NationalWatch

The centrist group No Labels is trying to reach out and speak with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — who this week ended his bid for the Republican presidential nomination — about a possible role in a potential third-party, bipartisan presidential ticket.

Sources in Christie’s political orbit confirmed to Fox News there has been outreach by No Labels but that the organization has not had any actual conversations with the former governor since he suspended his presidential campaign on Wednesday. 

Christie campaign manager Maria Comella on Thursday said that “neither the governor nor anyone on the campaign has had conversations with No Labels.”

Former Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the party’s 2000 vice presidential nominee and a No Labels founding co-chair, said in a radio interview after Christie ended his White House bid that Christie “could be a very strong candidate” on the group’s proposed unity ticket.”

CHRISTIE ARGUES HALEY WILL GET ‘SMOKED’ IN HOT MIC MOMENT AS HE DROPS OUT OF THE 2024 RACE

Christie, a longtime ally turned vocal GOP critic of former President Donald Trump, in June launched a second bid for the Republican nomination.

Asked in an interview in July if he’d consider joining a possible No Labels ticket, Christie shot down the idea, saying, “I think it’s a fool’s errand.”

“I’m not in this for showtime. I’m not in this for making a point. I’m in this to get elected President of the United States, and there are only two people who will get elected President of the United States: the Republican nominee for president and the Democratic nominee for president,” Christie said at the time in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week.” 

Lieberman, in a Sirius XM interview with Michael Smerconish, said Thursday that when Christie made his comments last summer “he basically said it was not an effort that had any chance of succeeding, but maybe the world will look different to him now.”

“I’d like to reach out to him and see if he, Gov. Christie, is at all interested in being on a bipartisan No Labels Unity ticket this year. He could be a very strong candidate,” Lieberman added. 

Lieberman called Christie “refreshingly independent” and said he “might well be” No Labels “material,” adding that “that’s the kind of candidate No Labels is looking for.”

No Labels has said it will pull the trigger on whether to launch a presidential ticket in March, following Super Tuesday, when a slew of states hold nominating contests.

Trump is the commanding front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, and plenty of political pundits argue that any third-party ticket fielded by No Labels would only benefit Trump in a likely rematch this November with President Biden.

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There’s also been a chorus of calls from Democrats warning that a No Labels ticket would pave a path to victory for Trump in next year’s election.

No Labels takes issue with that criticism, and has repeatedly pushed back on such notions.

“That’s not our goal here,” Lieberman told Fox News Digital last year. “We’re not about electing either President Trump or President Biden.”

Sources in Christie’s political orbit sounded skeptical when asked about the former governor joining any No Labels ticket. And they pointed to Christie’s comments on Wednesday as he dropped out of the race.

“I want to promise you this — I am going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be President of the United States again. And that’s more important than my own personal ambitions,” Christie emphasized as he suspended his campaign.

“Even though I am suspending this campaign, I am not going away, and my voice is not going away,” he added.

Referring to Trump, Christie stressed, “I am not going to be a part of a generation who willingly stands by and says, ‘It’s too hard. He’s too loud, he’s too strong.'”

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

The Oregon Supreme Court will not hear the case challenging former President Donald Trump’s eligibility to appear on the state’s ballot in this year’s presidential election. 

The court turned down the opportunity to hear the case, citing a lack of authority to handle the issue in the primary stage. 

“Today, the Oregon Supreme Court declined to hear, for now, a challenge by five Oregon voters (relators) seeking to preclude Donald J. Trump from appearing on the Oregon 2024 Republican primary and general election ballots,” a media release from the court announced Friday.

TRUMP BACKED BY 27 STATES IN SUPREME COURT FIGHT, WHO WARN OF 2024 ‘CHAOS’ IF HE’S REMOVED FROM BALLOT

Democrats in a handful of states across the U.S. are in the midst of legal battles to remove Trump’s name from state ballots, saying Trump’s actions on January 6, 2021, violated a clause in the 14th Amendment that prevents anyone who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the Constitution from holding political office.

DEMS’ PLAN TO STRIP TRUMP FROM NY BALLOT HAS NUMBER OF FLAWS UNDER STATE LAW: ELECTION EXPERT

The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on whether former President Trump will be on the Colorado Republican presidential primary ballot. 

The justices said they will hear the case on an expedited basis, with arguments on February 8.

“The petition for a writ of certiorari is granted. The case is set for oral argument on Thursday, February 8, 2024,” the SCOTUS decision said. “Petitioner’s brief on the merits, and any amicus curiae briefs in support or in support of neither party, are to be filed on or before Thursday, January 18, 2024.”

The SCOTUS justices issued an administrative stay that ordered the Colorado Secretary of State to put the former president’s name on the GOP primary ballot, at least until the case is decided.

The state supreme court left the door open to future petitions following an expected decision from the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the removal of candidates from the ballot under the 14th Amendment clause.

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The Oregon court’s media release said: “Because a decision by the United States Supreme Court regarding the Fourteenth Amendment issue may resolve one or more contentions that relators make in the Oregon proceeding, the Oregon Supreme Court denied their petition for mandamus, by order, but without prejudice to their ability to file a new petition seeking resolution of any issue that may remain following a decision by the United States Supreme Court.”

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.

President Biden is coming under fire from conservatives for posts he wrote as a presidential candidate in 2020, when he condemned then-President Trump for bombing Iran without congressional approval in light of Thursday’s bombing of Yemen by the Biden administration.

“Let’s be clear: Donald Trump does not have the authority to take us into war with Iran without Congressional approval,” Biden posted in January 2020 after Trump launched a strike that killed the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Qassem Soleimani.

“A president should never take this nation to war without the informed consent of the American people,” Biden added.

“As President, I will use military power responsibly and as a last resort. We will not go back to forever wars in the Middle East,” Biden posted in February 2020 with the hashtag “#DemDebate.”

IN RARE MOVE TOP REPUBLICANS BACK BIDEN’S AIRSTRIKES ON HOUTHI REBELS IN YEMEN: ‘OVERDUE BUT WELCOME’

On Thursday, the Biden administration announced it launched missile strikes in Yemen in response to attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea. That action, in addition to sparking outrage within the progressive left, prompted conservatives to bring up Biden’s previous posts on social media.

“It’s (D)ifferent when Biden does it,” conservative commentator Benny Johnson posted on X.

“This aged well,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., posted on X.

“:) when you’re a democrat they let you do it,” Washington Free Beacon reporter Joe Simonson posted on X.

YEMEN’S IRANIAN-BACKED HOUTHIS LAUNCH LARGEST RED SEA DRONE AND MISSILE ATTACK TO DATE

“Welp…,” combat veteran and author Sean Parnell posted on X.

Several conservatives also pointed out that the Biden administration lifted the terrorist designation for the Houthis in Yemen less than a month after Biden took office in 2021. Omri Ceren, who serves as a national security adviser to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, posted on X, “They knew they were doing bad things for bad reasons so they lied to the public and reporters about their decision. As the Houthis escalated, they couldn’t respond. They’re still doing it.”

Some Democrats took issue with Biden’s post as well, including Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib and progressive activist Nina Turner, who posted on X saying, “Tonight, @JoeBiden dropped bombs on Yemen without Congressional approval.”

“[Biden] is violating Article I of the Constitution by carrying out airstrikes in Yemen without congressional approval. The American people are tired of endless war,” Tlaib posted.

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

President Biden said he had authorized the strikes “in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea — including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history.” 

These Houthi attacks, Biden said, have endangered U.S. personnel and its allies and have threatened freedom of navigation.

“These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes,” the president said. 

“I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.” 

Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) didn’t report a staggering $7 billion in award-level obligations and outlays during fiscal year 2022, according to an inspector general audit released this week.

The EPA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) determined that the agency underreported its award-level outlays by $5.8 billion, or 99.9%, and its award-level obligations by $1.2 billion, or 12.9% during FY22, the period between October 2021 and September 2022. The agency further failed to report any of its Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act outlays and under-reported its coronavirus pandemic-related outlays.

“The lack of complete and accurate reporting also led to taxpayers being initially misinformed about the EPA’s spending, and policy-makers who relied on the data may not have been able to effectively track federal spending,” the OIG report concluded.

In response to the audit, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., blasted the EPA and called for increased transparency into its activities. 

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

“It’s outrageous and unacceptable that the EPA cannot keep track of its spending or inform Congress — and the American people — of how it is using taxpayer dollars,” McMorris Rodgers said in a statement Thursday. “This eye-opening report only further highlights the need for more transparency at the EPA.”

“It also raises questions about whether the agency is incapable of managing its record-high budget or if the agency is attempting to hide the amount of taxpayer dollars it is spending to advance the administration’s radical rush-to-green agenda,” she added. “The Energy and Commerce Committee will continue holding this administration accountable for its actions that are driving up costs across the board and hurting Americans.”

MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT SIGNED NDA INVOLVING CCP-TIED COMPANY, DOCUMENTS SHOW, CONTRADICTING HER PAST CLAIMS

The EPA ultimately corrected its FY22 figures in May 2023 as a result of the OIG audit while making configuration changes a month later. Overall, the inspector general made five recommendations which it said the agency agreed to make.

The report, meanwhile, comes as the EPA both manages a massive green energy fund and continues to request a larger budget. The Inflation Reduction, Democrats’ massive climate and tax bill passed in 2022, created the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which in turn establishes a national green bank to fund green projects nationwide.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS OPEN PROBE INTO BIDEN ADMIN FOR OPENING PUBLIC LANDS TO FOREIGN OWNERSHIP

And the White House is requesting that Congress approve a FY24 EPA budget of more than $12 billion, a record level. Republicans have aimed to reduce the EPA budget to about $6 billion, which would be the agency’s smallest budget since the early 1990s.

“The Biden administration is using EPA as a pass through for taxpayer dollars to fund left-wing groups that aim to get Democrats elected, not improve the environment,” Mandy Gunasekara, a Heritage Foundation visiting fellow who served as the EPA’s chief of staff during the Trump administration, told Fox News Digital.

“A failure to report $7 billion is absurd and unacceptable, but also symbolic of how Team Biden operates: prioritizing their political goals over the needs of the American people,” she continued. “I’m glad Chair Rodgers is monitoring this and hope the committee brings forth the agency’s Chief Financial Officer to account for this serious oversight.”

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The EPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sen. Rand Paul has released a video and launched a website on Friday declaring that he is “never Nikki” Haley in the 2024 presidential race. 

The Kentucky Republican made the announcement in a clip posted on X, in which he said “I’ve had a long relationship with Donald Trump and there is a lot to like there” and that “I am also a big fan of a lot of the fiscal conservatism of Ron DeSantis.” 

“I think Vivek Ramaswamy has been an important voice. Also, I’ve listened to and met with the independent Bobby Kennedy,” he continued. “I’m not yet ready to make a decision, but I am ready to make a decision on someone who I cannot support, so I’m announcing this morning that I am never Nikki.” 

Paul then directed viewers toward the website NeverNikki.net, which outlines his criticisms of the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador. The website features a red line through the name Nikki and says it is “paid for by Rand Paul for US Senate.” 

HALEY KNOCKS MEDIA OVER EXPECTATIONS BUT PREDICTS ‘BIG SHOWING’ IN IOWA CAUCUSES 

“I don’t think any informed or knowledgeable libertarian or conservative should support Nikki Haley. I’ve seen her attitude towards our interventions overseas, I’ve seen her involvement in the military industrial complex,” Paul said in the video. “But I’ve also seen her indicate that she thinks you should be registered to use the internet.” 

“I think she fails to understand our republic was founded upon people like Ben Franklin, Sam Adams, Madison, John Jay and others who posted routinely – for fear of the government – they posted routinely anonymously,” Paul concluded. “And I think her failure to really understand that or to think that you should register through the government somehow for the internet is something that should disqualify her in the minds of all libertarian-leaning conservatives.” 

Paul elaborated on the website that Haley’s views on the internet “flies in the face of a free American Republic whose founders wrote anonymously the Federalist Papers and routinely posted newspaper articles and pamphlets under Pseudonyms.” 

CRITICS RIP NIKKI HALEY OVER VOW TO REQUIRE ALL SOCIAL MEDIA USERS BE VERIFIED 

Haley was ripped by critics in November after she vowed to require all social media users be verified in the name of “national security.” 

“When I get into office, the first thing we have to do, social media accounts, social media companies, they have to show America their algorithms. Let us see why they’re pushing what they’re pushing. The second thing is every person on social media should be verified by their name,” Haley said during an appearance on Fox News at the time.  

“First of all, it’s a national security threat. When you do that, all of a sudden people have to stand by what they say. And it gets rid of the Russian bots, the Iranian bots and the Chinese bots. And then you’re going to get some civility when people know their name is next to what they say, and they know their pastor and their family members are going to see it,” she added. 

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Haley later clarified her remarks in an appearance on CNBC, saying “I don’t mind anonymous American people having free speech, what I don’t like is anonymous Russians and Chinese and Iranians having free speech.” 

Fox News’ Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report. 

ANKENY, Iowa — A new poll in Iowa suggests that Nikki Haley has pulled ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for a distant second place behind former President Trump in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

But Haley appears to be staying disciplined when it comes to dabbling in expectations ahead of Monday’s caucuses, which kick off the GOP 2024 nominating calendar.

“The media loves to set expectations,” Haley said in an interview with Fox News in this Iowa city in suburban Des Moines. 

And repeating her well-used line, the former South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration said “[M]y expectation for myself is to come out strong in Iowa, to come out strong in New Hampshire, and to come out strong in South Carolina.”

WHAT NIKKI HALEY TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT CHRIS CHRISTIE’S HOT MIC MOMENT

New Hampshire holds the first primary and votes second in the Republican schedule, eight days after Iowa. And her home state holds the first southern contest in late February.

Leaving a bit of wiggle room, Haley added that “we’re not going to know what strong looks like until we see what the results are.”

NEW POLL SUGGESTS HALEY’S MOVED INTO SECOND PLACE IN FINAL DAYS AHEAD OF IOWA CAUCUSES

But Haley, pointing to her just-concluded campaign event, touted that “our people are excited. The momentum is real on the ground. You saw we had 300 people in that room. I think we’re going to really make a big showing.”

Haley, who launched her White House campaign 11 months ago, grabbed momentum during the autumn thanks to well-regarded debate performances. And in recent weeks, she caught up with DeSantis for second place in polls in Iowa and in national surveys.

DeSantis has staked much of his campaign on a strong finish in Iowa. And there’s rampant speculation about what he’ll do if he finishes behind Haley in the caucuses.

WAS THE CANDIDATE WHO SKIPPED OUT ON THIS WEEK’S IOWA DEBATE THE WINNER OF THE COMBATIVE SHOWDOWN?

Haley also surpassed DeSantis and surged to second place and narrowed the gap with Trump in New Hampshire.

Iowa, which is used to brutal winter weather, is getting hit especially hard right this week. Heavy snow and high winds were slamming the state on Friday, and temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit were forecast for the weekend and into Monday and Tuesday.

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There are concerns by the campaigns that the frigid weather could depress turnout on caucus night.

Haley told Fox News “it’s about, are going to get people out with negative 15-degree temperatures. … I really think that we’re going to have them, you know, brave that cold.”

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

Senior Republicans are showing support for President Biden’s decision to launch coordinated airstrikes against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen. 

“I welcome the U.S. and coalition operations against the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists responsible for violently disrupting international commerce in the Red Sea and attacking American vessels,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement. “President Biden’s decision to use military force against these Iranian proxies is overdue.”

“I am hopeful these operations mark an enduring shift in the Biden Administration’s approach to Iran and its proxies. To restore deterrence and change Iran’s calculus, Iranian leaders themselves must believe that they will pay a meaningful price unless they abandon their worldwide campaign of terror,” he added.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Mike McCaul, R-Texas, who said he was meeting with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when the strikes were called, also praised the actions. He also called on Biden to restore the Houthis’ terror designation.

“I’m pleased the president, in coordination with our allies, finally took action against the Iran-backed Houthis following weeks of instability in the Red Sea. Tonight, with these strikes, we are beginning to restore deterrence. The administration must acknowledge it was a mistake to rescind the Houthis designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and re-list them immediately,” he said.

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, similarly called the action “overdue” and accused the Biden administration of contributing to the increasingly hostile situation in the Red Sea, but said the strikes were “a good first step toward restoring deterrence in the Red Sea.”

FETTERMAN BLASTS SOUTH AFRICA ‘GENOCIDE’ CASE AGAINST ISRAEL AMID SLAYINGS OF WHITE FARMERS

“I appreciate that the administration took the advice of our regional commanders and targeted critical nodes within Houthi-controlled Yemeni territory. It is important that we follow this action in close consultation with our Saudi partners to ensure they are with us as the situation develops,” Wicker said.

“This strike does not change the basic facts: for weeks, the Houthis have launched drones and missiles at our sailors, while the Biden administration has trumpeted a maritime task force…It is time to dispense with the hollow talk of ‘joint resolutions’ and ‘maritime task forces.’ This strike should be a warning to the Houthis and other Iranian proxies that they will suffer catastrophic consequences from escalation in the region.”

US INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS WARN HEZBOLLAH MAY TARGET MAINLAND US DURING WAR IN ISRAEL: REPORT 

President Biden announced in a statement that the U.S. led a coordinated airstrike in Yemen with the U.K. and support from Canada, Australia and Bahrain.

He said the targets were “used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., an ally of former President Trump’s, said he was “very supportive of the Biden Administration’s decision to strike Houthi rebels who have been harassing international shipping and trying to attack Israeli and American interests.”

“It’s long past time to let Iran know that we will hold them accountable for the actions of their proxies – in this case, the Houthi rebels. The only language radical Islamic groups understand is force. I hope the Biden Administration understands that their deterrence policy has completely failed,” Graham wrote on X.

TOP BIDEN ADVISER VISITS BEIRUT AS ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH NEAR ALL-OUT WAR

Even rank-and-file Republicans have been issuing cautious and rare praise for the move. Rep. John James, R-Mich., a military combat veteran who served in Iraq, told Fox News Digital, “The Houthis are a terrorist organization. They have been striking at U.S. military personnel since late last year and must be destroyed.”

“I pray for the safety of our brave military personnel engaging,” James said.

Top Democrats in Congress are also backing Biden’s move, while some further to the left are angry with him for bypassing Capitol Hill to do it.

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“While I support these targeted, proportional military strikes, I call on the Biden Administration to continue its diplomatic efforts to avoid escalation to a broader regional war and continue to engage Congress on the details of its strategy and legal basis as required by law,” Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said however, “The President needs to come to Congress before launching a strike against the Houthis in Yemen and involving us in another middle east conflict.”
 

Former President Trump slammed Hunter Biden during his Fox News Town Hall in Iowa on Wednesday night calling him out for selling his artwork for large sums of money.

“I don’t get $8 million for doing nothing like Hunter,” Trump said. “I don’t get I don’t get $500,000. I don’t get $500,000 for doing a painting. It’s not a bad idea, I guess, if you can get away with it. When I heard that when I said there’s no way they get away with that. But they got away with that. I guess they got away with it.”

“Now we have you know, there was an emoluments lawsuit against me where the radical left, sued me for that, and I won the suit.”

Trump was responding to a question on accusations from Democrats that he illegally profited from his businesses during his time in office.

HUNTER BIDEN MAKES SHOCKING APPEARANCE AT HIS OWN CONTEMPT HEARING

“I own hotels, all over the, I don’t get free money,” Trump said. “Somebody rents a hotel room, etc, etc. Much money I gave back. In fact, I didn’t have to do it. You know, George Washington was a very rich man. People don’t know that, in his essentially White House, which wasn’t built, but they had an office, he had a business desk and he had a country desk right next to each other. You’re allowed to do that. I didn’t do it.”

“I put everything in trust. And if I have a hotel and somebody comes in from China, that’s a small amount of money. And it sounds like a lot of money. That’s a small. But I was doing services for that. People were staying in these massive hotels, these beautiful hotels, because I have the best hotels, I have the best clubs, I have the best clubs, I have great stuff and they stay there and they pay.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Hunter Biden’s legal team for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

HOUSE GOP SAYS HUNTER BIDEN ‘VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW’ BY DEFYING SUBPOENA, PREPARE CONTEMPT RESOLUTION

Republican investigators have suggested they are suspicious over whether Hunter Biden’s art career, which began in recent years, has led to any conflicts of interest between wealthy buyers and the White House.

Hunter Biden’s art dealer told lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Tuesday that he has never discussed the paintings with the White House seemingly contradicting past statements from the White House on that matter.

Trump previously blasted the Justice Department’s Hunter Biden indictment in mid September as the “only crime” that doesn’t “implicate” the President Joe Biden.

Biden’s son was indicted on Sept. 14 for making false statements and unlawfully possessing a firearm.

Trump claimed in a Truth Social post at the time that the gun charge was “the only crime that Hunter Biden committed that does not implicate Crooked Joe Biden.”

Hunter Biden, in an indictment filed in federal court in Delaware by a special counsel overseeing the case, was accused of lying about his drug use when he purchased a weapon in 2018, during a time when he’s acknowledged struggling with a crack cocaine addiction.

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Late in the year, Trump took another shot at Hunter Biden for skipping his closed-door congressional deposition in mid December and joked that the presidential scion “went to the wrong place” on Capitol Hill.The former president joked that Hunter went to the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol when he should have gone to the House side.

Fox News’ Gabriele Regalbuto, Elizabeth Elkind, Andrew Murray, Paul Steinhauser and Houston Keene contributed to this report.

ANKENY, Iowa – Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley says she spoke with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday morning but didn’t ask for his endorsement following his departure from the GOP nomination race.

And Haley, in a Fox News interview in Iowa following a campaign event in this city in suburban Des Moines, said that when she wished him well on Wednesday after his campaign suspension, she wasn’t aware of his derogatory comments about her that were caught in a viral hot mic moment.

Christie, who was making his second bid for the White House, dropped out of the race at a town hall event in Windham, New Hampshire, saying “it’s clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination.”

Christie, a long-shot for the nomination in a race dominated by former President Trump, in recent weeks had faced increased calls from fellow Republicans and from some voters to end his bid to give Haley a boost as she aims to close the gap with Trump.

CHRISTIE ARGUES HALEY WILL GET ‘SMOKED’ IN HOT MIC MOMENT AS HE DROPS OUT OF THE 2024 RACE

Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, has soared in recent months to become the main rival to the former president, who’s making his third straight White House run.

Ahead of his announcement on Wednesday, Christie was heard on a microphone, apparently without knowing it, saying that Haley was “going to get smoked” by Trump, who is the commanding front-runner for the nomination.

“She’s not up for this,” he added.

Christie also took two digs at Haley during his speech.

NEW POLL SUGGESTS HALEY’S MOVED INTO SECOND PLACE IN FINAL DAYS AHEAD OF IOWA CAUCUSES

After Christie suspended his campaign, Haley wrote on social media that “Chris Christie has been a friend for many years. I commend him on a hard-fought campaign. Voters have a clear choice in this election: the chaos and drama of the past or a new generation of conservative leadership. I will fight to earn every vote, so together we can build a strong and proud America.”

Asked Thursday by Fox News whether she was aware of Christie’s cutting remarks in the hot mic moment, Haley said, “I didn’t know about the open mic comments.”

“But I do wish Chris well, it’s personal to get in a race. It’s personal to get out of a race. So, I know how tough that must be. But at the same time, I’m not like the fellas. Politics is not personal for me,” she added.

WAS THE CANDIDATE WHO SKIPPED OUT ON THIS WEEK’S IOWA DEBATE THE WINNER OF THE COMBATIVE SHOWDOWN?

And Haley told Fox News that “I did talk to him this morning and just told him I appreciated his … commitment to this race. But no, we didn’t ask him for an endorsement.”

Haley was interviewed the day after she and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis faced off in a combustible prime-time debate in the closing days before Iowa’s Jan. 15 caucuses kick off the Republican presidential nominating calendar.

The verbal fireworks ignited moments into the debate, with DeSantis charging that Haley was a “mealymouthed politician who just tells you what she thinks you want to hear just to try to get your vote.”

Haley immediate hit back, labeling DeSantis a liar.

“What we’re going to do is rather than have him go and tell you all these lies, you can go to DeSantislies.com and look at all of those,” Haley said in the first of at 10 references to a new campaign website.

Haley disagreed when asked if promoting the website was overkill.

“I wasn’t saying it to be repetitious, but I was saying it because every time he lied, I had to include it. Look, we have a country to save. People want real facts. They want real solutions. And this is the part of politics that I don’t like, that Americans don’t like. They don’t like the fact that people throw out stories to see if they can make one stick,” Haley said.

And she explained that “we just put up a website up there. You can go to the website, you can look at all the stuff he’s saying and see what the fact-checkers say and show that it’s false. And so I think that’s the easier way to handle it.”

A couple of times in the debate, DeSantis touted his own campaign website, which is full of opposition research clips of Haley.

On Thursday, DeSantis said at a campaign stop that Haley messed up by referring to the website.

“I think she really stepped in it by repeating that ridiculous website. People were groaning in the audience that she was doing it for the 10th, 12th time,” DeSantis said in Iowa.

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Haley grabbed momentum last autumn, thanks to well-regarded debate performances. And in recent weeks, she caught up with DeSantis for second place in the polls in Iowa and in national surveys. A fresh survey released Thursday by Suffolk University indicated Haley seven points ahead of DeSantis for a distant second place behind Trump.

Haley also surpassed DeSantis and surged to second place and narrowed the gap with Trump in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary — just eight days after Iowa’s caucuses.

After New Hampshire, the GOP nomination spotlight shifts to her home state, which holds the first southern contest on Feb. 24.

Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina’s junior U.S. senator, ended his own White House bid in November. 

Asked if she’s actively seeking Scott’s endorsement, Haley said “we’ve had a conversation and right now we’re focused on Iowa. Then we’ll focus on New Hampshire, then we’ll focus on South Carolina. We’re taking it one state at a time.”

Fox News’ James Levinson contributed reporting.

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

Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has filed an amicus brief at the Supreme Court in support of former President Donald Trump’s efforts to remain on state ballots.

“President Trump’s political opponents have sought to disqualify him from the ballot in multiple states because they fear they cannot beat him in a free and fair election,” Ramaswamy noted in the filing. “Needless to say, the distress of competing against a formidable opponent cannot justify disqualification under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. The consequences of affirming the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision will extend far beyond the dispute over President Trump’s eligibility.”

“Specifically, this Court’s blessing of the state supreme court’s interpretation of Section 3 will warp incentives for state decision-makers and voters alike,” Ramaswamy added in the filing. “For secretaries of state and state supreme court justices, the path to national notoriety will be illuminated: To enhance your credibility among copartisans, simply concoct a reason to declare a disfavored presidential candidate of the opposing party ineligible to run for office.”

TRUMP BACKED BY 27 STATES IN SUPREME COURT FIGHT, WHO WARN OF 2024 ‘CHAOS’ IF HE’S REMOVED FROM BALLOT

“For voters, the message will be equally clear: Scour the records of disfavored candidates for speeches containing martial rhetoric, or even policies that had unintended consequences, and then file challenges under Section 3. The number of Section 3 complaints will proliferate, as will the number of divergent outcomes.”

The amicus brief was filed Thursday as the Supreme Court gears up to hear arguments on whether Trump should remain on the Colorado Republican presidential primary ballot. The justices said they will hear the case on an expedited basis, with arguments on February 8.

The justices issued an administrative stay that orders the Colorado Secretary of State to put the former president’s name on the GOP primary ballot, at least until the case is decided. The high court said that the briefs are due by January 31.

Ramaswamy said Wednesday that he planned to file the amicus brief at the Supreme Court in hopes that it would “overturn Coloarado’s disastrous decision to try to keep Donald Trump off the ballot.”

SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE IF TRUMP BANNED FROM COLORADO BALLOT IN HISTORIC CASE

In the clip announcing the filing, Ramaswamy said the court should overturn Colorado’s decision because it’s “the right thing to do for this country.”

“I feel a sense of obligation to do that as somebody who understands the Constitution,” he said. “It’s my belief that every other Republican, myself included, needs to withdraw from any ballot that forcibly withdraws Donald Trump from the primary.”

The Colorado Supreme Court decision was the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was used to bar a presidential contender from the ballot. 

The state’s highest court concluded that Trump “engaged in insurrection” over his role in the January 6, 2021, protests at the U.S. Capitol.

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The historical hearing will consider the meaning of the 14th Amendment, which bars people who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office. 

The amendment was adopted in 1868, following the Civil War.

Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.

Gov. Brian Kemp used his State of the State speech to draw contrasts between his Republican philosophy and Democrats in an election year when the presidency and all of Georgia’s state House and Senate seats are on the ballot, but the Republican Kemp himself doesn’t face the voters.

Combined with that heavy dose of politics is good news for the pocketbooks of state employees and public school teachers. Kemp says he wants to give a 4% cost of living increase to public employees and an equivalent $2,500 raise to teachers. That’s possible because the state is on track for another multibillion-dollar surplus despite slowing tax revenues, and has banked nearly $11 billion in extra cash in previous years.

Echoing his economic message from his 2022 reelection and his pledge to put “Georgians First” from his 2018 campaign, Kemp on Thursday painted his policies as bringing opportunity and prosperity, while calling on voters to reject “Washington D.C.” because of high inflation and overregulation.

GEORGIA GOV. KEMP ANNOUNCES $1K YEAR-END BONUS FOR TEACHERS, STATE EMPLOYEES: ‘WHOLLY APPROPRIATE’

“They will see what we’ve achieved together at the state level to make Georgia an even greater place to live, work and raise a family,” Kemp said. “And they’ll see the hardships Washington, D.C. has brought into every home and placed on every kitchen table across our state.”

Kemp contrasted his economic record, including low unemployment, big industrial announcements and billions in tax rebates and tax cuts with inflation and high prices that he said are squeezing Georgians.

“These are the people that Washington, D.C. has left behind,” Kemp said. “Because for every challenge our nation faces, the federal response is to spend more, regulate more, tax more, and come up with yet another government program meant to cure every ill.”

That national message lines up with the political profile Kemp has built after weathering the storm of COVID-19, overcoming Donald Trump’s attempt to torpedo his reelection and then vanquishing Democratic superstar Stacey Abrams for a second time.

Kemp cultivates a profile of a steady conservative who doesn’t alienate moderates. In some ways, he’s enjoying the fruits of his second term, including a trip next week to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, for a second year in a row.

But Kemp is also tending a political organization that suggests future plans. His organization plans to support Republican candidates in this year’s state legislative elections, but also could help Kemp if he were to run for U.S. Senate or even president.

In line with that political future, Kemp framed themes Thursday to rally Republicans and dismay Democrats, making his strongest push to date for a school voucher bill and emphasizing support for a much-disputed police and fire training center.

The governor was a late supporter last year of a proposal that would give a $6,500 educational savings account to parents to pay for private school tuition or homeschooling supplies. But he voiced full-throated support Thursday for a bill that failed to pass because 16 House Republicans voted against it.

“Our job is not to decide for each family — but to support them in making the best choice for their child,” Kemp said.

GEORGIA GOV. KEMP APPOINTS LAUREN CURRY AS FIRST WOMAN CHIEF OF STAFF

Kemp again hit on support for the training center — derided as “Cop City” by opponents — by honoring state Trooper Jerry Parrish in his speech. Officials say Parrish was shot and wounded by Manuel Paez Terán in January 2023 when officers were trying to clear protesters occupying the property that includes the training center.

A report identified Parrish as one of six troopers who fired guns at Paez Terán, who was inside a tent. The troopers who fired on Paez Terán weren’t wearing body cameras, and Paez Terán’s family and other activists have expressed skepticism about law enforcement’s account of the shooting.

But Kemp voiced no doubts, continuing to proclaim his support for the training center, an issue his aides believes makes some Democrats look anti-police.

“As long as I’m your governor, there will be no gray area or political double talk,” Kemp said. “We will support our law enforcement officers. We will support our firefighters and first responders. And the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center needs to be built — period!”

Kemp also emphasized law enforcement support for by proposing an additional $3,000 pay raise for state law enforcement officers including troopers and prison guards atop the 4% raise for all employees. He also called on lawmakers to repay police officers’ college loans.

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The governor promised a substantial increase in spending on mental health, increasing crisis center beds and paying more to mental health workers and service providers.

But Kemp also said he would spend to reduce the state’s debt, proposing $500 million to reduce the unpaid liability in the pension fund that covers most noneducation state employees.

Kemp defended his record on health care, even as his partial expansion of Medicaid has come under fire, signing up fewer than 3,000 people over its first six months. Kemp didn’t mention the Pathways program, which offers insurance to low-income adults who meet work, education or community service requirements. Instead, he focused on his much more popular backing of subsidies that has helped bring down premiums and persuade more insurers to offer coverage in rural areas of the state.

Notably, Kemp also didn’t outline a position on whether Georgia should make a fuller expansion of Medicaid coverage to low income adults, as state House Speaker Jon Burns says he wants to explore.

FIRST ON FOX: The House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing next week looking at what Republicans in the majority say are the regulatory and policymaking moves by the Biden administration that “undermine” U.S. immigration law.

The hearing, “The Biden Administration’s Regulatory and Policymaking Efforts to Undermine U.S. Immigration Law” will take place on Wednesday and will “examine how the Biden administration has engaged in a regulatory and policymaking onslaught against the rule of U.S. immigration law.”

Witnesses include Joseph Edlow, who served as acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) director and chief counsel during the Trump administration, and former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Thomas Homan. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill will also be a witness at the hearing.

REPUBLICANS, DEMS SPAR AT MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT HEARING AS STATE AGS DESCRIBE IMPACT OF MIGRANT CRISIS 

The hearing comes as Republicans have been focused on the Biden administration’s immigration policies amid the historic and still ongoing crisis at the southern border, where numbers exceeded 300,000 encounters for the first time in December.

“The crisis at our southern border is a crisis of the Biden Administration’s own making. President Biden and his administration’s unilateral actions to unravel the rule of law have created the worst border crisis in U.S. history,” Chairman James Comer said in a statement announcing the hearing. 

“Cartel drug smuggling and human trafficking are surging, terrorists are exploiting the crisis, and communities are overwhelmed by illegal aliens being released by the Biden Administration,” he said. “The Biden Administration refuses to reverse course and has the gall to ask for more money to throw at the problem. No amount of money can fix bad policy. It’s past time to put deterrent-focused policies in place and this hearing is a great opportunity to hear from experts what that looks like.”

Republicans have clashed with Democrats and the administration over the handling of the crisis, with Republicans blaming the surge in migration on administration policies including the release of migrants into the interior and the rolling back of Trump-era enforcement like border wall construction and the Remain-in-Mexico policy.

The administration has said it is dealing with a hemisphere-wide challenge and working within a “broken” system that needs more funding and comprehensive immigration reform. It has also pointed to what it says are large numbers of removals, more than a million in FY 22 and FY 22, and more fentanyl seized in two years than the prior five years combined. 

MAYORKAS TELLS BORDER PATROL AGENTS THAT ‘ABOVE 85%’ OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED INTO US: SOURCES 

Currently, negotiations are ongoing in the Senate about potential compromises in order to pass the White House’s budget supplemental request, including $14 billion for the border. Republicans have demanded stricter limits on asylum and the use of parole to release migrants into the interior.

Meanwhile, in the House, Republicans have launched impeachment hearings against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, arguing that he has refused to enforce the laws passed by Congress. DHS has pushed back, saying the process is “harmful to the Department and its workforce and undercuts vital work across countless national security priorities.” 

“Unlike like those pursuing photo ops and politics, Secretary Mayorkas is working relentlessly to fix the problem by working with Republican and Democratic Senators to find common ground and real solutions,” a memo the department released Thursday said.

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Mayorkas also drew support from Democrats on the Committee with Ranking Member Bennie Thompson saying that Mayorkas is “doing his job across all the department’s many critical homeland security missions, including border security and immigration enforcement.”

“Despite what Republicans would have Americans believe, Secretary Mayorkas is enforcing immigration law,” he said.
 

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich told an audience at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library that Democratic Party leaders will not rest until former President Donald Trump is in jail.

Gingrich speculated that Trump’s political opponents’ main goal is to prevent the former president from standing in the upcoming presidential election due to President Biden’s poor approval ratings.

“Their goal is to put him in jail. Literally. I mean, if they can get to the right place, they will have him in chains,” Gingrich told the audience in Simi Valley, California, on Wednesday.

NEWT GINGRICH: THIS IS NOT A WAR AGAINST TRUMP, IT IS A WAR AGAINST AMERICANS

He continued, “And their hope is that if the American people see this guy in chains, they won’t vote for him.”

However, Gingrich suggested that the overzealous effort to remove Trump as a candidate could prove the ultimate undoing of the officials seeking to imprison him.

“Now, what’s happening, of course, is because they’ve gone to overkill — I mean, you get to do one of these. But, you do three or four or five of them — people get the joke.”

NEWT GINGRICH ROASTS JOHN KERRY’S CLIMATE CONFERENCE TRIP: ‘DEEPLY COMMITTED TO TAKING YOUR MONEY’

The former house speaker said that the repeated failures have only served to bolster Trump as the election draws closer, and that Democrats can expect an “explosion of outrage” if the latest bids to put Trump in prison succeed.

“What they’re likely to have, I think, is an explosion of outrage across the whole country on a scale we have not seen in our lifetime, because people are going to just say, ‘This whole thing is rigged,’” Gingrich said.

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He added, “It’s absurd, but the danger is that they have the power of the government.”

Former President Donald Trump delivered his own closing argument in the non-jury civil trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit Thursday, saying he “did nothing wrong,” that his financial statements were “perfect” and blasting the case as “election interference.”

Closing arguments in the trial began Thursday morning. The former president and 2024 GOP frontrunner was expected to deliver his own closing statement, but New York Judge Arthur Engoron rescinded the court’s offer for him to do so on Wednesday. 

During Trump attorney Chris Kise’s closing statement, he requested permission for Trump to speak – a request Engoron denied, but, regardless of the judge’s decision, Trump began to deliver his own remarks. 

NEW YORK JUDGE ENGORON RESCINDS OFFER FOR TRUMP TO DELIVER CLOSING ARGUMENT IN NYAG CIVIL TRIAL

Trump said his financial statements were “perfect,” and stressed that the bank loans were repaid and are “as happy as can be.”  

Trump acknowledged that there was an “error” made regarding one “triplex,” but said that mistake was “immediately corrected” and was an “honest mistake.” 

“When you say don’t go outside of these things, I’m an innocent man, persecuted,” Trump said to Engoron, while blasting the case as “election interference,” and saying if he is “not allowed to talk about it, it’s a disservice.” 

Engoron told Trump to wrap up his remarks within one minute, but Trump fired back, saying: “You can’t listen for more than one minute?” 

“Mr. Kise, please control your client,” Engoron said to Trump’s attorney.

Engoron then asked Trump: “Haven’t you been sued before?” 

Trump replied: “Yes.” 

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But the former president went on, saying: “I did nothing wrong, they should pay me for what I’ve been put through.”

Trump defended his business empire and said he was sued to get publicity. 

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

President Biden has consistently held several closed-door meetings with his top donors to alleviate their concerns heading into the 2024 election, including worries about his age and energy, according to a report.

Biden’s attempts to suppress their anxieties have occurred since the launch of his re-election campaign last spring. The meetings have taken place at the White House and included at least six sessions, each consisting of between four and eight people, and have covered an array of issues, such as how to handle former President Trump if he wins the Republican nomination and abortion rights.

Individuals familiar with the matter told the Washington Post, which first reported on the behind-the-scenes gatherings, that Biden’s age and energy were also among their concerns.

HILLARY CLINTON SAYS BIDEN’S AGE IS A LEGITIMATE ISSUE: ‘PEOPLE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO CONSIDER IT’

“It has dispelled anybody who has any doubts about his determination and his energy and his passion,” a person familiar with the meetings told the Post. 

“It just gives him some seasoning. That is good. It gives him energy, which is very good,” they said. “And these people who are wondering if he has lost a step, they leave and are like, ‘That was great.'”

In addition to his top contributors, other individuals that Biden has known for some time have been in attendance, according to the report. The meetings have occurred in areas of the White House not considered “official workspaces,” where political activity can be discussed, such as the Map Room and a private dining room.

However, other reports from Wednesday indicate Biden previously showed the donors the Oval Office. The White House Counsel’s office allegedly warned him last year to stop to prevent any potential legal issues, Axios reported.

While the exact people who have attended the discussions are unknown, former Disney CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, a left-wing megadonor who co-chairs Biden’s campaign, has facilitated the meetings. Katzenberg told Reuters last year that he believed attacks on Biden’s age would backfire on those who made it an issue, and added his age is his “superpower.” 

The worries of his top supporters align with those acknowledged by other prominent Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, who has said Biden’s age is an issue and people have a right to consider it.

Clinton made the comments last May during a Financial Times panel after the moderator referenced an incident when Biden almost tumbled down a flight of stairs.

DAVID AXELROD WARNS BIDEN’S ‘AGE ISSUE’ IS CONSISTENT CONCERN AMONG VOTERS: ‘ONE THING YOU CAN’T REVERSE’

“There was that heart-stopping moment when he almost fell over coming down the stairs a day or two ago,” the outlet’s editor said. “He didn’t use a railing, and Jill wasn’t there with him.” 

“Every time that happens, your heart is in your mouth because these things could be consequential. Is that a concern?” he asked.

“It’s a concern for anyone,” Clinton responded. “We’ve had presidents who had fallen before who were a lot younger, and people didn’t go into heart palpitations.”

“But his age is an issue, and people have every right to consider it,” Clinton added. “But, you know, he has this great saying – and I think he’s right – don’t judge him for running against the Almighty but against the alternative. I am of the camp that I think he’s determined to run; he has a good record that, three years ago, people would not have predicted would have gotten done.”

David Axelrod, a former adviser to former President Obama, also brought up worry over Biden’s age among voters in November.

“I have no concerns about polls a year out. I mean, you have to look at them and analyze them and adjust,” Axelrod said. “But I was in a situation as a strategist for Barack Obama in 2011 where we were facing some difficult polls.”

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“The one number in the polling that was concerning, and in the CNN poll that followed after The New York Times poll, had to do with age, and that is one thing you can’t reverse no matter how effective Joe Biden is behind the scenes,” he added. “In front of the camera, what he’s projecting is causing people concerns, and that is worrisome,” 

The White House and Biden’s campaign did not immediately provide a comment. 

FIRST ON FOX — It was another solid fundraising quarter for Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as he builds resources for his campaign for re-election this year to a third six-year term in the Senate.

The conservative firebrand lawmaker brought in $5.5 million during the October-December fourth quarter of 2023 fundraising, according to figures shared first with Fox News on Thursday morning.

Cruz’s haul from his three fundraising committees is up slightly from the $5.4 million he brought in the previous three months. He raised $4.4 million during the April-June second quarter and $1.8 million during the first three months of 2023. 

The senator’s fourth quarter haul is also a $3.7 million increase from the final three months of 2017, the similar fundraising quarter during his 2018 re-election campaign.

TEXAS: THE RED STATE DEMOCRATS CONTINUOUSLY DREAM OF TURNING BLUE, BUT KEEEP FALLING SHORT

The senator’s team also highlighted that, additionally, the Ted Cruz Victory Fund brought in $1.4 million that was transferred to the National Republican Senatorial Committee — the Senate GOP’s campaign arm — and to the Republican Party of Texas.

The campaign showcased that they had 78,000 unique contributions, with an average contribution of $36.67, from Texans in 247 out of the Lone Star State’s 254 counties, as well as supporters in all 50 states. 

The Cruz campaign also reported that it closed out 2023 with over $7.3 million cash-on-hand.

THESE FIVE DEMOCRATIC-HELD SENATE SEATS ARE MOST LIKELY TO FLIP IN NOVEMBER

Cruz spokesman Nick Maddux told Fox News in a statement that “we continue to see an increase in energy and support from patriots across the Lone Star State and the nation. Texans are fired up to re-elect Senator Ted Cruz and ensure that Texas remains our nation’s conservative stronghold.”

Additionally, he argued that “the stakes could not be higher as the radical left threatens to dismantle our Texan way of life, which is why Senator Cruz will continue blazing his campaign trail with the people of Texas to ensure that we keep Texas Texas.”

Cruz has said that his re-election bid is “going to be a firefight,” and there is a large field of Democrats gunning to win their party’s nomination and face off with him in November.

Cruz, who narrowly defeated then-Rep. Beto O’Rourke in a hard-fought 2018 Senate battle, touted in a Fox News Digital interview last year that, after former President Trump, “there is no Republican in the country that Democrats hate more than me.”

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He added that is “something I wear as a badge of honor. There is no Republican that they would like to beat more than me.”

Cruz was significantly out-raised in that 2018 showdown by O’Rourke, and Rep. Colin Allred, the most prominent of the Democrats running to take on Cruz, topped the senator by nearly $2 million during the second quarter of 2023, but the senator topped Allred in the third quarter by roughly $600,000.

Allred has yet to announce his fourth quarter fundraising. Candidates for the Senate have until Jan. 15 to file their reports with the Federal Election Commission.

Senate Democrats are defending their fragile 51-49 majority in November’s elections.

Republicans need a net gain of either one or two seats to win back the majority — depending on which party controls the White House after next year’s presidential election. 

The math and the map favor the GOP, as the Democrats are defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs, including three in red states and a handful in key general election battlegrounds.

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

A federal appeals court said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis violated the First Amendment rights of former Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren, who DeSantis suspended from office in 2022 over neglect of duty and incompetence.

In a unanimous ruling on Wednesday, a three-judge panel on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals said a lower court failed to consider certain First Amendment violations made by DeSantis when he removed Warren and remanded the case.

DeSantis suspended Warren in 2022 via executive order for “neglect of duty,” after the prosecutor declared he would not prosecute anyone who violates state abortion restrictions, nor would he prosecute those who violate prohibitions against certain types of gender-transition treatment for minors. 

The Eleventh Circuit panel found DeSantis “lacked probable cause to believe Warren neglected his duty or war incompetent.” 

FLORIDA GOV. RON DESANTIS SUSPENDS ‘SOROS-BACKED’ STATE ATTORNEY WHO REFUSED TO ENFORCE ABORTION BAN

“The First Amendment prevents DeSantis from identifying a reform prosecutor and then suspending him to garner political benefit,” U.S. Circuit Judge Jill Pryor wrote. “On remand, DeSantis must prove that unprotected activity, such as Warren’s actual performance or his policies, motivated him to suspend Warren.”

The panel consisted of Pryor, an Obama appointee, U.S. Circuit Judge Kevin Newsome, a Trump appointee, and U.S. District Judge Anne Conway, a George H.W. Bush appointee. 

A DeSantis spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

FLORIDA PROSECUTOR ANDREW WARREN SUES GOV. RON DESANTIS OVER SUSPENSION

Following DeSantis’ suspension of Warren last year, the governor told Fox News at the time: “I do think that some of these prosecutors that have very militant agenda in terms of ideology have been able to get away with a lot in other states … We’ve had prosecutors around this country that think they can pick and choose which laws to enforce.”

DeSantis has called Warren a “Soros-backed” prosecutor and taken credit for firing him in stump speeches as he campaigns for the 2024 Republican nomination for president. 

Warren sued DeSantis after he was suspended last year, claiming that the suspension was retaliation for opposing the governor’s policies and positions.

“This is what we’ve been fighting for from the beginning — the protection of democracy,” Warren posted on X after the panel ruled in his favor. “We look forward to returning to the district court for the relief that has been denied to me and all the voters of Hillsborough County for 17 months: reinstating the person elected by the voters.” 

COURT UPHOLDS GOV. RON DESANTIS’ SUSPENSION OF PROSECUTOR WITH ‘MILITANT AGENDA’

Tallahasee-based U.S. Judge Robert Hinkle previously found that DeSantis’ decision to suspend Warren violated the U.S. Constituion and Florida state Constitution, but upheld the suspension anyway.

The lower court identified six factors that influenced DeSantis’ decision and said two of those factors violated Warren’s First Amendment rights. However, Hinkle ruled the governor would have suspended Warren based on the other four factors anyway and ruled in DeSantis’ favor.

The Eleventh Circuit said two more factors identified by the lower court were protected by the FIrst Amendment and sent the case back to Tallahassee for reconsideration. 

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“On remand, DeSantis must prove that unprotected activity, such as Warren’s actual performance or his policies, motivated him to suspend Warren,” the court said. 

Earlier this week, Warren announced he’s not seeking re-election as state attorney. DeSantis appointed Suzy Lopez to replace him and Lopez is running for reelection. 

Fox News Digital’s Kyle Morris contributed to this report.

Former President Donald Trump signaled during an Iowa Town Hall event on Fox News Wednesday night that he has already decided who he will choose to be his running mate in 2024. 

“I can’t tell you that really, I mean, I know who it’s going to be,” Trump said when he was asked who his running mate will be in 2024.

“We’ll do another show sometime,” Trump said when pushed by host Martha MacCallum to “give us a hint.”

“What about any of the people who you’ve run against?” MacCallum asked. “Would you be open to mending fences with any of them?”

OBAMA INCREASINGLY WORRIED ABOUT TRUMP BEATING BIDEN, REPORT SAYS: ‘INCALCULABLE DAMAGE’

“Oh, sure. I will, I will,” Trump responded. “I’ve already started to like Christie better.”

“Christie for vice president?” MacCallum joked.

TRUMP TAKES NO CHANCES AS IOWA’S REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CAUCUSES APPROACH

“I don’t see it, I don’t see it,” Trump said. “That would be an upset. Christie for vice president. Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d like to announce, nah.”

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced earlier in the day that he has suspended his presidential campaign. 

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Speculation about Trump’s potential running mate has run rampant in recent months with a variety of names being floated including GOP Congresswoman Nancy Mace, South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, Trump’s GOP opponent and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.

The website OddsChecker.com currently lists Noem as the betting favorite followed GOP Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. 

Closing arguments in the non-jury civil trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against former President Trump and his business empire are expected to be delivered Thursday.

The trial began in October, after James sued Trump, his family and his business empire claiming he inflated his financial statements and deceived banks.

NEW YORK JUDGE ENGORON RESCINDS OFFER FOR TRUMP TO DELIVER CLOSING ARGUMENT IN NYAG CIVIL TRIAL

Trump and his family have denied any wrongdoing. The former president has repeatedly said his assets were actually undervalued. Trump has repeatedly said his financial statements had disclaimers, requesting that the numbers be evaluated by the banks.

Closing arguments are set to begin at 10 a.m. ET. It is unclear if Trump will be present for the proceedings. 

Judge Arthur Engoron on Wednesday rescinded the court’s offer for Trump to deliver his own closing argument in the case Thursday.

Engoron had initially approved the request for Trump to make his own closing statement, but said the former president would be required to limit his remarks to “commentary on the relevant, material facts that are in evidence, and application of the relevant law to those facts.”

Engoron said Trump would be prohibited from introducing new evidence or commenting on “irrelevant matters” and said he could not “deliver a campaign speech” or speak ill of court staff or the attorney general.

However, Trump attorney Chris Kise, in an email to Engoron, said Trump has “been wrongfully demeaned and belittled by an out of control, politically motivated Attorney General” and he should be allowed to “speak about the things that must be spoken about.” 

DEUTSCHE BANK SOUGHT OUT ‘WHALE’ OF A CLIENT IN TRUMP, BENEFITED FROM RELATIONSHIP, FORMER EXECUTIVE TESTIFIES

Kise also requested to postpone closing arguments, citing the death of Trump’s mother-in-law, Amalija Knavs, whom Kise said Trump “was very close to.” 

Former first lady Melania Trump made the announcement about her mother’s passing on X late Tuesday.

Engoron said he was “sorry to hear the sad news,” but denied the request.

Engoron went on to impose a deadline for Kise to agree, on behalf of Trump, to abide by his rules for the closing argument — a deadline Kise missed.

“Not having heard from you by the third extended deadline (noon today), I assume that Mr. Trump will not agree to the reasonable, lawful limits I have imposed as a precondition to giving a closing statement above and beyond those given by his attorneys, and that, therefore, he will not be speaking in court tomorrow,” Engoron wrote in an email Wednesday.

MELANIA TRUMP ANNOUNCES PASSING OF ‘BELOVED’ MOTHER: ‘WE WILL MISS HER BEYOND MEASURE’

James filed the lawsuit against Trump “under a consumer protection statute that denies the right to a jury,” a Trump spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

“There was never an option to choose a jury trial,” the spokesperson said. “It is unfortunate that a jury won’t be able to hear how absurd the merits of this case are and conclude no wrongdoing ever happened.”

James is seeking more than $370 million from Trump and his family, claiming the funds would be repayment for the profits she claims were illicitly gained.

TRUMP DEMANDS JURY, SAYS NEW YORK AG HAS ‘NO CASE’ IN HEATED TESTIMONY

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 during the trial. “He called me a fraud, and he didn’t know anything about me.”

Throughout the trial, Trump attorneys brought witnesses, like former Deutsche Bank top executives, who testified the banks sought additional business from Trump, who they viewed as a “whale of a client.”

Trump’s defense also brought in expert witnesses, like New York University accounting professor Eli Bartov, who reviewed the Trump financial statements at issue in the case and said he found no evidence of accounting fraud.

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Bartov testified last month that Trump’s financial statements didn’t violate accounting principles, and he suggested that anything problematic — like a huge year-to-year leap in the estimated value of his Trump Tower penthouse — was simply an error.

“My main finding is that there is no evidence whatsoever of any accounting fraud,” Bartov testified. Trump’s financial statements, he said, “were not materially misstated.”