NationalWatch

FIRST ON FOX — Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is doubling down on his forceful policies regarding the southern border after the Mexican president urged American voters not to support him in the 2024 election. 

Ramaswamy has been vocal about wanting to send the military to the border in order to crack down on the surge of migrants coming into the U.S. and go after the drug cartels.  

During a press conference earlier this week, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador lashed out at the 38-year-old political outsider after he was asked by a reporter about the candidate’s so-called “threat” to the country.

“That candidate from the Republican Party who says he is going to invade Mexico, no American of Mexican origin should vote for him,” Obrador said, “because he who does not love his homeland does not love his mother.”

RAMASWAMY UNVEILS PLAN TO ‘DECLARE ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE FROM CHINA’ IN UPCOMING POLICY SPEECH

In a statement first made to Fox News Digital, Ramaswamy knocked Obrador — suggesting the drug cartels are his “sugar daddy” and insisting that things will change if the GOP hopeful makes it to the White House.

“It’s not just illegal migrants, human trafficking, and fentanyl pouring through our Swiss cheese, open border anymore,” Ramaswamy said. “Now, we have armed cartel gunmen directly invading our homeland.”

“The U.S. military has one job: to protect American citizens on our own soil. The cartels may be AMLO’s sugar daddy now, but soon there will be a new daddy in town. As President, I will call Mexico’s president in January 2025 to deliver a clear message that we will support you in decimating the cartels. Military force is both legally and morally justified. Time to end the crisis,” he added. 

WWII GOES VIRAL AT RAMASWAMY NH TOWN HALL: WHAT YOU’RE SAYING IS ‘EXACTLY WHAT MY GENERATION GREW UP IN’

At Wednesday’s second GOP debate, Ramaswamy reiterated his tough border stance, suggesting the drug cartels are guilty of “bioterrorism” for the fentanyl deaths that occur in the U.S. 

“We have to seal that southern border. Building the wall is not enough. They’re building cartel-financed tunnels,” Ramaswamy said. “We have to use our own military to seal the Swiss cheese of a southern border.”

RAMASWAMY CALLS HUNTER BIDEN GUN CHARGES A ‘SMOKESCREEN’: THE ‘REAL PROBLEM’ IS BIDEN FAMILY’S FINANCES

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According to the RealClearPolitics average of national polls, Ramaswamy is placing fourth in the GOP field with 5.3%, narrowly behind former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley with 5.8%. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was center stage at Wednesday’s debate, averaging 14% in national polls while former President Trump continues to maintain a commanding lead over his Republican challengers, averaging a whopping 57%. However, Trump’s averages in early primary contests like in Iowa and New Hampshire are currently below 50%, giving a potential roadmap for his rivals to overtake him as the campaign unfolds. 

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

The Biden administration proposed its highly-anticipated offshore oil and gas leasing program for the next five years on Friday morning, laying out just three Gulf of Mexico lease sales through 2029.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) published the plan in a federal filing early Friday, laying out plans to lease oil and gas drilling rights across the Gulf of Mexico in 2025, 2027 and 2029. The plan, which is slated to be finalized by the end of the year, represents the lowest number of offshore lease sales ever proposed by the federal government and blocks leasing off the Alaskan coast, and in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

“The release of the U.S. offshore leasing program, mandated by law and long overdue, is an utter failure for the country,” Erik Milito, the president of the National Ocean Industries Association, which represents both traditional and renewable offshore energy producers, said in a statement Friday. 

“President Biden’s approach significantly curtails access to a critical national asset at a time when energy inflation is rampant, the likelihood of a national recession looms, and global efforts are intensifying to curb greenhouse gas emissions,” Milito said. “The White House simply ignores our energy realities in once again limiting U.S. energy production opportunities.”

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

Under the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the federal government is required to issue plans every five years laying out prospective offshore oil and gas lease sales. The most recent plan, which was implemented in 2017, expired in June 2022.

On July 1, 2022, the DOI published the draft proposal for its replacement five-year plan, which laid out multiple options for leasing between 2024 and 2029. The plan included an option with no lease sales during the time span and a maximum option of 11 lease sales. Friday’s proposal represents a middle ground option that will likely receive pushback from both environmentalists and fossil fuel proponents.

The 2022 draft proposal also ruled out any lease sales in the Atlantic or Pacific, solely opening up the possibility of future Gulf of Mexico sales and one potential offshore Alaska sale, though that sale was ultimately axed from the proposal Friday.

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

“With global demand at record levels and continuing to rise, regressive policies like this serve to harm Americans of all walks of life,” Milito continued. “The dramatically low number of lease sales puts upward pressure on prices at the pump, destroys good-paying jobs that form the fabric of Gulf Coast communities, and relinquishes geopolitical advantages of energy production to countries like Russia, Iran, and China.”

The persistent  delay in issuing a proposed plan represents a departure from precedent set by both Republican and Democratic administrations, which have historically finalized replacements immediately after previous plans expired. The option to hold no lease sales over the course of five years also represented an unprecedented departure. 

The most recent two plans, both formulated under the Obama administration, included more than 10 offshore oil and gas lease sales each. The Trump administration sought to hold a total of 47 lease sales across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska’s coasts between 2022 and 2027.

“At a time when inflation runs rampant across the country, the Biden administration is choosing failed energy policies that are adding to the pain Americans are feeling at the pump,” American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers said in a statement.

“This restrictive offshore leasing program is the latest tactic in a coordinated strategy to reduce energy production, ultimately weakening America’s energy dominance, limiting consumers access to affordable reliable energy and compromising our ability to lead on the global stage. For decades, we’ve strived for energy security and this administration keeps trying to give it away.”

WHITE HOUSE REFUSES TO REVEAL HOW COSTLY POTENTIAL BILLION-DOLLAR CLIMATE PROGRAM COULD BE FOR TAXPAYERS

While the proposed number of lease sales is far lower than the possible 11 sales, it is still more than climate activist organizations had called for. Groups led Center for Biological Diversity had argued the administration was legally able to move ahead with zero lease sales in the five-year plan.

“President Biden campaigned on climate leadership, but he seems poised to let us down at the worst possible moment,” Brady Bradshaw, the senior oceans campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity, said after the DOI issued its July 2022 draft proposal. The reckless approval of yet more offshore drilling would mean more oil spills, more dead wildlife and more polluted communities. We need a five-year plan with no new leases.”

In May 2022, the DOI canceled the three remaining lease sales scheduled under the current plan, one of which spanned more than a million acres in the Cook Inlet off the coast of Alaska. However, the Inflation Reduction Act passed months later mandated that the administration reverse that decision and hold the sales.

The Inflation Reduction Act further tethers new offshore wind energy leases to new oil and gas leases, meaning the former could be threatened without consistent fossil fuel leasing. That provision likely forced the Biden administration to ultimately move forward with some lease sales in the proposal Friday.

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The only remaining sale, Lease Sale 261, was set for this week, but was delayed due to ongoing litigation which was initiated after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management attempted to issue restrictions on leases purchased and reduce the amount of acreage available for lease. The sale is expected to span millions of acres in the Gulf of Mexico.

In addition, the Biden administration issued a proposal earlier this month blocking off 2.8 million of acres in the Beaufort Sea off the northern coast of Alaska, from oil and gas leasing.

“With climate change warming the Arctic more than twice as fast as the rest of the planet, we must do everything within our control to meet the highest standards of care to protect this fragile ecosystem,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said on Sept. 6. “President Biden is delivering on the most ambitious climate and conservation agenda in history.”

Conservative pundits reacted to Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate by calling for the field to narrow while also concluding, along with a poll following the debate, that Gov. Ron DeSantis is the candidate in the best position to go up against former President Trump.

“Honestly, nothing personal, but I felt Nikki Haley won the obnoxious title in this debate,” conservative commentator Mark Levin posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.  “Lots of personal attacks. Her record as governor is also quite weak. Scott began to address it. Pence, Burgham, Christie need to go. DeSantis was very solid. Actually got a bit more time. But time to thin the herd.”

“The DeSantis strategy is do well in Iowa, the bottom three or four candidates should drop out at this point, they have no hope,” Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz said on FOX Business.

“It’s a two-man race at this point,” political commentator Rob Smith posted on X. “I believe DeSantis will surprise in Iowa and New Hampshire, and it will completely reset the conversation. I am not paid to promote anyone, I call it as I see it.”

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

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts posted on X that the debate between Trump and DeSantis is “the debate Americans want regardless of who their preferred candidate is.”

“Tonight’s debate, which was a sideshow, emphasized the need for this idea. America deserves it.”

DESANTIS FIRES BACK AT ‘OUT OF TOUCH’ HOSTS OF ‘THE VIEW’: ‘WON’T BE PAYING FOR THEIR 9TH BOOSTER’

A 538/Washington Post/Ipsos poll after the debate found that a plurality of voters, 33%, felt DeSantis performed the best, and 54% ranked his performance as excellent or good, the highest of any candidate.

“DeSantis is the only candidate whose favorability rating competes with Donald Trump’s, though more primary voters are considering voting for Trump over DeSantis,” the poll stated. 

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“Even as Trump and DeSantis command the GOP primary field among self-identified Republicans, likely Republican primary voters who identify as independents are split between Trump, DeSantis, and Haley.”

Former President Donald Trump is facing backlash from within the Republican Party after suggesting that outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley committed crimes worthy of the death penalty.

Trump wrote the fiery accusations on his social media platform Truth Social, taking umbrage with Milley’s reported phone call with China following the Jan. 6, 2021, protests.

Trump wrote that Milley “turned out to be a Woke train wreck who, if the Fake News reporting is correct, was actually dealing with China to give them a heads-up on the thinking of the President of the United States.”

Milley spoke with Chinese counterparts in the aftermath of the capitol protests to assure them that the United States was not under threat — the general later told Congress that members of the administration were aware of the call.

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

“This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!” the former president continued.

Several of  Trump’s fellow Republican 2024 presidential hopefuls spoke out against his comments, including former Vice President Mike Pence.

“There is no call for that kind of language directed toward someone who’s worn the uniform of the United States and served with such distinction,” Pence said.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told Politico that Trump’s rhetoric created genuine danger for Milley and disrespected the military.

“To suggest that Gen. Milley should be executed is inexcusable and dangerous,” Hutchinson told the outlet. “While some will excuse this latest outrage as Trump just being Trump, the fact is that his statement endangers people and is an insult to those who serve in the military.”

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called Trump an “absolute child” for his comments during an interview with MSNBC.

TRUMP CLAIMS HE WOULDN’T PICK ANY GOP RIVALS AS HYPOTHETICAL VP

Milley, meanwhile, said the rhetoric endangers his family.

“I wish those comments had not been made, and I’ll take appropriate measures to ensure my safety and the safety of my family,” Milley told CBS News on Wednesday night.

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The former general said he has taken “adequate safety precautions” following Trump’s post.

“As much as these comments are directed at me, it’s also directed at the institution of the military. And there is 2.1 million of us in uniform,” Milley continued. “And the American people can take it to the bank, that all of us, every single one of us, from private to general, are loyal to that Constitution and will never turn our back on it no matter what. No matter what the threats, no matter what the humiliation, no matter what.”

House Democrats are now claiming that President Joe Biden actually is guilty – of loving his son Hunter.

The House Oversight Committee held an impeachment inquiry hearing Thursday that delved into the relation to between President Biden and his involvement in his son Hunter’s foreign business dealings.

Democrat Reps. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., and Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas., fumed at House Republicans during their 5-minute remarks, attempting to argue that the president is innocent on the basis that he is just “a father.”

DEMOCRATS SEEK TO SWITCH BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY HEARING FOCUS TO TRUMP

“This entire fake impeachment inquiry isn’t about the United States; it’s about Hunter Biden. And the only thing the president can be guilty of here is being a father,” Bowman said during the hearing.

After using up most of her time shifting the focus from Biden to former President Donald Trump, Crockett also claimed that Biden is nothing but “guilty of loving his child unconditionally.”

“Tell you what the president has been guilty of. He has unfortunately been guilty of loving his child unconditionally, and that is the only evidence that they have brought forward. And honestly, I hope and pray that my parents love me half as much as he loves his child.”

HUNTER BIDEN’S $250K WIRE FROM CHINA LABELED AS A ‘PERSONAL INVESTMENT’

House Republicans launched the inquiry pledging to provide “accountability” as they investigate Biden family finances and business dealings. 

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer alleges they have a “mountain of evidence” indicating that President Biden had previously leveraged his public office for personal gain for his family.

“The bottom line is that the committee has shown the Bidens alone brought in over $15 million in their foreign influence peddling, over $24 million if you account for their associate’s earnings from the schemes,” Comer said.

“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,” he continued. “It largely went unreported to the IRS. It was funneled through shell companies and third parties to hide the Biden’s fingerprints.”

“This deserves investigation,” he added. “This deserves accountability. The American people expect this committee to investigate public corruption.”

Comer then outlined the committee’s next steps in the inquiry.

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“Now we know much of the money goes — Hunter Biden, Haley Biden, James Biden, Sarah Biden, other Biden family members and their business entities,” Comer said. “What we need to understand is where it goes next. That is the question this committee has to answer. And the evidence supports that next step.”

Comer said he would subpoena the bank records of Hunter Biden, James Biden and their affiliated companies.

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

Welcome to the Fox News politics newsletter! We’ve put together a recap of the top moments from the GOP presidential primary debate. In case you missed it: The showdown was hosted on September 27 by FOX Business and Univision at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

MISSED THE DEBATE? See all the tense exchanges and memorable moments right here.

Here’s what you need to know: 

1. ‘Missing in action’

Former President Donald Trump was not at the second GOP debate, but his name was invoked multiple times. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hit Trump for being “missing in action.” …Read more

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie floated a Disney-themed nickname for the insulter-in-chief that didn’t seem to land. …Read more

Trump himself clapped back at Christie in comments to FOX Business: “Anybody that would come up with that nickname shouldn’t be running for president.” …Read more

2. Big fights

GOP candidates were more aggressive than in the first debate, and multiple moments descended into interruptions and shouting. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott brought the heat against DeSantis for the dispute about whether Florida’s curriculum was soft on slavery (DeSantis called the whole issue a “hoax”). …Read more

Even North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, the least-well known on the stage, scored some hits and conservative pundits generally viewed him as having a good night. …Read more

3. Big fails

Several jokes and one-liners flew a little too close to the sun. Former Vice President Mike Pence made a comment about sleeping with a teacher. Pence also delivered a line about the president visiting the autoworkers strike: “Joe Biden doesn’t belong on a picket line, he belongs on the unemployment line,” Pence said. …Read more

4. Vivek-shaped punching bag

Like the first debate, Vivek Ramaswamy took criticism from all sides, but the strongest came from former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley: “honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say,” Haley said during a spat over TikTok. Ramaswamy replied that he thinks social media is damaging to teens. …Read more

5. Did Bidenomics win the debate?

The economy and inflation one of the major topics leading up to the debate. While candidates did discuss kitchen table issues and slam Bidenomics, the president’s economic policies “came out mostly unscathed” according to former Clinton strategist Mark Penn.

Similarly, FOX Business host Larry Kudlow was uncertain that the candidates landed any fatal hits on the economy. “I still don’t think Bidenomics was buried today on that stage,” Kudlow said. …Read more

LOOKING AHEAD: A third GOP debate is scheduled for November 8 in Miami, Florida. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has sparked much speculation about a potential White House bid of his own, claimed Wednesday that Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis took the “bait” in agreeing to debate him, a “guy who isn’t even running for president.” 

Newsom attended the second GOP debate of the 20204 cycle in Simi Valley, California, Wednesday on behalf of President Biden’s re-election campaign. Fox News host Sean Hannity is moderating the upcoming 90-minute debate that the Florida governor will be having with Newsom on November 30. 

“Why is he doing it? That’s the right question. He’s running – I think, I’m not sure after tonight, but currently he’s running for president of the United States,” Newsom told FOX 11 Los Angeles anchor Elex Michaelson during a sit-down interview Wednesday. 

Michaelson asked Newsom whether he thinks DeSantis will still be a candidate by November 30. 

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

“That’s an open-ended question. Part of me wonders,” Newsom said. “The fact that he took this debate. The fact that he took the bait in relation to this debate shows that he’s completely unqualified to be president of the United States. That’s my humble, first, personal opinion.” 

“You’re baiting him with the debate offer?” Michaelson asked. 

“Of course. I mean why is he debating a guy who’s not even running for president when he’s running for president?” Newsom asked. “He’s showing up at the Reagan Library, hallowed ground, and he puts out an ad today not for his presidential campaign, to promote a debate against the governor of California. I mean this guy’s distracted, so I don’t know that he has it in his heart. I think – here’s my personal opinion about Ron DeSantis – he regrets running for president.” 

“He made a huge mistake. He listened to his consultants. He bought his own hype. He had this little God complex,” the California governor added of DeSantis. “I mean, look at the ads themselves . . . literally, God created  . . . I mean he bought into all this stuff, and he quickly regretted it, but he’s stuck. And here’s the problem, you get one chance at first impressions – he’s belly flopped. He’s down 30-plus points from where he started. So it’s a terrible situation for him.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to DeSantis’ campaign Thursday for comment about Newsom’s “bait” remark, but they did not immediately respond.

Newsom faced some criticism online over the running-for-president remark, as many doubted that he wouldn’t enter the 2024 race if 80-year-old Biden were to opt out for some reason. 

“This is Gavin Newsom walking back that he stabbed Kamala Harris in the back. Gosh, golly, why would he debate little old me who is totally super not running for president, swear,” Fox News contributor Karol Markowicz posted on X.

Writing to his more than 732,000 followers, Craft Ventures general partner David Sacks mocked, “‘Who’d want to debate an idiot like Gavin Newsom?’ — Gavin Newsom.”

“So — just to clarify — according to Newsom, assuming good faith, taking someone at their word, and being willing to engage in meaningful debate with fellow leaders renders one unqualified for office. Yeah, that tracks,” writer AJ Kay wrote on X to her nearly 60,000 followers. 

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In the spin room after Wednesday’s debate, Hannity also pressed Newsom on whether the California governor would accept the Democratic nomination to run for president in 2024. 

“Of course not,” Newsom finally said. “It’s a hypothetical. It’s ridiculous. Joe Biden’s our president.” 

Democrats vehemently decried the first House Oversight Committee’s impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden on Thursday as a “waste of time” and “illegitimate” as Congress simultaneously raced against the clock to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) deal and prevent a looming government shutdown before Saturday’s deadline.

“Republican extremism is rearing its ugly head,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters Thursday morning. “They are wasting time and taxpayer dollars on an illegitimate Impeachment Inquiry when we’re about 48 hours away or so from an extreme MAGA, Republican government shutdown — and this is what they’re focused on, an illegitimate impeachment inquiry as opposed to doing the business of the American people.”

Other Democrats followed suit on X, formerly known as Twitter, and joined in on the criticisms of the hearing.

“The government shuts down in TWO DAYS, and House Republicans are… wasting time today holding a sham impeachment hearing??? Stop playing political games. Do your jobs. Fund the government,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., posted to X. The congresswoman previously voted to impeach former President Donald Trump in 2021. 

MACE CALLS DEM CLAIMS ON IMPEACHMENT PUSH ‘COMPLETE AND TOTAL BULLS—‘

California Democrat Robert Garcia said on X: “We are going to hit back on every lie and conspiracy theory.

“We are ready to push back on a sham impeachment inquiry,” Garcia posted Wednesday evening.

Greg Casar, a Democrat running for Congress with the backing of the progressive PAC Justice Democrats, called the impeachment hearing “baseless.”

“My job is to defend the truth, while extremist Republicans try to defend Trump through their fact-free inquiry against President Biden,” Cesar posted to X.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., posted a snarky photo with a thumbs up and holding a box of Bud Light with a sign saying: “TO: REP. COMER & HIS SQUAD A PROFILE IN COURAGE CAN MAKE A GUY THIRSTY. CONGRATULATIONS, THIS BUD’S FOR YOU.
HUGS & KISSES: JOHN FETTERMAN.” 

New Mexico Democrat Rep. Melanie Stansbury said in a video posted to X that the hearing was essentially “continued peddling of conspiracy theories” and shifted the blame to the “continued efforts of Donald Trump to undermine our institutions and our democracy.”

“And then to distract from his own 91 counts of criminal indictment and his own twice impeachment, which is, of course never happened of any president ever before, because of his attempts to overthrow a fair and free election and his attempts, and his attempts to bribe a foreign official, which is part of the matter at hand,” she said.

HOUSE GOP TO PRESENT EVIDENCE AGAINST BIDEN IN FIRST IMPEACHMENT HEARING 

House Republicans on Thursday morning presented evidence uncovered to date as part of their investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings while examining “the value” of an impeachment inquiry.

“The House Oversight and Accountability Committee has uncovered a mountain of evidence revealing how Joe Biden abused his public office for his family’s financial gain,” Comer said in his opening statement. “For years, President Biden has lied to the American people about his knowledge of and participation in his family’s corrupt business schemes.”

“Evidence reveals that then-Vice President Joe Biden spoke, dined, and developed relationships with his family’s foreign business targets. These business targets include foreign oligarchs who sent millions of dollars to his family,” Comer said. “It also includes a Chinese national who wired a quarter of a million dollars to his son.”

Comer was referring to subpoenaed Hunter Biden financial records, which revealed he received two wires originating from Beijing and linked to BHR Partners in 2019.

Fox News Digital first reported that Hunter Biden received the wire payments, which originated in Beijing, for more than $250,000 from Chinese business partners during the summer of 2019 — wires that listed the Delaware home of Joe Biden as the beneficiary address for the funds.

HUNTER BIDEN RECEIVED $250K WIRES ORIGINATING IN BEIJING WITH BENEFICIARY ADDRESS LISTED AS JOE BIDEN’S HOME

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

“Today the House Oversight Committee has uncovered how the Biden’s and their associates created over 20 shell companies, most of which were created when Joe Biden was vice president and raked in over $20 million between 2014 and 2019,” Comer said. “We’ve also identified nine Biden family members who have participated in or benefited from these shady business schemes.”

“And what were the Biden’s selling to make all this money? Joe Biden himself,” Comer continued. “Joe Biden is the brand, and Joe Biden showed up at least two dozen times with business targets and associates sending signals of access, influence and power to those prepared to pay for it.”

Committee Democrats repeatedly accused Republicans of taking cues from Trump in launching the inquiry and used the opportunity to highlight the former president’s myriad legal issues.

“President Trump has gone on his social media account and said we should be impeaching President Biden,” Ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said in his opening statement. “Kevin McCarthy said we have an impeachment inquiry. You draw the conclusion. Directly or indirectly, this impeachment inquiry was a result of President Trump’s pressure.”

Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.

Long-shot Republican presidential candidate Perry Johnson isn’t ruling out a run for the open Senate seat in battleground Michigan.

“Obviously, it’s no secret that I’ve had a lot of calls to run for this seat because they do want to win this seat. But at this point in time, my focus is right on the presidential [race], and, believe me, that’s taking all my time and energy at this point,” Johnson said Thursday in a Fox News Digital interview.

The Michigan businessman and quality control industry expert failed to qualify for the first two Republican presidential nomination debates, including Wednesday’s second showdown, a FOX Business co-hosted event at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Johnson now faces an even steeper climb to make the stage at the third showdown in early November in Miami, Florida, because the Republican National Committee continues to raise polling and donor thresholds the candidates need to reach to qualify for the upcoming debates.

PERRY JOHNSON DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS ‘TRUMP WITHOUT THE BAGGAGE’

Pointing to the polling threshold for the third GOP debate, Johnson said “4% is a big bar.”

“When you’re an outsider, it’s very hard to get on the debate stage because, not only do you have to hit the poll numbers, then you have to have them [the RNC] say these polls are OK.” He criticized the national party committee for not recognizing certain polls that don’t meet its standards.

Johnson emphasized that, when it comes to his White House campaign, “right now, I think the plan is to go all in, in an individual state. If you’re not on the debate stage, that has to be the approach you take. …. The issue is to get to 4% nationally. 

“You can really only focus on one thing at a time, and when you’re running for president, it’s a full time for job.”

POLITICAL PUNDITS PICK WINNERS AND LOSERS FROM SECOND GOP PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

Johnson ran last year for the 2022 GOP gubernatorial nomination in Michigan and was considered a top contender before he and four other Republican hopefuls were disqualified because of invalid signatures. He has poured millions of his own money into his 2024 presidential campaign.

As Republicans aim to win back the Senate majority in 2024, they’re eyeing Michigan, where longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow is retiring rather than seeking another term.

“As you can imagine, I get inundated with calls because of the fact that Michigan has an open seat,” Johnson said. “It’s literally a seat that Republicans have not had in Michigan in a long time.”

Former longtime Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan, who served as House Intelligence Committee chair during his last four years in office, launched a GOP Senate campaign earlier this month. Former Rep. Peter Meijer, who backed the impeachment of President Donald Trump, has formed an exploratory committee.

And Michigan State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder, businessperson Michael Hoover and attorney Alexandria Taylor have filed to run for the GOP Senate nomination.

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Rep. Elissa Slotkin is the front-runner for the Democratic Senate nomination in a field that also includes actor and businessman Hill Harper, state Board of Education President Pamela Pugh and former state Rep. Leslie Love. 

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

A New York State Appeals Court rejected former President Trump’s request to delay a civil trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation into his businesses, scheduling the beginning of the trial for early next week.

The non-jury trial, presided over by Judge Arthur Engoron, will begin on Oct. 2 in Manhattan. The former president and 2024 GOP frontrunner is listed among dozens of possible witnesses. 

NEW YORK JUDGE RULES TRUMP COMMITTED FRAUD WHILE BUILDING REAL ESTATE EMPIRE

Engoron on Tuesday 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.

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 on his Truth Social Tuesday 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’s 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.” 

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.’” 

NEW YORK AG SUES TRUMP OVER FRAUD ALLEGATIONS

“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.”

“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.” 

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He added: “It is very unfair, and I call for help from the highest Courts in New York State, or the Federal System, to intercede. THIS IS NOT AMERICA!” 

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. 

The House Ways and Means Committee released a document on Wednesday showing an IRS agent relaying an inquiry from a CNN producer who claimed to have an email where Hunter Biden said that all of his “stuff” would go away once his father was elected president. To date, the alleged email has never become public. 

“Documents show Hunter Biden and his business associates had access to the White House and Joe Biden’s advisors; Biden business associates were instructed to not ‘mention Joe being involved;’ and official trips to Ukraine line up U.S. government actions and Hunter Biden’s financial bottom line,” the Wednesday press release states.

“And, after the IRS began investigating these crimes, Hunter apparently “expected all of this ‘stuff’ to go away when his dad becomes President.” 

One of the documents involves IRS public affairs officer Justin Cole emailing two IRS officials involved in criminally investigating Hunter Biden and reporting that a CNN producer has an email from Hunter Biden where the president’s son said he was “not willing to accept” a plea deal and “expected all of this ‘stuff’ to go away when his dad becomes president.”

HUNTER BIDEN’S $250K WIRE FROM CHINA LABELED AS A ‘PERSONAL INVESTMENT’

It is unclear when the Hunter Biden email was sent.

In another document from the committee, a message from Hunter Biden’s Apple iCloud backup on June 6, 2017, shows him talking to his uncle, Jim Biden, about his family’s “brand.”

“Bullsh-t James – all around bullsh-t,” Hunter Biden wrote. “Explain to me one thing Tony brings to MY table that I so desperately need that I’m willing to sign over my family’s brand and pretty much the rest of my business life? Read the f-cking documents people It’s plane f-cking English. Why in gods name would I give this marginal bully the keys my family’s only asset? Why?”

HUNTER BIDEN SUES RUDY GIULIANI OVER LAPTOP, ACCUSES EX-TRUMP LAWYER OF ‘HACKING’

In a Wednesday press conference, Rep. Jason Smith said that the “asset” Hunter Biden was referring to “could only be one person, Joe Biden.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and CNN but did not immediately receive a response.

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The newly released documents came the night before the House Oversight Committee was set to hold its first impeachment inquiry public hearing into President Biden’s overseas ties and possible corruption, where they said they will present all evidence uncovered to date as part of their investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings while examining “the value” of the inquiry.

“The House Oversight and Accountability Committee has uncovered a mountain of evidence revealing how Joe Biden abused his public office for his family’s financial gain,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer said in his opening statement. “For years, President Biden has lied to the American people about his knowledge of and participation in his family’s corrupt business schemes.”  

Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin was pressed on whether he will throw his hat in the 2024 presidential race, but declined to rule it out and said he is focused on the upcoming Virginia election in November.

“I’ve told you, I’m totally focused on Virginia elections and that’s what we are going to get done,” Youngkin told Fox News anchor John Roberts on “America Reports” on Thursday when asked if he would “rule out” running for president in 2024. 

“What happened recently was Joe Biden came to Virginia two weeks ago and he said one of his top priorities were the legislative elections in Virginia, he put a million and a half dollars in against our candidates,” Youngkin said. “We gotta battle against this and I’m hoping that our retreat in October will provide good resources for us to combat the flood of resources coming into Virginia to try and hold the state which the liberal left knows they are losing.”

“This is sounding more and more like a presidential campaign pitch,” Fox News achor Sandra Smith told Youngkin after he explained the ways Virginia has prospered since he took office.

YOUNGKIN DISMISSES SPECULATION OF 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RUN, SAYS HE’S FOCUSED ON VIRGINIA’S ELECTIONS

“If I put the question to you a different way,” Smith said.  “Do you feel a responsibility for your party and for your country to jump in this race?”

“Let me begin with how humbling this is,” Youngkin responded. “40 years ago I’m washing dishes and taking out trash in the Belvedere Hotel and today people are throwing my name around in a national context. I’m new at this. I have one campaign under my belt. I’ve been governor for 21 months. I think we have really moved things in Virginia. It’s encouraging that people are watching and like what we are doing.”

“I’m focused,” Youngkin continued after he was asked what would be “holding him back” from running. 

GLENN YOUNGKIN CONTINUES TO KEEP SPECULATION ON POSSIBLE 2024 RUN ALIVE

“We have got to hold our house and flip our Senate,” Youngkin said, adding that it is an “important moment” not just for the commonwealth but for the whole country.  

Roberts then suggested that Youngkin could “quietly register” for the Nevada caucuses and still focus on the Virginia elections. Youngkin responded by urging Virginians to register to vote. 

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Speculation has grown in recent months that the Virginia governor is considering jumping into the 2024 presidential race given that alternative candidates to former President Trump have not been able to make significant strides cutting away his substantial lead in the polls. 

“…I’d welcome Youngkin putting his oar in,” former Trump attorney general Bill Barr told the Washington Post this week. “If the governor indicated he’d to it, I believe he would draw serious support and be a strong candidate.”

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Youngkin will be hosting a “Red Vest Retreat” on Oct. 17-18 in Virginia Beach and the report says that some donors will use that time to push Youngkin into the race as an alternative to Trump.

The deadline for Youngkin to enter his name into the New Hampshire first in the nation primary is October 27 which is before the Virginia election on November 7. Youngkin would have to run as a write-in candidate in New Hampshire if he misses that deadline.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report

An Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy ship repeatedly shined a laser at a U.S. AH-1Z Viper attack Marine helicopter that was flying in international airspace over the Arabian Gulf on Wednesday, according to the United States Navy. 

The helicopter was conducting routine operations, according to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command spokesperson Commander Rick Chernitzer. 

“This unsafe, unprofessional, and irresponsible behavior by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy risks U.S. and partner nation lives and needs to cease immediately,” Chernitzer said in a statement to Fox News. 

There were no damages or injuries reported. 

READING DESPERATION IN TEHRAN: GOLD IS THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY GUARD CORPS’ BEST FRIEND

The interaction took place at approximately 7:30 p.m. local time. The aircraft is attached to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 (Reinforced), deployed aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5), on a scheduled deployment to the Middle East Region.

“These are not the actions of a professional maritime force,” Chernitzer said. “U.S. naval forces remain vigilant and will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows while promoting regional maritime security.”

IRANIAN PRESIDENT’S WIFE SAYS HIJAB LAW DONE ‘OUT OF RESPECT FOR WOMEN’ AS VIOLATORS FACE 10 YEARS IN PRISON

The development comes a day after Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed Wednesday it successfully launched an imaging satellite into space, a move that could further ratchet up tensions with Western nations that fear its space technology could be used to develop nuclear weapons.

Tensions are already high with Western nations over Iran’s nuclear program, which has steadily advanced over the years. Five years ago, former President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers out of concern it did not go far enough, restoring crippling sanctions on Iran. Since taking office, President Biden has looked to re-enter into a deal, but his administration so far has been unable to reach acceptable terms for a final deal with Tehran.

Last week, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said relations with the U.S. can move forward if the Biden administration demonstrates it wants to return to the 2015 nuclear deal, and a first step should be easing sanctions. Raisi had arrived in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly as Iran and the U.S. each freed five prisoners who were in custody for years. 

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The U.S. also allowed the release of nearly $6 billion in Iranian frozen assets in South Korea for humanitarian use. The five freed Americans arrived in the United States the next day. 

Iran has always denied seeking nuclear weapons, and says its space program, like its nuclear activities, is for purely civilian purposes. U.S. intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Iran abandoned an organized military nuclear program in 2003. Since then, however, Iran has continued to enrich uranium to a degree approaching weapons-grade levels.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee repeatedly sought to refocus the attention on former President Donald Trump during the Republican-led impeachment inquiry hearing on President Biden Thursday.

The committee, led by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., held its first impeachment inquiry public hearing, where members presented evidence uncovered to date as part of their investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings, while examining “the value” of the inquiry.

Committee Democrats repeatedly accused Republicans of taking cues from Trump in launching the inquiry and used the opportunity to highlight the former president’s myriad legal issues.

“President Trump has gone on his social media account and said we should be impeaching President Biden,” Ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said in his opening statement. “Kevin McCarthy said we have an impeachment inquiry. You draw the conclusion. Directly or indirectly, this impeachment inquiry was a result of President Trump’s pressure.”

WHITE HOUSE, HUNTER BIDEN’S TEAM KEEP SHIFTING GOALPOSTS IN DENYING DAD’S INVOLVEMENT WITH BUSINESSES

“It’s scandalous to use impeachment to establish a counterfeit moral equivalence between President Biden, an honorable public servant who has never been indicted or convicted of anything in his career of more than 50 years in public life,” Raskin continued. “And Donald Trump, a twice impeached president who’s recently been found in court to have sexually abused and defamed a woman and fraudulently inflated the value of his real estate properties, while facing 91 criminal charges in four separate indictments on everything from conspiring to overthrow an election and defraud the American people to making criminal hush money payoffs, to stealing classified government documents and hiding them while obstructing justice.”

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., accused the Republicans of trying to “distract” and “deflect” before launching into a guessing game with the only Democrat-appointed witness, law professor Michael Gerhardt, in which he inserted Biden’s name for Trump’s in order to try to illustrate that Trump, not Biden, should be investigated.

“Hold on to those two words ‘distract’ and ‘deflect,’ because I think this hearing’s all about, ‘Look over here, not over there,’” Connolly said.

“So, Professor Gerhardt, I’ve heard concern about branding, so shouldn’t we be concerned about all those Biden towers all over the world where foreign partnerships were formed and influence was used here in the United States?” Connolly said, knowingly alluding to Trump Towers located in cities across the globe.

“I think we are talking about Mr. Trump,” Gerhardt responded.

Connolly continued, “Shouldn’t we be concerned that a New York judge just found President Biden’s organization committed fraud every year for the last ten or 15 years, and that under the Martin Law in New York, that Biden organization is now subject to dismemberment and dismantlement because of the fraudulent activity.”

“That should be of concern with respect to Mr. Trump,” Gerhardt replied.

“Mr. Trump again,” Connelly responded, feigning incredulity.

Later in the hearing, Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., mused that the former president “lives free in the Democrats’ heads.”

“I’m amazed at, and I love the fact that Trump lives free in the Democrats’ heads every day,” she said. “That is a beautiful thing. Even though we’re here talking about the impeachment inquiry of Joe Biden.”

Committee Democrats also repeatedly mentioned Rudy Giuliani, a former lawyer for Trump, during the impeachment inquiry hearing. 

Democrats say Giuliani promoted a “big lie” that then-Vice President Joe Biden pressured the Ukrainian government to fire a prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, who was threatening to investigate Ukrainian energy firm Burisma, whose board Hunter Biden served on. 

Raskin said this was the “opposite of the truth,” and that Biden led a “coordinated global effort” to remove Shokin because he was corrupt. He asserted that Giuliani twisted the facts to accuse Biden of corruption  — an accusation repeatedly made by Trump — and quoted Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, who said there was “no evidence that Shokin was engaged in an investigation of Burisma or that Joe Biden’s role in his firing was in any way connected to Burisma.” 

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Raskin later pointed to a letter Giuliani associate Lev Parnas sent to Congress urging Republicans to drop their Burisma investigation, calling it a “wild goose chase.” 

Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., demanded to know why Giuliani was not testifying at the hearing, since Trump sent Giuliani to Ukraine to urge the government there to open investigations into the Biden family. The pressure Trump exerted on Ukraine to investigate Biden ultimately became the basis for the first impeachment effort led by Democrats against Trump, of which the former president was acquitted. 

Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis finished the second Republican primary debate and immediately suggested another: a one-on-one face-off with former President Donald Trump. 

“Since the former president didn’t come here, maybe he would be willing to do one with you and I,” DeSantis told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “I think he owes it to our voters to come and make the case.” 

“Here’s the thing though, you owe it to the voters to come and make the case. No one’s entitled to anything. You can say, ‘Oh, some poll months before,’ no. You gotta make the case. You owe it to the voters,” DeSantis added from the Reagan Library. 

DeSantis’ idea for a Hannity-moderated event with Trump was inspired by the upcoming 90-minute debate that the Florida governor will be having with Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Nov. 30. Newsom attended the GOP California debate Wednesday night as surrogate for President Biden’s re-election campaign. 

TRUMP FIRES BACK AFTER GOP OPPONENTS TAKE TURNS BASHING HIM IN REPUBLICAN DEBATE

Reached for comment Thursday, the Trump campaign rejected the notion. 

“Rob DeSanctimonious? The loser in 5th place in New Hampshire? His pathetic campaign is over. Good night, sweet prince,” Jason Miller, a senior adviser for the Trump campaign, told Fox News Digital. 

Trump again opted out of participating in the second GOP debate, instead holding a rally in battleground Michigan to blast President Biden for pushing electric vehicles amid an autoworkers strike. On the stage Wednesday, DeSantis argued that both President Biden and Trump were “missing in action.”

“Where’s Joe Biden? He’s completely missing in action from leadership,” DeSantis said on stage. “And you know who else is missing in action? Donald Trump is missing in action. He should be on this stage tonight. He owes it to you to defend his record, where they added $7.8 trillion to the debt that set the stage for the inflation that we have.” 

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also called out the former president for not participating in the debate.

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“Joe Biden hides in his basement and won’t answer as to why he’s raising the debt the way he’s done. And Donald Trump, he hides behind the walls of his golf clubs and won’t show up here to answer questions like all the rest of us are up here to answer,” Christie said during the debate. “He put $7 trillion on the debt. He should be in this room to answer those questions for the people you talk about who are suffering.”

House Republicans on Thursday morning are set to hold their first impeachment inquiry public hearing, where they will present all evidence uncovered to date as part of their investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings while examining “the value” of the inquiry.

The House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., will “examine the value of an impeachment inquiry and present evidence House Republicans have uncovered to date regarding President Joe Biden’s knowledge of and role in his family’s domestic and international business practices,” according to the panel. The hearing is to begin at 10 a.m.

HUNTER BIDEN RECEIVED $250K WIRES ORIGINATING IN BEIJING WITH BENEFICIARY ADDRESS LISTED AS JOE BIDEN’S HOME

Bruce Dubinsky, a forensic accountant with decades of experience in financial investigations and consulting – and who the committee says has testified in more than 80 trials, including trials that involved financial fraud – will testify, along with former Assistant Attorney General Eileen O’Connor, who served in the Department of Justice Tax Division.

Law professor and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley, who testified in the Clinton and Trump impeachments, will also testify.

IRS OFFICIAL SAYS HE WAS FRUSTRATED DOJ DID NOT BRING CHARGES AGAINST HUNTER BIDEN FOR 2014, 2015 TAX YEARS

“Since January, House Committees on Oversight and Accountability, Judiciary, and Ways and Means have uncovered an overwhelming amount of evidence showing President Joe Biden abused his public office for his family’s financial gain,” Comer said this week. “Thousands of pages of financial records, emails, texts, testimony from credible IRS whistleblowers, and a transcribed interview with Biden family business associate Devon Archer all reveal that Joe Biden allowed his family to sell him as ‘the brand’ around the world to enrich the Biden family.”

The House of Representatives formally launched the impeachment inquiry this month – something Comer said Congress had a duty to do while stressing that Americans “demand and deserve answers, transparency and accountability” for Biden’s alleged corruption and “abuse of public office.”

Biden faces accusations that he was involved in foreign business deals set up by his son, Hunter Biden, who allegedly promised his father would use his public office to grant favors in exchange for payments.

JORDAN WANTS SPECIAL COUNSEL DAVID WEISS TO TESTIFY PUBLICLY NEXT MONTH BEFORE CONGRESS

The White House maintains that President Biden was “never in business with his son.”

White House officials, though, have blasted House Republicans for the impeachment inquiry, calling it an “evidence-free” probe and a “political stunt.” The White House is also slamming GOP lawmakers for holding the hearing just days before the government runs out of funding.

Congress is currently negotiating a continuing resolution to extend the current year’s funding, but without passing a deal by Sept. 30, they risk sending the government into a partial shutdown.

“Extreme House Republicans are already telegraphing their plans to try to distract from their own chaotic inability to govern and the impact of it on the country,” White House spokesperson Ian Sams told Fox News Digital.

WHITE HOUSE HAMMERS UPCOMING BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY HEARING AS ‘EVIDENCE-FREE’ STUNT

“Staging a political stunt hearing in the waning days before they shut down the government reveals their true priorities: to them, baseless personal attacks on President Biden are more important than preventing a government shutdown and the pain it would inflict on American families,” Sams said.

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The hearing will be the first since House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., formalized an impeachment inquiry last week. McCarthy directed Comer and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, along with Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., to lead the investigation.

The hearing comes after Comer subpoenaed Hunter Biden’s financial records related to a specific bank account and received records of two wires originating from Beijing and linked to BHR Partners.

Fox News Digital first reported that Hunter Biden received the wire payments, which originated in Beijing, for more than $250,000 from Chinese business partners during the summer of 2019 — wires that listed the Delaware home of Joe Biden as the beneficiary address for the funds.

The White House declined to comment.

The U.S. Department of Justice ordered FBI and IRS investigators involved in the Hunter Biden probe to “remove any reference” to President Biden in a search warrant related to a Foreign Agents Registration Act probe, new documents released by the House Ways & Means Committee reveal.

Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., led a vote Wednesday to release new documents provided by IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler that “corroborate their initial testimony to the Committee and reinforce their credibility and their high esteem among colleagues.”

“The Biden Administration — including top officials at the Justice Department — lied to the American public and engaged in a cover-up that interfered with federal investigators and protected the Biden family, including President Biden himself,” the committee said.

One document released Wednesday was an August 2020 email sent by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf in which she ordered investigators to remove any reference to “Political Figure 1” from a search warrant. Subsequent documents released Wednesday revealed that President Biden is “Political Figure 1.”

“As a priority, someone needs to redraft attachment B,” Wolf writes in the email. “I am not sure what this is cut and pasted from but other than the attribution location, and identity stuff at the end, none of it is appropriate and within the scope of this warrant.” 

Wolf adds: “Please focus on FARA evidence only. There should be nothing about Political Figure 1 in here.” 

A document released Wednesday and reviewed by Fox News Digital states that “Political Figure 1” is “Former Vice President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.”

“VP BIDEN is currently the Democratic Party Presidential candidate for the United States and served as the 47th officeholder for the position of the Office of the Vice President of the United States (VPOTUS) in the Barack Obama Administration from January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2017,” the document states. “He is the father of SUBJECT 1.”

“SUBJECT 1” is presumably Hunter Biden, the target of the investigation.

The Justice Department indirectly revealed that Hunter Biden is still under investigation for a potential violation of FARA during his first court appearance in July, in which his “sweetheart” plea deal collapsed.

When asked by federal Judge Maryellen Noreika of the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware whether the government could bring a charge against Hunter Biden related to FARA, the DOJ prosecutor replied, “Yes.”

Meanwhile, the committee said that documents also revealed that the Hunter Biden federal investigation was being “hampered and artificially slowed.” 

The committee said during a September 2022 interview with the president’s brother, James Biden, that investigators were “not allowed to ask if then-Vice President Biden was involved in Hunter Biden’s deal with CEFC China Energy,” or follow “normal investigative leads.”

The committee also said a May 2021 report from investigators detailed that they were “not allowed to follow investigative leads on potential campaign finance violations related to a wealthy Hollywood lawyer, Kevin Morris, who was enlisted to help the family, and who paid millions of dollars to help Hunter around the time that Joe Biden becomes president.” 

“Investigators wrote that ‘there may be campaign finance criminal violations. AUSA Wolf stated on the last prosecution team meeting that she did not want any of the agents to look into the allegation,’” the committee said Wednesday. 

Chairman Jason Smith said the new documents show a “clearer connection between Joe Biden, his public office, and Hunter Biden’s global influence peddling scheme that resulted in over $20 million in payments to the Biden family.” 

“In addition to then Vice-President Joe Biden attending lunches and speaking on the phone with his son’s business associates, the details released today paint a fuller picture of how Joe Biden’s vice presidential office was instrumental to the Biden Family’s business schemes,” Smith said.

Smith said that the evidence included in the documents shows “a pattern of Hunter Biden creating for-profit entities to shield at least $20 million from foreign sources from taxes and hide the trail of payments that led to members of the Biden family.”

A congressional aide told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the Biden family and their associates collected more than $24 million in foreign payments between 2014 and 2019.

“The growing body of evidence further calls into question the Justice Department’s attempted sweetheart plea deal for Hunter Biden, and the reasons for appointing the architect of that plea deal as the special counsel for Hunter Biden’s case, in light of officials’ efforts to protect President Biden and his son,” Smith said. “This evidence makes clear Hunter Biden’s business was selling the Biden ‘brand’ and that access to the White House was his family’s most valuable asset — despite official claims otherwise.”

Smith, who is leading the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden alongside House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said his committee will continue to take “appropriate steps” in its investigation, including sharing documents with committee Democrats ahead of their release.

“We have promised to go where the facts lead us, and that is exactly what we will do to get answers for the American people,” Smith said.

The documents come out as part of House Republicans’ formal impeachment inquiry investigation against President Biden. The House Oversight Committee is set to hold its first public hearing as part of the inquiry on Thursday at 10 a.m. ET.

Neither the White House nor the Justice Department immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.