NationalWatch

In a primary that split the conservative House Freedom Caucus, incumbent Rep. William Timmons, R-S.C., fended off a challenge from conservative State Rep. Adam Morgan. 

Prominent members of the House Freedom Caucus were split on who should get the nod to represent South Carolina’s solidly Republican 4th Congressional District in the northern part of the state, which includes Greenville and Spartanburg.

Timmons was endorsed by former president Donald Trump as well as conservative Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Byron Donalds of Florida and Jim Jordan of Ohio. Morgan received the backing of Florida’s Matt Gaetz and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia. Morgan chairs the South Carolina legislature’s version of the Freedom Caucus.

INCUMBENT SC REP TIMMONS HIT WITH RESURFACED VIDEOS OF APPARENT SUPPORT OF DEI IN CONGRESS

Rep. William Timmons, R-S.C., leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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Timmons raised more campaign cash than Morgan to the tune of $2.4 million to $578,000.

Both candidates said securing the southern border would be their primary focus if elected.

South Carolina State Representative, who is running against Rep. Williams Timmons. (Adam Morgan for Congress)

“Border security has got to be on the top of the list. Over 10 million people have crossed the southern border illegally in the last 3½ years. It’s unacceptable. We have to change the course. Our country can’t sustain it,” Timmons said, according to a report from Fox affiliate WSPA.

Timmons will face Democrat Kathryn Harvey and Constitution Party candidate Mark Hackett in the general election on Nov. 5. Timmons won the 2022 general election with 90.8% of the vote.

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

RENO, Nev. – EXCLUSIVE: Former U.S. Army Capt. Sam Brown vowed to deliver results for Americans “crushed” by Biden’s policy failures, his first promise after winning a hard fought Senate primary in the crucial swing state of Nevada.

“Look, this is a clear signal that Republicans here in this state are united, not only behind President Trump, but behind me to take on Joe Biden and Jackey Rosen this November,” Brown told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview just moments after the race was called. 

“Americans need hope. Nevadans have been crushed by Biden’s policies. They’ve been supported by Jacky Rosen. And this is a resounding victory. We’re looking forward to going head-to-head and delivering a victory that Nevadans need,” he added.

WATCH: TRUMP RALLYGOERS REVEAL WHO THEY WANT AS VICE PRESIDENT

Republican Nevada Senate candidate Sam Brown. (Josh Edelson/Getty Images)

Brown said Nevadans would see a “clear contrast” between his and former President Trump’s America First policies over the next five months, and those of Biden, which he said had led to a worsening border crisis, a deteriorating state of the world, and an economy where prices are too high.

“The solutions are clear. We’ve got to secure our border. We’ve got to go after the cartels. We’ve got to ensure that we’re not allowing people into this country that mean to do harm. We’ve got to make sure that the economy is working for all, that there are good jobs, that we don’t have unnecessary inflation, we have an American energy policy that provides security and lower costs,” Brown told Fox. 

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“This is a future that’s not too far away. We’re going to deliver it after November.”

Brown soundly defeated his main primary rival, former U.S. Ambassador Jeff Gunter, by a significant margin, and will head to the general election with solid backing from Trump and national Republicans, who view the Nevada race as one of their top targets to flip from Democrats.

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

Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., won his party’s nomination for a pivotal swing district in Tuesday’s primary election. 

The incumbent Democrat managed to fend off a primary challenge from young political newcomer Levy Schultz. 

Schultz challenged the Nevada representative because of what he described as the lack of affordable housing he encountered in Las Vegas. 

SUPREME COURT HISTORICAL SOCIETY BLASTS ‘SURREPTITIOUS’ RECORDING AS DEMS TARGET JUSTICE ALITO

U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., speaks on infrastructure and climate change during a news conference outside the Capitol on August 23, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“The American people should not have to rent the American dream. We should be able to buy it,” he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal earlier this year. 

The challenger’s candidacy was considered a long-shot against Horsford. 

‘LOOSE CANNON’: SENATE DEM ESCALATES ATTACK ON JUSTICE ALITO AFTER SECRET RECORDING

Rep. Steven Horsford (Getty Images)

The Democrat incumbent was first elected to the House in 2012. However, Horsford lost his seat to a Republican competitor after one term in 2014. But, after running again in 2018, he regained his seat and has been serving in it since. 

Nevada’s fourth district is being eyed by Republicans as a prime pick-up opportunity alongside 36 other districts nationwide. 

TRUMP TO MEET WITH HOUSE, SENATE REPUBLICANS IN DC THIS WEEK

Representative Richard Hudson, a Republican from North Carolina, speaks during a news conference following a House Republicans meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, March 9, 2021. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Republicans are in the majority and on offense. We will grow our House majority by building strong campaigns around talented recruits in these districts who can communicate the dangers of Democrats’ extreme agenda,” National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., said in a statement earlier this year. “These House Democrats should be shaking in their boots.” 

However, this could prove difficult, as non-partisan political handicapper, the Cook Political Report, has rated the race “Likely Democratic.”

MIKE LEE PRAISES TRUMP FOR RESISTING CLINTON LAWFARE, WARNS BIDEN OF SLIPPERY SLOPE

President Biden and former President Trump (AP/Alex Brandon/Julia Nikhinson )

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Horsford does still have to contend with a competitive election landscape in the battleground state. This is magnified by the fact that he has to share the ballot with President Biden, who has racked up historically low approval ratings. 

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

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo faced a tough grilling from House GOP lawmakers Tuesday over his handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes during the height of the pandemic. 

Cuomo visited Capitol Hill for a closed-door interview with the House select subcommittee investigating the coronavirus pandemic. 

Lawmakers zeroed in on a March 25, 2020, executive order by the governor that restricted nursing homes from refusing to admit or readmit residents “solely based on confirmed or suspect[ed] diagnosis of COVID-19.” 

A report released in March 2022 by the New York state comptroller found Cuomo’s Health Department “was not transparent in its reporting of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes” and it “understated the number of deaths at nursing homes by as much as 50%” during some points of the pandemic.

CUOMO FINALLY FORCED TO TELL WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT COVID-19 DECISIONS THAT COST THOUSANDS OF LIVES

Rep. Brad Wenstrup, chairman of the COVID-19 select subcommittee, grilled former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo behind closed doors Tuesday. (Getty Images)

Cuomo has pushed back on these claims, insisting New York’s health department was following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance issued by the Trump administration before Cuomo’s order. 

A report released in March 2022 by the New York state comptroller found former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Health Department “was not transparent in its reporting of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.” (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

In his opening remarks, Cuomo said “any serious review must stop asking political questions and start asking fact-based ones.” He pointed out that New York was “No. 39 in terms of pro rata nursing home deaths [despite the state] being ground zero for COVID.” 

He also accused the Trump administration of targeting Democrat-led states “despite both red and blue states issuing” the same guidelines. 

GOP lawmakers held a post-hearing press conference at which they accused Cuomo of deflecting blame. 

LIBERAL NY TIMES COLUMNIST ADMITS MEDIA, PUBLIC HEALTH WERE ‘TOO DISMISSIVE’ ON LAB LEAK THEORY

“I felt like the governor was defensive throughout most of the day, often putting blame on other people rather than himself. [He] didn’t seem to be taking a lot of responsibility for the things that were happening,” Chair Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, said. 

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., called Cuomo a “phony” and a “fraud” who “put our most vulnerable population at risk, resulting in the death of over 15,000 seniors.

“And it was Andrew Cuomo who covered it up,” Lawler added. “It wasn’t just the directive which was bad enough and idiotic and resulted in the death of the 15,000-plus seniors. It was Andrew Cuomo, for political purposes, who directed the state government to cover up the death toll.” 

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been accused of mishandling his state’s response to COVID-19. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

GOP conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said Tuesday’s deposition “was a step in delivering accountability and delivering long overdue answers to those families who are still mourning the loss of their loved ones.” 

Speaking to reporters after the deposition, Cuomo said the federal government was ultimately to blame for the severity of the pandemic. 

“We have two very different opinions on what happened during COVID,” Cuomo told a reporter. “I think the federal government failed this nation. And it was abysmal. How did COVID get to the U.S. in December and nobody knew? How did it take so many months before we had … basic testing in place? How did we have a president running around saying, ‘It’s going to be gone when the weather gets warm?’ … who then admits to a reporter that he purposely downplayed it?” 

Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Cuomo, told Fox News Digital the governor “presented fact-based evidence that New York, at the end of the day, was the 39th state for pro rata in nursing home deaths in 2020 despite the fact that it started off the hardest hit.” 

“We worked day and night to protect New Yorkers and save lives even though the ‘experts’ kept changing the facts on the ground. We were grappling with international PPE shortages and no national response,” Azzopardi said. “The fact that this partisan farce was allowed to go on, and they continue telling their fact-less stories, especially in order to help their marginal members who weren’t even at the hearing, tells you what a joke this was.” 

Wenstrup subpoenaed Cuomo in March to appear before his committee. A letter accompanying the subpoena said Cuomo’s testimony “is vital to our investigation into the effectiveness of federal guidance and regulations implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding the protection of nursing home residents.”

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“Further, this investigation may inform legislation to enhance the federal scientific guidance process, including the drafting, publication, and implementation of guidances originating from CMS or CDC,” the letter said.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Sheri Biggs, a nurse practitioner who won the backing of Gov. Henry McMaster, advanced to a runoff in the crowded race for the Republican nomination to replace outgoing GOP Rep. Jeff Duncan in South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District.

Biggs was among seven Republicans in contention, but no true frontrunner emerged ahead of the primary.

Biggs, a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard ran as a “pro-life, pro-Second Amendment lifelong Republican.”

WIFE OF SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN FILES FOR DIVORCE, ALLEGES EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR

Sheri Biggs, who is running for the Republican nomination in South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District. (Sheri Biggs for Congress)

“I’m running for Congress to continue my lifetime of service and treat Washington’s health problem with bold, conservative, servant leadership,” she said on her campaign website.

Jones had been endorsed by McMaster and had also highlighted her commitment to work with former President Trump, although Trump backed another candidate in the race.

“Sheri Biggs epitomizes the greatness of the people of South Carolina — an unwavering belief in God, a commitment to selfless service and a true resolve to fight for our shared values,” McMaster said in his endorsement. 

“While her distinguished military and health care careers are truly admirable, her passion to help heal our nation’s fiscal, mental and spiritual health problems is exactly what we need representing us in Congress. Sheri Biggs will work with President Trump to secure our border, protect tax dollars, defend our conservative values, keep the promises to our veterans and drain the swamp.”

CRUCIAL PRIMARY RACES TO BE DECIDED TUESDAY, SETTING UP FIGHT FOR BALANCE OF POWER

Duncan decided not to run again for the seat after seven terms. Duncan’s wife filed for divorce last year, accusing him of several affairs.

Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., walks down the House steps following votes in the Capitol May 25, 2016. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

“At some point in a career, one needs to step aside and allow others to bring fresh ideas and abilities into the fight for liberty,” Duncan said in a statement in January.

Trump had backed Pastor Mark Burns who also advanced to the runoff, a longtime supporter, in the race. Former Sen. Lindsey Graham staffer Kevin Bishop, state Rep. Stewart Jones and businessman Franky Franco were among those who had also thrown their hats in the ring. 

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The Democratic primary in the 3rd District is between high school science teacher Frances Guldner and Byron Best, who manages a Sherwin Williams paint store in Greenwood.

The district is a mostly rural area in the northern and western part of the state. A Democrat has not won the district since Graham flipped the seat in 1994.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

For a second straight election, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina has survived a serious primary challenge. 

The Associated Press on Tuesday projects that Mace will win renomination in South Carolina’s competitive Low Country-based 1st Congressional District by defeating Catherine Templeton, a former director of South Carolina’s labor agency who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018, and Marine Corps veteran Bill Young.

Templeton was backed by millions spent by outside groups aligned with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Mace, who was first elected to the House in 2020, survived a primary challenge against a former President Trump-backed Republican two years ago. The former president had targeted Mace after she blamed him for the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters aiming to upend congressional certification of President Biden’s 2020 election victory.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS PRIMARY NIGHT RESULTS

Rep. Nancy Mace speaks at the 13th annual South Carolina Prayer Breakfast on July 26, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (U.S. Senator Tim Scott)

Fast-forward two years, and Mace now has Trump’s backing after she endorsed the former president and campaigned for him earlier this year in South Carolina’s crucial GOP presidential primary.

However, unlike two years ago, when then-Speaker McCarthy had her back, the now-former House speaker targeted Mace, who last year was one of eight House Republicans to break ranks and vote to oust McCarthy. The former speaker is seeking revenge as he works to defeat the eight Republican lawmakers.

NANCY MACE SPARS WITH BILL MAHER, EXPLAINS HER FLIP ON TRUMP

Around $9 million was shelled out to run ads in the primary, according to the national ad tracking firm AdImapct. Nearly half of the money came from McCarthy aligned outside groups that targeted Mace.

Then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, was voted out of his role as House speaker. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Mace, who was also backed by Republican Gov. Henry McMaster and current House Speaker Mike Johnson, had roughly $3 million in outside spending on her behalf.

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Templeton was supported by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Rep. Joe Wilson of the neighboring 2nd Congressional District.

Mace has faced controversy as several of her congressional staffers quit late last year and earlier this year. Additionally, a former Mace chief of staff briefly launched a primary challenge against his former boss.

If none of the three candidates in the GOP primary had won a majority in Tuesday’s contest, the top two contenders would have faced off in a runoff in two weeks.

Businessman Michael B. Moore and veteran Mac Deford were vying for the Democrat nod in the 1st District.

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

Trump-endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Trent Staggs closed out his time on stage at a Republican primary debate Monday night by accusing his opponent, Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, of insider trading.

On March 4, 2020, Abbott Laboratories — a medical device company — was awarded federal funding to develop a COVID test. Curtis purchased stock in the company that same day, Staggs said. 

“This is the problem in Congress at a time when somebody should be looking out for their constituents. They end up looking out for their own profit,” Staggs, who currently serves as mayor of Riverton, said. 

TRUMP ENDORSES GOP UTAH SENATE CANDIDATE LOOKING TO REPLACE ROMNEY: ‘HE WILL BE A GREAT SENATOR’

(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images/Rick Bowmer)

Staggs continued saying that he signed a contract with Utah and would “ban the trading of individual stocks for Congress and their families.”

“I want to also stop members of Congress from retiring and becoming lobbyists and enriching themselves further,” he said. 

After Staggs’ closing statements, debate moderator Glen Mills said they were running out of time and would have to wrap up the debate. Curtis shot back, “You have to let me respond to that.” 

Mills said, “As fast as possible.”

“That is such a low shot,” Curtis said. “You wait until I have no response. You throw something out that I can’t respond to. You’ve accused me of a felony here tonight. You better have very good evidence, and I’d like to challenge you to produce that evidence that somehow I’ve committed a felony.”

UTAH GOP CHOOSE TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE AS NOMINEE TO REPLACE SEN. ROMNEY, BUT PRIMARY STILL TO COME

Riverton, Utah, Mayor Trent Staggs, a U.S. Senate candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)

The Salt Lake Tribune confirmed Curtis bought stocks that went up due to the COVID-19 epidemic, according to financial disclosures. When questioned by reporters, Curtis told the paper at the time, “The real story isn’t as damning.”

In announcing his candidacy in the race, Staggs became the first person to publicly pose a challenge to Romney, who has angered many voters within his own party for his reasoning and support for certain policies and bills. (Trent Staggs)

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Curtis stated that most of the stock purchases, including those of Abbott Laboratories and BlackRock Inc., were executed by a mutual fund manager without him knowing. The purchases were made on significant occasions, such as Abbott’s approval for a COVID-19 test and BlackRock’s role in directing bond purchases when the economy hit a downward spiral.

Staggs, who is running to replace retiring Sen. Mitt Romney, gained notoriety in 2020 for his opposition to mask mandates amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to Trump’s blessing, Staggs enjoys the endorsement of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

President Biden‘s remarks during an interview last year in which he said he trusts his son, Hunter, had social media users reacting Tuesday, hours after the younger Biden was convicted on all charges in a gun case. 

Biden spoke with MSNBC on a variety of issues during an interview that aired on May 5, 2023. In the last seconds of the interview on “The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle,” Biden was asked how potential criminal charges against Hunter Biden would impact his presidency. 

“First of all, my son’s done nothing wrong,” Biden answered. “I trust him. I have faith in him and it impacts my presidency by making me feel proud of him.”

PRESIDENT BIDEN REACTS TO SON HUNTER’S GUILTY VERDICT IN GUN TRIAL: ‘I AM ALSO A DAD’

President Joe Biden talks with his son Hunter Biden and wife Melissa Cohen Biden, and grandson Beau, as he arrives at Delaware Air National Guard Base in New Castle, Del., on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

On Tuesday, a jury in Delaware convicted Hunter Biden of lying on a federal firearm form in October 2018 when he was asked if he was an unlawful user of a firearm or addicted to controlled substances during a gun purchase. 

One social media user reacting to the video clip simply posted: “Ooops.”

“Hunter is the smartest man he knows!” wrote another. 

“Biden really is the opposite of Trump: he gets everything wrong,” another wrote. 

On Tuesday, President Biden stood behind his son after the verdict was delivered. 

HUNTER BIDEN FOUND GUILTY OF ALL CHARGES IN GUN TRIAL

Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. (Getty Images)

“As I said last week, I am the president, but I am also a Dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today,” Biden said. “So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery.”

Biden has repeatedly said he would not use the powers of the presidency to pardon a guilty verdict for his son. He seemed to stand by that vow in his statement, saying he “will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.”

A court sketch depicts Hunter Biden’s federal trial in Wilmington, Delaware on Monday, June 10, 2024. (William J. Hennessy Jr.)

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Biden flew to Delaware on Tuesday evening to meet with his son. In a separate case in California, Hunter Biden faces tax fraud charges for not paying $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019. He has pleaded not guilty in that case. 

Attorney General Merrick Garland is fighting back.

The Republican-led House of Representatives intends to hold him in contempt of Congress this week – if it can muster the votes. Remember, it’s all about the math.

A senior House leadership source told Fox the vote would be Wednesday. But when asked, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., wouldn’t quite commit to that.

Garland was mum when yours truly pursued him down a hallway before a hearing with the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building – even absorbing a gratuitous elbow from his FBI security detail before he ducked into an anteroom.

SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS OVER HUNTER BIDEN GUILTY VERDICT: ‘THE LAW IS THE LAW’

“Are you going to kind of punch back against what they’re trying to do on contempt?” I asked Garland as we walked briskly down the corridor. 

No response.

“Are you going to kind of punch back against what they’re trying to do on contempt?”

Silence.

“Do you feel this has been an abuse of the process when it comes to contempt?”

See above.

Attorney General Merrick Garland testifies during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Department of Justice, on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington.  (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

But when House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, gaveled down the hearing, the bookish Garland threw the verbal book at Republicans. Garland was furious when it came to suppositions that his department had it in for former President Trump and was biased against Republicans.

“These attacks have not and they will not influence our decision making. I view contempt as a serious matter,” said Garland. “I will not be intimidated. And the Justice Department will not be intimidated. We will continue to work to do our jobs free from political influence. And we will not back down from defending democracy.” 

“Lawfare” is the GOP’s new mantra when it comes to Garland, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis. In fact, Republicans accused Garland’s Justice Department of teaming up with local authorities to target Mr. Trump.

Jordan threw a bombardment of verbal haymakers at Garland, ticking through a host of grievances against the Attorney General in hopes that one might land.

“This is the same Department of Justice whose Civil Rights Division has done nothing to address the attacks on Jewish students at college campuses. This is the same Department of Justice who can’t tell us who planted the pipe bombs on January 6th. Who leaked the Dobbs draft opinion. And who put cocaine in the White House,” charged Jordan. “Many American believe there’s now a double standard in our justice system. They believe that because there is.”

RUNNING FOR CONGRESS: POOCH LEADS POLICE, REPORTER AND SENATE STAFFERS ON HAIRY RUSH-HOUR CHASE AROUND CAPITOL

“They see that Lady Justice’s blindfold has slipped off,” tacked on Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va. 

But Democrats were having none of Republican conjecture about a two-tiered justice system. 

In fact, Garland characterized GOP allegations of prejudice as a “conspiracy theory.” 

“An attack on the rule of law tears down people’s confidence in the basic fundamental element of our democracy,” declared Garland.

(Aaron Schwartz/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., tangled with the attorney general over providing “correspondence between the department and Alvin Bragg’s office.”

“You lodge this attack that it’s a conspiracy theory that this is coordinated lawfare against (former President) Trump,” said Gaetz. “But when you say ‘we’ll take your request and work it through the DoJ accommodation process,’ then you’re actually advancing the very dangerous conspiracy theory that you’re concerned about.”

Democrats chided Republicans who argued that the fix was in on behalf of Hunter Biden – noting that the president’s own Justice Department prosecuted the first son. That’s to say nothing of ongoing prosecutions involving Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Tex.

Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., suggested that Democrats had concrete evidence that it didn’t tilt the tables against Republicans. 

“I notice Mr. Gaetz, who took you on first, is not here now,” observed Cohen to Garland. “And that’s unfortunate because he is living testament to the fact and direct evidence that you have not weaponized the Justice Department. He was investigated for sex trafficking. And while many expected a prosecution, you chose not to prosecute this very active Republican.”

Democrats certainly didn’t want to see Hunter Biden – the president’s son – convicted on firearms charges. But the conviction of Hunter gives Democrats an opportunity to argue that the GOP narrative of an uneven justice system fails to stand up.

“When Donald Trump was convicted, we saw an immediate reaction from Republican leaders. It was like within seconds that this trial is a sham. The judge is corrupt. The jury is rigged. And the contrast today is just staggering,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee. “But when a Democrat is convicted – the president’s son, no less – that’s justice. Give me a break.”

SENATE DEM ESCALATES ATTACK ON JUSTICE ALITO AFTER SECRET RECORDING

Mike Johnson denied that the Hunter Biden conviction undermined GOP claims. 

“It doesn’t. Every case is different. And clearly the evidence was overwhelming here. I don’t think that’s the case in the (President) Trump trials. And all the charges that have been brought against him have been obviously brought for political purposes. Hunter Biden is a separate incident,” said Johnson.

If Republicans forge ahead with contempt, it’s because they have the votes – despite their narrow majority. Moderates now appear to be willing to find Garland in contempt of Congress.

“I think this administration has sought to run out the clock and avoid the responsibility,” said Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y. “I don’t have to agree or disagree with a president to know that Congress has a responsibility to provide the checks, balances and oversight. And this administration should comply with it, whether they like it or not. I’ll certainly support a contempt vote.”

“He has a responsibility to comply with lawful subpoenas,” said Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y. “He is picking and choosing what he wants to comply with.”

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The House voted in 2012 to hold then-Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. House Republicans accused Holder of withholding documents related to a gun-running investigation called Fast and Furious. The House voted 255-67 to hold Holder in criminal contempt. Two Republicans voted nay. Seventeen Democrats voted yes. But most Democrats sat out the vote in protest. 

Don’t expect any Democrats to join the effort this year. And the DoJ won’t prosecute Garland.

Republicans know that. And while many want to stand up for the institution, many would prefer to have the issue heading into November. They’ll point to the Biden Justice Department failing to prosecute Garland for not cooperating with Congress. Yet the DoJ prosecuted former Trump aides Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro for failing to comply with subpoenas related to January 6.

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Republicans will remind their voters of that. And they were sure to threaten Garland in case former President Trump returns to the White House. 

“You know what happened to Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon when they decided to defy a subpoena of the Congress?” asked Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C. “Mr. Navarro’s in prison.”

Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

What’s happening…

– Trump within striking distance of Biden in blue-leaning state

– Bragg, Colangelo to testify on Capitol Hill

– Biden to ban medical debt from credit reports

Hunter Biden found guilty on all counts 

First son Hunter Biden was found guilty on all charges in his historic criminal case focused on his purchase of a firearm in 2018. Though the maximum sentence for his federal charges adds 25 years in prison, as a first-time offender, Biden is highly unlikely to receive that much time behind bars.

Hunter Biden departs from federal court, Tuesday, June 4, 2024, in Wilmington, Del.  (Matt Slocum)

The jury deliberated for a total of three hours between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. 

Hunter Biden was found guilty of making a false statement in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.

“I am more grateful today for the love and support I experienced this last week from Melissa, my family, my friends, and my community than I am disappointed by the outcome. Recovery is possible by the grace of God, and I am blessed to experience that gift one day at a time,” Hunter Biden said in a statement following the verdict. 

FIRST SON GUILTY

‘THE LAW IS THE LAW’: Social media erupts over Hunter Biden guilty verdict: Covers the Biden family’s ‘real crimes’ …Read more

‘POLITICS PLAYED NO PART’: Hunter Biden trial juror says he didn’t buy defense’s 7-Eleven story …Read more

‘STUNNED’: Hunter Biden verdict ‘stunned’ his inner circle, a ‘clear blow’ to the president: ABC anchor …Read more

ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO: One trial down, one to go: Hunter Biden faces trial on federal tax charges next …Read more

TRANSCONTINENTAL FLIGHTS: Democratic Party to reimburse WH for Jill Biden flights between France and Delaware for Hunter trial …Read more

FAMILY ‘CORRUPTION’: Republicans vow to continue pursuing ‘Biden crime family’ after Hunter Biden’s guilty verdict …Read more

White House

NOBODY HOME: President Biden appears to freeze at White House Juneteenth event …Read more

HELP OR HANDOUT?: Biden admin to ban medical debt from credit reports, loan decisions: reports …Read more

NOT BUYING IT: Biden student loan handouts get approval from just 3 in 10 Americans …Read more

‘MOST RELIGIOUS PRESIDENT’: ‘View’ host claims Biden is the ‘most religious president’ in her lifetime …Read more

Tales from the Campaign Trail

WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE: Trump within striking distance of Biden in competitive blue-leaning state: poll …Read more

MAGA CLASH: Ugly GOP primary comes to an end as swing state voters set to decide who will face tough Democrat incumbent …Read more

‘REAL TEST’: Stephanopoulos gives debate advice, urges CNN to grill Trump about 2020 election during upcoming debate …Read more

‘I’M WORRIED ABOUT ME’: Maddow worried she’ll be put in one of Trump’s ‘massive camps’ …Read more

Capitol Hill

‘KILLING AMERICANS’: Conservative group calls on Senate Dems to oppose illegal immigrant voting in scathing ad …Read more

PUBLIC TESTIMONY: Bragg, Colangelo to testify at House Judiciary Committee hearing one day after Trump sentencing …Read more

‘CONGRESS MUST ACT’: Sen. Booker tells Colbert that he does ‘not trust’ Trump-appointed judges ‘to secure our rights’ …Read more

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President Biden could face major “political blowback” should he ultimately decide to pardon his son, Hunter, following his conviction Tuesday on federal charges related to the purchase of a firearm, elections experts tell Fox News Digital.

Biden vowed to “accept the outcome” of the case following the verdict, and has said he will not be issuing a pardon, but considering his son faces a maximum of 25 years in prison, some say the possibility of the president changing his mind wouldn’t be that far-fetched.

“I don’t think that American voters really care very much about the gun charges. What they care about is the influence peddling, and these business dealings that have been covert. So, I think with a pardon, that immediately feeds into how there is impropriety going on with this family,” Republican strategist Tricia McLaughlin told Fox. 

HUNTER BIDEN FOUND GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN GUN TRIAL

President Biden and his son, Hunter (Getty Images)

“I don’t even know if people are going to be paying attention at all to these gun charges, but I think that there would be major political backlash,” she said, adding the trial had already led to more questions surrounding Hunter’s infamous laptop.

The laptop was entered as evidence in the trial by prosecutors last week, further proof that it actually exists and was, in fact, not a tool of Russian disinformation as was suggested by Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign and former Biden-supporting intelligence community officials.

“We know without a doubt the laptop exists, but I think that this just kind of unearths that issue even further, and the same would be said for a pardon, especially if Joe Biden said the laptop didn’t exist, and called talk of a pardon Republican talking points,” McLaughlin said. “If both those things turn out to be true, Biden has zero credibility, especially when it comes to dealings with his own family.”

EX-INTEL OFFICIALS DOUBLE DOWN ON SIGNING ‘PATRIOTIC’ LETTER AGAINST HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP: ‘WOEFULLY IGNORANT’

Republican strategist Erin Perrine told Fox that Biden’s “hemorrhaging support from every corner of the Democratic base” meant Hunter’s conviction should be “the least of his worries,” but she agreed with McLaughlin that a pardon would highlight accusations of impropriety within the Biden family.

“Even the possibility that Biden could change his mind and pardon his son only highlights what Republicans have been saying about an unequal justice system and a double standard of justice for Democrats and their familial felons,” she said. 

“The idea that a pardon is a possibility is why Americans are appalled at how Biden has weaponized the judicial system.”

FORMER OBAMA OFFICIAL GIVE ONE-WORD ANSWER WHEN ASKED IF HE WOULD RETRACT ATTACK OVER HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP

President Biden delivers a speech on Friday, June 7, as he stands next to the Pointe du Hoc monument in Normandy, France. (AP/Evan Vucci)

Political commentator Kristin Tate had a slightly different take. She told Fox a pardon flip-flip would “make very little difference” to Biden politically, but that “Biden apologists” would claim the trial was politically motivated, essentially providing cover for the president if he were to pardon his son.

She also argued there was no way Hunter would spend any significant time in jail, regardless of any potential pardon, “even though he should.” 

“There is a two-tiered justice system in the United States. We saw that with Hillary Clinton when she flagrantly broke the law, but nothing was done. Contrast that with what’s happening to Donald Trump with very questionable charges. Mark my words, Hunter is not going to jail,” Tate said. 

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“The justice system in the United States has been completely weaponized and politicized, and it’s become a dangerous joke,” she added.

Hunter was found guilty on all charges in the case, including making false statements in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.

The jury deliberated for a total of three hours between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. 

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

Following the historic conviction of a sitting president’s son, some legal experts pointed to Hunter Biden’s own memoir of his drug addiction recovery as “powerful” evidence for the jury to convict him.

Hunter Biden was found guilty on Tuesday of making a false statement in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.

After a week of witness testimony, the 12 jurors deliberated a total of three hours between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. 

Legal experts speaking to Fox News Digital pointed to Hunter Biden’s 2021 memoir titled, “Beautiful Things: A Memoir,” chronicling his battle with addiction to illegal drugs, which they argued likely served as compelling evidence to the jury. The autobiographical book was played aloud in the courtroom, narrated in Hunter Biden’s voice as he was sitting in the courtroom. 

HUNTER BIDEN ‘DISAPPOINTED’ BY GUILTY VERDICT, TRUMP CAMPAIGN CALLS GUN TRIAL A ‘DISTRACTION’

Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, holds a copy of his memoir ‘Beautiful Things’ as he and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden depart the federal court during his trial on criminal gun charges, in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., June 5, 2024.  (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

“A lot of cases you’ll have admissions by defendant, you know, by police interrogation or whatever. And those are quite powerful. I always liked having them in a case,” Jonathan Fahey, a former federal prosecutor and white-collar crime attorney, told Fox News Digital in an interview.

Prosecutors referred to several excerpts of the book during witness testimony, including references to “crackhead wisdom,” and the “ability to find crack in any town.” 

“Crack takes you into the darkest recesses of your soul, as well as the darkest corners of every community,” Hunter Biden wrote in the book.

“When I could, I tried to buy from a user instead of a dealer,” he wrote. “I could get off a plan in Timbuktu and find some crack,” Biden writes in the book. He describes how he could be a “crack daddy” to Washington, D.C. drug dealers because his addiction was so strong.

The prosecution had to prove that Biden was addicted to illegal drugs when he purchased a handgun, and that he lied on a federal firearm form, known as ATF Form 4473, in October 2018 when he ticked a box labeled “No” when asked if he is an unlawful user of a firearm or addicted to controlled substances. 

HUNTER BIDEN FOUND GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN GUN TRIAL

Hunter Biden arrives at federal court with his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Wilmington, Delaware.  (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

“But when you have their admissions, where they’re not being interrogated, when it’s just by their own volition, in his case, trying to sell a book or as part of his book — I think it’s pretty powerful to then say, you know, essentially I wasn’t candid my book, and I’m candid now,” Fahey said of Biden’s defense strategy.

“I do think it is quite compelling that you have his own words,” Fahey said, adding that testimony from close family members who “corroborated” each other also likely impacted the jury.

John Malcolm, a former federal prosecutor in Atlanta, said he was not surprised a verdict was reached quickly, saying “the evidence of Hunter Biden’s guilt was overwhelming.” 

“That evidence included not only contemporaneous text messages to and from Hunter himself, but testimony from people who care about Hunter Biden, but who had to admit that he was in the throes of addiction at the time he made the choice to purchase a firearm, as well as testimony from Hunter himself in the form of excerpts from his book in which he chronicled his struggles with addiction at the time he purchased the firearm,” Malcolm said. 

HUNTER BIDEN WILL NOT TESTIFY IN HIS CRIMINAL GUN TRIAL

A court sketch depicts Hunter Biden listening during his federal trial in Wilmington, Delaware on Monday, June 10, 2024. (William J. Hennessy Jr.)

“The only open question was whether the jurors would ignore the evidence and the instructions from the judge and engage in jury nullification because of the fact that he is a Biden in a small state in which the Bidens have dominated the political landscape for decades,” Malcolm said. 

Throughout the trial, members of Biden’s family, including first lady Jill Biden, were present in the courtroom. 

“The members of the jury, to their credit, managed to set that aside and focused on the task at hand,” Malcolm said. 

“I think it was an accumulation. There’s not necessarily one smoking gun so to speak,” Jim Trusty, a former federal prosecutor and former lawyer for former President Donald Trump, told Fox News Digital, adding that Biden’s memoir was “a big piece of evidence.” 

“They started with that for a reason,” he said. 

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Hunter Biden reacted to the guilty verdict on Tuesday in a statement saying, “I am more grateful today for the love and support I experienced this last week from Melissa, my family, my friends, and my community than I am disappointed by the outcome.”

“Recovery is possible by the grace of God, and I am blessed to experience that gift one day at a time,” he added.

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

A Republican hasn’t carried Minnesota in a presidential election since President Richard Nixon’s 1972 landslide re-election, over a half-century ago.

But a new poll in Minnesota shows a competitive race between President Biden and former President Trump in their 2024 election rematch.

The president stands at 45% support among likely voters in Minnesota, with Trump at 41% in a poll conducted June 3-5 for the Star Tribune, MPR News and KARE 11.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION 

Former President Trump headlines the Minnesota GOP’s annual Lincoln Reagan fundraising dinner, on May 17, 2024, in St. Paul.  (AP)

Democrat turned independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. stood at 6% support in the survey, with 2% backing “someone else” if the election were held today.

Trump was narrowly edged in Minnesota in the 2016 election by 1.5 points by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. But four years later, Biden carried the state by seven points as he defeated Trump and won the White House.

“We’re going to win this state,” Trump predicted last month in a speech as he headlined the state GOP’s annual Lincoln Reagan fundraising dinner in St. Paul, Minnesota’s capital city.

The poll pointed to a significant enthusiasm gap, with 63% of Trump supporters saying they were “very enthusiastic” about casting a ballot for their candidate, compared to 31% of voters backing the president.

Eight hundred registered voters in Minnesota were surveyed in the poll, with an overall sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

TRUMP SWING THROUGH BLUE BASTION PAYS OFF AS HE TAPS POLITICAL ATM

Seven crucial swing states that decided the 2020 election (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which were narrowly won by Biden, and North Carolina, which Trump carried by a razor-thin margin) will likely once again in the 2024 rematch. But both campaigns see opportunities to expand the map.

At a closed-door Republican National Committee retreat for top-dollar donors earlier this spring at a resort in Palm Beach, Florida, senior Trump campaign advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita and veteran pollster Tony Fabrizio spotlighted internal surveys that suggested both “Minnesota & Virginia are clearly in play.”

“In both states, Donald Trump finds himself in positions to flip key electoral votes in his favor,” the survey, which was shared with Fox News, emphasizes. 

And both states have sizable populations of rural White voters without college degrees who disproportionately support the former president.

President Biden delivers remarks at the Kempsville Recreation Center on Feb. 28, 2023, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Biden’s campaign disagrees that either Minnesota or Virginia are up for grabs.

While noting that they are “not taking any state or any vote for granted,” Biden campaign battleground states director Dan Kanninen told reporters last month that “we don’t see polls that are six or seven months out from a general election, head-to-head numbers certainly, as any more predictive than a weather report is six or seven months out.”

Kanninen highlighted that the campaign has teams on the ground in both states engaging voters.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS BIDEN-TRJMP POLL IN VIRGINIA SHOWS 

“We feel strongly the Biden-Harris coalition in both Minnesota and Virginia, which has been strong in the midterms and off-year elections, will continue to be strong for us in the fall of 2024,” he added.

And Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt, pointing to the president’s current fundraising dominance and ground-game advantage in the key battlegrounds, argued that “Trump’s team has so little campaign or infrastructure to speak of they’re resorting to leaking memos that say ‘the polls we paid for show us winning.'” 

But the latest Fox News poll in Virginia indicated Biden and Trump are deadlocked in Virginia. 

The survey, conducted June 1-4, showed the Democratic president and his Republican predecessor in the White House each with 48% support in a head-to-head match.

In a multi-candidate race, Biden stands at 42% and Trump at 41%, with Democrat-turned-independent Kennedy at 9% and Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent Cornel West each at 2%.

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It’s been two decades since a Republican carried Virginia in the race for the White House. 

You have to go back to President George W. Bush, who won the commonwealth in his 2004 re-election victory.

“Let’s just begin by remembering where we were in 2020 when Joe Biden won Virginia by 10 points, and the fact that we’re having this discussion is a huge turn of events,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said last week in a Fox News Digital interview in New Orleans, as he attended a Republican Governors Association (RGA) conference.

Youngkin emphasized that “we’re here in June and there’s still a lot of water to go under the bridge, but Virginia looks like it’s in play and that’s pretty exciting.”

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

Former President Trump will be in the nation’s capital on Thursday visiting both House and Senate Republicans, Fox News Digital has learned.

Trump will be at the Capitol Hill Club that morning, a popular members-only haunt for House Republicans, three sources familiar with planning told Fox News Digital.

An invitation sent to senior House GOP aides on Tuesday morning and obtained by Fox News Digital shows that Trump is coming on a joint invitation from House leadership – Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.

Meanwhile, Senate GOP Conference Chair John Barrasso’s office confirmed to Fox News Digital on Monday evening that Trump will also be addressing Republicans in the upper chamber on Thursday.

ABC’S STEPHANOPOULOS CLAIMS AIRING TRUMP INTERVIEWS LIVE IS ‘JOURNALISTIC MALPRACTICE’

Former President Trump is meeting with congressional Republicans on Thursday. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

“I’ve invited President Trump to meet with members of our Republican Conference,” Barrasso wrote to fellow Senate Republicans in a message obtained by Fox News Digital. “I believe it will be helpful to hear directly from President Trump about his plans for the summer and to also share our ideas for a strategic governing agenda in 2025.”

It’s not immediately clear when that meeting will take place, but a source familiar with planning told Fox News Digital it would be at the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) headquarters. 

Trump’s meeting location with House Republicans is traditionally their favored spot when discussing political issues.

DEMOCRATS ‘FEAR’ THIS POSSIBLE TRUMP VP PICK WHO ‘COULD SPELL THE END FOR BIDEN’: INSIDERS

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is an ally of former President Trump. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

House GOP leaders have been almost completely in lockstep with Trump since Johnson took the speaker’s gavel in late October, with multiple people previously telling Fox News Digital that Johnson keeps Trump in the loop before announcing major House agenda items.

Trump has a markedly different relationship with the Senate’s top Republican, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., whose public relationship with Trump ruptured in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Like other GOP congressional leaders, however, McConnell is endorsing Trump for re-election this November.

TRUMP RILES UP FIERY SWING STATE CROWD IN FIRST RALLY SINCE NEW YORK CONVICTION

Senate GOP Conference Chair John Barrasso invited Trump to speak to his chamber. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trump’s visit comes as he continues to both shape his own presidential re-election and GOP races across the country. 

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After meeting with congressional Republicans on Thursday, Trump will have another sitdown with Johnson and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., on Monday, a source familiar with planning told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital reached out to spokespeople for Trump, Johnson and McConnell for comment.

WILMINGTON, Del. – First son Hunter Biden was found guilty on all charges in his historic criminal case focused on his purchase of a firearm in 2018. 

Hunter Biden faced a trial this month that lasted more than a week and included emotional testimony from members of his family, including daughter Naomi Biden, ex-wife Kathleen Buhle and sister-in-law turned girlfriend, Hallie Biden. 

Prosecutors worked to prove that Hunter Biden lied on a federal firearm form, known as ATF Form 4473, in October 2018 when he ticked a box labeled “No” when asked if he is an unlawful user of a firearm or addicted to controlled substances. Hunter Biden purchased the gun from a store called StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply in Wilmington.

Hunter Biden departs from federal court, Tuesday, June 4, 2024, in Wilmington, Del.  (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Hunter Biden faced charges of making a false statement in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.

HUNTER BIDEN TRIAL ENTERS DAY 5 AFTER TESTIMONY FROM SISTER-IN-LAW-TURNED-GIRLFRIEND: ‘PANICKED’

He pleaded not guilty in the case.

After the verdict was read, Hunter Biden was seen smiling in the courtroom. He did not show signs of emotion, but hugged his attorney Abbe Lowell and other members of his defense team. Hunter Biden kissed his wife and walked out of the courtroom. 

His uncle, James Biden, appeared to look angry or upset. 

Special Counsel David Weiss, who brought the charges against the first son, was not sitting in the courtroom when the verdict was read. 

First Lady Jill Biden also was not in the courtroom for the verdict. 

Hunter Biden has a well-documented history of drug abuse, which was most notably documented in his 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things,” which walks readers through his previous need to smoke crack cocaine every 20 minutes, how his addiction was so prolific that he referred to himself as a “crack daddy” to drug dealers, and anecdotes revolving around drug deals, such as a Washington, D.C., crack dealer Biden nicknamed “Bicycles.”

His defense team, led by attorney Abbe Lowell, did not dispute Hunter Biden’s long history with substance abuse, which also includes an addiction to alcohol, instead arguing that on the day Hunter Biden purchased the Cobra Colt .38, he did not consider himself an active drug addict, citing the first son’s sting in rehab ahead of the October 2018 purchase. 

A court sketch depicts Naomi Biden’s testimony during Hunter Biden’s federal trial in Wilmington, Delaware on Friday, June 7, 2024. (William J. Hennessy Jr.)

Prosecutors, however, argued that Hunter Biden’s addiction to crack cocaine occurred both before, during and after the purchase of the handgun. Just one day after the gun purchase, prosecutors showed the court, Hunter Biden texted Hallie Biden that he was “waiting for a dealer named Mookie.” A day after that text, he texted that he was “sleeping on a car smoking crack on 4th Street and Rodney” in Wilmington. 

HUNTER BIDEN TRIAL ENTERS DAY 4 AFTER WILD TESTIMONY FROM EXES ON RAMPANT DRUG USE, TRASHED HOTEL ROOMS

The verdict marks an end to the whirlwind and at times emotional trial. Last week, Hunter Biden’s defense team called his daughter, Naomi Biden, to the witness stand, with the first son appearing to dab his eyes when his daughter first walked into the courtroom. 

The first granddaughter, who told the court she was “nervous” amid the testimony, told the court that she was aware of her father’s addiction to drugs but said she had never witnessed him use drugs, namely crack cocaine. 

Naomi Biden walked the court through a California trip she took in August 2018 to visit her father amid his stint at a rehab facility. She said she met with Hunter Biden, his sober coach, alongside her then-boyfriend and eventual husband, Peter Neal, for lunch at a coffee shop, noting she was proud of her father for his work on getting sober. 

HUNTER BIDEN TRIAL ENTERS 3RD DAY WITH CROSS-EXAMINATION OF FBI AGENT

A court sketch depicts Naomi Biden’s testimony during Hunter Biden’s federal trial in Wilmington, Delaware on Friday, June 7, 2024. (William J. Hennessy Jr.)

The trial also included testimony from Hallie Biden, Beau Biden’s widow, who began a romantic relationship with her brother-in-law, Hunter Biden, in 2015. Hallie Biden, who testified under immunity, walked the jury through the rise and fall of their relationship, including when she first discovered crack at her home and had to google what the substance was because she had never seen it before. Biden first introduced her to crack, which she also smoked before becoming sober in August 2018, she told the court. 

“It was a terrible experience I went through, and I was embarrassed and ashamed. … I regret that period of my life,” Hallie Biden told the court on Thursday about her use of crack cocaine. 

The widowed mother of two was joined in court by her husband, John Hopkins Anning, whom she married the weekend prior to testifying. 

‘LIKE A SON’: FORMER TOP BIDEN ADVISER WITH DEEP BUSINESS TIES TO CHINA SPOTTED INSIDE HUNTER BIDEN GUN TRIAL

Biden’s ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, also delivered short testimony toward the start of the trial. She told the court that she first discovered her then-husband’s crack cocaine addiction in 2015, when she found a crack pipe on the side porch of their home in Washington, D.C. The couple was married for more than 20 years — divorcing in 2017 — and share three adult daughters. 

Hunter Biden’s former wife, Kathleen Buhle, departs the federal courthouse after taking the stand during the trial of Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, on criminal gun charges in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., June 5, 2024.  (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

The first son was joined in court by family, friends and Biden family allies each day in court, most notably by his stepmother, first lady Jill Biden, as well as Biden’s sister Ashley Biden and President Biden’s sister, Valerie Biden. Hunter Biden was also joined by his second wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, to whom he was drawn to like a magnet when court broke for lunch or other pauses, often taking her hand as they left court. 

HUNTER BIDEN’S WIFE LASHES OUT AT FORMER TRUMP AIDE DURING COURT APPEARANCE: ‘PIECE OF S—‘

Hunter Biden, left, arrives with his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, at federal court, Tuesday, June 4, 2024, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Jill Biden skipped one day of the trial to fly to Normandy, France, to join President Biden for events commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day and also notably missed her former daughter-in-law Kathleen Buhle’s testimony earlier in the week. 

First lady Jill Biden arrives ahead of Hunter Biden’s trial in federal court, Monday, June 3, 2024, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Biden was attentive and engaged throughout his trial, taking notes, examining evidence presented in court, and surveying jurors throughout the day, most notably when they walked in and out of court for breaks. 

The trial focused on Biden’s Oct. 12, 2018 purchase of the firearm at StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply, when prosecutors argued that Biden lied on the federal form that he was not using or addicted to drugs. The firearm remained in his possession for 11 days before Hallie Biden discovered it in the console of his Ford pickup truck and threw it away in a public trashcan outside a grocery market in Wilmington. Hallie Biden testified that she regretted tossing the firearm and did so when she was in a “panicked” state and worried that Biden would use the firearm to hurt himself or others. 

HUNTER BIDEN’S DRUG USE: WHAT THE PROSECUTION NEEDS TO PROVE AND WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW

In addition to family members, the court heard from the man who found the gun in the trash can, as well as experts from the FBI and DEA who testified on bank statements showing Biden withdrawing thousands of dollars in cash, how trace amounts of cocaine were discovered on a pouch containing the gun when Hallie Biden tossed it away, the meaning behind drug slang, and even how crack cocaine is cooked. 

Zoe Kestan, former girlfriend of Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, departs the federal court after testifying in Hunter Biden’s trial on criminal gun charges in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., June 5, 2024.  (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

Amid the trial, the jury also heard extensive testimony from Biden’s ex-girlfriend, Zoe Kestan, who met the president’s son at a gentleman’s club in New York City when she was just three years out of college, and he was 48 years old. 

“He would want to smoke the second he woke up,” Kestan testified last Wednesday. 

HUNTER BIDEN TRIAL: 9 KEY FIGURES WHO MAY TESTIFY

Kestan, who also testified under immunity, described Hunter Biden as “charming and charismatic” when they first met in 2017 after he booked a private room at the strip club for 30 minutes. Noting that after they sparked a relationship, she didn’t notice a drastic change in his behavior when he smoked crack cocaine. 

An evidence photo presented by the prosecution shows an image of Hunter Biden on April 11, 2018. (U.S. Government Exhibit)

“I didn’t notice it. Sometimes I think that’s because I was catching feelings for him,” she told the court. 

US V HUNTER BIDEN: OPENING STATEMENTS TO BEGIN IN FIRST SON’S FEDERAL GUN TRIAL AFTER JURY SEATED

Kestan said their whirlwind relationship was a “distraction” for Biden, as he allegedly smoked less when they were hidden away, sometimes for days at a time, in ritzy hotel rooms such as New York City’s Four Seasons or in a bungalow at Los Angeles’ Chateau Marmont. 

An evidence photo presented by the prosecution  shows Hunter Biden posing with Zoe Keagan on March 26, 2018. (U.S. Government Exhibit)

Accompanying Kestan’s testimony were photos depicting crack pipes in hotel rooms often sitting next to bottles of liquor or beer, a photo of a bare-chested Hunter Biden in a bubble bath with Kestan and a screenshot of a FaceTime video showing Biden’s back tattoo that resembled claw marks. The jurors were told amid Kestan’s remarks that Biden learned how to cook crack cocaine, and they were shown a photo of baking soda in one hotel room used to cook cocaine into crack. 

Witness testimony at times became tense, including when a former gun shop employee, Jason Turner, took the stand. Turner was working the day Hunter Biden purchased the gun and ran his background check. He delivered blunt answers to the defense team on Friday, appearing annoyed and defensive as Lowell peppered him with questions regarding the sequence of events surrounding when Hunter Biden picked out the firearm on Oct. 12. 

An evidence photo presented by the prosecution  shows the gun that Hunter Biden purchased. (U.S. Government Exhibit)

“You’re not understanding how gun shop life is,” Turner told Lowell at one point, referring to how people who frequent gun shops often spend time talking sports or just visiting with employees. 

HUNTER BIDEN’S CRIMINAL TRIAL ON FEDERAL GUN CHARGES BEGINS WITH JURY SELECTION

Lowell and Turner often spoke over each other, with presiding Judge Maryellen Noreika jumping in to tell Turner to let Lowell finish his questions before answering. Noreika joked that, otherwise, the court’s stenographer gets “mad” at her for the inability to record both parties’ comments. 

Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden, arrive at the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 6, 2024 in Wilmington, Delaware. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“Be mad at me,” Turner quipped to the court stenographer, eliciting a few chuckles in court. 

“He’s been mad at me the whole trial,” Lowell lightheartedly said in response. 

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The case marks the first in the nation’s history that a sitting president’s child was put on trial. 

President Biden, last week, said he would not pardon his son if convicted. 

Fox News’ David Spunt and Jake Gibson contributed to this report. 

The New Jersey Attorney General’s Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control is reviewing the liquor licenses at properties owned by former President Donald Trump.

The Alcoholic Beverage Control division (ABC) is considering whether Trump’s recent felony conviction violates a clause in the state law that restricts licenses based on criminal history.

“ABC is reviewing the impact of President Trump’s conviction on the above referenced licenses, and declines further comment at this time,” the Attorney General Matthew Platkin’s office told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

CRUCIAL PRIMARY RACES TO BE DECIDED TUESDAY, SETTING UP FIGHT FOR BALANCE OF POWER

Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York City after being found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)

According to New Jersey state law, “No license of any class shall be issued to any person under the age of 18 years or to any person who has been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude.”

Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in a New York City court on May 30, but that appears to have had little effect on his level of support.

TRUMP GOLF COURSE LIQUOR LICENSE TARGETED IN NEW JERSEY AFTER 2015 FATAL CRASH: REPORTS

A view of the entrance to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster Township, New Jersey.  (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The liquor licenses at the Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck, Trump National Golf Club Pine Hill, and the Lamington Farm Club are all implicated in the review.

Former Attorney General of New Jersey Gurbir Grewal tried to pull the liquor license from Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck in 2019, citing a fatal car accident caused by an intoxicated driver leaving the club.

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Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump greets fans upon arrival at his campaign rally at Sunset Park in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The case ultimately resulted in the club paying approximately $400,000 to the ABC and restricting the availability of alcohol on the premises to specific areas.

Fox News Digital’s Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.

The Justice Department is pushing back on allegations that it colluded with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in the prosecution of former President Trump, writing in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee that the claims are “conspiratorial speculation” and “completely baseless.” 

Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte sent the letter, which was obtained by Fox News, to Committee Chairman Jim Jordan late Monday, less than two weeks after a jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. 

“The Committee has demanded information from the Department because of what you describe as a ‘perception that the Justice Department is’ behind the District Attorney’s so-called ‘politicized prosecution’ and a ‘perception that the Biden Justice Department is politicized and weaponized’ to that end,” Uriarte wrote in response to an April 30 letter than Jordan sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland. 

“The Department does not generally make extensive efforts to rebut conspiratorial speculation, including to avoid the risk of lending it credibility,” Uriarte added. “However, consistent with the Attorney General’s commitment to transparency, the Department has taken extraordinary steps to confirm what was already clear: there is no basis for these false claims.” 

NEW DOCUMENTS SHOW BRAGG SPENT $1 MILLION ON ATTORNEYS TO ADDRESS HOUSE PROBE OF TRUMP CASE DURING CITY BUDGET CUTS 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks to the media after a jury found former President Donald Trump guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records on Thursday, May 30, 2024, in New York.  (AP/Seth Wenig)

Jordan had written in April that “New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg is engaged in one such politicized prosecution, which is being led in part by Matthew B. Colangelo, a former senior Justice Department official.”  

“Bragg hired Mr. Colangelo to ‘jump-start’ his office’s investigation of President Trump, reportedly due to Mr. Colangelo’s ‘history of taking on Donald J. Trump and his family business.’ Mr. Colangelo is now a lead prosecutor in President Trump’s trial,” Jordan said at the time, requesting certain communications from Colangelo and other Justice Department officials. 

MANHATTAN DA ALVIN BRAGG AGREES TO TESTIFY IN HOUSE GOP PROBE, BUT NOT ON THEIR TIMETABLE 

Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump, attends his criminal trial at the New York State Supreme Court in New York, New York, on Wednesday, May, 29.  (Doug Mills/Pool via REUTERS)

But Uriarte said the Justice Department conducted a “comprehensive search for email communications since January 20, 2021, through the date of the verdict, between any officials in Department leadership, including all political appointees in those offices, and the District Attorney’s office regarding any investigation or prosecution of the former President” — including through Colangelo’s email account — and “found none.” 

“This is unsurprising,” Uriarte told Jordan. “The District Attorney’s office is a separate entity from the Department. The Department does not supervise the work of the District Attorney’s office, does not approve its charging decisions, and does not try its cases. The Department has no control over the District Attorney, just as the District Attorney has no control over the Department. The Committee knows this.” 

Uriarte also said that the “self-justifying ‘perception’ asserted by the Committee is completely baseless” and that “accusations of wrongdoing made without — and in fact contrary to — evidence undermine confidence in the justice system and have contributed to increased threats of violence and attacks on career law enforcement officials and prosecutors.” 

Attorney General Merrick Garland testifies during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Department of Justice, on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington.  (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

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 “Our extraordinary efforts to respond to your speculation should put it to rest,” he said. 

Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.

RENO, Nev. – The brutal Republican primary in one major swing state is finally coming to an end as voters head to the polls Tuesday to determine which candidate will face off against what is expected to be a tough Democrat incumbent.

Former U.S. Army Capt. Sam Brown and former President Trump official Dr. Jeffrey Gunter traded blow after blow in the weeks leading up to the Nevada primary as each sought to paint themselves as the true “America First” candidate in the race. 

Both fought — publicly and privately — for former President Trump’s endorsement, a battle Brown, an Afghanistan war veteran who underwent a catastrophic injury while deployed in 2008, ultimately won with a last minute weigh-in by the presumptive Republican presidential nominee on Sunday.

WATCH: TRUMP RALLYGOERS REVEAL WHO THEY WANT AS VICE PRESIDENT

Former U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Jeff Gunter, left, and former U.S. Army Capt. Sam Brown. (State Department, Sam Brown for Nevada)

Gunter, however, hopes his “MAGA” messaging since the launch of his campaign last year, as well as his service to Trump as his ambassador to Iceland, will propel him to a surprise, come-from-behind victory.

The winner will likely face the daunting task of taking on Democrat Sen. Jacky Rosen and the well-financed operation her party hopes will keep the Silver State firmly blue in a year when Republicans are expected to perform well across the country.

Polling on the race has been sparse, with both Gunter and Brown each touting their own internal polls as evidence they hold the advantage.

TRUMP RILES UP FIERY SWING STATE CROWD IN FIRST RALLY SINCE NEW YORK CONVICTION

Former President Trump points to the teleprompter and says it is not working, as he speaks during a campaign rally at Sunset Park in Las Vegas on June 9, 2024. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Gunter has largely funded his own campaign, but Brown has had the backing of national Republicans who see him as the best chance to flip the seat. That backing appears to be what ultimately pulled Trump to his corner, making him the widely viewed favorite to win the race.

Brown also has the backing of Nevada’s popular Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, a figure who largely stays out of the spotlight and rarely weighs in such instances of increased national attention.

Gunter has picked up his own set of high profile endorsements in the race, including Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., as well as former Republican Congressman and New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin.

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Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) waits to speak during a groundbreaking ceremony at the Brightline West Las Vegas station on April 22, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Brown and Gunter are facing a crowded primary field that includes former state Rep. Jim Marchant and veteran Air Force pilot Tony Grady. Rosen faces no serious opposition in her primary.

Democrats currently hold a slim 51-49 majority in the Senate, and the Nevada race is being viewed as a top flip opportunity for Republicans, along with races in West Virginia, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Maryland and Arizona.

Polls in Nevada are open from 7:00 a.m. PT to 7:00 p.m. PT.

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

President Biden appeared to freeze during a Juneteenth celebration at the White House on Monday.

Biden, 81, was filmed standing still as stone while those around him, including Vice President Kamala Harris, clapped and danced to a concert featuring gospel singer Kirk Franklin. 

Video shows Biden staring blankly and not moving an inch for about 30 seconds before Philonise Floyd — the brother of George Floyd, whose murder triggered nationwide riots in 2020 — noticed the president and put his arm around him. Biden then smiles as Floyd leans in to say something, and they bump fists after exchanging a few words.

Biden, center, during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 10, 2024. In 2021, Biden signed legislation establishing Juneteenth as the nation’s newest Federal holiday. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Why isn’t Biden moving?” the Republican National Committee’s rapid response account questioned on X. 

“Lights are on but no one’s home,” the Trump campaign posted.

This is a developing story and will be updated. 

EXCLUSIVE: Findings from more than 100 pages of documents gleaned through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request revealed that the prosecutor in NY v. Trump spent $1 million to respond to congressional oversight of his prosecution at a time New York City officials were demanding across-the-board budget cuts.

Documents procured through litigation by the Oversight Project, a good-government transparency arm of the Heritage Foundation, showed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office sent an April 2023 interoffice memo announcing a $1 million appropriation for outside counsel.

According to the memo, the funds came from a 2019 settlement with a financial institution that was accused of illegally transacting with nations subject to U.S. sanctions.

“Due to this unanticipated need, $1,000,000 will be made available for this matter from the DANY Deficit Project under the UniCredit subfund,” the memo read.

BRAGG VIOLATED TRUMP’S 6TH AMENDMENT RIGHTS: LEGAL EXPERT

The document also referenced an attached “engagement letter” signed with the high-powered Los Angeles-based Gibson Dunn law firm, and the packet also included an approved waiver from the New York City Conflict of Interest Board to permit a Bragg counsel to participate in the case despite a familial connection to a Gibson Dunn attorney.

Another piece of the document tranche said Bragg indicated it would be in the best interests of the office to hire outside counsel to respond to congressional inquiry from Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and others at the time. 

Of five law firms that were apparently solicited, only Gibson Dunn was immediately available, according to the findings.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has approved the use of funds received as part of the 2019 UniCredit settlement to be used toward retaining outside counsel tied to a congressional inquiry into the investigation and prosecution of a confidential investigation division case.

The email then references an attached engagement letter signed by Bragg with Gibson Dunn and documents referenced Bragg’s office’s awareness of the trio of House committees looking into his investigation of former President Trump.

BILL CLINTON’S EX-POLLSTER BLASTS TRUMP INDICTMENT

On April 4, 2023, around the time of the actions indicated in the trove of documents, New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a citywide directive to cut $1 billion over the following four years. New York did then and continues to face dueling crises of crime, slowing economic growth and a migrant influx.

All agencies were to enact plans to cut 4% from their budgets, according to a memo obtained by the New York Post at the time. By November, the budget cuts had affected school and library programs and somewhat lowered the rolls of the NYPD, according to the New York Times.

The findings of the FOIA request suggest Bragg should, instead of prosecuting Trump, be “arresting himself,” said attorney Mike Howell, the Oversight Project’s executive director, in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“It speaks to the fact that Bragg had to go outside [the district attorney’s office] for this sort of work; very similar to how he had to have [prosecutor Matthew] Colangelo come down from DOJ.”

In an exchange with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., during a House hearing last week, Attorney General Merrick Garland repeatedly denied he or the Justice Department dispatched Colangelo to New York or had anything to do with the latter taking a prominent role in Trump’s prosecution.

Howell further criticized the timing of Bragg’s $1 million allocation, saying it was done at a time when his city was “deteriorating into a third-world urban area.”

“It shows the highest focus of this unique kind of ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach as applied to President Trump, while they have just degeneracy, deviancy and crime in their streets,” he said.

Howell said the documents his organization obtained are, however, only the first shoe likely to drop in the Oversight Project’s focus on Bragg’s office’s behavior and that future FOIA hearings are on the docket in coming days and weeks. His one focus will be on alleged “voluminous communications” between Bragg’s office and “Washington, D.C., political operatives” about which a hearing was held last Tuesday.

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“You have [Adams] telling folks to cut back and focus on crime problems, and then you have a DA spending more and focusing on political persecution as New York City goes to hell,” he said.

The documents also depict an environment where the political left is expending much more resources to prosecute Trump than the right is to defend the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Howell said.

“I mean, they were willing to cut that check immediately to a high-priced law firm to dispense with the inquiries from Chairman Jordan, which they did. Chairman Jordan’s office didn’t really lay a glove on him.”

However, as of Saturday, the Associated Press reported Bragg appeared to agree to testify before what the outlet predicted to be a “hostile” subcommittee hearing. The AP reported Jordan requested Bragg’s presence at a June 13 hearing, but the prosecutor’s office needed a new date and asked for more information on the “scope and purpose” of the hearing. 

The outlet further predicted any hearing would take place beyond Trump’s scheduled July sentencing.

One of Howell’s hopes in his organization procuring the documents is that it will lead Congress to double its efforts to fight ongoing “lawfare” on the left and offered one reported example that House Republicans could access “reserve funds” from the now-defunct House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack to appropriately resource such efforts.

Attorney Mike Davis, a former chief nominations counsel for Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who oversaw floor votes for such key nominations as Justice Brett Kavanaugh, called the findings a true “scandal.”

“Instead of spending money fighting real crime in New York City, Alvin Bragg and Matthew Colangelo weaponized and politicized the DA’s office to get Trump and line the pockets of their allies,” said Davis, now president of the Article III Project, an organization coined from Article III of the Constitution that aims to forward originalism in its advice on federal judicial nominees.

Davis further criticized Bragg’s office for hiring “one of the most expensive law firms in the world to fight a legitimate congressional subpoena.”

Neither Bragg’s office nor Gibson Dunn responded to requests for comment.