NationalWatch

The No. 3 House Republican is calling for an ethics probe into a Washington, D.C., judge who has issued decisions in cases related to both former President Trump and the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., lodged a misconduct complaint against DC District Judge Beryl Howell on Friday over a speech she gave in late November while accepting an award from the Women’s White Collar Defense Association.

Without using Trump’s name, Howell blamed the violence at the Capitol on “big lies” and warned of “a very surprising and downright troubling moment in this country when the very importance of facts is dismissed, or ignored.”

Stefanik called the speech “highly inappropriate,” accusing Howell of claiming that “re-electing President Trump will lead to fascism in America.”

IVANKA TRUMP TESTIFIES SHE WAS NOT INVOLVED IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HER FATHER’S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  

“As outlined in detail below, Judge Howell’s partisan speech is obviously highly inappropriate election interference by a federal judge that undermines the public’s trust in our courts. Moreover, the public display of the cozy personal relationships between Judge Howell and her partisan friends who appear before her undermines public trust in judicial independence,” she wrote.

Howell was chief judge of the DC District Court from 2016 until March of this year. On her last day of the job, she turned over communications between Trump and his lawyer to Special Counsel Jack Smith in his investigation of the former president’s handling of classified documents, the Daily Beast reported in March. She also compelled the lawyer to testify before a grand jury.

She has also criticized federal prosecutors for being too lenient in sentencing recommendations for Jan. 6 protesters. 

In her letter, Stefanik pointed to Howell’s relationships with Obama-era Attorney General Loretta Lynch and current Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, who were also at the event.

TRUMP LEGAL TEAM FILES MOTION TO PAUSE PROCEEDINGS PENDING APPEAL

Lynch had praised Howell for her handling of “the COVID-19 pandemic that closed the world, the January 6th insurrection and the resulting caseload, and the flurry of activity spurred by the Office of Special Counsel.”

“It’s particularly shocking to hear the former Attorney General of the United States praise a sitting federal judge for her handling of the grand-jury proceedings on pending federal criminal charges against a defendant (President Trump), the pending criminal cases against his January 6 supporters, and even make the legal conclusion that an ‘insurrection’ occurred on January 6–despite the fact even the over-the-top Biden Special Counsel Jack Smith never brought such charges against any January 6 defendant,” Stefanik wrote.

Howell also praised Monaco, who oversees Jan. 6 prosecutors in her role, in her speech – a fact Stefanik seized on in her letter to the Judicial Council of the District of Columbia Circuit.

SUPREME COURT: TRUMP MUST RESPOND TO SPECIAL COUNSEL’S PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY PETITION BEFORE CHRISTMAS

“I’ve been in awe of how you remain a model of calm and grace when carrying enormous responsibility for the safety of so many,” the judge said of Monaco.

Stefanik wrote, “Judge Howell’s 16 minutes of substantive remarks had little to do with women representing white-collar criminal defendants – and they were hardly apolitical, let alone politically neutral.” 

Stefanik, perhaps Trump’s most vocal ally in Congress, previously filed an ethics complaint against New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron for his handling of a civil case brought against the former president and the Trump Organization by state Attorney General Letitia James.

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She told Fox News Digital of the most recent misconduct notice, “DC Obama Judge Beryl Howell gave a highly inappropriate speech in which she insinuated the election of President Trump will lead to fascism in America.”

“She also inappropriately allowed a public display of her cozy personal relationships with her partisan friends who appear before her, including the Biden Deputy Attorney General who supervises the January 6 criminal prosecutions,” she said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Washington, D.C., court system for comment but did not immediately hear back.

The spouse of a top aide to President Biden and first lady Jill Biden is involved with a group that views climate change as a national security threat and pushes for the transition to electric vehicles as part of its efforts, Fox News Digital has found.

David Wade, former chief of staff to Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and the husband of Elizabeth Alexander, a deputy assistant to President Biden and the spokesperson for Jill Biden, is entangled with the Washington, D.C.-based American Security Project (ASP), which views “climate security” as a critical component of its endeavors.

While Alexander advises President Biden, who has directed his administration to aggressively push electric vehicles as part of its broader climate change agenda, Wade aids the ASP in similar endeavors from a national security-focused standpoint as a member of its board of directors.

The ASP’s tax filings show the group also paid Wade’s clean energy consulting firm, Greenlight Strategies LLC, $11,000 last year. An ASP spokesperson told Fox News Digital his company received the payment to engage in a project aimed at “providing a forum for bipartisan discussion about climate change and its threats to national security under his LLC.”

BEIJING-BACKED GREEN ENERGY FIRM IS EXPANDING IN US, POSING SERIOUS NATIONAL SECURITY RISK: REPORT

“We see climate as an accelerant to instability in vulnerable regions. We can see the impact it is having on farming and food supplies, even here in the United States,” the ASP spokesperson said. “Our military is concerned as they are often the first sent in to address instability. U.S. military bases around the world, including right here in the United States, are affected by climate change, as can be witnessed in sea level rise.”

Overall, ASP has supported an across-the-board transition to electric vehicles as part of its efforts to tackle climate change in the national security domain.

JOE MANCHIN GOES SCORCHED-EARTH ON BIDEN ADMIN OVER EV ACTIONS BOOSTING CHINA

In a fact sheet ASP released last year, the group said the “widespread adoption” of such vehicles will “keep the U.S. more secure by reducing our dependence on foreign oil and gas, and reduce financial incentives of petro-state autocracies like Russia.”

The document further stated that transportation accounts for 29% of national greenhouse gas emissions, making it a “critical sector in achieving national net-zero climate goals, and enhancing both energy and national security” while referencing the Biden administration’s goal of “transitioning half of America’s vehicles to electric by 2030.”

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Fox News Digital, “President Biden has warned for decades that climate change is a national security threat — in agreement with experts across the political spectrum such as Trump Administration Secretary of Defense James Mattis. The president is proud to be delivering on his campaign promise to bring manufacturing jobs back to America and cut Americans’ energy costs by taking on the climate crisis, including by ensuring that the United States wins the global competition for EV manufacturing.”

Shortly after taking office in 2021, Biden issued the goal of ensuring 50% of total domestic vehicle purchases are electric by 2030, a first-of-its-kind goal cheered by green energy industry groups and climate advocates. Since then, the administration has pursued various regulations that, while not explicitly mandating electric vehicles, would create strong financial incentives for manufacturers to produce more zero-carbon options and for consumers to transition to those options.

In December 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized rules that targeted heavy-duty trucks it said at the time were the “strongest-ever national clean air standards to cut smog- and soot-forming emissions” from such vehicles. The new standards went into effect March 27 and will be implemented for new trucks sold after 2027.

INTERNAL DEM MEMO CLAIMS GOP BILL OUTLAWING EV MANDATES MAY LEAD TO PREMATURE DEATHS

In April, the EPA proposed the most aggressive federal tailpipe emissions rules on light- and medium-duty emissions ever crafted. If finalized and implemented, 67% of new sedan, crossover, SUV and light truck purchases, up to 50% of bus and garbage truck purchases, 35% of short-haul freight tractor purchases and 25% of long-haul freight tractor purchases could be electric by 2032, the White House projected.

Months later, in July, the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued its most aggressive fuel economy standards ever, an action critics say would increase consumer costs.

And last year, the EPA also reinstated California’s authority under the Clean Air Act to implement its own emission standards and electric vehicle sales mandates, allowing other states to also adopt California’s rules. The state then approved regulations that mandated all car purchases in the state, which leads the country in annual car sales, be electric by 2035.

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Still, the electric vehicle industry has faced significant headwinds related to both the increasing costs associated with manufacturing and consumer hesitance around switching from gas-powered cars.

“It is not an overstatement to say that the federal government is subsidizing EVs to a greater degree than even wind and solar electricity generation and embarking on an unprecedented endeavor to remake the entire American auto industry,” a recent Texas Public Policy Foundation report concluded. 

“Despite these massive incentives, EVs are receiving a tepid response from the majority of Americans who cannot shoulder their higher cost.

“It’s time for federal and state governments to stop driving the American auto industry off an economic cliff and allow markets to drive further improvements in cost and efficiency.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Wade for comment.

EXCLUSIVE: Former first lady Melania Trump will speak to new American citizens on Friday about the “responsibility” of citizenship and the importance of “guarding our freedom” during a naturalization ceremony at the National Archives. 

Trump will reflect on her own experience and the “sense of success” she felt “immediately” after becoming a U.S. citizen, according to excerpts of prepared remarks obtained by Fox News Digital.

The National Archives is hosting a naturalization ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday in the historic National Archives Rotunda. The ceremony will feature 25 people from 25 nations sworn in as new citizens of the U.S. before the Constitution and other founding documents.

MELANIA TRUMP ROLLS OUT ‘AMERICAN CHRISTMAS’ ORNAMENTS, NFTS TO HELP FUND SCHOLARSHIPS FOR FOSTER CHILDREN

The former first lady will speak at the ceremony and discuss the responsibilities that come with being an American citizen.

“It means actively participating in the democratic process and guarding our freedom. It also means leading by example and contributing to our society,” the former first lady is expected to say. “It is a life-altering experience that takes time, determination and sometimes even tremendous strength.”

“Throughout our lives, we cross thresholds,” Trump will say. “And although obstacles often stand in the way of our goals, we persevere, as we understand that conquering them will provide great access to personal development, fulfillment and eventually self-actualization.”

Ahead of the ceremony, the former first lady told Fox News Digital that she was “honored to receive the invitation to participate in the Naturalization Ceremony on Bill of Rights Day.”

MELANIA FULLY BEHIND TRUMP’S 2024 CAMPAIGN, SAYS IT WOULD BE A ‘PRIVILEGE’ TO SERVE AS FIRST LADY AGAIN

“I can personally relate to the wave of emotions experienced by the individuals in today’s celebration and remember the sense of success I felt immediately after becoming a United States citizen,” Trump said.

The former first lady said that the “weight of this transformative moment is accentuated by the magnificence of the venue itself,” referring to the Rotunda of the National Archives. 

“How fortunate to be with the naturalizing individuals and their families as they recite the Oath of Allegiance and become Americans before our great nation’s founding documents,” she said. 

The former first lady, in a previous interview, told Fox News Digital that she supports her husband’s presidential campaign and looks forward to “restoring hope for the future and leading America with love and strength” during a possible second term in the White House.

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Trump said that if she has “the privilege” to serve as first lady again in 2024, she would continue to prioritize initiatives focused on the well-being and development of children, to ensure they have the “support and resources they need to reach their full potential.”

Former President Donald Trump holds a commanding lead over the GOP primary field. 

During her time as first lady, Trump hosted virtual roundtables on foster care as part of her “Be Best” initiative, and focused on strengthening the child welfare system. She worked with members of Congress on legislation that secured funding for grants awarded to youth and young adults currently or formerly in foster care to help pay for college, career school or training. The bill ultimately was signed by then-President Trump in December 2020.

Since leaving the White House, the former first lady also created special edition Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). A portion of those proceeds went towards her initiative “Fostering the Future” to secure education opportunities and scholarships for children in the foster care community.

FIRST ON FOX: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will be joined by a trio of top conservatives on the campaign trail in Iowa in the next few days as he continues his push to mobilize Hawkeye State voters to caucus for him next month.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a longtime friend of DeSantis, is set to appear with the GOP presidential candidate on Saturday for a 2nd Amendment Town Hall in Johnston, Iowa. Additionally, DeSantis will be joined by Massie’s GOP colleague Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, in Iowa on Monday through Wednesday.

“In one month, Iowans can send a loud message that they choose principles over princes and choose Ron DeSantis for his bold, honest leadership and the proven courage to bring a reckoning to Washington, D.C.,” Roy said in a statement.  

“I look forward to spending time with Iowans to share my heartfelt belief Gov. DeSantis is the proven leader we all need to send Biden back to his basement and to carry America forward, not backward, as we start a new era of freedom, security, and prosperity,” Roy said. “As he has always done, Gov. DeSantis will get the job done – ending the invasion of our southern border, shrinking government, and making clear to radical progressives and establishment Republicans that it is a new day in Washington.” 

DESANTIS DOWNPLAYS SIGNIFICANCE OF GOV. SUNUNU’S NEW HAMPSHIRE ENDORSEMENT OF HALEY: ‘SO MANY PROBLEMS’

Oklahoma’s Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt will also join DeSantis in Iowa next Wednesday and Thursday. 

“I watched Ron DeSantis lead through COVID, and I know that as president he will fight for Americans the same way he fought for the people of Florida to protect our liberties and freedoms,” Stitt said in a statement. “I can’t wait to tell Iowans firsthand that he has never made a promise he did not keep, and his record of results proves we can trust him to beat Joe Biden and serve two terms to secure our southern border, end Washington’s reckless spending spree and runaway inflation and unleash our domestic energy production.”

DeSantis has made Iowa his main focus in recent months, shifting resources and staff to the state and visiting all 99 counties as he makes a final push to narrow the polling gap between his campaign and former President Donald Trump’s.

TRUMP HOLDS MASSIVE LEAD IN IOWA 5 WEEKS FROM CAUCUSES THAT KICK OFF GOP RACE: POLL

The Florida governor took part in a CNN town hall debate in Iowa this week and his campaign is hoping that recent endorsements from Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats will help propel him to a strong showing in the state. 

“Riding a wave of momentum in Iowa following historic endorsements from Iowa Gov Kim Renyolds, Iowa Kingmaker Bob Vander Plaats, and 42 state legislators, Ron DeSantis is now enlisting some of the conservative movement’s best fighters – Congressmen Roy and Massie and Governor Kevin Stitt – to help him get his message out in the Hawkeye State,” DeSantis communications director Andrew Romeo told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

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“Iowans will hear directly from these national leaders who’ve seen first-hand Ron DeSantis fight the tough battles against the left and deliver big wins for conservatives,” Romeo continued. “They’ll make sure there is no doubt in the minds of Iowans that Ron DeSantis will deliver on his promises to stop the invasion at our southern border, restore our economy, and revive America.”

ATKINSON, N.H. – Addressing a standing-room-only crowd at a weekday morning town hall in New Hampshire, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley noted that “it’s been a great couple of weeks for us.”

Minutes earlier, the former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor was introduced to the crowd — many of whom were seeing her on the campaign trail for the first time — by popular Republican New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who endorsed Haley on Tuesday.

Haley has enjoyed momentum in the polls in recent months, thanks in part to well-received performances in the first three GOP presidential primary debates. She leapfrogged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary and second overall contest in the Republican nominating calendar.

Haley also aims to make a fight of it in Iowa — the state whose Jan. 15 caucuses lead off the GOP nominating calendar — where the latest polls suggest she is close to pulling even with DeSantis for a distant second place behind former President Donald Trump, who remains the far and away frontrunner in the race as he makes his third straight White House bid.

‘WE’RE ALL IN’ — SUNUNU BACKS HALEY IN MAJOR 2024 ENDORSEMENT

In an interview with Fox News ahead of her town hall, Haley said her campaign’s momentum is starting to pay off when it comes to fundraising.

“We’ve been talking to people on the ground. We do see that the funding is coming through. We see it on the website. We see that a lot of people are going to Nikki Haley dot com and donating, and we appreciate the support,” Haley touted. “The energy is really good. It’s good on the ground. It’s good around the country.”

Her campaign spotlighted that November was their largest online fundraising month of the cycle, and that December is already outpacing November “with no signs of momentum slowing down.”

Haley’s team also showcased that since the first GOP presidential debate in August, they’ve raised more each subsequent month. And showing off their grassroots appeal, they noted that 95% of donations to the campaign have been $200 or less.

SUNUNU ON HALEY’S 2024 RIVALS: ‘I THINK THEY SHOULD ALL GET OUT’

The campaign and affiliated committees hauled in over $11 million during the July-September third quarter of 2023 fundraising, up nearly $4 million from the second quarter. But Haley’s fundraising, while impressive, trailed DeSantis by around $4 million and lagged far behind Trump’s massive $45 million third-quarter haul.

Separate from the fundraising, Sununu said he’s sensing the campaign’s energy on the ground.

“I’ve done town halls with all the different candidates the past three months. These are the biggest and most energetic town halls I’ve done to date with any candidate,” he told Fox News following the Thursday town hall in Atkinson.

Sununu, a vocal GOP critic of Trump who mulled his own 2024 White House bid before deciding in June against a presidential run, had long said he would make an endorsement in the race ahead of next month’s New Hampshire primary. In November, Sununu said he had narrowed his choices down to Haley, DeSantis and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a longtime Sununu friend who is making his second White House bid.

CHRIS CHRISTIE VOWS ‘I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE. SO LET’S BE REALLY CLEAR ABOUT THAT’

The governor, who teamed up with Haley at four town halls since Tuesday, pointed to Wednesday evening’s campaign event in Keene, New Hampshire.

“Last night was a great example, where you literally had hundreds and hundreds of people who had to get turned away. The energy was through the roof,” he said. “She’s got this amazing spark. Her numbers are moving. And now we’re throwing a little gasoline on it and people are loving it.”

Sununu’s endorsement of Haley was a setback for Christie, who is repeating his strategy from his unsuccessful 2016 Republican presidential run of placing all his chips in New Hampshire. He stands in third place in Granite State polls, a couple of points behind Haley.

“I would have been happy to accept his support,” Christie said of Sununu, as he spoke with reporters Wednesday evening after holding a town hall in Londonderry, New Hampshire.

But he downplayed the significance of the Sununu endorsement, arguing, “I would have known exactly what it meant. It meant one vote. And it would have been nice to hang around with him, and we could have done a buddy show like he and Nikki are doing, but in the end, these voters are not going to be told by anybody who to vote for.”

“I’m disappointed. I’m not going to be stupid about it. It’s disappointing not to get it, but on the other hand, it doesn’t change my strategy here one bit,” he highlighted.

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Christie said he was staying in the race, telling Fox News Digital, “I’m not going anywhere, so let’s be really clear about that.”

The former New Jersey governor took aim at Haley early and often during the town hall, starting with what he called her “word salad” answers when it comes to the combustible issue of abortion. Later, he accused her of “political pandering.”

“The voters in this state have a right to know where she stands. Not just her happy talk. They have a right to know where she stands,” Christie told reporters after the town hall.

Christie said Haley is “unwilling to do it. She wants to be everything to everybody on that issue [abortion]. It’s too important an issue, it’s too personal an issue, and it’s too serious an issue to not answer it directly. I’ve answered it directly. She hasn’t.”

Asked about Christie’s criticism, Haley told Fox News on Thursday, “He’s saying I say one thing in one state and one thing in another. That’s because I was asked two different questions. The first question was, if you were governor and the people of South Carolina wanted a six-week abortion law, would you support it? And I said yes. I would support whatever the people in the state wanted.”

“But when it comes to a federal law, we have to have consensus. You can’t do that without 60 Senate votes. And so what I’m saying is, we’re not going to talk about ban or something that’s not possible. We’re not going to demonize the issue on the federal level. The country doesn’t want that. We’re going to humanize it.”

Minutes later, Haley swiped at Christie and the rest of her rivals, telling the crowd at her town hall to applause that when it comes to abortion, “the fellas just haven’t been able to address this the right way.”

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

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What’s happening:

– New York court rejects Trump’s appeal of gag order…

– Former prosecutor who allegedly scuttled Hunter Biden probe ‘refused’ to answer Judiciary Committee questions…

– Senate delays Christmas break to work on border deal…

‘NO EVIDENCE’

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre blew up Thursday when pressed by a reporter on President Biden “lying” about past interactions with his son Hunter’s business associates, declaring there was “no evidence” the president did anything wrong.

Jean-Pierre also lashed out at House Republicans over the vote to approve an official impeachment inquiry against Biden, accusing them of “wasting their time,” but the interaction began with New York Post reporter Steven Nelson asking why Biden interacted with so many of his family’s business associates, which contributed to the inquiry’s launch.

“What we’re seeing from House Republicans is wasted time. And it is certainly, you know, a baseless political slant. That’s what we’re seeing. And they’re leaving. House Republicans are leaving this week to go, you know, enjoy a nice holiday. Right? As most Americans should. But what happened to the funding to Ukraine?” Jean-Pierre responded. 

Earlier Thursday, the White House said House Republicans were “dithering” by leaving for Christmas break without approving additional Ukriane funding, aid to Israel, or addressing the border.

White House

‘HE’S WORRIED’: Biden reportedly lashes out at some aides who bring up Hunter Biden …Read more

TWO TO TANGO: Dance troupe in bizarre White House Christmas video has a history of far-left activism …Read more

‘LUNATICS’: Energy experts blast John Kerry’s UN act shutting down fossil fuels …Read more

BIG BUCKS: Hunter Biden claimed he didn’t ‘stand to gain anything’ in controversial Burisma role despite making millions …Read more

Capitol Hill

BOWING OUT: Georgia GOP Rep. Drew Ferguson joins growing list of politicians departing Congress after 2024 …Read more

‘DELUSIONAL’: GOP lawmakers skeptical about voting on border deal as Dems threaten to delay Christmas break …Read more

‘SILENT EPIDEMIC: Senate report sounds alarm on surge in fentanyl deaths among older Americans …Read more

Tales from the Campaign Trail

APATHY WINS: Just 1 in 4 Michigan Democrats enthusiastic about Biden being the nominee: poll …Read more

STRIKE IT DOWN: Ramaswamy says SCOTUS should strike down FDA approval of abortion pill …Read more

FRIENDLY FIRE: Newsom pressed on San Francisco’s homeless woes in late-night stop: ‘Can’t blame it on conservatives’ …Read more

Across America

POWERED UP: Dem, Republican unleash effort to loosen China’s stranglehold on EV supplies amid Biden’s green energy push …Read more

‘ABSOLUTE EMBARRASSMENT’: Critics demolish liberal DC mayor for forgetting where her own city’s metro lines go …Read more

WOKE REVOKED: Oklahoma governor signs executive order banning DEI in state institutions …Read more

EXCLUSIVE INVITE: Boston mayor defends excluding White people from holiday party …Read more

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

EXCLUSIVE: A GOP lawmaker on the House Oversight Committee is calling for Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., to be punished by Congress for helping Hunter Biden on Wednesday morning.

Swalwell had reserved a spot outside the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol where Hunter Biden later made a brief statement to the press before skipping a planned deposition by the House Oversight Committee.

“Nobody gets to do that,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital of Hunter Biden’s deliberate absence. “He was sent subpoenas. He was told to appear.”

“We’re going to vote to hold him in contempt. We probably need to vote Eric Swalwell in contempt, because the rumor is that Mr. Swalwell aided and abetted him by setting up his facilities so he could have his [press] conference across the way.”

WH SPURNS BIDEN FAMILY ‘CONSPIRACY THEORIES’ AHEAD OF LIKELY IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY VOTE, HUNTER BIDEN DEPOSITION

Swalwell admitted to Politico on Wednesday that he had reserved the spot for Hunter Biden, telling the outlet, “There is absolutely zero evidence Hunter or his father acted corruptly. . . . So I’m not going to sit quietly and let MAGA Republicans do Trump’s bidding in Congress.”

Fox News Digital reached out to his office for comment but did not immediately hear back.

HUNTER BIDEN FACES BACKLASH AFTER DEFYING SUBPOENA WITH PRESS CONFERENCE ‘STUNT’: ‘HOLD HIM IN CONTEMPT!’

House Republicans are seeking to hear from Hunter Biden and the president’s brother James Biden as part of their probe into whether President Biden committed any impeachable offenses. They suspect that he used his position as vice president in the Obama administration to enrich himself and his family.

Lawmakers wanted to hear from Hunter Biden in detail about his involvement with foreign businesses in China and Ukraine. He is also currently under federal investigation over tax and firearms charges.

If the House holds Hunter Biden in contempt over skipping his deposition, which Biggs called for, the conservative Republican argued that precedent should compel Attorney General Merrick Garland to charge him.

HUNTER BIDEN CLAIMED HE DIDN’T ‘STAND TO GAIN ANYTHING’ IN CONTROVERSIAL BURISMA ROLE DESPITE MAKING MILLIONS

“He went after Steve Bannon and several others. He should go after Mr. Biden as well,” Biggs said, citing Bannon’s contempt charge for failing to cooperate with the now-defunct January 6 select committee’s investigation.

“We were all sitting there. We had a court reporter there, Democrats were there. Republicans were there. We were ready . . . Mr. Biden chose not to come.”

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A defiant Hunter Biden told reporters on Wednesday morning, “For six years, I have been the target of the unrelenting Trump attack machine, shouting, ‘Where’s Hunter?’ Well, here’s my answer: I am here,”

“I am here to testify at a public hearing, today, to answer any of the committees’ legitimate questions. Republicans do not want an open process where Americans can see their tactics, expose their baseless inquiry or hear what I have to say,” he said.

The New York State Appellate Division First Department has rejected former President Trump’s challenge to the gag orders imposed by Judge Arthur Engoron. 

The non-jury civil trial stems from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against Trump and his businesses in the state.

Back in September, Engoron ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization had 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.

“He ruled against me without knowing anything about me,” Trump said on the stand. “He called me a fraud, and he didn’t know anything about me.”

JUDGE IMPOSES PARTIAL GAG ORDER IN TRUMP ORG TRIAL, BLOCKING PARTIES FROM VERBAL ATTACKS AGAINST COURT STAFF

Following the ruling, Engoron imposed a partial gag order to prevent all parties from engaging in any verbal attacks against court staff after Trump criticized a member of the judge’s office on social media.

Engoron added that “personal attacks on members of my court staff are unacceptable, not appropriate” and warned they would not be tolerated.

TRUMP, JUDGE ENGORON TRADE JABS DURING FORMER PRESIDENT’S TESTIMONY IN CIVIL TRIAL STEMMING FROM NYAG LAWSUIT

Without naming the former president, Engoron was referring to a now-deleted Trump post on his Truth Social account about Engoron’s law clerk, Allison Greenfield.

SUPREME COURT: TRUMP MUST RESPOND TO SPECIAL COUNSEL’S PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY PETITION BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Trump and his family have denied any wrongdoing and have claimed that the former president has repeatedly said his assets were actually undervalued.

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FIRST ON FOX: A number of conservative groups and former border officials are urging Republican lawmakers to reject a potential compromise on border funding that falls short of the House signature legislation passed this year — as the clock ticks down on a potential deal.

Negotiations are ongoing between Republicans, Democrats and the Biden administration over a $106 billion supplemental spending agreement for the border, Israel and Ukraine. Republicans have demanded policy changes, including asylum limits, to restrict the entry of migrants into the U.S. as part of the deal.

Republicans in the House and conservative groups have called for the inclusion of the entirety of H.R. 2 — the House signature legislation passed in the chamber this year which ramps up border security, restarts border wall construction, brings back the Remain-in-Mexico policy and limits the use of asylum and humanitarian parole among other sweeping changes.

REPUBLICANS SEE PROGRESS IN BORDER TALKS, BUT UNCLEAR IF DEAL WITHIN REACH AS CRISIS RAGES

A Senate working group released a slimmer version of proposals taken in part from H.R. 2, but that was rejected by the White House and Senate Democrats. This week it was reported that the administration was open to a Title 42-type expulsion authority in certain circumstances, expanded expedited removal and a broadening of immigration detention. Those proposals drew optimism from some Senate Republicans, even as some Democrats and immigration activists condemned them.

However, the conservatives — who are part of a coalition that previously warned Congress against “watering down” H.R. 2, — say that it falls short of what is required to fix the ongoing crisis at the border which has hit historic highs in terms of migrant encounters.

Kevin Roberts, president of Heritage Action, said in a statement to Fox News Digital that “years of backroom deals and weakness from Congress have given us the worst illegal immigration crisis in American history” and that Americans are “sick and tired” of secret negotiations that end in “do-nothing bills.”

“The border is in chaos because of Biden’s intentional destruction of the enforcement measures that discouraged illegal immigration. Lawmakers cannot trust this administration with more money and more power to make up the rules as they go. Conservatives have already passed a plan to secure the border. H.R. 2 gets the job done,” he said. “Anything less would be a defeat for the American people and the rule of law.” 

“Allowing the Biden administration to use a Christmas deadline and false promises of border security to pass billions in foreign funding is unacceptable. Conservative members of Congress shouldn’t take these negotiations seriously—the American people surely do not,” he said.

Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center and a former DHS official, dismissed reported claims by the Biden administration that it would deport and detain more.

“That’s current law, which they’ve ignored for three years. That’s neither a ‘concession’ nor credible,’ she said.

CONSERVATIVE COALITION WARNS GOP LEADERS AGAINST ‘WATERING DOWN’ BORDER MEASURES TO CLINCH SPENDING DEAL

Tom Homan, a former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and a Heritage visiting fellow, called the policies in H.R. 2 a “no-brainer”

“Because we proved they worked under the Trump administration and implementing these policies resulted in the most secure border of my lifetime,” he said. “Why would anyone negotiate proven success? Now is the time to be strong and act. 

“The FBI has publicly stated that the threat stream to this nation is very high. The time for negotiating is over,” Homan said. “We can no longer accept the Democrats delaying action on Israel and Ukraine because continuing an open border national security failure is more important to them.”

Former acting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Mark Morgan accused Senate Democrats of “negotiating with themselves to water down what they already agreed was the path to success.” 

“Throwing more money at the crisis and begging the current administration to enforce the laws they have disregarded for three years, without the inclusion of the policy changes contained in H.R. 2, is not a solution – it’s failure. What’s happening at our borders is not about immigration – it’s about our ability to safeguard our nation against a vast set of complex threats pouring across them,” he said. “When did it become acceptable to ‘compromise’ on protecting and defending our borders and our sovereignty?”

MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AGAIN TOP 10K IN SINGLE DAY AS LAWMAKERS EYE NEW BORDER LIMITS

Chris Chmielenski, President of the Immigration Accountability Project, said that the proposal “falls short” of addressing the crisis and warned that “any Republican that goes along will join the Biden Administration in owning it.” The only way to end the crisis, he said, is to pass H.R. 2.

“Then, and only then, will a loud and clear message be sent around the world that the U.S. border is closed,” he said.

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Lawmakers are due to leave Washington on Thursday for the holiday break, it is unclear if a deal will be reached before then. Meanwhile, sources confirmed to Fox News this week that encounters breached the 10,000 mark at the southern border in a single day on Tuesday.

President Biden is experiencing a collapse in enthusiasm among Democratic voters in Michigan, according to a new poll. 

Just 27% of Democrats in the Great Lake State say there are “enthusiastic” for Biden as their party’s presidential nominee, according to the Washington Post-Monmouth poll. 

Approximately 51% of Democratic voters in the state say they would be “satisfied” with Biden as the Democratic nominee, and 19% say they would be “dissatisfied” or “upset.”

HUNTER BIDEN FACES BACKLASH AFTER DEFYING SUBPOENA WITH PRESS CONFERENCE ‘STUNT’: ‘HOLD HIM IN CONTEMPT’

By contrast, approximately 45% of Michigan Republicans report being “enthusiastic” about former President Trump as their party’s nominee.  

Approximately 31% of GOP voters in the state say they would be “satisfied” to have Trump as the Republican presidential nominee in 2024.

About 21% of Michigan Republicans say they would be “unsatisfied” or “upset” with Trump leading the party into the election.

SUPPORT FOR BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY GROWS WITH A NOTABLE LEVEL OF DEMOCRAT BACKING: POLL

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that Americans are increasingly unsatisfied with the prospect of a Biden-Trump rematch in 2024.

Approximately 56% of U.S. adults report they would feel “very” or “somewhat” dissatisfied with Biden as the Democratic nominee. 

Meanwhile, about 58% of U.S. adults say they would feel dissatisfied with Trump representing the GOP.

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Approximately 42% of respondents said they view Biden favorably, compared to 36% for Trump.

The Post-Monmouth poll surveyed 1,066 potential voters in Michigan between Dec. 7 and Dec. 11. Its reported margin of error is +/-4.4%. 

The Associated Press-NORC poll surveyed 1,074 US adults selected via the NORC’s AmeriSpeak Panel. It was conducted between Nov. 30 and Dec. 4 and reports a margin of error of +/-4%.

FIRST ON FOX: Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will be unveiling his trucking policy next week at Iowa 80, famously dubbed the “World’s Largest Truckstop.”

“Truckers are a crucial link in the American supply chain that power America’s economy. They’re not just haulers of goods — they’re the guardians of freedom on our highways. Last year, we watched as the ‘Freedom Convoy’ in Canada unmasked the perils of government overreach – speech was censored, peaceful protesters were arrested, and big banks froze personal funds,” Ramaswamy said in a press release first obtained by Fox News Digital. “Those Canadian truckers taught the world a valuable lesson about the power of civil protest against an out-of-control totalitarian government.” 

“On Thursday, Dec. 21, join me at Iowa 80, the World’s Largest Truckstop, where I will lay out my detailed plan for how we support our truckers and ensure freedom for all,” he said. 

RAMASWAMY SWIPES ‘GOP ESTABLISHMENT’ IN IOWA FOR SUPPORTING CO2 PIPELINES AS PART OF CLIMATE ‘HOAX’

Ramaswamy will be joined by officials from CDL (commercial driver’s license) Drivers Unlimited, the group representing roughly 4.7 million CDL drivers in the U.S., according to the campaign. 

In an outline of his trucking policy, Ramaswamy says he will direct his Department of Transportation (DOT) and its Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to focus on “promoting driver retention” rather than driver recruitment for “economic efficency,” citing a 2019 study showing a whopping 91% turnover rate among CDL drivers including changes between carriers. 

Ramaswamy vows his administration will “promote driver safety through comprehensive mental health policies, truck parking safety, and common-sense hours of service regulation.” He also intends to combat efforts on a state level to “limit the freedom of CDL drivers as independent contractors and use investigatory power to crack down on broker fraud.”

RAMASWAMY LAUNCHES $1 MILLION AD BUY IN EARLY PRIMARY STATES BLASTING POLITICIANS ‘LEADING US INTO WORLD WAR III’

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Ramaswamy is hoping to defy expectations at the Iowa Caucus next month as he vies for the GOP nomination.

The RealClearPolitics average of polls shows the biotech entrepreneur trailing at 5.3% behind former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley at 15.7%, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 19.7% and former President Trump, who continues to dominate the field with a whopping 50% support among primary voters. 

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

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said Wednesday that he hopes the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the abortion pill.

Ramaswamy appeared in Des Moines, Iowa for a CNN town hall, where anchor Abby Phillip asked him about the Supreme Court’s decision to hear a case that could potentially restrict access nationwide to the abortion drug Mifepristone. Ramaswamy said the case is less about abortion and more about administrative law and the FDA approval process, arguing the agency exceeded its authority by approving mifepristone in 2000.

“It’s my opinion — it’s the Supreme Court’s that’ll matter, but I’m pretty sure they’re going to come down right where I am on this — that the FDA exceeded its statutory authority in using an emergency approval to approve something that doesn’t fit Congress’ criteria for what actually counts as an emergency approval,” Ramaswamy told voters at the town hall.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to consider appeals from the Biden administration and drug manufacturer Danco defending several actions by the FDA intended to make it easier to acces and use mifepristone in the wake of overturning Roe v. Wade last year. 

WATCH: RAMASWAMY’S TOP MOMENTS ON DEI, IMMIGRATION, TAX REFORM, JAN.6 AT CNN TOWN HALL: ‘THIS IS IMPORTANT

In overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee the right to an abortion and that the matter should be decided by the states. In the aftermath, 14 states have banned abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions, and two others have banned abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is around six weeks of gestation. 

Mifepristone, known by the brand name Mifeprex, is a pill taken with misoprostol in a two-drug regimen that first deprives an unborn baby of hormones it needs to stay alive and then causes cramps and contractions to expel the dead fetus from the mother’s womb. This process is sometimes referred to as a medication abortion or, by critics, as a chemical abortion. 

According to Danco, more than 5 million women have used Mifeprex in the United States since the FDA approved its use in 2000. The popular drug is 97% effective in terminating early pregnancy, although the company says 3% of women who take it will require surgical intervention for ongoing pregnancy, heavy bleeding, incomplete expulsion or other reasons such as patient request. 

WATCH: DESANTIS’ TOP MOMENTS ON ISRAEL, IMMIGRATION, TRUMP AND HALEY AT CNN TOWN HALL: ‘AN EASY ANSWER’

Pro-life doctors, represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, have challenged FDA approval of mifepristone on the grounds that the agency inappropriately expedited the drug’s approval with mixed success in lower courts. 

The Biden administration and the maker of the drug are asking the high court to reverse an appellate ruling that would cut off access to the drug through the mail and impose other restrictions, even in states where abortion remains legal. The restrictions include shortening from the current 10 weeks to seven weeks the time during which mifepristone can be used in pregnancy. The nine justices rejected a separate appeal from abortion opponents who challenged the FDA’s initial approval of mifepristone as safe and effective in 2000.

Ramaswamy said the case is a “symptom” of “what’s going on in the administrative state.” 

TRUMP HOLDS MASSIVE LEAD IN IOWA 5 WEEKS FROM CAUCUSES THAT KICK OFF GOP RACE: POLL

“The people who we elect to run the government, they’re not even the ones who actually run the government right now. It’s the bureaucrats in those three letter agencies that are pulling the strings today,” he said at the town hall. 

Ramaswamy said that if voters disagree with his position, they should turn to the “Democratic process” and expand abortion access “through the front doors of Congress,” pledging that if he’s elected president he will “rescind those unconstitutional federal regulations that Congress never actually passed.” 

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In a statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that overturning the FDA’s decisions on the abortion pill “threatens to undermine the FDA’s scientific, independent judgment and would reimpose outdated restrictions on access to safe and effective medication abortion.” 

“This Administration will continue to stand by FDA’s independent approval and regulation of mifepristone as safe and effective. As the Department of Justice continues defending the FDA’s actions before the Supreme Court, President Biden and Vice President Harris remain firmly committed to defending women’s ability to access reproductive care,” she said. 

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

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

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy appeared in Des Moines, Iowa for a CNN town hall on Wednesday night and not only addressed a broad range of topics but also repeatedly clashed with CNN anchor Abby Phillip. 

Ramaswamy battles CNN’s Abby Phillip over Jan. 6

The most contentious moment of the hour-long town hall was when Phillip attempted to grill Ramaswamy over his recent comment referring to Jan. 6 as an “inside job.”

As Ramaswamy accused the government of systemically lying in recent years and claimed that federal agents were within the crowd on Jan. 6, he mocked Phillip’s interruptions as proof that “the establishment doesn’t approve this message.”

“I know it’s very uncomfortable for you. I know this is an uncomfortable issue for many people but we have to do the truth here,” Ramaswamy told the CNN anchor. 

Ramaswamy’s comments were repeatedly welcomed with applause by the GOP-friendly audience as Phillip continued sparring with the White House hopeful. 

WATCH: DESANTIS’ TOP MOMENTS ON ISRAEL, IMMIGRATION, TRUMP AND HALEY AT CNN TOWN HALL: ‘AN EASY ANSWER’

Ramaswamy vows to end birthright citizenship, lays out plan for deportations

Ramaswamy, the son of immigrants, laid out his hard-line immigration policies. He began by repeating his vow to send the military to secure the southern border but quickly pivoted to his proposal to “ending the illegal incentives to be here.”

“End birthright citizenship for the kids of illegal migrants to whom the 14th Amendment does not apply, end federal funding to sanctuary cities using our own taxpayer money to pay effectively for breaking the rule of law,” Ramaswamy said. “I do believe that anybody who’s in this country illegally needs to be returned to their country of origin. Not because they’re all bad people. In fact, many of them are good people… So this is not a value judgment about those people. It’s a value judgment about this country. We’re founded on the rule of law. And as a father of two sons in the White House, I can’t look them in the eye and tell them they have to follow the rules when our own government isn’t following its own rules.”

The political outsider explained that he could implement such mass deportations by invoking an obscure law called 287 G he says allows local law enforcement to carry out warrants issued by ICE. He also clarified that ending birthright citizenship of illegal immigrants would take effect after he takes office rather than be retroactively applied to those already born in the U.S. 

Ramaswamy says ‘If you hit us, we hit you back ten times harder’

Ramaswamy was asked by an Iowa voter about how he’d be able to balance an authentic approach on the world stage while maintaining a “presidential demeanor.” He responded by saying he wants to act as president the way he wants his sons to view him. 

“Am I going to tell my kids to go to school and be a bully? No, I’m not. But I’m gonna tell them if somebody bullies you or hits you, you’re gonna hit them back ten times harder. And that’s the way I’m going to lead this country,” Ramaswamy said. “As we say in our family- you have to be strong enough to protect your kindness. So if you watch those debates carefully, I don’t engage in four-letter words. I mean, there are other candidates who have called me dumb, scum and worse that I’m not going to repeat here. I didn’t go after them but if they’re gonna come after me, I’m not going to be a president whether it’s Xi Jinping or Vladimir Putin or anybody else who’s going to roll over. When I’m leading the United States, the same rule applies. If you hit us, we hit you back ten times harder.”

TRUMP HOLDS MASSIVE LEAD IN IOWA 5 WEEKS FROM CAUCUSES THAT KICK OFF GOP RACE: POLL

Ramaswamy proposes 12% flat tax 

The GOP hopeful was asked about his past support of dramatically increasing the inheritance tax, telling Phillip it’s not part of his policy platform. 

“What we need is a 12% flat tax across the board,” Ramaswamy said. “Ordinary income, capital gain, corporate, flatten it out.” 

“And here is how we get money back for the system: end the croniest deductions, the deductions and the loopholes and the rebates that corporations, special interests have lobbied in. It’s about $700 billion a year, just the tax compliance costs, just the out-of-pocket costs not counting the time you spend preparing your taxes. Give that back to the people,” he continued. 

Ramaswamy says DEI discourages diversity of viewpoints 

Ramaswamy was quick to reject the premise of a question from a Drake University professor who asked how he would promote “diversity and inclusion” and advance “underrepresented groups” in his administration and in the private sector. 

“So I think the Diversity Equity Inclusion agenda has been abused. In the name of diversity, we have at many of our universities totally sacrificed diversity of thought,” he said. “In the name of equity, we’ve perpetuated a lot of inequity and inequality of opportunity through affirmative action and otherwise. In the name of inclusion, we’ve created a new culture of exclusion where certain points of view aren’t welcome. So especially in a university setting, what do I care about? Diversity of viewpoint. This is important, actually, I think diversity of viewpoint is part of what this country was built on. Well, the best way to foster diversity of viewpoint is to screen candidates for the diversity of their views.” 

He later continued, “And I think the use of these racial and gender quota systems, I think, have actually created a new form of racism in the United States that otherwise would not have existed. It’s sad to me, I mean, I’ve hired, not because I was thinking about it consciously, plenty of Black women in different positions of authority in this campaign or other companies or whatever. And I can tell you it saddens me when people look at somebody who I hired on the basis of merit and say that they only got that job because of the race or gender. That doesn’t do anybody a favor. And so I think if we restore true meritocracy in this country, and embrace true diversity of thought, chances are we’re actually going to have a bunch of different shades of melanin and a range of genders in different positions. But let it be not the goal. Let it just be a byproduct of actually selecting for people who are the best person for the job, and especially in a university setting, diverse viewpoints as well. That’s what I think.”

2024 WHITE HOUSE HOPEFULS SHRED DOJ, ‘DEEP STATE’ OVER TIMING OF HUNTER BIDEN INDICTMENT: ‘SLOW-WALKED’

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Ramaswamy wants to make faith, patriotism ‘cool again’

Ramaswamy rejected the notion that his Hindu faith contradicts the values established by the Founding Fathers, telling an Iowan voter “we share the same value set in common” before listing several of his values that overlap with Judeo-Christian ones. 

“Would I be the best president to spread Christianity through this country? I would not. I’d be not the best choice for that. But I also don’t think that that’s the job of the US President,” Ramaswamy said. “But will I stand for the Judeo-Christian values that this nation was founded on ,that I was raised in even in the Hindu faith? Yes, I will. You’re darn right I will.”

“I think it’s my responsibility to make faith, and patriotism, and family, and hard work cool again in this country,” he later continued. “I think they’re pretty cool. And I think that’s my job. As your next president, to back to the First Amendment, we will stand for religious liberty in a way that neither Republicans nor Democrats actually have. That’s what the First Amendment says. You get to practice your faith. Every pastor in this country gets to do his job without the government getting in their way.”

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

LONDONDERRY, N.H. – Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he’s “disappointed” that he didn’t land the endorsement of New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu in the Republican presidential nomination race.

But Christie said that Sununu’s backing former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the state that holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP presidential nominating calendar “doesn’t change my strategy here one bit.”

And he pushed back on Sununu’s suggestion that Christie and Haley’s other Republican White House rivals should get out of the race, telling Fox News Digital that “I’m not going anywhere, so let’s be really clear about that.”

Christie made his comments as he took questions from reporters following a town hall Wednesday night in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Christie returned to the Granite State on the same day that Sununu was continuing to campaign with Haley across New Hampshire after endorsing her the previous evening.

SUNUNU ON HALEY’S 2024 RIVALS: ‘I THINK THEY SHOULD ALL GET OUT’

Sununu, a popular Republican governor who’s won election and re-election to four two-year terms as governor in the crucial northeastern battleground state, had said for weeks that his endorsement would come down to Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Christie, who he’s known for over a decade.

Haley has been rising in the polls the past couple of months and is currently in second place in the surveys in New Hampshire, far behind former President Donald Trump, who remains the commanding front-runner for the GOP nomination as he makes his third straight White House run.

‘WE’RE ALL IN’ – SUNUNU BACKS HALEY IN MAJOR 2024 ENDORSEMENT

Christie, who’s repeating his strategy from his unsuccessful 2016 Republican presidential run of placing all his chips in New Hampshire, stands in third place in Granite State polls, a couple of points behind Haley.

“I would have been happy to accept his support,” Christie said of Sununu.

But he downplayed the significance of the Sununu endorsement, arguing that “I would have known exactly what it meant. It meant one vote.  And it would have been nice to hang around with him, and we could have done a buddy show like he and Nikki are doing, but in the end, these voters are not going to be told by anybody who to vote for.”

“I’m disappointed. I’m not going to be stupid about it. It’s disappointing not to get it but on the other hand, it doesn’t change my strategy here one bit,” he highlighted.

CHRISTIE UPS HIS GAME IN A KEY PRIMARY STATE

Asked after endorsing Haley on Tuesday if Christie should drop out of the race, Sununu told Fox News that “I’m behind Nikki Haley. I think they should all get out frankly, including former President Trump. I think everyone should kind of clear the way.”

But he acknowledged “they’re going to keep campaigning.”

A day later, Fox News Digital asked Christie about Sununu’s comments.

“He should know better,” Christie responded. “It’s not his job to tell anybody when to get out. He can support whomever he likes, but it’s not his job to tell anybody when it’s time to get out of the race. That’s an individual choice to make and I’m not going anywhere, so let’s be really clear about that.”

A night earlier, Sununu told Fox News that he had not given either Christie or DeSantis a heads-up that he was going to endorse Haley.

“I learned about it on-line,” Christie told Fox News. “That’s not the way I would have done it but everybody has to account for their own sense of what represents integrity and what doesn’t.”

Christie spoke with reporters after taking questions for more than an hour and a half from the crowd in a jam-packed American Legion post in this Republican-leaning town.

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The former New Jersey governor took aim at Haley early and often during the town hall, starting with what he called her “word salad” answers when it comes to the combustible issue of abortion. Later in the town hall he accused her of “political pandering.”

“The voters in this state have a right to know where she stands. Not just her happy talk. They have a right to know where she stands,” Christie told reporters after the town hall.

And he charged that Haley’s “unwilling to do it. She wants to be everything to everybody on that issue [abortion]. It’s too important an issue, it’s too personal an issue, and it’s too serious an issue to not answer it directly. I’ve answered it directly. She hasn’t.”

Sununu’s much coveted endorsement was a disappointment for DeSantis, but he’s concentrating most of his time and resources in Iowa, whose Jan. 15 caucuses kick off the GOP nominating calendar. 

But it’s much more of a setback for Christie, who along with Haley is aiming for a strong finish in New Hampshire.

Veteran Republican strategist Matthew Bartlett noted that “Christie is planting the flag in New Hampshire and to have the governor of the state, who clearly likes him and has an affinity for him, go with someone else and affirm that someone else has a much better pathway, if that’s your only state, it’s almost impossible, not just in New Hampshire but nationwide, to get the nomination.”

“He’s got to look in the mirror,” Bartlett said of Christie.

Neil Levesque, the executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College, said that the Sununu endorsement “does not help Chris Christie, and it is certainly a blow to his campaign.”

But he added that “I don’t think it changes the fact that he’s going to campaign here in New Hampshire and seek the votes, and you never know what’s going to happen.”

State Rep. Wayne MacDonald, a former state GOP chair who heads Christie’s steering committee in New Hampshire, told Fox News that “certainly we would much prefer to have Gov. Sununu on board with us than with Gov. Haley.” 

But he emphasized that “endorsements are nice but I think there’s a lot of hype attached to them. With all due respect to Gov. Sununu, I don’t think this is a game-changer.”

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

Democrats in the House and Senate are furious at reports that the White House is open to new restrictions on asylum at the border to get a deal done on its supplemental funding request — with lawmakers accusing the White House of “selling out” migrants to appease Republicans.

“It is truly shameful that President Biden and his administration are considering selling out migrants and asylum seekers in order to placate extreme Republicans who are jeopardizing our national security and that of our allies just to score a political point,” Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said in a statement.

Talks have been ongoing between lawmakers and the administration over a supplemental funding request that includes border funding as well as aid for Israel and Ukraine. The border section would be around $14 billion of the approximately $106 billion package.

MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AGAIN TOP 10K IN A SINGLE DAY AS LAWMAKERS EYE NEW BORDER LIMITS

But Republicans have said that the package does not include enough restrictions on asylum and the use of humanitarian parole, and want measures in place to curb the release of migrants into the U.S. Lawmakers argue that those releases are acting as a pull factor for more migrants to come to the border.

As talks appeared to stall, with some Democrats opposed to policy changes to restrict asylum, President Biden indicated last week that he was open to “significant compromises” on the matter.

CBS News reported Tuesday that the administration has now indicated it is open to a new border authority similar to Title 42 — the COVID-era order that allowed for the rapid expulsion of migrants at the southern border until May this year — but without the necessity of a public health justification. 

The administration was reportedly also open to a nationwide expansion of expedited removal, which allows for recently-entered migrants to be quickly removed if they do not meet the initial asylum standard. It is currently only being used at and near the border. CBS reported that the White House was willing to mandate the detention of certain migrants as their claims are considered.

The White House and Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital, but the White House told CBS that it “has not signed off on any particular policy proposals or final agreements, and reporting that ascribes determined policy positions to the White House is inaccurate.”

5,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED EVERY DAY INTO US, ADMIN OFFICIALS PRIVATELY TELL LAWMAKERS

“The President has said he is open to compromise and we look forward to continued conversations with Senate negotiators as we work toward a bipartisan package,” spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez said.

Left-wing Democrats tore into the administration and accused it of trying to revive Trump-era practices on the border and immigration.

Menendez said it was “the height of absurdity that the Biden administration is putting forward, with a straight face, callous and inhumane changes to our immigration system that President Trump could only have dreamed of accomplishing.”

“There is no excuse for entertaining failed Trump-era immigration policies,” Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said.

“These cruel, extreme policies are a complete nonstarter for me and many other congressional Democrats,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said. “We need real, humane solutions to our immigration system and simply cannot be trading unworkable, permanent policy changes for one-time funding.”

Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., called the reported proposals “Deplorable. Irresponsible. Unacceptable.”

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“The fact we are considering exchanging the lives of asylum seekers for Ukrainian lives is draconian & immoral,” she said.

Meanwhile, some Democrats have said that they would require any policy changes to be accompanied by a pathway to citizenship for some illegal immigrants already in the U.S.

It is also unclear if any compromise package would have enough votes to get through the GOP-controlled House, where top lawmakers have previously demanded the entirety of the Republican border security package be included as part of any agreement.

Meanwhile, there were another 10,000+ encounters at the southern border on Tuesday alone, the latest in a surge that has left multiple sectors overwhelmed.

First lady Jill Biden was blasted Wednesday night after posting a video to X showing dancers tapping around the holiday-decorated White House, whose theme this year is “Magic, Wonder and Joy.”

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the first lady shared the video from the official @FLOTUS account, along with the caption. 

“A bit of magic, wonder, and joy brought to you by the talented tappers of Dorrance Dance, performing their playful interpretation of The Nutcracker Suite. Enjoy!” the first lady’s post read.

But social media observers didn’t seem to be enjoying the musical content.

SUPPORT FOR BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY GROWS WITH A NOTABLE LEVEL OF DEMOCRAT BACKING: POLL

“The United States of Bananas,” one viewer posted.

“Imagine thinking this gives America the Christmas spirit,” another wrote. 

“You are so strange. Bizarre. Freaky,” one said.

One comment even shared Melania’s video when Donald Trump was in office, saying how it was tasteful, seasonal, appealed to everyone and was absolutely breathtaking and gorgeous, unlike Biden’s, which they said was “utterly tacky, tasteless, and ANTI Christmas.” 

“Looks like the WH switched from cocaine to acid,” one viewer posted, an apparent reference to the discovery of cocaine at the executive mansion earlier this year. 

The video was filled with smiling dancers in brightly colored costumes, prancing and tapping all over the White House, but many viewers described the video as nothing remotely close to a Christmas theme.

POLL SHOWS BIDEN HITTING RECORD LOW APPROVALS, FALLING BEHIND AGAINST TRUMP IN 2024 MATCHUP

“I wonder what that cost taxpayers,” another wrote. 

“ABSOLUTE GARBAGE,” another viewer said.

Some asked if the video was a joke, adding it was embarrassing and inappropriate for children. 

Other viewers asked what the cost of the video was and how much it was costing taxpayers. 

‘DEEP, DEEP TROUBLE’: DEMS REPORTEDLY BRINGING IN HILLARY CLINTON TO HELP WITH BIDEN’S RE-ELECTION

The White House was not immediately available for comment on the video. 

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President Biden on Wednesday said the southern border needs to be addressed as record numbers of migrants continue to overwhelm authorities while criticizing House Republicans over their impeachment inquiry into the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden. 

In a statement released by the White House, Biden responded to the Republican-led House formally approving the impeachment inquiry. 

“The American people need their leaders in Congress to take action on important priorities for the nation and world,” the president said, before saying Congress should do more on a host of issues, including on Ukraine, Israel, the border, and the economy.  

On the border specifically, Biden said, “We have to address the situation at our southern border, and I am determined to try to fix the problem. We need funding to strengthen border security, but Republicans in Congress won’t act to help.”

Republicans have long called for increased border measures, arguing the record number of migrants poses a security threat as border authorities cannot properly screen them. 

MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AGAIN TOP 10K IN SINGLE DAY AS LAWMAKERS EYE NEW BORDER LIMITS

Last week, a 49-51 Senate vote to issue billions of dollars in military and security aid to Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific fell short because Republicans wanted the president to focus on the border. Biden has asked Congress for nearly $106 billion to fund the wars in Ukraine and Israel and other security needs. 

On Wednesday, Biden noted that he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week.

“He came to America to ask us for help. Yet Republicans in Congress won’t act to help,” he said. 

HUNTER BIDEN CASE MOVE TO LOS ANGELES MAY BE EVIDENCE THE FEDS ‘FOUND SOMETHING’: DERSHOWITZ

Biden has signaled his willingness to make some compromises at the border, but has not said what policies he would embrace. He’s accused Republicans of wanting a political issue ahead of the 2024 presidential election more than bipartisan compromise. 

“Republicans think they get everything they want without any bipartisan compromise,” Biden said last week. “Now they’re willing to literally kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield and damage our national security in the process.”

The president also accused the GOP of attacking his family amid a probe into his son. Hunter Biden on Wednesday defied a subpoena and refused to testify in front of House lawmakers about his business activities. 

He has maintained that his father was not involved in those deals. 

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“They belittled my recovery, and they have tried to dehumanize me, all to embarrass my father, who has devoted his entire life to public service,” the younger Biden said at a news conference on Capitol Hill. “For six years I have been a target of the unrelenting Trump attack team. ‘Where’s Hunter?’ Well, here’s my answer. I am here.” 

President Biden said Republicans were “choosing to waste time on this baseless political stunt that even Republicans in Congress admit is not supported by facts.”

Senate Republicans say they are seeing progress in talks on potential border policy changes to be included in a supplemental spending package requested by the White House, although it isn’t clear if a deal is possible.

Talks have been ongoing between Senate lawmakers and the administration over a supplemental funding request that includes border funding as well as aid for Israel and Ukraine.

But Republicans and Democrats have found sharp disagreement on the contents of the border funding section, with Republicans demanding stricter limits on initial asylum screenings and the use of parole. House Republican leadership has called for the inclusion of a broader package passed in the chamber earlier this year, but Senate Republicans have shown openness to a more limited package.

MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AGAIN TOP 10K IN SINGLE DAY AS LAWMAKERS EYE NEW BORDER LIMITS

President Biden said last week that he was open to “significant compromises,” and CBS News reported Tuesday that the Biden administration is open to a new Title 42-style authority, which was the COVID-era order that allowed for the rapid expulsion of migrants at the southern border until May this year.

The administration was reportedly also open to a nationwide expansion of expedited removal, which allows for recently entered migrants to be quickly removed if they do not meet the initial asylum standard. It is currently only being used at and near the border. CBS reported that the White House was willing to mandate the detention of certain migrants as their claims are considered.

While that report has sparked anger from left-wing Democrats, Republicans have responded positively, if cautiously.

“It’s a start, but I think the most important thing is the White House has finally gotten engaged, and it’s taken a long time to get there, but they finally did on Monday,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters. “But unfortunately, we’re so late in the year and with so little time left, it’s not practical to conclude between now and the end of the year.”

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he is open to the idea of having something like the Title 42 authority, citing the large number of migrant encounters at the southern border, and said that lawmakers should stay in Washington until a deal can be hammered out. Lawmakers are scheduled to leave D.C. for their winter break on Thursday.

“I’m going to take it as a good-faith offer, which is why I think we have to act in good faith and stay here until we get it negotiated out,” he said.

5,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED EVERY DAY INTO US, ADMIN OFFICIALS PRIVATELY TELL LAWMAKERS

Multiple lawmakers told reporters that there was nothing yet in writing from the White House and that the key would be in the details.

“We’ve been back and forth this morning, and we’ll continue to be able to work through. And again, yesterday was positive and we made a lot of progress on it to be able to go through it, and we’ll just keep working,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that it was “good news” that the White House was involved in talks.

“Whether we can land this plane, I don’t know,” he said.

However, even if a package can be agreed to in the upper chamber, it is unclear if the agreement would gain the assent of the House, which has been eyeing more expansive moves. Meanwhile, Democrats in both the House and the Senate took aim at the reported proposals, blasting the Biden administration for what they see as a return to Trump-era policies.

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“It is truly shameful that President Biden and his administration are considering selling out migrants and asylum seekers in order placate extreme Republicans who are jeopardizing our national security and that of our allies just to score a political point,” Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Fox News reported that Tuesday saw another day in which overwhelmed officials at the border encountered more than 10,000 migrants in a single day.

Fox News’ Tyler Olson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.