NationalWatch

Senate Republicans face a “quandary” with regard to linking a potential border security measure with Ukraine in the national security supplemental package, fueled by confusion about Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell‘s comments in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday night.

Some GOP lawmakers reportedly interpreted McConnell’s assessment of current border negotiations as stepping back from securing an agreement and bowing to Trump’s demands to refuse a border deal with Democrats. But on Thursday, other lawmakers told reporters that McConnell was “laying out the quandary.”

“I think he was just kind of laying out the quandary we’re in,” said Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., “and laying out kind of what the field looks like. And so we got to see the text before we do anything else.”

Lead Republican negotiator Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., agreed with Ricketts.

ILLEGAL MIGRANTS ARE SLEEPING IN TERMINALS OF BOSTON AIRPORT ON ‘DAILY BASIS’ AS CRISIS OVERWHELMS SHELTERS

“I think he’s laying out the politics,” Lankford told Fox News. “Definitely didn’t get that he was backing away at all. I think he was just expressing what’s the reality on the ground.”

Lankford added that Trump is not involved in the negotiations and that he doesn’t agree with putting off dealing with the crisis at the border for the sake of keeping it a prime election issue for conservatives to tout against Biden. 

“I don’t doubt that he wants a perfect deal,” Lankford said of Trump. “So do I on it. But we’ve got to be able to figure out how to be able to do something right now to get as much done as we can possibly get done.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters Thursday that he doesn’t think improving conditions at the border “changes the 2024 outcome.” 

“Presidentially, I think, it is what we’re expected to do,” Graham said. “So, I think the best thing for the Republican Party to do right now is try to work with Democrats where you can to make the country safer and stronger.”

According to Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., a “faction” of Republicans want to hold off on addressing the border, which has become a key election issue especially for GOP voters.

“I know there’s a faction that thinks it’s better to do nothing on the border for political gain, but I still think there is a big group of Republicans that wants to help solve the problem at the border,” Murphy said.

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., said he doesn’t think splitting up Ukraine and border security should be “taken off the table” in an election year. 

BORDER BATTLE LINES: DEMS CALL ON BIDEN TO SEIZE CONTROL OF TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD AS GOP ALLIES BACK ABBOTT

“I don’t believe we should take this off the table,” Young said of splitting the issues up. “Certainly not to clear the way for a clean, campaign, debate season. Let’s get something consequential done for the American people. That’s how you instill trust in government in your elected representatives, rather than paying fealty to short-term considerations.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, however, believes the potential border deal would fail to stop the flow of migrants crossing the border. He told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on Wednesday that “it’s a terrible deal.”

“There’s a lot of the D.C. establishment that wants this deal, but it’s designed not to solve the problem,” he said. “I’m telling my colleagues: Do not do any deal that fails to secure the border. We got to fix the problem or give up on it.”

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has been trying to secure a deal for months with White House officials to unlock $60 billion of aid to assist Ukraine’s war with Russia that’s included in the national security supplemental bill. The Department of Defense has already depleted its available funds earmarked for Ukraine without needing approval from Congress. 

The Biden administration is seeking over $100 billion in funding, including $14 billion for the border. But Republicans have demanded limits on migrant releases into the interior, including the use of parole, and negotiators have been attempting to find a compromise.

DEM GOVERNOR COMPLAINS AS MIGRANT SURGE STRAINS HER ‘RIGHT-TO-SHELTER’ STATE’S RESOURCES

Multiple sources familiar with a portion of the proposal told Fox News Digital this week that a part of the deal would tighten the language of the initial credible fear standard for asylum screenings. One source said that those briefing lawmakers had predicted it could lead to the majority of migrants going through the screenings being removed.

While the provisions of the bill are still fluid, negotiators have said they are hoping to have a bill text soon — indicating that the provisions, while fluid, are close to being finalized. GOP lawmakers are growing restless to see the bill text, with some arguing the “secret” negotiations will sidestep conservatives and produce a heavier immigration policy win for Democrats.

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But even if the Senate passes the supplemental, it will be dead on arrival in the GOP-controlled House. GOP lawmakers in the lower chamber want nothing short of H.R. 2, which the House passed last year and includes Trump administration-era border policies like “Remain in Mexico” and construction of a border wall.

It’s unclear when the border deal will be reached or when the supplemental package will be brought to the floor for a vote. Senators are expected to recess on Feb. 9.

Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

House Democrats blasted the impeachment inquiry on Thursday after a witness testified he was “unaware” of any involvement President Biden may have had in his son’s business dealings.

Hunter Biden’s business associate, Mervyn Yan, testified behind closed-doors before the House Oversight and Judiciary committees Thursday after receiving a subpoena. 

House Republicans, on the other hand, said Yan’s testimony raised many questions about the nature of the Biden family’s business dealings in China.

A source with direct knowledge of Yan’s testimony told Fox News Digital that Yan told congressional investigators he is “unaware of any involvement President Biden may have had with his son’s business pursuits.”

HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE TO TESTIFY ON BIDEN’S ALLEGED ROLE IN CHINA DEALS AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Yan, despite interacting with Hunter Biden and James Biden, “never met, spoke to, did business with or had any personal or professional communication with President Biden,” the source said.

The source also said Yan testified he “does not possess any materials or information bearing on President Biden’s alleged involvement in his family’s business dealings.”

“Just like every other witness in Chairman Comer’s ‘clueless investigation’ — that even House Republicans are calling a ‘parade of embarrassments’ and ‘a disaster’— Mervyn Yan testified to the committee today that he has no evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden and that, to his knowledge, President Biden was not involved in, did not profit from and took no official actions in relation to his family’s business dealings,” the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said Thursday. 

JOE BIDEN RECEIVED $40K IN ‘LAUNDERED CHINA MONEY’ FROM BROTHER IN 2017, COMER SAYS

“Further undercutting Republicans’ lies about President Biden, Mr. Yan testified that he never once did business with or had any personal or professional communication with President Biden.”

But apparently, Raskin was not at the deposition Thursday. 

“@RepRaskin wasn’t even at the deposition today,” House Judiciary Republicans tweeted Thursday evening. “So how would he know this?”

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said Thursday he plans to release the transcript of Yan’s interview. Comer said Yan’s testimony raised more questions for the committee’s investigation regarding the Biden family’s interactions with China.

“Mervyn Yan admitted on the record the Bidens had no experience in the energy and infrastructure sectors and was not sure what they brought to the table,” Comer said Thursday. “His testimony raises many questions about the Bidens’ dealings with the Chinese government-linked energy firm, and we hope to learn more tomorrow from Rob Walker, another Biden family associate.”

HUNTER DEMANDED $10M FROM CHINESE ENERGY FIRM BECAUSE ‘BIDENS ARE THE BEST,’ HAVE ‘CONNECTIONS’

The committee is expected to hear testimony from Rob Walker on Friday. 

Walker is scheduled to appear at 10 a.m. Friday on Capitol Hill after being subpoenaed by both House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in November.

In notifying Walker of the subpoena, Comer and Jordan note that his Robinson Walker, LLC received a payment of $3 million from State Energy HK Limited, a Chinese company, less than two months after Biden left the Obama administration. Comer and Jordan said that in the three months following that payment, Robinson Walker, LLC made “incremental payments totaling over $1 million to Biden family members and their companies, including Hallie Biden and entities associated with Hunter Biden and James Biden.”

Comer and Jordan have stressed that evidence collected by congressional investigators reveals that President Biden “was at least aware of some of his family’s business ventures and sought to influence potential business deals that financially benefited his family.”

FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN IN 2017 SENT ‘BEST WISHES’ FROM ‘ENTIRE BIDEN FAMILY’ TO CHINA FIRM CHAIRMAN, REQUESTED $10M WIRE

Comer and Jordan believe Walker can provide information related to whether Joe Biden, as vice president and/or president “took any official action or effected any change in government policy because of money or other things of value provided to himself or his family, including whether concerns that Chinese sources may release additional evidence about their business relationships with the Biden family have had any impact on official acts performed by President Biden or U.S. foreign policy; abused his office of public trust by providing foreign interests with access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him; or abused his office of public trust by knowingly participating in a scheme to enrich himself or his family by giving foreign interests the impression that they would receive access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him.”

Yan’s testimony and Walker’s expected testimony come before Hunter Biden is scheduled to appear for a deposition as part of the impeachment inquiry against his father. 

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Hunter Biden defied his subpoena to appear for a deposition on Dec. 13 and was at risk of being held in contempt of Congress.

His attorneys and the committees came to an agreement last week that the first son will appear for a closed-door deposition on Feb. 28.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Thursday his state has no plans to comply with an order from the Biden administration to grant Border Patrol agents access to a riverfront park that is at the center of a border dispute. 

The defiance comes in the wake of a Supreme Court decision earlier this week that cleared the way for Border Patrol agents to cut or remove razor wire Texas had installed around Shelby Park. The area has become a popular corridor for migrants to illegally enter the U.S.  

Texas seized control of the park this month and began denying entry to Border Patrol agents, escalating a feud between Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and the Biden administration, which the governor accuses of not doing enough to curb illegal crossings.

After the Supreme Court’s decision on Monday, Texas said it would be installing more rows of razor wire. The fencing has become one of Abbott’s most visible measures to deter migrants in the border city of Eagle Pass.

TEXAS GOVERNOR DOING ‘EXACTLY RIGHT THING’ AMID CONSTITUTIONAL BATTLE OVER BORDER ENFORCEMENT: LEGAL EXPERTS

On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent the state a letter demanding access again to Shelby Park, which is next to the Rio Grande. It asked Texas to respond by Friday.

Paxton told Fox News earlier Thursday that Texas had no plans to comply with the deadline. 

TRUMP, RFK JR SIDE WITH TEXAS IN BORDER FIGHT WITH BIDEN ADMIN AS 25 STATES SHOW SUPPORT

Paxton cast doubts on the prospect of a physical confrontation between state and federal officials, predicting that the matter would play itself out in the courts. 

That prediction is shared by National Border Patrol Council Vice President Chris Cabrera, who also told Fox News on Thursday you’d be “hard-pressed” to get a Border Patrol agent to go up against their counterparts, i.e., Texas National Guard, on the ground. 

Another border agent told Fox News, that each agency knows it has to “respond to direct orders from superiors,” adding that there was plenty of mutual respect on both sides. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment. 

A DHS spokesperson told Fox News that enforcing immigration law is a “federal responsibility.” 

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“Rather than helping to reduce irregular migration, the State of Texas has only made it harder for frontline personnel to do their jobs and to apply consequences under the law,” the spokesperson said. “We can enforce our laws and administer them safely, humanely, and in an orderly way.” 

Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Long-shot presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., GOP candidate former President Donald Trump, and other high-profile figures are siding with Texas in the Lone Star State’s spat with the Biden administration over its handling of illegal immigrants at the border. 

The independent said Texas was “right” to defend its borders amid what he regarded as the failed policies of the Biden administration. 

“A country without borders is not a country at all,” he tweeted. 

TRUMP TELLS STATES TO SURGE NATIONAL GUARD TO TEXAS AS ABBOTT STANDOFF WITH BIDEN ACCELERATES

Kennedy is among a growing list of public figures and red states that are throwing their support behind Texas after a Monday Supreme Court decision gave Border Patrol officials the green light to remove razor wire from a riverfront park near Eagle Pass that has become a popular corridor for immigrants illegally entering the U.S. 

MSNBC’S REID COMPARES LAWMAKERS WORRIED ABOUT BORDER TO ‘OLD SOUTHERNERS’ WHO RESISTED INTEGRATION

Former President Donald Trump, the GOP front-runner in the 2024 race, said all Americans ought to be supporting Texas’ “commonsense measures” and vowed to work with Gov. Abbott and other border states to “stop the invasion, seal the border, and rapidly begin the largest domestic deportation operation in history.” 

“Those Biden has let in should not get comfortable because they will be going home,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. 

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., accused President Biden’s “failed” border policies of having “wreaked havoc in every corner of our country, including Louisiana.” 

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin accused the Biden administration of refusing “to secure the border” and offered his state’s support of Gov. Abbott and Texas’ “constitutional right to defend itself.” 

Youngkin is among more than two dozen Republican governors who have released a joint statement targeting the Biden administration for refusing to “take action or responsibility for the crisis at the Southern border.”  

SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS HOUSE ‘WILL DO EVERYTHING IN ITS POWER’ TO BACK TEXAS OVER BORDER FEUD

“President Biden and his Administration have left Americans and our country completely vulnerable to unprecedented illegal immigration pouring across the Southern border,” reads a joint statement from 25 Republican governors. “Instead of upholding the rule of law and securing the border, the Biden Administration has attacked and sued Texas for stepping up to protect American citizens from historic levels of illegal immigrants, deadly drugs like fentanyl, and terrorists entering our country.” 

The statement continues: “We stand in solidarity with our fellow Governor, Greg Abbott, and the State of Texas in utilizing every tool and strategy, including razor wire fences, to secure the border. We do it in part because the Biden Administration is refusing to enforce immigration laws already on the books and is illegally allowing mass parole across America of migrants who entered our country illegally.” 

The razor wire fencing in Texas has become one of Gov. Abbott’s most visible measures to deter migrants in the border city of Eagle Pass.

Texas seized control of the park this month and began denying entry to Border Patrol agents, escalating a feud between Abbott and the Biden administration. On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security sent the state a letter demanding access again to Shelby Park, which is next to the Rio Grande.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Thursday that Texas had no plans to comply with the Biden administration’s deadline. 

The latest Supreme Court shadow docket decision in Texas’ battle with the Biden White House has sparked a showdown over the Lone Star State’s constitutional authority to defend itself with the federal government seemingly getting in its way. 

On Monday, in a 5-4 decision on an emergency appeal, the Supreme Court ruled to temporarily overturn a lower court’s injunction which banned the federal government from cutting razor fencing Texas had installed along the border near Eagle Pass while litigation continues. 

Late Wednesday night, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared his constitutional authority under Article 1 to reserve the right of his state to self-defense against an invasion, adding that the executive branch has broken its constitutional pact with the states by failing to enforce federal immigration laws. 

Legal experts told Fox News Digital that Texas is well within its constitutional rights and within the Supreme Court’s order to keep building the razor wire fence — even if the feds continue to cut it — ahead of an appeals court addressing the matter on the merits.

BORDER BATTLE LINES: DEMS CALL ON BIDEN TO SEIZE CONTROL OF TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD, AS GOP ALLIES BACK ABBOTT

Gene Hamilton, vice president and General Counsel at America First Legal and a former Justice Department official in the Trump administration, said Abbott continuing to install the razor wire is “exactly the right move.”

 “Unless and until a federal judge comes in and says, ‘you may not, State of Texas, put razor wire up along the border anymore, Texas should keep doing exactly what it needs to do. And eventually, this turns into a game of will between the Feds and the State of Texas,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton noted that he believed the Supreme Court’s controversial order was wrong, and gave too much weight to the government’s assertions about the wire’s effect on the federal government’s ability to enforce the immigration laws.

He asserted that Texas was not interfering with the government’s enforcement of the laws by creating additional barriers along the border and contended that those barriers actually facilitate the federal government’s ability to deter and prohibit illegal crossings at the locations where they were present.

ABBOTT DECLARES TEXAS HAS ‘RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE’ FROM MIGRANT ‘INVASION’ AMID FEUD WITH BIDEN ADMIN

“The Supreme Court’s two-sentence order simply vacated the injunction preventing the federal government from tearing down the barbed wire fencing Texas has placed on state property while the case is on appeal,” Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies told Fox News Digital. 

 “The Supreme Court’s order does not prevent Texas from continuing to place barbed wire or other barriers along the border on state or private property. But while the case is pending, there is nothing preventing the federal government from tearing down the wire fencing,” he said.

As to Abbott’s Article 1 assertions, von Spakovsky said that “whether or not what is happening is an ‘invasion’ within the meaning of the Constitution is a controversial and legally undetermined issue.”

Article 1, Section 10, which Abbott says was “triggered” by Biden’s inaction at the border states: “No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.” 

“It is truly shocking and outrageous that the Biden administration has so intentionally and deliberately mishandled the security of our Southern border that states like Texas, for the first time in our history, feel the need to invoke the invasion clause,” von Spakovsky said. 

Ultimately, he says, the matter will need to be decided by the Supreme Court. 

In 2012, the Supreme Court decided a case against Arizona brought by the federal government, who sued after Arizona empowered state officials to enforce immigration laws.

Arizona lost that case, but the late Justice Antonin Scalia dissented, writing that “as a sovereign, Arizona has the inherent power to exclude persons from its territory, subject only to those limitations expressed in the Constitution or constitutionally imposed by Congress. That power to exclude has long been recognized as inherent in sovereignty.”

GOP GOVERNORS RALLY BEHIND TEXAS AS ABBOTT DEFIES BIDEN: ‘DERELICTION OF DUTY’

William Lane, a partner at Wiley Rein LLP and former DOJ official, suggested to Fox News Digital that the Supreme Court may eventually consider the Texas case on the merits, or a number of other challenges between states and the executive branch percolating in the courts. If the Court does choose to weigh in, it may be asked to reconsider Justice Scalia’s theory. 
 
“A decade ago, the Supreme Court rejected an attempt by Arizona to regulate immigration. Justice Scalia, dissenting, argued that states retain at least some inherent authority under the Constitution to control their borders,” said Lane.
 
“The Court has changed significantly since then, and it’ll be interesting to see whether there’s any appetite to revisit that decision as states like Texas try to address illegal immigration on their own,” he said.
 
“It should be no surprise that Governor Abbott has chosen to embrace Justice Scalia’s theory of state sovereignty in defending Texas’s actions,” he added. 

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Josh Blackman, a professor at South Texas College of Law emphasized that the high court’s Monday ruling, as an emergency docket decision, was “very narrow.” 

But, he said, “I think what we are getting closer to is, unless the Supreme Court says what Texas can and can’t do, Texas will be pushing the boundaries.”

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is set to hear the merits of Texas’ case over the Eagle Pass razor wire on Feb. 7. 

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday gave his backing to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott amid the latter’s feud with the Biden administration over border security — urging states to send their National Guards to the border and promising to work “hand in hand” with the state to combat the “invasion” if he is inaugurated again in January 2025.

In posts to Truth Social, Trump backed Abbott and accused President Biden of “fighting to tie the hands” of the Republican governor “so that the Invasion continues unchecked.”

A feud that has been bubbling for months between Texas and the administration exploded in recent weeks after Texas seized the Shelby Park area of Eagle Pass and blocked Border Patrol from entering — sparking protests and threats of legal action from the administration.

SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS HOUSE ‘WILL DO EVERYTHING IN ITS POWER’ TO BACK TEXAS OVER BORDER FEUD 

The Supreme Court this week found in the administration’s favor when it granted an emergency appeal to allow agents to keep cutting border wire set up by Texas along the border, after a lower court had blocked the administration from doing so.

The two sides have been feuding since 2021 when the migrant crisis escalated and Texas launched Operation Lone Star to surge resources to the border. The administration recently sued over an anti-illegal immigration law that allows state and local law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants. It has also sued over the state’s setting up on buoys in the Rio Grande. The administration says immigration enforcement is up to the federal government and Texas is interfering. 

ABBOTT DECLARES TEXAS HAS ‘RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE’ FROM MIGRANT ‘INVASION AMID FEUD WITH BIDEN ADMIN 

“Whether it is leaving migrants on the side of the road in the dead of winter, installing razor wire to make Border Patrol’s job more dangerous, promoting extreme and unconstitutional laws like S.B. 4, or his latest actions in Eagle Pass, Governor Abbott has repeatedly proven that he is not interested in solutions and only seeks to politicize the border,” a recent White House statement said. 

“The President has been clear that we need adequate resources and policy changes, and that our immigration system is broken. That is why on his first day in office he presented Congress with a comprehensive immigration reform plan, and that is why he is working to find a bipartisan agreement with Congress that includes funding and meaningful reforms,” they added.

Abbott this week cited a “right to self-defense” and noted he has already declared an “invasion” to invoke the authority, which he calls “the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary.”

Trump said that Abbott must be given ‘full support” and encouraged “all willing states to deploy their guards to Texas to prevent the entry of illegals and to remove them back across the border.”

TEXAS AG PAXTON PROMISES ‘FIGHT IS NOT OVER’ AFTER SCOTUS RULE ON BIDEN ADMIN’S RAZOR WIRE CUTTING 

“When I am President, on Day One, instead of fighting Texas, I will work hand in hand with Governor Abbott and other Border States to Stop the Invasion, Seal the Border, and Rapidly Begin the Largest Domestic Deportation Operation in History,” he said.

“Those Biden has let in should not get comfortable because they will be going home,” he said.

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Abbott has also picked up the support of more than two dozen Republican states who have publicly expressed their support for the state. Meanwhile, some Democrats have urged the Biden administration to seize control of the National Guard.

Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

House Speaker Mike Johnson says the Republican-controlled House “will do everything in its power” to support Texas over its ongoing feud with the Biden administration over border security — after the Lone Star State said it has a “right to self-defense.”

“I stand with Governor Abbott. The House will do everything in its power to back him up,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The next step: holding [DHS] Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas accountable.”

Abbott on Tuesday declared the state has a right to “self-defense” from a migrant “invasion” as it faces significant pushback over its border security policies from the Biden administration.

ABBOTT DECLARES TEXAS HAS ‘RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE’ FROM MIGRANT ‘INVASION’ AMID FEUD WITH BIDEN ADMIN 

The Supreme Court this week found in the administration’s favor when it granted an emergency appeal to allow agents to keep cutting border wire set up by Texas along the border. Texas this week published images of it strengthening physical barriers along Eagle Pass in response.

There is a separate threat of a lawsuit related to the seizure of Shelby Park along Eagle Pass by Texas authorities. Meanwhile, the administration has sued over the establishment of buoys in the Rio Grande River by Texas, and the recently signed law that allows Texas state and local officials to arrest illegal immigrants. The administration has accused Texas of interfering with federal control over immigration and border security, and has said it is putting agents and migrants in danger.

Abbott, however, cited constitutional language that demands the federal government “protect each [State] against invasion” and the right of states to protect their own borders.

Abbott argues that “the failure of the Biden administration” to fulfill those duties triggers a clause in Article 1 that “reserves to this State the right of self-defense.” He notes he has already declared an “invasion” to invoke the authority, which he calls “the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary.”

The administration has said that the federal government is in control of immigration enforcement and has defended its record — pointing to removals since May that outpaced the entirety of FY 2019. Instead, it says it needs more funding from Congress and comprehensive immigration reform to fix what it says is a “broken” system.

TEXAS AG PAXTON PROMISES ‘FIGHT IS NOT OVER’ AFTER SCOTUS RULE ON BIDEN ADMIN’S RAZOR WIRE CUTTING 

“Whether it is leaving migrants on the side of the road in the dead of winter, installing razor wire to make Border Patrol’s job more dangerous, promoting extreme and unconstitutional laws like S.B. 4, or his latest actions in Eagle Pass, Governor Abbott has repeatedly proven that he is not interested in solutions and only seeks to politicize the border,” a recent White House statement said. 

However, a number of governors have come to Texas’ side, with at least 14 Republican-led states, including Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee expressing support for the governor’s position.

Some Democrats, however, have urged tougher action against Texas from the Biden administration.

“Greg Abbott has continued to use political stunts and inflammatory language to advance his own agenda, violating the Constitution and endangering both U.S. citizens and asylum seekers,” Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, posted on X. “Abbott is following the Donald Trump playbook: making immigration harder and more dangerous, so asylum seekers are pushed into the hands of cartels and the system remains broken.”

Casar continued with a string of posts, saying he agreed with Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, who on Tuesday tweeted Biden should seize control of the Texas National Guard.

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“Governor Greg Abbott is using the Texas National Guard to obstruct and create chaos at the border,” Castro posted to X on Tuesday. “If Abbott is defying yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling, @POTUS needs to establish sole federal control of the Texas National Guard now.”

Meanwhile, there were over 302,000 migrant encounters in December, after a record 2.4 million encounters in FY 23.

FIRST ON FOX – Nikki Haley’s 2024 campaign says it hauled in $1 million in donations since the Republican presidential candidate responded on social media to a warning former President Donald Trump directed to GOP donors to stop contributing to Haley.

Trump, taking to his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, warned: “Anybody that makes a ‘Contribution’ to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!” 

“Birdbrain” is a derogatory nickname Trump repeatedly uses to refer to Haley. 

RNC CHAIR MCDANIEL SAYS IT’S TIME FOR GOP TO RALLY AROUND TRUMP

Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as United Nations ambassador in the Trump administration, quickly responded on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

“Well in that case… donate here. Let’s Go!” Haley wrote, as she added a link to her online fundraising page.

TRUMP ALIGNED SUPER PAC SEES SURGE IN FUNDRAISING

Haley is Trump’s last remaining major rival for the 2024 GOP nomination. She lost to the former president by 11 points in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, which was seen as one of her best shots at slowing down Trump’s march to the nomination.

Haley vowed in a primary night speech to continue her campaign, arguing “this race is far from over.”

The race now moves to her home state, with South Carolina’s Feb. 24 Republican primary the next major contest in the GOP nominating calendar.

Haley, on Wednesday night at a large rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, highlighted that she hauled in $1 million in online donations in the 24 hours since her speech in New Hampshire.

“We have had 200 thousand donors from all 50 states,” she added. “Ninety-five percent of those donations are $200 or less.”

And Haley said “this is real, Americans. So if you join with me, if you join this movement, if you join us in this fight, I promise you I will do exactly what I did for you when I was governor of South Carolina. And I will spend every single day trying to make you proud.”

But veteran Republican strategist Ryan Williams argued that Haley is “trying to manufacture momentum to keep the race going. She needed a win in New Hampshire and she didn’t get it. This race is all but decided. Raising a million dollars in the first 24 hours after New Hampshire is a nice talking point, but it really doesn’t amount to much. The race has essentially been won by Trump at this point.”

HALEY LIVES TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY, BUT FACES A ‘CHALLENGING’ ROAD AHEAD

Haley’s announcement came a day after she told Fox News Digital that she brought in $1.5 million in fundraising in the day and a half after Republican presidential campaign rival and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race on Sunday afternoon.

Once a long shot for the nomination, Haley grabbed momentum and saw her poll numbers surge in the late summer and autumn thanks in part to well-regarded performances in the first three Republican primary debates. 

As Fox News first reported earlier this month, Haley hauled in $24 million during the October-December fourth quarter of 2023 fundraising, more than doubling what she raked in during the previous three months.

Nikki Haley heads to New York City early next week, to meet with some top Republican donors as she faces a steep uphill climb against former President Donald Trump in the GOP nomination race.

Sources in Haley’s political orbit tell Fox News that a fundraiser on Jan. 30 co-hosted by billionaires Leonard Stern, Cliff Asness, Stanley Druckenmiller, Ken Langone and Henry Kravis remains on her schedule.

It’s one of roughly 10 fundraisers with major Republican donors on Haley’s itinerary over the next couple of weeks.

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Asked about Trump’s warning to donors, a major Republican contributor and bundler told Fox News on Thursday, “Trump is being very aggressive about trying to dissuade people from hosting events for Haley,” and predicted that “Trump is only going to get more aggressive against her.”

“The word is out among the donor class – you’re either with Trump or you’re not,” added the donor, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely. “There’s a lot of interest for Haley, but there’s also real concern for people that don’t want to be on the wrong side of things when the dust settles.”

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

Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley’s campaign lashed out at the Republican National Committee and its chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, Thursday over a resolution that the party is considering to declare Donald Trump the presumptive GOP nominee.

“Who cares what the RNC says? We’ll let millions of Republican voters across the country decide who should be our party’s nominee, not a bunch of Washington insiders,” Haley campaign spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas told Fox News Digital. 

“If Ronna McDaniel wants to be helpful she can organize a debate in South Carolina, unless she’s also worried that Trump can’t handle being on the stage for 90 minutes with Nikki Haley,” she added.

VENTURE CAPITALIST, CONSERVATIVE FIREBRAND RAISES EYE-POPPING AMOUNT IN BID FOR ARIZONA HOUSE SEAT

The RNC is reviewing a draft resolution proposed by RNC committeeman David Bossie, a former 2016 Trump campaign official, to declare Trump the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for president, despite Haley’s vow to continue her campaign into her home state of South Carolina for its primary next month.

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Haley is the only remaining challenger to Trump in the race after the latter won convincing victories in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries.

The RNC did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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

Former President Trump said anyone who contributes to his opponent’s campaign will be barred from the “Make America Great Again” MAGA community – but former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley quickly used the comment to her campaign’s advantage.

In a TruthSocial post Wednesday, Trump hit Haley with insults ranging from “Birdbrain” to saying “she was average at best” when serving in his administration.

“Nikki “Birdbrain” Haley is very bad for the Republican Party and, indeed, our Country. Her False Statements, Derogatory Comments, and Humiliating Public Loss, is demeaning to True American Patriots,” Trump wrote in a lengthy post.

The former president then went on to write that anyone who contributes to Haley’s campaign “will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp.”

NIKKI HALEY SHOWED ‘STUNNINGLY BAD JUDGMENT’ IN SPEECH AFTER NEW HAMPSHIRE LOSS, SAYS STEVE HILTON

“When I ran for Office and won, I noticed that the losing Candidate’s “Donors” would immediately come to me, and want to “help out.” This is standard in Politics, but no longer with me,” Trump wrote. “Anybody that makes a “Contribution” to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!”

HALEY LIVES TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY AGAINST TRUMP, BUT FACES ‘CHALLENGING ROAD’ AHEAD IN GOP PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Rather than stay silent, Haley reposted Trump’s message on X with a link to donate to her campaign.

“Well in that case…donate here. Let’s Go!” Haley wrote.

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Several X, formerly known as Twitter, users responded to Haley’s post with screenshots showing their donations to her campaign. Other X users mocked her for still staying in the GOP primary race.

Trump took aim at Haley Thursday morning on Truth Social, saying he “heard BIRDBRAIN [Haley] totally ‘bombed’ last night in South Carolina,” referring to her rally in North Charleston Wednesday evening.

“Why the surprise, she just bombed in Iowa and New Hampshire in a very big way, and lost both States,” Trump continued. “She also just lost Nevada because she saw the Polls and decided to take a pass on this Caucus State. 100% Trump!”

Peter Navarro, who served in the White House under former President Donald Trump, was sentenced Thursday for flouting a House Jan. 6 committee subpoena. 

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta sentenced Navarro to four months in prison and ordered him to pay a fine of $9,500. 

That’s two months shorter than the six prosecutors had sought, but Mehta drastically reduced the whopping $200,000 fine sought by the Justice Department. 

A former adviser to the president on trade and manufacturing policies, Navarro was convicted in September of two counts of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena for documents and a deposition from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. The subpoena required Navarro to appear and produce documents in February 2022, and sit for a deposition in March 2022, but Navarro refused to provide the materials and testify. As a private citizen, he was indicted on June 2, 2022. 

In announcing the sentencing decision, Mehta cited how Navarro had claimed a “two-tier system of justice” and described the Jan. 6 committee as a “kangaroo court.” 

“I have made clear my confusion about his arrest when he could have been offered self-surrender… The idea that he is subject to a two-tiered system of justice when he’s sitting here with 4 very capable lawyers is a real head-scratcher,” the judge said. “The words executive privilege are not magical dust… it’s not a get out of jail free card. To not engage with the committee to work through the issues… to simply not engage, there’s no basis for it.”

Mehta on Thursday had gone through a tedious recounting of the sentencing guidelines and came to the conclusion that there is a “zero to six months range,” of imprisonment in this case, as well as a fine range of $500 to $9,500. Sentencing guidelines are only a suggestion, and the judge could have sentenced Navarro to a longer sentence if he saw fit.

At the sentencing hearing, Navarro spoke in his own defense, saying he defied the subpoena because he believed in “good faith” that Trump had invoked executive privilege. 

“When I received that congressional subpoena, the second, I had an honest belief that the privilege had been invoked, and I was torn. Nobody in my position should be put in conflict between the legislative branch and the executive branch. Is that the lesson of this entire proceeding? Get a letter and a lawyer? I think in a way it is,” Navarro said. “I am disappointed with a process where a jury convicted me, and I was unable to provide a defense, one of the most important elements of our justice system.”

DOJ RECOMMENDS 6 MONTH SENTENCE FOR FORMER TRUMP ADVISER PETER NAVARRO

“The day of the attack on our Capitol was one of the worst days of my life. Desecration of our Capitol and the end of any argument about the Vote Count law on our books,” he added. 

Navarro’s defense attorney said the court of appeal will determine if executive privilege applies. The judge noted how in citing executive privilege, another White House adviser, Kellyanne Conway “had an (DOJ Office of Legal Counsel) OLC opinion she could rely on,” but Navarro had no such opinion and didn’t hire representation. 

“I have a great deal of respect for your client and what he accomplished and that makes it more disappointing,” Mehta said, also noting that Mark Meadows, who also faced a Jan. 6 committee subpoena, “produced documents, produced texts, he didn’t testify, but at least he did something.” 

“Before he was contacted, what they wanted. He responded, ‘Executive Privilege.’ That makes it clear that this defendant did not take this seriously. The defendant simply defied Congress. The defendant believes that he is above the law,” a prosecutor said of Navarro in addressing the court Thursday. “The things the committee wanted to talk to him about were not exclusively about conversations he had with the president.” 

Prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Navarro to six months behind bars and impose a $200,000 fine. The Justice Department has previously noted that each count of contempt of Congress carries a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of one year in jail, as well as a fine of up to $100,000.

FORMER TRUMP ADVISER NAVARRO CONVICTED OF CONTEMPT AFTER DEFYING JAN. 6 SUBPOENA

“The United States vs. Peter Navarro has turned out to be a very important landmark constitutional case. That is going to resolve important issues about the constitutional separation of powers as well as, the integrity, efficiency of presidential decision-making. And we’ll see what happens today. Is that what Trump loves to say? Let’s see what happens,” Navarro told reporters upon arriving at the courthouse Thursday morning. He said his legal bills associated with the case have surpassed $1 million and thanked 20,000 small donors for their help. 

He also appealed to supporters to donate to help cover his legal expenses at defendpeter.com.

Navarro has vowed to appeal the verdict, saying he couldn’t cooperate with the committee because Trump had invoked executive privilege. 

The judge barred him from making that argument at trial, however, finding that he didn’t show Trump had actually invoked it. Justice Department prosecutors say Navarro tried to “hide behind claims of privilege” even before he knew exactly what the committee wanted, showing a “disdain” for the committee that should warrant a longer sentence.

Defense attorneys said Trump did claim executive privilege, putting Navarro in an “untenable position,” and the former adviser should be sentenced to probation and a $100 fine.

Navarro was the second Trump aide to face contempt of Congress charges. Former White House adviser Steve Bannon was convicted of two counts and was sentenced to four months behind bars, though he has been free while appealing his conviction.

Navarro’s sentencing comes after a judge rejected his bid for a new trial. His attorneys had argued that jurors may have been improperly influenced by political protesters outside the courthouse when they took a break from deliberations. Shortly after their break, the jury found him guilty of two misdemeanor counts of contempt of Congress.

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But Mehta found that Navarro didn’t show that the eight-minute break had any effect on the September verdict. No protest was underway and no one approached the jury — they only interacted with each other and the court officer assigned to accompany them, according to the judge. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: Blake Masters, a venture capitalist and conservative firebrand, has raised an eye-popping amount in his bid to capture an open Arizona congressional seat in this year’s elections.

According to his campaign, Masters raised over $1.3 million in just the first two months after announcing his candidacy for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, and has more than $1 million cash-on-hand. That’s more than any of his Republican primary opponents.

“I am honored by the support and trust placed in me by so many great people, including many supporters from my run for Senate as well as new donors who want to see more strong conservatives in Washington,” Masters told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

HISPANIC COMMUNITY LEADER REVEALS REASON BEHIND SOROS’ EXPENSIVE EFFORT TO REVERSE DEMS’ TEXAS LOSING STREAK

“In Congress, I will block and reverse Biden’s harmful policies, back President Trump’s America First agenda 100%, and fight to make sure that Arizona is and remains the best place in the world to live, work, and raise a family. The trust placed in me by so many gives us over $1M to spread this message and earn the GOP nomination,” he added.

Masters first gained national name recognition after coming out on top in a contentious primary race for Senate in 2022. He ultimately lost that race to Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and was reportedly considering running for Senate again in 2024 before deciding to run for Congress instead.

ARIZONA GOP CHAIR RESIGNS, CLAIMING KARI LAKE’S EXPLOSIVE RECORDING WAS A ‘SET UP’; LAKE CAMPAIGN FIRES BACK

Elections analysts view Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, which encompasses a chunk of the northern Phoenix suburbs, as a safe Republican seat. It’s currently represented by Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko, who announced last year she would not seek re-election.

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Masters faces a crowded primary field that includes former Rep. Trent Franks, who previously represented Arizona’s 2nd and 8th Congressional Districts for a combined seven terms, state Sen. Anthony Kern, state Rep. Ben Toma, and former Maricopa County prosecutor Abraham Hamadeh.

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

• President Biden is returning to Superior, Wisconsin, to announce nearly $5 billion in federal funding for infrastructure projects, including the John A. Blatnik Memorial Bridge.
• The Blatnik Bridge, connecting Wisconsin and Minnesota, serves over 33,000 vehicles daily but prohibits heavy trucks due to its decaying state.
• The federal funding, part of a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package signed by Biden over two years ago, aims to upgrade and repair the bridge.

The last time President Joe Biden visited Superior, Wisconsin, he warned of the danger posed by the deteriorating John A. Blatnik Memorial Bridge — pointing out the decades-old corrosion that had weakened the overpass connecting the two port cities in Wisconsin and Minnesota and vowing to fix it.

Biden is returning to that bridge at the tip of Lake Superior on Thursday to announce nearly $5 billion in federal funding that would upgrade it and dozens of similar infrastructure projects nationwide, as the Democratic president jump-starts an election year push to persuade voters to reward him for his policy achievements in office. Biden is making his pitch in a critical swing state that’s part of the “blue wall” trio of states — Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — where he defeated Republican President Donald Trump in 2020.

More than 33,000 vehicles travel on the Blatnik Bridge every day, but heavy trucks are barred from it because of its decaying condition. That, in turn, has caused lengthy detours. Without additional federal funds, the bridge would have had to shut down by 2030, according to the White House. It is getting $1 billion in federal funding for upgrades and repairs.

US NATIONAL DEBT TRACKER FOR JAN 24, 2024: SEE WHAT AMERICAN TAXPAYERS (YOU) OWE IN REAL TIME

The money comes from a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that Biden signed into law more than two years ago.

“It will save families time on their commutes. It will allow trucks to get goods to shelves more quickly and will boost businesses and small businesses across Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, that are looking for just a little breathing room and the opportunity to build generational wealth,” White House deputy chief of staff Natalie Quillian said.

Though the president’s visit on Thursday is not officially a campaign event, his sharpened focus on Wisconsin with the election less than 10 months away highlights its place as one of a shrinking handful of genuine battleground states.

$1B ISSUED TO REPLACE BRIDGE CONNECTING MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN

Four of the past six presidential elections have been decided by less than a percentage point in Wisconsin, with Trump winning narrowly in 2016 against Democrat Hillary Clinton before losing to Biden by a similar margin in 2020.

All signs point to Wisconsin remaining nearly evenly divided, even as Democrats have made gains in recent elections. A Marquette Law School poll released in November showed the 2024 presidential race to be a toss-up with the election a year away.

Democratic leaders in Wisconsin have stressed the importance of Biden visiting the state. Clinton’s defeat in 2016 was blamed in part on the fact that she never campaigned in Wisconsin after winning the Democratic nomination.

“He needs to be here, simple as that,” Democratic Gov. Tony Evers told The Associated Press in an interview earlier this month.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan agreed, saying he has told Biden he must visit Wisconsin to highlight his investments in roads, bridges and broadband internet expansion and his efforts to bring down inflation and fight climate change.

“He wants to do that,” Pocan said. “He certainly understands the importance of Wisconsin.”

It’s not just Biden. Vice President Kamala Harris was in Wisconsin on Monday to promote the administration’s efforts to protect abortion rights, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will be there Friday to talk up Biden’s economic policies.

When Biden visits Wisconsin on Thursday, it will mark his eighth trip to the state as president and his second to Superior, a city of 27,000 residents along the shores of Lake Superior just across the border from Minnesota.

He’s expected to tout the more than $1 billion in federal funding, including from the infrastructure bill he signed into law, to replace the Blatnik Bridge, which connects Superior and Duluth.

Ahead of Biden’s visit, Democrats in Wisconsin have been on a winning streak. They have won 14 of the past 17 statewide elections, including Biden in 2020, Evers in 2022 and Janet Protasiewicz in April. Her victory in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race took majority control of the court away from conservatives for the first time in 15 years, and she sided with the liberal majority in December in striking down Republican-drawn legislative maps. The court is now considering new maps that would greatly reduce Republican legislative majorities.

Republicans have had wins, including reelecting U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson last year, picking up a congressional seat and increasing majorities in the state Senate and the Assembly. But those gains were overshadowed by the losses in the presidential, governor’s and Supreme Court races.

Democrats have been able to chip into the once-reliably conservative Milwaukee suburbs that saw GOP support drop in the Trump era. Democrats also capitalized on population gains in Dane County, home to the liberal capital city of Madison and the University of Wisconsin.

MINNESOTA GOV. WALZ PROPOSES $982 MILLION INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN WITH FOCUS ON PRESERVATION

The Democratic moves have been able to help offset Republican gains made in rural areas during the Trump era.

Republicans chose Milwaukee for their national convention in July, with Democrats gathering just across the border the following month in Chicago.

Longtime Wisconsin Republican strategist Brandon Scholz said even Republicans who are not firm backers of Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination after wins in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, are driven to defeat Biden in what appears to be an increasingly likely rematch of 2020.

“Republicans are like sharks smelling blood in the water,” Scholz said. “They see Biden as weak. … Biden can come to Wisconsin a thousand times, and I don’t think it’s going to change his position.”

Former President Trump announced donors to his presidential primary opponent will be “barred” from the “Make American Great Again” community.

In a lengthy Truth Social diatribe against former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who the former president called a “birdbrain,” Trump promised to reject any attempts by her donors to switch to his camp.

“Nikki ‘Birdbrain’ Haley is very bad for the Republican Party and, indeed, our Country. Her False Statements, Derogatory Comments, and Humiliating Public Loss, is demeaning to True American Patriots,” the former president wrote. “Her anger should be aimed at her Third Rate Political Consultants and, more importantly, Crooked Joe Biden and those that are destroying our Country – NOT THE PEOPLE WHO WILL SAVE IT.” 

GOP STRATEGISTS SAY HALEY NEEDS ‘REALISTIC PATH’ TO WIN PRIMARIES AFTER NEW HAMPSHIRE LOSS TO TRUMP

In the post, Trump reflected on past election experiences in which donors to opposing candidates would consolidate around him as campaigns came to an end.

Objecting to portions of the Republican Party’s opposition to his re-election campaign, the former president swore not to take money from Haley’s donors in the future.

“When I ran for Office and won, I noticed that the losing Candidate’s ‘Donors’ would immediately come to me, and want to ‘help out.’ This is standard in Politics, but no longer with me,” Trump continued.

NIKKI HALEY SUGGESTS TRUMP MAY NOT BE ‘MENTALLY FIT’ TO BE PRESIDENT AFTER HE SEEMS TO CONFUSE HER WITH PELOSI

He concluded, “Anybody that makes a ‘Contribution’ to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!”

Trump also accused Haley, whom he appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in 2017, of being weak on the world stage.

“I knew Nikki well, she was average at best, is not the one to take on World Leaders, and she never did. That was up to me, and that is why they respected the United States,” Trump continued. 

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Haley projected optimism as the former South Carolina governor began campaigning in her home state Thursday.

Nevertheless, Haley appears to have few allies in the upper echelon of the South Carolina GOP and the Republican Party, with both of her state’s senators endorsing Trump and RNC head Ronna McDaniel all but declaring Trump the victor in the 2024 primary.

Rep. Nancy Mace also congratulated Haley on a well-run campaign but endorsed Trump earlier this week.

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

One Hispanic community leader in South Texas has a simple theory on why liberal billionaire George Soros is investing heavily to reverse Democrats’ losing streak in the Lone Star State: “They’re absolutely scared.”

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Mayra Flores, a former Republican congresswoman and the first Mexican-born woman to serve in the House of Representatives, said Soros’ pouring money into the state in a bid to boost Democrat turnout in 2024 was because he didn’t want Republican Hispanic leaders, such as herself, to win over other Hispanics who have traditionally voted blue.

Flores was referencing the Texas Majority PAC, a group being partially bankrolled by Soros working to build up progressive infrastructure across Texas in an attempt to elect more Democrats.

ARIZONA GOP CHAIR RESIGNS, CLAIMING KARI LAKE’S EXPLOSIVE RECORDING WAS A ‘SET UP’; LAKE CAMPAIGN FIRES BACK

“They’re seeing that Hispanics are shifting towards the Republican Party because they’re realizing that we are the party of prosperity, that we want to build a strong economy, that we want to secure the border, that we want to prioritize the people of this country and not prioritize people from outside this country. And I believe that it’s our policies that are winning people over, and the struggle is real,” she said.

“George Soros and the Democratic Party are seeing people like myself that resonate with the Hispanic community. They resonate with me. I resonate with them. We have similar stories. I’m bilingual. I speak Spanish and English. We have similar stories, and we share that bond,” she added.

A recent report by The Texas Tribune said the group is being run by former staffers from Democrat Beto O’Rourke’s failed campaign for governor and that it had raised nearly $2.25 million last year.

RECORD GOP TURNOUT, CALLS FOR HALEY TO LEAVE RACE ROUND OUT TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARIES

According to a Fox News Digital analysis of Texas Majority PAC’s Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings, Soros has given $850,000 as of Dec. 27, $750,000 of which he gave during the first half of 2023 when the group only raised $752,040.

In the Tribune’s report, the PAC’s deputy director said that contributions were intended to help local Democrat groups register, contact and turnout voters “on a scale never seen before.”

They have the work cut out for them, as Democrats have tried, but failed, to gain traction in a number of major state-wide races in addition to O’Rourke’s 2022 bid.

TIM SCOTT SETS CROWD ALIVE WITH ONE-LINER AFTER TRUMP SAYS HE ‘MUST REALLY HATE’ HALEY

The closest they came was in 2018, when O’Rourke, a former El Paso area congressman, ran for Senate against incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. In a year with high Democrat turnout as a backlash to the presidency of former President Donald Trump, O’Rourke came within three points of beating Cruz.

In 2020, Democrats thought they had another shot at taking out an incumbent Republican, Sen. John Cornyn, with Air Force veteran M.J. Hegar. However, she lost by nearly 10 points.

Now Democrats hope to utilize Texas Majority PAC to try and take out Cruz again, who is up for re-election to a third term this year, but, according to Flores, the shift toward Republicans among Hispanics has only been growing stronger and its putting fear into Democrats’ hearts.

“They’re scared. They’re absolutely scared. And they don’t want Republican Hispanics like myself to win over other Hispanics. And they know that we’re moving that shift every cycle,” Flores, who is running to win back her seat in Texas’ 34th Congressional District, told Fox.

She was ousted following Texas’ redistricting ahead of the 2022 midterms, losing to Democrat Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, but says the shift toward the GOP in the heavily-Hispanic district will bode well for her chances this year.

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“The American people right now are struggling to pay their rent and their mortgage. They’re a paycheck away from being homeless, and they remember what it was like under the Trump administration. They know that when he was in office, they had more money in their pockets,” Flores said.

“Right now they’re not enjoying their money. Their money is going into all the bills and interest rates. They’re not able to enjoy life. And that’s not the American dream,” she added.

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

Nikki Haley projected optimism as the former South Carolina governor began campaigning in her home state Thursday.

Nevertheless, Haley appears to have few allies in the upper echelon of the South Carolina GOP and the Republican Party, with both of her state’s senators endorsing Trump and RNC head Ronna McDaniel all but declaring Trump the victor in the 2024 primary.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., also congratulated Haley on a well-run campaign but endorsed Trump earlier this week.

“South Carolina is Trump country and he is crushing it right now,” Mace told Fox News on Wednesday. “I want to say that Nikki Haley ran a great race. She made it deep into the playoffs, but the playoffs are now over and it’s time to start the Superbowl. We have got to take on Joe Biden right now if we’re going to take our country back.”

DONALD TRUMP DOMINATES AGAIN, AS FORMER PRESIDENT EASILY BEATS NIKKI HALEY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE GOP PRIMARY

Joining Mace in endorsing Trump are fellow GOP South Carolina Reps. Russell Fry, Joe Wilson, William Timmons and Jeff Duncan. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has also endorsed the former president.

TRUMP ‘HONORED’ BY NEW HAMPSHIRE WIN, SAYS REPUBLICAN PARTY IS ‘VERY UNITED’

Haley vowed to keep pressing forward during a campaign appearance in the state on Wednesday, however.

“This is a choice between more of the same, or going forward. More of the same is not just Joe Biden, more of the same is Joe Biden and Donald Trump,” she told supporters in Charleston. “So we are not going to sit there and just give up.”

Haley’s optimism has visibly enraged Trump, who attacked her as “delusional” on social media Wednesday night. He then took the issue onto the stage at a campaign event.

“Who the hell was the impostor that went up on the stage before and, like, claimed a victory?” Trump said, referencing Haley’s reaction to her New Hampshire performance.

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While Haley lost the state 43% to 54%, she insisted the result was a major step in the right direction.

FIRST ON FOX – Every republican attorney general in the country blasted their Democrat counterparts for attempting to shutter an ammunition factory in Missouri, a letter sent to the White House Wednesday revealed. 

In a letter obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, all 28 GOP attorneys general asked President Biden and White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention director Stefanie Feldman to disregard their Democrat colleagues’ request to end commercial sales from Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, one of the country’s largest ammo manufacturers. 

Democrats had previously asked the administration to investigate the contracting and manufacturing practices of the plant after a New York Times report alleged that “military-grade rounds” were sold commercially and were connected to mass shootings.

But the Republicans say the Democrats’ letter contained a “litany of errors.” “Perhaps those States should focus more on prosecuting crime to stop mass shootings—rather than trying to stop lawful Americans’ use of guns and ammunition. Their tactic is an overt attempt to punish Americans’ exercise of their Second Amendment rights,” they wrote. 

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS CALIFORNIA FIREARMS CARRY LAW, CALLING IT ‘SWEEPING, REPUGNANT TO THE SECOND AMENDMENT’

Among the list of “errors” the GOP AGs point out that their Democrat colleages allege that ammunition manufactured for “military use” does not belong in communities. 

“First, the ammunition manufactured at Lake City and sold into the commercial market is not the primary rifle cartridge used by the United States military. The primary cartridge is proprietary to the Army and may not be sold commercially,” the AGs note. 

“Second, while the United States military purchases and uses a particular type of ammunition, that is not determinative as to whether it is “military ammunition” that should be banned for public use,” they write. 

“If the United States military using ammunition precluded that ammunition’s use by civilians, then other widely and commonly available ammunition, including 9mm and 12-gauge shotshells, would also be prohibited for public use,” they argued, adding that Supreme Court precedent “does not support such an openly artificial distinction.”

TRUMP TO HEADLINE ‘MOMENTOUS’ NRA EVENT AHEAD OF KEY PRIMARY SHOWDOWN

According to the state’s top prosecutors, Lake City only sells ammunition to commercial customers that is legal to manufacture, and it complies with all the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) requirements. 

The AGs argued that the Democrats’ efforts would undermine national security. “Gun control advocates are firing blanks when they contend that taxpayers are subsidizing mass shooters. They get causality backward. The law-abiding target shooters and gun owners who buy Lake City ammunition are subsidizing national defense and military readiness,” they argue.

They note that the Defense Department “sought to avoid a situation when the military needs surge due to a real-world conflict, ammunition is not readily available,” adding that ammunition availability requires facilities, production equipment, a skilled workforce, and supply chains to remain in constant operation. 

“Machines and production cannot be turned on like the flip of a switch. It takes time to hire and train the highly skilled workers needed to operate production lines to manufacture the highest quality ammunition for U.S. warfighters. Commercial production has allowed Lake City, and its suppliers, to maintain steady labor, maximize equipment run time, ensure a stable supply base, and provide a level of readiness to the U.S. military that would not otherwise be available,” they added.

The attorneys general also said that Lake City cannot halt commercial use without a “detrimental loss” to their communities and economy. If it stopped, the AGs allege it would result in an estimated loss of 500–700 jobs or 30%–45% of the skilled workforce now employed at Lake City and “countless more” throughout the supply chain. 

FEDERAL JUDGE RULES IT UNCONSTITUTIONAL TO BAN GUNS FROM POST OFFICES

“Do not be fooled. The anti-gun radicals leading this effort are not honest brokers interested in public safety,” they said. “Gun control advocates want to criminalize making ammunition even while many push back against prosecuting criminals that fire weapons.”

“Perpetrators of gun violence should be punished—not the firearm and ammunition manufacturers,” they said.  

Montana Attorney General Austen Knudsen in a statement to Fox News Digital called the investigation by the New York Times “highly questionable” and, their latest effort to shut down the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant is based on a highly questionable ‘investigation’ by the New York Times.”

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird charged that “if the Biden Administration and anti-gun activists were serious about saving lives, they would start by enforcing the laws on the books to combat violent criminals.” 

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Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey echoed those sentiments, adding that “Lake City Ammunition did nothing wrong.” 

“We should be focused on the free flow of illegal weapons coming across our border – not taking aim at law-abiding patriots,” Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said, adding that the border crisis “is exactly why law-abiding citizens need the liberty to defend themselves.” 

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court decided Wednesday evening it will not move forward on whether former President Trump can stay on the state’s ballot until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a similar case barring Trump from the ballot in Colorado.

The state’s top court decided unanimously to dismiss Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’ appeal of an order requiring her to wait for the Supreme Court’s decision before withdrawing, modifying or upholding her decision to keep Trump off the ballot on Super Tuesday in March.

“The Secretary of State suggests that there is irreparable harm because a delay in certainty about whether Trump’s name should appear on the primary ballot will result in voter confusion. This uncertainty is, however, precisely what guides our decision not to undertake immediate appellate review in this particular case,” the court said.

MAINE SUPERIOR COURT ISSUES A STAY ON STATE’S DECISION TO BAR TRUMP FROM PRIMARY BALLOT

Bellows decided in December to remove the former president from the primary ballot after deeming him ineligible under the insurrection clause in the Constitution, but a judge put her decision on hold pending the outcome in Colorado.

Trump, who is the Republican frontrunner in the presidential race, said that Bellows should have recused herself and accused her of being biased against him. He also said her decision disenfranchised voters in Maine and plays into a larger effort by some Democrats to keep him off the ballot.

Bellows claimed she was obligated to make a decision after several residents of Maine challenged Trump’s right to be on the ballot, but vowed she would ultimately abide by a court’s ruling.

MAINE OFFICIAL APPEALS HER REMOVAL OF TRUMP FROM VOTING BALLOTS TO STATE’S TOP COURT

The Supreme Court has never ruled on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which is a post-Civil War clause prohibiting anyone who “engaged in insurrection” from holding office. 

Some people contend Trump’s role in attempting to overturn his loss to President Biden in the 2020 presidential election and the events that took place at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, qualify as an insurrection.

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The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in the Colorado case on Feb. 8. 

Super Tuesday will take place in about six weeks on March 5.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Sen. Tim Scott says potentially serving as Donald Trump’s running mate in November if the former president wins the 2024 Republican nomination is “not on my mind.”

But the GOP lawmaker from South Carolina isn’t ruling out another White House run — or another Senate re-election campaign — in 2028.

Although his presidential campaign failed to ignite, Scott remains popular with Republican primary voters, and his endorsement had been heavily coveted by the remaining GOP candidates.

Scott traveled to New Hampshire Friday to publicly back Trump, who is the frontrunner in the Republican race as he makes his third straight White House run. 

TRUMP RUNNING MATE SPECULATION SOARS AS FORMER PRESIDENT MOVES CLOSER TO LOCKING UP THE 2024 NOMINATION

The senator returned to New Hampshire Monday and Tuesday to campaign on behalf of Trump, who won the primary by 11 points over former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, his last remaining major rival for the nomination.

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The GOP nomination race now heads to Haley and Scott’s home state, which on Feb. 24 holds the next major primary on the Republican calendar.

“I look forward to spending a lot of time at home. A lot of time campaigning throughout the great Palmetto State. A lot of time talking about why we should have four more years of Donald Trump,” Scott said in a Fox News Digital interview Tuesday. 

“In my opinion, the faster we coalesce around Donald Trump, the better the country will be.”

The senator’s endorsement and teaming up with Trump has sparked further speculation Scott could potentially serve as the former president’s running mate.

But Scott insisted it’s “still not on my mind.”

“The only thing on my mind is making sure President Trump is our next president. Getting inflation back down. Getting gas prices back down. Reducing the cost of food and increasing the level of enthusiasm and the level of law and order in our country,” he added.

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Scott downplayed running-mate talk as he dropped out of the race two months ago.

But a source in the senator’s political orbit told Fox News Saturday that Scott hasn’t ruled out serving as Trump’s vice presidential nominee if Trump locks up the nomination in the weeks ahead.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Scott remains in the conversation for running mate,” the source added.

In his Fox News Digital interview, Scott didn’t rule out another run for the White House.

“You know, ‘28’s not that far away. We’ll see what happens by making sure that we’re successful in ‘24,” he said.

When he convincingly won re-election in 2022, Scott said it would be his last Senate campaign.

But Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, told Fox News Tuesday that “every day I hear from a lot of South Carolinians asking me to reconsider and run again. And, so, you have to listen to your voters moving forward. We’ll see what happens.”

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