Nebraska high court restores voting right for thousands of convicted felons
The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the state attorney general does not have the authority to strip residents with felony criminal records of their right to vote, a major decision that could allow thousands of new voters to participate in the November elections – and have a possibly decisive sway in its outcome. The court’s unanimous decision restores the right to vote for Nebraska residents with felony criminal records upon completion of their sentence, doing away with a two-year waiting period that had been in place for the last two decades. The decision comes months after the Nebraska high court heard arguments in the case, which sought to restore voting rights for residents with felony criminal records in the state. Lawmakers had included the new voting rights provision in a state law, LB 20, earlier this year. However, that right was invalidated by Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen and Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, who ruled in July that the law violated the Nebraska constitution and its separation of powers, under which they said only the state Board of Pardons has the authority to restore such rights. The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska immediately sued to overturn the decision, noting that if upheld, it could have restricted up to 7,000 residents in the state from voting in the November election. FLURRY OF PRE-ELECTION LEGAL CASES IS NOW ‘STANDARDIZED’ STRATEGY, EXPERTS SAY The court declined to weigh in on the merits of the case on Wednesday. Rather, the judges simply stated that Hilgers and Evnen had failed to meet the burden of proof required for defining the law as “unconstitutional,” and ordered Evnen to “remove any disqualification on registration he has imposed that is not contained within L.B. 20.” Evnen agreed to comply, saying in a statement that his office is “following the requirements of the decision.” “With our counties across the state, we are working to ensure that those who were made eligible to register to vote under LB 20 may now do so,” he added. The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska praised the court’s decision Wednesday and urged all voters to check their registration status to ensure eligibility. The court’s ruling comes at a crucial time for Nebraska, whose voter registration deadline ends in just one week. CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION It could also have a major impact on the results of the election, including the neck-and-neck presidential race and tight down-ballot races in Congress. Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional district is something of an anomaly. That is partly due to its unique system of assigning Electoral College votes. Though Nebraska is a Republican-led state, it is one of just two U.S. states whose electoral votes are assigned at the district level, with the remaining two votes assigned to the candidate who wins the majority. Besides Nebraska and Maine, other states rely on the “winner take all” system to assign their electoral votes. Additionally, its voter base is a solid-purple demographic that has voted for both former President Donald Trump and President Biden, respectively, in the last two presidential elections. Before then, Sen. Mitt Romney won the district during his 2012 bid for president, and former President Barack Obama captured the vote in 2008. Down-ballot races are also expected to be tight. Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer, a Republican, is facing a tough reelection bid this year, while Republican Rep. Don Bacon is fighting off state Sen. Tony Vargas, a Democrat, to keep his House seat. Now, with both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris locked in a dead heat, it is possible that the district could have more sway than ever in deciding the next president. In such a tight election, Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District “could decide who the eventual winner will be,” Jimmy Keady, president of JLK Political Strategies, a national Republican consulting firm, told Fox News Digital last month.
Biden admin issues warning to Netanyahu as Israel holds emergency meeting on Gaza aid
President Biden’s administration warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. will be “watching” as Israel conducts an emergency meeting on Gaza aid Thursday. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield issued a stark warning to Netanyahu’s regime during a U.N. Security Council briefing on Wednesday. The U.S. highlighted images from an Israeli airstrike that killed displaced Palestinians. “Colleagues, this weekend, like so many of you – like so many people around the world – I watched in horror as images from Central Gaza poured across my screen. Images of what appeared to be displaced civilians burning alive following an Israeli air strike,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “Israel has a responsibility to do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties, even if Hamas was operating near the hospital in an attempt to use civilians as human shields. We have made this clear to Israel,” she continued. HAMAS NAMES YAHYA SINWAR, MASTERMIND OF OCT. 7 ATTACKS, AS ITS NEW LEADER “A quote-unquote ‘policy of starvation’ in northern Gaza would be horrific and unacceptable and would have implications under international law and U.S. law,” she said of Israel’s ongoing deliberations. ISRAEL’S HUNT FOR HAMAS TERROR LEADER YAHYA SINWAR: ‘DEAD MAN WALKING’ “The Government of Israel has said that this is not their policy, that food and other essential supplies will not be cut off, and we will be watching to see that Israel’s actions on the ground match this statement,” she continued. The statement from the U.S. comes after the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a measure of food scarcity used by the U.N., said that nine in 10 Gazans will face “acute food scarcity” in the coming months. The group further stated that roughly 41% of Gazans will face “catastrophic” levels of hunger. Netanyahu’s administration held an emergency meeting on the issue this week. Israeli officials have been tight-lipped about what was discussed in the meeting, however. The meeting comes amid a potential major victory for Israel, however, with officials investigating whether Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in the Gaza Strip on Thursday. Graphic images circulating on social media appear to show Israeli soldiers standing over Sinwar’s corpse. Israel has not officially confirmed his death, however. Referred to by Israel as the Butcher of Khan Younis for his violent and cruel torture methods against his enemies, both Israeli and Palestinian, Sinwar, 60, is widely seen as being behind the massacre of Israeli civilians carried out by thousands of Hamas militants on Oct. 7. Fox News’ Greg Norman and Ruth Marks-Eglash contributed to this report
Who is Yahya Sinwar? The Israeli prisoner turned militant Hamas leader who is suspected dead
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) may have just taken out their target No. 1: Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. Sinwar rose to the top position after the killing of previous leader Ismail Haniyeh in the explosion of a guesthouse in Tehran on July 30. Referred to by Israel as “The Butcher of Khan Younis” for his violent and cruel torture methods against his enemies, both Israeli and Palestinian, Sinwar, 61, is widely seen as being behind the massacre of Israeli civilians carried out by thousands of Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7. The IDF has long targeted Sinwar, referring to him as a “dead man walking.” “We will get to him, however long it takes… and this war could be long,” said IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht last year. Sinwar was believed to be hiding in tunnels under Gaza. Sinwar was born into the Khan Yunis refugee camp in Gaza in 1962 after his family had been displaced from Ashkelon during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War – an upbringing that heavily influenced his ideological commitment to resisting Israeli occupation. Sinwar co-founded Majd, Hamas’s security apparatus, in the late 1980s, which focused on finding and killing Palestinians who were suspected of collaborating with Israel. He was arrested and jailed in Israel in 1988 and charged with killing two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians he suspected of collaborating with them. KIRBY SLAMS HAMAS CHIEF SINWAR AS ‘THE MAJOR OBSTACLE’ TO CEASE-FIRE, HOSTAGE RELEASE DEAL WITH ISRAEL Sinwar was sentenced to four life terms but was released in 2011 in a prisoner exchange deal for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. While imprisoned, Sinwar spent two decades learning Hebrew and devouring texts to understand Israeli society. He translated tens of thousands of pages of autobiographies written by the former heads of Israel’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet, from Hebrew to Arabic. Sinwar once told an Italian journalist, “Prison builds you,” allowing you the time to think about what you believe in “and the price you are willing to pay” for it. He reportedly tried to escape prison several times, once digging a hole in the prison floor in the hopes of tunneling under the facility and escaping through the visitor center. “They wanted prison to be a grave for us, a mill to grind our will, determination and bodies,” Sinwar once told supporters. “But, thank God, with our belief in our cause, we turned the prison into sanctuaries of worship and academies for study.” Sinwar wrote a novel while in prison, “The Thorn and the Carnation,” a coming-of-age story that mirrored his own life. It followed a young Gazan boy who emerged from hiding after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war to a life of Israeli occupation that made “chests of youth to boil like a cauldron.” The boy’s family and friends attacked the occupiers and those who collaborated with them. After he was freed by the Israelis in 2011, he married and had children. In 2017, Sinwar was chosen as the political leader of Hamas in Gaza, shifting the region to a more militant stance and strengthening alliances with Iran and Hezbollah. He was believed to use Israeli hostages as human shields to evade IDF attacks. The IDF said in a statement there were “no signs of the presence of hostages” in the area surrounding him. IDF INVESTIGATING WHETHER HAMAS CHIEF YAHYA SINWAR WAS KILLED IN GAZA OPERATIONS But as Israeli Policy Forum head David Halperin noted, Hamas could retaliate by harming the hostages. “The risk to hostages in these moments is enormous. An urgent initiative for their return is essential,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. The Hostages Family Forum said in a statement it “commends the security forces for eliminating Sinwar, who masterminded the greatest massacre our country has ever faced, responsible for the murder of thousands and the abduction of hundreds.” “However, we express deep concern for the fate of the 101 men, women, elderly and children still held captive by Hamas in Gaza. We call on the Israeli government, world leaders, and mediating countries to leverage the military achievement into a diplomatic one by pursuing an immediate agreement for the release of all 101 hostages: the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for proper burial.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The death of Sinwar could represent a turn in the tides of war – and could prompt Hamas to agree to some of Israel’s demands, or could satisfy Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s desire to “eliminate” Hamas enough that he softens his own negotiating stance.
‘Despicable human being’: McConnell’s 2020 thoughts on ‘sleazeball’ Trump revealed in new book
Just weeks before a presidential election in which Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., endorsed former President Donald Trump, excerpts from a new book about the longtime Republican leader reveal a fiery McConnell’s thoughts on the now-GOP presidential nominee, including that he was “not very smart, irascible, [and] nasty.” Despite the quotes from him over the last several years outlined in the biography, McConnell told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Whatever I may have said about President Trump pales in comparison to what JD Vance, Lindsey Graham, and others have said about him, but we are all on the same team now.” In “The Price of Power,” the leader is quoted saying, “I can’t think of anybody I’d rather be criticized by than this sleazeball,” in 2022, as Trump continued to attack his wife, former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, calling her “Coco Chow.” McConnell provided a series of oral histories for the forthcoming book by Michael Tackett, deputy Washington bureau chief of the Associated Press. HARRIS BARNSTORMS WISCONSIN IN 1-DAY SWING STATE TOUR TARGETING YOUNG VOTERS In the minority leader’s quotes revealed in the book, he doesn’t hold back, reportedly slamming Trump as “stupid,” “erratic,” a “despicable human being,” and a “narcissist.” Despite their publicly strained relationship during and after Trump’s time in office, McConnell announced in March his endorsement of the former president, noting that he “earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee.” STRIKING BOEING WORKERS BOO AFTER DEMOCRATIC SEN. MARIA CANTWELL CRITICIZES TRUMP Further, when Trump met with Senate Republicans in Washington, D.C., over the summer, he and McConnell shook hands. In the weeks after the 2020 presidential election and before the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, McConnell said, “It’s not just the Democrats who are counting the days” until Trump is no longer president. LAKEN RILEY ACT SPONSOR BLASTS BILL CLINTON’S CLAIM ABOUT GEORGIA STUDENT’S DEATH He further praised the “good judgment of the American people” for voting Trump out in 2020. “They’ve had just enough of the misrepresentations, the outright lies almost on a daily basis, and they fired him,” he said, according to the excerpt. SENATE DEMS TARGET BLACK VOTERS WITH NEW AD AS HARRIS’ SUPPORT FALLS SHORT McConnell additionally blamed Trump for the House Republicans losing the majority in the lower chamber in the 2018 midterm elections. He “has every characteristic you would not want a president to have,” he said. In 2022, the Kentucky Republican reflected on Trump’s 2020 election fraud claims, which continued to repeat. McConnell lamented, “Unfortunately, about half the Republicans in the country believe whatever he says.” The Trump campaign did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. The Senate minority leader announced in February that he would not seek the position again in the next Congress. Reigning since 2007 as Republican leader, McConnell is the longest-serving party leader in the chamber’s history. After the presidential election next month, the Republican senators and likely GOP senator-elects will vote in a secret ballot to decide on the next leader. The announced candidates are Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
VP Harris’ ‘Agenda for Black men’ not as exclusive as advertised
With the 2024 presidential campaign soon coming to a close, Vice President Kamala Harris has sought to rally Black male voters with proposals to boost their financial and career prospects. The “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men” released on Monday promises that a future Harris administration would provide “1 million loans that are fully forgivable to Black entrepreneurs and others to start a business.” Harris also proposes new “education, training and mentorship programs that help Black men get good-paying jobs,” in addition to legalizing marijuana and offering assistance to Black men for elderly care. But if that all sounds exclusive to non-Black Americans, the Harris campaign assures it is not. In statements to The Wall Street Journal, the campaign said Wednesday that Harris’ proposals will be open to all Americans, regardless of their race or ethnicity. HARRIS UNVEILS AGENDA TO HELP BLACK MEN ‘GET AHEAD’ AS POLLS SHOW TRUMP GAINS The vice president is “clear-eyed about how Black men have long been denied the tools that would allow them to grow their wealth, get a good-paying job and support their loved ones—she is championing solutions that will benefit all Americans and address these specific barriers to economic opportunity,” a campaign aide told the WSJ. The Harris campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. OBAMA, STUMPING FOR HARRIS, REPEATEDLY TAKES AIM AT TRUMP The report notes that the U.S. Supreme Court has recently shown hostility towards government programs tailored to a specific race. The court in 2023 struck down college and university affirmative action policies, which made institutions of higher learning consider race in admissions in an effort to mandate diversity on campus. “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion. PRO-TRUMP BLACK GROUP FIRES BACK AT OBAMA Activist Edward Blum, founder and president of Students for Fair Admissions, has led the charge to force companies and government entities to abandon programs and policies that take race into consideration, arguing any such endeavor is discriminatory. The WSJ reported that in September, Blum settled a lawsuit with the Atlanta-based Fearless Fund, a group that promotes minority female entrepreneurs, in which the group agreed to end a grant program that awarded $20,000 to small businesses owned and operated by women of color. Blum told the Journal that he would seek to challenge the Harris administration if she delivered on programs that exclusively benefited Black men or any other racial group. “Racially exclusive programs like the one she has proposed have been repeatedly struck down by the courts in the past,” he said. The Harris campaign’s proposal comes as Democrats are increasingly concerned about wavering support among Black men, and in particular younger Black men, for Harris, who would make history if she is elected as the nation’s first female president. Harris and Trump are locked in a neck and neck race in the seven key battleground states whose razor-thin margins decided President Biden’s 2020 election victory over Trump and will likely determine the winner of the 2024 White House race. Any erosion of support among Black voters, and in particular Black males, could prove costly to the vice president. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
DNA Auto Award 2024 Has Spoken: Jawa 42 FJ, bringing Neo-classic revolution in Motor Industry
Debunking the myths about retro motorcycles, Classic Legends made waves at the DNA Auto Awards 2024, held at The Leela Palace, New Delhi, by winning the Viewer’s Choice Bike of the Year for its striking Jawa 42 FJ.
‘My family is broken but..’: Zeeshan Siddiqui’s first reaction to father Baba Siddiqui’s death
Zeeshan Siddique on Wednesday met senior police officers regarding his father’s death and is believed to have shared some information with them.
Biden admin slapped with major lawsuit over alleged refusal to help state purge noncitizens from voter rolls
FIRST ON FOX: The state of Florida is suing the Biden administration over what it claims is a refusal to verify immigration records so that the Sunshine State can ensure the integrity of its voter rolls and prevent noncitizens from voting. In a lawsuit, obtained first by Fox News Digital, the state argues that DHS is mandated to respond to an inquiry from state or local governments seeking to verify the immigration status of anyone in their jurisdiction for a purpose authorized by law. “Because the federal government is refusing to comply with these obligations and frustrating Florida’s ability to maintain the integrity of its elections, Florida files this suit,” the lawsuit says. GOP GOVERNOR SLAMS ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ DOJ LAWSUIT OVER REMOVAL OF NONCITIZENS FROM VOTER ROLLS Florida says it “has an obligation to maintain accurate and current voter registration records” and also notes the impact of the crisis at the southern border, which brought millions of noncitizens into the U.S. It argues that it cannot track and maintain immigration information on its own. States can verify status through a DHS program called the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program. According to the lawsuit, DHS and Florida have an agreement to allow the state to use SAVE to verify immigration and citizenship status for people on the the voter registration rolls. The lawsuit claims that Florida’s Department of State identified a number of individuals for whom it had evidence that they were not citizens, but couldn’t run a search via SAVE as it doesn’t have unique identifiers. The state says it reached out to DHS’ U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requesting the verification of those people, but was denied. “Thus, Florida has identified a subset of individuals for whom it cannot verify citizenship or immigration status through SAVE and for whom DHS refuses to verify citizenship or immigration status through other means,” the state says. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. THOUSANDS OF NONCITIZENS REMOVED FROM VOTER ROLLS, DOZENS OF LAWMAKERS WANT ANSWERS FROM GARLAND The state is seeking an order saying the refusal to provide Florida with a response is unlawful, a declaration that they are entitled to a response and an order requiring DHS to respond to the inquiry. “Voting is a right granted to American citizens—not illegal immigrants or other noncitizens. The Biden-Harris administration has allowed millions of illegal immigrants into the country, and we must ensure that only citizens are on our voter rolls,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “I am taking legal action against the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Mayorkas to ensure Florida is able to maintain the integrity of our state’s voter rolls.” “The Florida Constitution is clear that only citizens can vote in our elections. Florida is calling on the federal government to dismantle the barriers blocking the states from obtaining critical information needed to prevent non-citizens from voting in our elections,” said Florida Secretary of State, Cord Byrd. “We are going to prevail in our effort to uphold the law and uphold the Constitution’s guarantee of one citizen, one vote.” A similar lawsuit was filed by the state of Ohio, requesting access to multiple DHS databases. DOJ: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT STOLE US CITIZEN’S IDENTITY TO VOTE IN MULTIPLE ELECTIONS, OBTAIN AMERICAN PASSPORT It marks the latest in a continued back and forth between GOP-led states and the Biden administration over concerns about noncitizen voting. A number of states have made efforts to remove noncitizen voters from the rolls, but some have fallen foul of the administration. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Department of Justice has sued both Alabama and Virginia over those states’ efforts to remove noncitizens, arguing that they have violated the Quiet Period Provision, which says that states must complete maintenance no later than 90 days before the election. In a statement responding to the lawsuit against his state, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin called the lawsuit “politically motivated.”
Harris barnstorms Wisconsin in 1-day swing state tour targeting young voters
Vice President Kamala Harris is barnstorming Wisconsin on Thursday with three separate engagements scheduled across the crucial state. The Democratic nominee for president has events scheduled in Milwaukee, La Crosse and Green Bay throughout the day as she tries to make her pitch to voters just weeks from the election. FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: HARRIS LOSES HER LEAD AND A NEW ELECTORATE EMERGES She will begin her day in Milwaukee, which is the state’s biggest Democratic stronghold. According to the Harris-Walz campaign, the vice president will drop in on a business class at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She will also speak with students on campus and emphasize her “opportunity economy” plan. Afterward, Harris will go to La Crosse and hold a rally at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. STRIKING BOEING WORKERS BOO AFTER DEMOCRATIC SEN. MARIA CANTWELL CRITICIZES TRUMP For her last event of the day in Wisconsin, she will have a rally in Green Bay outside of Lambeau Field. Harris’ campaign emphasized that counties surrounding Green Bay have trended toward Democrats in recent elections, which they attribute to former President Donald Trump’s policies and rhetoric. For this reason, they believe the area presents a prime opportunity for the candidate. LAKEN RILEY ACT SPONSOR BLASTS BILL CLINTON’S CLAIM ABOUT GEORGIA STUDENT’S DEATH The campaign noted that Harris’ Wisconsin barnstorm comes as they officially knocked on more than 1 million doors in the swing state. Her team said it has over 250 coordinated staff working in more than 50 field offices in 43 counties in Wisconsin, in addition to a team of campus organizers focused on turning out young voters. Wisconsin has notably flipped in the last two presidential elections and is rated one of several “toss-ups” in Fox News Power Rankings’ latest update. Other such states are Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia. SENATE DEMS TARGET BLACK VOTERS WITH NEW AD AS HARRIS’ SUPPORT FALLS SHORT Harris and Trump were tied in Wisconsin at 48% each in a recent poll by the Wall Street Journal. The poll was of 600 registered voters in Wisconsin and was conducted over Sept. 28-Oct. 8. It had a margin of error of +/-4 percentage points. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Comer report reveals Biden-Harris admin’s ‘rampant waste, fraud, abuse’
EXCLUSIVE: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer revealed his committee’s oversight work of the Biden-Harris administration, telling Fox News Digital that Americans “cannot afford” another term of “incompetence.” Vice President Kamala Harris has “been an active participant in the worst administration in U.S. history that has inflicted untold harm on the American people,” Comer told Fox News Digital. Comer compiled a 72-page report with the committee’s “118th Congress accomplishments,” highlighting the committee’s work — including its investigation into the Biden family’s domestic and international business dealings, oversight of the Biden-Harris administration’s border crisis, as well as probing the fraud and abuse related to COVID unemployment relief benefits and the infiltration of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the U.S. “Republicans on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee are committed to achieving what Democrats have neglected: rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse within the federal government and holding the Biden-Harris Administration accountable,” he said. “We have succeeded.” BIDEN COMMITTED ‘IMPEACHABLE CONDUCT,’ ‘DEFRAUDED UNITED STATES TO ENRICH HIS FAMILY’: HOUSE GOP REPORT “Our thorough oversight and investigations have revealed rampant waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement in the Biden-Harris Administration, and we’ve provided the transparency and accountability the American people demand,” Comer said. The report included the committee’s latest Secret Service oversight following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at his Butler, Pennsylvania, rally in July. Then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned the day after she publicly testified before the committee. “Americans cannot afford another four years of the same failed policies and incompetence,” Comer told Fox News Digital. “Vice President Kamala Harris has been an active participant in the worst administration in U.S. history that has inflicted untold harm on the American people,” Comer continued. “We must return to pro-growth, America-first policies to restore prosperity, liberty, and security for the American people.” During the 118th Congress, the House Oversight Committee held 135 hearings, sent more than 600 investigative letters, issued 51 subpoenas, heard testimony from 112 government witnesses and saw 23 bills passed in the House — with three signed into law. The committee investigated the Biden family’s business dealings, finding that from 2014 to the present, Biden family members and their associates received more than $27 million from foreign individuals or entities. The committee claimed that the family set up shell companies to conceal the payments from scrutiny. The White House previously ripped the investigation as an “evidence-free, politically-motivated” probe. Comer also co-led the impeachment inquiry into President Biden. Comer’s Oversight Committee led the inquiry after its monthslong investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings, alongside the House Judiciary Committee and House Ways & Means Committee. The committees concluded that Biden engaged in “impeachable conduct, “abused his office” and “defrauded the United States to enrich his family.” TAXPAYERS LOST MORE THAN $100B TO COVID UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE FRAUD, COMMITTEE FINDS “We also exposed Joe Biden’s corruption at the highest levels of government as he actively participated in his family’s influence peddling racket that made the Bidens millions from Chinese, Russian and other foreign entities,” Comer told Fox News Digital. From those investigations, Comer, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith sent criminal referrals to the Justice Department recommending Hunter Biden and James Biden be charged with making false statements to Congress about key aspects of the impeachment inquiry. The White House discounted the committee’s investigations, calling the impeachment inquiry a “failed stunt” that “will only be remembered for how it became an embarrassment that their own members distanced themselves from as they only managed to turn up evidence that refuted their false and baseless conspiracy theories.” Following the investigation, Comer introduced the bipartisan Presidential Ethics Reform Act — a bill requiring presidents and vice presidents to disclose conflicts of interest while in office and disclose foreign payments, expensive gifts, loan transactions and tax returns during the two-year period prior to taking office, time in office, and for two years after leaving office. That bill also required presidents and vice presidents to make disclosures for immediate family members who receive foreign payments and other gifts, or who use official travel for personal business. HOUSE OVERSIGHT INVESTIGATING WALZ OVER ‘LONGSTANDING CONNECTIONS’ TO CHINA Regarding its oversight of the Biden-Harris administration’s border crisis, Comer said the committee found there have been more than 8 million illegal immigrants encountered entering the country and over 1.9 million gotaways — illegal immigrants who avoided agents but were detected by other forms of surveillance — since they took office. As for China, Comer sent letters to 25 federal agencies to investigate whether officials were aware of CCP outreach to the American public. The committee held briefings with 23 federal agencies revealing “there is no cohesive, government-wide strategy to identify, deter, and defeat CCP political warfare.” The committee also found that American taxpayers lost more than $100 billion to fraud and improper payments as a result of temporary unemployment insurance programs created in response to COVID-19. The committee also investigated Biden-Harris administration officials implementing a “radical environmental agenda” that Comer said is “jeopardizing jobs, energy security, and national security.” SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR CHEATLE RESIGNS AFTER MOUNTING PRESSURE IN WAKE OF TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT Meanwhile, after the July 13 assassination attempt against Trump, Comer launched an oversight investigation into the U.S. Secret Service, acting “quickly” to investigate the “historic failure and prevent a similar incident from happening again in the future.” Comer held an immediate hearing with Cheatle, who testified publicly about the egregious security lapses that led to the assassination attempt of Trump and the murder of an innocent attendee, Corey Comperatore. Cheatle resigned the following day. Most recently, Comer launched an investigation into Harris’ running-mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, for alleged connections to the CCP. Comer said the committee’s “effective, targeted oversight has led to transparency, accountability, and solutions for the American people.”