U.S. News

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in an interview that aired Sunday that he would resign if President Biden asked him to direct the Justice Department to go after former President Trump.  During an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” Garland responded to critics who claim he is trying to ruin Trump’s chances at re-election in 2024 with the timing of DOJ investigations and indictments. “That’s absolutely not true. Justice Department prosecutors are non-partisan, they don’t allow partisan considerations to play any role in their determinations,” Garland said.  Garland named Special Counsel Jack Smith to lead the investigation into Trump.  FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM MERRICK GARLAND’S HOURS-LONG TESTIMONY AT HOUSE JUDICIARY “The most important part of the regulations is that the special counsel is not subject to the day-to-day supervision of anyone in the Justice Department,” Garland said, assuring that he is not in communication with the president or any member of his office with regard to Trump.  “If President Biden asked you to take action with regard to the Trump investigation, what would your reaction be?” CBS News host Scott Pelley asked Garland during the sit-down interview.  “I am sure that that will not happen, but I would not do anything in that regard,” Garland said. “And if necessary, I would resign. But there is no sense that anything like that will happen.”  Garland insisted during the “60 Minutes” interview he has never had to tell Biden “hands off” because “he has never tried to put hands on these investigations.”  JIM JORDAN GRILLS AG GARLAND OVER ALLOWING HUNTER BIDEN’S POTENTIAL BURISMA CHARGES TO ‘LAPSE’ Meanwhile, Republicans accuse DOJ Special Counsel David Weiss of slow-walking the yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden’s business dealings and taxes, condemning the alleged “politicization” of the Justice Department. So far, the president’s son has been indicted for lying about drug abuse when he purchased a firearm. His plea deal fell apart over the summer.  “This investigation began under David Weiss. David Weiss is a long-standing career prosecutor, and he was appointed by Mr. Trump as the United States Attorney for the District of Delaware,” Garland said. “I promised at my nomination hearing that I would continue him on in that position and that I would not interfere in his investigation.”  “You are not participating in those decisions?” Pelley asked of the Hunter Biden probe.  “No, Mr. Weiss is making those decisions,” Garland insisted. “The White House is not attempting to influence those decisions?” Pelley pressed.  “Absolutely not,” Garland said, insisting he would make a forthcoming special counsel report public to the “extent permissible under the law that is required to explain the prosecutive decisions – their decisions to prosecute or not prosecute, and their strategic decisions along the way.”  Garland said he expects Weiss to also testify at the end of his report.  President Biden is also under DOJ investigation into whether he improperly held classified documents after he was vice president, and Garland selected Special Counsel Robert Hur to head that case. Trump is facing two federal indictments for allegedly hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and for his actions related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.  “I have a good working relationship with the president,” Garland assured.  Garland appeared to grow emotional when discussing his concerns about violence, particularly as judges and prosecutors assigned to the Trump cases have received death threats.  “People can argue with each other as much as they want and as vociferously as they want. But the one thing they may not do is use violence and threats of violence to alter the outcome,” Garland said. “American people must protect each other. They must ensure that they treat each other with civility and kindness, listen to opposing views, argue as vociferously as they want, but refrain from violence and threats of violence. That’s the only way this democracy will survive.” Garland said his own family fled religious persecution in Europe during the Holocaust, explaining his devotion to public service and the rule of law.  “We do not have one rule for Republicans and another rule for Democrats,” Garland insisted. “We don’t have one rule for foes and another for friends. We don’t have one rule for powerful and another for the powerless. For the rich or for the poor, based on ethnicity. We have only one rule, and that one rule is to follow the facts and the law, and we reach the decisions required by the Constitution, and we protect civil liberties.”
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pick to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein in the Senate has been quick to scrub online evidence that she actually lives in Maryland. Screenshots of Laphonza Butler’s account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, show that she still listed her location as “Maryland” on Sunday when news of her selection was first reported. Her account has since been updated and currently does not list any location. Butler, who is president of the pro-abortion group EMILY’s List, has a bio on the organization’s website that was changed hours after the news of her Senate appointment came out, removing references to her living in Maryland. A previous version of her bio concluded with the sentence, “She lives in Maryland with her partner Neneki Lee and their daughter Nylah,” which has since been removed. In addition to the online references to Maryland, a Federal Election Commission filing from EMILY’s List also identified Butler as a resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, as recently as Aug. 31. REMEMBERING THE LEGACY OF SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN Neither EMILY’s List nor Butler immediately responded to questions from Fox News. Newsom announced Butler’s appointment days after Feinstein died at the age of 90 last week. She is now expected to finish out the remainder of Feinstein’s term in Washington, D.C., ahead of the 2024 election. In a statement, the governor described Butler as an “advocate for women and girls, a second-generation fighter for working people, and a trusted adviser to Vice President Harris.” ALL EYES ON CALIFORNIA GOV. NEWSOM TO QUICKLY NAME TEMPORARY SENATE REPLACEMENT FOR FEINSTEIN “As we mourn the enormous loss of Senator Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for — reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence — have never been under greater assault,” Newsom added. “Laphonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington D.C.” Newsom’s office told Fox News Digital that Butler moved to the suburbs near Washington, D.C., when she became EMILY’s List president in 2021, and that she has a house in California. The governor’s office added that Butler will re-register to vote in California before she is sworn in. Butler thanked Newsom for the appointment in a statement on Monday. “I am honored to accept Gov. Newsom’s nomination to be a U.S. Senator for a state I have long called home,” she said. LONGTIME SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN PASSES AT AGE 90 Feinstein died on Thursday after battling a series of illnesses. She was the oldest member of Congress and the longest-serving woman in the Senate.  Butler called Feinstein a “legendary figure for women in politics and around the country” in a statement posted after the senator’s death last week. While Butler has never been elected to office, she has been involved in California politics for years. She served as a senior adviser to Harris’s 2020 presidential campaign while at the same time working at a political firm with strategists who have worked for Newsom and other prominent state Democrats. She also has two decades of experience in the labor movement, including formerly serving as a labor leader with SEIU 2015.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, appointed a Democratic strategist and former labor union boss to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., on Sunday. Newsom tapped Laphonza Butler, the president of EMILY’s List — a Democratic political action committee (PAC) dedicated to electing pro-abortion Democratic women to office — for the vacant Senate seat. Butler’s EMILY’s List biography had her residence listed as Silver Spring, Maryland, earlier Sunday evening, but it was removed from the profile shortly after it was announced she would be appointed to the position. An FEC filing from Aug. 31 also showed a Maryland address. NEWSOM NAMES LAPHONZA BUTLER, FORMER KAMALA HARRIS ADVISER, TO FILL FEINSTEIN’S VACANT SENATE SEAT EMILY’s List describes Butler as “a leader in Democratic politics, campaign strategy, and the labor movement for two decades” who has “dedicated her life to empowering women and supporting them in finding their voice, and using it to make meaningful change.” According to its website, the progressive PAC’s vision includes championing “diversity as a catalyst for progressive change that makes our country better” as well as growing their “millions-strong community of passionate pro-choice supporters nationwide.” Additionally, EMILY’s List touts its commitment to “Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” on an entire page dedicated to the subjects, even going as far as to denote its three percent of “nonbinary/third gender” employees. On the page, the PAC includes a “BIPOC breakdown” of the different races of their employees, which includes “Latinx” — a term reportedly heavily disfavored by the Latino community. DIANNE FEINSTEIN DESCRIBED BY WAPO, NYT, AP AS ‘CENTRIST’ DEM DESPITE PROGRESSIVE VOTING RECORD “Fundamentally, we believe that sharing these numbers and prioritizing these efforts is not only best practice, but the right thing to do, especially for an organization like ours,” the organization writes. “We pride ourselves on electing underrepresented and marginalized women to all levels of public office, so we must ensure that our internal hiring practices further reflect these values.” “We always strive to do right by our candidates, supporters, and staff; publishing these numbers on our website and demonstrating how seriously we take our staff demographics is one component of this work,” the website continues, which also noted the data on the website was updated last in January 2023. Before joining the pro-abortion PAC, Butler worked as North American public policy director of Airbnb and as a senior adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris’ failed 2020 presidential campaign. Butler got her start in politics by supporting labor unions, eventually becoming the union president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2015 in California. When reached for comment, EMILY’s List pointed Fox News Digital to its press release earlier Monday, in which board Chair Rebecca Haile described Butler as a “groundbreaking leader.” “EMILYs List was created to get more Democratic pro-choice women in government, and I am thrilled to see my friend put that into action by taking on this role,” Haile said. “As a labor leader, the only Black woman in the Senate and the first Black LGBTQ+ senator, I know Laphonza will bring all of us into the Senate with her as she does the critical work of ensuring our government works for and represents all of us.” Butler will finish out the remainder of Feinstein’s term in Washington, D.C., ahead of the 2024 election. In a statement, the governor described Butler as an “advocate for women and girls, a second-generation fighter for working people, and a trusted adviser to Vice President Harris.” “As we mourn the enormous loss of Senator Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for — reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence — have never been under greater assault,” Newsom added. “Laphonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington D.C.” Butler will be the only Black woman serving in the U.S. Senate and the first openly LGBTQ+ lawmaker to represent the Golden State in the upper chamber. Newsom previously vowed to place a Black woman in any Senate seat that became vacant — a promise that was criticized by U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., who said the Democrat governor’s pledge was “insulting” to Black women, since the appointment would be temporary ahead of the primary. Butler’s appointment came days after Feinstein’s death on Thursday at the age of 90. Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion and Lee Ross contributed reporting.
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Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign reportedly asked the Republican National Committee to significantly limit the number of GOP presidential candidates on stage for the party’s next presidential primary debate.  In a letter to RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Committee on Arrangements co-Chairs David Bossie and Anne Hathaway, Vivek 2024 CEO Ben Yoho requested that the RNC restrict the next debate stage to the four Republican candidates polling the highest nationally, after former President Donald Trump, according to The Hill.  The campaign also asked the RNC to increase the donor threshold to 100,000.  DESANTIS SUGGESTS ONE-ON-ONE DEBATE WITH TRUMP: ‘YOU OWE IT TO THE VOTERS’ “[A]gainst the backdrop of a chaotic second debate and the reality of a frontrunner who has declined to participate, we respectfully call on the RNC to revise its approach so that Republican voters can focus on serious candidates who have a viable path to beating Joe Biden – or whomever the Democrats put up to replace him,” Yoho wrote.  “Time is running out. Early-state voting is rapidly approaching in January,” he continued, according to the letter obtained by The Hill. “Another unhelpful debate in November is not an option: voters deserve a real choice for who will best serve as our party’s nominee. Voters are not well-served when a cacophony of candidates with minimal chance of success talk over each other from the edge of the stage, while the overwhelming frontrunner is absent from the center of that same stage.”  RAMASWAMY FIRES BACK AT MEXICAN PRESIDENT IN BORDER SPAT: ‘NEW DADDY IN TOWN’ The RNC has already raised the threshold to qualify for the third presidential debate of the 2024 cycle.  To participate in the Nov. 6 event, GOP candidates are required to have two national polls that show them at 4% or higher, or they must receive 4% support in one national poll and two different early state polls. White House hopefuls are also required to meet a donor threshold of at least 70,000 unique donors, including at least 200 from 20 or more states each. That compares to the 3% polling threshold with a minimum of 50,000 unique donors required to participate in the Sept. 27 debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. 
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EXCLUSIVE: The White House is prohibiting senior administration officials from traveling for international energy engagements that promote carbon-intensive fuels, including oil, natural gas and coal, Fox News Digital has learned. The guidance — which originated from the White House National Security Council (NSC) — was revealed in a Department of Energy (DOE) memo issued internally to agency staff on Sept. 15 and obtained by Fox News Digital. The memo was authored by Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk who outlined travel restrictions and stated officials are required to obtain approval from the NSC before attending any global energy engagement. “This guidance sets out a presumption that agencies and departments will pursue international energy engagement that advances clean energy projects,” Turk wrote in the memo. “It also outlines a process for seeking limited exceptions to pursue carbon-intensive engagements on a justified geostrategic imperative or energy-for-development/energy access basis.” “The guidance rules out any U.S. Government ‘engagement related to unabated or partially abated coal generation,’” he continued. “Carbon-intensive international energy engagements are those ‘directly related and dedicated to the production, transportation, or consumption of carbon-intensive fuels that would lead to additional greenhouse gas emissions.'” REPUBLICANS OPEN PROBE INTO BIDEN’S ENERGY SECRETARY AFTER POLICE CALLED ON HER EV ROAD TRIP According to the memo, carbon-intensive fossil fuels include coal, oil and natural gas. In addition, the memo notes that the guidance became effective in November 2021 and applies to all international energy engagements. Turk issued a separate memo in early April 2022, which first outlined how the DOE would implement the NSC guidance and stated that energy engagements that promote carbon-intensive fuels may only be exempt if they advance national security or are essential to support energy access in vulnerable areas. GOP REP CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY INTO BIDEN ENERGY SECRETARY GRANHOLM: ‘SHE LIED, UNDER OATH’ Turk’s September memo updated that guidance, stating that for all future engagements, “Departments and Agencies are required to submit exemption justifications to the NSC and receive NSC concurrence before proceeding with a covered engagement.” The DOE referred Fox News Digital to the NSC, which didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment. “The Biden Administration cannot continue to treat the fossil fuels industry as an enemy. Millions of people are employed in this industry which powers our entire nation, our military, our national security, and allows Joe Biden to jet off every weekend to his beach house,” Daniel Turner, the founder and executive director of Power the Future who reviewed the memo, told Fox News Digital in a statement. “This war on American fossil fuels is making us poorer, weaker and more reliant on China and OPEC for our energy,” he continued. “These petty, [hyperpartisan], childish games should end before it is too late.” BIDEN ENERGY SECRETARY REVEALS STOCK OWNERSHIP OF EV LOBBY GROUP FOUNDING COMPANY Since taking office, President Biden has pursued an aggressive climate agenda, seeking to boost green energy technologies like solar and wind while curbing domestic reliance on fossil fuels like those listed by the administration as “carbon intensive.” Biden has issued federal goals to ensure 50% of U.S. car purchases are zero-emissions by 2030 and that the power sector is carbon-free by 2035. However, vehicles with internal combustion engines (gasoline-powered), make up more than 99% of all cars in the U.S. and about 99% of new car sales, according to J.D. Power. And approximately 60% of electricity in the U.S. is generated from fossil fuels, mainly natural gas, while 17% is produced form wind or solar power. “From the day I came to office, we’ve led with a bold climate agenda,” Biden remarked during a United Nations conference last month. “We rejoined the Paris Agreement, convened major climate summits, helped deliver critical agreements on COP26. And we helped get two-thirds of the [world’s] GDP on track to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.” As part of his agenda, Biden and senior administration officials have traveled to global energy conference to boost green energy development. And officials have largely been absent from global fossil fuel summits like the World Gas Conference, which former Energy Secretary Rick Perry attended during the Trump administration. The Biden administration also opted against inviting oil and gas industry representatives to the White House Methane Summit in July. “Tackling a challenge of this scale requires not just will and words, but action,” the American Petroleum Institute (API) said in a statement on July 26. “We are disappointed that the industries driving the most reductions in methane emissions, including the natural gas and oil industry, were not included.” “API’s members are investing in advanced technology to detect and mitigate emissions, and thanks to industry action, average methane emissions intensity declined by nearly 66 percent across all seven major producing regions from 2011 to 2021. We continue to work with the administration to build on this progress.”
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The civil trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against former President Trump and the Trump Organization is set to begin in New York City. The non-jury trial, presided over by Judge Arthur Engoron, will begin Monday in Manhattan and comes after a New York State Appeals Court rejected the 2024 GOP primary frontrunner’s request to delay the civil trial. The former president is listed among dozens of possible witnesses.  NEW YORK AG SUES TRUMP OVER FRAUD ALLEGATIONS Engoron last week ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization committed fraud while building his real estate empire by deceiving banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing. Engoron’s ruling comes after James sued Trump, his children and the Trump Organization, alleging that Trump “inflated his net worth by billions of dollars” and said his children helped him to do so. COURT REJECTS TRUMP’S REQUEST TO DELAY CIVIL TRIAL OUT OF NEW YORK AG JAMES’ INVESTIGATION Engoron ordered that some of Trump’s business licenses be rescinded as punishment, making it difficult or impossible for them to do business in New York. The judge said he would continue to have an independent monitor oversee the Trump Organization’s operations. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has said the investigation was politically motivated and a “witch hunt.” The former president has argued that his assets are worth far more than what is listed on annual financial statements and argued the statements have disclaimers. NEW YORK APPEALS COURT NARROWS NYAG CASE, DISMISSES IVANKA TRUMP AS A DEFENDANT, CUTS STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS “I have been unfairly sued by the Trump Hating Democrat Attorney General of New York State, Letitia James, over the false fact that I inflated my Financial Statements in order to borrow money from Banks, etc. The Judge in the case, Arthur F. Engoron, refused to allow this case to go to the ‘Commercial Division,’ where it belongs, because he is a Trump Hater beyond even A.G James who campaigned against me spewing horrible inflammatory statements which are False & Defamatory,” Trump posted Tuesday on his Truth Social after Engoron’s ruling. “I am not even allowed a Jury!”  Trump went on to say the “facts of this case are simple.”  Trump said he is “worth much more than the numbers shown on my financial statements,” and said the judge “didn’t even include my most valuable asset, my brand.”  The civil trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against former President Trump and the Trump Organization is set to begin Monday in New York City. Trump also said the banks “were paid back in full, sometimes early, there were no defaults, the banks made money, were represented by the best law firms, & were very ‘happy.’”  “There were no victims!” Trump wrote. “On the front page of the financial statements there is a strong ‘disclaimer clause’ telling all not to rely on these financial statements.”  Trump said the disclaimer clause “tells anyone reviewing the data, including financial institutions, to do their own research and analysis —it is a non-reliance clause, and could not be more clear.” “Additionally to my being worth far more than is shown in the ‘fully disclaimed’ financial statements, again, not putting down a value for my biggest asset, brand, the company has hundreds of millions of dollars in cash, and very little debt,” Trump said. “It is a great company that has been slandered and maligned by this politically motivated Witch Hunt.”  Trump was deposed as part of the lawsuit in April for the second time. During that deposition, the former president answered questions. The first deposition took place in August 2022, but Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment rights. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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EXCLUSIVE: President Biden’s support in the heavily Hispanic border regions of Texas is crumbling as the migrant crisis continues to worsen and benefits illegal immigrants over American citizens, former Republican Rep. Mayra Flores told Fox News Digital during a recent interview. Flores, who is running to reclaim her former seat in Texas’ 34th Congressional District from Democrat Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, warned that as “thousands and thousands” of migrants continue to pour into America’s border towns, crime is rising and the sour economic conditions facing the country are taking a harder toll on U.S. citizens living in those areas because money that could be used in local communities are instead being spent on the masses coming into the country. “This is the poorest area in the nation and yet the funding is being used for the humanitarian crisis. And we’re not getting that money back for the people of South Texas,” Flores said. “If this issue is hurting New York tremendously, the biggest city in the country, and the mayor of New York says it’s going to destroy New York, well, what makes them think that small little towns here in South Texas can withstand thousands and thousands of migrants crossing illegally every single day?” Noting the eye-popping number of migrants coming into the country in a single day, Flores said crime is also rising because of the criminals taking advantage of being able to join the floods of people crossing the border. LAWMAKER DEMANDS ANSWERS AFTER BIDEN OFFICIAL IMPLICATED IN IRANIAN INFLUENCE SCHEME: ‘UNBELIEVABLE!’ “Two weeks ago, I was in Brownsville with a group of 50 women that had voted for Biden in 2020. Not a single one is voting for Biden in 2024 – not one out of the 50 women,” she said. “I asked [them], ‘Why are you not voting for President Biden in 2024?’ And they said, because of the economy – 80% said that the economy situation is what’s moving them to vote Republican in 2024.” “But a huge majority also said because of the humanitarian crisis. They feel that the people that are coming in are being prioritized and not people that have been here for a long time. They’re also Americans, but many of them have been here for 20, 30 years and feel that they’re being ignored and that their needs are not being addressed,” she said. “People that are crossing illegally into our country are getting all the help that they need while [Hispanic voters are] struggling to pay their rent, bring food to the table, get to work every single day. Gas is very expensive. So, they’re they’re looking at that. And that’s why they’re moving every single day towards the Republican Party,” she added. DEMOCRAT TURNED REPUBLICAN ‘SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING’ CHALLENGE TO EMBATTLED SENATOR INDICTED ON FEDERAL CHARGES Flores argued that it wasn’t just the border crisis and its impact on the economy that has voters in the region shifting toward supporting Republicans, “values” matter as well. Citing Democrat threats to “parents that don’t support gender ideology,” she said fears that kids could be taken out of homes with parents pushing back against such policies is another big reason for the split toward the GOP. She said many people to whom she spoke didn’t know much about the Republican presidential race and the candidates vying for the nomination, that most of them were viewing the 2024 race as between Biden and former President Donald Trump. “Every single one of them said that they were voting for [Trump]. Of course, they’re supporting me, but they are also supporting him, even though some say, ‘I’m not a huge fan. But when he was the president, we had a strong economy. And I remember being able to make ends meet every single month,'” she said. GOP, DEMS TEAM UP TO RIP ‘DELUSIONAL’ SINEMA OVER ‘PLAN’ TO SWIPE THEIR VOTERS IN INDEPENDENT REELECTION BID When asked about Hispanic voters’ attitudes toward Trump and whether their votes might be the deciding factor in a hypothetical matchup between Trump and Biden, Flores said she “absolutely” thinks Hispanic voters are going to give Trump the win. “I really do believe that just because just in my district alone, I have seen overwhelming support towards him. And it’s because they remember what it was like before Biden. They didn’t know what would happen when they elected Biden, and now they do,” she said. Flores, who was defeated by Gonzalez in the 2022 midterms, said she decided to run again because she is “not done fighting for the people of South Texas.” “I love my community, and things are getting a lot worse than last year. I really didn’t think that things were going to get worse, but things are getting worse, not just here at the border but also with the economy. And I just love my community very much. And I just can’t give up on our community. And that’s the reason why I will always continue to fight for this area,” she said. TEXAS LAW BANNING DRAG PERFORMANCES IN FRONT OF CHILDREN RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL BY FEDERAL JUDGE If elected, Flores said, one of her main focuses would be on combating child sex trafficking and putting a stop to the U.S. being a top market for it. “I want to change that. I don’t want us to be a part of that list,” she said. “I think it’s important that we work together to end child sex trafficking. And it’s something that I’m very passionate about.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Under this administration, they’ve lost track of 87,000 children. We don’t know where these children are. And I want to focus on finding where these children are and send them back to their families, to their loved ones, and stop the trauma that many of them are going through right now and the abuse that they’re going through,” she added.
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EXCLUSIVE: A Democrat-turned-Republican congressman has advice for Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, who also decided to switch parties and become a Republican last week: Follow your “heart” and your “brain.” Speaking with Fox News Digital as the four-year anniversary of his own party flip draws nearer, Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., said he appreciated that Johnson came to the “same conclusion” as he did that the Democratic Party of years past was simply “no more.” “I appreciate what he did, and, as the mayor of Dallas, he came to the same conclusion that I did. He just didn’t fit into the party anymore,” Van Drew said. “You know, I was just constantly arguing, voting against all the different things they wanted to do. And it climaxed with the Trump impeachment, which was baseless and false.” “What they’ve done to our Department of Justice, what they’ve done to our FBI, what the attorney general has done, what the FBI director has done, what our secretary of state did and still does, all of this is awful,” he added. “[Johnson] knows that this is wrong, and he came to the right conclusion. And I’d tell him to follow his heart and his brain and he will be fine.” DALLAS DEM PARTY BLASTS ‘SELF CENTERED’ MAYOR’S ‘VALUES’ FOR SWITCHING TO GOP: ‘INSULT TO THE ELECTORATE’ When asked if he had any regrets about switching parties in 2019, Van Drew gave the simplest of answers: “Not even in the slightest.” “The more I see and the more I hear, the happier I am that I have changed,” he said. “I’m a conservative. There used to be room for something called a Blue Dog Democrat, a conservative Democrat. Those times are no more. I want people to know who are watching this, there is no longer really a conservative branch of the Democratic Party.” “This is not your mother’s and father’s or grandmother’s or grandfather’s Democratic Party. This is an extremely left-wing socialist party that wants to completely change our republic and completely destroy the American experience. So, I am happy that I changed,” he added. Van Drew said his strong feelings does not mean that Republicans, or anyone for that matter, are perfect, but it is a necessity to have “love of the United States of America in your heart and soul.” GOP, DEMS TEAM UP TO RIP ‘DELUSIONAL’ SINEMA OVER ‘PLAN’ TO SWIPE THEIR VOTERS IN INDEPENDENT REELECTION BID “You have to believe in this great republic. And those are the kinds of elected officials and senators and congresspeople that we need,” he said. After news broke last week that Democrat New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez was facing a federal indictment on bribery and corruption charges, which he denies any wrongdoing, Van Drew, who represents New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District, confirmed he was “strongly considering” a run to unseat him. Van Drew told Fox that, beyond Menendez’s alleged crimes, New Jerseyans are “tired” of high taxes, Democrats interfering in the relationship between parents and children, policies that degrade law enforcement, the amplification of “woke” culture in the military, and the controversial subjects being taught to children in schools. “This is unbelievable stuff. And New Jerseyans by and large — yes, it’s a blue state, but they’re hard-working, good people that pay an awful lot in taxes and are trudging through life — they’re sick of it. So, it’s more than just about me. It really is about the United States of America. It really is about the state of New Jersey,” he said, noting that it has been more than 50 years since the state put a Republican in the Senate. KARI LAKE BOOSTS NATIONAL PROFILE AS TOP TRUMP SURROGATE, GOP CAMPAIGNER AHEAD OF LIKELY SENATE RUN “So, I’m going to think about it, you know, very seriously. I’m going to work my way through — it requires speaking to my closest friends. It requires speaking to my family and my advisers and other folks. I want to do this carefully and I want to make sure right now, though, I am focused on my job as South Jersey’s congressman,” he said. However, Van Drew dismissed any timeline for when he might make a decision on a potential run. “I’m going to think about it long and hard, make sure I’m doing the right thing for the country, the right thing for New Jersey and the right thing for my congressional district. I love my congressional district, so it is all very, very important to me. And I’m going to make sure that I do the right thing,” he said.
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The progressive’s sin, above all, is that he wishes humans to be something other than what they are.

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On a podcast with Maestro Adam Fischer.

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