Donald Trump Poll News

FIRST ON FOX: A top Biden White House adviser has been employed for decades as a minister at a Washington, D.C., church that has hosted several activists and religious leaders with long histories of antisemitism, including one Black activist who, during a 2002 speech, called for “Zionists” in Israel, including their babies, to be murdered.

Rev. Thomas Bowen, who is listed on Shiloh Baptist Church’s website as a minister of social justice and has been employed at the church since 2002 in several leadership roles, joined the White House in February to serve as the senior adviser for the White House Office of Public Engagement, which “works at the local, state, and national levels to ensure community leaders, diverse perspectives, and new voices all have the opportunity to inform the work of the President.”

Shiloh Baptist Church, a historic Black church that Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband visited on Christmas Day in 2022, is led by Reverend Doctor Wallace Charles Smith, Shiloh’s senior minister and a longtime mentor of Bowen. During a sermon before Shiloh’s congregation last month, Bowen called Smith his “hero,” “friend,” and “mentor … to whom I owe a debt that I could never ever repay.”

Bowen’s social media is also littered with praise of Rev. Smith, who invited multiple activists with long histories of antisemitism into their church.

LEFT-WING ACTIVIST WHO HIRED ONE OF FARRAKHAN’S ‘TOP SOLDIERS’ HAS VISITED BIDEN WHITE HOUSE 7 TIMES

Thomas Bowen serves as Biden’s senior advisor for public engagement (Instagram/Thomas Bowen)

In April 2018, Rev. Smith hosted the National Black Men’s Convention at Shiloh Baptist Church, which was billed as a five-day summit for “mobilizing and organizing brothers for a better future for our community” and opposing President Trump. Each day had a different theme, which included reparations, and several of the speakers involved with the summit had a problematic history of antisemitism and vile rhetoric against White people.

In the months before the convention, Rev. Smith met at Shiloh Baptist Church with the convention’s co-host Malik Shabazz, the founder of Black Lawyers for Justice and former chairman of the New Black Panther Party. Shabazz, who has been labeled by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as a “racist black nationalist with a long, well-documented history of violently anti-Semitic remarks and accusations about the inherent evil of white people,” posted a photo of him and Smith hugging on his Facebook and said they had a “great meeting” together. Shabazz also added that “Pastor Smith and other pro-Black Christian preachers will be speaking” at the convention.

Shabazz, who posted a photo with notorious antisemite Louis Farrakhan in 2020 with the caption, “I HAVE WALKED WITH THE BEST” and called the Nation of Islam leader “one of the great influences in my life” last year, made several other posts in the months leading up to the 2018 convention touting Shiloh Baptist Church as the host of the convention, including videos that showed he was in attendance at church events while Bowen was on the church’s payroll.

SPLC’s website lists several vile quotes uttered by Shabazz, including remarks from a 2002 speech in Washington, D.C., where he reportedly said, “Kill every goddamn Zionist in Israel! Goddamn little babies, goddamn old ladies! Blow up Zionist supermarkets!” In another speech from the early 2000s, he also pushed antisemitic tropes about “Zionists” controlling the media and foreign policy.

DNC SPEAKER TIED TO FARRAKHAN TELLS DEMS TO ‘ACT RIGHT’ UNTIL ELECTION, THEN CAN ‘GO BACK TO ACTING CRAZY’

Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam speaks at Saint Sabina Church May 9, 2019, in Chicago. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Earlier this year, Shabazz posted a photo of him and former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from 2012 and said his “views are shaped by my experiences.” He said he was invited by a now-deceased journalist for the Nation of Islam’s publication and said Farrakhan was in attendance with dozens of imams. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called Israel an “illegitimate regime” and has called for its “elimination.”

When pressed by Fox News Digital on his ties to Farrakhan and his long history of antisemitic remarks, he responded, “Have no associations with Louis Farrakhan. Am not anti semetic (sic).” Fox followed up with a social media post showing him and Farrakhan, prompting him to say, “Meaning I have no current associations with him.”

The other co-host of the convention was Minister Hashim Nzinga, who has since died and was serving as the chief of staff for the New Black Panther Party when he died in 2020. He also made several controversial statements, according to SPLC, including saying, “Every White man and every Jew is the devil by nature.” During a 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times, he was asked to respond to Shabazz’s comment about killing Zionists, prompting him to admit, “I still say that all the time now. You’ve gotta kill them before they kill you. … If someone brings harm to us, we’re gonna kill them.”

BIDEN CABINET OFFICIAL POSES FOR PHOTO WITH ONE OF FARRAKHAN’S ‘TOP SOLDIERS’ AT DNC

Malik Shabazz announces plans for a Million Youth March in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Sept. 6, at Restoration Plaza on Fulton St.  (Todd Maisel/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

“In addition, Nzinga said in the interview that homosexuality is evil, that Jews control the media and are responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks and that blacks are God’s ‘chosen people,’ Jesus himself being black,” the LA Times reported at the time.

An archived itinerary of the convention revealed that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ controversial uncle, Leonard Jeffries, was also a speaker at the event. The elder Jeffries, who has a long history of antisemitism, is described on the convention’s website as a “political scientist” who “achieved national prominence in the early 1990s for his historical statements about Jews” and highlighted how Jeffries “stated that Jews financed the slave trade, used the movie industry to hurt Black people, and that whytes [sic] are ‘ice people’ while Africans are ‘sun people.’”

Shabazz posted Jeffries’ speech on his Facebook page, where he opened his remarks by saying “Black power” before asking the crowd to give a round of applause for Shabazz and Nzinga for organizing the convention. He also gave a shoutout to Farrakhan during his remarks.

Another speaker at the convention was Dr. Boyce Watkins, who wrote the book “The 10 Commandments of Black Economic Power” and is a staunch defender of Farrakhan. In a 2018 tweet, Watkins defended Farrakhan comparing Jews to termites, saying, “Anyone attacking [Louis Farrakhan] for his statement about being ‘anti-termite’ is probably a termite themselves.” He has also used antisemitic tropes like saying Jews control Hollywood and the music industry. 

In September 2023, Watkins said, “I love Farrakhan. Period.” And in a 2022 video, he boasted about being invited to the Nation of Islam’s annual Saviour’s Day event and said the Nation of Islam “are like brothers to me. When I go in there, when I roll up there, I get so much love from all the NOI brothers and the sisters. I just want to give them a shoutout right now.”

It is unclear whether Bowen, who previously served as director of African American strategic engagement in the executive office of DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, was involved with the planning for the convention or was in attendance. But an archived version of Shiloh’s website says he was one of the five “assistant pastors” at the time of the convention. He did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

A few years earlier, in 2015, Rev. Smith hosted Farrakhan and dozens of Black community leaders at his church for an invitation-only meeting to discuss the upcoming 20th anniversary of the “Million Man March.” Farrakhan, who was surrounded by several Nation of Islam members in addition to Rev. Smith and Cora Masters Barry, who faced backlash earlier this summer for an unearthed clip saying, “F— the White women,” spoke at the private event. 

An article from the Washington Informer, a “woman-owned multimedia news organization serving the African-Americans” in the DC area, reported at the time that Farrakhan, while speaking at Shiloh, said he believed it was time for Blacks to “distribute the pain” so they aren’t the only ones suffering.

President Biden during the White House Creator Economy Conference in the Indian Treaty Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., Aug. 14, 2024. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Shiloh also hosted former President Obama’s controversial pastor Jeremiah Wright that year, according to a tweet from Bowen saying he was “preaching” the “Miseducation of the Palestinians.” Wright previously delivered the viral “God damn America” sermon and used an antisemitic trope to blame Jews for keeping him from talking with Obama after Obama won the 2008 presidential election. The comments ignited backlash from the Anti-Defamation League at the time, calling Wright’s comments “inflammatory and false.”

“The notions of Jewish control of the White House in Reverend Wright’s statement express classic anti-Semitism in its most vile form,” an ADL spokesperson said in 2009. “In a short succinct sentence, Reverend Wright manages to both label some of the President’s closest advisors solely by their religious beliefs and give them powers superior to the President himself.”

The White House and Shiloh Baptist Church did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

EXCLUSIVE: The Trump campaign is doubling down on former President Trump’s debate performance this week, calling it a clear victory against Vice President Kamala Harris, despite recent reports that Harris is gaining momentum in battlegrounds Georgia and North Carolina.

“Their little reaction to the debate and performance is nothing but a sugar high, and it’s artificial, and it’s based entirely on the fact that she came out and she managed to deliver her memorized lines, and she put on a fine performance, which we anticipated she was going to do, because she’s able to go out and memorize things and go out and put on a performance,” senior Trump campaign adviser Tim Murtaugh told Fox News Digital in an interview Thursday.

“They placed so much emphasis on that debate, and so many millions of people tuned in to hear why she was running for president, because they had heard that she’d been in hiding most of the time, and they were expecting her to explain the rationale for what her record is and what her goals would be as president and what her plans would be. And they walked away not having heard or learned anything,” he said.

The campaign’s assessment comes as Trump himself said Thursday he will not be doing any more debates.

TRUMP ALLIES CLAIM VICTORY IN DEBATE, CRITICIZE MODERATORS AS ‘PRO-KAMALA ACTIVISTS’

Nate Silver, a polling expert who runs the Silver Bulletin, revealed on Thursday who he’s going to support for president. (Getty Images)

While debate watchers initially gave the victory to Harris after Tuesday’s showdown, there are still six toss-up states on the map worth a combined 78 electoral votes. The election is still considered up for grabs for either candidate.

As of Thursday, Trump has lost his edge in Georgia and North Carolina in the latest Fox News Power Rankings, giving Harris a lead in the overall forecast for the first time. 

Over the last 12 months of the Fox News Poll, between 48%-50% of registered voters have said they supported Trump. While Biden polled as low as 45% earlier this year, Harris is now only one point behind Trump at 49% in the latest Fox national survey. 

Criminal indictments, a conviction, the primaries, a last-minute change in opponents and an assassination attempt did nothing to move the former president out of that three-point range.

JD VANCE VOWS TRUMP WOULD NOT IMPOSE FEDERAL ABORTION BAN, VETO IT IF COMES ACROSS DESK

A prominent pro-life group isn’t pleased with ABC News debate moderator Linsey Davis over a fact-check of former President Trump. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

But Murtaugh believes Trump had “a strong performance” and that he refused to let Harris “escape her liberal record and her responsibility in the Biden-Harris administration.” 

Murtaugh pointed to Harris’ flip-flop record in which she’s tried to distance herself from her former progressive record. 

“And everyone knows what they are. It’s fracking, it’s the wall, it’s making illegal immigration or making illegally crossing the border not illegal. She reversed herself on outlawing health insurance that people get from their employer,” Murtaugh said. “She reversed herself on gun confiscation. She’s reversed herself on a variety of tax cuts. You know, she’s actually even reversed herself on plastic straws.”

“And she also needed to try to separate herself from the Biden-Harris administration,” Murtaugh said. “And she absolutely did not do that. And so while the pundits might think, ‘Oh, wow, what a great performance she put on,’ because she went out and did her lines, in fact, the truth is, the grocery store will not let you buy food with style points.”

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS ISSUES TRACKER: TRUMP LEADS ON TWO TOP ISSUES, BUT HARRIS IS GAINING GROUND

Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris (Screenshot: Fox News simulcast of ABC News Presidential Debate)

On top issues like the economy, Trump clearly has the upper hand, according to polls. In a CNN poll conducted after the debate, 55% of voters preferred Trump’s economic platform compared to Harris’, trailing behind at 35%. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

And while pundits and debate watchers called the victory for Harris, middle-of-the-road voters may not have been convinced, according to Reuters and the New York Times’ interviews with undecided voters.

“She needed to connect with these people and convince them that she wasn’t hiding and that she is a serious candidate, and she failed. You don’t get another chance to make a first impression on those people,” Murtaugh said. 

Fox News Digital’s Remy Numa contributed to this report. 

It was just minutes after the House finally ended a three-week battle, culminating in the election of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., last fall. The House voted to dethrone former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. But not before burning through three other Speaker candidates.

I asked a senior House Republican aide what would be different with Johnson at the helm.

The response?

Different Speaker. Same members.

CONTINGENT ELECTIONS: WHAT THEY ARE, AND WHAT TO EXPECT IF 2024 TRIGGERS ONE

Which brings us to where we stand nearly a year later amid the annual gymnastics to avert a government shutdown by October 1.

On late Wednesday morning, Johnson yanked his plan which would fund the government until late March – and mandate that people prove they are citizens in order to vote. Some lawmakers opposed the lengthy interim spending plan, renewing all spending at current levels for another six months. But others had issues with latching the citizenship provision to the spending package. It’s believed that Johnson was 20–30 votes shy to pass the measure. It’s not an emergency – yet. Congress has two-and-a-half more weeks before the deadline.

So what did Congress accomplish this week? Nothing. In fact, the week only emphasized deep divides among Republicans.

Different Speaker. Same members.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is pictured in front of the U.S. Capitol. (Getty Images/AP)

“We’re going to continue to work on this,” said Johnson Wednesday after pulling the bill. “I want any Member of Congress in either party to explain to the American people why we should not ensure that only U.S. citizens are voting in U.S. elections.”

So, no vote this week. And whether Johnson is able to massage the issue in a way that the bill passes is anyone’s guess. Earlier in the week, Johnson flashed confidence that he could avoid a government shutdown, claiming “there is no fallback position. This is a righteous fight.”

Had Johnson taken the bill to the floor Wednesday, it would have gone down to defeat. After all, there was “no fallback position.” Then the Senate may have stuck Johnson with a short-term bill which runs until November or December. Johnson would have no bargaining chip. By delaying the fight, Johnson hopes to prove to his right flank that he’s fighting. And, he’s also trying to impress former President Trump. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump posted to Truth Social that the GOP should “close it down” unless they received “absolute assurances on Election security.”

But some conservatives wondered just how committed Johnson was to the combo funding/proof of citizenship bill. Johnson archnemesis and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., generally opposes the concept of a temporary spending plan, known as a “Continuing Resolution “or “CR.”

SENATE TO SWEAR IN MENENDEZ SUCCESSOR FOLLOWING NJ LAWMAKER’S CONVICTION, RESIGNATION

“What is Speaker Johnson going to do? Is he willing to fight for this? And if he’s not willing to fight for it, why would we vote for it?” asked Greene. “Otherwise, it’s pointless. It’s really a waste of everyone’s time.”

Many conservatives expected a two-step from Johnson. Put out a spending plan with a poison pill which would delight the right – and maybe even former President Trump. But face doom in the Senate. The question then is would Johnson get jammed with a “clean” bill from the Democratically-controlled Senate? Or would he eventually team up with Democrats to pass a bill to avert a government shutdown? Those options are anathema to many on the right.

The fact that former President Trump waded into the fight worries some House Republicans.

“I disagree with President Trump on the shutdown. We have a very slim margin in the House of Representatives. And I will tell you, I do think that a shutdown of the government has the potential to shift enough seats in the House of Representatives races that we have the potential to lose the House,” said Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., on Fox Business. “If we lose the House of Representatives, if you have a Democrat Speaker with President Trump as president, and we’ve seen what happens with that. The Democrats would simply sabotage his presidency.”

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a Fox News Town Hall with Sean Hannity at the New Holland Arena on September 04, 2024, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Democrats believed the stumble was emblematic of how Republicans struggled to run the House – be it under the tutelage of Johnson or McCarthy.

“I think this Republican majority is, has demonstrated over the last two years that they are unable to govern. They are unable to keep their party together. They’re unable to hold power together. And they’re not even able to compromise amongst themselves. Let alone with Democrats,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

Some Republicans viewed Johnson’s strategy as a fig leaf. It would constitute a “show” vote with no real ramifications for this fall’s elections. Especially with early voting starting now.

“There’s no implementation that could be made in the next 53, 54-plus days that’s going to impact our federal election laws. So to say that this as an attachment to CR is somehow going to do something is a farce,” fumed Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: WHY FOREIGN POLICY MIGHT MATTER

Bipartisan defense hawks opposed the plan because it freezes all spending until March. The Pentagon scores more than half of all money Congress allocates annually. So the biggest benefactor of Congressional appropriations gets hit the hardest under this scheme.

“(The military) can’t start programs. They can’t end programs. It’s just a horrible idea to put DoD in that position,” said Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the ranking Democrat on Armed Services Committee.

Republicans appear divided into multiple camps: Those who want a longer interim spending bill and the proof of citizenship provision attached. Those who want a shorter spending bill, but maintain the proof of voting mandate. Then there are the defense hawks who worry about how a lengthy Band-Aid spending plan imperils the military. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., shares the same concerns as Adam Smith. There are others like Cory Mills who believe the voting language is a smokescreen and not practicable. Some like Greene believe the voting provision is mere camouflage – and Johnson will buckle later. Finally, a small group of conservatives just opposes any sort of interim spending bill at all.

So you see the challenge.

But despite the impasse, Republicans are able to champion “election security” as a campaign issue. That plays to the MAGA base and former President Trump. Moreover, talk about election security is code for problems at the porous U.S. border. So that speaks to certain Republican voters, too.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) answers questions during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on January 09, 2020, in Washington, DC.  (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Democrats countered the assertion that persons illegally in the country were voting.

“I think there’s been five documented cases. This is clearly not a big issue. It’s a political issue,” said House Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman and Rep. Nanette Barragan, D-Calif.

“Noncitizen voting is extremely rare,” said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Penn.

But Johnson must wage a fight over this. Many Republicans insist that he do so. So does former President Trump. And if Johnson doesn’t, the phantasm of Kevin McCarthy lurks in the Congressional corridors.

There is only one way to avert a government shutdown on October 1: pass a bill with a mixture of Democrats and Republicans. Everyone at the Capitol knows this. But such a move might not be good for Johnson.

Republicans are also getting itchy to go home and campaign. The House is scheduled to remain in session through September 27. It was thought the House might be able to complete its work and skip town by September 20. That’s not on the table now.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

So what will happen?

It’s about the math. It hinges on which group of Republicans is larger: those who want to go home and campaign or those who want to fight over election security. Different Speaker. Same members. And they have a decision to make.

The Biden administration imposed sanctions Thursday against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and several of his associates for undermining the electoral process and violating the civil and human rights of its citizens.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced the sanctions while speaking to reporters during a briefing Thursday.

“President Biden’s approach to foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere has been based on his belief that democracy is fundamentally vital for sustained economic prosperity and security,” she said. “Now, Venezuela is no exception, and the blatant electoral fraud following the July 28 presidential elections must continue to be condemned and those obstructing democracy held accountable.

“And that is why, to that end, today we took two important actions to hold Nicolás Maduro and his cronies accountable for their blatant electoral fraud, obstruction of a competitive and inclusive election and violation of the civil and human rights of the people.”

MADURO CRACKDOWN ON POLITICAL OPPONENTS FOLLOWING RIGGED ELECTION: ‘CHILLED PEOPLE INTO SILENCE’

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro addresses government loyalists gathered at the presidential palace in support of his re-election, one month after the presidential vote, in Caracas, Venezuela, Aug. 28, 2024.  (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Jean-Pierre said U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen placed sanctions on 16 of Maduro’s affiliated officials along with visa restrictions on a number of his allied officials who “undermined” the electoral process in Venezuela and “are responsible for acts of repression.”

The press secretary also said the U.S. has, to date, sanctioned over 140 current and former Venezuelan officials while also taking steps to impose visa restrictions on about 2,000 individuals.

Critics contend the real problem lies with allowing the Maduro regime continued access to lucrative oil contracts.

“The current approach appears to be overly focused on a single tactic. What is the point of imposing sanctions if, at the same time, oil licenses continue to be renewed? Feeding kleptocracy $20B per year,” Isaias Medina III, a former U.N. Security Council diplomat and Harvard Mason fellow, told Fox News Digital Thursday. 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“Real pressure comes from taking decisive actions, such as issuing a red notice from Interpol, intercepting every drug shipment and blocking the coast to prevent the movement of oil. Instead of simply warning them, concrete steps should be taken to expose their involvement in drug trafficking, terrorism, corruption and human rights violations. This includes pushing for their removal from the United Nations due to their illegitimacy and compelling the international community to take a unified stance against them.”

Venezuela’s July 28 election saw Maduro claiming victory by more than 1 million votes. Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, was seeking a third six-year term. Meanwhile, the main opposition coalition, Vente Venezuela, has accused him of trying to steal the vote. The Vente Venezuela campaign has released records showing opposition candidate Edmundo González winning by a more than 2-to-1 margin. The main leader of the opposition, González, and opposition leader María Corina Machado have gone into hiding since the vote.

The opposition suffered a further setback when Venezuela’s controversial Supreme Court reasserted Maduro as the winner of the disputed elections. Maduro’s hand-picked court declared the voting tallies showing any reports of his loss were fabricated.

US, BRAZIL FLOAT NEW VENEZUELA ELECTION DESPITE GOVERNMENT, OPPOSITION REBUFFS

A supporter shouts slogans during a protest against the result of the presidential election July 30, 2024, in Caracas, Venezuela. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)

The U.S., European Union (EU) and a slate of Latin American countries have categorically rejected the Venezuelan high court’s certification. Maduro and his government have refused to release official tally sheets from last month’s election.

Maduro’s claim of victory ignited protests across Venezuela, prompting his regime to engage in a wave of violent repression. Security forces have apprehended more than 2,000 demonstrators, many of whom were taken to torture camps.

Earlier this month, the U.S. seized a plane owned by Maduro in the Dominican Republic.

US SEIZES VENEZUELAN LEADER MADURO’S PLANE IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Maduro’s plane on a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., tarmac after U.S. authorities seized the aircraft and flew it from the Dominican Republic.  (WFOR)

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) flew Maduro’s personal plane back to the United States Monday morning, when it landed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and is now in U.S. custody, a U.S. official told Fox News following an initial report by CNN.

The plane, described by officials as Maduro’s version of “Air Force One,” is used for Maduro’s state visits around the world and was seized in the Dominican Republic after it was purchased through a straw company in violation of sanctions laws and export controls, the official said. U.S. authorities cited a specific violation of U.S. Executive Order 13884, signed by former President Trump in 2019. 

The plane, valued at $13 million, is a Dassault Falcon 900-EX. The seizure was a result of a joint investigation between HSI and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In August 2019, Trump issued Executive Order 13884, which prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with persons who have acted or purported to act directly or indirectly for or on behalf of, the government of Venezuela, including as a member of the Maduro regime. To protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, the Department of Commerce has also imposed export controls for items intended, entirely or in part, for a Venezuelan military or military-intelligence end user, according to the Department of Justice.

Fox News’ Kyra Colah, Danielle Wallace and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

Former President Trump promises to eliminate taxes on overtime pay as part of a series of proposed cuts he said would mean more disposable income for workers.

“That gives people more of an incentive to work. It gives the companies a lot,” Trump told a crowd Thursday at a campaign rally in Tucson, Arizona. 

“The people who work overtime are among the hardest-working citizens in our country. And for too long, no one in Washington has been looking out for them.

TRUMP PLEDGES TO ELIMINATE TAXES ON TIPS FOR SERVICE WORKERS DURING LAS VEGAS RALLY

Former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, speaks during a campaign event at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall Thursday in Tucson, Ariz.  (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

“Those are the people, they really work. They’re police officers, nurses, factory workers, construction workers, truck drivers and machine operators.”

The pitch came as Trump seeks to turn Arizona, a state President Biden won by just a few thousand votes in 2020, red again. 

REPUBLICANS BLAST BIDEN ADMIN OVER PLAN TO CRACK DOWN ON WAITERS’ TIPS

“So, that’s why we will be saying that if you’re an overtime worker when you’re passed 40 hours a week, think of that,” he added. “Your overtime hours will be tax-free.”

Trump has also promised to get rid of taxes on Social Security benefits and the taxation of tips for service workers, a pledge Vice President Kamala Harris has made, as well as raising the minimum wage. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated that eliminating taxes on tip income, as well as increasing the minimum wage, could add between $100 billion and $200 billion to the nation’s deficits over a 10-year window. 

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

Here’s what’s happening…

– House GOP blasts Harris’ 2019 position on transgender migrants…

– Gavin Newsom’s wife’s relatives hosting Trump fundraiser…

– Nikki Haley slams PAC using her name…

An Appalling Failure

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., predicted that Americans will be “shocked” and “appalled” when lawmakers release their interim report on the assassination attempt on former President Trump and the security failures of those involved in protecting the GOP presidential nominee. 

Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe provided senators with an update Thursday on the investigation into the failed assassination in a closed-door meeting. 

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., predicted that Americans will be “shocked” and “appalled” when lawmakers release their interim report on the assassination attempt on former President Trump and the security failures of those involved in protecting the GOP presidential nominee. 

Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe provided senators with an update Thursday on the investigation into the failed assassination in a closed-door meeting.…Read more

Former President Trump was injured during an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

White House

PLAN FOR DELAYS: Biden admin pushes to put off enforcement of ID rules for boarding planes, entering federal buildings after 9/11 anniversary …Read more

COLD SHOULDERS: Slain jogger’s mom calls out Biden-Harris for ignoring them after migrant murder …Read more

‘TERROR AND MISERY’: Harris’ support for Palestinian state rewards terrorism, experts warn …Read more

Capitol Hill

‘STOP WEIRD’: House GOP knocks Harris’ controversial 2019 position on transgender migrants …Read more

‘FAILED POLICIES’: James Comer ratchets up pressure on Harris with weeks until Election Day …Read more

AMERICA FIRST: GOP bill targeting critical ‘loophole’ helping top US adversary passes after clash with Dems …Read more

RIOT CONTROL: Secret Service to ramp up security on Jan. 6, 2025, to avoid another riot at the Capitol …Read more

ORGANIZED CRIME: More than 75 lawmakers press DHS on organized retail theft …Read more

FOLLOW THE LEADER?: Rep. Jared Moskowitz says Trump should consider dropping out of race following debate …Read more

Despite critics warning that this deal will reinforce Google and liberal California’s views on local outlets, Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., will ensure “the survival of newsrooms.”

Tales from the Trail

FAMILY TIES: Newsom’s wife’s relatives reportedly hosting Trump fundraiser in California …Read more

‘TIRED’ LINE OF ATTACK: Democrats brush off concerns of Kamala Harris’ policy flip-flops, call criticisms ‘overblown’ …Read more

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: Trump loses his edge as we brace again for post-debate impact …Read more

BUSH AG FOR HARRIS: Alberto Gonzales becomes latest Bush alum to endorse Harris …Read more

TESTER TUMBLES: Top handicapper gives GOP candidate Tim Sheehy edge against Sen. Jon Tester in Montana …Read more

MOVING NUMBERS: Over 330,000 people clicked Taylor Swift’s voter registration link after her Kamala Harris endorsement …Read more

‘DECEPTIVE AND WRONG’: Nikki Haley slams PAC using her name to support Harris in swing states …Read more

‘BEHIND THE SCENES’: Flashback: In 2019 Harris boasted of helping ‘every’ trans inmate in California get access to gender surgery …Read more

‘NO EATING DOGS OR CATS’: President Biden drew laughs from Pa. crowd while donning Trump hat, cracking odd joke …Read more

FLIP-FLOP: Border wall spotlighted in Texas Dem’s Senate ad after he called it a ‘racist wall’ …Read more

NEXT STOPS: After the presidential debate, here’s where Trump and Harris are campaigning next …Read more

SIZE MATTERS: Harris campaign and Democrats aim to tweak Trump again over crowd size …Read more

Across America

HAND OUTS: CA commission to vote on giving phone subsidies to illegal immigrants …Read more

‘RADICAL TRANS AGENDA’: Riley Gaines stars in new Hawley ad against Dem opponent …Read more

OutKick’s Riley Gaines with a split image of a trans flag (Getty Images)

NEW QUESTIONS ARISE: Virginia Democrat’s military resume under scrutiny amid concerns over his campaign finances …Read more

UNRELIABLE: Majority of Americans don’t trust AI election info: poll …Read more

‘COMPLETELY LEFT OUT’: 9/11 survivors say federal gov should do more to reach out to victims …Read more

TRACKED DOWN: Illegal immigrant charged with several crimes was released at US border last year …Read more

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

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

President Biden is facing mounting pressure to lift the ban on Ukraine using U.S. weapons to strike deep inside Russia and appeared to admit on Tuesday that his administration is moving in that direction. 

“We’re working that out right now,” he said when asked by reporters whether he would allow Ukraine to use the long-range Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, to target sites inside Russia.

Support for lifting the ban has come from all sides.

A group of high-level House Republicans wrote to the president this week arguing that such restrictions “have hampered Ukraine’s ability to defeat Russia’s war of aggression and have given the Kremlin’s forces a sanctuary from which it can attack Ukraine with impunity.”

RUSSIA, CHINA HOLD BIGGEST WARGAMES SINCE SOVIET ERA

The House GOP letter was signed by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul, House Intelligence Committee Chair Michael Turner, House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers and other committee leaders.

People stand near the building of one of the largest children’s hospitals in Ukraine that was partially destroyed by a Russian missile strike on July 8, 2024, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Oleksandr Gusev/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

It critiques the Biden administration but contrasts statements from top Republicans like Donald Trump, who have suggested he could bring a diplomatic end to the war. 

On Wednesday, a group of liberal and progressive former high-level national security officials authored a letter calling on the U.S. and U.K. to allow unrestricted use of their weapons to strike Russian territory. 

A bipartisan group of House and Senate members sent another letter arguing that with the ban, Russia “is far too comfortable in its ability to focus on its offensive operations rather than defending itself.”

“Easing the restrictions on Western weapons will not cause Moscow to escalate,” they wrote. “We urge you to listen to your partners in Kyiv this week and allow Ukraine to strike all legitimate targets in Russia with the weapons the U.S. and U.K. have provided. Let Ukraine defend itself.”

ROMANIA AND LATVIA CONFIRM RUSSIAN INCURSIONS INTO NATO TERRITORY 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has implored U.S. officials to lift the ban they placed to avoid escalation of U.S. involvement in the war. Washington in recent months has partially done so, allowing Ukraine to use U.S. weapons for defensive strikes “within sovereign Ukraine territory.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Kyiv on Wednesday with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and were expected to gather information on how such long-range strikes would factor into Ukraine’s broader battlefield strategy. The U.K. is also considering whether to allow Ukraine to strike deeper inside Russia with its own long-range system, the Storm Shadow.

Asked about the “green light” to target inside Russia on Thursday, Blinken did not indicate any change in policy but restated a desire to keep adapting to Russia’s aggression.

Blinken said he expects Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss the topic when they meet Friday in Washington.

(ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images/File)

Ukrainian servicemen of the 21st Separate Mechanized Brigade operate a Leopard 2A6 tank during a military exercise. (REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File)

Last week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pushed back on the notion that lifting restrictions and allowing Ukraine to hit deeper into Russia would change the tides of the war. 

“There’s no one capability that will, in and of itself, be decisive in this campaign.”

“There are a lot of targets in Russia, a big country, obviously,” Austin said at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany on Friday. “And there’s a lot of capability that Ukraine has in terms of (unmanned aerial vehicles) and other things to address those targets.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

The debate about whether to remove the restrictions comes amid the worrying beginning of transfers of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia.

Some worry the U.S. has a limited number of ATACMS to offer Ukraine without affecting U.S. readiness and that using the weapons to strike deep into Russia could deplete their supply for other parts of the military campaign, like inside Crimea. But advocates of lifting the ban argue Ukraine is already using ATACMS on territory that Russia sees as its own in Crimea.

The immigration bill being used by vulnerable Democrats as evidence of their commitment to border security has been trashed by Republican senators, who claim the measure would have actually exacerbated the crisis at the southern border. 

“That bill was awful. It killed itself,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital on Thursday of the bill that was negotiated by Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and James Lankford, R-Okla. 

“I’m not aware of anybody that Trump called,” he added, with another GOP senator seconding this. 

After former President Donald Trump himself came out against the measure, Democrats accused him of being responsible for its ultimate demise, and he further welcomed their blame. But several Republican senators said the bill was essentially dead on arrival, with or without Trump’s input. 

TOP HANDICAPPER GIVES GOP’S TIM SHEEHY EDGE AGAINST DEMOCRAT JON TESTER IN MONTANA RACE SHIFT

Republicans say the bill promoted primarily by Senate Democrats would actually make the border crisis worse. (Reuters)

Republican senators prompted by Fox News Digital in the spring about Trump’s involvement in lobbying against the border bill also denied that the former president was making calls. 

On Thursday, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital the bill was terrible. “Chuck Schumer drafted it. He drafted it with the objective of keeping the current open borders open in perpetuity,” he claimed.

Cruz listed concerns with the measure, including that it “codified catch and release. The bill provided immediate work permits to illegal aliens when they came here. The bill provided taxpayer-funded attorneys to illegal aliens. The bill gave billions of dollars to sanctuary cities and NGOs that are aiding with human-traffickers and the bill normalized 5,000 illegal immigrants a day.” 

“It was never designed to solve the problem,” he said.

As the Texas senator referenced, the bill would have expanded what are known as alternatives to detention (ATD) for those who enter the country illegally, make work permits immediately available for those who pass initial asylum screenings, provide funding for attorneys to represent some unaccompanied minors, and would have established a threshold of an average of 5,000 border crossings a day for one week before ushering in a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) emergency authority that would bar illegal immigrants from entering the country between ports of entry. 

He also pointed to the fact that chief Democrat negotiator, Murphy, wrote of the bill on X that, “The border never closes, but claims must be processed at the ports.”

TEXAS DEM’S SENATE AD FEATURES BORDER WALL HE ONCE BLASTED AS ‘RACIST’

Murphy didn’t respond to Republican suggestions that his bill would have made the border worse and said it was false that it would have codified catch and release or that it would not actually ever shut down the border. “Those are not true,” he told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

The bill faced its first procedural vote in February as part of a supplemental spending deal that also included funding for aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The vote was 49-50, failing to garner the necessary 60 votes to move forward. A supplemental foreign aid package ultimately passed without the border measure. 

“There were a lot of good things in that bill, but in the end, we did not address the one thing that I think is a legitimate argument: That’s trust in this administration to implement it,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told reporters on Thursday. 

ROGERS ADDRESSES ABORTION AMID SLOTKIN ATTACKS: ‘MICHIGAN VOTERS HAVE ALREADY DECIDED’

Cruz slammed the bill and its Democratic author, Sen. Murphy. (Getty Images)

Lankford, along with Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, were the only Republicans to vote in favor of the negotiated bill in February. 

Senate Democrats revived the bill for a second procedural vote in May, which failed again by a worse margin. Two of the three negotiators, Sinema and Lankford, voted against it in the ultimate 43-50 vote. Both Romney and Collins also voted against advancing it in the second vote.

Collins told Fox News Digital on Thursday, “I don’t think it was the be all and end all, but I think it would have helped.”

Democrats running for Senate have panned their Republican counterparts for coming out against the negotiated bill, and have used their support for it during their respective campaigns to demonstrate that they will work to address the border. 

For example, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who is embroiled in what is considered one of the most competitive races in the country, referenced his support of the measure in an April ad that said, “Jon Tester worked with Republicans, fighting to shut down the border, target fentanyl traffickers, and add hundreds of new border patrol agents.”

Democrats in Senate races are not the only ones using this bill to their advantage. Vice President Kamala Harris is campaigning on signing the bill into law if she is elected president in November. 

As for whether Democrats’ advocacy for the bill will resonate with voters, Collins told Fox News Digital it won’t. “The president did absolutely nothing by way of executive orders or of really pushing that bill for years. He created the crisis,” she said of President Biden. 

TOP 5 MOMENTS DURING TRUMP-HARRIS PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: ‘I’M TALKING NOW’

Tillis said he didn’t trust Biden and Harris to implement the law. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Tillis noted that Biden and Harris “conveniently leave out how they haven’t enforced existing laws.”

He characterized Republican discussions regarding the negotiated bill, explaining, “There were people that were saying, ‘I don’t mind the policy. I just don’t think you’ll execute.'” 

Romney reiterated his disagreement with some of his conference members on the measure, suggesting they are doing their “best to provide an excuse for a very unfortunate vote.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

According to him, Trump was “of course” responsible for its failure. 

Lankford’s office declined to provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

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

A new national poll conducted entirely after Tuesday’s debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump indicates Harris leading Trump by five points.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted two-day poll, Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, has the support of 47% of registered voters nationwide. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, lands the backing of 42% of registered voters questioned.

The five-point advantage for Harris is up slightly from a four-point margin in the previous Reuters/Ipsos poll, which was conducted in late August, prior to the debate.

FIRST ON FOX: HARRIS AIMS TO TROLL TRUMP — AGAIN — OVER CROWD SIZES

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump shake hands before their debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday. (Doug Mills/The New York Time/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The survey indicates that voters agree with political pundits in saying that Harris bested Trump during their Philadelphia showdown, which was their first and potentially only presidential debate.

Fifty-three percent of survey respondents who said they had heard at least some of Tuesday’s debate said that the vice president had won, with just 24% saying that the former president was the winner.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE SHOW

The poll surveyed 1,690 adults nationwide, including 1,405 registered voters. The survey had a sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points for registered voters.

Former President Trump departs a campaign event at the Central Wisconsin Airport  in Mosinee, Wisconsin, on Saturday. A recent poll has Trump trailing Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in the battleground state.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

With seven and a half weeks until Election Day and early voting getting underway this month in some of the key battleground states, most national surveys and swing state polls indicate a margin-of-error race between Trump and Harris, who enjoyed a wave of momentum in the weeks after replacing President Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket in mid-July.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, holds a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Harris, at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday, reiterated to her supporters that “ours is going to be a tight race until the end.”

“We are the underdog,” she emphasized. “We’ve got some hard work ahead of us… hard work is good work.”

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

A New York appeals court on Thursday denied former President Trump’s request to pause his criminal case stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation. 

The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals said in a filing that Trump’s motion for an emergency administrative stay in New York v. Trump is denied, following Judge Juan Merchan’s decision to delay the former president’s sentencing until after the presidential election. 

TRUMP REACTS TO SENTENCING DELAY IN BRAGG CASE, SAYS CASE ‘SHOULD BE DEAD’

Trump’s sentencing was set for Sept. 18, but Merchan granted the former president’s request to move that date until late November — Nov. 26. 

This week, Trump’s attorneys, in a letter to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, asked for the case to be paused, arguing that there was not enough time between the court’s Nov. 12th presidential immunity ruling and the Nov. 26th sentencing to allow for appeal. 

Bragg’s office said a pause would be “legally unavailable” and “unnecessary in light of the state criminal court’s adjournment of the sentencing. They also argued there is time for Trump to appeal the presidential immunity decision before sentencing. 

Trump’s initial sentencing was set for July 11 — just days before the Republican National Convention, where he was set to be formally nominated as the 2024 GOP presidential nominee, but Judge Juan Merchan agreed to delay that until Sept. 18. 

Former President Trump and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. (Emily Elconin/Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Trump requested the sentencing be moved until after Election Day, citing “naked election-interference objectives.” 

Merchan granted that request last week, pushing the sentencing date “if necessary” to Nov. 26. 

Trump has appealed the verdict, after pleading not guilty to all charges. Trump attorney Todd Blanche said the verdict should be overturned based on the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity, granting presidents limited immunity for official acts.

Judge Merchan will also now make a decision on Nov. 12 on Trump’s motion to vacate.

JUDGE MERCHAN DELAYS TRUMP SENTENCING UNTIL AFTER ELECTION

Blanche also pointed to Merchan’s daughter’s work at Authentic Campaigns, which represents top Democratic candidates. 

In his arguments for dismissal, Blanche argued that Bragg offered official acts as evidence during the six-week-long unprecedented criminal trial. Blanche said that included official White House communications with staffers like Hope Hicks, Madeleine Westerhout and others. 

The Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States that a former president has substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts in office but not for unofficial acts. The high court said Trump is immune from criminal prosecution for “official acts” but left it to the lower court to determine exactly where the line between official and unofficial is.

Trump spoke exclusively with Fox News Digital after Merchan granted the former president’s request to have his sentencing delayed until after the presidential election in November. 

“The case was delayed because everyone realizes there was no case and I did nothing wrong,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “It is a case that should never have been brought.” 

Trump said “the public understands that and so does every legal scholar that has looked at it and studied it.” 

“I greatly respect the words ‘if necessary’ being used in this decision because there should be no, ‘if necessary,’” Trump said. “The case should be dead.”

Trump was referring to a section of Merchan’s letter Friday, in which he notifies Trump attorneys of the delay, and says that “the sentencing on this matter, if necessary, is adjourned to November 26, 2024 at 10am.” 

Merchan also said Friday the “public’s confidence in the integrity of our judicial system demands a sentencing hearing that is entirely focused on the verdict of the jury and the weighing of aggravating and mitigating factors free from distraction or distortion.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump was found guilty in an unprecedented criminal trial on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree after a six-week trial stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation.

Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesperson, told Fox News Digital, “There should be no sentencing in the Manhattan DA’s election interference witch hunt. As mandated by the United States Supreme Court, this case, along with all of the other Harris-Biden hoaxes, should be dismissed.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – An Ohio town that has seen its population swell with thousands of Haitian refugees has had to battle differences in culture and even driving practices as it adjusts to its new reality.

“We’ve got an influx of folks that have come in, and I think we were a little bit shocked that it was close to 20,000 people in a community of 60,000, and that’s caused some issues between the folks that live here and the folks that are coming in,” Ohio State Rep. Kyle Koehler told Fox News Digital.

The comments come as Springfield, which is located roughly 50 miles west of Columbus, has entered the national spotlight in recent weeks, most recently when former President Donald Trump pointed to the town during one of his responses in Tuesday’s debate.

“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” Trump said during a response to a question about immigration. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”

RESIDENTS OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO ATTEND CITY COUNCIL MEETING TO SHARE FRUSTRATION ABOUT MIGRANT CRISIS HITTING THEIR COMMUNITY

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, debates Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, for the first time during the presidential election campaign at The National Constitution Center on September 10, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After earning the Democratic Party nomination following President Joe Biden’s decision to leave the race, Harris faced off with Trump in what may be the only debate of the 2024 race for the White House. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee)

The issue has also caught the attention of Ohio Republican senate candidate Bernie Moreno, who argued that the Biden administration’s “open border” policies “have flooded Springfield, Ohio, with thousands of illegal Haitians who are sucking up social services and destroying a small town here in Ohio.”

“We need to deport illegals, not invite them to wreak havoc on our communities like Sherrod Brown and Kamala Harris have done,” Moreno told Fox News Digital.

While local officials and multiple media outlets have disputed the point that Trump raised in the debate, there is still a new reality faced by longtime members of the Springfield community. Chief among them, according to Koehler, are cultural differences between locals and the Haitian refugees who are new to the town.

Haitian community center in Springfield, Ohio, is shown here. (Michael Lee/Fox News Digital)

The lake at Snyder Park in Springfield, Ohio, from which local residents have claimed Haitian refugees have taken geese to slaughter and eat.  (Michael Lee/ Fox News Digital)

“They don’t understand the laws, they don’t understand some of our customs, we don’t understand some of their customs, and that clash and the overwhelming amount of people that have come at one point has really caused some issues,” Koehler, who is now running to represent the area in the state Senate, said.

One more extreme example of that, Koehler recalled hearing second hand, allegedly played out at a local Walmart, where he said there were stories of “people showing up at the Walmart on a Saturday morning, going into the bathroom, and stripping down and bathing themselves.”

State Rep. Kyle Koehler says he has heard secondhand of migrants stripping down to bathe in washrooms in the local Springfield Walmart.  (Michael Lee/Fox News Digital)

FOCUS GROUP REACTS TO TRUMP CLAIM THAT MIGRANTS ARE ‘EATING THE DOGS’ IN OHIO TOWN

“Again, not something we do here, something someone might do in another culture, or something someone might do if they don’t understand the culture they’re in now,” Koehler said. “Whether that’s true or not, those stories get passed around, and it inflames the situation we have in our community.”

Another issue causing concern among the local population is road safety, Koehler noted.

“The driving in town is horrendous,” Koehler said, noting that a lot of that issue can also be chalked up to cultural differences.

One notable situation occurred last October, when a school bus carrying dozens of children in the area collided with a minivan, resulting in over 20 kids being hurt and one, Aiden Clark, being killed.

The driver of the minivan was later identified as Hermanio Joseph, a Haitian immigrant who was found guilty earlier this year of involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide for his role in the incident.

The tragic incident inflamed tensions in the community, with Koehler noting that road safety had been one of the more visible concerns for locals.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Ohio State Rep. Kyle Koehler (Fox News) (Courtesy Kyle Koehler)

“We do have a really abnormal number of car accidents that are happening,” Koehler said. “And it’s not only the number, but the severity of them. When you go on a street that is a 35-mile-an-hour speed limit and there’s a car sitting on its hood, and I’m not talking about one, I’m talking about five or six accidents a week like that, you begin to wonder.”

Nevertheless, Koehler stressed the positive attributes of Springfield, arguing that the town was once in decline but is now on the way back.

“We have a wonderful town,” Koehler said.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., predicted that Americans will be “shocked” and “appalled” when lawmakers release their interim report on the assassination attempt on former President Trump and the security failures of those involved in protecting the GOP presidential nominee. 

Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe provided senators with an update Thursday on the investigation into the failed assassination in a closed-door meeting. 

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: WHISTLEBLOWERS CLAIM THAT THEY WERE ‘WOEFULLY UNPREPARED’ TO PROVIDE SECURITY

U.S. Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe testifies before a Joint Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing examining the security failures leading to the assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

“I think the American people are going to be shocked, astonished and appalled by what we will report to them about the failures by the Secret Service in this assassination attempt on the former president,” Blumenthal told Fox News. “But I think they also ought to be appalled and astonished by the failure of the Department of Homeland Security to be more forthcoming, to be as candid and frank, as it should be to them in terms of providing information.”

Blumenthal didn’t go into specifics about what he learned from Thursday’s meeting. Despite his statements, other lawmakers refused to comment on how the public may react to their report. 

“It will be coming out shortly. And it’ll only be an interim report because there’s a lot more information that we need to find,” Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., told Fox News. “And we hope once this report comes out and we can get the additional information necessary to have a complete report of what happened, as well as steps of what we need to do in the future to make sure that this never happens.”

RFK JR LOSES SECRET SERVICE PROTECTION AFTER SUSPENDING CAMPAIGN

Pictures of the assassination attempt of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump are displayed during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Thursday, July 18, 2024.  (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said lawmakers want to make sure the public understands that the report will be done in a bipartisan fashion. He said there was some frustration voiced with Rowe on Thursday. 

“So he’s making the commitment to you know, provide more information,” Johnson said. “But we’re hoping to get this preliminary report out before this work period. So again, we’re on a pretty tight time constraints. But again, it’s important people realize we are dedicated to a bipartisan product.”

The Secret Service has come under intense scrutiny over the security and communication lapses preceding the July 13 shooting of Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Assistant Director Michael Plati, of the agency’s Office of Protective Operations, led the section in control of planning for protection of Trump, President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. JD Vance and others, is ending his tenure there this Friday, his 27th anniversary at the agency.

Michael Plati, U.S. Secret Service assistant director for the office of protective operations, has been asked to retire. (United States Secret Service)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Secret Service said Plati wasn’t asked to retire or resign, though sources involved at the highest levels of the internal investigation told Fox News he was encouraged to retire early. 

Top House Democrats brushed off claims that Vice President Kamala Harris has flip-flopped repeatedly on her policies Thursday.

FOX Business correspondent Hillary Vaughn spoke with several prominent House Democrats on Capitol Hill, pressing lawmakers on whether Harris needed to explain her policy shifts.

“I continue to think that these allegations about policy reversals are overblown,” Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., told Fox. “I think with due course, you will see that, like any thoughtful, rational, intelligent person who has spent four years being vice president and has seen the gamut of issues, that her understanding or the evolution of policy occurs as facts change on the ground.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., says Harris has already done enough explaining.

VP HARRIS ACCUSED OF ‘ACTIVELY ENCOURAGING’ ILLEGAL MIGRATION — AND COORDINATING WITH MEXICO

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was among several House Democrats who pushed back on criticism of Harris for flip-flopping. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

“She is the current vice president to the sitting president, to the Biden administration, which means her responsibility is to support the president in executing his decisions. And then, of course, she is a leader in her own right. And so I think she’s able to do both of those things, and I think she’s doing that very well,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., argued the line of attack was a tired and false push by Republicans. He pointed to Sen. J.D. Vance, once a “Never Trumper” now serving as former President Trump’s running mate.

TRUMP, KAMALA AIMING FOR THE MIDDLE WITH VARYING DEGREES OF SUCCESS

“You tell me why J.D. Vance went from being a Never Trumper to being a Forever Trumper,” Raskin told Fox. “I’m not going to answer for Kamala Harris, okay?”

Trump’s campaign has blasted Harris for adopting some of the former president’s own policies as her own. (Getty Images)

The comments come days after Trump blasted Harris for abandoning old policies and even adopting some of his own during Tuesday’s night’s presidential debate in Philadelphia.

HOW TRUMP, OR KAMALA, COULD WIN, AS ALL SIDES ZERO IN ON THE DEBATE

During Harris’ attempt at a presidential campaign in 2019, she said she was against fracking, for decriminalizing the border and for abolishing private health insurance. She has now abandoned all three of those positions, among others.

Rep. Dan Goldman and other Democrats say Harris doesn’t have to explain the massive shifts in her policy positions. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., argued that Harris had merely changed her positions in response to new facts.

“It’s not that she’s changed her mind. You want somebody who evolves and grows,” he said.

Then-Sen. Kamala Harris bragged in 2019 about working “behind the scenes” when she was California attorney general to change the state’s policy she said was unfairly hindering transgender inmates from receiving taxpayer-funded gender surgery.

Video of an interview Harris did as a candidate for the 2020 presidential election with the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) Action Fund began circulating online following Tuesday night’s debate, after former President Donald Trump argued his opponent “wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison.” 

His remarks were immediately met with bewilderment by members of the media and Harris supporters, who suggested the claim was untrue. 

“When I was Attorney General I learned that the California Department of Corrections, which was a client of mine – I didn’t get to choose my clients … they were standing in the way of surgery for prisoners,” Harris said during the 2019 interview. “And there was a specific case. When I learned about the case, I worked behind-the-scenes to not only make sure that that transgender woman got the services she was deserving – it was not only about that case – I made sure that they changed the policy in the state of California so that every transgender inmate in the prison system would have access to the medical care that they desire and need.”

NO TAXPAYER DOLLARS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT GENDER SURGERIES UNDER NEW HOUSE GOP BILL

Then-Sen. Kamala Harris sat down for an interview when she was running for president in 2019 to share her stance on LGBT issues.

The 2019 interview was part of a series of other talks by NCTE Action Fund, called “TRANSform the White House,” which sought to talk to the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential candidates about where they stood on the issue of LGBT rights. 

Trump’s claim Tuesday about Harris wanting to give detained illegal immigrants access to taxpayer-funded sex-change surgeries started a firestorm on social media. 

Former President Donald Trump during the National Guard Association of the United States’ 146th General Conference & Exhibition at Huntington Place Convention Center last month in Detroit. (Emily Elconin/Getty Images)

“‘She wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens who are in prison’ is the WILDEST thing I’ve ever heard in any debate. EVER,” former CNN commentator Marc Lamont Hill wrote on X shortly after Trump made his claim Tuesday evening. 

“Trump made history last night for sure. Who will ever forget him ranting on stage about immigrants eating people’s dogs? Or insisting that the Vice President ‘wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in jail’?” posted The New Yorker staff writer Susan Glasser. 

Meanwhile, Time magazine was forced to make a correction after implying Trump’s claim was “false.”

TIME MAGAZINE ISSUES CORRECTION FOR CALLING CLAIM HARRIS SUPPORTED FUNDING MIGRANT SEX CHANGES ‘FALSE’

Trump’s comments on Tuesday evening and the subsequent frenzy over where Harris now stands on providing taxpayer-funded medical procedures to transgender inmates was preempted by news that while Harris was running for the presidency in 2019, she indicated in a candidate questionnaire to the American Civil Liberties Union that she did indeed support gender transition surgeries for detained migrants.

“I support policies ensuring that federal prisoners and detainees are able to obtain medically necessary care for gender transition, including surgical care, while incarcerated or detained,” Harris wrote in the questionnaire. She also checked a box “Yes” in response to whether she would use her executive authority as president to ensure transgender inmates, “including those in prison and immigration detention,” can receive transgender surgery.

A Haitian family stands outside the U.S. Border Patrol detention facility after walking seven miles from the Mexican border on Dec. 8, 2021 through Yuma, Arizona. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

“The Vice President’s positions have been shaped by three years of effective governance as part of the Biden-Harris Administration,” a Harris campaign adviser told Fox News when asked about Harris’ response to the questionnaire. In an additional statement to CNN, the campaign added that “As President, [Harris] will take that same pragmatic approach, focusing on common-sense solutions of the sake of progress,” but did not elaborate in response to questions on where Harris currently stands on the issue. 

“That questionnaire is not what she is proposing or running on,” Harris campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler also told Fox News. 

HARRIS ACLU QUESTIONNAIRE SHOWS SHE SUPPORTED GENDER TRANSITION SURGERIES FOR DETAINED MIGRANTS, DEFUNDING ICE    

Besides her remarks during the 2019 interview on LGBT rights about changing California policy to help “every” transgender inmate get the surgery they “desire,” Harris bragged during the interview about helping train prosecutors around the country on how to defeat the so-called “trans panic defense.” She also touted her work starting what Harris said was California’s first taxpayer-funded victims assistance program for transgender individuals, while lamenting the “epidemic” of Black transgender women getting murdered and insisting transgender people do nOt seek the assistance they need out of fear of judgment.

“Way back when, with the power that I had [as California Attorney General], I used it in a way that was about pushing forward the [trans rights] movement frankly, and the agenda,” Harris insisted during the 2019 interview.

People wave a Transgender Pride flag as they attend the 2023 LA Pride Parade on June 11, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment but did not receive a response by publication deadline.

FIRST ON FOX: A new House GOP-led bill is being introduced to block federal dollars from paying for gender reassignment surgery for illegal immigrants.

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., introduced legislation called the Stopping Transgender Operation Payments and Wacky Expenses for Illegal Residents and Detainees (STOP WEIRD) Act on Thursday, and it is backed by at least five other House Republicans.

“Kamala could implement her weird and disgusting plan today, or in the very unlikely case of a Harris-Walz administration,” Steube told Fox News Digital. 

“Congress has the responsibility to safeguard taxpayer dollars from funding transition surgeries for illegal immigrants – I can think of a million things that are a better use of taxpayer dollars – for one, our veterans who fight for months, and sometimes years, to get the medical care they earned through service to our country.”

HARRIS FINALLY ADDS POLICY PAGE TO CAMPAIGN WEBSITE, DEVOTES SEVERAL SECTIONS TO TRUMP 

Rep. Greg Steube is introducing a new bill in response to a resurfaced 2019 questionnaire by Vice President Kamala Harris. (Getty Images)

It is part of the House GOP majority’s increased scrutiny of Vice President Kamala Harris and her policy platforms since the vice president became the Democrats’ 2024 White House nominee in late July.

Harris signaled support for federal dollars going toward transgender surgeries for detained illegal immigrants and U.S. prisoners in a recently resurfaced American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) questionnaire from 2019.

The then-junior California senator filled it out alongside other 2020 presidential primary hopefuls.

It has earned her aggressive blowback from GOP critics who say it is proof that Harris is not the moderate she is styling herself to be during her campaign.

YOUNG SWING STATE VOTERS DELIVER ADVICE FOR KAMALA HARRIS 

In the questionnaire, then-Sen. Kamala Harris said she supported taxpayer dollars going toward transgender surgeries for detainees. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump called Harris out over the questionnaire during their tense head-to-head on ABC News on Tuesday.

“Now she wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison,” Trump said during the debate. “This is a radical left liberal that would do this.”

The questionnaire said, “As President, will you use your executive authority to ensure that transgender and nonbinary people who rely on the state for medical care — including those in prison and immigration detention — will have access to comprehensive treatment associated with gender transition, including all necessary surgical care? If yes, how will you do so?”

Harris responded, “It is important that transgender individuals who rely on the state for care receive the treatment they need, which includes access to treatment associated with gender transition.”

IN THE TRUMP-HARRIS FACEOFF THERE WAS A CLEAR WINNER BUT DON’T BELIEVE THIS ELECTION IS OVER

“I support policies ensuring that federal prisoners and detainees are able to obtain medically necessary care for gender transition, including surgical care, while incarcerated or detained. Transition treatment is a medical necessity, and I will direct all federal agencies responsible for providing essential medical care to deliver transition treatment,” she added. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

When asked about her answers by Fox News Digital, a Harris campaign adviser responded, “The Vice President’s positions have been shaped by three years of effective governance as part of the Biden-Harris Administration.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment on the bill.

Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.

Haley Voters for Harris launched a new campaign to target over 77,000 Nikki Haley voters in Wisconsin to encourage them to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in November’s presidential election, drawing the ire of the former Republican presidential candidate who has issued a cease-and-desist letter.

Former U.N. Ambassador Haley told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Kamala Harris and I are total opposites on every issue. Any attempt to use my name to support her or her agenda is deceptive and wrong. I support Donald Trump because he understands we need to make America strong, safe, and prosperous.”

A law firm representing Haley’s presidential campaign sent the Haley Voters for Harris PAC a letter imploring the group to refrain from using Haley’s name to suggest she supports Harris for president.

Over 4.4 million people voted for Nikki Haley for president in the 2024 primary, according to the Haley Voters for Harris website. If just enough of these GOP primary voters turn to Harris, she could win the presidency. Craig Snyder, director of Haley Voters for Harris and former chief of staff to the late Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, believes Haley voters could play a pivotal role in battleground states.

“In such a closely contested place as Wisconsin, this group of voters, who have already clearly expressed their disapproval for Trump, can easily decide the race if even any significant portion of them join the coalition now behind the vice president – a coalition spanning the entire American political spectrum, from Dick Cheney to Bernie Sanders,” Snyder told Fox News Digital.

NIKKI HALEY BREAKS WITH TRUMP ON IVF PROPOSAL, STILL SAYS SHE’S ‘ON STANDBY’ FOR CAMPAIGN

Haley, a former governor of South Carolina who served as United Nations ambassador under President Trump, received 76,841 votes after she had already dropped out of the race in Wisconsin’s April GOP primary. Although Haley was trounced by the former president, who won over 400,000 more votes, Haley’s voters could be the key to swinging the election in Wisconsin.

President Biden narrowly won Wisconsin in 2020, winning 49.45% to 48.83%, a margin of only 0.62 percentage points. Biden received 1,630,673 votes compared to Trump’s 1,610,065, a difference of just over 20,000. In 2016, Trump won by a razor-thin margin with 23,000 more votes than Hillary Clinton.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks during the Ketagalan Forum on Indo-Pacific Security, in Taipei, Taiwan, on Aug. 21, 2024. (Daniel Ceng/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Haley’s voters in the primary were made up mostly of college-educated and independent-minded Republicans. Haley Voters for Harris will target these mostly center-right and moderate voters in the critical swing states, including Wisconsin, through social media and direct voter outreach.

The group will specifically be looking to educate these voters on what Snyder calls Harris’ centrist record, focusing on her years as a “no-nonsense prosecutor” who guided the Biden administration toward the center on issues ranging from the executive order ending the abuse of the asylum system, to record-setting oil production drilling permits, to federal support for hiring 100,000 additional police officers.

“We will be communicating directly with Haley voters and the other moderates in Wisconsin, through digital advertising, texting and direct mail, and while Gov. Haley herself has made the decision to support Trump, for whatever personal reasons, these independent-minded voters will decide for themselves what’s better for our country,” Snyder said.

FORMER TRUMP PRIMARY RIVAL NIKKI HALEY IN REPUBLICAN CONVENTION SPOTLIGHT

After dropping out of the GOP race in April, Haley eventually said she would vote for Trump, completing the Republican Party’s consolidation around the former president as the nominee. Haley formally endorsed Trump in a speech at the Republican National Convention in July, saying he has her “strong support” and that “you don’t have to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for him.”

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on Labor Day at Northwestern High School in Detroit, Michigan, on Sept. 2, 2024. (Sarah Rice for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

William Howell, professor at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, told Fox News Digital that voters who turned to Haley in the primaries did so not because they were enthusiastic about her candidacy, but because they were dismayed by the direction of the Republican Party.

“It’s possible, then, that their votes are still up for grabs,” Howell said.

Howell thinks if Haley Voters for Harris puts in the work, they can have a real impact.

NIKKI HALEY DEFENDS TRUMP SUPPORT AFTER BEING CALLED OUT BY LIZ CHENEY: ‘THIS IS ABOUT AMERICA’

“You don’t need to change many minds in order to have an outsized influence on this election – particularly if you can target the small segment of the population that remains undecided in one of the handful of competitive states. Haley voters in Wisconsin may be exactly that.”

Prior to President Biden’s disastrous debate performance on June 27, which ultimately drove him to withdraw from the presidential race, Snyder led the Haley Voters for Biden campaign, and said in a July press statement that “many of us strongly believed that the country needed to move on from Donald Trump.”

Fox News/Special Report | Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A CNN poll conducted by SSRS from Aug. 23-29 had Harris with a 50% to 44% lead over Trump. Other recent polling from Wisconsin shows a tighter race and both Harris and Trump will need to win Wisconsin if they hope to win the White House.

The Senate race in Montana was shifted toward Republicans on Thursday by a top political handicapper as the weeks wind down to the November election. 

The seat currently held by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., was changed to “lean Republican” by the Cook Political Report after long being considered a “toss up.” 

The move comes just days after a different political handicapper similarly decided that Republicans were favored to win the Senate seat. 

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: TRUMP LOSES HIS EDGE AS WE BRACE AGAIN FOR POST-DEBATE IMPACT

Sheehy is now favored to win the Montana Senate race against incumbent Tester.  (Reuters)

Republican candidate Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, is now expected to win the race against incumbent Tester, per the handicappers. 

Tester was first elected in 2006 and his last re-election bid in the state, won twice by former President Trump, did not coincide with a presidential election. 

ROGERS ADDRESSES ABORTION AMID SLOTKIN ATTACKS: ‘MICHIGAN VOTERS HAVE ALREADY DECIDED’

Tester has not issued a formal endorsement of Harris. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

But this time, the incumbent Democrat must share the ticket with Vice President Kamala Harris and face off against the Republican ticket led by Trump. 

The latest race rating changes follow an AARP poll earlier this month that showed Sheehy with a clear lead over Tester. Sheehy defeated Tester 51%-45% in a two-person race and 49%-41% in a multi-candidate field, per the poll. 

GOP SENATOR PUSHES FOR GOOGLE SUBPOENAS OVER TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SEARCH RESULTS

Sheehy is endorsed by Trump. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images)

Montana is considered Republicans’ key to gaining the majority in the next Congress, as the seat being vacated by Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., is already expected to be handily won by Republicans. With pickups in both of these states and no losses, Republicans will take the upper chamber’s majority. 

TOP 5 MOMENTS DURING TRUMP-HARRIS PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: ‘I’M TALKING NOW’

Harris has taken an overall lead in the Fox News Power Rankings. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The shift in favor of Republicans as it relates to Senate races is occurring at the same time as Trump is appearing to lose his edge in some critical states, according to the most recent Fox News Power Rankings. Both North Carolina and Georgia, which were once considered Republican strongholds, are now rated toss-ups in the presidential race. 

With these presidential race shifts by Fox News Power Rankings, Harris has taken the overall lead in the forecast for the first time. 

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

A Virginia congressional candidate whose brother was a star witness in the first then-President Donald Trump impeachment is facing allegations of campaign finance violations and misrepresenting his military record.

The campaign staff of Eugene Vindman, a Democratic candidate in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, referred press inquiries about the candidate’s military record to VoteVets, a political action committee (PAC) that supports progressive military veterans running for office. VoteVets has endorsed Vindman, a former Army infantry officer and Army lawyer.

Two watchdog groups – the Functional Government Initiative and the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust – allege in separate complaints to the Federal Election Commission that this is illegal coordination between the campaign and the super PAC. The FEC complaints allege VoteVets PAC provided a service to the Vindman campaign by managing its press inquiries.

VINDMAN WINS THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR VIRGINIA’S 7TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Alex Vindman, left, and Eugene Vindman stand outside the U.S. Capitol on March 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. VoteVets held a press conference with senators and representatives pushing for an aid bill for Ukraine. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for VoteVets)

“The law is quite clear that providing a service to a campaign is an in-kind contribution. Communication is something a campaign usually pays for, not having a super PAC make statements,” Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), told Fox News Digital.

Eugene Vindman is the brother of Col. Alexander Vindman, a former National Security Council member who testified in the 2019 House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This led to Trump’s first House Democrat-led impeachment.

Eugene Vindman is running against Republican Derrick Anderson, a former Army Green Beret.

FACT is basing its complaint on a documented email exchange between a Washington Free Beacon reporter, Vindman’s campaign manager and Travis Tazelaar, the political director VoteVets PAC.

“We have seen campaigns push the limits with super PACs, but this is not just pushing the limits. It’s an explicit in-kind contribution,” Arnold said.

VINDMAN SAYS MUSK SHOULD BE ‘NERVOUS’ AFTER TELEGRAM CEO WAS ARRESTED: ‘FREE SPEECH ABSOLUTISTS WEIRDOS’

Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman, the brother of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, director of European affairs at the National Security Council, arrives back to the House Intelligence Committee hearing on the impeachment inquiry of President Trump in the Longworth Building on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Last month, Vindman’s campaign manager Jeremy Levinson said in the email to a Washington Free Beacon reporter, “I am looping in VoteVets who is going to be providing comments on our behalf to your initial inquiry.”

The campaign manager added, “All future questions on this matter or any matters can be directed to him.”

To say “or any matters” is problematic, Arnold said.

“The traditional timeline for an FEC investigation is long. We hope they can expedite this case given the circumstances,” Arnold said. “The Vindman campaign referred the press to VoteVets on this and any other issues.”

In this case, Tazelaar responded to the Free Beacon’s media inquiry with a statement on Vindman’s behalf.

A Vindman campaign spokesperson was dismissive of the FEC complaints.

WWII VETERAN RECEIVES STANDING OVATION, ‘USA’ CHANTS AFTER MOVING SPEECH

“The bottom line is that we worked with the coordinated side of the VoteVets organization on the response to the Free Beacon outreach,” a Vindman campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The FEC rules are clear that this interaction does not violate its rules and would not constitute an in-kind contribution.”

Similarly, David Mitrani, the general counsel to VoteVets, said there was no FEC violation.

Eugene Vindman is running as a Democrat to represent Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“The claims made in Functional Government Initiative’s complaint is simply false,” Mitrani told Fox News Digital in a statement. “VoteVets’ activities are in full compliance with campaign finance laws.”

The statement only addressed one complaint. In a follow-up email, a VoteVets spokesperson said the statement was intended to address complaints from both the Functional Government Initiative and the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust.

The six-member Federal Election Commission is equally made up of Republicans and Democrats and rulings often end in tie votes.

Federal law on coordinated communication, or 11 CFR 109.21(h); 11 C.F.R. 106.1(c)(1), covers when campaign work “is paid for, in whole or in part, by a person other than that candidate, authorized committee, or political party committee.” The law also prohibits an outside “vendor,” within 120 days of the election from developing “media strategy, including the selection or purchasing of advertising slots,” developing “the content of a public communication,” and “producing a public communication.”

The controversy over campaign finance laws stems from the questions over Vindman’s military record.

‘STOLEN VALOR’ LETTER DEALS POLITICAL BLOW TO WALZ AS HE TOUTS MILITARY RECORD AT DNC AND MORE TOP HEADLINES

Whether Virginia Democratic U.S. House nominee Eugene Vindman may have embellished his military resume is coming into question in the heat of his 2024 congressional campaign. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

Vindman’s GOP opponent Derrick Anderson said Vindman “should answer all these legitimate questions about inflating his military resume.”

“I respect that he served in the military, but voters deserve answers – not another D.C. politician that hides from them,” Anderson told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Right now, Vindman won’t even debate me on TV because he’s not willing to answer questions about the simple fact that he’s not being straight with voters about his resume.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Vindman had previously said he “fought for our nation in combat,” however a 2019 Daily Mail article said Vindman “has not seen combat.” In mid-August, the Washington Free Beacon reported that when it contacted the Vindman campaign, campaign chief Levinson copied VoteVets Tazelaar and referred “all future questions” to the PAC.

In its response to the Beacon, the VoteVets spokesperson reportedly said, “There was no front line in Iraq — and the Vindman family was grateful that Eugene was able to return home unscathed while so many other of our brothers and sisters in arms did not.”

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., suggested former President Donald Trump should consider dropping out of the presidential race following his performance in Tuesday night’s debate.

Moskowitz issued a statement on Wednesday titled, “Trump’s ability to continue campaign,” and it echoed sentiment aimed at President Biden following his clash with Trump earlier this year.

“If we are being honest, last night’s debate performance by former President Donald Trump was disastrous and hard to watch,” Moskowitz said.

“I believe now is the time for the former President to have those difficult conversations about whether or not he should continue serving as the Republican Party’s nominee for President,” he continued. “For now, I want to give him the space to meet with his family and make that decision.”

TRUMP SAYS PROJECT 2025 ‘GOES WAY TOO FAR’ WITH ABORTION RESTRICTIONS

Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, debates Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris for the first time during the presidential election. (Win McNamee)

Polls from the debate show most viewers believe Harris came out on top. A CNN poll of debate watchers had 63% saying Harris won by the end of their 90-minute contest, compared to 37% for Trump.

Nevertheless, Trump’s performance has not set off the widespread shock and concern among Republicans that surged through the Democratic Party following Biden’s debate performance in July. That concern ultimately forced Biden out of the race, endorsing Harris instead.

ABC DEBATE MODERATORS SPARK FURY FOR AGGRESSIVE FACT-CHECKING OF TRUMP, EASY TREATMENT OF HARRIS

Contacted regarding Moskowitz’ statement on Wednesday, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung replied, “Moskowitz is a f****** moron,” according to The Hill.

Trump’s campaign called Rep. Moskowitz, pictured, a “f****** moron” after he said Trump should consider dropping out of the race. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump reacted to his performance late Tuesday night on “Hannity,” saying he believes it was his “best debate ever,” though he lashed out at ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis.

ABC’S LINSEY DAVIS RAISES EYEBROWS WITH ABORTION FACT-CHECK AGAINST TRUMP: ‘COMPLETELY INTERJECTS HERSELF’

“I thought it was really good. We had three against one, but I anticipated it,” he said. 

Polls say most debate watchers thought Harris claimed victory over Trump in their debate. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Fox News host Sean Hannity asked Trump about reports Harris’ campaign wants a second debate in October, and whether he would be open to it. Fox News has extended a formal invitation to both the Trump and Harris campaigns for a second debate next month.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“She wants it because she lost,” Trump responded. “I don’t know. I have to think about it. But if you won the debate, I sort of think maybe I shouldn’t do it. Why should I do another debate? She immediately said we want another debate. That’s… you know what happens when you’re a prizefighter, and you lose? You immediately want a new fight.”

Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Harris surprised social media Tuesday night by claiming on the debate stage that she and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are gun owners. 

In Philadelphia Tuesday night, Republican presidential candidate former President Trump attempted to highlight how Harris has distanced herself from prior far-left stances since becoming the nominee.

“She has a plan to defund the police. She has a plan to confiscate everybody’s gun. She planned to allow fracking in Pennsylvania or anywhere else,” Trump said. “That’s what her plan is, until just recently.”

In response later, however, Harris shot back – and revealed she and Walz own guns. 

TOP 5 MOMENTS DURING TRUMP-HARRIS PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: ‘I’M TALKING NOW’

Kamala Harris during the presidential debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.  (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“I’ve made very clear my position on fracking and then this business about taking everyone’s guns away,” Harris said. “Tim Walz and I are both gun owners. We’re not taking anybody’s guns away. So stop with the continuous lying about this stuff.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign on Wednesday asking for details on whether Harris still owns a gun and if so, what kind, where she keeps it and when was the last time she went shooting. 

The Harris campaign responded by citing CNN’s previous reporting from 2019. 

At the time, a Harris campaign aide told CNN that Harris owned a hand gun that was purchased “years ago” which she keeps locked away as a responsible gun owner. 

“Kamala Harris and I are both gun owners,” Walz wrote on X after the debate. “We’re not going to take away your Second Amendment rights — we’re going to prevent your kids from getting shot at school.”

Harris’ gun ownership revelation shocked social media users, many of whom shared past clips of Harris’ TV appearances on the campaign trail in 2019 voicing support for a mandatory gun buyback program. 

“Harris is now claiming that her and Tim Walz are gun owners and she isn’t going to take guns away from anyone which we all know is a lie,” Wendy Patterson wrote to her more than 193,300 followers on X. “She also says that she’s for fracking which we all know is a lie.”

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris during the presidential debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Since when is Kamala Harris a gun owner?? When has she talked about that?” another X user, Arynne Wexler, wrote to her more than 28,400 followers.

VOTER SLAMS HARRIS FOR ‘RACE BAITING’ AND ‘FEAR MONGERING’ DURING DEBATE

The National Rifle Association (NRA) shared a clip on X of Harris being asked by MSNBC what she would do about the millions of assault weapons in circulation. 

“We have to have a buyback program. And I support a mandatory buyback program,” Harris said at the time. 

The NRA post included the message: “Kamala Harris is an existential threat to the Second Amendment.” 

“This may be the most egregious lie in the history of presidential debates from Kamala Harris: ‘We’re not taking anybody’s guns away!'” the NRA wrote in another post, sharing a clip of the debate. 

Just four days before the debate, Harris herself wrote in a Sept. 6 post on X: “Together, we passed the first bipartisan law addressing gun violence prevention in nearly 30 years, but we have more work to do. We must pass an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, and red flag laws.” 

Donald Trump gives a thumbs up in the spin room following the debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The NRA responded Tuesday night, writing: “Kamala Harris last week: ‘We must pass an assault weapons ban.’ Kamala Harris this week: ‘We’re not taking anybody’s guns away.'” 

While campaigning for president in 2019, then-Senator Harris called for banning assault weapons and universal background checks while stressing the need for stricter gun control laws. 

“I am a gun owner, and I own a gun for probably the reason a lot of people do – for personal safety,” Harris, who previously served as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, said in August 2019, according to CNN. “I was a career prosecutor.”

While taking questions from college students in the audience of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” four years ago, one student asked Harris if she believes in the mandatory buybacks of assault weapons and “how does that idea not go against fundamentally the Second Amendment?”

“I do believe that we need to do buybacks,” Harris said. “First of all, let’s be clear about what assault weapons are. They have been designed to kill a lot of human beings quickly. They are weapons of war with no place on the streets of a civil society. I’ve seen assault weapons kill babies and police officers.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“So one, I’ll tell you when elected president, if the United States Congress continues to fail to have the courage to do something about this, I’m prepared to take executive action and put in place a ban on the importation of assault rifles into our country,” she said. ‘But we still have to deal with the over 2 million assault weapons that are currently in the streets of America. And so a buyback program is a good idea.”