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President Donald Trump once again mocked Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for allegedly asking him over and over again for a picture at the G7 Summit in France this week, before slamming her for not doing enough to support the U.S. war in Iran.

“Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday morning, reiterating what he told an Italian outlet on Friday.

Meloni told Reuters on Friday that Trump “completely made up” this claim and that she was “astonished.”

“I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves like this towards his allies: it is not the first time, moreover,” she said.

RUBIO MEETS MELONI AS TRUMP-POPE CLASH ESCALATES US STRAINS WITH KEY EUROPEAN ALLY

In his social media post, Trump went on to criticize Meloni for failing to assist the U.S. when the war in Iran was in full swing several months ago.

“She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a Country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon (But so did NATO, for that matter!),” he wrote.

Trump added that he was frustrated with Meloni for not letting U.S. forces use Italy’s landing strips and runways, calling it “a great logistical inconvenience.”

Italy denied the use of an air base in Sicily to U.S. warplanes that were carrying weapons that would be used in the campaign against Iran, The Guardian reported in March.

Italy denied the use of an air base in Sicily to U.S. warplanes that were carrying weapons that would be used in the campaign against Iran, The Guardian reported in March.

Trump routinely criticized other NATO allies in Europe, including the United Kingdom, Germany and France, for failures to provide what he viewed as substantive military support.

Italy’s refusal to help, Trump wrote, is “despite the fact the U.S. contributes hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year to protect Italy, and other ‘so-called’ NATO Allies.”

“Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her ‘numbers up.’ No thanks!!!” Trump concluded his post.

MORE KEY US ALLIES BLOCK MILITARY FLIGHTS AS IRAN WAR RIFT WIDENS WITH TRUMP

Late Saturday morning, Meloni posted a lengthy response to Trump’s post on Instagram, condemning him for his “senseless” and “constant” attacks on her.

“As for my popularity, being your friend certainly has not helped it, nor does it depend on my relationship with you. My popularity depends on my ability to defend Italy’s national interest, and that is exactly what I have always done,” she wrote. “That is also what I did regarding the American military bases in Italy. Their use is governed by agreements that we have always respected, and that cannot be violated as long as I am Prime Minister.”

She continued, “Italy remains a sovereign nation. In any case, my popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours.”

Trump once had strong ties to the Italian head of state, with Meloni being the only European Union leader who got an invite to his inauguration in January 2025, according to NPR. Like Trump, Meloni is a conservative who favors traditional family values and often pushes back against “woke” ideology.

Cracks began to form in their relationship when Trump deployed his worldwide tariffs. Despite Meloni’s attempts to get trade relief for Italy, the U.S. still has a 15% tariff on most EU imports.

In April, when Trump attacked Pope Leo for his foreign policy views on Iran, Meloni issued a rare public rebuke, calling the president’s comments “unacceptable.”

IRAN ‘ALREADY AGREED’ TO GIVING UP NUCLEAR WEAPON AMBITIONS, TRUMP REVEALS

Before the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday that halts hostilities for 60 days, Meloni repeatedly insisted Italy would not join the war.

“Italy is not participating and has no intention of participating,” Meloni told the Italian Senate in March.

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Still, Meloni has long been critical of Iran’s nuclear ambitions and has suggested restraining the regime through diplomatic means.

“We all agree on the fact that Iran cannot equip itself with a nuclear weapon,” Meloni said at last year’s G7 Summit. “The goal we are all working towards is to have negotiations that will truly prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power.”

The U.S.-Iran talks that were scheduled for Friday were temporarily postponed amid renewed fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist group. Talks were later set too resume in Switzerland between the U.S. and Iranian delegations after Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire.

One of the key points of the MOU signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian required an end to military operations across all fronts, including in Lebanon, as part of the broader conditions for the agreement to remain in effect.

For months, senior Trump administration officials argued that Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal helped shield Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and was a key reason the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury attacks on the country. 

Now, President Donald Trump is suggesting Iran having missiles may not be a problem at all.

“If other countries have them, it’s a little bit unfair for them not to have some. If Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and they all have some, I would say that in relative proportion, I think it’s okay,” Trump said at the G7 international forum Wednesday. “Am I going to let Saudi Arabia have missiles, but (Iran) can’t have them? It doesn’t work that way.” 

“Missiles aren’t the problem. They hurt a little location, but they don’t blow up the planet.”

“The Gulf nations will address the nonnuclear issues, as we’ll be talking about the ballistic missiles,” the president added. “And we’ll talk, also, about the terrorist proxies that they have that — we don’t want that to happen.” 

ISRAELI OFFICIALS REPORTEDLY WARN IRAN’S BALLISTIC MISSILES COULD TRIGGER SOLO MILITARY ACTION AGAINST TEHRAN

Trump made the remarks while discussing whether Iran should be permitted to retain missile capabilities in a news conference at the G7 in Évian-les-Bains, France, just as details of the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran were being released. 

The comments strike a much different tone than arguments repeatedly made by senior administration officials in recent months, who described Iran’s ballistic missile force as both a major threat to regional security and a protective shield for Iran’s nuclear program.

“Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, and we will not allow Iran to hide behind the immunity of a massive short-term ballistic missile inventory, or the ability to make them or launch them,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in a press conference March 3. “What they are trying to do, and have been trying to do for a very long time, is build a conventional weapons capability as a shield to hide behind.”

TRUMP VOWS TO HIT IRAN ‘VERY HARD’ AFTER OBLITERATING NEARLY ’90 PERCENT’ OF REGIME MISSILES

Other senior officials repeatedly described degrading Iran’s missile capabilities as a central objective of Operation Epic Fury. 

In remarks at the White House on March 2, days after the start of the operation, Trump said, “Our objectives are clear. First, we’re destroying Iran’s missile capabilities … and their capacity to produce brand new ones.”

War Secretary Pete Hegseth later said March 4 the mission was “laser-focused” on obliterating Iran’s missiles and the facilities that produce them, while White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the same day one of the administration’s primary goals was to “destroy the regime’s deadly ballistic missiles and completely raze their missile industry to the ground.”  

Rubio repeatedly returned to the theme throughout the operation, arguing that degrading Iran’s missile force was necessary to prevent Iran from using conventional military power as cover for a future nuclear weapons program.

TRUMP SAYS US, ISRAEL SHATTERED IRANIAN MILITARY CAPABILITIES, PRESSES LEADERS TO SURRENDER: ‘CRY UNCLE’

“This is about very specific objectives,” Rubio told reporters March 30. “The President laid them out on the first night of the operation… Here they are — you should write them down. No. 1, the destruction of their air force. No. 2, the destruction of their navy. No. 3 the severe diminishing of their missile launching capability. And number four, the destruction of their factories so they can’t make more missiles and more drones to threaten us in the future. All of this so that they can never hide behind it to acquire a nuclear weapon. That was our objective from the beginning; that remains our objective now.” 

Leavitt made similar comments the same day, saying the objectives of Operation Epic Fury included “destroying their ballistic missiles” and dismantling the infrastructure used to produce them while ensuring Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.

Trump’s remarks at the G7 also raised questions about the administration’s approach to Iran’s nuclear program, another issue that administration officials had previously described in far less flexible terms.

Trump’s comments also come as the administration pursues a memorandum of understanding with Iran that leaves unresolved one of the central disputes in the nuclear negotiations: the future of Iran’s enrichment program.

Under the framework agreement unveiled in recent days, the United States and Iran agreed to spend 60 days negotiating the fate of Iran’s nearly 900-pound stockpile of near-weapons-grade 60% enriched uranium and any future enrichment activities. Administration officials said the minimum outcome under discussion would involve down-blending the material under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision, while acknowledging that key details of a final agreement remain unsettled.

Officials described Iran’s willingness to dilute its stockpile as a significant concession, but also acknowledged that the memorandum does not resolve whether Iran will ultimately be permitted to retain any enrichment capability.

TRUMP REAFFIRMS HARD LINE ON IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL: ‘WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM’

Trump appeared to strike a more accommodating tone when discussing Iran’s access to nuclear power at the G7.

“It is a little hard, though, when you say that somebody wants it, other people have it, other, adjoining states have it. And you’re not letting them have it for purposes of electricity and things like that,” Trump said. “It’s always a little tough. You have to use a little common sense.”

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The administration previously had drawn a much harder line on Iran’s nuclear program. Special envoy Steve Witkoff said the United States could not allow Iran to retain “even 1%” enrichment capability, while White House officials repeatedly described the end of Iranian enrichment as a red line.

The White House referred back to Trump’s recent remarks on missiles when asked for additional comment. “

“We are going to let the President’s comments stand,” a State Department spokesperson said when asked for comment.  

The Pentagon could not immediately be reached for comment. 

America Action Network (AAN), a conservative nonprofit advocacy group associated with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has surpassed $37 million in messaging on cost-of-living issues, according to its leadership.

“The cost of living is the number one issue on the minds of working families right now. American Action Network invested $37 million, highlighting how conservative policies deliver real relief,” Chris Winkelman, AAN’s president, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

The renewed spending further solidifies affordability as a key issue that is expected to play a pivotal role in the 2026 midterms.

While inflation has risen in recent months, AAN believes that Republicans can continue to press the affordability message as an effective way to reach voters and have highlighted the issue in several ads, narrowing in on the work Republicans have done through Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill.

PENCE LAUNCHES GOP MESSAGING BLITZ ON ‘ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ AHEAD OF MIDTERMS

The group has been advancing messaging on the bill since it was passed in July of last year.

“The American comeback is here. President Trump and House Republicans are delivering for the American people, keeping their promises and delivering the change they demanded. Giving working families the tax cut ever, cutting taxes on tips and overtime and strengthening our border,” an ad states.

“It’s a new America,” the added continued.

A recent Fox News poll shows 58 percent of voters view cost of living as their top economic worry, up from 50 percent of voters in Fox’s February poll.

Democrats have also targeted affordability, pointing to President Donald Trump’s promises of lowering everyday costs that have run into hurdles amid the fallout of the war in Iran and higher gas prices. Inflation rose 4.2% in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — a data point House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has repeatedly pointed out.

GAS SURGE TIED TO IRAN CONFLICT HITS SWING STATES, TESTING TRUMP’S LOW-PRICE PITCH

“Inflation just hit a 3-year high, gas prices are out of control and life under Donald Trump is unaffordable,” Jeffries said in a recent post to X.

Even so, AAN and other Republican groups have blasted Democrats for opposing relief measures included in the Big Beautiful Bill, noting that, if successful, their opposition would have likely led to widespread tax increases.

That’s the view of Richard Hudson, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). 

“House Democrats continue proving they’re out of touch with the concerns of everyday Americans. Republicans are focused on affordability, public safety, and securing the border, while Democrats remain captive to the far-left agenda that’s failing working families,” Hudson said.

In one $3 million ad blitz in Florida, Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District and Washington State, AAN slammed Democrats in those areas.

“Marie Gluesenkamp Perez must have a short memory. She clearly forgot about us when she voted for the largest tax hike in American history. Perez voted against giving more money to hardworking Washington families,” the ad states in one example.

VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS HAMMERED WITH SCATHING AD HANDCUFFING THEM TO MAMDANI, JEFFRIES

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The group hinted that, even with the $37 million that’s already been spent, its efforts aren’t finished.

“Keep an eye out — we have much more to come later this summer,” Winkelman said.

President Donald Trump’s new Iran framework is drawing warnings from nuclear experts who say the deal could leave Tehran too much control over its uranium stockpile unless inspectors first locate, secure and verify the material.

The concern centers on language in the reported U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding (MOU) saying the two sides will resolve the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile through a still-to-be-negotiated process. The MOU identifies on-site “downblending,” which means diluting enriched uranium so it is less usable for a nuclear weapon, under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervision as the minimum acceptable method for dealing with the material. 

The MOU does not explicitly say Iran will retain a civilian nuclear program, but it says the two sides will discuss enrichment and other matters related to Iran’s “nuclear needs” in a final deal.

“Unfettered verification is everything,” Chuck DeVore, Chief National Initiatives Officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told Fox News Digital. “There can be no denial for teams to inspect on the ground. Remote, technological means can achieve a lot, but nothing beats in-person inspections.”

TRUMP NUCLEAR TALKS FACE DEFINING QUESTION: WHAT HAPPENS TO IRAN’S URANIUM STOCKPILE?

The warnings from experts come as the MOU has already been signed, while planned follow-up talks in Switzerland aimed at launching technical negotiations were postponed Friday. The delay leaves key nuclear details unresolved as the agreement begins a 60-day window for negotiating a final deal.

IAEA supervision would only be meaningful if inspectors first regain enough access to fully account for Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and ensure Tehran does not retain unchecked control of the material, nuclear experts who spoke with Fox News Digital warned. Meanwhile, a recent IAEA report released this month underscored the agency’s limited visibility into Iran’s declared nuclear program after last year’s military strikes, saying that aside from a single inspection at an Iranian nuclear power plant, the agency “has not received information from Iran” about the status of its other declared nuclear facilities or associated nuclear material. “Nor has the Agency had access” to those sites for in-field verification, the report noted.

A senior administration official told Fox News Digital on background that the MOU required Iran’s regime to reaffirm that it will not procure or develop nuclear weapons, calling that a critical first step under Iran’s new Supreme Leader.

The official said the U.S. has reached understandings with Iran when it comes to its uranium stockpile, and the new deal is the first step of turning these understandings into real results, which include progress on enriched uranium stockpiles, dismantlement of nuclear sites, an enrichment ban and inspection access. The official added that the U.S. has already had productive discussions with Iran on those issues and, now that the MOU is formally in place, negotiators will work to make quick progress.

US-IRAN TALKS POSTPONED IN SWITZERLAND AMID ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH TENSIONS; HORMUZ REMAINS A KEY ISSUE

The official also referred Fox News Digital to comments Vice President JD Vance made Thursday, when he said the deal’s benefits depend on Iran following through on its promises.

“They have promised not to enrich. They have promised that they would allow inspectors in to destroy that highly enriched stockpile. And then, of course, it’s not usable anymore. You take it somewhere else,” Vance said. “They promised a number of things, and that’s why the deal contemplates a number of benefits if they do those things. But it doesn’t do anything if they don’t actually meet those promises.”

Andrea Stricker, deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Nonproliferation Program, told Fox News Digital that any credible agreement must begin with recovering and safeguarding Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, and not allowing Tehran to keep control of the material while it is diluted inside the country.

“Without verifiably dismantling and destroying all of Iran’s fundamental nuclear capabilities — nuclear material, facilities, centrifuges, manufacturing capabilities, equipment, documentation, and weaponization capacities, and ensuring scientists are redirected to civilian work — Iran’s pledge on paper is meaningless,” she told Fox News Digital, noting that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile could, if recovered and further enriched, provide enough weapons-grade material for roughly 22 nuclear weapons.

HOW DOES TRUMP SOLVE KEY ‘NUCLEAR DUST’ HANG-UP IN NEGOTIATIONS TO END IRAN WAR?

DeVore was more cautious about assigning a single number to Iran’s potential weapons capacity, saying the estimate depends heavily on the sophistication of the weapon design. He said the same stockpile could translate into fewer basic weapons or be stretched further by a more advanced nuclear program.

He said on-site downblending, if properly verified, would be aimed at making Iran’s roughly 1,000 pounds of 60% enriched uranium unavailable for further enrichment. DeVore cautioned that the material would still need additional processing to be turned into weapons-grade uranium and said he does not believe Tehran can currently do that because key facilities were destroyed in last year’s strikes.

Asked what would be needed to make any Iran deal enforceable, DeVore told Fox News Digital the U.S. must avoid repeating what he described as a key weakness of the Obama-era nuclear deal: allowing Tehran to restrict access or keep certain sites off limits. He said the “ultimate question” is on-site verification, warning that Washington cannot allow itself to be pushed into “an agreement for agreement’s sake.”

TOP SENATE REPUBLICAN RIPS INTO TRUMP’S IRAN DEAL, SAYS $300B MAKES OBAMA DEAL LOOK LIKE ‘A PITTANCE’

DeVore also said the Obama-era JCPOA gave inspectors too much notice and too little freedom to inspect suspicious locations as well, arguing that any new deal must avoid a system where Iran can delay, limit or steer inspections before the IAEA gets on the ground.

DeVore told Fox News Digital that his concern is informed by his experience as a young special assistant for foreign affairs in the Reagan administration, when he worked on verification issues surrounding Cold War-era nuclear agreements with the Soviet Union, including the Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaty and the Threshold Test Ban Treaty.

In those negotiations, DeVore said, the danger was that the minimum level of verification sought by defense and intelligence officials could become the starting point for diplomats, meaning the final deal could end up below what experts believed was necessary.

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“Once you say, ‘This is the minimum we need,’ then that becomes the starting point, so anything agreed to is less than that,” DeVore said. “That’s what I fear.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the IAEA asking whether the agency can currently account for Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and whether it has any comment on the verification questions raised by the reported framework.

President Donald Trump on Friday said vandals damaged the recently renovated reflecting pool near the Lincoln Memorial, adding that authorities are investigating the incident.

Trump’s comments come as the recently renovated reflecting pool faces scrutiny over peeling paint and algae growth just weeks after a $14.8 million restoration project was completed.

“Things are really looking good in our Nation’s Capital, and add to that the fact that when I became President, Crime was rampant, and now, Washington, D.C., is one of the Safest Cities anywhere in the United States,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“However, we’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool, which sits between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial,” he continued.

WHITE HOUSE BLASTS WASHINGTON POST’S CLAIM REFLECTING POOL ‘LOOKS ALMOST THE SAME’ AFTER TRUMP RENOVATIONS

“Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside of the Pool, they’ve also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed.”

Trump accused vandals of damaging the grounds surrounding the reflecting pool and said they used chemicals to damage the pool’s newly installed surface.

“No different than the chemicals that were used on the National Mall, they used something similar in the Reflecting Pool to try to destroy and demean our beautiful work,” he said.

DIRT BIKES, ATVS DRIVEN AROUND WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL IN WASHINGTON, DC: VIDEO

Trump’s comments come about a week after a large “86 47” message appeared to be etched into the grass near the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial.

Administration officials previously characterized the message as threatening, arguing that “86” is sometimes used as slang for removing or getting rid of something, while “47” refers to Trump as the nation’s 47th president.

Trump announced on June 6 that the $14.8 million restoration project at the historic reflecting pool had been completed. Days later, however, algae appeared throughout the pool, masking portions of the newly restored “American flag blue” bottom.

WATCH: TRUMP REVEALS FLASHY NEW COLOR FOR NATIONAL MALL’S REFLECTING POOL MAKEOVER

This week, the National Park Service and contractors deployed chemicals and ozone nanobubbles to help mitigate the algae growth.

Workers also used a swimming pool-style vacuum system to remove algae from the bottom of the pool.

“There are no harmful side effects to marine life or to the environment,” the park service said in a statement this week.

TRUMP WORKING TO CLEAN ‘FILTHY’ LINCOLN MEMORIAL REFLECTING POOL, BLAMES BIDEN FOR MAINTENANCE DELAYS

Trump said most of the algae had been removed and that the vandalized area would be repaired by next week.

“The algae is 75% gone, and the condition will soon be completely remedied, and the area that was vandalized, fortunately, is just a small area of damage, and will be fixed early next week,” Trump said.

He also said law enforcement is actively investigating the alleged vandalism. Images posted on social media Friday showed National Guard personnel and U.S. Park Police officers patrolling the area.

Videos posted on social media also appeared to show people gathered near the Reflecting Pool criticizing the renovation project and celebrating the algae growth.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are split on President Donald Trump’s Iran peace deal, with some concerned the deal entails little enforcement, with some praising it as progress toward preventing a nuclear-armed Iran while others warned it could provide Tehran with billions of dollars and insufficient safeguards.

Sen. Thomas Tuberville, R-Ala., told Fox News Digital he believes the deal shows progress from the beginning of the war, particularly in disbarring Iran’s nuclear program.

“They never can have nuclear weapons and we don’t have troops on the ground and we made a lot of progress,” Tuberville said.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION UNVEILS SWEEPING TERMS OF PROPOSED IRAN AGREEMENT

But many are skeptical on whether the deal is harsh enough in substantially ensuring Iran’s nuclear program will be destroyed throughout the 60-day negotiation period. It postpones nuclear conversations and lacks the authority to completely prohibit Iran from refusing compliance with the framework of the deal.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., shared that exact concern with Fox News Digital, as well as the potential for the $300 billion toward economic reconstruction included in the deal to be used to fund terrorist groups.

“I am deeply concerned that we are giving Iran the benefit of hundreds of billions of dollars that can be spent on Hezbollah and other maligned proxies, as well as rebuilding its nuclear program,” Blumenthal said. “And the lack of any inspection or verification.”

He continued, “I am deeply concerned that this deal looks like unconditional surrender for the United States, not for Iran.”

TRUMP DEFENDS WAR DEAL IN MARATHON PRESSER, USING SEMANTICS ON WHY IRAN IS GETTING $300 BILLION

The deal that was signed on Thursday would also provide immediate sanctions relief and access to frozen Iranian funds. 

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said he believes the framework of the deal could position the U.S. to be successful — on the condition that negotiations with Iran are properly enforced. 

“From the beginning I said the key is going to be enforcement,” Hoeven said. “So as we go through this negotiation, the key is going to be how do we enforce it?”

He called on American allies to take responsibility in helping with enforcement throughout the 60-day period.

“I think some of our allies need to step up and join us,” Hoeven said.

“They have a big dog in this fight so they need to join with us because that enforcement mechanism is going be key, I believe, to getting the kind of outcome that we want,” he said.

WHAT ISRAEL WANTS FROM AN IRAN PEACE DEAL: NO ENRICHMENT, MISSILE LIMITS AND STRICT ENFORCEMENT

Many senators claimed they had not read through the memorandum of understanding (MOU), declining to comment at all about their opinion on the deal.

“I’m going to disappoint you,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said. “I’m about a half way through reading the actual MOU and I want to read it several times to try to digest it.”

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Many Democrats are arguing that the current deal seems worse and less effective than the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Trump withdrew this 2015 nuclear deal during his first term.

“I think it looks worse than the Obama deal right now,” Blumenthal said. “More money goes to Iran, lifting of sanctions, no verification.”

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison lashed out when asked about his handling of the Minnesota fraud scandal following Vice President JD Vance’s threat to refer him to the Justice Department, while pushing back on a widely cited $8 billion figure as only mentioned by those “aligned with the Trump Administration.”

“That is a false number,” Ellison said. “The fact is, is that fraud is always wrong.” 

“Why don’t you give me a break, man?” he continued.

The comments come as Vance, the head of the Trump administration’s new anti-fraud task force, threatened to press the Justice Department to open an investigation into Ellison’s alleged knowledge of the widespread fraud scheme in Minnesota.

VANCE REFERS TIM WALZ, MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL TO DOJ FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OVER STATE’S ALLEGED FRAUD

When asked about the common estimate of Minnesota fraud ballooning to about $8 billion, Ellison grew visibly frustrated with the reporter and ended the interview, claiming the number is only used by those of a certain political affiliation.

“If you ask the newspapers for a forensic accounting, the number you mentioned is tightly identified with people of a very unique political persuasion aligned with the Trump administration,” Ellison told Fox News Digital.

“So, I’m done talking to you. Bye-bye,” he said as he began walking away.

MAGNITUDE ‘CANNOT BE OVERSTATED’: FEDS SAY MINNESOTA FRAUD MAY BE MORE THAN $9B

When the reporter stated he had wanted Ellison to clear up the number and was citing a variety of reports, Ellison continued to question the claimed biases of his reporting.

“It’s wrong though. And if you’re a real reporter, you should know that,” he said, pointing to the Fox News Digital reporter.

The estimate has been widely cited by both the House Oversight Committee and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, who have argued that potentially billions of dollars were lost to fraud in Minnesota’s public assistance programs.

DEM-APPOINTED EDUCATION OFFICIALS FACE NEW SCRUTINY AS FEEDING OUR FUTURE SCANDAL WIDENS, TRUMP TARGETS FRAUD

Thompson said investigators have reason to believe that roughly half of the $18 billion paid through 14 Medicaid programs since 2018 could have been part of a major fraud scheme. 

The scandal drew national attention through congressional investigations and a series of high-profile fraud cases involving federally funded nutrition, education and Medicaid-related programs. Prosecutors have alleged that multiple nonprofit organizations diverted millions of taxpayer dollars through fraudulent schemes, many of which expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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 Several of the most prominent cases, including the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, were connected to Minnesota’s Somali community.

House Oversight Committee investigators have also argued that Ellison was aware of fraud concerns years before the scandal surfaced, citing interviews with education, human services and executive-office officials.

EXCLUSIVE: As Democrats across the country criticize education programs in red states, Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is touting a major achievement in her state she hopes will serve as an education blueprint for all states, regardless of politics, nationwide.

“The thing we’re most excited about is the fact that so many Arkansas students are doing better now than they would have been doing pre-LEARNS legislation,” Sanders told Fox News Digital on the day her office announced a “major breakthrough” in education following implementation of a 2023 Republican-backed statewide education overhaul, known as the LEARNS Act.

The law also raised the minimum teacher salary from $36,000 to $50,000, created performance-based teacher bonuses, boosted literacy support, funded school safety initiatives and banned critical race theory and classroom teachings related to critical race theory, gender identity, sexual orientation and sexually explicit materials.

Arkansas public school students are seeing sharp gains on a new statewide exam, with proficiency rates rising more than 7% across all grades and subjects in just three years under the state’s conservative education reforms. Since 2024, student proficiency has increased by more than 7% and by more than 5% since 2025, according to the governor’s office.

MISSISSIPPI’S SCHOOL MIRACLE SHAMES FAILING CHICAGO LEADERS ON EDUCATION

“We want our kids to do well,” Sanders said. “We love the fact that kids in Arkansas are learning, that they’re moving up. The growth and achievement that we’re seeing from our kids is exactly what we want to happen.”

In 2026, 42.2% of students met proficiency standards, up from 36.9% in 2025. Mathematics proficiency increased from 36.4% in 2024 to 44.2% in 2026, science proficiency rose from 35.6% to 44.0%, and English language arts proficiency climbed from 33.8% to 39.5%.

Students performing at the lowest levels also fell across all subjects, dropping from an average of 27.3% in 2025 to 23.1% in 2026. Reading performance among third-graders improved as well, with proficiency rising from 36% in 2024 to 43% in 2026.

Students in kindergarten through second grade, the first to learn under the state’s education reforms, exceeded 50% proficiency in nearly every subject and grade level, while maintaining upward momentum.

Sanders said transformational reform is driven by better teaching and a unified focus on student needs, saying “a comprehensive, aligned approach” makes a difference.

“Not any one thing, but it’s the collective process of really transforming the way that we approach education,” Sanders said. “Realizing that every single kid can learn when given the right environment, when given the right tools, and letting failure not be an option.”

TEXAS’ LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICT SEES TEST SCORES SOAR AFTER STATE TAKEOVER DESPITE RACISM CLAIMS

Democrats in recent years, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and prominent teachers’ union officials, have targeted red-state education policies, but Sanders told Fox News Digital she hopes the education program sends a message across the country.

“I’m hopeful absolutely that red states will use what we’re doing here as a blueprint, but I also hope that blue states will look at the success that you’re seeing in places like Arkansas, Mississippi and others and try to follow suit because we want all kids to do well,” Sanders said.

“Seeing kids achieve and do better and be successful, that’s not a red state or blue state issue. That’s something everybody should care about.”

WHY AMERICA’S ONLY SCHOOL CHOICE SUPER PAC IS PUTTING SOME REPUBLICANS IN THE HOT SEAT

Sanders said the results are “showing what works,” adding there is no need to “reinvent the wheel.”

“We know that raising the bar, providing those resources and support for our students, for our teachers, for our superintendents makes a difference,” Sanders said. “We’ve got a recipe here that’s working and absolutely hope it not only changes the conversation but frankly changes the system, changes the culture and education.“

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“The LEARNS Act was a bold, innovative, and comprehensive approach to improve education,” Jacob Oliva, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Education, said in a press release. “It was built on research, urgency, and the desperate need for change. These scores prove that listening to teachers, administrators, and parents wasn’t just valuable but also essential. The plan is working. Arkansas students are reading, learning, and benefitting.”

Former Congresswoman Elaine Luria’s record on congressional stock trading — and a net worth that skyrocketed during her time in office — is clashing with her campaign rhetoric in one of the country’s most competitive districts.

Luria, the Democrat who previously represented Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District from 2019 to 2023, told attendees at a recent candidate forum that she would “support” legislation to ban members of Congress from owning or trading stocks.

“I will say that this is an issue where I’ve changed my opinion over time. I will support the STOCK Act,” Luria said, referring to proposals to limit trading for lawmakers.

She framed her position as a matter of public trust.

WATCH: DEM CANDIDATE GRILLED ON STOCK TRADING AFTER BEING DUPED WITH SELFIE REQUEST

“At first, I thought, well, you know, you elect people to Congress, they make important decisions. Don’t you trust them? And will you trust them with personal finances? And I came to see that, over time, really everything that Congress is doing has eroded that trust.“

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a campaign spokesperson echoed that framing.

“Elaine has seen the corruption in Washington that has allowed Jen Kiggans and Donald Trump to raise health care premiums, drive-up energy costs, and use their offices to benefit dark money donors and political interests. That’s why Elaine will continue to call for a ban of Members of Congress on trading stocks in office, fight to end the corruption in Washington perpetuated by Jen Kiggans and the Trump administration, and lower costs for working families,” the campaign said.

However, the new position stands in stark contrast with her own past comments on the issue and highlights how candidates in competitive districts are being forced to grapple with the issue.

When asked about a stock ban proposal in 2022, Luria told reporters that the “whole concept is bulls—.”

Luria’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on her changed stance.

At the time she left office, she had a number of documented financial positions, including $250,000 in stocks with Alibaba, a Chinese company — the most of any Democrat in the House of Representatives in 2021.

MARINE VET TAKES AIM AT TRUMP, MUSK IN VIDEO LAUNCH FOR KEY SWING HOUSE SEAT

In another instance, Luria’s husband purchased between $1,000 and $15,000 in Tesla Inc. stock as President Joe Biden’s signature Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was making its way through Congress, according to disclosure records.

Among other provisions, the bill appropriated $7.5 billion in funding for electric vehicle charging stations, aiming to incentivize buyers away from combustion engines and reduce carbon emissions.

According to disclosures, Luria’s husband made the purchase in March 2021 — eight months before Luria ultimately voted for the bill and before Tesla’s stock jumped nearly 50%.

In total, Luria’s net worth skyrocketed during her time in Congress, going from $1.13 million to more than $22 million.

HOW MIKIE SHERRILL’S FAMILY MADE MILLIONS AFTER SHE WAS ELECTED TO CONGRESS

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Luria’s time in office came to an end when she lost in a 51.6% to 48.2% bid against Republican challenger Jen Kiggans.

Luria and Kiggans will face off again in the 2026 general election on Nov. 3.

A longtime Senate Democrat declined to directly condemn illegal immigration as a national security threat after it was revealed the terror plot to ambush the UFC White House event Sunday night was schemed by an immigrant from Mexico.

Abraham Alvarez is an illegal immigrant from Mexico who overstayed his visa, according to Homeland Security information first obtained by Fox News Digital. He was identified as the alleged “ringleader” of a network of 23 individuals who planned to carry out a “mass casualty event” with explosive drones striking the White House on June 14.

After reports surfaced that Alvarez was the architect of the failed terror attack, Fox News Digital asked Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., if she views illegal immigration as a threat to the national security of the homeland. 

“We have to have good national security grid watch, and we have to stop terrorist attacks,” the Washington Democrat replied, keeping it ambiguous.

SMILING SUSPECT STANDS OUT AS AUTHORITIES RELEASE MUGSHOTS OF 5 ACCUSED IN ALLEGED WHITE HOUSE UFC ATTACK PLOT

“I’ll look more into the specific details. Don’t know about it,” she continued. 

Alvarez, 31, failed to leave the country when his B2 visitor visa expired in 2001 after coming to the U.S. as a child. He was granted Dreamer status — deportation relief — by the Obama administration in 2014 through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and has remained in the U.S. ever since under that program.

Cantwell is not one of the Democrats who has adopted a particularly hard-line immigration stance in Congress. She has, however, repeatedly condemned aggressive immigration enforcement, particularly under the Trump administration.

DEM BORDER REP BRAGS ABOUT VOTING AGAINST LAKEN RILEY ACT

Cantwell has voted several times since President Donald Trump took office to challenge some efforts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) related to alleged racial profiling by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. She has encouraging immigration enforcement to not detain pregnant illegal immigrants and has backed investigation into the conditions of detention centers.

She also voted against the Laken Riley Act in January 2025, which requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain illegal immigrants who have been charged with certain crimes including theft, assault, burglary, shoplifting and more.

Along with Alvarez, five additional individuals have been arrested this month for assisting in the alleged terror plot to attack the White House UFC event over the weekend.

WHITE HOUSE UFC TERROR PLOT ‘RINGLEADER’ IS A MEXICAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT, DHS CONFIRMS

Federal authorities said the motivation of the attack was related to government corruption, Israel’s influence on American politics and the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

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Alvarez, when asked in messages about explosive drones by a co-conspirator, said he wanted “as many and as deadly as we can get.” Investigators also noted the suspect’s goal was to target “capitalist elites,” billionaires and politicians funded by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Of the 23 identified in planning the terror attack, 18 have still not been charged.

Each suspect could face a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine, with a potential additional five years if also convicted of planning to carry out violence on White House grounds. 

Former President Joe Biden was caught in an awkward moment when he drifted back toward the stage as the dedication ceremony for President Barack Obama’s presidential library wrapped up Thursday.

Video shows Biden pulling down his sunglasses and peering into the crowd as his wife, Jill Biden, and Obama exited the stage, leaving him behind.

At one moment, Biden shouted, “where’s my granddaughter?’”

A person familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital that Biden was searching for his granddaughter, who was sitting in the audience.

OBAMA LEADING BIDEN OFF STAGE BY THE HAND ‘REALLY PISSED ME OFF,’ HUNTER BIDEN SEETHES

The moment came at the conclusion of a star-studded event celebrating the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, which brought together Obama, Biden, Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Kamala Harris and a host of entertainers and political figures.

The incident also follows renewed scrutiny of Biden’s health and his initial decision to seek a second term in 2024.

During an appearance at New York’s 92nd Street Y this week, Hillary Clinton called Biden’s re-election bid a “terrible mistake,” arguing that Democrats may have been better positioned had there been a competitive primary process before the 2024 election.

HILLARY CLINTON HAMMERS JOE BIDEN FOR 2024 REELECTION BID DESPITE SUPPORTING CAMPAIGN: ‘TERRIBLE MISTAKE’

“Very sadly, I believe whoever emerged from that contest, whether it was the vice president or a governor or a senator or anybody else, would have beaten Donald Trump,” Clinton said. “So I think it was a terrible miscalculation on the part of President Biden.”

Biden faced major pressure from Democratic Party leadership to drop out of the presidential race following his disastrous debate performance against Trump. Despite opinion pieces and public calls for him to exit the race, Biden remained in the contest for more than three weeks after the debate.

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Meanwhile, former first lady Jill Biden recently wrote that she feared her husband may have been suffering a stroke following his widely criticized debate performance against then-candidate Donald Trump in June 2024, and suggested he should not have continued his re-election campaign.

The former president is also locked in a legal battle with the Justice Department over the release of audio recordings from his interviews with former special counsel Robert Hur, whose investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents fueled additional questions about his age and memory. In those audio recordings, Hur described then-sitting President Biden as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” a characterization that became a flashpoint in the debate over Biden’s mental fitness for the job.

The 83-year-old former president is currently battling Stage 4 prostate cancer that has metastasized to his bones.

As data center projects continue to get shut down across the country, “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary and other investors are warning that the facilities are needed to compete with China in the artificial intelligence race.

Data centers are at the forefront of the continued development of AI, serving as the hardware for the large amount of electricity and infrastructure needed to improve response time and data storage. But opponents cite utility costs to local residents and environmental concerns in their efforts to block development of new centers.

“If everybody talks about data centers, too much heat, too much noise, too much water, all that, that was 20 years ago,” O’Leary told Fox News Digital. “Today’s technology is completely different in terms of the heat profile, in terms the water profile, in terms how big these buildings have to be and where they have to be, because we’ve got air-cooled technology and obviously the chip technology’s advanced.”

TRUMP SAYS EVERY AI PLANT BEING BUILT IN US WILL BE SELF-SUSTAINING WITH THEIR OWN ELECTRICITY

O’Leary said China is focused on improving its power grid, which is needed in order to support the massive electricity demands of running a data center. He noted that data centers can function using varied energy sources.

“Most of it is coming from burning nat[ural] gas, which is very clean now, with turbines,” he said. “Hopefully nuclear power one day, some solar, some battery, all of it together. I think the key is that they’re beating us because they’re getting more power sooner, and then they’re building these data centers to train their own AI. The country that has the best AI will have the best economy and the best defense, the best military, and win all the wars because it’s going robotically.”

REPORT: CHINESE PROPAGANDA, SINGHAM NETWORK, FOREIGN DARK MONEY LINKED TO CAMPAIGNS AGAINST DATA CENTERS

President Donald Trump has pushed hard for new data center production. Last July, he signed an executive order titled “Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure” which directed agencies to reduce the regulatory burdens that have been slowing data center development.

Earlier this week, Fox News Digital obtained a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche from Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., calling for federal investigators to examine whether foreign actors are attempting to shape U.S. public opinion and policy against data centers and AI development as Washington and Beijing compete for dominance in artificial intelligence.

“Recent reports show that Communist China is attempting to influence our policy and public opinion on data centers. The reason is obvious: They want to kneecap our processing power to win the AI race,” Cotton told Fox News Digital.

SEN BERNIE SANDERS: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS COMING FOR THE WORKING CLASS. WE MUST FIGHT BACK

Despite the push to put U.S. production ahead of Beijing, some liberals in Congress have been reluctant to get on board with data center development. In March, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., introduced the Intelligence (AI) Data Center Moratorium Act.

“Congress has a moral obligation to stand with the American people and stop the expansion of these data centers until we have a framework to adequately address the existential harm AI poses to our society,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement about the legislation. “We must choose humanity over profit.”

But some experts tie data center production to economic gains, saying that the jobs created from the facilities benefit communities and local economies.

STEVE FORBES: THE AI COLD WAR HAS BEGUN AND AMERICA CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE

“In the first six months Trump was in office, over 90% of all economic growth came from new computer and AI investment, and much of it came from data centers,” Judge Glock, director of research and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, told Fox News Digital. “Without continued growth in data centers, we would have higher unemployment and lower incomes. Data centers also bring big gains to local communities.”

Leading voices in AI also noted China’s ability to construct data centers at a much faster rate than the U.S. Last November, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the communist country’s building capabilities far exceed that of the U.S.

“If you want to build a data center here in the United States, from breaking ground to standing up an AI supercomputer is probably about three years… they can build a hospital in a weekend.”

O’Leary said the competition with China should alarm Americans, adding that if the U.S. falls too far behind, Beijing could gain the ability to devastate the U.S. economy and national security.

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While production capabilities are in question, widespread data shows that the U.S. currently has a significantly higher number of functional data centers already built compared to the number reported in China.

According to Statista, the U.S. has more than 4,000 facilities as of April, while China has just over 300 — fewer than the United Kingdom and Germany. Still, O’Leary warned that China could outpace the U.S. over the long term if the U.S. slows development.

President Donald Trump on Friday unveiled a newly refurbished presidential aircraft at Joint Base Andrews, touting its size, luxury and updated red, white and blue paint scheme as the Air Force prepares the jet for service.

The Boeing 747-8i, donated by the government of Qatar and modified for presidential use, is expected to serve as an interim Air Force One while Boeing continues work on two delayed VC-25B replacement aircraft.

Standing alongside Air Force leaders and service members, Trump said the aircraft’s most noticeable feature is its size.

“The biggest difference is the difference in size. It’s like virtually double the size,” Trump said.

AIR FORCE ONE SCRAPS ICONIC KENNEDY-ERA PAINT SCHEME FOR TRUMP-APPROVED RED, WHITE, BLUE DESIGN

Reporters were later given a brief tour of the aircraft, which featured wood-paneled interiors, gold-toned fixtures and tan-and-gold seating throughout. Spacious cabins, large television screens and polished metallic finishes gave the jet an upscale feel.

Near the front of the aircraft, reporters viewed a private suite with lounge-style seating before passing a conference room featuring a large table, a painting of the Washington Monument overlooking the Reflecting Pool and a decorative bookcase surrounding a television screen.

The aircraft’s press cabin spans the width of the rear section of the jet and includes 24 seats arranged across three sections. Each seat is equipped with its own entertainment screen, and the cabin appeared significantly larger than the press area aboard the current Air Force One fleet.

The Air Force said the aircraft will soon begin commissioning flights, a final phase of testing before entering operational service.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO: THE QATAR AIR FORCE ONE JET

“The safety and security of the commander in chief is our highest priority,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said. “From the beginning, we meticulously evaluated every requirement to accelerate delivery while maintaining the high standards expected of the presidential mission.”

Trump said he sought the aircraft after becoming frustrated with delays to Boeing’s Air Force One replacement program and growing comparisons between the aging U.S. presidential fleet and newer aircraft operated by foreign governments.

“I asked the Emir if we could use the brand new 747,” Trump said, noting the aircraft had relatively few flight hours and describing the current presidential fleet as aging.

“Our country has to be represented properly,” he added.

AIR FORCE ONE GLITCH REVIVES REPLACEMENT PUSH AS WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT ‘PROVES TRUMP WAS RIGHT AGAIN’

The aircraft features Trump’s preferred red, white and dark blue color scheme, replacing the light blue-and-white design that has defined presidential aircraft since the Kennedy administration. Earlier this year, the Air Force confirmed the updated paint scheme would become the standard across the presidential and executive airlift fleet, including the VC-25B aircraft currently under development.

Trump also praised the aircraft’s interior craftsmanship and described it as “considered the world’s most luxurious plane.”

Trump said the aircraft could also play a prominent role in next year’s America 250 celebration, predicting it would lead a July 4 flyover over Washington featuring fighter jets and other military aircraft. The president called it “a flyover like no flyover” and said the display could include F-22s, F-35s and other aircraft from across the U.S. military.

The Pentagon accepted the Qatari aircraft last year and has spent recent months preparing it for presidential service. Officials have said the timeline moved more quickly than the broader Air Force One replacement effort because the aircraft’s interior required fewer modifications than the VC-25B program.

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Trump also praised the more than 250 personnel who worked around the clock to prepare the aircraft for service, saying the jet was transformed into what he called a “flying White House” in roughly 10 months.

The jet is expected to bridge the gap until Boeing delivers two next-generation Air Force One aircraft, which are not expected to be completed for roughly two more years.

Fox News Digital’s Andre Tinoco contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump is making an 11th-hour endorsement in the final stretch ahead of Tuesday’s high-profile Republican gubernatorial runoff in solidly red South Carolina, saying he “can’t hurt one of them by only Endorsing the other.”

Trump on Friday took to Truth Social to say that he was supporting longtime South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in the battle for the GOP nomination in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster.

“I can’t hurt one of them by only Endorsing the other, so, therefore, I am going to Endorse, for Governor of South Carolina, both Pam Evette and Alan Wilson!” Trump wrote, adding: “With either one you can’t go wrong.”

The endorsement of Wilson appears to be a move by Trump to hedge his bets, because Trump is already backing Evette, who is also supported by McMaster, a longtime top ally of the president.

The South Carolina runoff had been viewed as the latest test of Trump’s immense grip over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican nominating contests.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

And his decision to back both Evette and Wilson isn’t the first time he’s made dual endorsements in the same Republican race. He’s already backing both Gina Swoboda and Jay Feely in next month’s Republican primary in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District.

Most famously, Trump endorsed “ERIC” in the 2022 GOP Senate primary in Missouri, where the two major candidates were Eric Schmitt and Eric Greitens. Both candidates claimed the endorsement, with Schmitt ultimately winning the nomination.

In South Carolina, Trump endorsed Evette late last month, a week and a half before the gubernatorial primary.

Evette finished on top of a crowded field of contenders in the primary election, with Wilson second. The field also included Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, and multimillionaire businessman Rom Reddy. Since no candidate won a majority of the vote, as the top two finishers, Evette and Wilson advanced to the June 23 runoff.

Mace and Norman endorsed Wilson after failing to advance to the runoff. And Wilson was also backed a week ago by Sen. Ted Cruz, the conservative firebrand from Texas.

The runoff between Evette and Wilson has become combustible, and in Tuesday’s final debate both candidates launched personal attacks and accused each other of lying and misrepresenting their records.

Wilson has worked to contrast his tenure as attorney general with what he’s argued is Evette’s largely ceremonial role as lieutenant governor. And he has spotlighted his experience as a combat veteran, prosecutor, and the state’s top law enforcement official.

Evette has showcased herself as an outsider and a Trump-endorsed businesswoman, while casting Wilson as a career politician.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is supporting Wilson and has helped with fundraising, made calls on behalf of Wilson and encouraged the president’s endorsement of the state attorney general, a source familiar told Fox News Digital.

It’s been 28 years since a Democrat won a gubernatorial election in South Carolina, and the winner of the GOP runoff will be considered the clear favorite in the general election against Democratic nominee Jermaine Johnson, a state representative.

The brute force of the president’s endorsement power has been on display in GOP primaries over the past two months, with his candidates ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky and Texas that grabbed plenty of national attention.

But Trump’s endorsement streak in statewide and congressional Republican primaries was snapped three weeks ago when his last minute endorsement of Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa in the race to succeed retiring GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds wasn’t enough to propel the three-term congressman to victory.

Feenstra was narrowly edged by Zach Lahn, a businessman, farmer and former political strategist who was backed by the political wings of MAHA — the acronym for the Make America Healthy Again movement aligned with Trump Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and Turning Point USA, the powerful conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk.

Trump rebounded a week later, as Evette finished first in the GOP gubernatorial primary and longtime Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina won a majority of the vote in the Republican Senate primary, and avoided a runoff.

Graham, who was endorsed by Trump, was facing primary challenges from five candidates, including conservative businessman Mark Lynch, who took aim at the senator over his support for the war in Iran. Lynch was backed by some MAGA leaders who have been critical of the president.

And a couple of days ago, Trump-backed candidates won two of the three top races in Georgia and Alabama, with the one setback coming against a billionaire businessman who shelled out over $100 million of his own money to boost his campaign.

Rep. Barry Moore, a House Freedom Caucus member and longtime Trump supporter who was endorsed by the president, comfortably defeated rival Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL sniper who was supported by some top names on the right, in solidly red Alabama’s GOP Senate runoff.

In battleground Georgia’s Republican Senate runoff, an 11th hour endorsement by Trump this past weekend helped boost Rep. Mike Collins, a MAGA champion, to victory over former college football coach Derek Dooley, who was backed by popular conservative Gov. Brian Kemp.

Collins will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in the general election in a race that’s among a handful that will likely decide if the GOP holds its slim majority in the chamber in the midterms.

Jones regularly showcased his Trump endorsement, but Jackson, who launched his bid in February long after the president had endorsed Jones, repeatedly said that Trump had inspired him to run.

But in Georgia’s GOP gubernatorial runoff, the candidate Trump backed, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who was also endorsed by Kemp this past weekend, was defeated by Rick Jackson, who ran as an outsider.

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A Trump political operative, pointing to Tuesday’s loss by Trump-backed Jones, noted that “Rick Jackson set a record for spending in a statewide Republican primary. He spent Tom Steyer level money in a state a fraction of the size of California. That’s going to have an impact.”

And the operative, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, also emphasized that “Rick bearhugged Trump. All of his ads and material was about how he’s going to be Trump’s favorite governor. So the race was not really a referendum on Trump.”

Fox News’ Luke Trevisan contributed to this report

California Attorney General Rob Bonta doubled down on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s claims that the Trump administration is weaponizing the Justice Department after being pressed on reports that the federal probe involving Newsom and his wife originated in California and was not opened by the Trump Administration in Washington, D.C.

“I know what I’ve concluded is that this is highly dubious — there’s no trust in it,” Bonta said. “This is someone who’s weaponized the U.S. DOJ time and time again. I think he’s doing it now.”

Newsom took to X on Monday to publicly announce his uncovering that he and his wife, Jen Siebel Newsom are being investigated by the DOJ, claiming President Donald Trump directed the DOJ to investigate them and that they’ve joined “Donald Trump’s hit list.” 

GAVIN NEWSOM CLAIMS TRUMP ORDERED DOJ PROBE TARGETING HIM AND HIS WIFE

He is also widely claiming that Trump is targeting him because of recent speculation of Newsom as a promising 2028 presidential bid.

“Newsom is the governor for the biggest state, the bluest state in the nation, the fourth largest economy in the world,” Bonta said “Everyone knows that he could be president of the United States. So you put that situational awareness and context into this, and what do you conclude?“

Bonta told Fox News Digital that Trump has “weaponized” the Justice Department, saying it has shifted from pursuing criminal prosecutions to conducting “political persecutions against political enemies.”

FORMER GAVIN NEWSOM CHIEF OF STAFF CHARGED IN $225K FRAUD AND CORRUPTION SCHEME, DOJ SAYS

He also claimed that Trump ordered former Attorney General Pam Bondi “to go after his political enemies.”

“If that doesn’t destroy trust and make you doubt the intent behind this probe, I don’t know what else I can tell you,” Bonta said.

Bonta claimed Trump has used the DOJ to commit “political persecution” of his enemies, including a specific reference to “shifty Schiff.”

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., declined to answer questions from Fox News Digital about reports that the probe was opened by federal prosecutors in California rather than the administration in Washington.

ATTORNEY GENERAL BONDI CALLS OUT GAVIN NEWSOM FOR NOT PROTECTING CITY, VOWS TO PROSECUTE LOOTERS AND RIOTERS

Sources familiar told Fox News that the investigation has been ongoing since 2025 and that the probe is based on whistleblower complaints related to Newsom and his wife’s personal finances. The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento. 

A source also said that Washington was not involved in the decision to open the probe, according to the Associated Press.

An investigation launched last year under then-President Joe Biden resulted in corruption charges against Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson. She pleaded guilty to lying about sharing internal information with a former associate. Newsom was not involved in the probe personally. It is reported that Newsom’s office believes the Trump administration’s federal investigators widened the efforts of the probe to also look into Newsom.

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The Governor’s office announced on Monday that it filed a public records request to the DOJ seeking documents that mention Newsom or his wife during Trump’s second term, including messages to and from Justice Department leaders.

Fox News’ David Spunt, Jake Gibson and Olivia Palombo contributed to this story.

The Department of Homeland Security is accusing Minnesota officials of staging a “political stunt” as federal and state authorities square off over whether an ICE agent accused of pointing a gun at motorists should be prosecuted in state or federal court.

The dispute centers on Gregory Morgan Jr., an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent charged with two counts of second-degree assault after prosecutors said he pointed a handgun at motorists during a traffic confrontation while returning from a federal immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities.

Morgan’s attorneys, backed by federal officials, argue he is protected under legal doctrines stemming from the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which establishes that federal law supersedes conflicting state laws. Courts have recognized that federal officers may, in certain circumstances, be shielded from state prosecution for actions taken in the course of their official duties. But Minnesota prosecutors say those protections do not apply here, arguing Morgan’s alleged conduct fell outside any legitimate federal law-enforcement function.

The case has grown into a broader fight over the legal protections afforded to federal officers. Hennepin County prosecutors are seeking to keep the matter in state court, while the federal government has joined Morgan’s effort to move it to federal court. Earlier this week, the Department of Justice filed a notice seeking to have Senior Trial Attorney Paul Quast appear on behalf of the United States in the case.

“These actions by Minnesota sanctuary politicians are nothing more than a political stunt,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “States do not have the authority to charge a federal law enforcement officer while performing his official duties.”

COLORADO DA PURSUES ASSAULT CHARGE AGAINST FEDERAL IMMIGRATION OFFICER, DHS CONDEMNS ‘POLITICAL STUNT’

The statement came as Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty’s office urged a federal judge to reject Morgan’s request to transfer the case out of Minnesota state court.

In filings submitted this week, prosecutors argued Morgan is attempting to “transform his moment of road rage — committed on a state highway against Minnesota victims — into a federal enforcement action.”

The filing, submitted by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office along with the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and the Washington Litigation Group, contends there is no meaningful connection between the alleged assault and Morgan’s responsibilities as an ICE agent.

According to prosecutors, Morgan’s authority to arrest and detain individuals suspected of violating immigration laws did not extend to confronting motorists on a Minnesota highway.

MINNESOTA SUES TRUMP ADMIN OVER SWEEPING IMMIGRATION RAIDS IN TWIN CITIES

“There is no evidence of any job-related circumstance requiring the defendant to rush to his destination or to drive on the highway shoulder to get there,” the filing states. “It was the defendant’s decision to drive illegally on the shoulder to avoid the inconvenience of rush-hour traffic, and to draw and point his firearm at motorists who got in his way.”

Morgan’s attorney, Ryan Pacyga, filed the removal petition last week, arguing the alleged conduct occurred while Morgan was performing federal law enforcement duties and that both he and his partner feared “imminent bodily harm” during the encounter.

According to court records, Morgan was returning to the Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling on Feb. 5 after participating in Operation Metro Surge when the incident occurred on Highway 62 near the Interstate 35W interchange.

Prosecutors say Morgan and another ICE agent were driving on the highway shoulder during rush hour when a Cadillac moved over and blocked their path. Authorities allege Morgan then pulled alongside the vehicle, drew a handgun and pointed it at the occupants.

ICE AGENT SHOOTS VENEZUELAN NATIONAL IN MINNEAPOLIS AFTER SHOVEL ATTACK DURING AMBUSH: DHS

One of the motorists called 911 and reported that a man had aimed a Glock at his face, while both occupants later told investigators they feared for their safety. Morgan was charged with two counts of second-degree assault and was released after posting $100,000 bail.

Morgan’s case is not the only prosecution stemming from Operation Metro Surge.

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Moriarty’s office later charged another ICE agent, Christian Castro, with multiple assault counts in connection with the alleged shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, an incident that sparked protests in north Minneapolis.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department, Moriarty’s office and Pacyga for comment.

A U.S.-backed ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah was set to take effect Friday afternoon, as Washington tried to salvage a broader regional framework with Iran after talks scheduled for Switzerland were abruptly postponed.

The Israel–Hezbollah ceasefire was set to take effect 9 a.m. Eastern Time/4 p.m. local time, both a senior U.S. and an Israeli official told Fox News Digital, but whether the ceasefire formally took effect remains disputed.  

The White House has not publicly commented on whether the ceasefire has formally taken effect. 

A Hezbollah spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the group would abide by the ceasefire if Israel does, but “reserves the right to respond” to any violation. The spokesperson said Hezbollah did not yet view the ceasefire as having taken effect, claiming Israel was still carrying out strikes in southern Lebanon more than an hour after it was supposed to begin.

ISRAEL MOVES TOWARDS CEASEFIRE DEAL WITH HEZBOLLAH: REPORTS

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video after the 4 p.m. local start time that he said showed Israel Defense Forces striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. It is unclear when those reported strikes took place, and Fox News Digital could not independently verify their timing.

“As I instructed – the IDF struck powerfully 150 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and eliminated dozens of terrorists,” he wrote on X. 

IDF spokesperson Effie Defrin said Hezbollah had killed four Israeli soldiers in overnight strikes early Friday. 

Still, an Israeli official said Israel intends to honor the ceasefire agreement.

“If Hezbollah doesn’t shoot, we won’t shoot. If they shoot — we will respond,” the official told Fox News Digital.

The agreement came after negotiations between the U.S. and Iran scheduled to take place this weekend in Switzerland were abruptly postponed. The White House has not publicly provided a reason for the delay.

Trump has expressed increasing frustration with Netanyahu over the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

“Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon,” Trump said to reporters Tuesday at the G7 conference in France. “Too many people are being killed, and you don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they’re not all Hezbollah, that I can tell you.”

“I’m not saying they shouldn’t protect themselves,” he added Wednesday during separate remarks to reporters. “I’m saying when two drones are shot into the desert and drop harmlessly, you don’t have to knock down buildings in Beirut. They could behave better, and frankly, they could do a better job.”

Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Shiite militant group and political movement based in Lebanon that the U.S. has designated as a foreign terrorist organization. Its conflict with Israel dates back decades, but the latest fighting has centered on Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks from Lebanon and Israeli strikes aimed at pushing the group back from the border and protecting northern Israeli communities.

“As the Vice President said at his press conference, the plans for the upcoming technical talks have not been finalized, and the U.S. delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity,” a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “But the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable. As of now the Vice President is not departing tonight. We will let you know as soon as we have a concrete update about next steps.”  

The Iranian foreign ministry on Friday denied reports claiming Iran had once again closed the Strait of Hormuz. 

“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have taken the necessary measures to ensure the safe passage of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding on the End of the War dated 18 June 1405, and shipping is underway in this route,” foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in a statement posted to Telegram.

A separate Iranian official told Fox News Digital Friday that traffic was moving “slowly” through the strait due to mine-clearing operations. 

HORMUZ CHOKE POINT PERSISTS AS IRAN HALTS OIL TRAFFIC DESPITE TRUMP CEASEFIRE

U.S. officials have described the memorandum signed Wednesday as a 60-day framework for negotiations toward a final agreement largely focused on Iran’s nuclear program.

They have said any U.S. force withdrawal from areas near Iran would be tied to a final deal, not required immediately under the initial agreement.

The agreement also declared the “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” according to U.S. officials.

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U.S. officials have said the memorandum also includes immediate oil sanctions waivers for Iran, an end to Iranian threats to the Strait of Hormuz and a process for lifting the U.S. blockade, and future talks over Iran’s nuclear program, including the fate of its enriched uranium stockpile.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Pentagon, Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and Iranian Foreign Ministry for additional comment and had not received responses by publication.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is warning that Virginia risks becoming “the next California” in the Trump administration’s fight against resistance to federal immigration enforcement after filing a new lawsuit last week.

“We are suing Virginia to prevent Virginia from becoming the next sanctuary jurisdiction, just like California,” DOJ Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Brett Shumate told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview.

The lawsuit, first shared with Fox News Digital earlier in June, argues Virginia is violating the Constitution by trying to regulate federal law enforcement operations, including restrictions on agents’ masks, identification requirements and conditions on local cooperation with ICE.

“Under our Constitution, the states do not get to regulate or dictate how the federal government performs its duties, and that is especially the case when it comes to law enforcement. Virginia passed two bills in this newest session, one that restricts the ability of law enforcement officers to wear facial coverings and requires officers, federal agents, to wear identification badges,” said Shumate.

FIRST ON FOX: DOJ SUES SPANBERGER’S VIRGINIA OVER LAWS KNEECAPPING FEDERAL AGENTS AS MASK WAR ESCALATES

He said the other bill “restricts cooperation agreements between local law enforcement agencies, like sheriffs, and ICE to voluntarily cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.”

The lawsuit names Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones and left-wing Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano — who was previously backed by groups connected to George Soros. 

While DOJ has not heard back from state officials, Shumate shared that the department feels confident about the previous case due to precedent.

FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS NEWSOM’S BID TO SHACKLE ICE IN TRUMP IMMIGRATION WIN

“We brought a nearly identical lawsuit against California earlier this year, and we won that case,” he said.

In April, a federal appeals court handed the Trump administration a legal victory over Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. The court blocked California from requiring federal immigration agents to display identification during operations.

He says they are asserting the same legal theory in this case.

NEWSOM ON COURTROOM COLLISION COURSE WITH TRUMP OVER ICE MASK BAN

“Under the Constitution, the Supremacy Clause in particular, the states do not get to regulate or discriminate against the federal government,” said Shumate. “That’s exactly what Virginia has done. They have attempted to regulate how the federal goes about its business. They do not have the authority to do that under the constitution.”

The two Virginia laws are set to take effect July 1 and Shumate shared the DOJ plans to move quickly to a district court judge to enjoin these laws from taking effect. Virginia was previously a solidly red state, voting for Republicans in nearly every presidential election for decades before shifting to the left in the last roughly 20 years. 

“We will be filing very quickly in the district Court in Virginia to seek an injunction to stop these laws from taking effect, which these laws have criminal penalties that put federal agents at risk, not only of criminal prosecution, but also at risk of doxing and harassment,” he added.

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ICE has defended the practice of agents concealing their identities during operations, saying last summer as Trump’s intensifying immigration crackdown prompted anti-ICE protests and riots that rhetoric on the left had caused a spike in “threats and assaults against [agents’] families.”

Shumate shared the department is looking at several bills in other states that are considering mask restrictions.

“Any state that’s considering passing this type of bill is on notice that we will file a lawsuit and we will ask for an injunction to block those laws from taking effect,” said Shumate.

They didn’t know what to do.

Just before 4 a.m. ET on Wednesday, President Trump blindsided everyone in the U.S. Senate. In a post on Truth Social, the president declared he was “cancelling the Senate hearing” for his Director of National Intelligence nominee Jay Clayton. Moreover, the President said he would withhold Clayton’s nomination from “going forward until Jamie McDonald is approved to be U.S. Attorney.”

If confirmed, Clayton would vacate his post as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. That’s the slot for which the President is nominating McDonald.

TRUMP SAYS SENATE HEARING ON DNI NOMINEE IS CANCELED UNTIL US ATTORNEY REPLACEMENT CONFIRMED

So what would happen with the hearing?

Lawmakers and aides scrambled as they woke to the news Wednesday morning. After all, Trump is the president. He doesn’t have the authority to cancel a Senate hearing.

“Yeah. I don’t think that’s his call,” said Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., a member of the Intelligence Committee.

One senior source told Fox News they presumed that Clayton’s confirmation hearing would forge ahead. Another told Fox the fate of the hearing was “undetermined.”

On one hand, lawmakers and aides had to first digest what was happening. Was the President withdrawing Clayton’s nomination? Was he saying he just wasn’t allowing Clayton to testify? Did the head of the executive branch really believe he could bigfoot a congressional hearing? Or was this the president flexing his political muscle, testing Senate Republicans to see how compliant they might be with his intimation — and potentially cancel the hearing on their own?

So was Clayton’s hearing on or off?

“Are we going to have an Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing today?” yours truly asked panel Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., as he slid behind a backdoor to a hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Silence from Cotton.

SCOOP: TOP GOP SEN. COTTON TO MEET WITH EMBATTLED TRUMP DEFENSE NOMINEE AS DOUBTS SWIRL

“Do you know the answer?” I followed up.

“Do you think the President overstepped his bounds, saying he was canceling the hearing?” I continued.

By that point, Cotton was well behind the doorway and it closed.

“I have never seen anything quite like this,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., one of the longest-serving members on the Intelligence Committee in Senate history. “Everybody else is going to have to keep guessing for a while.”

It was Washington whiplash.

“Things change around here pretty quick, Chad,” quipped Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D.

But a bit later, Cotton finally weighed-in when he posted on X that the hearing would proceed. The Arkansas Republican then materialized again in the hallway, heading for an elevator bank.

“To be clear, you will proceed with the hearing and you expect Jay Clayton to be there despite what the President said?” I asked.

A steel-faced Cotton stared straight ahead at the green elevator door.

“Chad, you have our statement,” said a terse Cotton.

But an hour later, Cotton ditched the hearing after the President blocked Clayton from testifying.

“It’s regrettable that the President has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing today,” said Cotton in a new statement on X. “While today’s hearing is now unfortunately postponed, I look forward to proceeding with his confirmation in the near future.”

The stunning reversal left everyone trying to grasp what happened. And what might be next.

SPRINT TO CONFIRM TRUMP NOMINEES KICKS OFF IN JANUARY

“I am not sure whether Jay Clayton has simply been postponed or withdrawn,” mused Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the Vice Chairman of the Intelligence Committee. “I wonder whether Jay Clayton knows whether he has been postponed or withdrawn.”

Democrats and Republicans brokered a fragile agreement weeks ago to renew FISA Section 702. The intelligence community argues that program is the powerful tool in the American arsenal to track and combat potential terrorism. Congress repeatedly punted a full renewal for months.

But with both bodies on the precipice of reauthorizing the program, President Trump announced he would install housing czar Bill Pulte as interim DNI. Democrats balked at Pulte, noting he had no intelligence experience. Plus, they viewed him as a political hack who would run roughshod over America’s intelligence apparatus.

So Democrats pulled their support from the FISA compromise.

Most Republicans weren’t exactly enamored with Pulte, either. And those worried about the nation’s security pushed to block Pulte from entering the DNI’s office. That’s why Cotton scheduled Clayton’s confirmation hearing so quickly. It was thought that the Senate might be able to pivot after the hearing and confirm Clayton on the floor late this week or early next.

Rapid confirmation of Clayton was essential. Such a scenario would unlock Democrats’ votes to reauthorize FISA Section 702 after the program’s congressional blessing expired a week ago.

That was the plan. At least until the president initiated the firestorm over Clayton’s confirmation hearing this week.

“Another Trump victory gets upended by an impulse,” vented Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. “It’s frustrating.”

WHY TRUMP PICKED BILL PULTE TO LEAD US INTELLIGENCE AS CRITICS QUESTION HIS QUALIFICATIONS

But wait. There’s more.

President Trump inserted another chestnut — or hot potato — into his pre-dawn Truth Social screed. Especially if you thought the president was going to make it easy for Congress to hastily re-up FISA as soon as the Senate confirmed Clayton.

“To add a slight bit of intrigue but, for the Good of the Nation, and the People of our Country, I will not approve FISA without THE SAVE AMERICA ACT going along with it,” Trump said.

He added that his plan was for Pulte to “remain as the Acting Director of National Intelligence” and declared that “Republicans fell into a trap.”

The SAVE America Act is the touchstone of President Trump’s 2026 legislative agenda. It requires proof of citizenship to vote. However, the bill has never garnered even 50 yeas in the Senate on two previous test votes.

“We’ve got to pass the SAVE America Act and conditioning passage of FISA on the prior passage of SAVE America would be a great thing,” said Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

Other Senate Republicans were more realistic, based on the legislative history of the SAVE America Act.

“You can’t always get what you want,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. “I mean, I want a Porsche for my birthday. I’m not going to get it.”

TRUMP, THUNE CLASH ON VOTER ID ULTIMATUM AS GOP REMAINS DIVIDED ON PATH FORWARD

Democrats seethed about national security as Republicans squirmed.

“We had a path forward as of yesterday (on FISA) and today we don’t,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. “This has become a complete debacle and now it’s up to the White House to figure out a path forward here.”

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No one knows what’s next for Clayton. Or McDonald. Or FISA. And there’s high skepticism anything happens on the SAVE America Act. So it’s all in a cryogenic Congressional freeze.

Regardless, Clayton’s confirmation hearing never happened. Such hearings are the responsibility of the legislative branch. But by the end of the day, there was no question who canceled it. 

Just before leaving office amid a contentious battle over who will succeed her, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard used one of her final acts atop the U.S. intelligence community to spotlight Dr. Anthony Fauci’s role in discussions surrounding the government’s COVID-19 origins review. 

While much of the material is familiar, Gabbard’s release underscores her effort to make questions surrounding Fauci, COVID origins and federal support for virus research part of her closing legacy atop the intelligence community.

As Gabbard fired her final broadside, Bill Pulte, who has received bipartisan criticism over his lack of intelligence experience, is set to take the reins at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence while Trump’s permanent nominee remains stalled.

Jay Clayton, an attorney and former SEC chairman whom Trump nominated to permanently lead ODNI, has seen his confirmation process delayed after the president said he was holding up the nomination to pressure Congress to pass a voter identification measure.

WHY TRUMP PICKED BILL PULTE TO LEAD US INTELLIGENCE AS CRITICS QUESTION HIS QUALIFICATIONS

Pulte is a construction businessman and housing official who served as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. His tenure at the housing agency has drawn controversy over allegations that he used FHFA authority to target Trump’s political opponents, an allegation amplifying concerns among key senators that he may attempt to weaponize the intelligence community at the behest of the president during his interim tenure.

“We don’t need a weaponized DNI, we need professionals there,” Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune said of Pulte. Other powerful congressional Republicans, such as Sens. Cornyn, Cassidy, Murkowski, Collins and Tillis, have also voiced opposition to or concern over Pulte taking over ODNI.

Senate Democrats share many of the same concerns as their GOP colleagues.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Dick Durbin, Sheldon Whitehouse, Richard Blumenthal, Gary Peters, Adam Schiff, Mark Warner and Ron Wyden have all expressed concerns that Pulte would weaponize America’s intelligence apparatus against Trump’s enemies. Similar to many Republicans, they’ve criticized him for a lack of intelligence experience as well.

TRUMP DNI PICK BRACES FOR SENATE GRILLING AS TEMPORARY STAND-IN FUELS DEM PRESSURE

Political observers believe that Clayton would face far less opposition from the Senate over his confirmation. However, the upper chamber has so far proven unwilling to move on the president’s voter identification legislation, complicating his advancement and setting the stage for a showdown between the White House and Congress.

While lawmakers and the president go back and forth over the fate of ODNI, Gabbard has sought to spotlight the Fauci documents on her way out.

The documents she released Thursday night include some information that was already known to the public as well as others that do not appear to have been publicly reported.

ANTHONY FAUCI MAY BE DEPOSED AS GOP INTENSIFIES COVID INVESTIGATIONS IN NEW CONGRESS

Gabbard’s release contains newly declassified documents that show intelligence officials considered but ultimately rejected Fauci as an outside reviewer of their COVID-19 origins assessment, warning he would be seen as having a conflict of interest. 

In a different exchange, intelligence officials tasked with analyzing the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic debated whether to take Fauci’s recommendations on who to interview for their study.

“For those who don’t know me, I’m the [REDACTED] and, as such, leading the [intelligence community’s] 90-day POTUS COVID origin study,” one official wrote in an email. “Per below, Dr Fauci recommended that the IC reach out to the below individuals who were coauthors of the attached paper as part of the study.”

TOP 4 EXPLOSIVE MOMENTS FROM CIA WHISTLEBLOWER’S TESTIMONY ON ALLEGED COVID-19 LAB LEAK COVER-UP

Another official questioned whether it was prudent for the intelligence community to take the advice of a “policymaker” like Fauci when conducting internal affairs, “particularly given the various strong views on the subject and statements regarding their own conclusions.”

An intelligence official responded by arguing that Fauci should not be considered a policymaker in this context, but rather an important subject-matter expert.

“In this particular case, given Dr Fauci’s background we absolutely would like to follow-up on his outreach suggestions,” they wrote. “In this case he’s not a policymaker….he’s a SME with a wealth of knowledge about current and historical research who probably knows better than most who the real Coronavirus experts are.”

A CIA whistleblower previously claimed that Fauci exerted undue influence over the intelligence community’s assessment of COVID-19’s origins, claims that Gabbard now seeks to amplify with her release.

During the COVID-19 era, conservatives alleged that Fauci and other public health officials downplayed or helped steer scrutiny away from the lab-leak theory despite American financial links to coronavirus research in Wuhan, where the disease originated. Gabbard has framed her trove of documents as a look into how the intelligence community incorporated information from people like Fauci while investigating the virus’ origins.

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“Fauci worked with politicized career leadership in the Intelligence Community (IC) to suppress the truth about his actions, the virus’ lab-leak origins, and his role in directing U.S. funding for this dangerous research that caused immeasurable harm and countless lost lives,” ODNI’s press release accompanying the documents asserts. “These documents expose Fauci’s direct role in influencing and manipulating IC assessments on COVID-19, and how Fauci lied to Congress in 2024, when under oath he denied knowledge of or participation in discussions with intelligence officials about viral research.”

Gabbard left her role at ODNI to care for her husband, who has a rare form of cancer, Fox News Digital first reported.