NationalWatch

Bernie Moreno, a U.S. Senate candidate vying for the Republican nomination to take on three-term incumbent Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown next year, has reportedly raised $4 million in the third quarter, according to campaign finance disclosures, and $3 million of that has come out of his own pocket. 

The wealthy Cleveland businessman, who has received praise from former President Donald Trump, also announced he has about $5 million in cash on hand. 

The Republican’s campaign provided those figures to Politico ahead of the Oct. 15 disclosure deadline with the Federal Elections Commission.

Moreno, who made headlines earlier this year for suggesting reparations for White descendants of Civil War soldiers at a campaign stop, is one of the first major Senate Republican candidates to reveal his campaign haul for the third quarter, which spans from July 1 to Sept. 30.

OHIO DEMOCRAT EARMARKED A 6-FIGURE AMOUNT TO GROUP THAT PROMOTED ‘DRAG QUEEN SONG AND STORY TIME’

Moreno previously said he raised nearly $2.3 million in the second quarter. This is his second bid for the U.S. Senate after a short-lived primary run in 2022. 

Trump, who played a key role in throwing support behind candidates in the midterms, praised Moreno in a TRUTH Social post in April but has not yet endorsed a candidate in the 2024 race. 

“Word is that Bernie Moreno, the highly respected businessman from the GREAT STATE of OHIO, and the father-in-law of fantastic young Congressman, Max Miller, is thinking of running for the Senate. He would not be easy to beat, especially against Brown, one of the worst in the Senate!” Trump wrote. 

OHIO GOP SENATE CANDIDATE BERNIE MORENO PROPOSES REPARATIONS FOR WHITE DESCENDANTS OF CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS

Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, considered a top ally to Trump, endorsed Moreno in May. 

“Thrilled to endorse Bernie Moreno for senate. He’s a good friend, a job creator, and will be a fantastic senator. We’d make a hell of a team!” Vance wrote on X, still known as Twitter at the time. 

Besides Moreno, considered a political outsider, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and State Sen. Matt Dolan, whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians baseball team, are also vying for the GOP nomination to take on Brown. Roll Call considers Brown one of the most vulnerable Democrat incumbents in the 2023 election.  

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Both Moreno and Dolan have the ability to finance their campaigns by dipping into their own fortunes. In the 2022 race, Moreno reported more than $3 million in self-financing, according to Politico. 

Someone at former President Trump’s $250 million civil fraud trial is definitely “lovin’ it.”

A “yuge” order of McDonald’s was carried into the Manhattan court on Monday as trial proceedings took a break for lunch. Staff in suits were pictured hauling at least six brown paper bags into the Centre Street complex — where Trump is on trial for allegedly inflating the value of his businesses by $2.2 billion. 

It is not clear who placed the order, but the former president has a well-documented love for the Golden Arches. When Trump occupied the White House, he was known to splurge on big orders and treat guests and staff to his favorite meal — a Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish, fries and milkshake.

In 2019, Trump served McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King to the NCAA national champion Clemson Tigers football team at the White House. 

TRUMP CIVIL TRIAL CONTINUES FOR A SECOND DAY IN NEW YORK CITY

The former president has previously admitted to feeling better about eating fast food from McDonald’s and Wendy’s due to hygiene and food-prep concerns, as well as taste.

“I’m a very clean person. I like cleanliness, and I think you’re better off going there than maybe someplace that you have no idea where the food’s coming from. It’s a certain standard,” he said in a 2016 interview. “I think the food’s good,” he added.

Trump may want some comfort food as he defends his business empire against allegations of fraud made by New York Attorney General Letitia James in a lawsuit.

The former president, who polls show currently leads the 2024 Republican presidential primary field by a massive margin, arrived in court in Lower Manhattan Monday morning for a non-jury trial, presided over by Judge Arthur Engoron, after a New York State Appeals Court rejected Trump’s request to delay the civil trial.

TRUMP TO ATTEND SECOND DAY OF CIVIL FRAUD TRAIL IN NEW YORK: LIVE UPDATES

Engoron last week ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization committed fraud while building his real estate empire by deceiving banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.

Engoron’s ruling comes after James sued Trump, his children and the Trump Organization, alleging that Trump “inflated his net worth by billions of dollars” and said his children helped him to do so.

Before entering the courtroom, Trump spoke to reporters, blasting the “disgrace” of a civil trial stemming from “corrupt” James’ lawsuit against him, and presided over by “corrupt” Judge Engoron.

Trump attorney Christopher Kise, in his opening statement Monday, said Trump’s financial statements contained no false entries, and argued that prosecutors were relying on the word of a “known liar”—former Trump attorney Michael Cohen—to establish wrongdoing.

TRUMP JUDGE FACES ONLINE BACKLASH AFTER SMILING, POSING FOR CAMERAS IN COURTROOM: ‘PARTISAN DEMOCRAT CLOWN’

Prosecutors claimed that Trump and his associates knowingly submitted false financial statements—basing their theory on Cohen’s sworn testimony. The prosecution played a clip of Cohen stating that Trump would regularly task him and other lawyers with inflating his net worth, even if only to raise his placement on the Forbes wealth list. The video showed Cohen testifying that he witnessed this behavior on a regular basis from 2011 to 2015.

Trump’s defense lawyers argued that James only began investigating Trump after she was elected attorney general in 2019 because of a campaign promise to “get Trump.” Trump attorney Alina Habba said the Trump Organization’s assets were actually “undervalued” and contested Engoron’s valuation of Mar-A-Lago at $18 million, saying it would sell for “at least” $1 billion.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Trump will return to court Tuesday, when prosecutors are expected to take testimony from their first witness, Donald Bender of accounting firm Mazars USA LLP, to its overall case. 

Bender’s testimony focused on financial records dating back to 2011, which fell outside the statute of limitations. James has promised the prosecution would tie his testimony to something within the statute of limitations at trial today. 

The civil trial against former President Donald Trump, his family and his business empire will continue Tuesday with more witness testimony as New York Attorney General Letitia James seeks to make her case that the Trump Organization overvalued its assets.

Trump attended the first day of the trial Monday and is expected to return Tuesday.

The court is expected to reconvene with James’ office tying testimony from its first witness, Donald Bender of accounting firm Mazars USA LLP, to its overall case. Bender’s testimony focused on financial records dating back to 2011, which fell outside of the statute of limitations. 

Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over the non-jury civil trial, said the questioning was a “waste of time” unless James’ office could tie it back to something within the statute of limitations–something James’ office promised to do Tuesday. 

TRUMP JUDGE FACES ONLINE BACKLASH AFTER SMILING, POSING FOR CAMERAS IN COURTROOM: ‘PARTISAN DEMOCRAT CLOWN’

Monday’s session marked an unprecedented scene in a Manhattan courtroom—featuring the former president of the United States and current 2024 Republican presidential primary frontrunner and his children defending their business empire.

Before entering the courtroom, Trump spoke to reporters, blasting the “disgrace” of a civil trial stemming from “corrupt” James’ lawsuit against him, and presided over by “corrupt” Judge Arthur Engoron.

Engoron last week ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization committed fraud while building his real estate empire by deceiving banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.

Engoron’s ruling came after James sued Trump, his children and the Trump Organization, alleging that the former president “inflated his net worth by billions of dollars,” and said his children helped him to do so.

Trump attorney Christopher Kise, in his opening statement Monday, said Trump’s financial statements contained no false entries, and argued that prosecutors were relying on the word of a “known liar”—former Trump attorney Michael Cohen—to establish wrongdoing.

Prosecutors claimed that Trump and his associates knowingly submitted false financial statements—basing their theory on Cohen’s sworn testimony. The prosecution played a clip of Cohen stating that Trump would regularly task him and other lawyers with inflating his net worth, even if only to raise his placement on the Forbes wealth list. The video showed Cohen testifying that he witnessed this behavior on a regular basis from 2011 to 2015.

Meanwhile, Trump attorney Alina Habba also highlighted that James began investigating Trump soon after she took her post as attorney general in 2019, after promising voters during her campaign that she would “get Trump” if elected.

NEW POLL REVEALS HUGE GAP IN CONCERN OVER BIDEN’S AGE VS. TRUMP’S IN HYPOTHETICAL 2024 MATCHUP

As for the Trump Organization’s valuations, Habba argued they were not fraudulent and stressed that the state of Trump’s financial condition was, in fact, “undervalued.”

Habba continued by saying that prosecutors were essentially arguing that if an individual listed their home at one price, but it sold for a lower one, they committed fraud.

Trump’s defense team argued that Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida estate, would sell for “at least” $1 billion—much more than Engoron’s valuation of $18 million.

Trump himself spoke to reporters outside the courtroom shortly after Habba’s statement. He argued that he has been “defrauded” by Engoron’s low valuation.

“We’re wasting time with this trial. It’s a disgrace,” Trump said. “The judge already made up his mind. He’s a Democrat. He’s an operative.”

The prosecution on Monday also called its first witness— Donald Bender, from the accounting firm, Mazars USA LLP. Bender, who spent several years preparing Trump’s tax returns, testified that he frequently interacted with Jeffrey McConney, the controller for the Trump Organization, to prepare statements of financial conditions, or balance sheets.

Bender said the information would be put into an engagement binder, and McConney or a member of his team would send an early draft of the statement and send backup schedules to cross-reference to make sure numbers were correct. Bender said he had to make sure the numbers on the statement they sent would match the numbers going into a spreadsheet. 

Bender testified he didn’t take any measures to ensure the information provided was true. He only raised an issue if something glaring stood out.

The Trump Organization was responsible for meeting generally accepted accounting procedures (GAAP), he said. Bender answered “yes” when asked if there were GAAP exceptions in multiple instances between 2011-2020. He said the Trump organization made the decision for a GAAP exception each time, and that he did not perform any additional accounting procedures to see if a GAAP exception was necessary.

AG MERRICK GARLAND CLAIMS IN INTERVIEW HE’D RESIGN IF BIDEN ASKED HIM TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST TRUMP

Bender testified that Mazars would not have issued the statement of financial condition for the Trump Organization if the firm was aware that any of the information was untrue.

But after nearly two hours of Bender testifying on 2011 financial documents, Judge Engoron criticized the prosecution, noting the documents in question fell outside the statute of limitations.

The Appellate Division in Manhattan decided this summer that James could no longer sue for alleged transactions that occurred before July 13, 2014, or Feb. 6, 2016, depending on the defendant.

“Unless you can relate the 2011 docs to something that happened later, this has all been a waste of time,” Engoron said. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

James’ office promised the judge to explain why it is relevant during Tuesday’s session.

James, a Democrat, brought the lawsuit against Trump last year alleging he and his company misled banks and others about the value of his assets. James claimed Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric, as well as his associates and businesses, committed “numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation” on their financial statements.

That appellate ruling over the summer also dismissed Ivanka Trump as a defendant. 

Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this report. 

EXCLUSIVE – The attorney for one of the 19 defendants indicted alongside former President Trump says his client, Scott Hall, can now “get on with living his life.” Hall and his attorney, Jeff Weiner, have reached a plea deal with the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office in Georgia.

A grand jury indicted Hall in August on charges stemming from alleged election interference in the state’s 2020 presidential election. Weiner, who spoke exclusively with Fox News after reaching the plea agreement Friday, said the issue for Hall was not the facts of the case, but his intent.

“I am convinced that he had no criminal intent,” Weiner said. “I am absolutely certain that he is a good man.”

Hall, a bail bondsman, traveled to Georgia’s rural Coffee County to investigate allegations of election fraud following President Biden’s narrow victory in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.

GEORGIA INDICTMENT: FIRST TRUMP CO-DEFENDANT PLEADS GUILTY IN FULTON COUNTY COURT

According to Weiner, Hall “believed a lot of the things that Donald Trump and others in his camp were saying and so he got involved to find out for himself what was going on.”

“My client was a very curious patriotic American,” Weiner said. “He regrets that he got involved with all that.”

Under the plea deal, Hall will serve five years of probation, pay $5,000 in fines and perform 200 hours of community service.

After that, “the nightmare will be over and he can get on with living his life,” Weiner said.

In reaching the agreement, Weiner said he and his client considered the uncertainty of how long a trial would last.

“To live with an indictment like that, it affects your life. It affects your health. Now, it’s over,” Weiner said.

Hall pleaded guilty to five counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with the performance of election duties. Those are misdemeanor charges, down from the seven felony charges he faced in the indictment. 

Weiner revealed that the plea deal took weeks to negotiate and added that the DA’s office was “professional, polite, and courteous.” 

Part of that deal was that Hall will have to testify if the state chooses to call him as a witness in future court proceedings related to the case. However, Weiner said he believes it is very unlikely to happen.

SIDNEY POWELL AND KENNETH CHESEBRO TO BE TRIED SEPARATELY FROM TRUMP, 16 OTHER DEFENDANTS IN GEORGIA CASE

“I’m not sure he will be called,” Weiner said. “He really doesn’t have any knowledge beyond what is already known and in the indictment.”

Hall is the first defendant to take a plea deal and Weiner, who has 50 years of experience as a criminal defense attorney, said he thinks it is possible other defendants will now want plea deals as well.

Weiner said he believes several of the other defendants are in a similar situation as his client, where they do not dispute the facts of the case, but insist they had no intent for wrongdoing.

“I’ve won cases that I’m surprised I won,” Weiner said. “I’ve lost cases that I thought I should’ve won. Any experienced, competent criminal lawyer knows there’s no guarantees in front of a jury. While I’m confident I could’ve won in front of a jury… the risk of felony charges, it wasn’t worth it for my client.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Weiner said he believes other defendants may reach the same conclusion.

After the first impeachment inquiry hearing launched by House Republicans against President Biden, some legal experts are split on whether the accusations leveled against the president warrant an impeachment. But they all said the evidence needs to be investigated.

Following the marathon hearing on Thursday that lasted several hours, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said that GOP lawmakers successfully outlined how the Biden family brought in “over $15 million in their foreign influence peddling, over $24 million if you account for their associate’s earnings from the schemes” by leveraging access to then-Vice President Joe Biden.  

“We have established in the first phase of this investigation where this money has come from: Ukraine, Romania, Russia, Kazakhstan, China, it didn’t come from selling anything legitimate. It largely went unreported to the IRS. It was funneled through shell companies and third parties to hide the Biden’s fingerprints,” Comer said.

House Republicans are still making their case in the impeachment inquiry process, but legal experts who spoke to Fox News Digital are split on whether the evidence presented so far meets the threshold of an impeachable offense. 

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

“There’s smoke, but there’s no fire. There’s not enough to impeach, but there’s enough to investigate,” former Harvard professor and lawyer Alan Dershowitz told Fox New Digital in an interview. 

Dershowitz argued that because the allegations from Republicans revolve around activity from when Biden was vice president and not in his current position in the Oval Office, that precludes him from being impeached. 

“I think there’s a lot of hypocrisy going on. Many of the same people who denied that Donald Trump was subject to impeachment now seem to be suggesting maybe that Biden is. And we have to have one rule for everybody. We can’t have separate rules for Democrats or Republicans,” said Dershowitz.

TEXTS SUGGEST BIDEN REQUESTED MEETING WITH SON’S CHINESE BUSINESS PARTNER AFTER COMPANY PAID HUNTER MILLIONS

But John Shu, a lawyer who served in both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush administrations, argued that Republicans have “plenty of evidence” to start an impeachment inquiry. 

“An impeachment inquiry is akin to a preliminary investigation or grand jury investigation.  The purpose is to gather facts for later analysis and presentation, not to actually impeach anyone, and thus the legal standard to start it is lower,” said Shu. 

“It is before the actual impeachment process, which is akin to a filing an indictment,” he explained. “The Senate holds the impeachment trial, with House members acting as prosecutors and Chief Justice Roberts serving as the presiding judge.” 

Shu said that starting an impeachment inquiry “opens the options for the House to subpoena certain people and documents and the investigations are no longer tied or limited to a specific committee and its specific oversight functions.”

Which is exactly what Comer did; immediately following Thursday’s hearing, he subpoenaed the bank records of Hunter Biden, James Biden and their affiliated companies.

Shu added that what the Oversight Committee’s investigation has yielded thus far, including IRS whistleblower claims that suggest certain Justice Department individuals inappropriately intervened on behalf of President Biden during their federal probe of Hunter Biden, also warrants a congressional inquiry into the president — who, Shu says, “has been forced to backtrack from his previous claims that he’s had nothing to do with Hunter’s business activities.”

DEMOCRATS SEEK TO SWITCH BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY HEARING FOCUS TO TRUMP

For example, according to the whistleblowers, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf, who works for U.S. Attorney David Weiss in charge of the Hunter Biden probe, personally intervened to prevent investigators from following where the evidence was leading them, and Weiss’s office appears to have slow-walked the various Hunter Biden investigations to let the statutes of limitations run out,” Shu suggests. 

Jim Trusty, a former federal prosecutor and former lawyer for President Donald Trump, concurred, saying congressional oversight and impeachment are “the only real options” for Republicans to deal with the alarming findings by the committee. 

“Biden-appointed U.S. attorneys are simply not politically suicidal — they will not open a case,” Trusty told Fox News Digital. “There is no reason for Congress to think any prosecutor has an appetite for breaking ranks and pursuing this case, so oversight and impeachment (and thus, public scrutiny) are the only real options,’ he said.

In terms of the timing issue Dershowitz raised, Trusty doesn’t believe it’s an issue. 

“I don’t think it’s a particularly powerful problem here — if there are bribes and payments that essentially compromised or indebted the Bidens to these foreign actors, then the timing of those payments is pretty immaterial,” Trusty said. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“If President Biden made certain decisions on trade, on military action or weapons, on ignoring aggressive behavior by our adversaries because of the financial transactions or his fear of those transactions going public, the consequences are simply not over,” he said. 

“You could also point to [the president’s] evolving story about Hunter’s dealings and his knowledge of the Biden brand being sold, particularly with the lighter definition of impeachable offenses that was established at President Trump’s expense,” Trusty added. 

A Republican congressman and member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus admitted last week he “was praying” the GOP would win just a “small” majority in the House of Representatives ahead of the 2022 midterm elections in order to shift the party further to the right, according to video obtained Monday by Fox News Digital.

“When a lot of people, unfortunately, were voting, to have a 270, 280 Republican House, I was praying each evening for a small majority, because I recognize that that small majority was the only way that we were going to advance a conservative agenda,” Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., said during a closed briefing, which The Messenger first reported was “a virtual briefing for around 50 top conservative donors.”

“If it was the right majority, that if we had six or seven very strong individuals, we would drag the conference over to the right,” he added.

GAETZ, MCCARTHY CLASH ON X FOLLOWING MOTION TO END SPEAKERSHIP: ‘BRING IT ON’

Rosendale went on to praise Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., a frequent critic of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, for being there “from the very beginning helping accomplish that.” Gaetz, who was seated next to Rosendale in the video, along with former Trump administration official Steve Bannon, introduced a motion to vacate against McCarthy to remove him from the speakership on Monday.

“It always goes back to leadership though, which is what the first battle was about in January, and we have to change that leadership,” he added, appearing to express support for Gaetz’s bid to remove McCarthy.

Fox has reached out to Rosendale’s office for comment.

NEW POLL REVEALS HUGE GAP IN CONCERN OVER BIDEN’S AGE VS. TRUMP’S IN HYPOTHETICAL 2024 MATCHUP

The congressman’s admission came as different factions of the Republican Party clashed over a deal that would avoid a shutdown of the U.S. government, the main factor in Gaetz’s effort to remove McCarthy. A deal was ultimately reached, but at the dismay of a number of the more right-leaning Republicans in the House, including Rosendale.

Rosendale is considering a run against Montana Democrat Sen. Jon Tester, who is up for re-election next year. He ran unsuccessfully against Tester in 2018, coming just under 18,000 votes short.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Should he enter the race for the Republican nomination, he would join former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy and businessman Jeremy Mygland.

A new Monmouth University poll released Thursday revealed a huge gap in the level of concern from voters over President Biden’s advanced age versus former President Donald Trump’s.

According to the poll, 76% of voters agreed Biden, 80, was “too old” to serve another term, compared to just 48% who said the same about Trump, 77, despite the difference in their ages being just three and a half years. 

Of the 76% who said Biden was “too old,” 55% strongly agreed versus just 26% of the 48% who said the same about Trump.

SUPPORT FOR BIDEN IN BORDER REGION CRUMBLING AS CRISIS BENEFITS ILLEGALS OVER AMERICANS: TEXAS’ MAYRA FLORES

Trump also edged Biden when it came to voter enthusiasm about their candidacies with 56% of voters saying they were either enthusiastic or very enthusiastic about him becoming the Republican nominee for president. Just 46% of voters said the same about the prospect of Biden becoming the Democrat nominee.

When broken down to just independent voters, 35% were enthusiastic about a Trump candidacy versus just 19% for a Biden candidacy.

In a hypothetical 2024 matchup, 43% of voters said they would definitely or probably vote for Trump while 42% said they would definitely or probably vote for Biden. 57% said they definitely or probably wouldn’t vote for Biden, and 56% said they definitely or probably wouldn’t vote for Trump.

FORMER DEMOCRAT OFFERS ADVICE FOR TEXAS MAYOR UNDER FIRE FOR DITCHING DEM PARTY TO JOIN GOP

Biden’s 42% support was down from the 47% a Monmouth poll found in July, and Trump’s 43% was an increase from 40% in the same poll that month.

According to the poll, Biden’s support from Black, Latino and Asian voters dropped significantly from the July poll, down to 47% from 63%. Trump, however, jumped to 33% from 23% in July.

Biden narrowly came out on top in favorability with 41% of voters viewing him as very or somewhat favorable compared to just 38% for Trump. 59% said they viewed Biden as very or somewhat unfavorable, compared to 62% for Trump.

LAWMAKER DEMANDS ANSWERS AFTER BIDEN OFFICIAL IMPLICATED IN IRANIAN INFLUENCE SCHEME: ‘UNBELIEVABLE’

When it came to Trump’s ongoing legal issues surrounding his response to the 2020 presidential election, 46% of voters said he committed a crime. Just 22% said Trump did something wrong, but did not commit a crime while 29% said he did nothing wrong.

On the House impeachment inquiry into President Biden, 34% said Biden should be impeached, 16% said Biden may have violated his oath of office but shouldn’t be impeached, and 43% said Biden did not violate his oath of office.

Just 15% said they had “a lot” of trust in the House to conduct a fair investigation into Biden, 33% said “a little,” and 50% said not at all.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Concerning Hunter Biden’s legal troubles, 27% said they made it less likely they would support Biden for president, but 72% said they would have no impact on their voting decision.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., has followed through on his renewed threat to introduce a motion to vacate against House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Gaetz, a frequent McCarthy critic, introduced the motion Monday evening on the House floor.

“Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause two A1 of Rule nine, I rise to give notice of my intent to raise a question of the privileges of House,” Gaetz said. “Declaring the office Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacant. Resolved that the office of Speaker of the House Representatives is hereby declared to be vacant.”

NEW POLL REVEALS HUGE GAP IN CONCERN OVER BIDEN’S AGE VS. TRUMP’S IN HYPOTHETICAL 2024 MATCHUP

Gaetz’s move will force the House to take a vote on whether to keep McCarthy as speaker within two legislative days. 

There are a number of members undecided on how they would vote on such a measure, but it’s likely McCarthy will need at least some Democrat votes to keep his job. Democrats could be in a position to try and extract concessions from McCarthy for their votes. 

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told Fox News following Gaetz’s move that he believes a motion to vacate at this time is “a bad idea.” Additionally, Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., told Fox he was undecided.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

McCarthy reacted to the motion with a post on X. “Bring it on,” he simply said.

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

Fox News’ Brianna O’Neil contributed to this report.

A group of young conservatives at the University of Southern California are ready for a new GOP future but agree that former President Donald Trump is the strongest candidate going into 2024.

Seven Republican candidates battled at the recent second presidential debate to prove if they can be an alternative to front-runner Trump, who is polling ahead with 60% of Republican primary support, according to Fox News polling.

“Vivek Ramaswamy,” said four students when asked who won the debate, with only one student saying they felt Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., was last Wednesday night’s winner.

The presidential candidates railed against Trump for skipping the second debate, with DeSantis saying he was “missing in action” and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie calling him “Donald Duck” – and members of the USC College Republicans chapter agreed that Trump “needed to be there.”

SECOND REPUBLICAN DEBATE: HERE’S THE BIGGEST WINNER AND THE BIGGEST LOSER

“I think for the people on the fence, he needed to be there. I would have wished he was there,” said senior Angelica Baker, an international relations major.

“I think that’s something voters needed to see, so I hope he chooses to participate in the next one,” another student told Fox.

“He’s leading by insurmountable odds,” USC senior Daniel Parker, who is also an international relations major, said of Trump. “And there’s no benefit to him to actually step on the stage.”

5 FIERY MOMENTS FROM THE SECOND GOP DEBATE

Chris Christie and former Vice President Mike Pence were named as having the worst performance in the GOP debate by nearly all the students, who said they are “running for a position that nobody wants them to run for.”

“For the worst night probably, Christie,” Parker said. “He’s trying to play to the Never Trumpers, and the Never Trumpers are just not big enough to get him any type of traction.”

“Nobody really looked like a leader up there. A lot of people look like they were squabbling,” Parker added.

The overall mood of the second debate was that the Republican candidates performed better than the first showdown but are still lagging behind Trump.

One student said it “just reminded me of me and my siblings” and that this scenario of arguing back and forth is “not something that you want in the Oval Office.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I feel like there is improvement in almost every candidate in terms of just how they presented themselves. I think DeSantis had a noticeably better stance – I guess you could say just better projecting his views and his opinions,” another student said.

“You’ve just got to prove that you can be more viable than Trump, and I just don’t see that yet,” said Lorenzo Aguirre, a business and real estate finance major.

The New York judge presiding over the civil fraud trial of former President Donald Trump was blasted on social media on Monday after cameras caught him smiling for the cameras as the trial got underway.

Conservatives on social media immediately reacted with outrage on Monday when New York City Judge Arthur Engoron was briefly shown in the courtroom smiling and taking off his glasses to seemingly pose for cameras that were filming inside the courtroom. 

“This New York City judge is a partisan Democrat clown,” Article III Project founder and president Mike Davis posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Disgraceful.”

TRUMP DEFENDS ‘PHENOMENAL’ FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AHEAD OF ‘DISGRACE’ OF TRIAL OUT OF ‘CORRUPT’ NYAG JAMES PROBE

“Just smiling and laughing as they turn our country into a third world banana republic,” State Freedom Caucus Network Comms Director Greg Price posted on X.

“Democracy disappearing right before our eyes…,” Trump adviser Stephen Miller wrote in response to Price’s post.

“The Democrat Party’s kangaroo court is in session,” Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., posted.

DONALD TRUMP IN COURT AS CIVIL TRIAL GETS UNDERWAY

“We have a serious crisis in our judicial system,” author Julie Kelly posted on X. “So many demons.”

“A show trial,” Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton posted on X. “Literally.”

The New York State Office of Court Administration declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital. 

Trump was defiant both before entering the courtroom and during a lunch recess on Monday. 

The former president dismissed Engoron as a “Democrat” and an “operative” in a brief appearance in front of reporters. Trump stated that “this is a rigged court” in his heated statement. He also took aim at Attorney General Letitia James, labeling her a “radical-left attorney general.”

TRUMP CIVIL TRIAL ARISING FROM NY ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES’ LAWSUIT SET TO BEGIN MONDAY

“This rogue judge refuses to acknowledge that we won 80% of this case in the appellate division,” Trump said, claiming Engoron has “contempt for his own court system.”

“This is a judge that should be disbarred,” Trump said. “This is a judge that should be out of office. This is a judge that some people say could be charged criminally for what he’s doing. He’s interfering with an election.”

Trump’s lawyers had previously pointed to James’ promises to voters that she would “get Trump” if elected.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

James declared that “justice will prevail” as she entered the courthouse.

James arrived with her legal entourage Monday morning and briefly spoke in front of the media. She accused Trump of fraudulently inflating the value of his businesses and his net worth and stated that “no one is above the law.”

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court opened its new term Monday with a case about prison terms for drug dealers and rejections of hundreds of appeals, including one from an attorney who pushed a plan to keep former President Donald Trump in power.

The court turned away attorney John Eastman’s effort to have a lower-court ruling thrown out that said Eastman and Trump had “more likely than not” committed a crime by trying to keep Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.

Justice Clarence Thomas, who once employed Eastman as a law clerk, did not take part in the court’s consideration of Eastman’s appeal.

CLARENCE THOMAS RELEASES FIRST FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE SINCE FACING BARRAGE OF ETHICS ATTACKS

The only case argued Monday concerns the meaning of the word “and” in a federal law dealing with prison terms for low-level drug dealers. The length of thousands of sentences a year is at stake.

“I think this is a very hard case,” Justice Amy Coney Barrett said during 90 minutes of arguments that did not suggest how the court might rule.

The term is shaping up as an important one for social media as the court continues to grapple with applying older laws and rulings to the digital age.

Several cases also confront the court with the continuing push by conservatives to constrict federal regulatory agencies. On Tuesday, the court will hear a challenge that could disrupt the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The court also is dealing with the fallout from major rulings a year ago that overturned Roe v. Wade and expanded gun rights. A gun case will be argued in November. Limits on mifepristone, a drug used in the most common method of abortion, could be before the court by spring.

Among the bigger unknowns is whether any disputes will reach the court involving the prosecution of Trump or efforts to keep the Republican off the 2024 ballot because of the Constitution’s insurrection clause.

Apart from cases, the justices are discussing a first-ever code of conduct, though disagreements remain, Justice Elena Kagan said recently.

The push to codify ethical standards for the justices stems from a series of stories questioning some of their practices. Many of those stories focused on Thomas and his failure to disclose travel and other financial ties with wealthy conservative donors, including Harlan Crow and the Koch brothers. But Justices Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor also have been under scrutiny.

On Monday, Thomas did not explain his decision to stay out of Eastman’s case, which involved emails that Eastman was trying to keep from the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

Some of those emails, since made public, are between Eastman and another lawyer, Kenneth Chesebro, in which they mention Thomas as their best hope to get the Supreme Court to intervene in the election outcome in a case from Georgia.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump, Eastman and Chesebro are among 19 people who have been indicted in Fulton County, Georgia, for their efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Life at the court has more or less returned to its pre-COVID-19 normal over the past two years, though arguments last much longer than they used to and Sotomayor, who has diabetes, continues to wear a mask on the bench . One other change that resulted from the coronavirus pandemic remains: The court is livestreaming audio of all its arguments. Cameras remain forbidden.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., on Monday demanded House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reveal the details of a supposed “secret side deal” on Ukraine he claims was negotiated with Democrats and President Biden in order to avoid a government shutdown, before fellow Republicans are presumably set to vote on the speaker’s potential ouster later this week. 

After addressing the House floor, Gaetz told reporters on the steps of the Capitol that he still planned to introduce a motion to vacate McCarthy’s speakership “this week,” but not Monday as not all members were in town yet. Gaetz repeated that his fight against McCarthy, R-Calif., was not personal, despite the speaker’s assertion otherwise. 

Gaetz fell short of introducing his promised motion to vacate McCarthy but accused McCarthy of stepping outside the Republican conference in order to negotiate an agreement on a resolution over the weekend that avoids a government shutdown for another 40 days. 

“The speaker of the House gave away to Joe Biden the money for Ukraine that Joe Biden wanted. It is going to be difficult for my Republican friends to keep calling President Biden feeble while he continues to take Speaker McCarthy’s lunch money in every negotiation,” Gaetz said.

“Ukraine has lost the support of a majority of the majority. The last time there was a freestanding Ukraine vote on this floor, it was last week, 101 Republicans voted for it, 117 Republicans voted against it. According to the Hastert Rule, which Speaker McCarthy agreed to in January, you cannot use Democrats to roll a majority of the majority, certainly on something as consequential as Ukraine,” he said. “So for all the crocodile tears about what may happen later this week about a motion to vacate, working with the Democrats is a yellow brick road that has been paved by Speaker McCarthy. Whether it was the debt limit deal, the C.R. or now the secret deal on Ukraine.” 

HOUSE GOP MEMBERS SEEK TO EXPEL GAETZ AMID RENEWED THREAT TO VACATE HOUSE SPEAKER MCCARTHY

“It is becoming increasingly clear who the speaker of the House already works for, and it’s not the Republican conference,” Gaetz said. “Mr. Speaker, I would ask that these questions be answered soon because there may be other votes coming today or later this week that could – be implicated by the answers to these questions. Members of the Republican Party might vote differently on a motion to vacate if they heard what the speaker had to share with us about his secret side deal with Joe Biden on Ukraine. I’ll be listening. Stay tuned.” 

Gaetz further argued before the House that funding for Ukraine and the border should not be rolled into one massive spending package and should instead be considered as single-subject bills, noting the “spirit of the January agreement” the House Freedom Caucus reached with McCarthy during his speakership fight. 

FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER FLOATS IDEA OF REMOVING GAETZ FROM HOUSE GOP CAUCUS, COMMITTEES

“You know how we should stand up for our border? Demand that the United States Senate take up our single subject appropriation bill that funded the border. It created Republican unity. We voted for it. It has the policy demands that the continuing resolution that Speaker McCarthy advocated for on this floor did not,” Gaetz said. “Our DHS funding bill requires E-Verify. And then hours later, after we passed that, the speaker wanted us to vote for a continuing resolution that didn’t include E-Verify.”

“Retreat is never a strategy to win anything,” he said. 

Gaetz also claimed to have spoken with former President Donald Trump on the potential motion to vacate – but declined to elaborate further. 

“You talk about chaos, as if it’s me, forcing a few votes and filing a few motions,” Gaetz told reporters. “Real chaos is when the American people have to go through the austerity that is coming if we continue to have $2 trillion annual deficits. You don’t know chaos until you’ve seen where this Congress and this uni-party is bringing us.”

Meanwhile, Fox News first reported Sunday that House GOP members are preparing a motion to expel Gaetz if the ethics committee report comes back with findings of guilt. 

The House Ethics Committee has been investigating Gaetz since 2021 on allegations, including campaign finance violations as well as claims of taking bribes and using drugs – accusations the congressman has vehemently denied. Gaetz also denies allegations leaked from a Justice Department sex trafficking probe said to have involved an underage girl.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

It takes a two-thirds vote to expel. And Republicans are treading on thin ice with their majority. The House is down to 433 members. It’s unclear where things stand with federally indicted Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y. If members are expelled, retire or die, the majority could be right on the edge for the GOP. 

Fox News’ Kelly Phares and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in an interview that aired Sunday that he would resign if President Biden asked him to direct the Justice Department to go after former President Trump. 

During an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” Garland responded to critics who claim he is trying to ruin Trump’s chances at re-election in 2024 with the timing of DOJ investigations and indictments.

“That’s absolutely not true. Justice Department prosecutors are non-partisan, they don’t allow partisan considerations to play any role in their determinations,” Garland said. 

Garland named Special Counsel Jack Smith to lead the investigation into Trump. 

FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM MERRICK GARLAND’S HOURS-LONG TESTIMONY AT HOUSE JUDICIARY

“The most important part of the regulations is that the special counsel is not subject to the day-to-day supervision of anyone in the Justice Department,” Garland said, assuring that he is not in communication with the president or any member of his office with regard to Trump. 

“If President Biden asked you to take action with regard to the Trump investigation, what would your reaction be?” CBS News host Scott Pelley asked Garland during the sit-down interview. 

“I am sure that that will not happen, but I would not do anything in that regard,” Garland said. “And if necessary, I would resign. But there is no sense that anything like that will happen.” 

Garland insisted during the “60 Minutes” interview he has never had to tell Biden “hands off” because “he has never tried to put hands on these investigations.” 

JIM JORDAN GRILLS AG GARLAND OVER ALLOWING HUNTER BIDEN’S POTENTIAL BURISMA CHARGES TO ‘LAPSE’

Meanwhile, Republicans accuse DOJ Special Counsel David Weiss of slow-walking the yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden’s business dealings and taxes, condemning the alleged “politicization” of the Justice Department. So far, the president’s son has been indicted for lying about drug abuse when he purchased a firearm. His plea deal fell apart over the summer. 

“This investigation began under David Weiss. David Weiss is a long-standing career prosecutor, and he was appointed by Mr. Trump as the United States Attorney for the District of Delaware,” Garland said. “I promised at my nomination hearing that I would continue him on in that position and that I would not interfere in his investigation.” 

“You are not participating in those decisions?” Pelley asked of the Hunter Biden probe. 

“No, Mr. Weiss is making those decisions,” Garland insisted.

“The White House is not attempting to influence those decisions?” Pelley pressed. 

“Absolutely not,” Garland said, insisting he would make a forthcoming special counsel report public to the “extent permissible under the law that is required to explain the prosecutive decisions – their decisions to prosecute or not prosecute, and their strategic decisions along the way.” 

Garland said he expects Weiss to also testify at the end of his report. 

President Biden is also under DOJ investigation into whether he improperly held classified documents after he was vice president, and Garland selected Special Counsel Robert Hur to head that case. Trump is facing two federal indictments for allegedly hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and for his actions related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. 

“I have a good working relationship with the president,” Garland assured. 

Garland appeared to grow emotional when discussing his concerns about violence, particularly as judges and prosecutors assigned to the Trump cases have received death threats. 

“People can argue with each other as much as they want and as vociferously as they want. But the one thing they may not do is use violence and threats of violence to alter the outcome,” Garland said. “American people must protect each other. They must ensure that they treat each other with civility and kindness, listen to opposing views, argue as vociferously as they want, but refrain from violence and threats of violence. That’s the only way this democracy will survive.”

Garland said his own family fled religious persecution in Europe during the Holocaust, explaining his devotion to public service and the rule of law. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

“We do not have one rule for Republicans and another rule for Democrats,” Garland insisted. “We don’t have one rule for foes and another for friends. We don’t have one rule for powerful and another for the powerless. For the rich or for the poor, based on ethnicity. We have only one rule, and that one rule is to follow the facts and the law, and we reach the decisions required by the Constitution, and we protect civil liberties.”

The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office has issued a subpoena for former NYPD commissioner Bernie Kerik to testify in the first trial scheduled in Georgia later this month over allegations of election interference by former President Trump and more than a dozen of his allies 2020, Fox News Digital has confirmed. 

Ahead of the upcoming trial for two of the 19 defendants – lawyer Kenneth Chesebro and former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell – scheduled to begin on Oct. 23 in Atlanta, Kerik received a subpoena to testify but plans to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights, CNN first reported Monday. Trump and the 16 others will be tried separately. 

Kerik’s attorney Tim Parlatore told Fox News Digital he asked prosecutors that if Kerik was expected to testify as a part of a conspiracy case, would they be offering immunity. Parlatore stressed to Fox News Digital, however, that he did not ask for immunity for his client. 

“And when they said no, I said I don’t care either way, but to expect my client to testify under oath with no immunity … I think Mr. Wade needs to go back to law school,” Parlatore saidl, referring to special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who has been leading the election interference probe for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for nearly two years. 

EX-NYPD COMMISSIONER PARDONED BY TRUMP AGREES TO DEAL WITH SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH IN 2020 ELECTION PROBE

“No competent criminal attorney would allow Mr. Kerik to testify absent a grant of immunity,” Parlatore wrote in a letter to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office Monday. 

“To be clear, Mr. Kerik has done nothing wrong and rejects your claim that he is a co-conspirator in any alleged criminal conduct,” Parlatore wrote. “You made the public accusation, so now you must live with the consequences of Mr. Kerik (and presumably all other alleged unindicted co-conspirators) invoking their 5th Amendment rights and refusing to testify.”

Kerik has not been named as a co-conspirator in court documents, which include allegations involving several unnamed individuals.

The letter says Kerik will refuse to answer questions under oath without receiving written assurances from the district attorney’s office that he will not be prosecuted.

Parlatore claimed prosecutors have already told him, “If we wanted to indict Mr. Kerik, we would have already done so,” but have so far refused to put any promises in writing. 

STEFANIK: ‘NOT A COINCIDENCE’ JACK SMITH TARGETS TRUMP SAME WEEK AS IRS WHISTLEBLOWER HEARING ON HUNTER BIDEN

Fox News Digital reached out to the Fulton County DA office for comment but did not immediately hear back. 

Parlatore previously confirmed to Fox News Digital in July that Kerik secured a deal with Special Counsel Jack Smith to hand over thousands of documents related to the Justice Department’s investigation into Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. 

At the time, Kerik’s attorney noted that the documents could include exculpatory evidence for Trump, suggesting the former president’s investigators acted in good faith. 

Kerik’s legal team had initially refused to turn over documents to the House select committee probing the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. They had cited attorney-client privilege, given that Kerik worked with Trump’s attorney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani on the probe. Parlatore said Kerik received a “standard proffer letter” before later agreeing to an interview with Smith’s office to answer questions related to the 2020 election aftermath and the Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol, CNN reported.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Kerik, who served as the NYPD commissioner from 2000 to 2001, pleaded guilty in 2009 to felony charges of tax fraud and making false statements to the government. He spent about three years in prison before transitioning to home confinement and eventually supervised release. Trump pardoned Kerik for his past convictions in early 2020. 

Fox News’ Andrew Murray contributed to this report.

Former President Trump defended his business and his name Monday morning before the “disgrace” of a civil trial against him stemming from “corrupt” New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit, saying his financial statements are “phenomenal,” and blasting the “rogue” judge presiding over the proceedings for interfering in the 2024 presidential election.

The former president, who currently leads the 2024 Republican presidential primary field by a massive margin, arrived in court in Lower Manhattan Monday morning for a non-jury trial, presided over by Judge Arthur Engoron, after a New York State Appeals Court rejected Trump’s request to delay the civil trial.

Engoron last week ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization committed fraud while building his real estate empire by deceiving banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.

Engoron’s ruling comes after James sued Trump, his children and the Trump Organization, alleging that Trump “inflated his net worth by billions of dollars” and said his children helped him to do so.

Trump, speaking to reporters before entering the courtroom, blasted the trial as “a continuation of the single greatest witch hunt of all time.” 

“We have a rogue judge,” Trump said. “We have a racist attorney general who’s a horror show, who ran on the basis that she was gonna ‘get Trump’ before she even knew anything about me–she used this to run for governor she failed in her attempt to run for governor…she came back and she said, ‘well, now I’ll go back to get Trump again and this is what we have.” 

“It’s a scam. It’s a sham,” Trump said. “Just so you know, my financial statements are phenomenal.” 

Trump said “no bank was hurt–they don’t even know why they have to be involved.” 

“They’ve so testified,” Trump said. “They can’t believe they’re involved because they were paid back on time, there were no defaults there were no problems, and it was like a perfect client.” 

Trump said while James has focused on his businesses and his family, “people are being murdered all over the sidewalks of New York.” 

“There was no victim here–the banks were represented by the best, biggest, most prestigious law firms in the state of New York– actually in the country, some of the biggest law firms,” Trump said. “The banks got back their money, there was never a default, it was never a problem everything was perfect.” 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. 

EXCLUSIVE: A Democrat-turned-Republican congressman has advice for Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, who also decided to switch parties and become a Republican last week: Follow your “heart” and your “brain.”

Speaking with Fox News Digital as the four-year anniversary of his own party flip draws nearer, Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., said he appreciated that Johnson came to the “same conclusion” as he did that the Democratic Party of years past was simply “no more.”

“I appreciate what he did, and, as the mayor of Dallas, he came to the same conclusion that I did. He just didn’t fit into the party anymore,” Van Drew said. “You know, I was just constantly arguing, voting against all the different things they wanted to do. And it climaxed with the Trump impeachment, which was baseless and false.”

“What they’ve done to our Department of Justice, what they’ve done to our FBI, what the attorney general has done, what the FBI director has done, what our secretary of state did and still does, all of this is awful,” he added. “[Johnson] knows that this is wrong, and he came to the right conclusion. And I’d tell him to follow his heart and his brain and he will be fine.”

DALLAS DEM PARTY BLASTS ‘SELF CENTERED’ MAYOR’S ‘VALUES’ FOR SWITCHING TO GOP: ‘INSULT TO THE ELECTORATE’

When asked if he had any regrets about switching parties in 2019, Van Drew gave the simplest of answers: “Not even in the slightest.”

“The more I see and the more I hear, the happier I am that I have changed,” he said. “I’m a conservative. There used to be room for something called a Blue Dog Democrat, a conservative Democrat. Those times are no more. I want people to know who are watching this, there is no longer really a conservative branch of the Democratic Party.”

“This is not your mother’s and father’s or grandmother’s or grandfather’s Democratic Party. This is an extremely left-wing socialist party that wants to completely change our republic and completely destroy the American experience. So, I am happy that I changed,” he added.

Van Drew said his strong feelings does not mean that Republicans, or anyone for that matter, are perfect, but it is a necessity to have “love of the United States of America in your heart and soul.”

GOP, DEMS TEAM UP TO RIP ‘DELUSIONAL’ SINEMA OVER ‘PLAN’ TO SWIPE THEIR VOTERS IN INDEPENDENT REELECTION BID

“You have to believe in this great republic. And those are the kinds of elected officials and senators and congresspeople that we need,” he said.

After news broke last week that Democrat New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez was facing a federal indictment on bribery and corruption charges, which he denies any wrongdoing, Van Drew, who represents New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District, confirmed he was “strongly considering” a run to unseat him.

Van Drew told Fox that, beyond Menendez’s alleged crimes, New Jerseyans are “tired” of high taxes, Democrats interfering in the relationship between parents and children, policies that degrade law enforcement, the amplification of “woke” culture in the military, and the controversial subjects being taught to children in schools.

“This is unbelievable stuff. And New Jerseyans by and large — yes, it’s a blue state, but they’re hard-working, good people that pay an awful lot in taxes and are trudging through life — they’re sick of it. So, it’s more than just about me. It really is about the United States of America. It really is about the state of New Jersey,” he said, noting that it has been more than 50 years since the state put a Republican in the Senate.

KARI LAKE BOOSTS NATIONAL PROFILE AS TOP TRUMP SURROGATE, GOP CAMPAIGNER AHEAD OF LIKELY SENATE RUN

“So, I’m going to think about it, you know, very seriously. I’m going to work my way through — it requires speaking to my closest friends. It requires speaking to my family and my advisers and other folks. I want to do this carefully and I want to make sure right now, though, I am focused on my job as South Jersey’s congressman,” he said.

However, Van Drew dismissed any timeline for when he might make a decision on a potential run.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I’m going to think about it long and hard, make sure I’m doing the right thing for the country, the right thing for New Jersey and the right thing for my congressional district. I love my congressional district, so it is all very, very important to me. And I’m going to make sure that I do the right thing,” he said.

Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign reportedly asked the Republican National Committee to significantly limit the number of GOP presidential candidates on stage for the party’s next presidential primary debate. 

In a letter to RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Committee on Arrangements co-Chairs David Bossie and Anne Hathaway, Vivek 2024 CEO Ben Yoho requested that the RNC restrict the next debate stage to the four Republican candidates polling the highest nationally, after former President Donald Trump, according to The Hill. 

The campaign also asked the RNC to increase the donor threshold to 100,000. 

DESANTIS SUGGESTS ONE-ON-ONE DEBATE WITH TRUMP: ‘YOU OWE IT TO THE VOTERS’

“[A]gainst the backdrop of a chaotic second debate and the reality of a frontrunner who has declined to participate, we respectfully call on the RNC to revise its approach so that Republican voters can focus on serious candidates who have a viable path to beating Joe Biden – or whomever the Democrats put up to replace him,” Yoho wrote. 

“Time is running out. Early-state voting is rapidly approaching in January,” he continued, according to the letter obtained by The Hill. “Another unhelpful debate in November is not an option: voters deserve a real choice for who will best serve as our party’s nominee. Voters are not well-served when a cacophony of candidates with minimal chance of success talk over each other from the edge of the stage, while the overwhelming frontrunner is absent from the center of that same stage.” 

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

The RNC has already raised the threshold to qualify for the third presidential debate of the 2024 cycle. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

To participate in the Nov. 6 event, GOP candidates are required to have two national polls that show them at 4% or higher, or they must receive 4% support in one national poll and two different early state polls. White House hopefuls are also required to meet a donor threshold of at least 70,000 unique donors, including at least 200 from 20 or more states each. That compares to the 3% polling threshold with a minimum of 50,000 unique donors required to participate in the Sept. 27 debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. 

EXCLUSIVE: President Biden’s support in the heavily Hispanic border regions of Texas is crumbling as the migrant crisis continues to worsen and benefits illegal immigrants over American citizens, former Republican Rep. Mayra Flores told Fox News Digital during a recent interview.

Flores, who is running to reclaim her former seat in Texas’ 34th Congressional District from Democrat Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, warned that as “thousands and thousands” of migrants continue to pour into America’s border towns, crime is rising and the sour economic conditions facing the country are taking a harder toll on U.S. citizens living in those areas because money that could be used in local communities are instead being spent on the masses coming into the country.

“This is the poorest area in the nation and yet the funding is being used for the humanitarian crisis. And we’re not getting that money back for the people of South Texas,” Flores said. “If this issue is hurting New York tremendously, the biggest city in the country, and the mayor of New York says it’s going to destroy New York, well, what makes them think that small little towns here in South Texas can withstand thousands and thousands of migrants crossing illegally every single day?”

Noting the eye-popping number of migrants coming into the country in a single day, Flores said crime is also rising because of the criminals taking advantage of being able to join the floods of people crossing the border.

LAWMAKER DEMANDS ANSWERS AFTER BIDEN OFFICIAL IMPLICATED IN IRANIAN INFLUENCE SCHEME: ‘UNBELIEVABLE!’

“Two weeks ago, I was in Brownsville with a group of 50 women that had voted for Biden in 2020. Not a single one is voting for Biden in 2024 – not one out of the 50 women,” she said. “I asked [them], ‘Why are you not voting for President Biden in 2024?’ And they said, because of the economy – 80% said that the economy situation is what’s moving them to vote Republican in 2024.”

“But a huge majority also said because of the humanitarian crisis. They feel that the people that are coming in are being prioritized and not people that have been here for a long time. They’re also Americans, but many of them have been here for 20, 30 years and feel that they’re being ignored and that their needs are not being addressed,” she said.

“People that are crossing illegally into our country are getting all the help that they need while [Hispanic voters are] struggling to pay their rent, bring food to the table, get to work every single day. Gas is very expensive. So, they’re they’re looking at that. And that’s why they’re moving every single day towards the Republican Party,” she added.

DEMOCRAT TURNED REPUBLICAN ‘SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING’ CHALLENGE TO EMBATTLED SENATOR INDICTED ON FEDERAL CHARGES

Flores argued that it wasn’t just the border crisis and its impact on the economy that has voters in the region shifting toward supporting Republicans, “values” matter as well. Citing Democrat threats to “parents that don’t support gender ideology,” she said fears that kids could be taken out of homes with parents pushing back against such policies is another big reason for the split toward the GOP.

She said many people to whom she spoke didn’t know much about the Republican presidential race and the candidates vying for the nomination, that most of them were viewing the 2024 race as between Biden and former President Donald Trump.

“Every single one of them said that they were voting for [Trump]. Of course, they’re supporting me, but they are also supporting him, even though some say, ‘I’m not a huge fan. But when he was the president, we had a strong economy. And I remember being able to make ends meet every single month,'” she said.

GOP, DEMS TEAM UP TO RIP ‘DELUSIONAL’ SINEMA OVER ‘PLAN’ TO SWIPE THEIR VOTERS IN INDEPENDENT REELECTION BID

When asked about Hispanic voters’ attitudes toward Trump and whether their votes might be the deciding factor in a hypothetical matchup between Trump and Biden, Flores said she “absolutely” thinks Hispanic voters are going to give Trump the win.

“I really do believe that just because just in my district alone, I have seen overwhelming support towards him. And it’s because they remember what it was like before Biden. They didn’t know what would happen when they elected Biden, and now they do,” she said.

Flores, who was defeated by Gonzalez in the 2022 midterms, said she decided to run again because she is “not done fighting for the people of South Texas.”

“I love my community, and things are getting a lot worse than last year. I really didn’t think that things were going to get worse, but things are getting worse, not just here at the border but also with the economy. And I just love my community very much. And I just can’t give up on our community. And that’s the reason why I will always continue to fight for this area,” she said.

TEXAS LAW BANNING DRAG PERFORMANCES IN FRONT OF CHILDREN RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL BY FEDERAL JUDGE

If elected, Flores said, one of her main focuses would be on combating child sex trafficking and putting a stop to the U.S. being a top market for it.

“I want to change that. I don’t want us to be a part of that list,” she said. “I think it’s important that we work together to end child sex trafficking. And it’s something that I’m very passionate about.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Under this administration, they’ve lost track of 87,000 children. We don’t know where these children are. And I want to focus on finding where these children are and send them back to their families, to their loved ones, and stop the trauma that many of them are going through right now and the abuse that they’re going through,” she added.

EXCLUSIVE: The White House is prohibiting senior administration officials from traveling for international energy engagements that promote carbon-intensive fuels, including oil, natural gas and coal, Fox News Digital has learned.

The guidance — which originated from the White House National Security Council (NSC) — was revealed in a Department of Energy (DOE) memo issued internally to agency staff on Sept. 15 and obtained by Fox News Digital. The memo was authored by Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk who outlined travel restrictions and stated officials are required to obtain approval from the NSC before attending any global energy engagement.

“This guidance sets out a presumption that agencies and departments will pursue international energy engagement that advances clean energy projects,” Turk wrote in the memo. “It also outlines a process for seeking limited exceptions to pursue carbon-intensive engagements on a justified geostrategic imperative or energy-for-development/energy access basis.”

“The guidance rules out any U.S. Government ‘engagement related to unabated or partially abated coal generation,’” he continued. “Carbon-intensive international energy engagements are those ‘directly related and dedicated to the production, transportation, or consumption of carbon-intensive fuels that would lead to additional greenhouse gas emissions.'”

REPUBLICANS OPEN PROBE INTO BIDEN’S ENERGY SECRETARY AFTER POLICE CALLED ON HER EV ROAD TRIP

According to the memo, carbon-intensive fossil fuels include coal, oil and natural gas.

In addition, the memo notes that the guidance became effective in November 2021 and applies to all international energy engagements. Turk issued a separate memo in early April 2022, which first outlined how the DOE would implement the NSC guidance and stated that energy engagements that promote carbon-intensive fuels may only be exempt if they advance national security or are essential to support energy access in vulnerable areas.

GOP REP CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY INTO BIDEN ENERGY SECRETARY GRANHOLM: ‘SHE LIED, UNDER OATH’

Turk’s September memo updated that guidance, stating that for all future engagements, “Departments and Agencies are required to submit exemption justifications to the NSC and receive NSC concurrence before proceeding with a covered engagement.”

The DOE referred Fox News Digital to the NSC, which didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.

“The Biden Administration cannot continue to treat the fossil fuels industry as an enemy. Millions of people are employed in this industry which powers our entire nation, our military, our national security, and allows Joe Biden to jet off every weekend to his beach house,” Daniel Turner, the founder and executive director of Power the Future who reviewed the memo, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“This war on American fossil fuels is making us poorer, weaker and more reliant on China and OPEC for our energy,” he continued. “These petty, [hyperpartisan], childish games should end before it is too late.”

BIDEN ENERGY SECRETARY REVEALS STOCK OWNERSHIP OF EV LOBBY GROUP FOUNDING COMPANY

Since taking office, President Biden has pursued an aggressive climate agenda, seeking to boost green energy technologies like solar and wind while curbing domestic reliance on fossil fuels like those listed by the administration as “carbon intensive.” Biden has issued federal goals to ensure 50% of U.S. car purchases are zero-emissions by 2030 and that the power sector is carbon-free by 2035.

However, vehicles with internal combustion engines (gasoline-powered), make up more than 99% of all cars in the U.S. and about 99% of new car sales, according to J.D. Power. And approximately 60% of electricity in the U.S. is generated from fossil fuels, mainly natural gas, while 17% is produced form wind or solar power.

“From the day I came to office, we’ve led with a bold climate agenda,” Biden remarked during a United Nations conference last month. “We rejoined the Paris Agreement, convened major climate summits, helped deliver critical agreements on COP26. And we helped get two-thirds of the [world’s] GDP on track to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.”

As part of his agenda, Biden and senior administration officials have traveled to global energy conference to boost green energy development.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

And officials have largely been absent from global fossil fuel summits like the World Gas Conference, which former Energy Secretary Rick Perry attended during the Trump administration. The Biden administration also opted against inviting oil and gas industry representatives to the White House Methane Summit in July.

“Tackling a challenge of this scale requires not just will and words, but action,” the American Petroleum Institute (API) said in a statement on July 26. “We are disappointed that the industries driving the most reductions in methane emissions, including the natural gas and oil industry, were not included.”

“API’s members are investing in advanced technology to detect and mitigate emissions, and thanks to industry action, average methane emissions intensity declined by nearly 66 percent across all seven major producing regions from 2011 to 2021. We continue to work with the administration to build on this progress.”

The civil trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against former President Trump and the Trump Organization is set to begin in New York City.

The non-jury trial, presided over by Judge Arthur Engoron, will begin Monday in Manhattan and comes after a New York State Appeals Court rejected the 2024 GOP primary frontrunner’s request to delay the civil trial.

The former president is listed among dozens of possible witnesses. 

NEW YORK AG SUES TRUMP OVER FRAUD ALLEGATIONS

Engoron last week ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization committed fraud while building his real estate empire by deceiving banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.

Engoron’s ruling comes after James sued Trump, his children and the Trump Organization, alleging that Trump “inflated his net worth by billions of dollars” and said his children helped him to do so.

COURT REJECTS TRUMP’S REQUEST TO DELAY CIVIL TRIAL OUT OF NEW YORK AG JAMES’ INVESTIGATION

Engoron ordered that some of Trump’s business licenses be rescinded as punishment, making it difficult or impossible for them to do business in New York. The judge said he would continue to have an independent monitor oversee the Trump Organization’s operations.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has said the investigation was politically motivated and a “witch hunt.” The former president has argued that his assets are worth far more than what is listed on annual financial statements and argued the statements have disclaimers.

NEW YORK APPEALS COURT NARROWS NYAG CASE, DISMISSES IVANKA TRUMP AS A DEFENDANT, CUTS STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

“I have been unfairly sued by the Trump Hating Democrat Attorney General of New York State, Letitia James, over the false fact that I inflated my Financial Statements in order to borrow money from Banks, etc. The Judge in the case, Arthur F. Engoron, refused to allow this case to go to the ‘Commercial Division,’ where it belongs, because he is a Trump Hater beyond even A.G James who campaigned against me spewing horrible inflammatory statements which are False & Defamatory,” Trump posted Tuesday on his Truth Social after Engoron’s ruling. “I am not even allowed a Jury!” 

Trump went on to say the “facts of this case are simple.” 

Trump said he is “worth much more than the numbers shown on my financial statements,” and said the judge “didn’t even include my most valuable asset, my brand.” 

The civil trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against former President Trump and the Trump Organization is set to begin Monday in New York City.

Trump also said the banks “were paid back in full, sometimes early, there were no defaults, the banks made money, were represented by the best law firms, & were very ‘happy.’” 

“There were no victims!” Trump wrote. “On the front page of the financial statements there is a strong ‘disclaimer clause’ telling all not to rely on these financial statements.” 

Trump said the disclaimer clause “tells anyone reviewing the data, including financial institutions, to do their own research and analysis —it is a non-reliance clause, and could not be more clear.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Additionally to my being worth far more than is shown in the ‘fully disclaimed’ financial statements, again, not putting down a value for my biggest asset, brand, the company has hundreds of millions of dollars in cash, and very little debt,” Trump said. “It is a great company that has been slandered and maligned by this politically motivated Witch Hunt.” 

Trump was deposed as part of the lawsuit in April for the second time. During that deposition, the former president answered questions. The first deposition took place in August 2022, but Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment rights.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.