grizzly bears would not be restored in the ecosystem. 

Former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt noted in July 2020 that grizzly bears are not in danger of extinction and that his agency could manage populations across their existing range.

However, late last year, following extensive litigation from environmental groups, the Biden administration announced it would again review whether to move forward with restoration, a process that led to the proposal last month.

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“Fortunately, communities in the Rocky Mountains and elsewhere have demonstrated how humans can live successfully alongside grizzly bears, utilizing the many effective nonlethal tools to prevent conflicts between people and bears,” a coalition of more than a dozen environmental organizations wrote to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland last year, urging the restoration of grizzly bears in Washington.

“Thanks to the work of state and federal agencies, Tribes, businesses, and nonprofits, many people across the North Cascades are already using bear-resistant trash cans, electric fences, and other tools to coexist with grizzlies and other wildlife.”

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, sent a letter to the U.S. State Department on Wednesday calling for a tougher crackdown on Iran and its role in helping carry out the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel over the weekend.

Rubio, along with several co-signers, including Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., among others, also want the administration to release information about the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) investigation into Iran. The GOP senators criticized the lack of progress in resolving key questions about Iran’s nuclear program during a September IAEA Board of Governors meeting.

Over the last five years, the IAEA has been conducting an inquiry into Iran’s undisclosed nuclear material and endeavors linked to a covert initiative in 2003 aimed at creating atomic weaponry, known as the Amad Plan. 

“The Iranian regime is intent on fomenting terror across the region, as evidenced by its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah’s, brutal attacks this weekend on our ally, Israel,” Rubio wrote. “Now more than ever, you must ensure that you hold the regime accountable for its failure to comply with obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.” 

BIDEN ISSUES CRYPTIC WARNING TO IRAN AFTER ADMIN DENIES COUNTY WAS INVOLVED IN HAMAS ATTACK: ‘BE CAREFUL’

The Nuclear-Non-Proliferation Treaty, which came into law in 1970, is an international treaty aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology to nonnuclear weapon regions. 

Rubio wrote that despite the IAEA’s repeated attempts to access several Iranian regions, it “has not been able to determine whether Tehran retains covert nuclear weapons activities.”

“The Biden Administration has failed to press for concrete action against Iran in Vienna. We are especially disturbed by reports that the United States led efforts to oppose a censure of Iran,” Rubio wrote. “As Iran violates its commitments and refuses to comply with the IAEA, your business-as-usual approach to resolving the situation is tantamount to an endorsement of the Iranian regime’s activities.”

US MUST STOP FEEDING ‘MONSTER’ IRAN FOLLOWING HAMAS’ ATTACK ON ISRAEL: FORMER TRUMP ADVISER AND SCHOLAR SAYS

He added, “Further, your failure to pursue a censure of Iran, likely in conjunction with ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran that you continue to conceal from Congress, is simply unconscionable.”

According to a congressional report in July, which cited U.S. intelligence assessments, Tehran — the capital of Iran — has the “capacity to produce nuclear weapons at some point,” but froze the program and “has not mastered all of the necessary technologies for building such weapons.” While both the IAEA and the U.S. government continue to investigate Iran and have not found evidence they are involved in creating any nuclear weapons, they “assess that Iran is more likely to use covert, rather than declared, facilities to produce the requisite fissile material.”

However, Rubio said “many questions remain with regard to Iran’s nuclear activities” given several instances where they violated the Safeguards Agreement — the framework for the IAEA to verify that nuclear materials and facilities are used for peaceful purposes and not diverted for any military or explosive purposes — at two sites with undisclosed nuclear activity. 

Rubio joins a growing choir of GOP lawmakers who are seeking answers from the Biden administration on the $6 billion deal with Iran in exchange for five American prisoners last month. 

The deal allowed the transfer of Iran’s frozen assets held in a South Korean bank to accounts in Qatar. The administration said the money can only be used for humanitarian purposes, and the U.S. will have oversight as to how and when the funds are used, but it quickly drew skepticism about whether those funds could have been used to fund the surprise attack in Israel. 

KAMALA HARRIS ALLIES FURIOUS OVER DISRESPECT FROM DEMOCRATS: ‘CUT THE BULLS—‘   

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A Hamas spokesperson Ghazi Hamad told the BBC this week that they had Iran’s support for the attacks, which began Saturday. A bombshell Wall Street Journal report Sunday also said Hamas and Hezbollah helped Iran plan the attack — which killed at least 1,200 Israelis and injured thousands more — contradicting the administration’s statements.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, speaking Wednesday at the annual International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Marrakesh, Morocco, said the money has not been spent and could be re-frozen.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department for comment on Rubio’s letter.

Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.