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A lawyer who previously represented the head of Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company that once employed Hunter Biden, registered retroactively as a foreign agent for the work he did for the natural gas company seven years ago.

The registration from John Buretta came in documents filed Thursday with the U.S. Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which requires lawfirms and lobbyists to disclose their work representing the interests of foreign clients.

The disclosure from Buretta for the 2016 work he did for Mykola Zlochevsky — who co-founded Burisma Holdings in 2002 — came more than seven years after the fact, raising questions and concerns about why Hunter Biden, who also performed work on behalf of Burisma and Zlochevsky at the time, did not register as a foreign agent under FARA.

Buretta previously worked as a defense lawyer for Zlochevsky amid corruption investigations into the Burisma chief by the Ukrainian government and, according to FARA documents, U.S. authorities.

BIDENS ALLEGEDLY ‘COERCED’ BURISMA CEO TO PAY THEM MILLIONS TO HELP GET UKRAINE PROSECUTOR FIRED: FBI FORM

In the forms filed this week, Buretta’s law firm, Cravath, Swaine & Moore, noted, “In January 2016, Mr. Buretta was retained to represent Mykola Zlochevsky in connection with possible investigations by governmental authorities in the United States. The representation thereafter broadened to include Burisma Holdings Limited, as well as governmental investigations in Ukraine, and continued until April 2017. The representation included both registrable and non-registrable activities. This registration and related materials cover all interactions with U.S. government officials in the course of the representation.”

As part of his representation of Zlochevsky, the law firm noted in the form that Buretta met with three Obama administration officials in March 2016 and sent another U.S. government official a letter in September 2016.

“In these interactions, Mr. Buretta identified his clients and presented facts relevant to potential U.S. and Ukrainian investigations, including information from a UK proceeding involving his clients,” the law firm noted.

Buretta’s law firm did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, but in a statement to the Washington Examiner explained that the filing came after a discussion with the DOJ.

“After discussions with the Department of Justice regarding FARA’s scope, Cravath has filed a retroactive registration covering legal services provided to two former clients in March and September 2016, and a supplemental statement terminating the registration as of September 2016,” a Cravath, Swaine & Moore spokesperson told the outlet.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS CONSIDER HOLDING HUNTER BIDEN IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS

In recent years, the DOJ has strengthened its enforcement of FARA violations. During former President Donald Trump’s administration, the DOJ prosecuted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort for failing to register as a foreign agent for work he performed in Ukraine.

Unlike Buretta, however, Manafort, who was eventually sentenced to prison, was not allowed to retroactively file a FARA disclosure to avoid charges being levied against him.

Included in the Thursday FARA filing was a breakdown of how much money Cravath received from Burisma Holdings. From January 2016 to August 2017, the firm was paid nearly $350,000, according to the documents.

The filing from Buretta and his attorneys comes as House Republicans continue to investigate Hunter Biden, who has been accused of violating FARA, wire fraud, money laundering, and other alleged crimes.

Then-Vice President Biden and Hunter Biden allegedly “coerced” Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky to pay them millions of dollars in exchange for their help in getting the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating the company fired, according to allegations contained in an unclassified FBI document released last July by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

Grassley said he released the document, which describes an alleged criminal bribery scheme involving Joe Biden and a Ukrainian business executive, so that the American people can “read this document for themselves without the filter of politicians or bureaucrats.”

The document in question was an FBI-generated FD-1023 form — a confidential human source (CHS) reporting document — that reflects the FBI’s interview with a “highly credible” confidential source who detailed multiple meetings and conversations he or she had with a top executive of Burisma Holdings over the course of several years starting in 2015. Hunter Biden, at the time, sat on the board of Burisma.

Biden has acknowledged that when he was vice president, he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire prosecutor Viktor Shokin. At the time, Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings, and at the time, Hunter had a highly lucrative role on the board, receiving thousands of dollars per month. The then-vice president threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin were not fired.

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Biden allies maintain the then-vice president pushed for Shokin’s firing due to concerns the Ukrainian prosecutor went easy on corruption, and say that his firing, at the time, was the policy position of the U.S. and international community.

The House Oversight Committee next week will hold a meeting to consider a resolution to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress after violating his congressional subpoenas.

The Oversight Committee and House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Hunter Biden for a closed-door deposition last month as part of the House Republican-led impeachment inquiry against President Biden. He defied the subpoena and held a press conference outside the Capitol complex instead.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Illegal immigrants streamed through a smuggler-made gap in the border wall in Lukeville, Arizona, on Thursday evening, highlighting the continued challenges faced by Border Patrol agents, even in areas where there has been wall construction.

Fox News shot the video in Lukeville, Arizona, which showed illegal immigrants streaming through the breach, which had been cut by the cartels. People who are believed to be smugglers appear in the gap, clapping at the illegal immigrants to hurry up before they return to Mexico.

In another part of the video, smugglers can be seen recording the migrants with their phones, likely recording proof that their human cargo has been delivered into the U.S.

JOHNSON CALLS MIGRANT CRISIS ‘TRULY UNCONSCIONABLE’ DURING VISIT TO BESIEGED SOUTHERN BORDER

The video shows the coordination of smugglers to get illegal immigrants into the U.S., at which point they will either flee deeper into the U.S. or turn themselves in to Border Patrol, after which they are often released into the care of non-governmental organizations.

There were over 300,000 migrant encounters alone in December, including those who crossed illegally and those who appeared at ports of entry, in addition to the more than 2.4 million encounters in FY 23. 

Meanwhile, Fox has reported that during a period of December there were over 5,000 migrants releases each day. The number of illegal immigrants on Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s non-detained docket soared from 3.7 million in FY 2021 to nearly 4.8 million in FY 2022 to nearly 6.2 million in FY 2023. The non-detained docket includes illegal immigrants who have final orders of removal or are going through removal proceedings but are not detained in ICE custody.

The crisis has put increasing political pressure on the Biden administration. Republicans, as well as Democratic mayors who have seen massive migrant surges into their cities, have called on the administration to do more to solve the crisis.

Republicans have called on the Biden administration to limit the release of migrants into the U.S. interior, including by the use of humanitarian parole. Republicans in the House have also pushed legislation that would restore Trump-era programs and also restrict asylum claims.

BIDEN ADMIN EYES MORE DEPORTATION FLIGHTS TO VENEZUELA AS MIGRANT NUMBERS SHATTER RECORDS

The Biden administration has said it is facing a Hemisphere-wide crisis and is pursuing a policy of targeting smugglers, expanding “lawful pathways” and increasing consequences for illegal entry, arguing that it has removed over 460,000 people since May.

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But it says it is working within a broken system and needs funding and immigration reform from Congress. It has requested an additional $14 billion, but that request is being held up as Republicans demand more limits on asylum — something that many Democrats have rejected.

Seperately, the Biden administration announced a lawsuit this week against the state of Texas after Governor Greg Abbott signed legislation that would allow for state and local police to arrest illegal immigrants.

Fox News’ Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.

A former top aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., funneled six figures in donor funds from his political action committee into his own pockets for reported consulting work, all while spending minimal amounts on the PAC’s actual mission.

Corbin Trent, who previously acted as a top aide to Ocasio-Cortez and helped propel her into office, formed the No Excuses PAC after his departure as her communications director in 2019 and exiting her campaign in 2020. 

Trent launched No Excuses in 2021 with the goal of nuking the Senate filibuster by targeting senators Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Kirsten Sinema, I-Ariz. But a recent report shows that No Excuses barely spent money on its stated endeavors.

AOC’S PAC FUNNELED THOUSANDS TO ORG FINANCING DISRUPTIVE CLIMATE PROTEST GROUPS

Instead, Trent paid himself nearly $140,000 for reported communication and management consulting between February 2021 and September 2023, which is shown in Federal Election Commission filings. 

During this time, Trent’s group spent just $14,831 on radio ad buys targeting Manchin and Sinema, meaning his PAC had paid him ten times more for reported consulting services than it spent on its stated goals, the publication noted.

Trent, who did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment, told the Daily Beast he earned the money from television appearances, which he said furthered the PAC’s mission. However, the publication noted that he had made consistent payments to himself even when he did not appear on television. 

Before acting as an adviser to Ocasio-Cortez and later forming No Excuses, Trent co-founded Justice Democrats, which was instrumental in pushing her into power. 

AOC’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

FORMER AOC AIDE: ‘OLD AS S–T, INEFFECTIVE’ BIDEN COULD LEAD DEMS TOWARD 1992-STYLE ELECTION TURMOIL

No Excuses has pivoted away from the filibuster to what appears to be persuading President Biden not to run for a second term and is asking for donations to do so.

“President Biden, you’ve accomplished more in three years than most two-term presidents,” No Excuses says in the ad it posted to X. “But battleground state voters say they’ll vote for Trump if you’re the Democratic nominee.

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“If you attempt to cling to power, your legacy will be Donald Trump’s final destruction of our democracy,” the ad continues. “If you step aside, however, you’ll be remembered as one of the greatest presidents in history. Thank you, Joe. But now it’s time to go.”

No Excuses reported just over $1,500 in the bank in its most recent filings and would not tell the Daily Beast how much it has raised to this day. 

EXCLUSIVE: Ben Luna, a conservative Latino activist and Republican candidate running to flip New Mexico’s Democrat-held Senate seat, told Fox News Digital this week that Hispanic voters are being “blindsided” by Democrat policies that don’t align with their values as a community.

Luna, a political outsider who has never held elected office, has served for the past year as the state director for the New Mexico LEXIT movement, a faith-based organization aimed at educating and empowering Latino Americans with conservative values to leave the Democrat Party.

He believes Latinos are “being awakened” to just how contrasting their values are to the policies being pushed by Democrats, and that such a shift could lead New Mexico, a state with a population made up of nearly 50% Hispanics, to flip red in November.

BORDER STATE CANDIDATES ISSUE STARK WARNING TO FELLOW REPUBLICANS ABOUT CEDING TO DEMS ON UKRAINE: ‘BUCKLE UP’

“The big reason is forcing trans ideologies, and forcing it in schools. That is a deal-breaker for every parent, but especially for Latinos and Hispanics throughout the nation,” Luna said when asked why Latinos were abandoning Democrats, who have traditionally been able to depend on getting a large portion of the community’s support.

“Once you come in, and you have almost, in a sense, bridged the gap to violate the conscience of our children — once you do that, the only result we will ever live with is that you never have access to our children ever again,” he said.

Recent polling suggests Republicans are continuing to gain ground with Latinos, a trend that first gained widespread attention in 2021. One poll even showed President Biden, who won 59% of the Latino vote in 2020, trailing former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2024 rematch among the demographic.

POLL REVEALS ALARMING LEVEL OF FEAR OF WHETHER 2024 ELECTIONS WILL BE ‘FAIR,’ BALLOT COUNTING ACCURATE

According to Luna, Democrats have created what he called a “nonstop movement” that won’t end until those implementing such policies are voted out of office and the education system is fixed.

“That’s the dangerous part, and if you kind of look at the parallels of history, that’s what communists did, that’s what socialists did. They got access to the children and forced their ideologies and then produced a generation that they could use in the future. And that’s what we’re seeing in the streets of America,” he said.

Luna said one of the movement’s priorities was to reach Democrats in Albuquerque, a stronghold for the party, as well as in the northern parts of the state, and share information about what legislation Democrats are actually supporting, something he says often goes unseen and unheard of.

BIDEN CONTINUES BLEEDING SUPPORT FROM KEY VOTER GROUPS AS DEMS SOUND ALARM OVER 2024: POLL

“Once they hear about it, they’re like, ‘My party passed that?’ Then they start to distance themselves. We almost have instant volunteers,” he added.

Although elections analysts and party pollsters view New Mexico as a safe seat for Democrats, Luna argues results of recent elections in the state show victory well within reach for Republicans.

“Something very, very interesting that happened in 2022 is we lost a lot of state House seats by less than 100 votes, and that was because they shut down our economy. [Democrats] stopped everything here. We had some of the worst Draconian policies and mandates being forced on New Mexicans,” he said, referencing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Luna claimed such policies drove people to leave New Mexico, and that topping them now with transgender ideology and bypassing parental consent would drive those still in the state toward Republicans.

BATTLEGROUND STATE POSES BIDEN’S TOUGHEST 2024 CHALLENGE IN POTENTIAL TRUMP REMATCH

“I always say this about Republican states and blue states: We in blue states have a lot to fight for. Like we have a lot. And it’s nobody fighting for us. We have to stand for ourselves,” he said.

Luna told Fox that he intends to bring his knowledge of, and high esteem for, America’s founding principles to office if elected, and that he would focus heavily on securing the southern border amid the massive influx of migrants under the Biden administration.

“I think the biggest issue is really our border … With Texas fortifying their borders and then Arizona doing their best as well, it makes us wide open, like a funnel. And so we get a lot of the crime that comes along with the drug pushing,” he said. 

“If we don’t have borders, then we’re technically not a nation. And from seeing what happened to Israel by just only a thousand that came across their border, a lot of people are actually bracing themselves for something to happen in New Mexico and America,” he said. 

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Luna currently faces no other major candidates in the race for the Republican Senate nomination, and would likely face incumbent two-term Democrat Sen. Martin Heinrich in the general election.

The primary is scheduled for June 4, and the filing deadline for candidates to enter the race is Feb. 6.

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

Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., urged New Hampshire voters on Friday to take a stand against the “cowardice” she claims is spreading within the Republican Party when they head to the polls to cast their votes in the 2024 presidential primary later this month.

Cheney, once a member of House Republican leadership when she was in Congress, made the comments in a speech at Dartmouth College as voters in New Hampshire prepare for the Jan. 23 primary.

“In a little over two weeks when you in New Hampshire go to the polls the world will be watching,” Cheney said.

“Speak for us all. Tell the world who we are with your vote. Tell them that we are a good and a great nation,” she added. “But make sure they know that we do not bend, we do not break and we do not yield in the defense of our freedom. Show the world that we will defeat the plague of cowardice sweeping through the Republican Party.”

HALEY SPARKS STRONG REACTIONS FROM CAUCUS-GOERS AFTER TELLING NH VOTERS TO ‘CORRECT’ IOWA CAUCUS

The former GOP congresswoman has clashed with many Republican lawmakers in the last couple of years over her criticism of former President Trump’s unsubstantiated claims the 2020 election was stolen from him, the former president’s handling of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack and her vote to impeach him. Cheney served as vice chair of the Congressional committee that investigated the Capitol riot.

“As a nation, we have arrived at a point where a group of elected Republicans cannot be counted on to defend the Constitution,” she said.

The Supreme Court said Friday it will decide whether Trump can be kept off state ballots over his role in the riot. This comes after two states – Colorado and Maine –  took steps last month to remove the former president from their respective ballots, citing a provision under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibiting some people who engaged in insurrection from holding public office.

“This is a process that will go through the courts and we’ll see how that unfolds. But there’s no question in my mind that his actions clearly constituted an offense that is within the language of the 14th Amendment,” Cheney said. “There’s not a requirement that you be convicted in the Senate or in a court of law, and so I believe in the plain language of the constitution.”

TRUMP TARGETS HALEY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE DURING FINAL WEEKS BEFORE PRIMARY

Cheney, who was easily defeated in her 2022 primary re-election bid by a Trump-backed candidate after standing up to the former president, said she disagrees with many of President Biden’s policies but urged conservative Republicans to recognize “the threat posed by Donald Trump and the threat posed by Joe Biden are not even remotely similar.”

“Our nation can survive and recover from policy mistakes. We cannot recover from a president willing to torch the Constitution,” she said.

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When asked about her future political ambitions and if they included a third-party run for president this year, Cheney echoed her past comments in which she said she would consider launching a White House bid to prevent Trump from being elected again.

“I’m going to do whatever the most effective thing is to ensure that Donald Trump is not elected,” she said on Friday. “I’ll make a decision about what that is in the coming months as we see what happens in the Republican primaries.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Supreme Court ruled Friday that Idaho may enforce its abortion ban, including in medical emergencies, as the fight over the law plays out in court.

The court said it would hear arguments in April and put on hold a lower court ruling that had blocked the law in medical emergencies. The lower court ruling came following a lawsuit filed by the Biden administration.

The challenge against the Idaho law gives the high court its second major abortion dispute since it overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, allowing states to make their own laws regarding abortion access. The court will also hear in the coming months a challenge to the Food and Drug Administration’s rules for obtaining the abortion pill mifepristone.

In the Idaho case over hospital emergencies, the administration has argued that hospitals who receive Medicare funds are required by federal law to provide emergency care, potentially including abortion, regardless of a state law prohibiting abortion.

TEXAS EMERGENCY ROOMS NOT BOUND BY BIDEN ADMIN’S GUIDANCE ON EMERGENCY ABORTION, FEDERAL COURT RULES

The administration issued guidance about the federal law – the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act – two weeks after Roe v. Wade was overturned. A month later, the administration sued Idaho.

U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill in Idaho sided with the administration. A judge in a separate case in Texas sided with the state.

President Biden released a statement Friday night objecting to the Supreme Court’s decision, saying his administration “will continue to defend a woman’s ability to access emergency care under federal law.”

Idaho’s law makes it a crime with a prison term of up to five years for anyone who performs or assists a woman in an abortion.

The administration claims that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act mandates that health care providers must perform abortions for emergency room patients when needed to treat an emergency medical condition, including severe bleeding, preeclampsia and certain pregnancy-related infections, even if a state’s abortion restrictions prohibit such a response.

“For certain medical emergencies, abortion care is the necessary stabilizing treatment,” Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote in an administration filing at the Supreme Court.

FORMER TRUMP ADVISER KELLYANNE CONWAY LEADS CHARGE TO OVERHAUL GOP ABORTION STRATEGY, END DEMS’ 2024 ADVANTAGE

The state argued that the administration was misusing a law intended to prevent hospitals from ignoring patients and imposing “a federal abortion mandate” on states. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act “says nothing about abortion,” Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador told the court in a brief.

The federal appeals court in New Orleans came to the same conclusion as Labrador in a ruling Tuesday. A three-judge panel ruled that the administration cannot use the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act to require hospitals in Texas to provide abortions for women whose lives are at risk due to pregnancy.

The appeals court affirmed a ruling by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, who wrote that adopting the administration’s view would force physicians to place the health of the pregnant person over that of the fetus or embryo even though the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act “is silent as to abortion.”

Following Winmill’s ruling, Idaho lawmakers won an order from a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowing the law to be fully enforced. However, a larger contingent of 9th Circuit judges threw out the panel’s ruling and set arguments for later this month.

The Supreme Court’s order on Friday moves the Idaho case away from the appeals court, and a decision is expected this summer.

Several other legal battles concerning abortion are also making their way through the courts in Idaho.

Four women and several physicians have filed a lawsuit asking an Idaho court to clarify the circumstances that qualify women to legally receive an abortion. That lawsuit was recently allowed to move forward despite attempts by the Attorney General’s office to dismiss the case.

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A federal judge in November temporarily blocked Idaho’s “abortion trafficking” law from being enforced while a legal fight challenging its constitutionality plays out. That law intended to prevent minors from receiving abortions in states where the procedure is legal if they do not have their parents’ permission.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Illinois State Board of Elections (SBE) will hold a vote this month to decide whether to remove former President Donald Trump from the state’s GOP primary ballot after a handful of voters filed a petition claiming he disqualified himself from holding public office.

The petition, similar to those filed in more than a dozen other states, cites the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits anyone from holding office who previously has taken an oath to defend the Constitution and then later “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the country or given “aid or comfort” to its enemies.

The 87-page document was signed by five people from across the state and claims that Trump encouraged and supported those who took part in the Capitol protests on January 6, 2021.

The SBE is now forced to decide whether Trump will remain an option for Republican voters during the March 19 primary.

TRUMP ASKS SUPREME COURT TO KEEP NAME ON COLORADO BALLOT

Matt Dietrich, a spokesperson for the Illinois SBE, told Fox News Digital that the case will be assigned to a hearing officer during a special board meeting on January 17. The hearing officer, Dietrich said, is usually an election lawyer, retired judge or a retired member of the Illinois SBE’s executive staff.

The hearing officer will be tasked with scheduling hearings on the objection with both parties and providing a recommendation to the SBE’s general counsel. Dietrich said the general counsel will then, in turn, make a recommendation on the matter to the full board, which will hear the case on January 30.

“Ultimately the eight appointed members of the Illinois State Board of Elections – four Democrats and four Republicans – sitting as the State Officers Electoral Board vote on objections,” Dietrich explained. “Five votes are required for a board order to take effect, so in the event of a 4-4 vote, no action is considered taken and the objection fails. However, both the objector and candidate have the right to seek judicial review of an unfavorable ruling, so it is possible that any objection may go before the courts.”

The primary ballots will be certified by the Illinois SBE at its next meeting on Jan. 11.

“Assuming nothing completely unexpected happens between today and then, Trump (and any other presidential candidate who has an objection filed against them) will be certified to the ballot with ‘objection pending’ next to their name,” Dietrich said.

That status, however, could change depending on the board’s Jan. 30 vote, Dietrich noted, adding that if it does, the board will issue an amended certification of the ballot.

Reacting to the attempt to bar Trump from appearing on the state’s GOP primary ballot, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy told Fox News Digital, “We believe the people, not activist courts, should choose who represents them in the White House.”

COLORADO VOTERS SEEKING TRUMP BALLOT BAN FILE RESPONSE IN EFFORT TO SPEED UP SUPREME COURT DECISION

Noting that the Illinois GOP is “strictly neutral in the Republican presidential primary,” Tracy said the “attempt to remove President Trump from the ballot without due process is an anti-democracy attempt to limit the voting rights of Illinois citizens and should be dismissed outright.”

The Illinois Democratic Party did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter.

Dietrich said that objections to presidential candidates who filed for the state’s primary ballot can be filed until 5 p.m. on Jan. 12.

Several candidates had petitions filed this week to appear on the state’s Republican and Democrat presidential primary ballots, including incumbent President Biden, Trump, former South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki Haley, and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Candidates who filed first thing Thursday, as reported by the Chicago Tribune, earned a chance for the top ballot spot. Candidates who waited until 4 p.m. Friday to file earned a chance for the bottom spot.

Officials in Colorado and Maine have already banned Trump’s name from primary election ballots. Trump asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to overturn the Colorado Supreme Court ruling from December that stripped his name from the state’s ballot.

In a statement to Fox News, Trump’s team said that if he is prevented from being on the Colorado ballot, it would be the first time in history such a thing has happened.

“Over 74 million Americans voted for President Trump in the 2020 general election, including more than 1.3 million voters in the State of Colorado,” Trump’s team said.

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“Yet, on December 19, 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court ordered President Trump removed from the presidential primary ballot — a ruling that, if allowed to stand, will mark the first time in the history of the United States that the judiciary has prevented voters from casting ballots for the leading major-party presidential candidate.”

Following the filing of Trump’s appeal, it was revealed Friday evening that the high court would take up the case and set arguments for Feb. 8.

On Tuesday, Trump appealed the decision to remove him from Maine’s Republican primary ballot. That appeal now heads to the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine.

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

Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Louis Casiano, Bill Mears, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

In just a week, the 2024 Iowa Caucus will commence, where the first votes for the next potential president will be cast. 

Being the first state to cast votes for presidential nominees, Iowa’s caucuses set the stage for the entire primary season. Winning or performing strongly in Iowa can generate crucial momentum for candidates, influencing voter perceptions of their viability.

More GOP lawmakers in both chambers are rallying behind former President Donald Trump. The endorsements come as there are only a few major GOP candidates left in the running — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Trump.

One hundred House Republicans, seven governors and 19 GOP senators have endorsed Trump as of Friday, including Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas; JD Vance of Ohio; Rick Scott of Florida; Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt of Missouri; Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; Ted Budd of North Carolina; Steve Daines of Montana; Roger Marshall of Kansas; Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma; Mike Braun of Indiana; Katie Britt of Alabama; Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee; John Hoeven of North Dakota; and more.

Additionally, the entire Minnesota GOP delegation threw in their support for Trump last week. Trump, who was the first major GOP leader to announce his candidacy for 2024, has also secured backing from every GOP member in Alabama’s congressional delegation.

Trump remains the commanding front-runner in the Iowa GOP presidential caucus, with his support at 50% or more in the latest surveys. A FOX Business poll indicated Trump at 52%, far ahead of his two closest rivals — DeSantis at 18% and Haley at 16%.

The Trump campaign’s ground operation in Iowa is leagues ahead of his 2016 effort, when he narrowly lost the caucuses that year to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. 

Meanwhile, some Senate Democrats already voiced their support for President Biden last year, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; John Hickenlooper of Colorado; and Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also endorsed Biden last April. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who is not running for re-election, is not endorsing Biden. 

Meanwhile, 72 Iowa public figures, including former political figures like David Oman, who held the position of chief of staff for former Govs. Robert Ray and Terry Branstad, have endorsed Hailey. 

Others who endorsed Haley include Christine Hensley, who held the longest tenure on the Des Moines City Council. Doug Gross, a lawyer and former chief of staff for Branstad, also endorsed her, as has Republican New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu.

Ramaswamy received the endorsement of controversial former Republican Iowa Rep. Steve King in a post on X last week. 

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Salem, New Hampshire, GOP Chairman Steve Goddu also endorsed Ramaswamy last year, along with former New Hampshire GOP Senate candidate Kevin Smith.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Americans in Silicon Valley are predicting advanced artificial intelligence could significantly influence and manipulate voters in the 2024 elections, with a potential for “disturbingly false” political advertising to push agendas. 

“I’ve seen some hilarious videos and some concerning ones where it’s getting too realistic,” Travis, of San Jose, Cailfornia, said. “It’s a little creepy.”

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As advanced artificial intelligence applications proliferate across industries, the rapidly evolving technology has raised concerns about its ability to manipulate elections, with some 2024 presidential campaigns already utilizing the tool. Former President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, for example, triggered an uproar on X after using artificial intelligence to recreate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2024 presidential announcement with fictional guests, including billionaire Democratic donor George Soros, World Economic Forum Chair Klaus Schwab, former Vice President Dick Cheney, Adolf Hitler, the devil and the FBI.

“I think it will worsen the circumstances with fake postings,” Richard said. “I think a lot of the political advertising has the potential to become disturbingly false using AI. It’s gradually improving significantly, and I think there’s a tremendous motivation for people trying to push a particular agenda.”

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

Claire said voters could have trouble differentiating real and AI-generated content. 

“People aren’t going to be able to distinguish between AI and real reporting,” Claire told Fox News. “What’s fake and what’s real was already kind of an issue with 2020, and I think it’s going to continue to get worse in 2024 because some of it is extremely convincing.”

‘FEAR AT 10’: SENATORS’ CONCERNS SPIKE ON IMPACT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ‘TO CHANGE VOTES’ IN 2024

DeSantis’ campaign also used AI-generated audio and video to criticize Trump’s policies, including one portraying a fictional image of Trump hugging Anthony Fauci posted on social media in June. 

Another campaign ad, created by a PAC supporting DeSantis, used AI-generated audio to mimic Trump’s voice criticizing Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. The AI voice appears to have been based on comments Trump wrote on Truth Social but never said aloud.

“I think AI will be used to manipulate people into doing things that they’re not quite sure they wanted to do,” Steve said. “That’s going to be a big impact that goes under the radar. I think public opinion will be shaped in a large way.”

Ken said Americans will have to learn to distinguish between real and deceptively manipulated campaign ads when making important voting decisions. 

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“I think there’s going to be a period where we’re going to be influenced by what AI presents,” he said. “It’s going to take some time for people to kind of wise up and understand that we live in a different world.”

“You can’t really trust what you see and hear anymore,” Ken continued. “It’s going to be interesting how this shapes how this shapes us.”

Ramiro Vargas contributed to the accompanying video.

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Claudia Tenney endorsed former President Trump on Friday, telling Fox News Digital that he is “the only candidate” who can restore the United States to “prosperity and security.”

Tenney, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital on Friday that during his first term, Trump’s “visionary and bold leadership secured the border, put our economy in overdrive by lowering taxes, cutting unnecessary regulations and unleashing American energy independence.”

TRUMP WINS ENDORSEMENT FROM HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER STEVE SCALISE

“President Trump provided us with safer communities and global stability,” Tenney said.

In contrast, Tenney described President Biden’s tenure as “pathetic and feckless.”

“Illegal migrants are flooding our communities, crime is rampant and unchecked, Bidenflation is crushing families and dangerous and costly wars are breaking out across the globe,” Tenney said.

HOUSE GOP LEADERS CLOSE RANKS AROUND TRUMP AS NO. 3 REPUBLICAN REVEALS 2024 SUPPORT

“President Trump is the only candidate who can make America great again by restoring our country to the prosperity and security we enjoyed under his strong leadership,” Tenney told Fox News Digital. “I am honored to once again endorse President Trump and support his campaign for President of the United States.”

Tenney added: “We must fight every day to ensure election integrity in order to secure a resounding win for President Trump and all Republicans in 2024.”

STEFANIK ENDORSES TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT IN 2024, AS SOME PUSH HIM TO DELAY ANNOUNCEMENT

Tenney joins nearly 100 House Republicans in endorsing Trump, who holds a commanding lead over the Republican primary field.

Tenney is the second member of Congress from New York to endorse Trump.

House Republican Conference chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., was the first member of congressional GOP leadership to endorse Trump’s campaign in November.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., endorsed Trump just a day later.

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This week, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., endorsed Trump as well.

On the other side of the Capitol, Trump has the support of nearly two dozen Republican senators. 

New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking over $370 million from former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants in his highly publicized civil fraud trial.

James demanded the financial penalty as repayment for profits she argues were illicitly gained, according to a document filed to the court on Friday.

The attorney general argues, “The conclusion that defendants intended to defraud when preparing and certifying Trump’s SFCs is inescapable.”

TRUMP VISITS MANHATTAN COURT TO BLAST NYAG CASE, PRAISES APPELLATE RULING IN HIS FAVOR

Back in September, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization had committed fraud while building his real estate empire, by deceiving banks, insurers and others, by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.

“The myriad deceptive schemes they employed to inflate asset values and conceal facts were so outrageous that they belie innocent explanation,” James wrote in the Friday document.

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

TRUMP’S GAG ORDER CHALLENGE IN NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES’ CIVIL SUIT REJECTED

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

Last month, the New York State Appellate Division First Department rejected Trump’s challenge to the gag orders imposed by Engoron. 

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

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

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

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

Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price and Maria Paronich contributed to this report.

It would be like playing the Super Bowl at Churchill Downs.

The Stanley Cup Finals at Fenway Park.

Running the Indianapolis 500 in the old Boston Garden.

The 2024 presidential campaign likely won’t unfold in all the old familiar places.

THE SPEAKER’S LOBBY: LEGISLATION ON COLLEGE SPORTS RELEGATED TO THE JV

The presidential proving ground for former President Trump may be in various courthouses, ranging from New York to Atlanta.

But House Republicans hope the presidential validation field for President Biden in 2024 is in the halls of Congress.

House Republicans didn’t accomplish much in 2023. But in mid-December, House GOPers finally conjured up the votes to formalize an impeachment inquiry into President Biden. That dynamic — emerging in an election year — could expose whether voters buy the GOP narrative that Mr. Biden, Hunter Biden and his family have something to hide about overseas business entanglements and financial dealings.

Or, the maneuver could reveal whether Republicans came up with blanks.

There is also the risk that voters believe the GOP is just engineering a not-so-shadow campaign to knife President Biden politically in 2024.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., began inching toward a House impeachment inquiry in late June and early July. But McCarthy never had the votes to officially launch an inquiry. And we all know what happened to McCarthy.

There were two camps of Republicans in the House when it came to impeachment. Not so much on whether the House should impeach Mr. Biden, but on how long an impeachment investigation should take.

One cohort of GOPers argued last summer they could wrap up the investigation soon and determine by fall whether they should impeach President Biden. They fretted about dragging things out into an election year. The other group didn’t set a timetable. Lawmakers appeared determined to let any inquiry run its course. 

And so, here we are in 2024 — a presidential election year. Republicans burned valuable time through 2023 fighting over who should be Speaker of the House and potential rendezvous with government shutdowns and the debt ceiling. So is there any surprise impeachment drifted into 2024?

And therein lies possible trouble.

Of course, any impeachment investigation is dangerous for a sitting president. But historically, it has been just as dangerous for the party undertaking the impeachment investigation.

Consider for a moment: what political benefit has any party ever reaped from an impeachment? Ever? And that includes the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson.

What do Democrats have to show with their two impeachments of former President Trump? Few consequences. Mr. Trump roared back stronger than ever after the Capitol riot and is the presumptive Republican nominee.

CONGRESS’ FIGHT OVER IMMIGRATION REFORM COULD LAST A WHILE

What did House Republicans get from their impeachment of former President Clinton in 1998? Well, Republicans almost lost control of the House. And the Republicans of 1998 churned through two House Speakers. The Clinton impeachment signaled the end for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. Gingrich’s intended successor — former Rep. Bob Livingston, R-La., never became Speaker. It was revealed the night before the House impeached former President Clinton for deeds related to his affair with Monica Lewinsky that Livingston had also had an affair. So Livingston stepped aside.

This is why impeachments are risky. They often backfire. And while there’s a lot of turmoil, they don’t shift the political landscape.

“Without evidence, you simply cannot persuade those suburban voters who will sometimes vote Republican and sometimes vote Democratic, that the Republicans are doing the right thing in the House,” said University of Mary Washington political scientist Stephen Farnsworth. “As much as the far right conservatives in the safe seats are going to want this impeachment inquiry to move forward, the reality is that doing so may very well cost the Republicans their majority.”

We have no idea how or if House Republicans will actually impeach President Biden.

It’s about the math.

Republicans begin 2024 with a 220-213 advantage in the House. The already meager GOP majority could dwindle further. Republicans cannot lose more than three votes on any roll call and still pass something without assistance from the other side. 

Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, will resign in mid-January. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., is out until February recovering from cancer treatment. That means that in late January, Republicans effectively will have 218 operational votes in a 432-member House. They can lose two votes on any given roll call. Otherwise, the Democrats will prevail.

So, it’s unclear if Republicans will ever have the votes to impeach President Biden.

That presents the worst case scenario for the GOP.

Here are three problems:

If Republicans fail to impeach President Biden, the conservative base will be apoplectic.

That’s because Republicans have talked and talked about impeachment since President Biden took office. They potentially raised the bar and failed to deliver. Their voters could turn tail on them.

Then you have this mid-December impeachment inquiry vote. The average voter doesn’t follow the grand details of “impeachment” and the difference between an inquiry and actually impeaching the president. But all House Republicans — including those from battleground districts or the 18 districts President Biden won — are on the hook. That vote alone could be enough to torpedo many of those Republicans in the general election, regardless of how they try to finesse it.

Finally, imagine Republicans not impeaching President Biden, but keeping impeachment on the table with regular hearings and days of closed-door depositions. The public wonders why Republicans are dithering. Their base is displeased that they didn’t impeach the President. Skeptics ask what Republicans are spending all of their time on.

It could be a lose-lose-lose scenario.

Never mind that Republicans run headlong into a legislative jumble later this month and February with possible government shutdowns. And utterly nothing is figured out about securing the border despite weeks of talks. That hamstrings the release of potential aid to Ukraine and Israel. Republicans linked President Biden’s international assistance package to border security. That may work politically. But now it’s looking like it’s imperiling any way to get Ukraine and Israel the money they need.

This is why Republicans are now teeing up a potential impeachment inquiry against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. And Republicans are planning to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for skipping out on a subpoena for a deposition last month.

A contempt of Congress citation cuts two ways.

Republicans will wail that Hunter Biden didn’t comply with a subpoena. But McCarthy, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Scott Perry, R-Penn., and Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., all defied subpoenas in 2022 from the House committee investigation the Capitol riot.

That said, it is hard for the House to enforce a subpoena against a sitting member from one of its committees.

However, watch to see if the Justice Department prosecutes Hunter Biden if the House holds him in contempt. The DoJ prosecuted former Trump aides Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro for not complying with subpoenas. If the DoJ doesn’t prosecute, Republicans will argue that the Biden Justice Department is shielding the President’s son. Former President Trump will assert that he’s getting unfair treatment facing prosecution from Special Counsel Jack Smith.

So there are two venues for the 2024 campaign trail.

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Yes. States like Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona and New Hampshire could determine who is president.

But the battlefield is in the halls of Congress and courtrooms across the nation.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky‘s congressional and legislative campaigns came into focus Friday as Republicans and Democrats completed candidate lineups for 2024 elections lacking a marquee race for statewide office unlike last year, when the state was in the limelight with its hotly contested gubernatorial contest.

All six Kentucky congressmen — five Republicans and one Democrat — filed for reelection. They all will be challenged, either in the spring primary or the November general election.

KENTUCKY GOVERNOR BACKS LONGER LIST OF CONDITIONS ELIGIBLE FOR TREATMENT UNDER MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW

Democrats again failed to field legislative candidates across swaths of rural Kentucky, while a number of Republican state lawmakers will encounter primary challenges. It reflects the diminished Democratic brand in much of rural Kentucky and the GOP’s continued growth, leading to competitive primaries. Republicans have amassed supermajorities in both the Kentucky House and Senate.

“Kentucky continues to trend toward the Republican Party,” GOP House Speaker David Osborne told reporters several hours before the candidate filing deadline. “Therefore more and more seats are determined in the Republican primary.”

Candidates, political strategists and reporters clustered outside the secretary of state’s office in the final hours before the deadline. Popcorn was offered as a snack. When the deadline arrived, Secretary of State Michael Adams ceremoniously closed the door to the office where candidates file their paperwork.

It lacked the drama of the deadline a year ago, when former Republican Gov. Matt Bevin teased a bid for a political comeback. Bevin arrived at the statehouse, gave a speech to a throng of media and then left without filing. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who ousted Bevin in 2019, went on to win reelection over GOP challenger Daniel Cameron in one of the most closely watched elections of 2023.

In 2024, congressional and statehouse candidates will run in districts drawn by the state’s GOP-dominated legislature. Democrats challenged the maps for congressional and state House districts, but Kentucky’s Supreme Court upheld the boundaries in a ruling last month. The legislature convened its 60-day session this week, and crafting the next two-year state budget will be at the top of the agenda.

In the presidential contest, President Joe Biden will be on the primary ballot in Kentucky along with fellow Democrats Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson. On the GOP side, former President Donald Trump will be on the Kentucky ballot in a field that includes Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy. Trump easily carried Kentucky in the last two general elections for president.

In legislative races, Republican incumbents drawing primary challengers ranged from relative newcomers to veteran state Reps. Kimberly Poore Moser and Michael Meredith who lead House committees.

With their lineup now complete, Republicans said they enter this year’s campaigns with momentum on their side, despite losing the state’s marquee gubernatorial election last year.

“From the candidate filings, one thing is clear: there is more energy within the Republican Party than ever,” state GOP Chairman Robert Benvenuti said in a statement.

Democrats, hoping to cut into the GOP’s lopsided legislative majorities, said they targeted suburban and rural districts where Beshear ran well last year. State Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge offered a preview of his party’s agenda heading into the campaigns.

“This November, public education, healthcare access, infrastructure, the opportunity to lift everyone up and move Kentucky forward, all of that is on the line and the Kentucky Democratic Party intends to fight for it,” Elridge said in a statement.

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Seeking new terms from Kentucky’s congressional delegation will be Republican Reps. James Comer, Brett Guthrie, Thomas Massie, Hal Rogers and Andy Barr, as well as Democratic Rep. Morgan McGarvey.

The lead up to the filing deadline was dominated by announcements from some prominent state lawmakers that they would not seek reelection in 2024. Among the lawmakers stepping down after this year are Republican Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, GOP state Rep. Kevin Bratcher and state Rep. Derrick Graham, the top-ranking Democrat in the House.

ATLANTA (AP) — A judge rejected a lawsuit Friday that sought to disqualify Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones from holding office because of the Republican’s participation as an elector for Donald Trump in 2020.

Butts County Superior Court Judge Thomas Wilson ruled that the four voters who sued couldn’t use the kind of legal action they filed to attack actions Jones took in 2020 while he was a state senator.

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

The suit echoed other efforts elsewhere to keep Trump and some of his supporters off ballots and to prosecute people who falsely claimed to be valid Trump electors in states Joe Biden won.

Richard Rose, a civil rights activist who is one of the plaintiffs, said Friday that he had expected Wilson to rule against him and that he anticipates an appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court.

Jones “violated his oath of office, because he lied and said he was a duly qualified elector from state of Georgia, which is not true,” Rose said. (Missing word “the” or CQ?)

Jones says the suit is an illegitimate effort by Democrats to unseat him.

“Democrat activists in Georgia are trying to use the legal system to overrule the will of the voters, just like liberal activists in places like Colorado and Maine are trying to do to President Trump,” Jones said in a statement. “I’m glad to see the court throw out this ridiculous political attack.”

The lawsuit came as a decision remains in limbo on whether to prosecute Jones on state charges, due to a lack of a special prosecutor willing to take the case.

The plaintiffs asked a judge in December to declare Jones ineligible to hold office in Georgia, alleging that he violated his oath of office as a state senator by signing his name as a Trump elector. Biden was certified as winning Georgia’s 16 electoral votes in 2020’s election.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear Trump’s appeal of a Colorado court ruling keeping him off the 2024 presidential ballot because of his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The court will be considering for the first time the meaning and reach of a provision of the post-Civil War 14th Amendment barring some people who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office.

In Georgia, challengers argued the same clause prohibits Jones from holding office and called him “an insurrectionist against the Constitution of the United States of America.”

Jones’ lawyer argued the challenge lacked evidence to prove insurrection, a position the judge agreed with.

Jones was one of 16 Republicans who gathered on Dec. 14, 2020, at Georgia’s Capitol, claiming to be legitimate electors. The meeting is critical to the prosecution of Trump and 18 others who were indicted by a Georgia grand jury in August for efforts to overturn Biden’s narrow win.

Of those in Georgia indicted in August, only three acted as Trump electors, and all were indicted for crimes beyond that.

Michigan and Nevada have also criminally charged Trump electors. In Wisconsin, 10 Republicans settled a civil lawsuit last month and admitted their actions sought to overturn Biden’s victory.

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An earlier special Georgia grand jury recommended Jones face felony charges. But Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was barred from indicting Jones. A judge ruled Willis, an elected Democrat, had a conflict of interest because she hosted a fundraiser for the Democrat who lost to Jones in 2022’s election for lieutenant governor.

The state Prosecuting Attorneys Council is supposed to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate whether Jones’ actions were criminal, but hasn’t yet acted.

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump said President Biden is a “true threat to democracy,” while reacting to his opponent’s campaign speech marking three years since the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Biden delivered a campaign speech in Blue Bell, Pa. Friday, and spent the majority of the address attacking Trump, who holds a massive lead over the GOP presidential primary field.

BIDEN MARKS THREE YEARS SINCE JAN. 6 BLASTING TRUMP, SAYING HE IS ‘TRYING TO STEAL HISTORY’

Biden accused Trump of “trying to steal history the same way he tried to steal the election,” while saying that the results of the 2020 election proved that he was a “loser.” 

But in an interview with Fox News Digital after Biden’s speech, Trump fired back.

“The Democrats rigged the last election and they are trying it again,” Trump said. “But it won’t work because they have shown how bad and incompetent they are.”

“Joe Biden is the worst president in the history of the United States — he is incompetent, he is crooked, and in many respects, he is Benedict Arnold,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “He is destroying our country like no one else has done before.” 

Trump, pointing to the crisis at the Southern Border, said the United States has “an invasion of millions of people, many from prisons, mental institutions and terrorists pouring into our country.” 

“He is responsible for this,” Trump said. “We are a failing nation — a nation in decline — and it is all because he is the worst president in the history of our country.” 

TRUMP EDGES BIDEN AGAIN IN NEW 2024 POLL, BUILDS SUPPORT WITH YOUNGER VOTERS

Trump went on to tell Fox News Digital that “because of his gross incompetence, Joe Biden is a true threat to democracy.”

“This is not a time for us to have a mentally challenged president,” Trump said. 

Trump’s comments come as Biden blasted him for “the worst dereliction of duty by a president in American history” and “an attempt to overturn a free and fair election by force and violence.” 

YOUNGER VOTERS HELP BOOST TRUMP’S EDGE OVER BIDEN IN LATEST FOX SURVEY

But Trump pushed back, saying: “The only insurrection is the insurrection that is taking place at our border where he is allowing millions of people from parts unknown to invade our country at a level far worse than even a military invasion.”

Trump has never been charged with insurrection, despite Special Counsel Jack Smith bringing charges against him related to an investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol protests and the 2020 election. 

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Smith charged Trump with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges. 

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

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

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

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

TRUMP ASKS SUPREME COURT TO KEEP NAME ON COLORADO BALLOT

The highest court said that the briefs are due by Jan 31.

TRUMP FIRES BACK AT JAN. 5 CRITISM, SAYS BIDEN IS A ‘TRUE THREAT TO DEMOCRACY’

The Supreme Court said that the respondents’ briefs are to be filed on or before Jan. 31, and the reply brief is to be filed on or before 5 p.m., Feb. 5.

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

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

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

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

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Thursday acknowledged that the majority of illegal immigrants encountered at the border are released into the U.S., as he also sought to highlight the number the administration has removed.

Mayorkas spoke on “Special Report” on Thursday and was asked by anchor Bret Baier about Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources who have told Fox News that they are releasing over 70% of migrants crossing every day.

“It would not surprise me at all. I know the data,” Mayorkas said. “And I will tell you that when individuals are released, they are released into immigration enforcement proceedings. They are on alternatives to detention. And we have returned or removed a record number of individuals. We are enforcing the laws that Congress has passed. “

MAYORKAS PUNTS ON IMPEACHMENT QUESTION, FAULTS CONGRESS AMID BORDER CRISIS 

Separately the secretary said that there are “well more than a million” migrants released into the U.S. annually, and argued repeatedly that it is up to Congress to provide more funding and immigration reform to fix what he has called a “broken” system. He said that the agency is limited in detention capacity by funding provided by Congress.

“When somebody enters the country, we place them in immigration enforcement proceedings pursuant to immigration law, and if their claim for relief, their claim to remain in the United States succeeds, then by law they are able to stay here,” he said.

The interview comes as Mayorkas is facing increasing pressure over the Biden administration’s handling of the crisis at the southern border. There were over 302,000 migrant encounters in December, after an FY 2023 that saw a record 2.4 million encounters overall. A recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) report said that the agency had removed 142,580 illegal immigrants in FY 23, up considerably from 72,177 in FY 22 and 59,011 in FY 21, but still down from the highs of 267,258 under the Trump administration in FY 19.

The administration has continued to push for deeper legislative reform and funding, but Republicans have blamed the crisis on the Biden administration’s policies, including its rolling back of Trump-era policies, narrowed ICE enforcement and its expanded releases into the interior. Some have also called for Mayorkas’ impeachment and hearings on that will take place next week.

EX-DHS OFFICIALS BACK JOHNSON’S AGGRESSIVE BORDER STANCE IN FUNDING FIGHT, SAY GOP MUST HAVE ‘CLEAR RESOLVE’ 

DHS has said that it has seen more removals since Title 42 ended in May it has removed more than 470,000 people, which is more than in the entirety of FY 2019. It has also said it is working to expand the use of expedited removal and increase deportation flights to Venezuela.

But Fox has also reported that officials have told lawmakers that they are releasing over 5,000 illegal immigrants a day into the U.S. interior, and that doesn’t include the migrants being let in at ports of entry after having used the CBP One app.

The comments comes as negotiations are ongoing between lawmakers and the administration over a supplemental funding request by the administration — which includes $14 billion for border funding. But Republicans have said that the package must increase limits on asylum and the administration’s use of parole, which they say attracts migrants to the border. Senate Democrats have balked at those demands, but the administration has expressed optimism about the talks.

Mayorkas said the magnet was not the policies, but the broken system.

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“What is a magnet is the fact that the time in between an encounter of an individual at the border and their final ruling in their immigration case can sometimes take six or more years. That is a magnet, which is why precisely why I am working with Republicans and Democrats in the United States Senate to deliver a solution for the American people, to deliver a fix to an immigration system that everyone agrees is broken, and that is long overdue,” he said.

Fox News’ Charles Creitz and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
 

President Biden marked three years since the Jan. 6 Capitol riot on Friday, blasting former President Trump by saying he is “trying to steal history the same way he tried to steal the election.”

Biden delivered a speech in Blue Bell, Pa. Friday to mark three years of the Capitol Riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Biden spent the majority of his address attacking his predecessor and 2024 Republican opponent — who holds a massive lead over the GOP presidential primary field.

“In trying to rewrite the facts of January 6, Trump is trying to steal history the same way he tried to steal the election,” Biden said. “But he knew the truth because we saw it with our own eyes.”

Referring to the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot, Biden said the “mob wasn’t a peaceful protest. It was a violent assault.”

“They were insurrectionists, not patriots,” Biden said. “I’ll say what Donald Trump won’t — political violence is never, ever acceptable to the United States… Never, never, never.”

He added: “It has no place in a democracy. None. You can’t be pro-insurrectionist and pro American.”

Biden spent the majority of the speech trying to tie Trump to the Capitol riot. 

While Special Counsel Jack Smith did charge Trump out of his investigation, the former president has never been charged with insurrection. 

Biden said that “democracy is on the ballot” and “freedom is on the ballot” in 2024, while saying the opposite of democracy is “dictatorship.” 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

A Wyoming district court judge dismissed a lawsuit aiming to remove former President Donald Trump and Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis from election ballots, sparking celebration from Wyoming Republican Secretary of State Chuck Gray. 

“I am extremely pleased with Judge Westby’s decision to dismiss Mr. Newcomb’s outrageously wrong and repugnant lawsuit to remove Donald Trump and Cynthia Lummis from the ballot in Wyoming,” Gray said in a press release provided to Fox News Digital. 

“I have been working to make sure that Donald Trump will be able to be on the ballot, and I am happy our motion to dismiss this lawsuit was granted. I will continue to fight against this nationwide effort in order to protect the integrity of our elections and ensure that the people of Wyoming can choose who to elect for themselves.”

Retired lawyer Tim Newcomb filed a lawsuit in November, Newcomb v. Chuck Gray, with the Albany County District Court to remove Trump and Lummis from future ballots, arguing that they are “traitors” under a clause in the 14th Amendment in relation to January 6, 2021, when Trump supporters breached the U.S. Capitol. 

TOP WYOMING OFFICIAL SLAMS BRAKES ON COURT LABELING TRUMP ‘INSURRECTIONIST’: ‘OUTRAGEOUS’

In a court filing late last month, Newcomb also called on Gray to resign “for his attempt at stochastic terror against Wyoming’s Judiciary, thenapologize [sic] to the Court and its staff personnel,” court filings state, according to the Cowboy State Daily. 

TRUMP ASKS SUPREME COURT TO KEEP NAME ON COLORADO BALLOT

“Mr. Newcomb’s screed reflects the ravings of a radical left-wing mad man,” Gray told the outlet last month. “Its [sic] another example of the tactics of lunatics of the radical Left with their outrageously wrong attempts at election interference.”   

Newcomb, in his court filings, also claimed that the District Court judge presiding over the case could face death threats if she were to side with him in the case. 

“In candor to the Court, death threats — if the Court agrees with the Petitioner’s Verified Complaint . . . against the Court, her Honor, litigants, witnesses, staff personnel and their families, will come,” Newcomb’s filing states, the Cowboy State Daily reported.  

Lummis also celebrated the dismissal in a comment to Fox Digital, calling the suit “frivolous.” 

“Elections in Wyoming are decided by the people of the Cowboy State, and I am glad this frivolous lawsuit to remove myself and Donald Trump from future ballots was dismissed. Efforts to remove candidates from the ballot are a direct attack on the freedom of voters to choose their elected officials and undermines the integrity of our elections,” Lummis told Fox News Digital on Friday. 

Ahead of this year’s election, other states are in the midst of legal battles over whether to remove Trump’s name from the ballot, which Gray has repeatedly fought against. In Colorado, Gray filed an amicus curiae brief, otherwise known as a “friend of the court brief,” with the Colorado Supreme Court to rectify a lower court in the state labeling Trump an “insurrectionist” in relation to the January 6 protests at the U.S. Capitol. 

CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF STATE LEAVES TRUMP ON THE BALLOT AFTER CALLS TO REMOVE HIM

“As chief election officials of our states, [Secretaries of State] have to stand up for the electoral process in our republic, and this is pivotal to ensuring the integrity of our elections,” Gray told Fox News Digital in a phone interview last month after filing the amicus brief. 

“I ran on election integrity, and that’s why the people of Wyoming voted me into office. And I’m following through on that, and defending the truth here, and making sure that these outrageous, frivolous lawsuits that the radical left is bringing and trying to remove President Trump from the ballot, that they don’t succeed.” 

TRUMP DISQUALIFIED FROM MAINE 2024 REPUBLICAN PRIMARY BALLOT

The Colorado Supreme Court ultimately ruled to bar Trump from the ballot, with justices writing in their opinion that Trump “incited and encouraged” the use of violence to prevent the peaceful transfer of power on January 6, 2021, following the 2020 presidential election. 

Trump on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to overturn the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling, arguing that the “Colorado Supreme Court has no authority to deny” him a place on the state’s ballot. 

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Maine has also barred Trump from the ballot, which the former president is appealing in state court, while efforts are underway in other states such as Illinois, Oregon and Massachusetts to remove Trump’s name. 

A pair of Arkansas governors will be supporting former President Trump at two Iowa faith events with ahead of the state’s Republican presidential caucuses next week.

GOP Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and former Diamond State Governor Mike Huckabee, a Republican, will be supporting Trump at the Hawkeye State faith events on January 8, Fox News Digital has learned.

Sanders told Fox News Digital she is “excited to head back to Iowa on Monday to campaign for President Trump, because we need his leadership back in the White House.”

TRUMP STARTS 2024 IN ‘STRONGEST POSSIBLE POSITION’ IN REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY RACE

“The contrast between President Biden’s disastrous policies and President Trump’s successful policies could not be more clear,” Sanders said. “President Trump made America great and will again.”

The event will be held at the Hickory Grove Community Church in Ottumwa, Iowa, starting at 11 a.m. CT. 

The second will be held at First Church of God in Des Moines, Iowa, at 5 p.m.

The events comes as Trump holds a commanding lead in the GOP presidential primary ahead of the January 15 caucus in Iowa.

Trump is heavily ahead of his competition in the polls for the GOP nominaton and is touting his position as the presidential nominating cycle kicks off.

“I am honored to tell you that we are beginning the 2024 Election Year in our strongest possible position since the moment I rode down the Golden Escalator and announced my bid to run for president as a political outsider,” Trump wrote in a New Year’s Day fundraising email to supporters, as he pointed back to the launch of his 2016 presidential campaign.

For Trump, a year makes a big difference.

The former president was the only Republican running for the White House as 2023 kicked off and was quickly joined by a chorus of GOP presidential hopefuls, including his former protégé, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis was neck and neck with Trump early on in the race as more people threw their hats into the ring, including former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

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Trump enjoys a formidable double-digit lead over his rivals in the latest polls in Iowa, where the January 15 caucuses lead off the GOP nominating calendar. He holds an even larger lead in the most recent national polls.

The former president is also facing legal trouble amid his third straight White House bid, but it only seems to have had a rallying effect among many Republicans.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed reporting.