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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s Office used former President Trump’s defense team’s own words in arguing against their push to have Judge Juan Merchan recused from the hush-money case amid new allegations that Merchan’s daughter is financially benefiting as a result of the case through her work as a Democratic political consultant. 

Trump’s lawyers, Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles, argued in a pre-trial motion on Monday that Merchan’s daughter, Loren Merchan, works as an executive and partner at Authentic Campaigns, Inc., and financially benefits from the case and upcoming trial against Trump that her father oversees.  

Despite the new information coming to light, Bragg’s assistant district attorneys asserted in a letter of their own filed on Tuesday that Trump has “identified no changed circumstances” that warrant revisiting the court’s prior order on August 11, 2023, denying the defendant’s earlier motion for recusal. 

Merchan on Wednesday also separately denied Trump’s request to have the upcoming trial delayed until the Supreme Court rules on his presidential immunity.

The assistant district attorneys rejected Trump’s argument that “Authentic has used social media to market its connections to President Biden and Vice President Harris while deriding President Trump.” 

“Even assuming that this claim is true, it merely reiterates defendant’s earlier argument based on Authentic’s client list,” Bragg’s office wrote. “This Court and the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics have already determined that such a claim provides no basis for recusal.”

NEW YORK JUDGE IN HUSH-MONEY TRIAL REJECTS TRUMP’S REQUEST FOR DELAY UNTIL AFTER SCOTUS RULES ON IMMUNITY

In August 2023, the court said that Trump had presented only “speculative and hypothetical scenarios,” but the former president’s lawyers argued Monday that those scenarios “have come to pass” as Trump has advanced since then to become the presumptive GOP nominee for president in 2024. 

“Authentic and Your Honor’s daughter are making money by supporting the creation and dissemination of campaign advocacy for President Trump’s opponent, political rivals, and the Democrat party,” Trump’s defense said. “It can no longer be ignored that Authentic’s commercial interests are benefitted by developments in this case that harm President Trump’s penal interests and divert his efforts from running his leading campaign for the presidency by requiring him to prepare and sit for trial during the general election.” 

Citing filings with the Federal Election Commission, Trump’s attorneys argued that “Authentic has received millions of dollars in disbursements from entities associated with President Trump’s political rivals since the Indictment was returned” and “some of those funds were paid to Authentic by entities associated with legislators and PACs that have used email and/or social media to solicit contributions specifically based on this case.” Thus, they claimed, “there is strong evidence that Authentic has used this case to make money” and “those benefits and the ongoing financial interest cannot be ignored.” 

HOUSE GOP CHAIR DEMANDS TRUMP HUSH-MONEY JUDGE RECUSE HIMSELF AFTER LATEST GAG ORDER, CLAIMS ‘JUDICIAL BIAS’

But Bragg’s team cited that language in pushing back on Tuesday, writing, “defendant’s own careful wording reveals the multiple attenuated factual leaps here that undercut any direct connection between Authentic and this case: Authentic has received money from ‘entities’; those entities are ‘associated with’ politicians; and those politicians have raised money based on this case.” 

“This daisy chain of innuendos is a far cry from evidence that this Court has ‘a direct, personal, substantial or pecuniary interest in reaching a particular conclusion,’” the assistant district attorneys wrote. “There is simply nothing new here that would alter this Court’s prior conclusion that nothing about this proceeding will directly benefit Authentic or this Court’s family member, let alone this Court.” 

Trump’s team also criticized the court for making “extrajudicial comments about the case” despite Merchan issuing a gag order and subsequent extension that prevent the presumptive Republican nominee “from engaging in protected campaign speech.” 

Namely, Trump’s team took issue with the court using the Office of Court Administration to issue a statement relating to an X account used at some point by Merchan’s daughter. 

“As public scrutiny on these issues increased, the account in question appears to have been closed to the public. So too has Authentic’s X account, thereby limiting President Trump’s ability to investigate these issues,” they wrote. 

They cited the Associated Press having quoted a court spokesperson stating that Merchan’s daughter no longer owned an X account that appeared to have recently shared a photo of the former Republican president behind bars. Hitting back, Bragg’s office wrote, “To the extent defendant intends to seek recusal based on the cited article, such a request would be a frivolous and vexatious effort to further waste the Court’s time.” 

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The prosecution said that Trump “fails to note that—aside from acknowledging ‘intense’ preparation the article reports that ‘Merchan wouldn’t talk about the case’” and “does not report that the Court was talking about this case when the Court reportedly said ‘There’s no agenda here. We want to follow the law.’” 

Bragg’s team added that “even if the Court did have this case in mind, expressing a broad commitment to impartiality is very obviously not a prohibited ‘comment about a pending or impending proceeding,’ and is not a basis for recusal.”

President Biden led former President Donald Trump by just two points in a new poll of Pennsylvania registered voters, despite the enduring belief of many that he is too old to serve as chief executive for another term. 

Biden pulled ahead of Trump in a new Franklin & Marshall Poll released on Thursday, winning with Pennsylvania voters 42% to 40%. 

Pennsylvania is one of the critical battleground states that is expected to help determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. The state was notably won by Trump in 2016 but then swung back to Democrats to help Biden win in 2020. Biden took the state in the last election by less than two points. 

GOP SENATE HOPEFUL RAKES IN $2.2 MILLION TO TAKE ON DEM INCUMBENT IN SWING-STATE NEVADA

Illustrating the close race, a separate survey from The Wall Street Journal showed Trump ahead of Biden in six of the seven key battleground states, including Pennsylvania. Trump also defeated his opponent in Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina.

While he managed to surpass Trump in the Franklin & Marshall poll, Biden still faced a significant portion of Pennsylvanians who say he is “too old,” at 81, to carry out a second term. By the end of a potential second term, Biden would be 86. 

VULNERABLE NEVADA DEMOCRAT TOUTS BIPARTISANSHIP DESPITE VOTING WITH BIDEN 99% OF TIME

Four in 10 registered voters in Pennsylvania agreed Biden’s age was too advanced to serve a second term. This number has remained steady in Franklin & Marshall’s surveying since October 2023. An additional 40% said age is an issue for both of the candidates’ abilities to serve another term. 

Only 6% of respondents said Trump is “too old.” The former president is 77. 

“With just 35% job approval, Joe Biden is floundering in his home state of Pennsylvania,” said Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt in a statement to Fox News Digital, referencing the approval rating reported by the poll. 

MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL POISED TO PRESSURE THESE VULNERABLE SENATE DEMS

“Between higher gas prices, surging crime, and failed Democrat policies crushing families at every corner, it’s no wonder that Pennsylvanians across the commonwealth are increasingly rejecting the failed Biden agenda and supporting President Trump,” she added. 

While voters said Trump was a better choice to handle the economy over Biden, the president managed to sustain his advantage over Trump on questions of trustworthiness and character. 

The survey also showed Biden’s margin expanding in a one-on-one match-up with Trump. In such a scenario, Biden garnered 48% to Trump’s 38%, extending his two-point lead to 10. According to the poll, the change in Biden’s margin when third-party candidates are included is “because support for the president declines among registered Democrats as more of them opt for a third-party candidate.”

Democratic National Committee spokesperson Matt Corridoni told Fox News Digital that the poll was “more proof” that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is being set up “to be a spoiler in this race.”

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION RULE MAKES FIRING FEDERAL WORKERS HARDER AS TRUMP PROMISES ‘DEEP STATE’ REVAMP

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Despite Biden’s increased odds in a two-man race, it’s unlikely that such a race would play out in the Keystone State. Several prominent people have launched campaigns for the White House in 2024, including Kennedy, as an independent; Jill Stein on the Green Party’s ticket; and Cornel West as an independent. 

Kennedy’s campaign website lists its effort to achieve ballot access in Pennsylvania as “in progress” with months until the state’s August filing deadline. 

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

• Kristin Lyerly, an obstetrician and gynecologist from De Pere, Wisconsin, is running to represent the state’s eighth congressional district.
• Lyerly joins two Republicans — state Sen. Andre Jacque and former state Sen. Roger Roth — in her bid for the seat currently held by Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher. Pro-Trump political consultant Alex Bruesewitz is also expected to join the race in the near future.
• The district, which stretches from the Door Peninsula to the Menominee Reservation, encompasses the cities of Green Bay and Appleton. Republicans generally win it comfortably.

A doctor who performs abortions became the first Democratic candidate in Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District on Thursday, entering the race for the open seat created after the surprise retirement of Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher.

Kristin Lyerly, an obstetrician and gynecologist, launched her candidacy two weeks before Gallagher plans to step down. Because of the timing of his resignation, there will be no special election.

For now, Lyerly is unopposed in the Democratic primary to be decided Aug. 13. Democrats fielded no candidate in the 2022 election.

GOP WISCONSIN LAWMAKER ANNOUNCES RUN FOR MIKE GALLAGHER’S HOUSE SEAT

Two Republicans, state Sen. Andre Jacque and former state Sen. Roger Roth, are running and a third is expected to get in the race next week. Republican consultant Alex Bruesewitz planned to make an announcement Monday. Bruesewitz, 26, was born in Wisconsin but currently lives in Florida. He would have to move back to Wisconsin to run for the seat.

Lyerly made clear that she would make abortion a central issue in the race.

Lyerly was one of the plaintiffs in a Wisconsin lawsuit that succeeded in keeping abortions legal after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. She performed abortions across Wisconsin, but temporarily moved her practice to Minnesota after the Supreme Court’s ruling.

“As an OB/GYN, I have been attacked first hand by MAGA extremists targeting a woman’s right to make her own health choices,” Lyerly said in a statement. “I will work tirelessly to ensure that every woman in our state has access to reproductive care, including safe and legal abortions, essential services like maternity care, and mental health support.”

Gallagher was elected four times to serve northeast Wisconsin. His early departure leaves Republicans with a 217-213 majority in the House, meaning they cannot afford to lose more than one vote on a party-line vote.

Gallagher found himself at odds with former President Donald Trump and his supporters. He also angered fellow Republicans last month by refusing to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Jacque, Roth and Bruesewitz are all Trump supporters and oppose abortion.

The district is solidly Republican, but Democrats have vowed to make it competitive.

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Trump won the district by 16 points in 2020, even though he lost the state by less than a point to President Joe Biden. Gallagher won re-election three times by no fewer than 25 points. The district includes the cities of Appleton and Green Bay, Door County and covers mostly rural areas north through Marinette.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wants to dump House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. 

She authored a resolution to force the House to take a vote of no confidence in the speaker.

“I do not wish to inflict pain on our conference and to throw the House in chaos. But this is basically a warning,” said Greene. 

Greene railed at Johnson for negotiating spending bills with Democrats and forgoing the GOP’s internal rule, requiring 72 hours before voting on legislation.

I WANT MY MTV (MOTION TO VACATE): SPEAKER JOHNSON FACES POTENTIAL THREAT WHEN CONGRESS RETURNS

Greene might not succeed in her effort to topple Johnson. Especially since Republicans just tried this stunt in the fall.

“Johnson benefits from the terrible example that was set several months ago when (former House Speaker Kevin) McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted,” said David Cohen, a political scientist at the University of Akron. “It was utter chaos. The House was completely dysfunctional. I don’t know if there’s an appetite, even among those in the right flank of the Republican Party, to go through that process again.”

This is why many Republicans loathe a repeat of last fall’s pandemonium.

“This whole episode of removing speakers and threatening speakers does nobody any good except the Democrat Party,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said on Fox Business. 

This internecine fighting is partly what prompted some Republicans to quit early as Johnson tries to mend the threadbare GOP majority.

“We’ve got to unify when you have such a small majority,” Johnson implored on Fox. “I think people feel the gravity and the weight of this. The importance of it.”

But as the House Republican majority dwindles to a single vote, it wouldn’t take much for things to go haywire. Especially if Greene is intent on forcing her colleagues to vote on removing Johnson.

“The majority is so narrow that if a couple of Republicans don’t show up or decide not to vote, you could end up with the Democrats in charge of the House,” said Cohen. 

Former Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., left two weeks ago before his term expired in January.

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., planned to retire in January, but he’s out the door by mid-month.

If more GOP members make Irish exits, Johnson concedes a flip of power for the House of Representatives before the election isn’t out of the question. That would potentially earn House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., a promotion.

“Look, that’s a risk. But I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Johnson told Fox. “Hakeem is not going to be the speaker.”

But lawmakers are exasperated at the infighting. Mayhem gripped the House for months over various spending bills and multiple flirtations with potential government shutdowns. Scrapes over who should be House speaker test the patience of members.

“It’s absolutely possible that, before the end of the year is out, the Democrats may seize control of the House of Representatives,” said Cohen. 

So, lawmakers are struggling to figure things out.

“What you’re seeing is an inflection point for the institution,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. “And are we going to make this institution work again?”

Roy criticized Republican leaders on the spending bills. But he also flagged Republican colleagues who are willing to punt to the election and bank on former President Trump returning to the White House as a salve to the nation’s ills.

Roy wants Congress to legislate. And do it now.

“Why the hell are you in Congress? We’re actually supposed to be more important than the president of the United States. That’s why we’re Article One (of the Constitution). But we’re too chicken to use the power,” Roy excoriated during a floor speech. 

Roy’s not the only one perturbed about the House. Buck departed early because he was also incensed with his colleagues. But for different reasons. 

“I’m not comfortable with how this institution is structured,” said Buck. 

Buck was one of three House Republicans who bucked their party on the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Their resistance sunk impeachment on the first try. However, the GOP-controlled House took a mulligan and impeached Mayorkas a week later after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., returned from cancer treatments. 

SIMPLY ‘LIEBERMAN’: THE INDEPENDENT AND ENIGMATIC POLITICS OF THE LATE CONNECTICUT DEMOCRAT

Buck argued that Republicans abused impeachment. He’s suspicious about the motives of his former colleagues.

“A lot of them are here because they got here by throwing bombs. And they’re going to stay by throwing bombs,” said Buck.

Like Buck, Gallagher also opposed impeaching Mayorkas.

“It’s getting harder to get stuff done,” said Gallagher. “I think you see a lot of members frustrated with that.”

Gallagher says there’s one thing he won’t miss.

“Fundraising,” said Gallagher. “I hate fundraisers. It’s weird, and it dominates so much of people’s time here. And I think it takes away from the actual serious business of legislating.”

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). That’s the House GOP’s official campaign arm.

“When you see a lot of senior people with a lot of good experience leaving, you know, it’s still kind of disappointing,” said Hudson. 

But he notes that more Democrats are retiring than Republicans.

“We don’t have a single retirement in a competitive seat. Whereas the Democrats have more retirements than we do. And seven of their retirements are in seats that we’re going to pick up,” said Hudson. 

That might be the case in November. But what about now? And does Johnson cling to power?

Fox is told the House won’t put a Ukraine aid bill on the floor right away. It’s likely the House first tackles a reauthorization of Section 702 of FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Lawmakers from both sides demand significant reforms to protect Americans. 

Law enforcement and the intelligence community insist the program is essential to protect the U.S. But there are concerns that the government used Section 702 to eavesdrop on Americans. It’s only supposed to intercept communications of foreign nationals. The program goes dark April 19. So expect the House to wrestle with that before Ukraine. 

But if Johnson turns to Ukraine, does Greene lower the boom? 

It’s possible that Johnson survives – with the help of Democrats. Democrats either use Ukraine as leverage. Or as a way to secure some buy-in.

“He’s going to need to rely on Democrats for support,” said Cohen. “He’s going to have to cut some deals.”

Democrats didn’t help McCarthy survive last fall. But the calculus could be different for Johnson. Especially if Ukraine is involved.

If the House votes to remove the speaker, who knows who Republicans would tap to succeed him? Republicans burned through three other speaker candidates after they sidelined McCarthy. The tumult of another speaker vacancy would bubble over in the House. That means more members could bolt. That would spark an unprecedented level of chaos.

And you thought things were bad before.

It all hinges on Ukraine. 

And despite Greene’s efforts, she might fall short on both of her goals. 

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It’s about the math.

Johnson might have the votes to stay. And the House likely has more than 300 votes to approve a bill to assist Ukraine.

But the House may need to wade through another round of bedlam first. 

The Trump campaign issued a blistering response to Politico’s “false reporting” that China would prefer former President Trump back in the White House come November and is even aiding those efforts. 

“In Politico’s Nightly newsletter, Catherine Kim makes a harebrained assertion that China would prefer President Trump to return to the White House,” Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement released Wednesday evening. 

“The same President Trump who made China submit to pro-America trade and tariff regulations, called them out for exporting the Coronavirus that killed millions across the world, and stood tough against Chinese economic aggression throughout his first term.

“For a media outlet and its reporter to peddle lies and feature commentary from a ‘China expert’ named Rorry Daniels — who by the way is a Democrat donor — is laughable at best.”

TRUMP ROLLS OUT 2024 TRADE POLICY THAT WOULD ‘TAX CHINA TO BUILD UP AMERICA,’ REWARD US PRODUCERS

The campaign was responding to an article published in Politico Nightly titled “China’s 2024 election play,” which reported “geopolitical rivals could end up” helping Trump return to the White House. 

“Throughout Trump’s time in office, he talked tough on China, escalating a trade war between the two countries and reportedly launching a CIA campaign to sow distrust of China’s government among its citizens on social media. Ironically, China is now reportedly conducting a similar operation that could help Trump return to office,” the report states.

“Covert Chinese social media accounts have recently masqueraded as Trump supporters, sharing pro-MAGA memes and mocking President Joe Biden. Even if the goal is simply to deepen political division in the U.S., the Chinese accounts are helping amplify Trump’s agenda and feeding energy into the MAGA-sphere,” the article continued, citing a recent New York Times report. 

The Politico article relied on commentary from Rorry Daniels, managing director of the Asia Society Policy Institute, and Jacob Stokes, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, who previously worked in the White House when Biden served as vice president. The article reported that a “second Trump presidency could create strategic opportunities for China’s expansion plans” and that “Trump’s willingness to be seen as a dealmaker — with little regard for national security concerns — could also be a boon for China.” 

TRUMP CALLS FOR ‘RETRIBUTION’ AGAINST CHINA FOR ROLE IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC

“China is very adept at taking up the mantle of global power and leadership in its own way when America pulls back — and Donald Trump would likely be a president that would pull America back from the international system, not invest more into it,” Daniels was quoted as saying in the piece published Wednesday evening. 

Cheung responded that Politico is “being played by devious Chinese forces” that work to manipulate media outlets and journalists “because they know Trump Derangement Syndrome is a very real disease that distorts all reasoning.”

“The fact is that China has grown stronger under a weak Biden presidency, and our allies are even more in danger as China builds up its economic and military power. Deadly Chinese fentanyl continues to flow into American communities killing scores of people while illegal Chinese migrants are the fastest growing group crossing the Southern Border,” Cheung said in his statement Wednesday. 

Cheung continued in his response to “not forget Politico’s official media partner in Asia is the South China Morning Post, widely considered to be the mouthpiece of the CCP.”

A Politico spokesperson called the Trump campaign’s response to the article “bizarre” in comments to Fox News Digital on Thursday.

BIDEN, CHINA’S XI HOLD PHONE CALL ON TAIWAN, AI, TRADE

“It was a bizarre statement that was riddled with errors. Politico has no existing partnership or affiliation with the SCMP,” the spokesperson said. 

An “Editor’s Note” from Politico published in 2018 detailed the outlet was expanding its coverage of the relationships between the U.S. and China, including “a content partnership we are unveiling today with the South China Morning Post.” 

“Politico’s reporting was riddled with errors and political bias because they clearly suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome. They should consider doing their actual reporting jobs rather than moonlighting as mouthpieces for the CCP,” Cheung told Fox Digital on Thursday. 

BIDEN HANDS CHINA BIG WIN WITH MILITARY DEAL, EXPERTS SAY: ‘INCREDIBLY POOR DECISION’

The New York Times ran a similar piece to Politico’s on Tuesday in its morning newsletter, with the opening line stating, “America’s biggest adversaries evidently want Donald Trump to win the 2024 presidential election.” That piece cited “researchers and government officials” who said “covert Chinese accounts” online were posing as American supporters of Trump to promote “conspiracy theories, stoking domestic divisions and attacking President Biden ahead of the election in November.”

The New York Times article claims Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reasons for preferring Trump back in the White House “seem obvious,” saying President Biden has led a widespread “coalition” against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and aided Ukraine in its battle against Russia.  

“Trump has suggested that he will end this support. A central part of Putin’s war strategy, intelligence experts believe, is to wait for Ukraine’s Western allies to tire of the war,” the report states. 

China has “less obvious” reasons to prefer Trump in the White House, according to the report.

“Trump, after all, took a more combative stance toward China than any U.S. president since Richard Nixon re-established ties with Beijing. The Associated Press and Washington Post have noted that Beijing seems unhappy with both Biden and Trump,” the report continued. 

Trump’s “America First,” “isolationist” stances would be a boon for Moscow and Beijing, according to the report, arguing Trump prefers to avoid “international conflicts, and he is skeptical of treaties and alliances.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Times for comment on the Trump campaign’s response to the Politico report but did not immediately receive a reply.

Cheung concluded his statement Wednesday that Politico should stop promoting “pro-Chinese talking points.” 

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“Instead of hawking pro-Chinese talking points, Politico should turn their backs on their puppet masters and report on real news — a Biden presidency means a weaker America and a stronger China. There is only one person who can stop that from happening: Donald J. Trump,” Cheung concluded. 

A man who has served as treasurer for dozens of political campaigns in Ohio over the past 40 years is facing federal wire fraud charges for allegedly stealing nearly $1 million from clients.

William Curlis, 76, is accused of writing checks from campaign accounts to himself for personal use and taking steps to hide the thefts. He allegedly stole $995,231 between 2008 and June 2023, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of Ohio.

WISCONSIN COUNTIES DECLINE TO PROSECUTE CAMPAIGN FINANCE CASE AGAINST TRUMP COMMITTEE

A plea agreement has been filed in the case, prosecutors said, but further details have not been disclosed.

“The filing of the plea agreement demonstrates Mr. Curlis’ commitment to accepting responsibility and demonstrating remorse for his actions,” said his attorney, Mark Collins.

“He walked into the U.S. Attorney’s office and admitted his wrongdoings,” Collins said. “I cannot discuss the details or reasons at this point. However, once this case works through the federal system, those questions will be answered.”

Curlis served as treasurer for more than 100 local, state and federal Republican campaigns, often as the only signatory on accounts, prosecutors said. According to court documents, he wrote himself multiple checks from candidates’ campaign funds and one PAC’s fund while serving as treasurer.

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To conceal the thefts, Curlis allegedly transferred funds between accounts without the candidates’ knowledge and falsified corresponding campaign finance reports. Curlis sold his home in 2016, allegedly to cover the cost of campaign expenses and conceal account deficits caused by his theft.

The wife of Nathan Wade, the former lover of embattled Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis, is accusing him of failing to pay her court-ordered expenses, and says he should be held in “contempt of court,” a new divorce fling states.

The court documents filed Wednesday by Joycelyn Wade allege that her husband, with whom an agreement in divorce proceedings was made earlier this year, has neglected to pay court-ordered medical expenses, contributing to a “worsening” health condition which could “necessitate emergency intervention.”

“Defendant urgently requires medical procedures, namely an endoscopy,
colonoscopy, and ultrasound, due to severe physical symptoms she has been
enduring. These symptoms have significantly impacted her ability to consume
most foods, leading to a substantial weight loss, notwithstanding her already
slender stature when in better health,” the filing states. 

Joycelyn Wade also alleged that Nathan had instructed her to make payments to the healthcare providers herself “with an assurance of reimbursement,” but said she can’t do that because Nathan recently reneged on previously agreed-upon payments for their kids’ education expenses. 

WHO IS NATHAN WADE? TRUMP PROSECUTOR FANI WILLIS’ FORMER LOVER AT CENTER OF COURTROOM CONTROVERSY

“On the day immediately following the entry of the Order on January 30, 2024, Plaintiff informed the parties’ daughter, an upperclassman in college with hopes of entering medical school in the near future, that he would discontinue payment of her rent and living expenses instructing her to ‘get the money from your mother,'” the document states. 

“As an additional note, Plaintiff has very punitively reneged on his commitment to cover their daughter’s MCAT expenses as well,” it states.

“The parties’ son is currently in Europe, pursuing a career as a professional
soccer player. Despite Plaintiff executing a verified affidavit to the country of
Spain, affirming financial responsibility for his son’s expenses for visa purposes, he
subsequently informed his son shortly after the Temporary Order was entered that
he would no longer be providing support for him either, directing the son to “get
the money from your mother,'” the document alleges.

FANI WILLIS, NATHAN WADE REFERRED TO GEORGIA STATE BAR FOR MISCONDUCT BY WATCHDOG GROUP

Jocelyn Wade says that because she sprang to pay for her children’s expenses unexpectedly, she was left without the means to pay for her medical needs. 

Nathan Wade in 2021 was hired by Fulton County District Attorney Willis to help prosecute the sweeping election interference case against former president Donald Trump. He allegedly earned roughly $650,000 for roughly two years on the case. 

Wills was accused earlier this year by Trump and co-defendants in the case of having an “improper” affair with Wade, and alleged that she had hired him while they were romantically involved, which benefitted her financially. 

Willis and Wade both denied the existence of a romantic relationship prior to his hiring, and insisted that Willis had reimbursed Wade for her share of expenses from several vacations they took together. 

Wade resigned from his special prosecutor position after a judge gave Willis an ultimatum in order to continue the Trump prosecution: resign or remove Wade from his post. 

During a Georgia Senate hearing as part of lawmakers’ investigation into Willis’ office, attorney Ashleigh Merchant testified that cellphone data she acquired shows Nathan Wade making 1 a.m. trips to Willis’ private home prior to his hiring. 

AFTER JUDGE’S SCOLDING FOR PLAYING ‘RACE CARD,’ FANI WILLIS SAYS SHE’LL ‘TALK ABOUT IT ANYWAY’

Wade is also facing an ethics complaint filed with the Georgia state bar alleging that he had lied under oath on more than one occasion. 

When asked on an interrogatory to “describe each instance in which you have had sexual relations with a person other than your spouse during the course of the marriage,” he said, “None.”

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Wade testified that his marriage “was irretrievably broken in 2015” but that he and his wife had agreed to delay a divorce for the sake of their children. 

“First it is simply not credible that Mr. Wade did not know that he had sexual relations with Ms. Willis when he replied to the interrogatories above in his divorce case. Put simply, it is clear Mr. Wade knew that he had had sex with Ms. Willis, and he knew that at the time he was still married, and he simply lied in the interrogatories,” the complaint states. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to Nathan Wade for comment. 

House Republicans are expected to vote on renewing a controversial federal government surveillance tool when they return from recess next week, multiple sources told Fox News Digital.

Two House GOP aides and a GOP lawmaker – all who spoke on the condition of anonymity – said the House could take up Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which is set to expire on April 19 if Congress does not act soon. One of the aides said plans are still fluid.

Section 702 has been both credited with preventing terror attacks on U.S. soil and accused of being a vehicle for spying on U.S. citizens.

It lets the government keep tabs on specific foreign nationals outside the country without first obtaining a warrant to do so, even if the party on the other side of those communications is a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil.

VEHICLE RAMS INTO GATE AT FBI OFFICE IN ATLANTA, DRIVER ARRESTED

The debate over its renewal has been intense, and it’s made unlikely allies out of hard-liners on the left and right alike over accusations it tramples on Americans’ civil rights. The FBI has been accused of improperly using Section 702 to spy on Black Lives Matter protesters in the summer of 2020 as well as people who rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“Freedom surrendered is rarely reclaimed. Next week, Congress once again confronts an opportunity for reform and accountability of [FISA],” Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, one of the tool’s critics, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.

FBI DIRECTOR SAYS CHINESE HACKERS ARE ‘POISED TO ATTACK’ AS INFILTRATIONS REACH ‘FEVER PITCH’

“Demand a debate and recorded vote to require warrants to search American citizens’ data, to limit the scope of collection, and to stop the government from avoiding warrants by buying data that would require a warrant or subpoena.”

Section 702’s supporters, which include national security hawks and moderates on both sides, point out that Section 702 is critical to avoiding another Sept. 11, 2001-style attack and have accused its detractors of trying to gut the program to the point of inoperability. 

It’s not immediately clear what a FISA renewal would look like – multiple plans to do so have fallen apart already. 

Most recently, a compromise bill put together by negotiators for the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees was abruptly pulled from the House floor schedule after Republicans on the Intelligence panel threatened to tank the legislation.

Three sources close to the Intelligence Committee told Fox News Digital at the time that it was about an amendment that would have forced law enforcement to seek a warrant before obtaining communications that involved a U.S. citizen.

“That would be the equivalent of a police officer needing a warrant before running a license plate,” one of the three sources said.

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who supported the warrant amendment, hit back at the Intelligence Committee’s reform efforts at the time, saying, “Intel didn’t want the Judiciary [amendments]. See, the Judiciary Committee is the committee of jurisdiction. That’s where it should’ve gone.”

PUBLIC TRUST IN FBI HAS REACHED ‘THE RED ZONE,’ US INCHING CLOSER TO ‘MAYHEM, CHAOS, ANARCHY:’ WSJ COLUMNIST

But the third source close to the Intelligence Committee said those on the panel “are the ones that see the threats to our nation up close and personal every day.”

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An earlier proposal to hold votes on dueling bills and send the highest vote-getter to the Senate had also been scrapped. One had been by the House Judiciary Committee, which would have vastly restricted the program, and another by the House Intelligence panel would have made improvements to transparency and accountability pipelines.

Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson’s office for comment but did not hear back at press time.

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? 

– Jill Biden reportedly urging husband to end the war in Gaza

– Vulnerable Senate Dems at further risk from Mayoraks impeachment

– Democratic Governor to decide on making coercive abortion a felony

Two denials for Trump’s legal team

Former President Donald Trump has suffered two defeats in his court cases as judges in Georgia and Florida struck down motions from his legal team.

In Georgia, former President Donald Trump’s motion to dismiss his 2020 election interference indictment on the grounds of First Amendment protection was rejected on Thursday. 

“After considering the extensive briefing, the argument of counsel, and the indictment, the Court finds these vital constitutional protections do not reach the actions and statements alleged by the State. Nor do the statutes themselves facially violate the First Amendment,” Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled Thursday.

“They argue this prosecution violates the First Amendment’s protections of political speech and activity, freedom of association, and the right to petition Congress as-applied to their alleged conduct, and further contend that the indicted charges are overbroad,” he said. 

In Florida, the federal judge presiding over former President Trump’s classified records case on Thursday denied his motion to dismiss the charges based on the Presidential Records Act. 

U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, last month, also dismissed Trump’s motion to dismiss charges of retaining classified documents on the grounds of “unconstitutional vagueness.” 

White House

‘STOP IT NOW’: First Lady reportedly telling Biden to end war in Gaza immediately …Read more

RUNNING LOW: Biden admin plan to refill SPR faces major setback …Read more

‘MASSIVE ADVANTAGE’: Biden voter drive order targets welfare recipients, gets legal challenge …Read more

SMOKED OUT: Biden set to finalize menthol cigarette ban over opposition …Read more

ELECTRIC SLIDE: Biden targets vital power grid technology in latest climate action …Read more

MEDIA BLACKOUT?: Biden parole program not facing same scrutiny as DeSantis flights …Read more

NOT GOING ANYWHERE: Biden administration rule makes firing federal workers harder as Trump promises ‘deep state’ revamp …Read more

Capitol Hill

BORDER BIND: Vulnerable Senate Dems to face heat over Mayorkas impeachment trial as border becomes top election issue …Read more

COVID ORIGINS: EcoHealth Alliance president to testify publicly before Congress next month …Read more

Tales from the Campaign Trail

FIRING THE ‘SQUAD’: Pro-Israel PAC takes aim at two progressive House Dems with primary challenges …Read more

SHOT DOWN: Nebraska legislature rejects Trump-approved ‘winner-take-all’ electoral system bill …Read more

NECK AND NECK: California Democrat tied with challenger in wild congressional primary …Read more

Across America

‘LAVISH GIFTS’: ‘World’s sexiest albino’ accused of launching bogus BLM charity has his day in court …Read more

HARSHER PUNISHMENT: Dem governor to decide on bill making coercive abortion a felony …Read more

THROWING DOWN THE HAMMER: Liberal groups sue to block new Alabama voting law banning ballot harvesting …Read more

BRACING FOR BATTLE: Nevada senator makes multimillion-dollar ad reservation as re-election hopes dwindle …Read more

INFECTED AMERICA: Tuberculosis breaks out at Chicago migrant shelters following measles cases …Read more

OFF THE CHARTS: Amid migrant surge, liberal PM warns his country must get immigration ‘under control’ …Read more

PURSESTRINGS: Kansas Republicans use ‘power of the purse’ to tie up immigration, DEI provisions …Read more

Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox.

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

Nevada Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen revealed a whopping $14 million ad reservation for the general election season as she braces for a tough challenge from Republicans. 

The multimillion-dollar reservation was made for ads that will run from July through Election Day in November. It is also the largest such reservation ever made in Nevada by a Senate candidate. The ad buy will include media markets in Las Vegas and Reno.

MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL POISED TO PRESSURE THESE VULNERABLE SENATE DEMS

Rosen’s latest move comes one day after the Nevada Senate race was shifted from “Lean Democrat” to “Toss Up” by the nonpartisan elections analyst, the Cook Political Report. The matchup joins Senate races in Ohio, Arizona and Montana in the category. 

“While her extreme Republican opponents are busy trying to out-MAGA each other, Jacky Rosen is reaching Nevada voters for the general election and sharing her record as one of the most bipartisan and effective senators,” said Stewart Boss, Rosen’s campaign manager, in a press release. The Republicans vying for her Senate seat are in the midst of a crowded primary that won’t be determined until the election on June 11. 

VULNERABLE NEVADA DEMOCRAT TOUTS BIPARTISANSHIP DESPITE VOTING WITH BIDEN 99% OF TIME

The $14 million reservation is larger than a similar one made by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., during her 2022 re-election bid. The senator reserved $10 million worth of ad space on the airwaves between Labor Day and Election Day during the campaign. This was the largest such reservation at the time. 

Cortez Masto ultimately narrowly defeated her Republican opponent, Adam Laxalt.

GOP SENATE HOPEFUL RAKES IN $2.2 MILLION TO TAKE ON DEM INCUMBENT IN SWING-STATE NEVADA

“She’s going to need it,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson Mike Berg, referencing the recent ratings change. He said she was in “a dangerous spot” for an incumbent. 

“Jacky Rosen is scrambling to cover up her record of being in lockstep with Joe Biden,” remarked Nevada Republican strategist Jeremy Hughes.

After Rosen released an ad this week touting herself as bipartisan, critics pointed out that she voted in alignment with President Biden nearly 99% of the time in 2023. 

TRUMP RAKES IN HEFTY MARCH FUNDRAISING HAUL AS CAMPAIGN AIMS TO CLOSE CASH GAP WITH BIDEN

While her $14 million ad reservation is the largest of its kind in a Nevada Senate race, political advertising spending is notorious for being high in the state. In the 2022 Senate race, $161 million was spent by candidates and related groups on political advertising for the general election, per AdImpact. This included $32 million from Cortez Masto, $30 million from the Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC, $28 million from the Republican-aligned Senate Leadership Fund, $12 million from the conservative Club for Growth Action, $11 million from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, $9 million from the conservative One Nation, $3 million from Laxalt, and $6 million in a coordinated buy from Laxalt and the NRSC. 

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The 2022 Senate race was a component of what made Nevada’s general election the third most expensive in the country, according to AdImpact. 

Rosen could face a slate of possible Republican opponents. However, former U.S. Army Capt. Sam Brown has proven to be the frontrunner, garnering national media attention and high-profile endorsements. Former Trump official Jeff Gunter, veteran Air Force pilot Tony Grady and former state Assemblyman Jim Marchant are other prominent Republican candidates seeking the Senate nomination. 

An attempt to make Nebraska’s elections into a “winner-take-all” system failed this week.

State Sen. Julie Slama attached the proposed election overhaul to the unrelated bill LB1300 on Wednesday in an attempt to make the change before the end of the legislative session on April 18.

It fell short of the 23 necessary votes, failing with a final 8-36 count.

Nebraska is one of only two states in the U.S. that do not use the winner-take-all system, the other being Maine. 

TRUMP SUPPORTING NEBRASKA GOVERNOR SEEKING TO MAKE STATE ELECTIONS ‘WINNER-TAKE-ALL’

The two states assign votes in the Electoral College based on district, sometimes leading to Democrats snagging an extra delegate from the mostly red state. 

A change to winner-take-all would almost certainly benefit Republicans by allowing the red majority of Nebraska to dominate and prevent minority blue factions from capturing a single delegate, as has happened in the past.

Slama criticized Republicans’ failure to pass the amendment, saying it showed a lack of “intestinal fortitude” despite holding a legislative majority. 

“This pretty well sums it up,” said Slama. “The ‘filibuster-proof’ majority doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude to make Nebraska a Winner-Take-All state in an election year. Wild.”

NEBRASKA GOVERNOR TIGHTENS RESTRICTIONS ON GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENTS FOR MINORS

State Sen. Loren Lippincott sponsored the initial winner-take-all bill LB764, but now does not see it passing before the legislature closes.

“My staff and I are doing everything we can to seek options for getting this to the finish line,” said Lippincott, according to local outlet WOWT. “However, the harsh reality of a two-day time frame is limiting.”

Lippincott’s bill boasts enthusiastic support from the state’s governor and even former President Donald Trump.

“I am a strong supporter of Senator [Loren] Lippincott’s winner-take-all bill (LB 764) and have been from the start. It would bring Nebraska into line with 48 of our fellow states, better reflect the founders’ intent, and ensure our state speaks with one unified voice in presidential elections,” Gov. Jim Pillen said in a Tuesday statement. 

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Trump published a copy of the governor’s statement to his proprietary social media platform, Truth Social, on the same day.

This was followed by a separate post voicing support for changing Nebraska to a winner-take-all system.

“Governor Jim Pillen of Nebraska, a very smart and popular Governor, who has done some really great things, came out today with a very strong letter in support of returning Nebraska’s Electoral Votes to a Winner-Take-All System,” Trump wrote via Truth Social on Tuesday.

“Most Nebraskans have wanted to go back to this system for a very long time, because it’s what 48 other States do – It’s what the Founders intended, and it’s right for Nebraska,” Trump added.

FIRST ON FOX: A House Republican from Michigan is demanding to know whether federal tax dollars are going toward subsidizing housing for people who come to the U.S. illegally.

Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., wrote directly to President Biden on Wednesday regarding the federal government’s Office of Refugee Resettlement, arguing that its grant process “raises a number of troubling questions.”

Money awarded by the agency is being used for Michigan’s Newcomer Rental Subsidy program, which gives eligible refugees and asylum-seekers up to $500 in rental assistance per month. But critics of the program have argued that it’s vulnerable to abuse by illegal immigrants.

TRUMP DECLARES BORDER A ‘WARZONE,’ DINGS NEWSOM FOR ‘TERRIBLE JOB’ AS MIGRANTS FLOOD CALIF

“With your failure to secure our borders, and the yearly number of border encounters increasing from 859,501 in [fiscal year 2019] to 1,151,448 in only the first five months of FY 2024, the Refugee Resettlement Program will only burden the U.S. taxpayer with higher costs,” McClain wrote to Biden.

To be eligible, migrants must be refugees, asylum-seekers, special immigration visa holders, victims of human trafficking, Cuban and Haitian entrants, Afghan nationals or Ukrainian humanitarian parolees. Migrants who have an asylum claim that is merely pending are also eligible. 

TEXAS SQUARES OFF WITH DOJ AFTER CIRCUIT COURT BLOCKED ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LAW

GOP critics say this means that migrants who illegally crossed the border and claimed asylum to avoid deportation could potentially benefit from the subsidy.

If a migrant cannot provide verification of income – such as a paycheck or bank statement – the applicant must submit a written explanation of why there is no documentation. One of the options available to them is a “cash payment.”

In her letter, McClain questioned Biden directly on whether U.S. tax dollars are going toward housing assistance for people who entered the country illegally, and if not, she asked, “what is your administration doing to ensure U.S. tax dollars do not go toward housing assistance for those who have broken our laws and come across our borders illegally?”

WATCH: DASHCAM FOOTAGE SHOWS TEXAS NATIONAL GUARDSMAN’S ARREST FOR ALLEGEDLY SMUGGLING MIGRANT

She also asked whether it’s possible, given the record number of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, that U.S. federal refugee resettlement aid “could be viewed as yet another incentive by your Administration to roll out the red carpet and invite more people to illegally pour across our borders.”

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A Fox News analysis found last month that nearly 7.3 million migrants illegally crossed the southwest border under Biden, a number greater than the population of 36 individual states.

Fox News Digital reached out to both Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office as well as the White House for comment.

Republicans are likely to approve a proposed state budget for Kansas with provisions aimed at forcing the state’s Democratic governor to restrict diversity initiatives on college campuses and help Texas in its fight with the Biden administration over border security.

GOP negotiators for the state House and Senate have agreed to include those items in a single bill containing the bulk of the $25 billion in spending for Kansas’ 2025 budget year, which begins July 1. Top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature expect both chambers to vote this week on the final version of the bill.

“It’s an opportunity to make a point,” state Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said Wednesday. “The power of the purse — that’s all we have. That’s our main power.”

STAY CURRENT WITH THE LATEST IMMIGRATION NEWS HERE

Both the Kansas House and Senate approved resolutions this year expressing their support for efforts by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas to enforce a law there allowing his state to arrest migrants suspected of entering the U.S. illegally. The Biden administration argues that only the federal government sets immigration policy.

But Republicans in the Kansas Senate then added an extra $15.7 million in the next state budget with directions to Gov. Laura Kelly that she provide Kansas National Guard resources to Texas.

Republican senators also included provisions to withhold a total of $35.7 million in funding from state universities unless their presidents appeared before Kelly and top legislative leaders and confirmed that they were not requiring prospective students, job applicants or staffers seeking promotion to provide statements endorsing diversity, equity or inclusion initiatives or discussing past experiences with it. The GOP budget negotiators agreed to retain those provisions unless a separate bill banning the practice becomes law.

The state constitution gives Kelly the power to veto individual budget provisions, and it’s not clear that the immigration or anti-DEI ones have the two-thirds majorities in both chambers needed to override a veto. But if Kelly were to veto the anti-DEI provisions, the $35.7 million would go with them.

“It’s kind of like blackmail,” said Democratic state Rep. Tom Sawyer, of Wichita.

Republicans in at least 20 states have sought to limit DEI initiatives, arguing that they are discriminatory and enforce a liberal political orthodoxy. Alabama and Utah enacted new anti-DEI laws this year.

The Kansas House last month approved a bill that would bar universities, community colleges or technical colleges from basing a student’s admission or an employee’s hiring or promotion on any statement or pledge about DEI or “any political ideology or movement.” Republicans are hoping to have a vote on a new version in both chambers this week.

But the Kansas Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s higher education system, is already responding to GOP lawmakers’ concerns. The board expects to consider a proposed policy change in April that would ban requirements in admissions or employment for “statements pledging allegiance to, support for, or opposition to diversity, equity or inclusion.”

“I really don’t think it’s going to be an issue. I think they’re all going to change their policy,” said state Rep. Kyle Hoffman, a Republican from western Kansas and a House budget negotiator.

Republicans’ interest in border security comes with former President Donald Trump ramping up anti-immigrant rhetoric as he campaigns for reelection, often spreading falsehoods about migration. Roughly two-thirds of Americans disapproved of President Joe Biden’s handling of border security in an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in March.

GOP officials in many states also frame the issue as stopping the flow of the dangerous opioid fentanyl across the Mexico-U.S. border, though experts agree the key is reducing demand for it in the U.S.

“We need to stop it,” said state Sen. J.R. Claeys, a central Kansas Republican and a budget negotiator. “Obviously, the Biden administration isn’t going to do that, so we’re going to have to do it ourselves.”

But state Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Kansas City-area Democrat, said problems at the border demonstrate the need for reforming national immigration laws and argued that Americans are more likely to smuggle fentanyl than immigrant families seeking a better life in the U.S.

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“They’re willing to blame every possible thing on immigration and on immigrants,” she said.

Some Republicans expect Kelly to veto the provision. Last month, she told reporters that the state constitution makes her the guard’s commander-in-chief and she decides how its resources are used.

But Claeys responded: “We also have other budgetary ways of making things happen, so we’ll continue to use those and the power of the purse.”

President Biden’s administration is implementing a new rule to make it more difficult to fire federal workers as former President Trump promises to revamp the workforce to weed out the “deep state.” 

Early Thursday, the White House released a statement from the Democratic incumbent president regarding “the final rule to protect nonpartisan civil servants.” 

Biden said his administration was announcing “protections for 2.2 million career civil servants from political interference, to guarantee that they can carry out their responsibilities in the best interest of the American people.” 

“Day in and day out, career civil servants provide the expertise and continuity necessary for our democracy to function,” the statement said. “They provide Americans with life-saving and life-changing services and put opportunity within reach for millions. That’s why since taking office, I have worked to strengthen, empower, and rebuild our career workforce.” 

NEW YORK TIMES OPINION VIDEO DECLARES ‘DEEP STATE’ IS ‘KIND OF AWESOME’

Biden deemed the rule to be “a step toward combatting corruption and partisan interference to ensure civil servants are able to focus on the most important task at hand: delivering for the American people.” 

The Office of Personnel Management, the government’s chief human resources agency, on Thursday implemented new regulations barring career civil servants from being reclassified as political appointees, or as other at-will workers, who are more easily dismissed from their jobs. It comes in response to “Schedule F,” an executive order Trump issued in 2020 that sought to allow for reclassifying tens of thousands of the 2.2 million federal employees and thus reduce their job security protections, according to the Associated Press. 

Biden nullified Schedule F upon taking office, but if Trump were to revive it during a second administration, he could dramatically increase the around 4,000 federal employees who are considered political appointees and typically change with each new president. How many employees might have been affected by Schedule F is unclear. 

The National Treasury Employee Union used freedom of information requests to obtain documents suggesting that federal workers such as office managers and specialists in human resources and cybersecurity might have been subject to reclassification — meaning that the scope of Trump’s order might have been broader than previously believed, the AP reported. 

The new rule could counter a future Schedule F order by spelling out procedural requirements for reclassifying federal employees, and clarifying that civil service protections accrued by employees cannot be taken away regardless of job type. It also makes clear that policymaking classifications apply to non-career, political appointments and cannot be applied to career civil servants.

TRUMP RAILS AGAINST BIDEN, ‘DEEP STATE’ AT FIRST SPEECH AFTER CLASSIFIED DOCS INDICTMENT: ‘POLITICAL HIT JOB’

“It will now be much harder for any president to arbitrarily remove the nonpartisan professionals who staff our federal agencies just to make room for hand-picked partisan loyalists,” National Treasury Employees Union President Doreen Greenwald said in a statement.

Good government groups and liberal think tanks and activists have cheered the rule. They viewed cementing federal worker protections as a top priority given that replacing existing government employees with new, more conservative alternatives is a key piece of the conservative Heritage Foundation’s nearly 1,000-page playbook known as “Project 2025.”

That plan calls for vetting and potentially firing scores of federal workers and recruiting conservative replacements to wipe out what some Republicans have decried as the “deep state” governmental bureaucracy.

The nation’s most prominent conservative think tank recommended an overhaul of the Department of Justice and the FBI to combat a “radical liberal agenda.” 

The Biden administration’s rule, which runs to 237 pages, is being published in the federal registry and is set to formally take effect next month. The Office of Personnel Management first proposed the changes last November, then reviewed and responded to 4,000-plus public comments on them. Officials at some top conservative organizations were among those opposing the new rule, but around two-thirds of the comments were supportive.

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If Trump wins another term, his administration could direct the Office of Personnel Management to draft new rules. But the process takes months and requires detailed explanation on why new regulations would be improvements — potentially allowing for legal challenges to be brought by opponents.

Fox News’ Kaitlin Spraugue and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

A lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of President Biden’s voting access executive order will soon make its way to the Supreme Court in what some experts are calling “the most important legal issue” heading into the November elections.

A group of Pennsylvania lawmakers sued Biden and several federal agencies over Executive Order 14019 on “promoting access to voting,” which the president issued in March 2021.

The 27 GOP lawmakers, members of the state Freedom Caucus, argued that the order is essentially an executive get-out-the-vote effort targeting key demographics to benefit the president’s political party and own re-election, which they argue is unconstitutional with Congress having never enacted a law that grants such an action from the Oval Office.

Last month, a judge dismissed the case, finding that legislators lacked standing to bring the suit. But the group’s attorney says they will appeal to the Supreme Court. 

DOJ ‘STONEWALLING’ REQUESTS FOR DETAILS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF BIDEN’S ‘FEDERAL ELECTION SCHEME’

“We think it’s really important for President Biden to be held accountable,” Erick Kaardal, attorney for the lawmakers, told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

“For him to violate such a big law when all the little people have to follow the laws, even little laws … it’s clear President Biden has issued an executive order without congressional enactments to get himself re-elected. It’s ridiculous,” Kaardal said. 

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, issued a statement saying the ruling was a “resounding defeat” for the Republicans’ “frivolous” lawsuit.

“In 2020, I defeated Donald Trump and his conspiracy theorist allies in court more than 40 times to defend Pennsylvanians’ votes and protect access to the ballot box,” Shapiro said, adding that “we’ve done it again by getting their frivolous effort to stop automatic voter registration in our commonwealth dismissed.”

Executive Order 14019 states that “executive departments and agencies should partner with State, local, Tribal, and territorial election officials to protect and promote the exercise of the right to vote, eliminate discrimination and other barriers to voting, and expand access to voter registration and accurate election information.”

BIDEN ADMIN ACCUSED OF USING TAXPAYER FUNDS TO HELP HIS OWN CAMPAIGN WITH STUDENT VOTER REGISTRATION SCHEME

Kaardal argued in legal filings that the executive order in turn – among other things – directed the Department of Health and Human Services to facilitate voter registrations; the Department of Housing and Urban Development to instruct more than 3,000 public housing authorities to facilitate registration drives in those units; the Department of Education to push state schools to register students; and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to issue letters to state agencies that administer SNAP and WIC programs, instructing them to carry out voter-registration activities with federal funds.

The complaint also alleges that the executive order was “largely drafted by a third party, nongovernmental organization,” pointing to the left-leaning policy organization, Dēmos, which boasts of having “moved progressive issues from the movement to the mainstream.”

“The executive action taken by the President nullifies the votes of the individual legislators, violates the Electors Clause, violates the Elections Clause, and deprives the legislators of their particular rights,” the court document says.

The Elections Clause states that the “times, places and manner of holding elections for senators and representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof.” 

Tarren Bragdon, president and CEO of the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA), which filed an amicus brief in the case, said that “it’s no wonder Team Biden is using their authority and resources to target welfare populations with a federally funded get-out-the-vote effort.” 

“If they are allowed to fully execute their plan, it could swing the election outcome,” he said. 

The Opportunity Solutions Project, the advocacy arm of FGA, found through their study published in February 2023 that Democrats gain a 30-point average among welfare recipients.

“[D]emocrats see a massive advantage among voters enrolled in welfare programs like food stamps and Medicaid. In fact, Democrats see their margins increase by more than 30 points among voters enrolled in welfare compared to low-income voters who have never been on welfare,” the study says.

PROGRESSIVE ACTIVISTS TAKE VICTORY LAP AFTER TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DEMOCRATS CAST PROTEST VOTES AGAINST BIDEN

“To date, all of the federal agencies FGA has identified as taking active steps to carry out EO 14019 have one thing in common: They provide government welfare benefits and other services to groups of voters the vast majority of which have historically voted Democrat,” the groups friend-of-the-court brief states.

“[T]hrough this sweeping Order, the President commanded every executive agency of the federal government – with the narrow exception of independent agencies – to perform voter registration and mobilization activities regardless of whether those agencies are authorized to do so under federal law, and to carry out this Order in coordination with third-party groups ‘approved’ by the current administration,” FGA says in its friend-of-the-court brief.

“Even worse, this effort is being carried out in a secretive fashion despite loud and repeated calls for transparency from dozens of members of Congress, State Attorneys General, and Secretaries of State,” the brief states.

Currently, the FGA is fighting a lawsuit against the Department of Justice over FOIA-requested documents on how the agency is implementing the executive order.

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“This is, by far, the most important legal issue in the country heading into November. The outcome of this case, and similar cases, will decide how heavy the Biden administration’s thumb will push on the electoral scales,” said Bragdon.

Kaardal said he hopes the Supreme Court will weigh in ahead of the case moving forward in lower courts because he believes his clients have “the obvious winner” on the merits and that existing precedent at the high court will determine that his clients have standing.

He also said that according to what’s known as the Purcell doctrine, named after a 2006 election case, the Supreme Court said that courts should not change election rules too close to the election. Kaardal wants to petition the high court in the coming days to have the issue temporarily resolved by stopping the executive order while the case proceeds in lower courts.

The DOJ, arguing the case on behalf of the Biden administration, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Democrats up for re-election in battleground states face a bind in the Senate as the impeachment trial for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is expected to begin this month over his role in the ongoing crisis at the southern border.

Several Republican Senate sources told Fox News Digital they expect the pressure to ramp up for lawmakers such as Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Bob Casey, D-Penn., who face competitive re-election races in November.

Voters in each of the senators’ states have indicated strong concerns over the state of the border.

Republican senators recently accused Tester of being unwilling to vote on border or immigration-related amendments during negotiations over the $1.2 trillion spending package that caused a brief partial government shutdown before being passed last month. Tester’s office denied the claims. 

BATTLEGROUND STATE DEM SHOWS ZERO SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS REMEMBERING LAKEN RILEY BUT REPEAT POSTS ON GEORGE FLOYD

One senior Republican Senate source predicted Tester would be similarly pushed during the impeachment trial procedure: “He’ll have to go on the record with it. No way out,” the source said. They noted that Brown would also be put to the test in the Mayorkas trial. 

A representative for Tester told Fox News Digital on Wednesday, “Senator Tester will review the articles when they are sent over to the Senate.”

The House passed two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas in early February but held onto them until after the appropriations process finished. In a letter last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., revealed his intention to deliver the articles to the Senate on April 10 and urged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to move quickly on a trial. 

When the articles are delivered, “all senators have to be sworn in as jurors and sign the book,” a senior GOP source said. 

“We actually go into trial mode, but Schumer will put forward a vote to dismiss it,” the source predicted.

SEAN HANNITY: BORDER CRISIS A MODERN-DAY ‘BLOODBATH’

Schumer’s office did not provide comment to Fox News Digital.

“Everything is simple majority,” the source noted, meaning only 51 of the 100 senators are necessary to move forward with any action. 

While Senate Democrats have largely dismissed the charges against Mayorkas as meritless and political posturing, the lawmakers who are competing in close races in the general election may be influenced by the growing concern over the border among their constituents. In a March Fox News Poll, 41% of all registered voters agreed the situation at the southern border is an emergency. This included 65% of Republicans, 31% of independents and 20% of Democrats.

As a result, the vulnerable Democrat senators are certain to be met with attacks on the campaign trail from their Republican opponents, who will pose the question of their seriousness on the border crisis. In a February memo from National Republican Senatorial Committee political director Tim Edson that was obtained by Fox News Digital, Senate candidates were advised to hold their Democrat counterparts accountable.

“We cannot allow Senate Democrats to sweep the Biden Administration’s failures at the southern border under the rug,” it reads. “Democrats caused this crisis, and voting to acquit Mayorkas is a vote to allow the continued invasion of our country.”

Tester’s opponent, Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, said in a statement that “the Senate should hold a full impeachment trial.”

“Senator Jon Tester wants to avoid a trial and let Mayorkas off the hook because they BOTH support the radical Left’s push of open borders and letting illegal immigrants flood into America. We deserve accountability!” he continued.

TRUMP SPOTLIGHTS ‘BIDEN’S BORDER BLOODBATH’ DURING STOP IN CRUCIAL BATTLEGROUND STATE HE LOST IN 2020

Representatives for Rosen, Baldwin, Brown and Casey did not provide comment to Fox News Digital.

“If Bob Casey is serious about securing the border, he’ll urge Chuck Schumer to move this inquiry forward and hold them accountable,” said Pennsylvania Republican Senate front-runner Dave McCormick in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Spokesperson Ben Voelkel for Wisconsin Republican Senate front-runner Eric Hovde said in a statement, “Sen. Baldwin needs to hold [Mayorkas] accountable. If she doesn’t, Wisconsin voters will hold her accountable for her inaction.”

“If Sherrod Brown cares about hardworking Ohioans who have been impacted by the border invasion and fentanyl crisis, he will hold Mayorkas accountable in the Senate trial,” said Reagan McCarthy, spokesperson for Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who has occasionally been out of step with Democrats, appears likely to stick with his caucus in the likely case they look to dismiss the trial quickly. In February, he told Politico that the forthcoming impeachment was “Pure crap,” adding that he wants “No trial at all.”

Manchin’s office referred Fox News Digital to his previous comment.

Republican strategist Brian Walsh, a former staffer for Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said, “It highlights a huge political vulnerability for Democratic Senators like Jon Tester, Sherrod Brown and Bob Casey going into the 2024 election.”

WHITE HOUSE PRESSED ON WHETHER BIDEN BELIEVES BORDER CROSSERS COULD BE IN US PLOTTING TERROR ATTACK ON AMERICA

They will be forced to “pick a side” between their base and “the majority of voters, including independents” who say the border is the most important problem in the country, Walsh added.

As the senators face a difficult decision, it’s not clear that all Republicans will be on board to continue the trial. Each vote matters, given the Senate’s narrow 49-51 split between Republicans and those in the Democrat caucus. 

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, criticized the idea of a trial in late February, writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it “might be great politics, but it’s not the remedy for bad policy & would set a terrible constitutional precedent.”

Romney’s office did not provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

Other concerns for the impeachment effort are Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, who have gone against the conference previously. Neither of their offices provided comment to Fox News Digital on the subject.

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Meanwhile, Mayorkas is set to appear on Capitol Hill on April 10, the same day the articles of impeachment are expected to be delivered to the Senate, for an unrelated hearing before the House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee regarding the department’s fiscal 2025 request.

DHS did not provide comment to Fox News Digital.

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? 

– Biden goes after Utah for keeping trans prisoner in male prison

– Trump campaign receives hefty fundraising haul

– Americans agree on more than you think

Biden accused of ‘obvious hypocrisy’

President Biden’s condemnation of the Israeli airstrike that killed seven food aid workers in Gaza earlier this week isn’t sitting well with some critics, who called the president’s reaction “obvious hypocrisy.”

“I am outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, including one American, in Gaza yesterday,” Biden wrote in a statement. “They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war. They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy.”

Biden’s comments on the incident quickly drew the ire of some individuals who blasted the president’s remarks as hypocritical, since the U.S. conducted a drone strike in August 2021 that killed 10 civilians in Kabul, Afghanistan. The strike happened just days after the Biden administration’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan led to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members when ISIS terrorists detonated a bomb at an entrance to the Kabul airport. 

“There’s obvious hypocrisy there and lack of self-reflection,” Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. “I think it reflects the president’s posture right now to be hypercritical of Israel whenever possible, as part of a sustained political warfare campaign against the Israeli government if there’s an opportunity to amplify that criticism in order to make his left wing happier.”

White House

WALKOUT: Doctor walked out of White House meeting with Biden over Israel-Hamas war …Read more

DARK MONEY MACHINE: Biden, top Dems benefit from millions in secretive campaign cash …Read more

CONTINUED SUPPORT: White House pressing Congress to approve F-15 sale to Israel despite criticism over airstrike accident …Read more

DOJ SUES UTAH: Biden admin goes after Utah for keeping trans prisoner in male prison …Read more

Capitol Hill

CALL FOR RECUSAL: Stefanik accuses judge in Trump hush money case of ‘clear judicial bias’ after gag order, cites family ties …Read more

EXTREME LENGTHS: House GOP demands Secretary Austin root out ‘left-wing extremism’ in military …Read more

‘FIND A FEDERAL PRISON’: GOP plan to name major airport after Trump makes Dems erupt …Read more

Tales from the Campaign Trail

‘GOING TO WIN BIG’: Trump campaign reveals hefty fundraising haul days before massive Mar-a-Lago event …Read more

‘NO, HE’S NOT’: Jill Biden snaps at network host over president’s dismal swing-state polling …Read more

‘TRUMP WAS RIGHT’: New ad rips Biden’s record on key issue tearing apart US cities …Read more

Across America

‘WINNER-TAKE-ALL’: Trump supports governor seeking to make changes to state elections …Read more

PAY FOR SLAYING: Federal judge hits Iran, Syria with $191M judgment for Hamas-supported slaying of American Israeli activist …Read more

COMMON TRAITS: Americans agree on most core values, think our democracy functions poorly, poll finds …Read more

TIME TO STEP DOWN?: Justice Sotomayor called on to retire by former MSNBC host …Read more

LAW AND ORDER: SF residents call on city to stop crime after prostitute beats homeless person on street …Read more

REPUBLICANS POUNCE: Detroit columnist: GOP ‘banking’ on migrant crime issue in 2024 …Read more

‘EVERY SINGLE QUESTION’: Sage Steele says ‘every word’ of her Biden interview was ‘scripted’ by ESPN execs …Read more

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