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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office filed a legal brief calling on Justice Juan Merchan to not toss President-elect Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in the Manhattan criminal case, offering alternative options to keep the case on ice until after Trump’s second administration. 

“President-elect immunity does not exist. And even after the inauguration, defendant’s temporary immunity as the sitting President will still not justify the extreme remedy of discarding the jury’s unanimous guilty verdict and wiping out the already-completed phases of this criminal proceeding,” the Tuesday court filing from Bragg’s office states. 

​​Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the Manhattan case in May. Bragg’s office worked to prove that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump in 2006.

Trump has maintained his innocence in the case and repeatedly railed against it as an example of lawfare promoted by Democrats in an effort to hurt his election efforts ahead of November. 

NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES SAYS SHE WON’T DROP CIVIL FRAUD CASE AGAINST TRUMP

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower on Thursday, May 30, 2024 after being found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)

Trump’s sentencing in the case has been repeatedly delayed. Trump’s lawyers had asked Merchan to overturn the former president’s guilty verdict after the Supreme Court ruled in July that former presidents have substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts in office, but not for unofficial acts. Merchan has not yet ruled on the immunity argument. 

PROSECUTORS REQUEST STAY IN TRUMP NY CASE UNTIL 2029 AS DEFENSE PLANS MOTION FOR DISMISSAL ‘ONCE AND FOR ALL’

Bragg’s office acknowledged in its Tuesday filing that Trump cannot be sentenced as president but argued M​​erchan has various options to keep the case on ice until 2029 and sentence Trump following his second presidential administration. 

“[N]o principle of immunity precludes further proceedings before defendant’s inauguration. And even if judgment has not been entered at the time of defendant’s inauguration, there is no legal barrier to deferring sentencing until after defendant’s term of office concludes,” the filing said.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg departs Daniel Penny’s trial at the Manhattan Supreme Criminal Court building in New York City on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)

BRAGG CASE ‘EFFECTIVELY OVER’ IN ‘MAJOR VICTORY,’ TRUMP OFFICIALS SAY

The DA’s office argued that a stay of proceedings in the case would exempt the former and upcoming president “from any immediate obligations in this case during his time in office, while at the same time respecting the public interest in upholding the rule of law and preserving the meaningful aspects of the criminal process that have already taken place.” The DA’s office had already called for a stay in the case following the election, with Tuesday’s filing doubling down on that argument. 

“To be sure, the People do not dispute that presidential immunity requires accommodation during a President’s time in office. But the extreme remedy of dismissing the indictment and vacating the jury verdict is not warranted in light of multiple alternative accommodations that would fully address the concerns raised by presidential immunity,” their filing said.

TRUMP DEMANDS NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES DROP CIVIL FRAUD CASE ‘FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF THE COUNTRY’

Judge Juan Merchan, left, and President-elect Donald Trump. (AP)

Bragg’s office also floated that Merchan could use a legal procedure known as abatement, which is a practice used in states such as Alabama when a defendant dies after a conviction, but before sentencing. In those cases, the state can preserve the conviction but halt other court proceedings. 

TRUMP LAWYERS DEMAND BRAGG CASE BE ‘IMMEDIATELY DISMISSED,’ SAY ELECTION ‘SUPERSEDES’ POLITICAL ‘MOTIVATIONS’

Trump spokesman Steven Chueng slammed the filing Tuesday as “a pathetic attempt to salvage the remains of an unconstitutional and politically motivated hoax.”

Following Trump’s win over Vice President Kamala Harris last month, ​​Trump officials exclusively told Fox News Digital that the case was “effectively over” as Bragg requested a stay until 2029. 

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“Prosecutors are trying to save face,” a Trump official told Fox News Digital. “They know this case will soon be thrown out.” 

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

Disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., whose once-promising career was seemingly destroyed by sexting scandals, is eyeing a political comeback and exploring a return to New York City Council.

Weiner, 60, who resigned from Congress in 2011 after admitting to sending women explicit photos, has filed to run for a seat on the council where he previously served for six years in the 1990s representing Sheepshead Bay and Brighton Beach in Brooklyn.

Campaign finance records list a campaign committee that was set up on Friday for Weiner called Weiner 25, in addition to listing him as a candidate for a council seat in Lower Manhattan.

ANTHONY WEINER MULLS RETURN: DISGRACED EX-POL SAYS NEW YORK CITY NEEDS NEW LEADERSHIP

Disgraced former Democrat Congressman Anthony Weiner, whose once-promising career was seemingly destroyed by sexting scandals, is eyeing a political comeback and exploring a return to New York City Council. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

In a phone conversation Tuesday with The Associated Press, Weiner said he is “still exploring” whether to actually campaign for the office. He said he opened the committee late last week so he could participate in a forum held by the Downtown Independent Democrats later this week.

He said on his weekly radio show that he hasn’t fully decided on a run just yet and is considering the personal dynamics of a return to politics.

Responding to calls from reporters and listeners to his 77WABC radio program last month, Weiner said he wasn’t done with politics and that people in his neighborhood have approached him about returning to office.

“The way I always unpack these things is ‘What does it mean for me and my neighbors?’ The city has always been the way that I have looked at service. And, you know, we are Democrats. We stand up… for each other… we don’t like people being victimized by bullies,” Weiner said. 

Weiner said New York City should always be the “shining laboratory” of Democratic Party ideals and said that “for years we had Republicans running this town.”

From 1994 to 2002, Republican Rudy Giuliani served as mayor. He was succeeded by Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Independent Michael Bloomberg until 2013. 

ANTHONY WEINER SPARS WITH WATTERS, DEFENDS BIDEN, DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM: ‘CRIME IS DOWN’

Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin were married in 2010. (Getty Images)

The City Council, however, has historically been a supermajority of Democrats and currently has just six Republicans compared to 45 Democrats.

Weiner blamed part of the homeless and migrant problem on a 1979 class action suit brought against then-Gov. Hugh L. Carey and Mayor Ed Koch that resulted in the “Callahan Decree” – which instituted a right-to-shelter for homeless men.

He continued through a litany of things he would like to see improved about the city, such as being able to walk into a Duane Reade with his son and not find most of the store’s goods locked up.

Weiner was once seen as then-Rep. Chuck Schumer’s protégé and had a close relationship with his fellow Brooklynite. When Schumer gave up his House seat and successfully won the Senate seat of retiring Republican Al D’Amato, Weiner replaced him in 1999 and served 12 years before resigning in disgrace after sending lewd photos.

After his resignation, Weiner continued sexting under the pseudonym “Carlos Danger.” The main recipient, Sydney Leathers, who was 22 at the time, claimed the former lawmaker referred to himself as “an argumentative, perpetually horny middle-aged man.”

He tried to make a comeback in 2013 to run for mayor but was damaged by new revelations of explicit photos Weiner had sent under the pseudonym.

Anthony Weiner, right, and Huma Abedin are seen in court in September 2017 in New York. The couple appeared before a New York City judge to ask for privacy in their divorce case. (Jefferson Siegel/The Daily News via AP)

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A few years later, in 2016, he was embroiled in another sexting scandal during which he separated from his wife, longtime Hillary Clinton confidante Huma Abedin, who is now engaged to Alex Soros, the son of left-wing billionaire George Soros. In one image Weiner sent, he was lying in bed with his young son.  

Later that year, claims surfaced again, this time that Weiner had sexted a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina and his laptop was seized. Investigators found emails pertinent to Clinton’s classified documents scandal that preceded her upset loss to President-elect Donald Trump.

Weiner later checked himself into rehab for sex addiction and in 2017 was sentenced to 21 months in his federal sexting case – which imploded his then-bid for mayor. He was released in 2019 and was ordered to register as a sex offender.

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Outgoing Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen said that she’s “concerned about fiscal sustainability” and thinks the deficit must be decreased.

She made the comments during the Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit after Greg Ip, chief economic commentator for the outlet, noted that President Joe Biden and Yellen are leaving behind a big budget deficit. “Are you sorry you couldn’t make more progress on that?” he asked. Ip also asked Yellen how much risk the issue presents to the economy.

“Well I am concerned about fiscal sustainability. And I am sorry that we haven’t made more progress. I believe that the deficit needs to be brought down, especially now that we’re in an environment of higher interest rates,” Yellen replied. 

BIDEN SAYS TRUMP INHERITING ‘STRONGEST ECONOMY IN MODERN HISTORY,’ SLAMS TARIFF PLAN AS ‘MAJOR MISTAKE’ 

Biden delivers remarks alongside Yellen during a Cabinet Meeting at the White House on June 6, 2023 in Washington, D.C.  ( Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Yellen helmed the Treasury Department during President Joe Biden’s White House tenure, but will soon step down as Biden’s term ends next month.

In that time, the already-massive national debt continued soaring to new heights, and has now surpassed $36 trillion.

“Today, the U.S. economy is in strong shape, with a robust labor market and solid economic growth. Tune in as I join @Greg_Ip at the @WSJ CEO Council Summit to discuss the economic progress we have made under the leadership of @POTUS and @VP,” Yellen declared in a post on X.

US NATIONAL DEBT HITS A NEW RECORD: $36 TRILLION

Yellen talks to reporters during a news conference at the Treasury Department on Oct. 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump decisively defeated Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential contest, winning both the Electoral College and the popular vote.

The president-elect tapped Scott Bessent to serve as Treasury Department secretary in his upcoming administration.

“Scott is widely respected as one of the World’s foremost International Investors and Geopolitical and Economic Strategists,” Trump said in a statement last month.

YELLEN TOUTS IRS ENFORCEMENT AS HELPING CLOSE THE BUDGET DEFICIT

Yellen gives remarks at an event celebrating the Community Development Financial Institutions FUND (CDFI) at the U.S. Treasury Department on Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Yellen previously served as chair of the Federal Reserve Board of governors from early February 2014 through early February 2018.

President Biden and key Democrats are now opposing a once bipartisan bill that would have authorized 63 new permanent district judgeship, now that President-elect Trump would be the one to fill 21 of those slots once he takes office.

The Senate in August passed the “Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved Act” or the “JUDGES Act of 2024,” which staggers the 63 new permanent judgeships the president may choose over the next 10 years. Citing how courts are burdened by heavy caseloads, the bill says the president shall appoint 11 of those permanent judgeships in 2025 and 11 more in 2027. The president would tap another 10 judges in 2029, 11 in 2031, 10 in 2033 and 10 more in 2035, the bill says. 

Democrats are decrying how the bill did not come to a vote in the House before the election – when control of the next presidency, and therefore which party would choose those next 21 judges, still hung in the balance. 

The White House released a statement on Tuesday saying Biden would now veto the bill if it comes to his desk. 

“While judicial staffing is important to the rule of law, S. 4199 is unnecessary to the efficient and effective administration of justice,” the White House said. “The bill would create new judgeships in states where Senators have sought to hold open existing judicial vacancies. Those efforts to hold open vacancies suggest that concerns about judicial economy and caseload are not the true motivating force behind passage of this bill now.” 

TRUMP WILL APPOINT ‘DOZENS’ OF JUDGES, EXPERTS SAY, DESPITE DEMS RAMMING THROUGH NOMINEES IN LAME-DUCK SESSION

President Biden speaks at a “Christmas Dinner for All” in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024.  (Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“In addition, neither the House nor the Senate fully explored how the work of senior status judges and magistrate judges affects the need for new judgeships,” the White House continued. “Further, the Senate passed this bill in August, but the House refused to take it up until after the election. Hastily adding judges with just a few weeks left in the 118th Congress would fail to resolve key questions in the legislation, especially regarding how the judges are allocated.” 

During a House Rules Committee hearing on Monday, Rep. Chip Roy, R-N.C., and House Judiciary Committee chair Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, made the argument that a significant number of districts in states, regardless of their political make-up, have sounded the alarm about staffing shortages worsening the backlogs of cases. But despite the significant need, they argued, the appointment process has become politicized.

“We need the number of judges,” Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, admitted. “However, President Trump has shown, he bragged that by his three appointments, he overturned Roe v. Wade. He said he was going to do it. He did it. So don’t tell me it’s not political.” 

“Under this legislation, we all promised to give the next three unknown presidents a certain number of judges,” Nadler said. “Because no one can tell the future we were all at an equal disadvantage, but for this deal to work, the bill had to be passed before Election Day.”

The bill text cites how as of March 31, 2023, there were 686,797 pending cases in the district courts across the country, with an average of 491 weighted case filings per judgeship over a 12-month period.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., says he now opposes the JUDGES Act that President-elect Trump won on Election Day.  (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Shortly before the White House released its statement signaling Biden would veto the bill, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., gave a speech noting how the JUDGES Act passed the Senate by unanimous consent in August.

TRUMP NAMES ALINA HABBA AS COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT; REVEALS SEVERAL STATE DEPARTMENT PICKS

The bipartisan support, McConnell argued, proved “that the right to a speedy trial still enjoys overwhelming popularity.” 

“I was particularly encouraged by the vocal endorsement of our friend, the Democratic leader, who recognized the measure as, quote, ‘very responsible, bipartisan and prudent bill that would lead to a better functioning judiciary.’ Soon, we expect the House to take up and pass the JUDGES Act with similar overwhelming support,” McConnell said. “And normally, we could rest assured that such popular action would be signed into law without further ado. But maybe not this time.” 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., slammed the White House’s newfound opposition to the once bipartisan JUDGES Act.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“Last week, the White House seemed to suggest, through anonymous comment that President Biden has concerns with the bill. I, for one, would be curious to hear the president’s rationale. It’s hard to imagine a justification for blocking the JUDGES Act that doesn’t smack of naked partisanship,” McConnell, who did lead the GOP effort to block former President Obama’s appointment of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, said. “It’s almost inconceivable that a lame duck president would consider vetoing such an obviously prudential step for any reason other than selfish spite.”

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“Litigants across America deserve their day in court,” he said. “They deserve to know the federal judiciary has the bandwidth to carefully and thoroughly consider their cases. The president, former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is well equipped to appreciate this fact, and I hope he acts accordingly.” 

Florida state Sen. Randy Fine, a Republican, proposed a bill to require high school graduates with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, status to pay out-of-state tuition for college.

Fine claims the state cannot afford to subsidize tuition for students who are not in the country legally and says the policy passed in 2014 offering them in-state tuition costs Florida $45 million a year.

Under S.B. 90, DACA students would no longer qualify for in-state tuition, which costs an average of $6,143 for the 2024-2025 academic year, according to the State University System of Florida. The University of Florida, for example, is $6,381 for in-state tuition but $28,658 for out-of-state tuition, according to US News & World Report.

DESANTIS WELCOMES FLORIDA STATE LAWMAKER TO REPUBLICAN PARTY AS SHE DITCHES DEMOCRATS

Florida state Sen. Randy Fine proposed a bill to require high school graduates with DACA status to pay out-of-state tuition for college. (Getty Images)

“While blue-collar Floridians are struggling to make ends meet, it is not fair to require them to pay $45 million a year to subsidize sweetheart deals for college degrees to those who should not even be here,” Fine said in a statement.

“This is a no-brainer way to reduce the size of government and free up resources to help Floridians in need,” he continued. “We must put Floridians first, and I am proud to do my part to rebalance the scales for our citizens.”

The bill would not modify the admission policies of Florida’s 12 state universities and 28 state colleges.

The bill would not modify the admission policies of Florida’s 12 state universities and 28 state colleges. (Getty Images)

State Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat, has expressed strong opposition to the bill, arguing that the proposed change would create significant financial barriers for students who have lived in Florida most of their lives.

“These are students who have only known the United States as home,” Eskamani said, according to Fox 13.

Eskamani also noted that many DACA students do not qualify for scholarships and are already at a financial disadvantage.

The legislation, Fine argues, is about “ensuring people who shouldn’t be in the country aren’t getting discounted educations,” according to Fox 13.

TRUMP PRESSING DESANTIS TO NAME LARA TRUMP AS RUBIO’S SENATE SUCCESSOR: SOURCE

Fine claims the state cannot afford to subsidize tuition for students who are not in the country legally. (Getty Images)

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Fine’s previous attempts to pass similar legislation have come up short, but Democrats worry that increased national focus on immigration issues, such as President-elect Trump promising mass deportations in his second term, could give the bill momentum this time around.

“I am concerned this policy may have legs this year,” Eskamani said.

Fine, who joined the state Senate last month, is resigning from the legislature, effective March 31, so he can run for the U.S. House seat that is expected to be vacated by U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., who was nominated by Trump to be his White House national security advisor.

EXCLUSIVE: A top U.S. senator is expected to demand that Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo explain her reported plans to exhaust the remainder of the CHIPs and Science Act’s multibillion-dollar appropriations before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

“Your recent mandate to the Department of Commerce staff to work overtime–including weekends–spending billions of dollars in funding provided by the CHIPs and Science Act as quickly as possible before President-elect Trump takes office in January is extremely concerning,” Senate DOGE Caucus leader Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, writes in a letter that’s to be given to Raimondo on Wednesday.

Ernst called on Raimondo, the previous Rhode Island governor, to immediately halt all last-minute spending plans.

Raimondo recently told Politico she’d “like to have really almost all of the money obligated” from what is one of President Biden’s major government spending initiatives “by the time we leave.”

‘DOGE’-MEETS-CONGRESS: GOP LAWMAKER AARON BEAN LAUNCHES CAUCUS TO HELP MUSK ‘TAKE ON CRAZYTOWN’

Gina Raimondo (REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File)

The CHIPs Act, sponsored by then-Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, sought to invest in domestic semiconductor manufacturing, research, development and other related endeavors.

In her letter, Ernst said microchips and other “essential goods” strengthen the U.S. economy and supply chain.

She said that the success of the CHIPs Act hinges on careful planning and execution, which, according to her interpretation, are not reflected in Raimondo’s remarks regarding the upcoming final rounds of spending.

“[B]inge buying shopping sprees by bureaucrats shoveling billions out the door before your term expires” are unwise, she said.

“This is not a time to let the CHIPs fall where they may,” she said, pointing to reports that nearly $280 billion in COVID-19 response funding was wasted or subject to fraud.

RAMASWAMY OUTLINES DOGE’S VISION

“Shoveling out heaps of taxpayer dollars as fast as possible, with little to no oversight, is part of the reason the United States government is nearly $36 trillion in debt today,” Ernst wrote.

In exclusive comments to Fox News Digital, Ernst quipped that while “Black Friday might have come-and-gone, the Biden administration is on a spending spree, convinced every tax dollar must go.”

“We’ve never seen bureaucrats work this hard, and you can be sure they made a list and aren’t checking it twice to find out who is naughty and nice. This is backwards and underscores the need for DOGE to shake up Washington and bring some much-needed Iowa common sense to the capital,” she said.

In her letter, Ernst wrote that with $25 billion of $53 billion in available appropriations already earmarked, it is difficult to believe the same level of oversight will be given to the last-minute expenditures as there likely was for the first two years’ worth.

In addition to her criticisms and demands that the spending be halted, Ernst asked Raimondo to inform her on several related fronts before the day the new Congress is seated next year.

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Ernst is requesting the total number of ongoing negotiations between Commerce and CHIPs Act fund applicants, the duration of planned CHIPs projects and the amount of money spent via the CHIPs Act both prior to and after Trump’s election win.

She will also ask Raimondo how her team is coordinating with the Trump transition on this matter.

Trump has chosen Cantor-Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick to succeed Raimondo on Jan. 20.

Fox News Digital reached out to Raimondo on the general subject of her remarks to Politico. A Raimondo representative directed Fox News Digital to a portion of her interview: “You know, there’s a deadline, there’s a clear deadline with a change of administration. So, certainly, a deadline focuses the mind. But this was the plan we were on all along to complete this mission. I don’t worry terribly about any of the CHIPs money being rolled back, as you say. I mean, the Commerce Department is somewhat unique in so far as everything we’ve done and are doing is bipartisan,” Raimondo said.

President Biden’s days in office are coming down to the wire, and amid President-elect Donald Trump’s transition into the Oval Office, the 46th president is reportedly considering pardoning high-profile allies and fellow Democrats who are viewed as Trump’s political foes.

After Trump’s election win over Vice President Harris last month, Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Ed Markey said he expects Trump to act in a “fascistic way” as president and called on Biden to pardon Democrats and the party’s allies who could face prosecution under a second Trump administration.

“I think that, without question, Trump is going to try to act in a dictatorial way, in a fascistic way, in a revengeful first year at least of his administration toward individuals who he believes harmed him,” Markey said during a local radio interview last month.

“If it’s clear by Jan. 19 that that is his intention, then I would recommend to President Biden that he provide those preemptive pardons to people because that’s really what our country is going to need next year.”

MOTHER OF HUNTER BIDEN’S DAUGHTER DEFENDS PARDON, SAYS HE’S ‘TARGETED BECAUSE OF WHO HIS DAD IS’

President Biden (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta/File)

The comments were soon echoed by other Democrats and ​​some legal experts in a bid for Biden to sink any prospect of Trump getting “revenge” against his political enemies.

“Biden should keep going with his pardons: Trump, Jack Smith & team, Mueller & team, and a blanket pardon for all on Trump’s enemies list for any and all political statements before December 25, 2024! Merry Christmas,” John Dean, CNN contributor and former President Nixon’s White House counsel during the Watergate scandal, posted to social media this month. “​​Take the wind out of retribution/revenge!”

HOW BIDEN – AND TRUMP – HELPED MAKE THE PARDON GO HAYWIRE

As Biden wraps up his final days, Fox News Digital compiled a list of prominent Trump antagonists who have been rumored to be among those considered for pardons.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chair of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, and Vice Chair Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., are shown during a public committee meeting on Capitol Hill on Dec. 19, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Former Rep. Liz Cheney and Rep. Bennie Thompson 

Cheney, the Republican former Wyoming congresswoman, and Rep. Bennie Thompson, the Jan. 6 House Select Committee chair, were the targets of Trump’s ire during a recent interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press.”

“Cheney did something that’s inexcusable, along with Thompson and the people on the un-select committee of political thugs and, you know, creeps,” he said in the interview. “They deleted and destroyed all evidence.”

“And Cheney was behind it, and so was Bennie Thompson and everybody on that committee,” he continued. “For what they did, honestly, they should go to jail.”

The Jan. 6 committee was founded in July 2021 to investigate the breach of the U.S. Capitol earlier that year by supporters of Trump ahead of President Biden officially taking office on Jan. 20. The Jan. 6 committee’s investigation was carried out when Democrats held control of the House.

BIDEN’S PARDONING OF HUNTER INDICATES HE HAS ‘A LOT MORE TO HIDE’: LARA TRUMP

Cheney slammed Trump’s remarks in a statement this week, saying they were a “​​continuation of his assault on the rule of law,” but she did not address a potential blanket pardon or whether she would accept such an offer.

“There is no conceivably appropriate factual or constitutional basis for what Donald Trump is suggesting – a Justice Department investigation of the work of a congressional committee – and any lawyer who attempts to pursue that course would quickly find themselves engaged in sanctionable conduct,” Cheney said in her statement. 

Thompson’s office also slammed Trump’s comment in a statement provided to Fox Digital this week, arguing that “no election, no conspiracy theory, no pardon, and no threat of vengeful prosecution can rewrite history or wipe away his responsibility for the deadly violence on that horrific day.”

“We stood up to him before, and we will continue to do so,” he added.

Dr. Anthony Fauci (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/File)

Dr. Anthony Fauci

The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, was a keystone of the nation’s pandemic response, including advising then-President Trump in 2020 on how to handle COVID-19 as it swept across communities.

Fauci’s tenure under the first Trump administration, however, devolved with Trump slamming him and fellow pandemic task force adviser Dr. Deborah Birx as “two self-promoters trying to reinvent history to cover for their bad instincts and faulty recommendations.”

FAUCI RIPPED OVER NEW PAPER CRITICIZING TRUMP ON CORONAVIRUS, PROMOTING NATURAL ORIGIN THEORY: ‘EMBARRASSMENT’

Conservatives, including lawmakers such as Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., slammed Fauci for his promotion of mask mandates, vaccine mandates and strict lockdown orders that upended the day-to-day lives of Americans.

“Dr. Fauci should be voluntarily removed from TV because what he says is such a disservice, and such fearmongering and almost all of what he says isn’t even matched by the science of his own institute,” Paul, who is a doctor, said in 2021 during an appearance on Fox Business.

“It doesn’t obey the science,” he said at the time. “There is no scientific evidence that the lockdowns in Michigan have done anything or in California. In fact, the daily incidents of the disease in the last two months has been about almost one and a half times greater in California than it has been in Florida. The death rate is lower in Florida. So there is no real correlation between economic lockdowns, mask mandates or any of this.”

Trump allies, including tech billionaire Elon Musk and Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, have endorsed calls to prosecute Fauci if evidence is found of any crimes during the pandemic, including the Wuhan lab leak in China.

BIDEN, TRUMP BOTH RIP DOJ AFTER PRESIDENT PARDONS HUNTER

“If there were crimes that he committed, of course I would tell the attorney general to prosecute him, not hold off,” Kennedy said on Fox News last year.

Fauci has denied any wrongdoing amid the pandemic, and he told CNN this year, “I don’t know what one would prosecute me for. … I played a major role in the development of the vaccine that was responsible for the saving of millions of lives. … I’m definitely guilty of that.”

Donald Trump and New York Attorney General Letitia James (ABC News/Screenshot | Brendan McDermid/Pool/Getty Images)

New York’s Letitia James and Alvin Bragg 

New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg have been at the forefront of legal cases aimed at Trump ahead of the 2024 election, frequently landing in the upcoming president’s line of fire for criticism as he battled lawsuits he slammed as “shams.”

James, a former City Council member in New York and public defender, launched her run for New York AG during the 2018 cycle while emphasizing that if she were elected, she would aggressively pursue charges against Trump. 

“What is fueling this campaign, what is fueling my soul right now, is Trump and his abuses, abuses against immigrants, against women, against our environment. We need an attorney general who will stand up to Donald Trump,” James said on the campaign trail in 2018.

NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES SAYS SHE WON’T DROP CIVIL FRAUD CASE AGAINST TRUMP

About three months after taking office, James announced an investigation into the Trump Organization, alleging there was evidence indicating the president and his company had falsely valued assets to obtain loans, insurance coverage and tax deductions. The investigation began after Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who had previously served federal prison time for violating campaign finance laws, testified before Congress that the Trump Organization exaggerated the value of his assets.

James officially sued Trump, the Trump Organization and its senior leadership for allegedly falsely inflating “his net worth by billions of dollars to induce banks to lend money to the Trump Organization on more favorable terms than would otherwise have been available to the company, to satisfy continuing loan covenants, to induce insurers to provide insurance coverage for higher limits and at lower premiums, and to gain tax benefits, among other things.”

Trump charged that James had launched a “witch hunt” against him after she explicitly campaigned on a platform to prosecute the president. Trump and his family denied any wrongdoing, with the former president saying his assets had been undervalued.

James was also caught on camera appearing gleeful as Donald Trump Jr. took the stand at his father’s civil trial in November, after frequently sitting in the courtroom amid proceedings.

Judge Arthur Engoron ruled in September last year in the non-jury trial that Trump and his organization had committed fraud while building his real estate business by deceiving banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth. Trump appealed the ruling in September this year.

James said this week that she will not drop Trump’s civil fraud judgment after his win last month. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital/File)

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg emerged as another Trump political foe, leading the charge in his criminal trial this year after charging Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records after his Manhattan criminal trial in May. Bragg’s office worked to prove that Trump falsified the business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. Trump has maintained his innocence in the case, and he has argued that it was “lawfare” promoted by the Biden administration and Democrats to injure his re-election efforts. 

Sentencing in the case was indefinitely postponed after Trump’s election win, with his legal team calling on the presiding judge to drop the case altogether.

Jack Smith (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)

Special counsel Jack Smith, Fulton County DA Fani Willis 

Trump was hit with four separate indictments issued between March and August 2023, including Special Counsel Jack Smith prosecuting Trump in two of the cases: a classified documents case and a election interference case. 

In the classified documents case, the FBI agents seized 33 boxes of documents in August 2022 from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, spurring another legal battle that Trump has called a “scam.” Smith, who Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed to the job, oversaw the case and charged Trump with 40 felony counts, including allegedly violating the Espionage Act, making false statements to investigators and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

PROSECUTORS REQUEST STAY IN TRUMP NY CASE UNTIL 2029 AS DEFENSE PLANS MOTION FOR DISMISSAL ‘ONCE AND FOR ALL’

In the election interference case, which focused on alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump was charged 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.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (Alyssa Pointer/Pool/Getty Images/File)

Both cases were dropped after the presidential election, but Trump’s repeated criticisms and condemnation against Jack Smith, who he commonly referred to as “deranged,” and other prosecutors have continued.

“These cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought. Over $100 Million Dollars of Taxpayer Dollars has been wasted in the Democrat Party’s fight against their Political Opponent, ME. Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before,” Trump posted on social media after the election. 

In that same social media post, Trump also took issue with Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis, ​​who led the prosecution of Trump in connection to a racketeering indictment for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Trump pleaded not guilty in that case and has maintained his innocence.

“They have also used State Prosecutors and District Attorneys, such as Fani Willis and her lover, Nathan Wade (who had absolutely zero experience in cases such as this, but was paid MILLIONS, enough for them to take numerous trips and cruises around the globe!)” Trump posted. “It was a political hijacking, and a low point in the History of our Country that such a thing could have happened, and yet, I persevered, against all odds, and WON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” 

Adam Schiff (Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG/File)

Sen. Adam Schiff  

California Sen. Adam Schiff, who won election to the Senate last month after serving in the U.S. House, has been a common target of Trump’s for spearheading the first impeachment trial.

The House impeached Trump in 2019 over allegedly leveraging U.S. military aid to Ukraine for political favors involving investigations of the Biden family. Schiff, who served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “reads like a classic organized crime shakedown,” opening the floodgates of Trump’s criticisms aimed at the Democrat.

TRUMP FIRES BACK AT ‘CORRUPT’ SCHIFF, ‘PHONY’ MAINSTREAM MEDIA DURING FIERY REMARKS ON IMPEACHMENT

The Senate ultimately acquitted Trump in the first impeachment as well as his second impeachment involving allegations he incited an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump and Schiff have continued trading barbs since the impeachment saga.

“We have two enemies. We have the outside enemy, and then we have the enemy from within. And the enemy from within, in my opinion, is more dangerous than China, Russia and all these countries,” Trump told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” in October.

“But the thing that’s tougher to handle are these lunatics that we have inside, like Adam Schiff – Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff,” Trump added.

As speculation mounts over who Biden could pardon ahead of his White House exit, Schiff has balked at calls for blanket pardons for those viewed as Trump’s political foes.

​​”I don’t think the idea of a blanket pardon of some kind is a good idea. And I would recommend against it,” he told CBS News last week. ​

Gen. Mark Milley (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta/File)

Former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Gen. Mark Milley

Just days ahead of the election, news broke that the former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Gen. Mark Milley, slammed Trump as a “fascist” and “the most dangerous person to this country” in Washington Post editor Bob Woodward’s latest book.

Trump has repeatedly slammed Milley since leaving office, including after the United States’ botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 when he called Milley a “loser who shamed us in Afghanistan and elsewhere!”

RETIRED GEN MILLEY SAYS AMERICA WILL ‘BE OK’ UNDER TRUMP AFTER REPORTEDLY SAYING HE WAS ‘FASCIST TO THE CORE’

After the election, Milley apparently backtracked his characterization of Trump as a “fascist,” saying ​​America will “be OK” under Trump’s second administration.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (Alex Wong/Getty Images/Fox News Digital/File)

Hillary Clinton 

Trump minced no words on the 2016 campaign trail that if elected president, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could face jail time, perhaps previewing a Biden pardon for the Democratic stalwart years later.  

It is “awfully good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country,” Clinton said during a presidential debate against Trump.

HILLARY CLINTON’S NEW STATE DEPARTMENT PORTRAIT INSPIRES MOCKERY ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ‘YOU SHOULD BE IN JAIL’

“Because you’d be in jail,” Trump shot back in a mic-drop moment that earned praise from conservatives and condemnation from Democrats.

“Lock her up” became a common chant during Trump’s 2016 rallies.

FBI Director Christopher Wray (Ting Shen/Xinhua via Getty Images/File)

Christopher Wray 

FBI Director Christopher Wray, who Trump appointed during his first administration, is set to be fired or voluntarily resign from the position as Trump tees up his new pick for FBI chief, Kash Patel, and as conservatives slam Wray for “failing” his duties at the FBI.

The FBI director has also repeatedly come under fire from Trump, including during his Sunday interview on NBC for the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago in 2022.

GRASSLEY RIPS WRAY’S ‘FAILED’ LEADERSHIP AT FBI WITH 11 PAGES OF EXAMPLES IN BLISTERING ‘NO-CONFIDENCE’ LETTER

“He invaded my home. I’m suing the country over it. He invaded Mar-a-Lago. I’m very unhappy with the things he’s done. And crime is at an all-time high. Migrants are pouring into the country that are from prisons and from mental institutions, as we’ve discussed. I can’t say I’m thrilled,” Trump said during the interview.

The FBI declined to comment.

President Biden (Ken Cedeno/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)

Could Biden pardon himself?

Legal experts have grappled for years with whether a president could pardon himself, but no president has yet tested the waters and actually issued a self-pardon.

Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution states that the president has the power to “grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.” The Constitution does not stipulate who a president can and can’t pardon, instead granting them power to pardon any federal crime.

In Biden’s case, Trump has repeatedly slammed his Oval Office successor, including in June when he said Biden is a “criminal.”

​”Joe could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done,” Trump said of Biden in June. 

“This man is a criminal. This man – you’re lucky. You’re lucky. I did nothing wrong. We’d have a system that was rigged and disgusting. I did nothing wrong.”

Vice President Harris (AP/Jacquelyn Martin/File)

Vice President Harris, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, President Biden

Trump’s pick for FBI director, Patel, is known as a “deep state” crusader, who detailed in his book, “Government Gangsters,” an alphabetical list of alleged “deep state” members who are either currently or formerly employed in the executive branch.

Among those on the list are Vice President Harris, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Biden.

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Patel has advocated for the firings of “corrupt actors” within the FBI and the federal government overall, “aggressive” congressional oversight over the agency, complete overhauls of special counsels, and moving the FBI out of Washington, D.C. His list of alleged “deep state” actors could indicate which political players could face investigation during a second Trump administration, and if Patel is confirmed by the Senate.

Fox News Digital’s Gabriel Hays, Tyler Olson and Kristen Altus contributed to this report.

Donald Trump is making a deliberate effort to soften his tone.

Or is he?

I’ve given this a lot of thought, having interviewed Trump twice this year, including two weeks before the election. He was focused and substantive, trying to reach a more independent audience, and while he took some campaign-style shots, he was relatively restrained by Trumpian standards.

Now that he’s the de facto president, I saw a similar Trump on display in the “Meet the Press” interview. Kristen Welker’s follow-ups must have annoyed him, because he told her she had asked “nasty” questions.

HOW BIDEN – AND TRUMP – HELPED MAKE THE PARDON GO HAYWIRE

During the campaign, such episodes were overshadowed by Trump’s rock-n-roll rallies, where he’d ramble on about the great Hannibal Lecter or Arnold Palmer’s genitalia. But his declaration on NBC that he also wants to represent those who didn’t vote for him is a long way from his 2017 “American carnage” inaugural address.

And yet, the president-elect has also mastered the art of saying things that can be interpreted two ways, or sending not-so-coded messages.

The Washington Post editorial board, not a big fan, says Trump “tried to sound a conciliatory tone” with Welker, backed by substance.

President-elect Trump appears to be making a concerted, deliberate effort to mellow out his tone and rhetoric. (Screenshot/NBC)

Trump declared he wouldn’t oust Fed chief Jerome Powell, and wants to work with Democrats to protect the Dreamers. Trump said he “would not restrict the national availability of abortion medication, and that the United States will ‘absolutely’ remain in NATO, as long as other member states spend what they have pledged on defense.” 

And why shouldn’t he appear more reasonable? He’s got the job he believes was unfairly taken from him. He can’t run again. He knows his first term was savaged by the left-leaning media establishment. If he can have a more successful second term – after turning on some top aides in the last go-round – he could modify history’s verdict.

And that brings us to the question of retribution. He said on NBC that the best retribution is success, the same line he used with me. On “Meet the Press” he even retracted a campaign declaration that he would name a special prosecutor to go after Joe Biden. 

BIDEN, TRUMP BOTH RIP DOJ AFTER PRESIDENT PARDONS HUNTER

When Welker asked whether he’d order the Justice Department, which he sees as having persecuted him, to investigate Biden and his administration, Trump gave a response that I doubt he would have offered in the first term.

No, he said, that would be up to his attorney general and FBI director, which will definitely be Pam Bondi and probably Kash Patel. Would he tell them to do it? Nope.

It’s called distancing.

Now one could argue that he was in effect suggesting they do it by announcing it on national television. But I’m sure they knew his views anyway. 

Trump’s one misstep on NBC was lashing out at members of the House Jan. 6 Committee. He said Liz Cheney “did something that’s inexcusable, along with [Bennie] Thompson and people on the Un-Select Committee of political thugs and, you know, creeps,” Trump told moderator Kristen Welker, arguing without proof that they “deleted and destroyed” testimony. “Honestly, they should go to jail.”

So that was a gift to his critics, enabling most journalists to lead with him wanting the lawmakers behind bars. By the way, their investigation and hearings are protected by the Speech and Debate clause, which gives the members immunity.

This mellowed-out “Trump 2.0” reared his head during a Meet the Press interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker. (Screenshot/NBC)

Trump senior adviser Jason Miller told CNN that his boss’ words had been taken “out of context,” that he “wants everyone who he puts into key positions of leadership … to apply the law equally to everybody,” mentioning Bondi and Patel.

In a similar vein, Trump has mainly avoided attacks on individual journalists, this after saying he would reach out to even hostile outlets. But he made an exception and mocked Maggie Haberman of the New York Times when she co-authored a couple of stories he didn’t like.

So will we be getting Trump 2.0, or Trump 1.0 with plenty of fancy packaging?

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

Veteran Trump watchers know that he can slip off the high road when he gets angry, that it’s not just about mass deportations, slashing inflation and drill, baby, drill. 

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But I still believe we’re seeing a more disciplined, restrained and moderate Trump so far. He campaigned on shaking things up, so there are plenty of clashes to unfold. What’s fascinating is that he’s already essentially running the country while Biden has faded and, since the pardon fiasco, is refusing to talk to the press.

President Biden on Tuesday touted that President-elect Trump will inherit the “strongest economy in modern history” when he takes office in January – even as Americans continue to struggle to afford homes and groceries from inflation.

Biden delivered remarks about his “middle-out, bottom-up” economic approach at the Brookings Institution, a public policy think tank in Washington, D.C., claiming there are “a number of quotes” from commentators describing his administration’s economy as strong.

“President Trump has received the strongest economy in modern history, which is the envy of the world,” Biden said.

While inflation has eased significantly since its peak in 2022, grocery prices remain substantially higher than they did before the COVID pandemic swept the globe nearly five years ago.

HOUSE DEMS RIPPED FOR SOCIAL MEDIA POST ON KEY ISSUE AFFECTING AMERICANS: ‘EMBARRASSING’

Biden said Trump was receiving “the strongest economy in modern history.” (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

According to the most recent Consumer Price Index inflation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans are spending 22% more on groceries in comparison to when Biden took office nearly four years ago.

Voters said the economy was far and away the top issue facing the country – with 40% saying inflation was the single most important factor in their vote – followed distantly by immigration and abortion, according to the Fox News Voter Analysis of the 2024 election.

Biden spoke about his administration’s economic playbook and the future of the American economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Even Trump noted during an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday that his White House victory last month came down to the economy.

“I won on the border, and I won on groceries,” the president-elect said.

CALIFORNIA’S UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS SYSTEM ‘BROKEN’ WITH $20B OWED TO FEDS IN LOAN DEBT: REPORT

Meanwhile, Biden held to his belief that Trump’s potential tariff plan is “a major mistake.”

Trump said during an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday that he won on “the border” and on “groceries.” (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“By all accounts, the incoming administration is determined to return the country to another round of trickle-down economics and another tax cut for the very wealthy,” Biden said. “That will not be paid for, or if paid for, is going to have a real cost, once again causing massive deficits or significant cuts in basic programs.” 

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When asked in his latest interview if he could guarantee that his tariffs wouldn’t force Americans to pay more for items, Trump answered, “I can’t guarantee anything.”

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

The top outside group and financial boon for Senate Republicans, the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), is being equipped with allies of Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., as he prepares to take on the top GOP role in 2025. 

The SLF was built by those aligned with outgoing Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and quickly became a huge resource for the Senate GOP and its candidates in key races across the country. 

‘EXCEPTIONALLY QUALIFIED’: TRUMP TRANSITION ROLLS OUT VIDEO HYPING HEGSETH AMID CAPITOL HILL MEETINGS

Mitch McConnell’s fundraising apparatus is changing hands to John Thune allies. (Reuters)

Former Colorado Sen. Cory Garder will become chair of SLF’s board, a source familiar confirmed to Fox News Digital, and is expected to be involved in finding a replacement for SLF President and CEO Steven Law, who announced after the Senate leader race that he would be stepping down, following McConnell. 

Leaders of Thune’s outside political operation, Johnny DeStefano and Paula Dukes, are also expected to be involved in the search. 

RACHEL MORIN’S MOM PLEADS SENATORS ‘HEAR OUR CRIES FOR HELP’ IN MASS DEPORTATIONS HEARING TESTIMONY

Sen. Cory Gardner (Reuters)

“Cory understands the complexity of midterm elections and modern campaigns, and he knows firsthand the importance of working hand in glove with President Trump and his team to defeat Democrats,” DeStefano said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. 

This will be the first time since the group’s creation during McConnell’s time as leader that it will see new leadership and potentially operate differently, with a new Republican in charge in the Senate. 

GOP SENATOR QUESTIONS FBI OVER REPORTED IRANIAN HACK ATTEMPT OF TRUMP PICK KASH PATEL

Sen. Mitch McConnell (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

McConnell and his allies were credited with building a huge donor network and fostering significant resources for Senate Republicans over the years. While Thune has managed to build up impressive fundraising this cycle, it’s not yet clear whether he will be able to sustain it while serving as leader. 

JOHN CORNYN ‘INCLINED’ TO BACK TRUMP FBI PICK KASH PATEL AFTER SENATE MEETING

Thune was “adamant” about supporting Trump’s agenda as leader, one senator said. (Reuters)

The groups aligned with McConnell, SLF and sister group One Nation, have raised $2.3 billion in the past decade. The groups pulled in $400 million during the 2022 Senate cycle and $420 million in the recent 2024 cycle. 

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It will be up to Thune’s political operation to sustain this cash flow or learn to navigate GOP races with less resources if reaching McConnell-level fundraising proves too difficult. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on Tuesday that the incoming Republican Senate will make a “transformational” border security bill a “top priority” in 2025 – as immigration is set to remain a top political issue in 2025.

“In January 2025, the Republican Senate will make its top priority a transformational border security bill that will be taken up and passed by the budget committee,” Graham, who has been involved in a number of bipartisan efforts on immigration, said at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Graham made clear that the priorities for the GOP-controlled chamber will be related to the increased border security and deportation aims outlined already by the Trump transition team.

TRUMP CLAIMS GOP ‘VERY OPEN’ TO KEEPING ‘DREAMERS’ IN US, TAKES SHOT AT ‘VERY DIFFICULT’ DEMS

Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on July 31, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

“Increasing the number of bed spaces available to detain people instead of releasing them,” Graham said. “Increasing the number of ICE agents to deal with people who should be deported. Finish the wall and put technology on the border so we’ll have operation control of the border.”

“That’s going to be our top priority,” he said, saying it would “go first” through reconciliation.

FIREBRAND GOP LAWMAKERS DEMANDS MAYORKAS PRESERVE BORDER CRISIS RECORDS FOR TRUMP ADMIN: ‘UNDO THE DAMAGE DONE’ 

Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan will lead the mass deportation operation as “border czar.” (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Immigration and border security were two of the top issues among voters during the 2024 campaign, and President-elect Trump won the contest in part by promising a mass deportation campaign and ramped-up border security.

Republicans in the House and Senate have expressed their support for such efforts, and many lawmakers made that clear in their election campaigns. While much of the deportation operation can be carried out via executive action, Congress can assist by providing additional resources and also changes to immigration law.

Republicans passed a sweeping border security and asylum reform bill in the House – H.R. 2 – in 2023, but it has not been taken up in the Senate, which is currently controlled by Democrats. Democrats had pushed a separate bipartisan border security bill this year, which included increased funding for border agencies. However, Republicans largely objected to the bill due to the inclusions that they said would codify high levels of illegal immigration.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Graham’s comments took place at a hearing focusing on the potential impacts of a mass deportation operation. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., pointed to what he said would be the impact on prices if illegal immigrants were deported in significant numbers.

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“Prices will rise and rise and rise. So, hello America, get ready for a more expensive food bill when you’re preparing next year’s Thanksgiving dinner or next year’s Christmas dinner. And if you’ve been saving up for years and years to try to buy your first home, get ready to wait even longer because construction will slow and prices will go up,” he said.

A New Jersey state senator called for a limited state of emergency Tuesday as the mystery surrounding large drones flying over the Garden State continues to deepen.

“The State of New Jersey should issue a limited state of emergency banning all drones until the public receives an explanation regarding these multiple sightings,” Republican New Jersey state Sen. Jon Bramnick said in a press release.

Reports of large drones flying over President-elect Trump’s Bedminster golf course and near military research sites in New Jersey have been on the rise in recent weeks. On Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced there were dozens of reports of drones on Sunday alone.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that drones flying over New Jersey were not foreign, adding that President Biden has been made aware of the situation, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FBI are investigating.

FBI LEADER SAYS IT’S ‘CONCERNING’ HOW LITTLE HIS AGENCY KNOWS ABOUT MYSTERIOUS DRONES SEEN OVER NEW JERSEY

A drone was seen over North Jersey Tuesday. (Nicholas Lordi)

“So, we are certainly aware. The president is aware, so we are closely tracking the activity and coordinating closely with relevant agencies, including DHS and FBI, to continue to investigate these incidents,” Jean-Pierre said before adding she did not have anything else to share. “Obviously, this is something the DHS and FBI are tracking very, very closely.”

When pressed if the federal government had ruled out that the drones are being controlled by foreign entities, Jean-Pierre promptly responded, “Yeah.”

The Federal Aviation Administration first received reports of drone activity Nov. 18 in Morris County, which is nearly 2 miles north of Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in Somerset County.

NEW JERSEY DRONE SIGHTINGS: MILITARY ANALYSTS BREAK DOWN NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS, DOUBT HOBBYISTS AT PLAY

New Jersey drone sighting map (Fox & Friends/Screengrab)

Since then, sightings have occurred a few miles north of Bedminster in Mendham and Parsippany and other places across the Garden State.

On Monday, Murphy said there were 49 reports of drones Sunday, mostly in Hunterdon County. The Democratic governor said his numbers also included possible sightings and potentially the same drone being reported more than once.

Federal lawmakers from the state have expressed a degree of concern about the drones, regardless of the side of the aisle they stand on.

DRONE ACTIVITY NEAR TRUMP BEDMINSTER, ARMY ARSENAL SPURS NJ FLIGHT RESTRICTION: FAA

“My office has been in communication with Governor Murphy’s office and our federal agency partners,” Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said in a post on X. “While the drones currently pose no known threat to the public, my team and I will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

Booker also penned a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Tuesday, seeking better transparency and a comprehensive briefing on drone activity over New Jersey.

“Over the past several weeks, there have been multiple confirmed sightings of unexplained drone activity over New Jersey communities and military installations,” Booker wrote. “I recognize the need to maintain operational security of ongoing investigations and that this situation requires complex Interagency coordination. 

“However, there is a growing sense of uncertainty and urgency across the state — from constituents and local officials alike — despite assurances that the drones pose no known threats to public safety. As such, I urge you to share any relevant information about these drone sightings with the public. Without transparency, I believe that rumors, fear, and misinformation will continue to spread.”

NEW JERSEY GOV PHIL MURPHY CALLS FOR FEDERAL HELP AMID ‘VERY SOPHISTICATED’ DRONE SIGHTINGS: ‘WE NEED MORE’

Sen. Cory Booker speaks during a press conference in Tel Aviv Oct. 22, 2023.  (Gil Cohen Magen/AFP via Getty Images)

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the recent drone sightings in New Jersey are “not only scary for residents.” They point to the need for change in the state and in the U.S.

“There has been no transparency with the public, and this lack of communication is unacceptable,” Van Drew said. “Constituents have been told the drones are not a threat, but no further information has been provided. People need, want and deserve answers now so they can stop worrying about their safety and privacy.”

As concerns continue to mount, Robert Wheeler, the FBI’s assistant director of the Critical IIncident Response Group, told Congress the federal agency knows concerningly little about the mysterious drones that have been spotted hovering over New Jersey.

When asked if Americans are at risk, Wheeler said, “There is nothing that is known that would lead me to say that, but we just don’t know. And that’s the concerning part.”

While the FBI has been investigating the incidents, the agency has called on the public for additional information.

The FAA confirmed earlier this month that it had issued two flight restrictions in response to the questionable drone activity reported near Trump’s Bedminster golf club.

Upon request from “federal security partners,” the agency issued two temporary flight restrictions.

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One restriction covers an area near Solberg-Hunterdon County Airport that consists of airspace above Trump Bedminster. Flights are also banned over Picatinny Arsenal, a major U.S. Army hub in Dover, N.J., geared toward research and development via its CCDCAC armaments center.

The ban remained in place over Trump Bedminster through last week, snd the ban over Picatinny Arsenal will remain in place until Dec. 26.

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Former U.S. ambassador to El Salvador Ronald Johnson has been tapped by President-elect Trump to serve as ambassador to Mexico in his upcoming administration.

Like many of his picks, Trump announced the news on his Truth Social network. 

“Ron will work closely with our great Secretary of State Nominee, Marco Rubio, to promote our Nation’s security and prosperity through strong America First Foreign Policies,” he wrote. 

TRUMP’S PROPOSED TARIFFS ON MEXICO, CANADA, CHINA WILL INCREASE INFLATION, GOLDMAN SACHS WARNS

Ronald Johnson, former U.S. ambassador to El Salvador, listens during a joint press conference in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. President-elect Trump on Tuesday named Johnson his choice for ambassador to Mexico.  (Fred Ramos/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“During my First Term, Ron served as the Ambassador to El Salvador, where he worked tirelessly with Salvadoran authorities and our team to reduce violent crime and illegal migration to the lowest levels in History,” he added. 

Johnson, a former official with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and U.S. Army Green Beret, would serve in one of the high-profile diplomatic posts in the Trump administration. 

TRUMP TARIFFS WILL BRING MEXICO TO THE TABLE, TEXAS DEMOCRAT SAYS

President Claudia Claudia Sheinbaum (Left) President-elect Donald Trump (Right.) (Getty Images)

Trump has threatened to impose steep tariffs on Mexico if it doesn’t do more to prevent the flow of illegal immigrants and illegal drugs across the southern border. He’s also threatened to impose tariffs on Canada and China as well. 

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In his announcement, Trump said Johnson would help put an end to “migrant crime, stop the illegal flow of Fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into our Country and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!”

President-elect Trump has tapped Andrew Ferguson to serve as chair of the Federal Trade Commission, the anti-trust agency of which he already serves as a commissioner. 

“Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump said in a Tuesday statement posted to his Truth Social network. “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.”

“Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History,” he added.

LARA TRUMP ANNOUNCES SHE IS STEPPING DOWN AS RNC CO-CHAIR AMIDST TALK SHE MAY BE UP FOR FLORIDA SENATE SEAT

FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson has been tapped to chair the agency.  (Screenshot/Federal Trade Commission)

Ferguson is one of two Republican commissioners on the five-member panel chaired by Lina Khan. Ferguson, who also served as the solicitor general of Virginia, was appointed to the commission by President Biden and joined the FTC on April 2. 

The FTC is charged with acting as an anti-trust and consumer protection agency. 

The replacement of Khan likely means that the FTC will operate with a lighter touch when it comes to antitrust enforcement. The new chair is expected to appoint new directors of the FTC’s antitrust and consumer protection divisions.

Khan became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars’ worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while alleging anticompetitive behavior.

Under Khan, the FTC blocked a proposed merger between Korger and Albertsons, two large supermarket chains which forged a $24.6 billion deal in 2022. 

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 13, 2023, in Washington, DC. The committee and its chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), have accused Khan and the commission of “mismanagement,” “disregard for ethics and congressional oversight” and  “politicized rulemakings.”  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

TRUMP’S TARIFF THREATS GO BEYOND ‘TRADE AGREEMENT’ TO ADVANCE AMERICAN INTERESTS: EXPERT

On Tuesday, a judge halted the merger after the FTC filed a lawsuit to block the move, alleging it would lead to high prices and lower wages for workers. 

Ferguson’s experience could signal continued scrutiny of large tech companies. 

In a statement earlier this month, he called for the prosecution of “unlawful collision” between online platforms that could limit “Americans’ ability to exchange ideas freely and openly.”

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump takes the stage during a campaign rally at Desert Diamond Arena on August 23, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona. The rally, held in partnership with Turning Point PAC and Turning Point Action, comes come two weeks after Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Vice President Harris held a rally at the same location.  (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

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“In particular, we must vigorously enforce the antitrust laws against any platforms found to be unlawfully limiting Americans’ ability to exchange ideas freely and openly,” he wrote. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

San Diego County has voted to further block county cooperation with federal immigration authorities ahead of an expected deportation push by the incoming Trump administration next year – a move quickly slammed by a top local Republican.

The resolution goes further than California’s existing ‘sanctuary’ law, which generally limits law enforcement’s cooperation with ICE. The vote was approved in a 3-1 vote by San Diego County’s board of supervisors.

The resolution says that the county will not provide assistance or cooperation to ICE “including by giving ICE agents access to individuals or allowing them to use County facilities for investigative interviews or other purposes, expending County time or resources responding to ICE inquiries or communicating with ICE regarding individuals’ incarceration status or release dates, or otherwise participating in any civil immigration enforcement activities.”

BLUE STATE COUNTY TEES UP VOTE ON ‘KNEE-JERK’ RESOLUTION TO PROTECT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM DEPORTATION

ICE agents make arrests on September 25, 2019, in Revere, Massachusetts.  ( Photo by Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)

When ICE is aware of a suspected illegal immigrant in local or state custody, it will lodge a detainer with law enforcement, typically requesting that the agency is notified ahead of their release and in some cases held until ICE can take custody of them.

ICE says this helps detain illegal immigrants without having to go into communities and gets illegal immigrant offenders off the streets. Sanctuary proponents say that such policies chill cooperation between law enforcement and otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants.

“When federal immigration authorities, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Border Patrol, coerce local law enforcement to carry out deportations, family members are separated and community trust in law enforcement and local government is destroyed,” an overview of the resolution claims. “Witnesses and victims who are undocumented or who have loved ones who are undocumented are afraid to come to the County for help, which includes calling local law enforcement. This puts the public safety of all San Diegans at risk.”

ANOTHER MAJOR BLUE CITY DOUBLES DOWN ON VOW TO OBSTRUCT TRUMP’S MASS DEPORTATION PLAN

Former Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Thomas Homan speaks during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 17, 2024. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

The vote comes just over a month before President-elect Trump will be sworn into office. He has pledged to launch a “historic” mass deportation operation once in office to remove millions of illegal immigrants from the country.

San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas said that California’s current sanctuary laws restricting ICE deportations don’t go far enough.

“While the California Values Act significantly expanded protection from deportation to California residents, it fell short of protecting all residents, because it allowed agencies to still notify ICE of release dates and transfers individuals to ICE without a warrant in some circumstances,” she said.

The resolution echoes a similar policy enacted in 2019 by Santa Clara County. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Supervisor Jim Desmond, a Republican who provided the sole nay vote on the resolution, slammed the passage of the law. He previously told Fox News Digital that the move was part of an effort by some Democrats to “Trump-proof” the state.

On Tuesday he said the vote is a “direct betrayal of the people we are sworn to protect.” 

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“This reckless measure not only goes far beyond California’s already extreme Sanctuary State laws but actively endangers our communities by shielding illegal immigrant criminals from deportation. Consider this: under this policy, law enforcement is prohibited from notifying ICE about individuals, in custody, who have committed violent and heinous crimes, including: Rape and stalking, Assault and battery, Burglary, Child abuse and more,” he said.

He said he has already been in touch with members of the incoming Trump administration and “will fight relentlessly to undo this disastrous policy and ensure that illegal immigrant criminals are removed from our neighborhoods.”

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.

Here’s what’s happening…

–DNC fundraiser Lindy Li takes aim at ‘vindictive’ torrent of criticism over Hegseth comments

-Republicans rip Hochul’s ‘inflation refunds’ as a bribe to ‘make NYers like her’

–Trump shooting task force says DHS, Secret Service haven’t produced docs on golf course incident

Lara in the Senate?

President-elect Trump is pressing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to name his daughter-in-law Lara Trump to fill Sen. Marco Rubio’s seat in the Sunshine State, Fox Digital has learned. 

President-elect Trump named Rubio as his pick for secretary of state last month, leaving DeSantis the decision to name a successor to the position. DeSantis said last month that he will likely name his pick for the seat by early January. 

Speculation has mounted in recent weeks that Lara Trump is a likely choice for the role, as Republican lawmakers such as Sens. Rick Scott, Lindsey Graham, Katie Britt and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida voiced support for her filling Rubio’s Senate shoes. Lara Trump is married to the 45th president’s son, Eric Trump, and co-chaired the RNC amid the 2024 presidential campaign…Read more

Lara Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center on February 22, 2024 in National Harbor, Maryland. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

White House

‘DEBANKED’: Biden admin’s cold-shoulder approach to crypto concerns industry leaders: ‘needs to be looked at’…Read more

‘LAST DITCH EFFORT’: Biden admin report could slow Trump’s efforts to unleash domestic natural gas, experts say…Read more

LEAST THEY CAN DO: Biden administration approves project to limit Trump-era oil and gas lease mandate in Alaska…Read more

‘ENVY OF THE WORLD’: Biden says Trump inheriting ‘strongest economy in modern history,’ slams tariff plan as ‘major mistake’…Read more

Trump Transition

‘EYES AND EARS’: Meet Natalie Harp, Trump’s ‘valuable resource’ who lawmakers say is ‘critical’ to his operation…Read more

‘GREAT STATE OF CANADA’: Trump taunts ‘Governor’ Trudeau of ‘Great State of Canada’ as he continues tariffs push…Read more

HEGSETH HYPE: Trump transition rolls out Hegseth hype video amid Capitol Hill meetings…Read more

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Defense Secretary, gives a thumbs-up as he walks with his wife Jennifer Hegseth, left, to meet with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Capitol Hill

‘TOP PRIORITY’: GOP senator reveals ‘transformational’ bill Republicans want to pass in 2025…Read more

‘IT’S OFFENSIVE’: GOP senator wages war on airline industry’s ‘discriminatory pricing’ targets…Read more

RAKING IT IN: McConnell’s Senate money machine makes transition to Thune as new era begins…Read more

Mitch McConnell’s fundraising apparatus is changing hands to Thune allies.  (Reuters)

‘HE IS FINE’: Sen. McConnell reportedly fine after falling during GOP lunch…Read more

‘UNIFIED GOVERNMENT’: Incoming House Republican reveals agenda for new Congress after ousting Dem incumbent…Read more

‘LIBERTY IN LAUNDRY’: House set to challenge Biden green energy standards for washing machines with ‘Liberty in Laundry’ bill vote…Read more

Across America 

UNDER REVIEW: SCOTUS hears arguments in case that could reshape environmental law…Read more

‘FULL FORCE OF THE LAW’: DOJ arrests five Guatemalan nationals in connection with deaths of over 50 migrants…Read more

‘PROBLEMATIC’: Wisconsin mom mulls lawsuit alleging school district is pushing ‘horrifying’ race-based policy…Read more

‘COWARD’: Pennsylvania Dem Gov. Shapiro condemns UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect: ‘Coward, not a hero’…Read more

Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, during a campaign event with US Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota and presumptive Democratic vice-presidential nominee, not pictured, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. Harris tapped Walz as her running mate, enlisting him to build an electoral coalition of coastal progressives and Midwest moderates to block Donald Trump from the White House. Photographer: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

SANCTUARY SHUTDOWN: Blue city announces shuttering of migrant shelters as numbers drop…Read more

SWITCHING SIDES: DeSantis welcomes Florida state lawmaker to Republican Party as she ditches Democrats…Read more

Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Incoming border czar Tom Homan says he is already making plans to use more than 1,400 acres of land being offered to the next Trump administration to stage its mass deportation operation.

Fox News Digital first reported last month that Texas has offered the administration land in Starr County, which the state purchased from a ranch owner in October. The 1,402 acres are in the Rio Grande Valley sector near the border.

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said her office was “fully prepared” to enter into an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to “allow a facility to be built for the processing, detention, and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history.”

In remarks on “Dr. Phil Primetime,” Homan accepted the offer and said he was already making plans for the land.

‘100% ON BOARD:’ BORDER STATE OFFERS TRUMP MASSIVE PLOT OF LAND TO AID MASS DEPORTATION OPERATION

This image shows drone footage from a ranch in Starr County. (Texas General Land Office)

“I’m writing the plan as we speak, I was working on it last night as a matter of fact,” he said.

He praised Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s administration for his efforts to secure the border. The state has built its own border wall, including starting construction in the area in Starr County.

Homan said migrants would be moving in and out of the area before they can be put on deportation flights.

‘SHUT IT DOWN’: RED STATE MAKES MASSIVE LAND BUY TO RAMP UP BORDER WALL EFFORTS AMID MIGRANT SURGE

“This 1,400 acres of land, that saves us from acquiring the land. The government never buys things fast and when we do, we overpay for it, so having this from the state of Texas is great,” he said,.

In a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, Buckingham said she was looking forward to taking the next steps with the land.

Thomas Homan was announced as President-elect Trump’s pick to oversee the incoming administration’s deportation operations. (Reuters)

“For far too long, Texans and Americans have suffered from Biden’s broken border policies. I am looking forward to working with the newly appointed Border Czar, Tom Homan, in ridding our communities of violent, illegal criminals who are hurting our sons and daughters and anticipate discussing the next steps on January 21, 2025,” she said.

“As Texas Land Commissioner, it has been my promise to all Texans to do everything in my purview to gain complete operational control of our southern border. It’s my hope that the leasing of this land will be able to aid the incoming Trump Administration in keeping our American families safe,” she said.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

The Texas General Land Office purchased the land in October to facilitate the construction of additional border wall, a project that the Biden administration stopped. The area, which was a ranch before Texas bought it, had seen drug smuggling and human trafficking, officials said.

President-elect Trump made a mass deportation campaign a key plank of his 2024 campaign and quickly announced Homan as the man to lead the operation.

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While some states, including Texas, have been supportive of the operation, others have not.

Officials in some states, including Arizona, Illinois and California, have all said they would not assist the federal government in their efforts to deport more illegal immigrants.

A report from the Biden administration on the environmental impacts of increasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports could add delays to President-elect Trump’s efforts to immediately authorize new licenses for the fuel, experts say. 

Brad Crabtree, the Department of Energy (DOE)’s assistant secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, told lawmakers last week that the report, intended to measure the economic and environmental implications of increasing U.S. exports of the fuel, would be released by mid-December. Under the Natural Gas Act, the DOE must evaluate whether exports are in line with the public’s interest before issuing any new permits.

While some experts dismissed the magnitude of the report, citing the fact that Trump can just undo any restrictions Biden puts on natural gas, others suggested it could provide fodder for environmentalists wanting to go after the Trump administration.

“Corporate sponsors don’t put billions of dollars to work on fragile permits, period, full stop,” said Kevin Book, managing director at ClearView Energy Partners, an independent research and analysis firm that covers the natural gas sector. “The industry is right to expect support [from the Trump administration] but the documentation has to be airtight.”

HOUSE SET TO CHALLENGE BIDEN GREEN STANDARDS FOR WASHING MACHINES WITH ‘LIBERTY IN LAUNDRY’ BILL VOTE

The U.S. Department of Energy headquarters in Washington, D.C. (Getty)

Book noted that if the report is published and lays out reasons why new natural gas permits are not in the public’s interest, it would require the incoming Trump administration to come up with a different study, or a different interpretation of the study, in order to get to a place where it can cleanly say “yes” to new natural gas permits. Book said that depending upon what is shared in the Biden administration’s new study, that process could take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, if not multiple quarters.

DEMS JOIN HOUSE GOP’S REBUKE OF BIDEN LNG EXPORT PAUSE: ‘WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT ATTACK’ ON US ENERGY

“I’m a strong supporter of LNG exports. Unfortunately, the report could slow down movement on new LNG export licenses both because the Trump team will need to respond to comments and because the report could provide fodder – even if it is unfounded – for those who claim that LNG exports have detrimental consequences,” said Jeff Kupfer, the president of nonprofit ConservAmerica and a former acting deputy secretary and chief operating officer at the DOE under the second George W. Bush administration.

A tank car before loading at the Elbehafen port in Brunsbuettel, Germany, on April 25, 2016. (Bodo Marks/picture alliance via Getty Images)

While other energy sector experts agreed that the move could spell potential legal hurdles for the Trump administration and, thus, delay new natural gas licensing, they suggested there was not much to worry about. 

“It’s a last ditch effort,” said Trisha Curtis, CEO of PetroNerds and an economist at the American Energy Institute. “Could there be legal setbacks? Yeah. Just like there were legal setbacks under the Biden administration, and then they fight those legal battles. But if you’re trying to hurry up and issue a study before the end of the year, and then have a two-month comment period, I’m not sure anything’s going to really stick. Especially if your comment period is during the Trump administration.”

The Biden administration announced a “temporary pause” on issuing new natural gas export permits in January, which included a DOE review of the current environmental impact analysis that the department uses to meet requirements under the Natural Gas Act. Under that measure, which was passed nearly 75 years ago, the DOE must evaluate whether natural gas exports are in line with the public’s interest before issuing any new permits.

HOUSE DELIVERS BLOW TO BIDEN’S CLIMATE AGENDA, VOTES AGAINST NATURAL GAS MORATORIUM

President Biden has repeatedly taken aim at the fossil fuel industry as part of his sweeping climate agenda. (Getty Images)

The requirement excludes free trade agreement countries, but, according to Book, 80% of the liquefied natural gas market is countries that do not have free trade agreements with the U.S.

Trump has signaled that he wants to remove the natural gas pause immediately in order to boost domestic energy production. This is among several actions he plans to take to peel back the Biden administration’s climate regulations. On his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, he wrote: “Any person or company investing ONE BILLION DOLLARS, OR MORE, in the United States of America, will receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental approvals. GET READY TO ROCK!!!”

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“Families have suffered under the past four years’ war on American energy, which prompted the worst inflation crisis in a generation,” Trump-Vance Transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Voters re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail, including lowering energy costs for consumers. When he takes office, President Trump will make America energy dominant again, protect our energy jobs, and bring down the cost of living for working families.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the DOE for comment but did not receive a response by press time.