NationalWatch

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials made the case to the Department of Homeland Security to go forward with a border wall project in South Texas that is now causing a political headache for the administration — warning that funding was going to lapse and the project would benefit an area plagued by drugs and violence.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced this week that he was using his authority to waive 26 federal laws to go forward with the construction of barriers and roads in Starr County, citing an “acute and immediate need” in order to prevent illegal entries in the Rio Grande Valley Sector.

The construction is funded by the fiscal year 2019 DHS appropriations bill, which specifically funded wall projects in the RGV Sector and which DHS is required to use for its appropriated purpose. The announcement was made in June. 

MAYORKAS CITES ‘IMMEDIATE NEED’ TO WAIVE REGULATIONS, BUILD BORDER WALL IN TEXAS AS IMMIGRATION SURGES

The funding was due to lapse at the end of the fiscal year, sources told Fox News, and CBP officials made the case that building the wall was critical in order to not lose the funding to build in this specific area because it is a high traffic area for migrants drugs and violence. Law enforcement has even recovered explosive devices in the area.

Officials were also keen on the project because it also includes technology including ground sensors that are needed for Border Patrol agents to detect migrants. DHS has highlighted that it includes lighting, access roads and other technology that the administration does generally support.

Separately, a press release in June outlining the initial project highlighted additional fence-replacement projects in Arizona and California, but it is unclear if those will require the same waiver moves as they are repair projects rather than new construction.

BIDEN SAYS ‘NO,’ BORDER WALL DOESN’T WORK, AFTER MAYORKAS CITED ‘IMMEDIATE’ NEED

The administration has taken heat over the construction, both from Democrats and Republicans, for allegedly changing course from their initial position in 2021, where the administration firmly opposed wall construction and moved to end Trump-era construction.

DHS officials and President Biden have furiously denied that there is a change in policy afoot, arguing that their hands were tied by the 2019 appropriation.

“I was told I had no choice,” Biden said Friday.

Mayorkas said Thursday “we have repeatedly asked Congress to rescind this money, but it has not done so, and we are compelled to follow the law.”

A DHS spokesperson noted that the construction includes detection technology, lighting and access roads, and that it has worked throughout the summer with stakeholders and federal agencies.

“This is not a policy decision. The construction project you’re reading about today was appropriated during the prior administration, in 2019, and the government is legally required to utilize these funds for their appropriated purpose,” the spokesperson said Thursday. “The Administration repeatedly called on Congress to cancel or reappropriate remaining border barrier funding and instead fund smarter border security measures, like border technology and modernization of land ports of entry, that are proven to be more effective at improving safety and security at the border.” 

But that has been questioned by lawmakers and former officials. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, said the administration “was not required to expand construction of the border wall — and they certainly were not required to waive several environmental laws to expedite the building.” 

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Former DHS Secretary Chad Wolf also dismissed the idea that Mayorkas was forced into the decision.

“You don’t waive 26 environmental laws to build the wall immediately if you don’t believe in it,” he said. “This is the Biden Admin trying to have it both ways.” 

President Biden appeared to stumble Friday when asked by a reporter about his administration’s resumption of border wall construction in Texas, telling a reporter that “we tried to ask the Congress to consider changing the law,” one day after saying that he had merely tried to “redirect” money for the project. 

Biden and his administration have been facing scrutiny after the Department of Homeland Security posted an announcement this week in the Federal Register that outlined construction of a border wall in the Rio Grande Valley Sector of Texas, where the administration says there is “high illegal entry.” The funds for the project, White House officials say, were appropriated in 2019 during the Trump administration. When asked by a reporter what he had specifically tried to do to get funds reappropriated, particularly when Democrats controlled both the House and Senate earlier in his term, the president did not provide detail.

“Oh, the wall thing?” he asked. “I was told that I had no choice, that I, you know, Congress passes legislation to build something, whether it’s an aircraft carrier or wall or provide for a tax cut,” Biden said Friday when asked by a reporter about what he had done to try to reappropriate funds for the border wall. “I can’t say, ‘I don’t like it, I’m not going to do it.’ If this hadn’t been vetoed, it’s the law.” 

When reminded that the previous day he had said that he had tried to reappropriate funds, Biden stated that he had asked Congress to make the change.

JEAN-PIERRE CLAIMS BIDEN IS HELPLESS AGAINST ADMINISTRATION’S OWN BORDER WALL; PRESIDENT BELIEVES IT WON’T WORK 

“We tried to ask the Congress to consider changing the law, to reappropriate it . . . use it for other purposes,” Biden continued. “Give me more border agents, give me more technical capabilities to detect fentanyl and the like. That’s what I want to do.” 

MAYORKAS BACKTRACKS ON TEXAS BORDER WALL HOURS AFTER DHS CITES ‘IMMEDIATE NEED’ 

When asked for clarification on what Biden meant by “changing the law,” the White House did not provide a direct answer but referred Fox News Digital to a June 2021 White House fact sheet outlining how the administration wanted to redirect border wall funds. 

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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during her briefing Thursday that Biden does not agree with wall construction, but cannot change it. 

“He doesn’t believe the border wall is effective,” she said.

“We are complying by the law. DHS is complying by the law,” Jean-Pierre added. “But that appropriation came from fiscal year 2019 under the last administration, Republican leadership. And that’s what you’re seeing now.” 

Fox News’ Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and Louis Casiano contributed to this report. 

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told Fox News on Friday he is not considering resigning his congressional seat after being ousted from the speakership earlier this week.

Speaking with Fox’s Bret Baier following a Politico report that he was weighing a congressional exit, McCarthy flatly said he was not leaving.

Politico had cited “two people familiar with matter” in its reporting that McCarthy would stay in his seat at least until a new speaker was chosen next week “in order to help the party steady itself after a seismic shakeup.”

MATT GAETZ USES MCCARTHY OUSTER, BOOS FROM COLLEAGUES TO LAUNCH CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISING PUSH

McCarthy narrowly lost a 216-210 vote on Tuesday to remove him as House speaker after Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., introduced a motion to vacate the role. Gaetz had threatened to do so following a breakdown between Republican factions over efforts to prevent a government shutdown the previous week.

McCarthy was succeeded to Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., a temporary replacement until the House votes on a permanent one next week.

Three names have emerged as viable replacements for McCarthy, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla.

WHAT DOES MCCARTHY’S REMOVAL MEAN FOR BIDEN INVESTIGATIONS, DAILY FUNCTIONING OF THE HOUSE? EXPERTS WEIGH IN

Former President Donald Trump was floated as a replacement, and told Fox News Digital on Thursday that he was open to temporarily accepting the role in order to help bridge divides between members of the party. He later threw his support behind Jordan.

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The White House mocked “dysfunction-engulfed House Republicans” Friday as they work to select a new speaker of the House, while praising President Biden for focusing on the economy and the American people.

The House of Representatives, in a historic first on Tuesday, voted to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as speaker of the House, after Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., introduced a motion to vacate.

McCarthy’s removal came just days after a continuing resolution was agreed upon to continue funding the government, despite weeks of GOP infighting over Ukraine aid. The government was set to run out of funding on Sept. 30, but Congress managed to come to an agreement in the 11th hour.

TRUMP ENDORSES JIM JORDAN FOR SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: ‘COMPLETE & TOTAL ENDORSEMENT’

Now, the House Republican Conference is considering who should serve as the next House speaker, with Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., the top options.

Over at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, though, White House officials are mocking House Republicans for being unable to “get their act together.” 

HOUSE REPUBLICANS MOVE ‘FULL STEAM AHEAD’ ON IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY EVEN AMID SPEAKER UNCERTAINTY

In a memo Friday, White House Deputy Press Secretary and Senior Communications Adviser Andrew Bates touted President Biden’s work in extending his “record of historic job gains powering the United States economy.”

“But while the President leads by putting hardworking families first and growing our economy with solid and tested plans, House Republicans are threatening to raise costs and kill jobs as their conference devolves into chaotic bickering and they insist on radical MAGAnomics policies,” Bates wrote.

“Less than one week ago, the House GOP attempted to singlehandedly shut down the American government unless they could make severe cuts to small businesses, manufacturing, law enforcement, and border security, while raising health care and housing costs,” he wrote.

JORDAN GAINS SUPPORT FROM TOP REPUBLICANS FOR SPEAKER TO ‘UNITE’ MODERATES, CONSERVATIVES

Bates added: “When the government remained open, for the good of all Americans, they turned on each other and made the only chamber of Congress they control dysfunctional.”

“Now, nearly a week since they unseated the Speaker of the House, congressional Republicans still can’t get their act together,” he continued.

Bates warned that in the next government funding debate, Republicans could “again try to force painful cuts for the middle class onto the country, even though they support deficit-hiking tax welfare for rich special interests at the same time.”

“This is a choice that boils down to economic growth and progress versus divisive infighting and losing out to countries like China,” he wrote, while touting “Bidenomics” for “fulfilling the long-sought return of manufacturing to the United States — including in a multitude of red states — producing historic job growth, and lowering prescription drug and energy costs.”

TRUMP WOULD ACCEPT HOUSE SPEAKERSHIP FOR A ‘SHORT PERIOD’ WHILE REPUBLICANS DECIDE ON A PERMANENT REPLACEMENT

“MAGAnomics represents dysfunction as House Republicans fall over each other and point fingers as they try to sell the middle class out to giant corporations and the wealthy,” he wrote.

The Bates memo comes after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday, following the vote to remove McCarthy, said President Biden hopes Republicans “quickly” elect a speaker. 

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“President Biden has demonstrated that he is always eager to work with both parties in Congress in good faith on behalf of the American people,” she said. “Because the urgent challenges facing our nation will not wait, he hopes the House will quickly elect a speaker.” 

She added: “Once the House has met their responsibility to elect a speaker, he looks forward to working together with them and with the Senate to address the American peoples’ priorities.” 

On Tuesday, House Republicans are set to meet for a candidate forum, to consider their options. They are expected to vote on a House speaker on Wednesday. 

The House Republican conference will be meeting Monday at 6 p.m. amid the fight for the speaker’s gavel, Fox News Digital has learned.

Two House GOP aides familiar with the meeting confirmed that the Republican members will be convening on Columbus Day, a federal holiday.

Republican members will likely discuss their conference’s replacement for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., after his ousting Tuesday.

TRUMP ENDORSES JIM JORDAN FOR SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: ‘COMPLETE & TOTAL ENDORSEMENT’

The meeting comes amid the fight for the speakership that is seeing House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, jockey for the gavel.

Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., is also circling around the speaker race but has not formally entered the fray.

The House GOP conference is largely splitting between Scalise and Jordan, with the latter scoring a speaker endorsement from former President Trump.

However, Trump’s endorsement does not necessarily mean a Jordan speakership is on the docket — both Scalise and the House Judiciary chairman need 218 votes to ascend to the speakership.

Meanwhile, Scalise — a fundraising powerhouse — is seeing support from a long list of Republicans in his bid for the gavel.

The speaker fight will likely be a loud one, especially following McCarthy’s ouster via a motion to vacate led by Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz.

‘SHELL SHOCKED’ KEVIN MCCARTHY WILL NOT RUN FOR HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN FOLLOWING REMOVAL

Trump gave Jordan his “complete [and] total endorsement” for speaker of the House, saying he is “respected by all.”

“Congressman Jim Jordan has been a STAR long before making his very successful journey to Washington, D.C., representing Ohio’s 4th Congressional District.,” Trump posted on his Truth Social overnight. “Respected by all, he is now Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.”

“As President, I had the honor of presenting Jim with our Country’s highest civilian award, The Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Trump continued. “So much is learned from sports, and Jim was a master!”

Trump, praising Jordan’s wrestling record, said that “while attending Graham High School, he won State Championships all four years, a rarity, and compiled an amazing 156-1 record. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Jim became a two-time NCAA Division l Wrestling Champion.”

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“He won his 1985-86 NCAA Championship Matches in his weight class,” Trump posted. “Jim has a masters degree in Education from Ohio State University & a Law Degree from Capital University.”

He added: “He is STRONG on Crime, Borders, our Military/Vets, & 2nd Amendment. Jim, his wife, Polly, & family are outstanding – He will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!”

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed reporting.

Some Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee are touting chairman Jim Jordan’s leadership on efforts to secure the besieged southern border — just as the migrant crisis is hitting new records, and Jordan could soon be the next speaker of the House.

The committee has been central in the House’s push to force the Biden administration to take what Republicans see as a stronger stance against border security and illegal immigration.

Judiciary was one of the main committees involved in the Secure the Border Act, the signature Republicans border security and asylum overhaul which passed the chamber this year and which Republicans pushed hard to include in a continuing resolution last week. 

TRUMP ENDORSES JIM JORDAN FOR SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: ‘COMPLETE & TOTAL ENDORSEMENT’ 

While it has failed to pick up Democratic support, it represents a sweeping and detailed blueprint of how GOP lawmakers want to reform the asylum system and crack down on illegal immigration at the border, with measures from E-Verify to limits on parole to border wall funding and Border Patrol agent hiring.

Now, days after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted by a motion to vacate, Jordan has put his hat in the ring to replace him — and his supporters are pointing to the committee’s work under his leadership. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., who is backing Jordan for speaker and is on the Judiciary’s immigration subcommittee, stressed Jordan’s credentials on the border to Fox News Digital. 

“House Republicans passed the strongest border security bill in history to end the failed policy of catch-and-release, finish the border wall, reinstate Remain in Mexico, and block taxpayer financing of the open-border NGOs that are actively facilitating this invasion,” he said. “This effort was spearheaded by the House Judiciary Committee.” 

“There’s no stronger person on border issues than Jim Jordan,” he added.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., who is also on both the Judiciary Committee and the immigration subcommittee, said he was specifically supporting Jordan in part due to his leadership on border security.

MIGRANT NUMBERS HIT HIGHEST EVER RECORDED IN 1 MONTH: SOURCES

“That’s one of the reasons I’m supporting Jim Jordan for speaker. I think he’ll be a great speaker and particularly on this issue,” he said.

Meanwhile, a source familiar with the committee’s operations pointed Fox News Digital to the work of the committee under Jordan — including the first field hearing on the crisis in Yuma, Arizona, along with eight committee and subcommittee hearings, 10 transcribed interviews and more than 50 letters to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas pushing for information related to policy.

The committee also released a detailed report into the murder of Kayla Hamilton, which it called a “case for immigration enforcement and border security.”

Jordan has also picked up the support of other Republicans who are hawkish on the border. Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green and Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., are among those backing Jordan. On Friday, he received the backing of former President Trump, who declared Jordan “STRONG on Crime, Borders, our Military/Vets, & 2nd Amendment.”

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Despite the drama over the speaker’s chair, the committee is keeping going, with a transcribed interview with an ICE official due to take place next week. Officials in multiple committees have emphasized that their efforts to secure the border will not be affected.

“The work that we do is essential. We cannot stop and we will not stop on the immigration,” Van Drew said. “We’re going to keep pushing hard because it is literally about the future of the republic.”

Van Drew also pointed to the grillings, both in letters and in hearings, that Mayorkas has received.

“I think we’ve gone hard at him. I’ve questioned him hard. And certainly, again, the chairman has really pushed hard on this issue.”

Van Drew said it was an issue that Republicans needed to keep pushing on, given the severity of the crisis at the border. Sources told Fox News last week that there were more than 260,000 migrant encounters at the border in September — marking a new record.

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“They’re doing catch and release, but some of them don’t even go through that process. Some of them are just getting in and without a doubt, documented, we have people who are part of the drug cartels and…they are now moving into the United States, establishing businesses in the United States and changing our entire fabric of our country. It is truly frightening.” 

Van Drew emphasized he believes both Jordan and Majority Whip Steve Scalise — also in the running for speaker — are “great people” but that he was backing Jordan.  

“I think this time and this place, just for that one issue alone — because we are in just the worst of times here and we’re in a crisis situation for real. And that’s why I believe we need Jim Jordan.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,  D-N.Y., demanded that President Biden “reverse course” on constructing a wall at the U.S. border with Mexico, saying a “wall does nothing” and represents a “cruel policy.”

“The Biden administration was not required to expand construction of the border wall — and they certainly were not required to waive several environmental laws to expedite the building,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X. “The President needs to take responsibility for this decision and reverse course.”

She added, “A wall does nothing to deter people who are fleeing poverty and violence from coming to the United States. Walls only serve to push migrants into more remote areas, increasing their chances of death. It is a cruel policy.”

Ocasio-Cortez said the president should instead “more seriously” examine the “root of migration,” and “should stop contributing to the destabilization that drives migration.”

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ACCUSED OF HYPOCRISY FOR PROPOSING BORDER WALL AMID MIGRANT CRISIS

The “Squad” member added that the U.S. should “finally invest in meaningful immigration reform.”

The lawmaker’s comments come as the Biden administration announced earlier this week that it would be waiving dozens of federal laws in order to construct a border wall in South Texas.

On Thursday, Biden suggested the decision to build the wall was out of his hands.

“Money was appropriated for the border wall,” Biden told reporters at the White House. “I tried to get them to reappropriate, to redirect that money, but they didn’t. They wouldn’t. And in the meantime, there’s nothing under the law other than they have to use the money for what it was appropriated.”

“I can’t stop that,” he added.

AOC DEFENDS JAMAAL BOWMAN PULLING FIRE ALARM IN ‘MOMENT OF PANIC,’ BLASTS GOP FOR ‘PROTECTING’ GEORGE SANTOS

When a reporter asked if Biden believes a border wall is effective in reducing illegal immigration, the president said, “No.”

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who initially expressed an “immediate need” for a wall, also clarified Thursday that its construction represented no change in the administration’s position.

“I want to address today’s reporting relating to a border wall and be absolutely clear,” he said in a statement. “There is no new Administration policy with respect to border walls. From day one, this Administration has made clear that a border wall is not the answer.”

The funds Biden referenced were appropriated under former President Trump, who made constructing a border wall a major point of his successful 2016 presidential campaign.

Ocasio-Cortez, who was first elected to Congress representing New York’s 14th Congressional District in the 2018 midterms, has been a vocal critic of Trump and the construction of a border wall.  

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She most recently won re-election in Nov. 2022, trouncing Republican candidate Tina Forte with over 70% of the vote.

Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s congressional office for additional comment, but they did not immediately respond.

Former President Trump gave Rep. Jim Jordan his “complete & total endorsement” for speaker of the House, saying he is “respected by all.”

“Congressman Jim Jordan has been a STAR long before making his very successful journey to Washington, D.C., representing Ohio’s 4th Congressional District.,” Trump posted on his TRUTH Social overnight. “Respected by all, he is now Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.”

JORDAN GAINS SUPPORT FROM TOP REPUBLICANS FOR SPEAKER TO ‘UNITE’ MODERATES, CONSERVATIVES

“As President, I had the honor of presenting Jim with our Country’s highest civilian award, The Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Trump continued. “So much is learned from sports, and Jim was a master!”

Trump, praising Jordan’s wrestling record, said that “while attending Graham High School, he won State Championships all four years, a rarity, and compiled an amazing 156-1 record. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Jim became a two-time NCAA Division l Wrestling Champion.”

“He won his 1985-86 NCAA Championship Matches in his weight class,” Trump posted. “Jim has a masters degree in Education from Ohio State University & a Law Degree from Capital University.”

He added: “He is STRONG on Crime, Borders, our Military/Vets, & 2nd Amendment. Jim, his wife, Polly, & family are outstanding – He will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!”

Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, announced his bid for speaker of the House on Wednesday after Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster, following a successful motion to vacate.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., also announced his bid for speaker of the House.

Trump’s comments come just hours after he told Fox News Digital that if Republicans cannot rally enough support for Jordan or Scalise, he would accept the speakership himself for a “short period.” 

TRUMP WOULD ACCEPT HOUSE SPEAKERSHIP FOR A ‘SHORT PERIOD’ WHILE REPUBLICANS DECIDE ON A PERMANENT REPLACEMENT

“I have been asked to speak as a unifier because I have so many friends in Congress,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “If they don’t get the vote, they have asked me if I would consider taking the speakership until they get somebody longer-term, because I am running for president.” 

HOUSE REPUBLICANS MOVE ‘FULL STEAM AHEAD’ ON IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY EVEN AMID SPEAKER UNCERTAINTY

“They have asked me if I would take it for a short period of time for the party, until they come to a conclusion — I’m not doing it because I want to — I will do it if necessary, should they not be able to make their decision,” Trump said.

Trump did not specify who had asked him, although a number of GOP lawmakers have said he is their preference for speaker.

Trump stressed that if Republicans cannot come to a consensus, he would take the speakership for a short “30, 60, or 90-day period.” 

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“I would only do it for the party,” he said, stressing that his focus is on his presidential campaign. 

Jordan has gained support across the Republican conference — including from top House committee chairmen.

“Jordan’s efforts have shown that he can unite moderates and conservatives across the conference to get the 218 votes needed to become speaker,” a congressional source told Fox News Digital.

Supporters of Chris Christie’s 2024 Republican presidential campaign who are courting New Hampshire Democrats to cast a ballot in support of the former New Jersey governor and against former President Donald Trump in the state’s upcoming lead-off primary are out of time.

Two political groups backing Christie’s second White House run have been sending mailers to registered Democrats in the state that holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP presidential nominating calendar. And they’ve been running targeted digital ads.

They’re wooing Democrats by highlighting that Christie is the only Republican presidential candidate “willing to take Trump on” and urging them to “make sure” the former president “never sees the inside of the Oval Office again.”

But the deadline for New Hampshire voters to change their registration ahead of next year’s presidential primary is Friday.

TRUMP REPORTS LARGE FUNDRAISING HAUL THE PAST THREE MONTHS 

The mailers by the Christie aligned super PAC Tell It Like It Is and the digital spots by the until now under the radar nonprofit policy organization American Leadership Today explain that Democrats can “switch parties by October 6 and VOTE in the Republican Primary. It’s easy to switch your party affiliation back after!”

CHRISTIE VOWS TO ‘CONFRONT’ TRUMP IF FORMER PRESIDENT DOESN’T DEBATE

The narrator in the digital ad warns that “in New Hampshire on a cold January night, democracy will be on the ballot.”

American Leadership Today has also been sending text messages and direct mail to Democrats in New Hampshire with the same message.

Seven years ago, Christie placed all his chips in his first bid for president on New Hampshire. However, his campaign crashed and burned after a disappointing sixth-place finish in New Hampshire, far behind Trump, who crushed the competition in the primary, boosting him towards the Republican nomination and eventually the White House. 

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

LATEST FUNDRAISING REPORTS COULD BE DEATH KNELL FOR SOME GOP PRESIDENTIAL LONG-SHOTS

Christie — who is considered one of the best communicators in the GOP and was known during his tenure as Garden State governor for the kind of in-your-face politics that Trump has also mastered — has repeatedly touted that he’s got the debate chops to target Trump.

The former president remains the commanding front-runner for the Republican nomination as he makes his third straight White House run, even as he’s juggling an historic four criminal indictments, including two for attempting to overturn the 2020 election results.

But with Trump not taking the stage in the initial GOP presidential nomination debates, Christie has pledged to “confront” Trump elsewhere on the campaign trail to make sure that the former president is not the Republican Party’s 2024 standard-bearer.

As he runs for the White House a second time, Christie is once again concentrating his efforts in New Hampshire. He’s seen his poll numbers rise in Granite State over the summer, but he and the rest of the field of contenders remain far behind Trump in the latest surveys.

TRUMP’S THE COMMANDING FRONT-RUNNER, BUT CHECK OUT WHO’S ON THE RISE IN THE LATEST POLL IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

This week’s mailers and digital ads are the latest evidence that Christie is banking on support from independents and Democrats who loathe Trump and are deeply concerned about the prospects of the former president returning to the White House.

A spokesperson for American Leadership Today said in a statement that the group’s “goal is spreading awareness about available choices through a multi-faceted campaign and expanding voter participation in the Granite State’s proud First In The Nation primary process.”

Christie, during a stop in New Hampshire last month at a town hall in North Hampton, offered that he was “uncomfortable with the idea of asking people to change their party. Because I think that’s something that’s very personal for them to decide.”

But he urged eligible voters “should go out and vote and vote for the person that they think will make a difference.”

Asked about the mailers and digital ads, which were first spotted by WMUR-TV political director Adam Sexton, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung took aim at Christie.

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“Of course Chris Christie is begging Democrats to support him. Chris Christie is a stone cold loser who spends every day on the cable news casting couch auditioning for a contributor contract whenever his joke of a campaign ends up in flames,” Cheung said in a statement.

With a likely uncompetitive Democratic presidential primary in New Hampshire, there’s the belief that the state’s large pool of independent, or undeclared, voters will cast ballots in the GOP contest. 

“What we’ve seen in the polling is that Trump’s support has remained solid among Republican primary voters. So if you can’t have Trump’s number decline, you have to find new voters. And those new voters could be undeclared or independents, but they could also be Democrats who decide to switch to undeclared and potentially take a ballot in the Republican presidential primary,” New Hampshire Institute of Politics executive director Neil Levesque told Fox News.

But he noted that “it’s a difficult thing to convince somebody to change their registration, which entails physically going to their town hall to make that change, in an effort to vote against a candidate.”

“Who knows — it could make a difference in a tight election. But in the past we haven’t seen that it’s really been a factor,” Levesque said.

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

President Biden, speaking after his administration announced border wall construction in Texas, said at the White House on Thursday that he tried to “redirect” the money for the project, and denied that the border wall worked.

“I’ll answer one question on the border wall, the border wall where money was appropriated for the border wall. I tried to get them to reappropriate, to redirect that money,” Biden said. “They didn’t. They wouldn’t. And in the meantime, there’s nothing under the law other than they have to use the money for what it was appropriated. I can’t stop that.” 

When asked by a reporter if he believes a border wall works, Biden said “no.”

White House communications director Ben LaBolt later wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the “funds for ~20 miles of border reinforcements were appropriated in 2019 before [Biden] took office.”

MAYORKAS CITES ‘IMMEDIATE NEED’ TO WAIVE REGULATIONS, BUILD BORDER WALL IN TEXAS AS IMMIGRATION SURGES

“He called on Congress to reappropriate the funds for smarter, more effective enforcement uses. Congress failed to do so,” LeBolt added. “Rule of law requires the project be completed in 2023.”

Fox News Digital on Wednesday reported that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is citing an “acute and immediate need” to waive dozens of federal laws to build a border wall in South Texas where illegal migration has surged.

It’s a sharp contrast to dismissals of the use of such barriers in the early days of the administration.

The agency posted an announcement on the U.S. Federal Register that outlines construction in Starr County in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, where the administration says there is “high illegal entry.” The agency says there have been over 245,000 migrant encounters in the sector this fiscal year.

Mayorkas said he is using his authority provided by Congress to waive 26 federal laws, including the Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act and Endangered Species Act.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ACCUSED OF HYPOCRISY FOR PROPOSING BORDER WALL AMID MIGRANT CRISIS

“There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas pursuant to sections 102(a) and 102(b) of [the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996],” Mayorkas said.

The administration had put a halt to new border wall construction in early 2021, after Biden had promised as a presidential candidate that there would “not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration.” The administration said wall construction under the Trump administration was “just one example of the prior administration’s misplaced priorities and failure to manage migration in a safe, orderly and humane way.”

However, the construction is funded by the fiscal year 2019 Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill, which specifically funded wall projects in the Rio Grande Valley Sector and which DHS is required to use for its appropriated purpose.

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The announcement comes as the Biden administration is facing a fresh surge in illegal immigration, leading to record-high numbers at the southern border and intense political criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. Customs and Border Protection sources told Fox News last week there were more than 260,000 encounters in September, which would be the highest monthly total on record.

Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., snapped back at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., online Thursday afternoon as calls for former President Donald Trump to become the next speaker of the House echo among some GOP lawmakers.

“No thanks, we’re good,” Schumer said on X, formerly known as Twitter, in response to the congresswoman. “We’ve seen a Trump rally at the Capitol already.”

Schumer’s post was a dig at Trump, who has been accused as the main perpetrator for the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021.

GOP LAWMAKERS FLOAT TRUMP FOR HOUSE SPEAKER AFTER MCCARTHY’S OUSTING

Greene originally posted, “If Trump becomes Speaker of the House, the House chamber will be like a Trump rally everyday!!”

She added, “It would be the House of MAGA!!!”

Republican lawmakers floated the former president as the next speaker just hours after Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted Tuesday. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., introduced the motion to vacate Monday night over McCarthy’s purported failure to uphold promises he made when he was voted in after 15 rounds of votes that lasted days in January.

Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, said in a statement Tuesday afternoon his first order of business when the House reconvenes “will be to nominate Donald J. Trump for Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.”

MATT GAETZ INTRODUCES MOTION TO VACATE AGAINST HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY

“President Trump, the greatest President of my lifetime, has a proven record of putting America First and will make the House great again,” Nehls said.

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., followed suit in a post on X on Tuesday evening: “@realDonaldTrump for Speaker.”

The next speaker does not have to be a sitting member in the House, but every speaker in U.S. history has been.

HOUSE DEMOCRAT LEADERS SAY THEY WILL VOTE TO OUST SPEAKER MCCARTHY

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It’s not the first time Trump has been floated as a nominee for speakership. In January, as McCarthy struggled to garner enough votes to secure his speakership, Gaetz cast a ballot for Trump.

McCarthy angered hardliners over the weekend when he passed a short-term spending bill known as a continuing resolution to keep the government open for 45 days to avert a government shutdown and give lawmakers more time to cobble together 12 individual spending bills.

So far, Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Steve Scalise, R-La., have announced bids for the speakership.

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Donald Trump told Fox News Digital that he would accept a short-term role as speaker of the House of Representatives to serve as a “unifier” for the Republican Party until lawmakers reach a decision on who should take on the post.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was removed as speaker of the House on Tuesday after Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., introduced a measure against him known as a motion to vacate, accusing him of breaking promises he made to win the speaker’s gavel in January.

GAETZ ‘OPEN-MINDED’ ON RULES CHANGE TO ELIMINATE MOTION TO VACATE, WOULD SUPPORT JORDAN OR SCALISE AS SPEAKER

“I have been asked to speak as a unifier because I have so many friends in Congress,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “If they don’t get the vote, they have asked me if I would consider taking the speakership until they get somebody longer-term, because I am running for president.” 

“They have asked me if I would take it for a short period of time for the party, until they come to a conclusion — I’m not doing it because I want to — I will do it if necessary, should they not be able to make their decision,” Trump said.

Trump did not specify who had asked him, although a number of GOP lawmakers have said he is their preference for speaker.

Since McCarthy’s ouster, both House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., have announced bids to run for speaker.

Trump stressed that if Republicans cannot come to a consensus, he would take the speakership for a short “30, 60, or 90-day period.” 

“I would only do it for the party,” he said, stressing that his focus is on his presidential campaign. 

Back in January, as the House considered who should become the speaker after Republicans took the majority of the chamber, Gaetz opted not to vote for McCarthy or Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, who was floated as an option, but voted instead for Trump.

FLASHBACK: MATT GAETZ VOTES FOR TRUMP AS HOUSE SPEAKER IN SLIGHT TO MCCARTHY

When Gaetz’s name was called during the seventh round of voting, he responded: “Donald John Trump.” 

Meanwhile, Trump told Fox News Digital that he will visit Washington, D.C., on Tuesday and plans to be on Capitol Hill to speak with members of the House Republican Conference as they consider who will become the next speaker. 

As for whom he would support for speaker, the former president did not comment. 

HOUSE VOTES TO REMOVE KEVIN MCCARTHY AS SPEAKER IN HISTORIC FIRST

A source familiar, though, told Fox News Digital that Trump is very close to Jordan and has always had a great relationship with him. The source said Trump also has a great relationship with Scalise. 

Trump is leading the 2024 Republican presidential primary field by a massive margin.

The most recent Fox News poll shows 60% of Republican primary voters supporting Trump for the GOP nomination, up from 53% in the last survey in August. 

HOUSE REPUBLICANS MOVE ‘FULL STEAM AHEAD’ ON IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY EVEN AMID SPEAKER UNCERTAINTY

The only other candidates to receive double-digit support in that poll are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 13% and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy at 11%.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley sits at 5%, with former Vice President Mike Pence and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott at 3% each. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is polling at 2%, with the remaining GOP candidates receiving less than 1%.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, made his pitch for the speaker’s gavel to the pragmatic Main Street Caucus on Thursday afternoon.

That group is a critical one for Jordan to please in order to win the top spot. The business-minded caucus boasts a significant number of moderates, in addition to its conservative members. 

Those moderates, particularly from districts won by President Biden in 2020, may be wary of supporting a lawmaker who previously led the hardline-right House Freedom Caucus.

“I think there’s still some hesitation from New Yorkers… particularly those who are in Biden districts, because Jim Jordan has just been so pro-Trump,” one source familiar with the meeting told Fox News Digital afterward. “You’ve got the moderates that are in Biden districts that may not feel comfortable.”

‘SHELL SHOCKED’ KEVIN MCCARTHY WILL NOT RUN FOR HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN FOLLOWING REMOVAL

However, two Main Street Caucus members, both from majority-Republican districts, told Fox News Digital after the meeting that Jordan made a strong case for himself.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., who had been voicing concerns about the one-member threshold motion to vacate, said Jordan broached his and others’ issues on the matter effectively. 

HERE ARE 4 OF THE LIKELY CONTENDERS TO REPLACE MCCARTHY AS SPEAKER

The one-member motion to vacate rule allowed Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to call for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ouster on Monday. Gaetz and seven other Republicans joined House Democrats in booting McCarthy, R-Calif., from leadership on Tuesday — leaving a power vacuum in his wake.

“He understands that we need to change the rule. I think he wants to change it in the right way. And he may be the one person that can change that rule,” Gimenez told Fox News Digital. “I trust Jim Jordan… I have no problem considering him for speaker.”

Gimenez said Main Street Caucus Republicans “made clear to him” in the meeting that changing the motion to vacate rule “was our number one priority.”

“He’s a Freedom Caucus member. And, and so you know, I had some caution there, but I’ve gotten to know Jim Jordan,” he said. “I think he’s smart. I also think one thing about Jim Jordan — I think he’s a very honorable person. A man of his word.”

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital she also was impressed by Jordan and suggested he could serve as a bridge between moderates and conservatives.

HOUSE VOTES TO REMOVE KEVIN MCCARTHY AS SPEAKER IN HISTORIC FIRST

“Jim Jordan made a good presentation. Probably one of his strengths is that… he’s probably most likely to be able to bring everyone together because of his relationships with both the Freedom Caucus and moderates, and the conservatives in between,” she said.

Malliotakis said among the topics discussed were avoiding a possible government shutdown and how to navigate working with Democrats in both the House and Senate, as well as changing the motion to vacate rule.

Neither Malliotakis nor Gimenez has decided on whom to support. 

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In addition to Jordan, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., has also thrown his hat in the ring. Republican Study Committee Chair Kevin Hern, R-Okla., is also considering a run for speaker.

Malliotakis said both Jordan and Scalise were “gifted communicators,” speculating that they will likely end up being the two frontrunners for the job.

Scalise is due to speak with the Main Street Caucus on Friday morning, Fox News Digital has learned. He’s also speaking with the Western Caucus and the House GOP freshman class.

FIRST ON FOX: Former President Trump is voluntarily dismissing his lawsuit against his former attorney Michael Cohen, but vowed to refile against him once he has “prevailed” in the “witch hunts against him,” Fox News Digital has learned.

Trump sued Cohen for $500 million in April, alleging a breach of attorney-client relationship, unjust enrichment, and more.

But Trump attorneys on Thursday night filed a motion “voluntarily dismissing this action without prejudice.”

TRUMP SUES FORMER ATTORNEY MICHAEL COHEN FOR $500 MILLION

“Given that President Trump is required to sit for deposition in a civil matter on Columbus Day, when he is scheduled to be in the Great State of New Hampshire, and while the President is fighting against the meritless claims that have been lodged against him in New York, Washington D.C., Florida, and Georgia, as well as continuing his winning campaign, where he is leading the Republicans by 60 points and Crooked Joe Biden by 11 points, to serve as our next President of the United States, President Trump has decided to temporarily pause his meritorious claims against Michael Cohen,” the Trump spokesperson said.

The lawsuit will be refiled against Cohen at a later date, the spokesperson said.

“Once President Trump has prevailed in dealing with the witch hunts against him, he will continue to pursue his claims against Michael Cohen, who rightfully deserves to, and will be held accountable for his unlawful words and actions just as the Southern District of New York held him accountable for numerous non-Trump related acts and crimes, making Cohen a very ‘proud’ felon,” the spokesperson said.

Trump’s legal team in April filed the more-than 30-page federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, alleging Cohen breached his attorney-client relationship by “spreading falsehoods” about Trump that were “likely to be embarrassing or detrimental, and partook in other misconduct,” while also breaching contractual terms of a confidentiality agreement he signed as a condition of employment with Trump.

The lawsuit alleged that Cohen spread falsehoods about Trump “with malicious intent and to wholly self-serving ends.” 

The lawsuit detailed Cohen’s “myriad of public statements, including the publication of two books, a podcast series, and innumerable mainstream media appearances,” while ignoring “cease and desist” orders.

FLASHBACK: LYNNE PATTON, TRUMP OFFICIAL AT COHEN HEARING, CLAIMED HE ONLY ‘TURNED’ WHEN MUELLER THREATENED WIFE

Cohen, in 2018, pleaded guilty to arranging the hush money payments — among other federal charges — ahead of the 2016 presidential election to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal, but maintains that Trump directed them.

Cohen also pleaded guilty to making false statements to a financial institution, making false statements to Congress and tax evasion. He was sentenced to three years in prison.

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

The move comes after Trump, the current 2024 Republican frontrunner, was indicted four times this year and faces a civil fraud trial as well. 

Trump was first charged in March out of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s years-long investigation related to hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in New York.

Those charges from Bragg came amid Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump’s alleged improper retention of classified records from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida.

TRUMP WOULD ACCEPT HOUSE SPEAKERSHIP FOR A ‘SHORT PERIOD’ WHILE REPUBLICANS DECIDE ON A PERMANENT REPLACEMENT

Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 felony charges out of that probe. The charges include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements.

That trial is expected to begin in May 2024. 

In July, Trump was charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment out of Smith’s investigation — an additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts.

Smith was also investigating whether Trump was involved in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, and any alleged interference in the 2020 election result.

On Aug. 1, Trump was indicted on four federal charges out of Smith’s Jan. 6 probe.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges, which included conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.

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That trial is expected to begin in March 2024 — the day before the Super Tuesday primary elections. 

Trump was also charged out of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ investigation with one count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act, three counts of criminal solicitation, six counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of filing false documents and two counts of making false statements.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Thursday backtracked from Biden administration statements made this week that cited the need to waive dozens of federal laws to build a border wall in South Texas.

“I want to address today’s reporting relating to a border wall and be absolutely clear,” he said in a statement. “There is no new Administration policy with respect to border walls. From day one, this Administration has made clear that a border wall is not the answer.”

BORDER WALL EMERGES AS FLASHPOINT BETWEEN GOP, BIDEN ADMIN AS MIGRANT NUMBERS RISE AGAIN

“That remains our position and our position has never wavered,” he added. “The language in the Federal Register notice is being taken out of context and it does not signify any change in policy whatsoever.”

The remarks by Mayorkas came a day after DHS posted an announcement in the U.S. Federal Register that outlines construction in Starr County in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, where the administration says there is “high illegal entry.”

The agency says there have been more than 245,000 migrant encounters in the sector this fiscal year.

In the Federal Register announcement, Mayorkas said he is using his authority provided by Congress to waive 26 federal laws, including the Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act and Endangered Species Act.

“There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas pursuant to sections 102(a) and 102(b) of [the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996],” Mayorkas said.

Upon taking office, President Biden halted new border wall construction as part of a promise he made on the presidential campaign trail. The administration said wall construction under the Trump administration was “just one example of the prior administration’s misplaced priorities and failure to manage migration in a safe, orderly and humane way.”

The Federal Register announcement comes as the Biden administration faces a fresh surge of illegal migration, resulting in record-high numbers of migrant encounters at the southern border. The influx has caused an intense political divide amid criticism from both Republicans and Democrats.

Customs and Border Protection sources told Fox News last week there were more than 260,000 encounters in September, which would be the highest monthly total on record.

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Republicans have blamed the surge on the rollback of Trump-era border policies and the halting of border wall construction. Biden has also been criticized for suing Texas over floating barriers on the Rio Grande.

“President Trump is always right,” the Trump campaign previously said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “That’s why he built close to 500 miles of powerful new wall on the border, and it would have been finished by now. Instead, Crooked Joe Biden turned our country into one giant sanctuary for dangerous criminal aliens.”

Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

Rep. Jim Jordan is gaining broad support from top Republicans to serve as speaker of the House, with members telling Fox News Digital that he can “unite” moderates and conservatives across the GOP conference.

Jordan, R-Ohio, announced his bid for the speakership on Wednesday, after lawmakers voted to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from the post for the first time in the history of the House of Representatives.

TRUMP WOULD ACCEPT HOUSE SPEAKERSHIP FOR A ‘SHORT PERIOD’ WHILE REPUBLICANS DECIDE ON A PERMANENT REPLACEMENT

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., also announced his bid for House speaker.

Jordan, who serves as the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and is co-leading the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden, has garnered support across the Republican conference — including from top House committee chairmen.

“Jordan’s efforts have shown that he can unite moderates and conservatives across the conference to get the 218 votes needed to become speaker,” a congressional source told Fox News Digital.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, a moderate Republican, told Fox News Digital that he would proudly support Jordan for the role of House speaker.

“I am proud to support Jim Jordan as our next speaker of the House because of his leadership skills, professionalism, and the fact that he will be able to unite our conference,” Turner said.

House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., also threw his support behind Jordan, along with other lawmakers including Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.; Darrell Issa, R-Calif.; Mike Carey, R-Ohio; Mary Miller, R-Ill.; Warren Davidson, R-Ohio; Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J.; Ralph Norman, R-S.C.; Alex Mooney, R-W.Va.; Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.; Byron Donalds, R-Fla.; Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis.; Troy Balderson, R-Ohio; Harriet Hagemen, R-Wyo.; and Max Miller, R-Ohio.

FLASHBACK: MATT GAETZ VOTES FOR TRUMP AS HOUSE SPEAKER IN SLIGHT TO MCCARTHY

“We need a conservative fighter to stand up strong to the Biden White House and Democrats and I can’t think of anyone better than Jim Jordan,” Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital.

Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., also threw his support behind Jordan, calling him a “proven conservative fighter” who “can right the ship and return the House to a path toward conservative principles like promoting limited government, fighting reckless spending, and holding the Biden administration accountable.”

And on the other side of the aisle, even Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said that Democrats are “ready to work with any Republican speaker as long as they don’t break their word, that they want to help the American people,” and said that would include working with Jordan, if he was elected speaker of the House.

GAETZ ‘OPEN-MINDED’ ON RULES CHANGE TO ELIMINATE MOTION TO VACATE, WOULD SUPPORT JORDAN OR SCALISE AS SPEAKER

As for Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., he told Fox News Digital that both Jordan and Scalise “would represent a monumental step forward for the conference.” 

“I’d be honored to vote for either of these men on the floor,” Gaetz said. “In conference, I’ll make a decision based on spending and whether they are willing to liberate us on these continuing resolutions.” 

House Republicans are hosting a candidate forum on Tuesday, and former President Donald Trump has said he plans to attend. 

Trump, the current frontrunner of the 2024 Republican presidential primary, has not yet commented on who he would support for speaker. However, a source familiar told Fox News Digital that the former president is very close to Jordan and has always had a great relationship with him. The source said Trump also has a great relationship with Scalise. 

HOUSE VOTES TO REMOVE KEVIN MCCARTHY AS SPEAKER IN HISTORIC FIRST

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital on Thursday afternoon, Trump said that if Republicans cannot rally enough support for Jordan or Scalise, he would accept the speakership himself for a “short period.” 

“I have been asked to speak as a unifier because I have so many friends in Congress,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “If they don’t get the vote, they have asked me if I would consider taking the speakership until they get somebody longer-term, because I am running for president.” 

“They have asked me if I would take it for a short period of time for the party, until they come to a conclusion — I’m not doing it because I want to — I will do it if necessary, should they not be able to make their decision,” Trump said.

Trump did not specify who had asked him, although a number of GOP lawmakers have said he is their preference for speaker.

Trump stressed that if Republicans cannot come to a consensus, he would take the speakership for a short “30, 60, or 90-day period.” 

HOUSE REPUBLICANS MOVE ‘FULL STEAM AHEAD’ ON IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY EVEN AMID SPEAKER UNCERTAINTY

“I would only do it for the party,” he said, stressing that his focus is on his presidential campaign. 

Back in January, as the House considered who should become the speaker after Republicans took the majority of the chamber, Gaetz opted not to vote for McCarthy or Donalds, who was floated as an option, and voted instead for Trump.

When Gaetz’s name was called during the seventh round of voting, he responded: “Donald John Trump.” 

A former longtime aide to embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., pled guilty to a federal conspiracy charge Thursday and faces up to four years in prison for submitting false campaign finance reports.

While accepting the plea deal at a Long Island federal courthouse, Nancy Marks, who served as campaign treasurer for Santos’ congressional bids in 2020 and 2022, said she and Santos falsely reported that he had loaned his campaign $500,000, despite not having the money to do so, and that the fake loan was to give the impression his campaign was well-funded in order to attract more donors.

Marks also admitted to giving the Federal Elections Commission a list of fake donors who had not actually given to the campaign, doing so without their permission.

EMBATTLED GOP REP. GEORGE SANTOS, EX-CAMPAIGN AIDE SEEM TO BE DISCUSSING PLEA DEALS WITH FEDERAL PROSECUTORS

According to the Associated Press, the court’s discussion surrounding the plea agreement, which comes with a recommendation Marks serve between 3 1/2 years to 4 years in prison, did not include a requirement for her to cooperate in the case against Santos.

The congressman was indicted in May on federal charges that he embezzled money from his campaign, lied in financial disclosures submitted to Congress and received unemployment funds when he wasn’t eligible.

Following her acceptance of the plea deal, Marks’ attorney told reporters outside the courthouse that Santos “mentally seduced” her.

WATCH: TRUMP LAYS INTO ‘CORRUPT’ NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES FOR BEING ‘STUCK’ OFF CAMPAIGN TRAIL AT FRAUD TRIAL

“There’s a manipulation involved that had to do with her family and the death of her husband,” the attorney said. “There were lies told.” He later indicated Marks would be willing to testify against Santos if asked to do so.

Marks resigned from her position as Santos’ treasurer in January after revelations he had lied about his life story and experience. The congressman later became treasurer of his own campaign.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre clarified that President Biden does not actually want the border wall expedited by his administration.

Jean-Pierre, speaking to the press Thursday, said Biden is opposed to the border wall demanded by his Department of Homeland Security and immigration officials.

“This is a law that we are complying with. We have asked Congress multiple times to reappropriate [funding for the wall]. This is not the way that we believe is going to be effective here.

“We believe in modernizing the system, not actually building a wall. The president said himself he does not think this is effective.

BIDEN SAYS A WALL WON’T STEM TIDE OF MIGRANTS, BUT HIS ADMIN JUST ADMITTED THEY NEED ONE

“We think there are other ways to do that, whether it’s smarter, more effective border security measures — like border technology — we believe that works when you modernize that and also land ports of entry. We believe that’s what works to deal with border security.”

Through a series of conflicting internal statements, the Biden administration has been put in an awkward position of actively waiving federal laws to begin construction of barriers on the southern border at the same time its official stance is ostensibly opposed to the project on ethical grounds and questioning its effectiveness.

At the press conference Thursday, Jean-Pierre seemed to attribute the construction of the border wall to former President Donald Trump’s administration.

MAYORKAS CITES ‘IMMEDIATE NEED’ TO WAIVE REGULATIONS, BUILD BORDER WALL IN TEXAS AS IMMIGRATION SURGES

“[Biden] has been very clear about this. He doesn’t believe the border wall is effective. And that has not changed. That has not changed. We are complying by the law. DHS is complying by the law,” the press secretary said. “But that appropriation came from fiscal year 2019 under the last administration, Republican leadership. And that’s what you’re seeing now.”

Fox News Digital reported Wednesday that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is citing an “acute and immediate need” to waive dozens of federal laws to build a border wall in south Texas, where illegal migration has surged.

It’s a sharp contrast to dismissals of the use of such barriers in the early days of the administration, forcing Biden to characterize himself as effectively helpless in the face of his own administration and cabinet as they actively work against his stated values with his tacit permission.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ACCUSED OF HYPOCRISY FOR PROPOSING BORDER WALL AMID MIGRANT CRISIS

Biden, speaking after his administration announced border wall construction in Texas, said at the White House Thursday he tried to “redirect” the money for the project.

“I’ll answer one question on the border wall, the border wall where money was appropriated for the border wall. I tried to get them to reappropriate, to redirect that money,” Biden said. “They didn’t. They wouldn’t. And, in the meantime, there’s nothing under the law other than they have to use the money for what it was appropriated. I can’t stop that.” 

When asked by a reporter if he believes a border wall works, Biden said “no.”

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The administration had put a halt to new border wall construction in early 2021, after Biden had promised as a presidential candidate that there would “not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration.” The administration said wall construction under the Trump administration was “just one example of the prior administration’s misplaced priorities and failure to manage migration in a safe, orderly and humane way.”

However, the construction is funded by the fiscal year 2019 Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill, which specifically funded wall projects in the Rio Grande Valley Sector and which DHS is required to use for its appropriated purpose.

The announcement comes as the Biden administration is facing a fresh surge in illegal immigration, leading to record-high numbers at the southern border and intense political criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources told Fox News last week there were more than 260,000 encounters in September, which would be the highest monthly total on record.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Normand and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

Former President Trump is expected to come to Capitol Hill next week as the House of Representatives prepare to elect a new speaker, following the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Fox News Digital has learned. 

Two sources familiar told Fox News Digital that the former president and 2024 GOP frontrunner is planning to come to speak with members of the House Republican conference next Tuesday as they consider who will become the next speaker of the House. Another source told Fox News Digital that the details are still being ironed out. 

Another source told Fox News Digital that the plans to travel to Washington D.C. on Tuesday will not impact the former president’s campaign stop in New Hampshire on Monday. That visit will be his first visit back to the lead-off presidential primary state in two months.

McCarthy, R-Calif., was removed as speaker of the House Tuesday after Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., introduced a measure against him known as a motion to vacate, accusing him of breaking promises he made to win the speaker’s gavel in January.

Lawmakers voted to oust McCarthy Tuesday from the speakership for the first time in the history of the House of Representatives.

Since McCarthy’s ouster, both House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., announced bids to run for speaker of the House.

It is unclear, at this point, who Trump would throw his support behind. 

“Both of these men would represent a monumental step forward for the Republican conference,” Gaetz told Fox News Digital during an interview Thursday. “I don’t believe there is a single conservative in the country who would not believe we are in a better position with either of them.”

Gaetz told Fox News Digital he would be “honored to vote for either of these men on the floor.”

“In conference, I’ll make a decision based on spending,” Gaetz said, referring to the House GOP conference meeting next week. “And whether they’re willing to liberate us on these continuing resolutions.”

Meanwhile, as Jordan gains support for speaker of the House within the GOP conference, questions are swirling on who could take his post as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee — which is jointly leading the impeachment inquiry against President Biden, alongside the House Oversight and Ways & Means Committees — if he is elected.

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Capitol Hill sources said Gaetz may have ambitions for the post himself, but when asked, the congressman offered his support to a colleague instead.

“The best person to take the Judiciary Committee if Jordan became speaker would be Mike Johnson,” Gaetz told Fox News Digital. “Because he’s a better lawyer than I am.”

Democrat West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin called for a state of emergency at the southern border after the Biden administration resumed construction on the border wall.

Manchin said a state of emergency is needed at the southern border on Thursday after President Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would resume construction on the border wall started by former President Donald Trump.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the move late Wednesday as the House’s speaker fight takes center stage in the media, saying there is an “acute and immediate need” for the wall.

MAYORKAS CITES ‘IMMEDIATE NEED’ TO WAIVE REGULATIONS, BUILD BORDER WALL IN TEXAS AS IMMIGRATION SURGES

“Far-left Democrats in Washington have to come to grips with the fact that we have to shut down the border,” Manchin told Fox News Digital. “Similar to President Trump, the Biden administration should call a national emergency on the border because this crisis is impacting every corner of our country.”

“We must work together to create an immigration policy that gives people the chance to come here legally as well as strengthens our border security with additional Border Patrol agents, new technology and a border wall,” Manchin continued.

In a Thursday “Morning Joe” interview, Manchin said there needs to be a wall along areas of the southern border that are being hit hard by the droves of illegal immigrants surging into America.

Noting that Mayorkas is “good people” who he works with, the West Virginia senator said the Biden administration needs to declare a state of emergency at the southern border “and shut it down tight.”

“The administration, the president has to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ And what Trump did, he basically declared a state of emergency,” Manchin said.

“You have to build the wall. There’s areas we need the wall, and there’s areas where we need technology,” the senator continued.

The wall’s construction is a broken promise for Biden, who railed against Trump’s signature issue during the 2020 campaign and halted construction after taking the presidency.

Mayorkas is citing an “acute and immediate need” to waive dozens of federal laws to build a border wall in south Texas where illegal migration has surged. 

The agency posted an announcement on the U.S. Federal Register that outlines construction in Starr County in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, where the administration says there is “high illegal entry.” The agency says there have been over 245,000 migrant encounters in the sector this fiscal year.

Mayorkas says he is using his authority provided by Congress to waive 26 federal laws, including the Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act and Endangered Species Act.

“There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas pursuant to sections 102(a) and 102(b) of [the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996],” Mayorkas said.

The administration had put a halt to new border wall construction in early 2021, after Biden had promised as a presidential candidate that there would “not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration.” The administration said wall construction under the Trump administration was “just one example of the prior administration’s misplaced priorities and failure to manage migration in a safe, orderly and humane way.”

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However, the construction is funded by the fiscal year 2019 DHS appropriations bill, which specifically funded wall projects in the RGV Sector and which DHS is required to use for its appropriated purpose.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced plans for up to 20 miles of wall in the RGV Sector in June. The administration previously made moves to close gaps and replace gates and says such projects prioritize the completion of activities and projects to address life, safety and operational risks – including the safety of individuals, Border Patrol agents and migrants.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed reporting.