Trump promises ‘hell to pay’ in Middle East if hostages are not released before he takes office
President-elect Trump promised there would be “all hell to pay” if the hostages being held captive by Hamas are not released prior to when he takes office on Jan. 20. In a Truth Social post, Trump said nothing was being done to free those being held by the Iran-backed terror group since Oct. 7, 2023, after Hamas attacked Israel and killed at least 1,200 people and kidnapped at least 250 others. At least seven of the hostages are Americans. ISRAEL DESTROYS HEZBOLLAH’S ‘LARGEST PRECISION-GUIDED MISSILES MANUFACTURING SITE’ “Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East – But it’s all talk, and no action!” Trump wrote. “Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity,” Trump added. On Saturday, Hamas released a video of an Israeli-American hostage pleading for his release. The footage shows Edan Alexander, 20, covering his face and crying. He was abducted by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. ‘WAR FOLLOWED US’: A SYRIAN FAMILY FLED BEIRUT AFTER ISRAELI BOMBARDMENT TO FACE REPRESSION, BOMBING AT HOME Alexander explained that he had been a prisoner for over 420 days and delivered forced messages to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump. Netanyahu spoke with Alexander’s family and is determined “to take every action to bring them back home,” his office said Monday. Trump said those responsible for taking the hostages “will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America.” More than a year after the attacks, a permanent cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas remains elusive. Israeli forces continue to conduct military operations in Gaza. A cease-fire deal between Israel and Lebanon was reached in November following a year of attacks targeting Israel’s north by Hezbollah. On Monday, Israel said Hezbollah broke the cease-fire by launching two projectiles. No one was harmed. “We are determined to continue to enforce the cease-fire, and to respond to any violation by Hezbollah – minor or serious,” Netanyahu said.
Special counsel, IRS whistleblowers say don’t buy Biden ‘spin’ about Hunter Biden legal saga
President Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, late Sunday evening, sparing him from being sentenced in a pair of separate court cases in which he was found guilty of illegally purchasing a gun and failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes — convictions the president claimed were politically motivated and a “miscarriage of justice.” A review of Hunter Biden’s yearslong legal saga, however, shows another story, and those involved in the prosecutions are making sure that side of the story is told in the aftermath of the president’s decision. “There was none and never has been any evidence of vindictive or selective prosecution in this case,” special prosecutor David Weiss said in a court filing following the pardoning. Two IRS whistleblowers who sounded the alarm on Hunter Biden’s tax issues also slammed the decision to pardon Hunter Biden, saying, “No amount of lies or spin can hide the simple truth that the Justice Department nearly let the President’s son off the hook for multiple felonies.” “President Biden has the power to put his thumb on the scales of justice for his son, but at least he had to do it with a pardon explicitly for all the world to see rather than his political appointees doing it secretly behind the scenes. Either way it is a sad day for law abiding taxpayers to witness this special privilege for the powerful,” IRS whistleblowers Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley and Special Agent Joe Ziegler said in a statement Sunday evening. 2 TIMES BIDEN SAID HE WOULD NOT PARDON SON HUNTER BIDEN “No amount of lies or spin can hide the simple truth that the Justice Department nearly let the President’s son off the hook for multiple felonies. We did our duty, told the truth, and followed the law. Anyone reading the President’s excuses now should remember that Hunter Biden admitted to his tax crimes in federal court, that Hunter Biden’s attorneys have targeted us for our lawful whistleblower disclosures, and that we are suing one of those attorneys for smearing us with false accusations,” they continued, referring to their $20 million defamation lawsuit against Hunter Biden’s high-profile attorney Abbe Lowell in September for claiming the IRS investigators illegally leaked Hunter Biden’s private tax information. The guilty plea, guilty verdict and the president’s pardoning caps off a yearslong legal saga for the first son and his family, with the cases stretching back to 2018 and notably featured the IRS whistleblowers who sounded the alarm on Hunter Biden’s tax issues. Hunter Biden was found guilty in the gun case in June, with a jury of his peers determining he made a false statement in the purchase of a gun, made a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. He has a well-documented history of drug abuse, which was most notably documented in his 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things,” which walked readers through his previous need to smoke crack cocaine every 20 minutes, how his addiction was so prolific that he referred to himself as a “crack daddy” to drug dealers, and anecdotes revolving around drug deals, such as a Washington, D.C., crack dealer Biden nicknamed “Bicycles.” In the tax case, Hunter faced another trial regarding three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. As jury selection was about to kick off in Los Angeles federal court in September, Hunter entered a surprise guilty plea. TRUMP PREVIOUSLY PREDICTED BIDEN WOULD PARDON SON HUNTER BIDEN PARDONS SON HUNTER BIDEN AHEAD OF EXIT FROM OVAL OFFICE The tax case investigation originally kicked off in 2018, when the U.S. attorney in Delaware opened a probe into Hunter Biden’s finances. The first son initially notified the public that he was under investigation one month after his dad won the presidential election over President-elect Donald Trump in 2020. ”I learned yesterday for the first time that the U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware advised my legal counsel, also yesterday, that they are investigating my tax affairs,” Hunter Biden said in a statement released in December of 2020. “I take this matter very seriously, but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisers.” After President Biden took control of the Oval Office, his administration retained David Weiss, a Trump-appointed Republican charged with overseeing the investigation into Hunter Biden in his capacity as U.S. attorney for Delaware. The Biden administration had gutted all Senate-confirmed U.S. attorneys under the Trump administration, except for two individuals: Weiss, and Special Counsel John Durham, who investigated the origins of the Russia probe surrounding the 2016 election. KJP SAYS PRESIDENT BIDEN STILL HAS NO PLANS TO PARDON HUNTER BIDEN FOR TAX FRAUD, GUN CHARGES Last year, Hunter Biden was in the midst of hashing out a plea agreement to two misdemeanor tax counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax, as well as a pretrial diversion agreement regarding a separate felony charge of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. The plea agreement unraveled in Delaware court, however, and heightened his legal woes. Weeks later, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Weiss as special counsel, broadening the scope of the investigation into Hunter Biden. With the plea deal officially at an impasse, Weiss subsequently charged Hunter Biden in September of last year for the gun charges, and brought forth the nine tax-related charges against Hunter Biden in December of 2023 in California court. “The appointment of Mr. Weiss reinforces for the American people the department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters,” Garland said in the announcement of Weiss as special prosecutor. “I am confident that Mr. Weiss will carry out his responsibility in an evenhanded and urgent manner and in accordance with
Democrats in Disarray: More candidates jump into wide-open race for DNC chair
The field of contenders bidding to steer the Democratic National Committee in the wake of the party’s very disappointing results in last month’s elections keeps growing. Three more candidates over the weekend announced their intentions to run in a wide-open DNC chair race that appears to have a frontrunner. Ben Wikler, who’s chaired the state Democratic Party in battleground Wisconsin for five years, launched his campaign Sunday in a video. “Today, the country we love needs the Democratic Party to be stronger. To unite. To fight. And to win,” Wikler emphasized. WHO ELSE IS MULLING A BID TO STEER THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY Also Sunday, former Senate candidate from Maryland Robert Houton announced his bid, saying in a letter to DNC members that he aimed to “lead and grow our Democratic party to champion electoral and transformative, legacy victories in 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, and beyond.” A day earlier, New York state Sen. James Skoufis took to social media to announce his long-shot, outsider bid for DNC chair, in the race to succeed Jaime Harrison, who is not seeking a second four-year term early next year in the wake of major setbacks for the Democrats up and down the 2024 ballot. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING AND OPINION ON THE DEMOCRATS “Voters have spoken, and we need to listen, not lecture. We need to be strong fighters again,” he said. “I may be an outsider, but I know how to win.” And Skoufis vowed to “throw out the DNC’s stale, Beltway-centered playbook so that we rebuild, stop ceding ground to Republicans and start winning again – everywhere.” Martin O’Malley, the former two-term Maryland governor and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate who served as commissioner of the Social Security Administration the past year, and Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party chair Ken Martin, a DNC vice chair who also leads the association of state Democratic Party chairs, jumped into the race last week. “When I took over @MinnesotaDFL, we were in debt and disarray. But we brought people together, built a winning coalition, and delivered results. I’m ready to get to work to rebuild our party,” Martin said in a social media post announcing his run. In an accompanying video, Martin emphasized, “If you’re looking for a creature of D.C., that’s not me. But I do know how the DNC works and how it isn’t working.” O’Malley, in launching his bid, highlighted that “we must connect our Party with the most important place in America – the kitchen table of every family’s home. Jobs, Opportunity, and Economic Security for all. Getting things done. Hope. A 50 state strategy. Now.” The field of five DNC chair candidates is expected to grow, as the Democrats try to rebound after losing the White House and Senate in the 2024 elections and failing to recapture the House of Representatives. As Fox News and other news organizations reported last month, Rahm Emanuel, the ambassador to Japan, has been quietly reaching out to DNC committee members as he contemplates a bid. Emanuel is a former two-term Chicago mayor who earlier served as White House chief of staff in President Obama’s administration and as a member of Congress, Also eyeing the chair are former New York State assembly member Michael Blake, Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, and Chuck Rocha, a Democratic strategist who describes himself as “non-college-educated Mexican redneck.” The next chair will be chosen by the roughly 450 voting members of the national party committee when they meet at the beginning of February at National Harbor in Maryland for the DNC’s winter meeting. Martin appears to be the early frontrunner. A DNC insider who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely said Martin has over 150 endorsements from voting members. But Wikler, who is also well-known by the DNC membership, is also considered a frontrunner. “The DNC insiders/establishment have significant influence over this membership, so the race will be very close,” the party insider argued. “I’m open to talking to whomever is interested in this, to listen to their vision and plan, and listen to people’s different takes on what we need to do,” said a DNC voting member granted anonymity to speak more freely. The member said, “I think the race is wide open.” “We have to go back to 50-state strategy,” the member said. “We definitely have to figure out how to speak to a broader swath of working-class voters, and when I say working-class voters, I don’t just mean White working-class, I mean Latino, African American, voters of colors… we have to figure out how to talk to all of those.” And the member added that in order to compete with the Republicans, the DNC also has “to drastically expand and not just go a mile wide but a mile deep on the different platforms of communication.”
‘Of course I support the pardon of my son,’ Jill Biden tells reporter
First lady Jill Biden backed President Biden’s decision to pardon Hunter Biden from criminal charges during a holiday press conference with National Guard members and their families at the White House on Monday. “Of course I support the pardon of my son,” Jill responded to a reporter’s shouted question following her remarks. BIDEN PARDONS SON HUNTER BIDEN AHEAD OF EXIT FROM OVAL OFFICE Hunter is the stepson of Jill Biden. The White House unveiled its Christmas decorations to the media ahead of the holiday season, with this year’s theme, “A Season of Peace and Light,” announced by Jill Biden in a statement Monday. “As we celebrate our final holiday season here in the White House, we are guided by the values we hold sacred: faith, family, service to our country, kindness towards our neighbors, and the power of community and connection,” the Bidens wrote in a commemorative holiday guidebook that will be provided to visitors. The announcement to pardon Hunter’s two felony cases was made by the White House on Sunday night. The pardon applies to offenses against the U.S. that Hunter Biden “has committed or may have committed” from Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 1, 2024. “Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” Biden wrote in a statement. “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.” The president went on to claim that his son was “treated differently” by prosecutors. President Biden pardoning his son is a departure from his previous remarks to the media over the summer, declaring he would not pardon the first son. HUNTER BIDEN PLEADS GUILTY TO ALL NINE FEDERAL TAX CHARGES BROUGHT BY SPECIAL COUNSEL DAVID WEISS “Yes,” President Biden told ABC News when asked if he would rule out pardoning Hunter ahead of his guilty verdict in the gun case. Days later, following a jury of Hunter’s peers finding him guilty of three felony firearm offenses, the president again said he would not pardon his son. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton, Andrea Margolis and Alexandra Rego contributed to this report.
COVID ‘most likely’ leaked from Wuhan lab, social distancing ‘not based on science,’ select committee finds
A congressional subcommittee concluded its two-year investigation on the coronavirus pandemic on Monday, finding that COVID-19 likely originated from a lab in Wuhan, China, and that social distancing and masking were not backed with scientific data. The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released its final 520-page report that stated “COVID-19 most likely emerged from a laboratory in Wuhan, China.” In support of the “lab leak” theory, the report said the subcommittee learned that the virus had a biological characteristic that is not found in nature and that data showed all COVID-19 cases stemming from a single introduction to humans. “By nearly all measures of science, if there was evidence of a natural origin it would have already surfaced,” the report says. FAUCI RIPPED OVER NEW PAPER CRITICIZING TRUMP ON CORONAVIRUS, PROMOTING NATURAL ORIGIN THEORY: ‘EMBARRASSMENT’ The report also noted that China’s foremost SARS research lab is in Wuhan, “which has a history of conducting gain-of-function research at inadequate biosafety levels,” and that researchers at the lab “were sick with a COVID-like virus in the fall of 2019, months before COVID-19 was discovered at the wet market.” Initial rumors swirled at the beginning of the pandemic that China’s wet markets, which are known for selling meat, fish, produce and exotic animals in unsanitary conditions, were the origin of the virus. MANCHIN SLAMS ‘17 EDUCATED IDIOTS’ THAT WERE ADVISING BIDEN DURING COVID The report also found that social distancing “was not based on science.” “During closed door testimony, Dr. [Anthony] Fauci testified that the guidance, ‘sort of just appeared,’” the report states. Fauci was the public face of the federal government’s coronavirus pandemic response. He has faced intense criticism for his handling of the pandemic. The subcommittee also found “no conclusive evidence” that wearing masks protected Americans from COVID-19. The measures led to long-term impacts on American adults and children. The report found that unemployment skyrocketed and children “lost decades worth of academic progress.”
Biden blocks new mining in region that produces about 40% of nation’s coal: ‘It’s a disaster’
The Biden administration announced a big decision to block new mining in a key region producing nearly half of the nation’s coal over climate change concerns, but it could be short-lived as President-elect Trump prepares to make U.S. energy dominance a key focus of his incoming administration. Biden’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently approved an amendment to the Resource Management Plan (RMP) to ban new federal coal leases and make “48.12 billion short tons of coal unavailable for leasing consideration in order to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as a proxy for climate change,” according to Todd D. Yeager, BLM Buffalo field manager. The decision will block any new federal mining leases in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, the country’s largest coal producing region, by 2041. This region produces about 40% of the nation’s coal. BLM, however, will allow for existing coal leases to still be developed. In a statement to Fox News Digital regarding the decision, Trump’s transition team reinforced the idea of the president-elect’s campaign promise to bolster American-made energy. FEDERAL JUDGE SIDES WITH SPACEX AFTER ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP TIED TO STOP ROCKET LAUNCHES “Families have suffered under the past four years’ war on American energy, which prompted the worst inflation crisis in a generation. Voters re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail, including lowering energy costs for consumers,” Karoline Leavitt, Trump-Vance Transition spokeswoman, said in a statement. FEDERAL COURT UPENDS DECADES OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS Leavitt added that when Trump takes office, he “will make America energy dominant again, protect our energy jobs, and bring down the cost of living for working families.” The Powder River Basin lease ban, which covers parts of southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming, includes making more than 1.7 million acres unavailable for coal leasing within the Miles City Field Office planning area. The BLM memo claimed that the “U.S. energy market is moving away from coal to lower priced natural gas and renewable energy sources.” But the affected state representatives say the region is a vital natural energy resource. The decision was widely criticized by Montana and Wyoming elected officials, including Sen. Steve Daines, R–Mont., who said he would be introducing legislation in an attempt to reverse the decision. “At every turn, the Biden administration has launched attack after attack on made-in-Montana energy, and the people of Montana and the rest of the country rebuked the administration for it at the ballot box,” Daines said in a statement following the decision. “… Eastern Montana is rich in coal and mining operations and the jobs and coal produced in the Powder River Basin help support our national security, bolster our energy grid and create high-paying jobs.” “Once again, the Biden-Harris administration is ignoring states and crippling our energy supply,” Gov. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., said in a statement. “While Montana supports an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy, the White House is picking winners and losers on the president’s way out the door. Simply put, this rule will destroy coal jobs and defund public education in Montana. It’s a disaster.” “After the American people issued a stunning rebuke to President Biden, he continues to punish Wyoming communities,” Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said in a statement. “I will work with President Trump and his team to reverse this and other midnight regulations.” The BLM memo said the administration is blocking coal leasing to support Biden’s target of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, suggesting that “the U.S. energy market is moving away from coal to lower priced natural gas and renewable energy sources.” Earth Justice, an environmental justice group, also claimed the mining bans stemmed from an evolving approach to energy production. “Coal has powered our nation for many decades, but technology, economics and markets are changing radically. BLM’s announcement recognizes that coal’s era is ending, and it’s time to focus on supporting our communities through the transition away from coal, investing in workers, and moving to heal our lands, waters and climate as we enter a bright clean energy future,” Paula Antoine, Western Organization of Resource Councils board chair, said in an Earth Justice press release after Biden announced his initial plans in May.
Single House race stands between Republicans and 1-seat majority
House Republicans could begin the new year grappling with a one-seat majority, a perilously slim margin for the 119th Congress as President-elect Donald Trump guns for an active first 100 days. Last-minute GOP losses and exits in favor of the new administration mean Republicans could begin that period with precious little room for dissent, and one congressional race could decide the difference between a likely one- or two-seat majority. JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’ In California’s 13th Congressional District, Rep. John Duarte, R-Calif., is fighting for his political life against Democrat Adam Gray. As of Monday afternoon, Gray leads Duarte by a few hundred votes – a margin of roughly 0.1%. California state law mandates that counties certify their election results by Dec. 5. If Democrats flip the seat, the House would have 220 Republicans and 215 Democrats heading into the New Year. However, three Republican lawmakers’ departures are expected to whittle that down further. Now-former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., resigned from the 118th and 119th Congresses amid consideration to be Trump’s attorney general. MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., was tapped to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., was named national security adviser. All three lawmakers represent deep-red districts, so there is little concern their seats will fall into Democrats’ hands. However, with special elections to replace Gaetz and Waltz set for April 1, and Stefanik’s not yet scheduled, the GOP may spend nearly all of their first 100 days controlling Washington’s power centers with a one-seat majority in the House. House GOP Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., brushed off concerns about the prospects of holding a one- or two-seat edge in a recent television interview on FOX Business. REPUBLICANS PROJECTED TO KEEP CONTROL OF HOUSE AS TRUMP PREPARES TO IMPLEMENT AGENDA “That’s essentially what we’ve had over the last year, for better parts of the last year,” Emmer told “The Bottom Line.” “I’ve got to tell you, I don’t give a darn whether it’s 222, 225, 218. As long as we have a majority, we can deliver with Donald J. Trump for the American people” Ultimately, there is little daylight between a one- or two-seat majority, but if the 118th Congress is any indication, the numbers set up House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., with a tricky political situation. House Republicans’ slim margins over the last two years enabled different factions of the GOP to paralyze the chamber floor at times over disagreements on government funding and other critical legislative fights. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Biden still believes ‘no one is above the law,’ White House says in wake of Hunter pardon
The White House today defended President Biden’s declaration in May that “no one is above the law” amid criticism of his sweeping pardon Sunday evening for son Hunter Biden following a yearslong legal saga revolving around two criminal cases. “Yes,” a White House official told Fox News Digital on Monday when asked if Biden still believes “no one is above the law” after pardoning his son. “As he said in his statement, he has deep respect for our justice system. And as a wide range of legal experts have pointed out, this pardon is indisputably within his authority and warranted by the facts of the case.” Biden posted a message to X back on May 31, one day after President-elect Donald Trump was found guilty in the Manhattan criminal trial in May, that “No one is above the law.” BIDEN PARDONS SON HUNTER BIDEN AHEAD OF EXIT FROM OVAL OFFICE Following his pardon of Hunter Biden from a gun case and a tax case, conservatives and others resurrected the post on social media, with Reps. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and Eli Crane, R-Ariz., for example, quipping that the rule of law applies to all Americans, “Unless your last name is Biden.” REPUBLICANS HAMMER BIDEN’S ‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’ CLAIM FOLLOWING HUNTER PARDON: ‘AGED LIKE FINE MILK’ “You’ve been lied to every step of the way by this Administration and the corrupt Biden family. This is just the latest in their long coverup scheme. They never play by the same rules they force on everyone else. Disgraceful,” Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., declared in response to the old Biden post. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, posted, “This aged like fine milk.” Biden’s May message that “no one is above the law” came as his son was preparing for his first criminal trial in Delaware, where he was accused of illegally purchasing a firearm. He was also facing another trial regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. LAWMAKERS HARSHLY CRITICIZE BIDEN’S DECISION TO PARDON HUNTER: ‘LIAR’ Biden was found guilty on June 11 of lying about his drug use when purchasing a firearm in 2018. He was found guilty on three charges: making a false statement in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. Hunter Biden had an extensive and well-documented history with addiction, which was best captured in his 2021 memoir “Beautiful Things,” which walked readers through his spirals with crack cocaine use. Hunter faced another trial regarding three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes in a California court in September. As jury selection was about to kick off in Los Angeles federal court, Hunter entered a surprise guilty plea. Earlier this year, President Biden had publicly pledged at least twice that he would not pardon his son over the charges. “Yes,” President Biden told ABC News when asked if he would rule out pardoning Hunter ahead of his guilty verdict in the gun case. TRUMP ASKS ABOUT ‘J-6 HOSTAGES’ IN RESPONSE TO BIDEN’S PARDON OF HUNTER: ‘SUCH AN ABUSE’ Days later, following a jury finding Hunter guilty in the firearm case, the president again said he would not pardon his son. “I am not going to do anything,” Biden said after Hunter was convicted. “I will abide by the jury’s decision.” While conservatives lambasted Biden for pardoning his son after vowing he would not take that step, some attorneys came to Biden’s defense over the pardon, including Obama-era Attorney General Eric Holder. Biden wrote in his statement announcing the pardon that the prosecution of his son was politically motivated. “It is clear that Hunter was treated differently,” Biden wrote in his statement. “The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.” “For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth. They’ll be fair-minded. Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” the president added. Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
US Capitol Police arrest House Democrat staff member after finding ammunition in bag
The U.S. Capitol Police arrested a member of a House Democrat’s staff Thursday morning after he allegedly tried to bring ammunition into the Cannon House Office Building. The office of Rep. Joe Morelle – who represents New York’s 25th Congressional District – told WROC that it is “fully committed to cooperating with the investigation.” “At approximately 8:45 a.m., a House staffer entered the Cannon House Office Building and put his bag through screening. USCP officers noticed what appeared to be ammunition on the x-ray screen,” Capitol Police told Fox News in a statement. “After a hand search of the bag, officers found four ammunition magazines and eleven rounds of ammunition. The staffer told the officers that he forgot the ammunition was in the bag,” the statement continued. FORMER LAWMAKER CALLS FOR COMPLETE ‘REBRAND’ OF ‘TOXIC’ DEMOCRATIC PARTY Capitol Police say Michael Hopkins, 38, is now facing charges for unlawful possession of ammunition, including one charge for possession of a high-capacity magazine. Morelle’s office said Monday morning that it was gathering more information about the arrest. DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER CALLS ON PROGRESSIVES TO STOP LEAVING X “As Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration, Congressman Morelle is devoted to ensuring a safe and secure workplace for all,” their statement added. Morelle’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Fox News Digital. Morelle’s district includes the city of Rochester.
Harris campaign still asking for donations weeks after massive loss to Trump
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign still has its hand out for donations, weeks after losing the election to President-elect Trump. “With Trump nominating MAGA loyalists left and right, there is nothing more important than making sure we can fight back and hold him accountable,” an email from Kamala HQ sent to the New York Post last week read. “That’s why we need you to step up today. Yes, today.” “Our records show that you haven’t pitched in to support our Harris Fight Fund program yet,” the email continued, according to the New York Post. “We know the election didn’t turn out as we’d hoped, but we’re not backing down.” Trump was declared the victor in the presidential election last month, ultimately securing 312 electoral votes to Harris’ 226, and earning the popular vote as well. The election also included the Republican Party reclaiming the Senate and maintaining control of the House. HARRIS PAID OPRAH $1 MILLION IN FAILED BID TO HELP CAMPAIGN: REPORT Weeks after the election, however, emails asking for donations keep hitting the inboxes of supporters. “Even a quick donation of $50 is enough to help us in this fight,” a fundraising email to donors two weeks after the election read, according to Politico. “And with only hours left to hit our goal today, NOW is the best time to rush your support.” “Please do not click away,” another email stated, according to the outlet. MSNBC WAS ‘UNAWARE’ HARRIS CAMPAIGN GAVE $500K TO AL SHARPTON’S GROUP AHEAD OF FRIENDLY INTERVIEW The Harris campaign kicked off in earnest at the beginning of August, after President Biden dropped out of the race amid mounting concern over his mental acuity and age. The Harris campaign raised about $1.4 billion across her few months as the Democratic nominee, but allegedly faces $20 million in debt, according to sources who spoke to Politico. The campaign denied outstanding debts as of Election Day, and won’t report owed debts in reports due to the Federal Election Commission this month, the outlet reported. The Harris campaign faced scrutiny shortly after Election Day when reports spread the campaign paid $1 million to Oprah Winfrey’s production company for a campaign event, millions of dollars on private jets, $500,000 to Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network nonprofit ahead of a friendly interview on MSNBC, and other expenses. ‘$1 BILLION DISASTER’: HERE’S WHAT FEC FILINGS SHOW ABOUT HARRIS CAMPAIGN’S 3 MONTH SPENDING SPREE Political candidates ending a campaign with debt is not out of the norm, but some Democrats remarked that repeated emails calling on voters to donate following the election is likely eroding trust. “I understand that the Harris campaign is in a very difficult position with the debt that they have, and so sometimes you just have to make practical decisions,” Mike Nellis, founder of the Democratic digital firm Authentic, told Politico. “But yeah, I think that stuff like that erodes trust.” “Getting fundraising requests after any candidate has lost, when they admit that they are still millions of dollars in debt, having blown through over a billion dollars… is especially galling,” Democratic strategist Jon Reinish told the New York Post. 5 MISTAKES THAT DOOMED KAMALA HARRIS’ CAMPAIGN AGAINST TRUMP A Harris campaign official told Politico that the post-election fundraising emails do not request donors contribute any more than they did during the campaign cycle, and that some of the fundraising was necessary in order to effectively shut down the campaign while retaining some employees to ensure that mission. HOW KAMALA HARRIS’ FAILED 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RUN MIRRORS HER ILL-FATED 2020 CAMPAIGN As reports spread last month that the campaign was in debt, Trump trolled the Harris team on social media, calling on MAGA supporters to do “whatever we can do to help them.” “I am very surprised that the Democrats, who fought a hard and valiant fight in the 2020 Presidential Election, raising a record amount of money, didn’t have lots of $’s left over,” Trump posted to X days after the election last month. “Now they are being squeezed by vendors and others. Whatever we can do to help them during this difficult period, I would strongly recommend we, as a Party and for the sake of desperately needed UNITY, do,” he continued, “We have a lot of money left over in that our biggest asset in the campaign was ‘Earned Media,’ and that doesn’t cost very much. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign regarding the continued donor emails and alleged millions of dollars in debt, but did not receive an immediate response.