Obamas planned to meet Reiners on night they were killed, former first lady reveals
The Obamas were scheduled to meet Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, on the night they were killed, former first lady Michelle Obama revealed on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Monday. Michelle Obama said she and her husband, former President Barack Obama, were close friends with the late couple and described them as “some of the most decent, courageous people you ever want to know.” “My God. We’ve known them for many, many years, and we were supposed to be seeing them that night — last night. And we got the news,” she said. “And let me just say this: unlike some people, Rob and Michele Reiner are some of the most decent, courageous people you ever want to know,” she continued. ROB REINER AND WIFE MURDERED: TIMELINE SHOWS ARGUMENT WITH SON NIGHT BEFORE DEATHS “They are not — they’re not deranged or crazed,” the former first lady added. “What they have always been are passionate people in a time when there’s not a lot of courage going on.” Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Reiner, 68, were discovered stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home on Sunday. Their son, Nick Reiner, was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with their deaths, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. He is being held without bail after it was previously set at $4 million. Michelle Obama went on to say the Reiners “were the kind of people who were ready to put their actions behind what they cared about.” 2 PEOPLE FOUND DEAD INSIDE HOME OF HOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR ROB REINER IN AFFLUENT LOS ANGELES NEIGHBORHOOD “And they cared about their family, and they cared about this country, and they cared about fairness and equity,” she said. “And that is the truth. I do know them.” Earlier Tuesday, former President Barack Obama released a statement expressing his condolences on the couple’s deaths. Obama wrote that he and Michelle are “heartbroken by the tragic passing of Rob Reiner and his beloved wife, Michele.” “Rob’s achievements in film and television gave us some of our most cherished stories on screen,” he said. “But beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people — and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action. Together, he and his wife lived lives defined by purpose. They will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired. We send our deepest condolences to all who loved them.”
Democrats unite against Sydney terror — but Fetterman warns party’s anti-Israel rift boiling over
Members of the Democratic Party were quick to condemn the horrific Hanukkah attack in Australia, but one senator says their response clashes with years of anti-Israel rhetoric inside the party. Sunday’s mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach left at least 15 people dead and dozens wounded. Australian authorities labeled the shooting an act of terrorism targeting the Jewish community. It sparked swift condemnation from top party politicians, from the center to the left, as well as a chorus of calls by leading Democrats to combat antisemitism. But Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, a fierce supporter of Israel, warned of consequences for his party’s discord over the more than two years of fighting between the Jewish state and Hamas in Gaza. The senator criticized fellow Democrats for embracing what he called openly hostile, anti-Israel rhetoric that he said is now “becoming more and more part of my party’s platform.” Fetterman’s comments come as the attack is likely to intensify pressure on the party, which is already facing internal fractures over the Israel–Hamas conflict that could define its 2026 electoral messaging. WERE WARNINGS IGNORED IN AUSTRALIA TERROR ATTACK ? In the hours after this weekend’s mass shooting in Australia, Democrats instantly joined Republicans in raising warnings about the rising tide of antisemitism. “As I have warned repeatedly, antisemitism is a scourge around the world that must be condemned loudly and fought vigorously at every turn,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is Jewish, wrote. And House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., emphasized, “It is our collective responsibility to aggressively eradicate the poison of antisemitism whenever and wherever it is found.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is considered a potential top-tier contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, wrote, “We stand with the Jewish community worldwide against a rising tide of antisemitic violence and hate.” EYEWITNESS TO AUSTRALIA TERROR ATTACK DESCRIBES ‘PANDEMONIUM’ DURING DEADLY SHOOTING AT HANUKKAH EVENT Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, another high-profile Democrat who may seek the White House in the next presidential election cycle, highlighted, “Antisemitism has no place in this world.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a progressive champion who could potentially run for president in 2028, said she was “horrified by the attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia. My thoughts are with the victims and our Jewish communities in NYC mourning. As antisemitism rises across the world, we have a moral obligation to stamp it out everywhere it exists.” And Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin, in a statement, said, “We must all vigorously condemn antisemitism and hate at every turn, and the perpetrators of these evil acts must be brought to justice.” While condemnation of the attacks was uniform among Democrats, the party has been anything but unified when it comes to bloodshed in Gaza, which was sparked by the bloody Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel. Nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed after Hamas ambushed them, with over 250 people taken hostage. In the more than two years since the attack, over 70,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children, were killed during Israel’s military response, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. Tensions between Democrats over the fighting flared at the DNC’s summer meeting in August, as a party committee voted on a symbolic resolution calling for an arms embargo and suspension of U.S. military aid to Israel, which has long been the top American ally in the Middle East. The divide among Democrats has Fetterman befuddled. Pointing to anti-Israel comments from some on the left, Fetterman said this weekend in an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” “I can’t imagine why so many parts of people in my party continue to back away or to kind of deflect… condemning these kinds of horrific acts of terrorism.”
Comer warns contempt as Clintons face January dates for Epstein-probe depositions
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is delaying Bill and Hillary Clinton’s depositions before Congress until January. In a letter sent to their attorney on Monday evening, Comer warned that a failure to appear for their new dates would result in immediate contempt of Congress proceedings. “They’re saying now that he’s going to a funeral on that day, so we’ve been going back and forth with the lawyer,” Comer told Fox News Digital the same evening. “We’re going to hold him in contempt if he doesn’t show up for his deposition.” The letter said, however, that they failed to provide “alternative dates” for their testimonies. COMER ACCUSES OVERSIGHT DEMS OF ‘CHERRY-PICKING’ EPSTEIN ISLAND FILES: ‘CHASING HEADLINES’ “Therefore, the Committee has chosen the date of January 13, 2026, for the deposition of President Clinton and January 14, 2026, for the deposition of Secretary Clinton. If your clients do not comply with these new dates, the Committee will move immediately to contempt proceedings,” the letter said. The Clintons were originally subpoenaed over the summer to testify in the House Oversight Committee’s probe into Jeffrey Epstein. They were part of a long list of former presidential administration officials called in for closed-door meetings with the panel’s lawyers. EPSTEIN BOASTED HE BRIEFED RUSSIAN DIPLOMAT ON HOW TO HANDLE TRUMP IN NEWLY RELEASED EMAILS To date, just two people have shown up in person — former Trump administration Attorney General Bill Barr and former Trump administration Labor Secretary Alex Acosta. Others have deferred their subpoena dates or opted to send in written statements due to various personal matters, but it appears Comer is not allowing the Clintons to sidestep an in-person grilling. In his letter, the Republican leader even went so far as to criticize the Clintons’ lawyer for asking for the same treatment. “Your correspondence with the Committee continues to ignore the Committee’s arguments, misstates relevant facts, and seeks information about the Committee’s investigation to which neither you nor your clients are entitled,” the letter said. “As the Committee stated clearly in its November 21, 2025, letter to you, the Committee’s decision to forego in-person depositions for certain other individuals was because those individuals ‘lacked any relevant information to the Committee’s investigation or otherwise had serious health issues that prevented their testimony.’” Comer said the former president and former secretary of state “are not similarly situated and therefore your argument that they are receiving unfair treatment — which you continue to repeat — is baseless.” VIRGINIA GIUFFRE’S MEMOIR RECOUNTS RAPE BY FORMER PRIME MINISTER; EPSTEIN’S TIES TO BILL CLINTON, TRUMP “For example, unlike these other individuals, President Clinton and Secretary Clinton had a personal relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell,” he wrote. Photos and other documents released by the committee so far have shown Bill Clinton and other powerful figures, including President Donald Trump, socializing with Epstein to varying degrees. Both Bill Clinton and Trump were shown to have handwritten entries in a book compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday, though until then much of the media scrutiny had been focused on Trump’s entry alone. Neither of the Clintons have been implicated in any wrongdoing related to Epstein, however, and their social engagements with him appear to have ended long before his 2019 federal indictment on sex trafficking charges and subsequent suicide.
GOP accuses Democrats of ‘fabricating’ Trump-Epstein link with selective document leaks, internal memo shows
FIRST ON FOX: The GOP majority on the House Oversight Committee is at war with their Democratic counterparts over what they say is a false narrative being crafted about President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. Republican committee staff authored a new talking points memo sent to GOP lawmakers on Tuesday morning that is aimed at discounting Democrats’ recent leaks of information on Epstein, accusing them of releasing information on a selective basis to paint a picture that is not there. “Throughout the Oversight Committee’s review of the federal government’s handling of the Epstein and Maxwell criminal investigations, Democrats have demonstrated a sustained pattern of misconduct — misrepresenting witness testimony, selectively leaking cherry-picked documents, and manipulating emails and images — to fabricate yet another politically motivated hoax targeting President Trump,” the memo, obtained by Fox News Digital, said. “As a result, nothing Democrats post or leak on this matter can be taken at face value.” HOUSE REPUBLICANS SAY DEMS TWISTING EPSTEIN PROBE TO SMEAR TRUMP IN NEW MEMO The memo also encourages Oversight Republicans to take aim at “Legacy Media,” which it says “uncritically amplified these falsehoods, acting as a willing conduit rather than performing basic due diligence.” “This reckless combination of partisan distortion and media malpractice undermines the Committee’s work, misleads the public, and distracts from the serious responsibility of ensuring accountability, transparency, and justice for the American people,” the memo said. What had initially begun as a bipartisan investigation quickly devolved into partisan infighting. WHITE HOUSE SLAMS DEMS’ ‘BAD-FAITH’ EPSTEIN DOC RELEASE AS DEMAND FOR FILES INTENSIFIES Democrats have argued that Republicans are using the probe to give Trump cover, while the GOP said the left is distorting facts to create a false narrative that Trump participated in Epstein’s crimes. The pair were known to have a close friendship decades ago but had a falling out in the early 2000s before accusations of sexual contact with minors first surfaced. To date, the president has denied involvement — and not been implicated — in any of Epstein’s crimes. Among the memo’s highlights are Oversight Democrats releasing three emails sent to the committee by Epstein’s estate which appear to suggest that Trump “knew about” various illicit activities of Epstein’s, including one which refers to him as “that dog that hasn’t barked.” EX-PRINCE ANDREW APPEARS IN PHOTO RELEASED BY JEFFREY EPSTEIN’S ESTATE, SHARED BY HOUSE DEMOCRATS Republicans said they selectively released three emails out of a tranche of 20,000 pages of documents at the time. “When CNN questioned the redactions, Democrat Committee members falsely claimed Republicans were responsible. After Republicans released more than 20,000 pages, Democrats then claimed this transparency was intended to ‘disorient’ and ‘distract’ from their fabricated narrative,” the memo said. In a later release of photos from Epstein’s estate, Republicans accused Democrats of having “censored adult women’s faces to smear President Trump.” For example, one of the photos censored, they said, “shows President Trump standing next to adult Hawaiian Tropic women models.” Democrats have not always mentioned Trump directly in their releases, but he has been a regular feature of the emails and photos they have made public. “It is time to end this White House cover-up and bring justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful friends,” Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the committee, said in a statement on one of the releases. “These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world. We will not rest until the American people get the truth. The Department of Justice must release all the files, NOW.” Meanwhile, the Trump administration is facing a Dec. 19 deadline to release its files related to Epstein, pursuant to a near-unanimous vote in the House and a unanimous vote in the Senate. Fox News Digital reached out to Oversight Committee Democrats for a response to the memo.
Trump admin defends White House ballroom as national security matter
The Trump administration argued in a court filing on Monday that pausing construction on the new White House ballroom would undermine national security, citing a Secret Service declaration warning that halting work would leave the site unable to meet “safety and security requirements” needed to protect the president. The declaration says the White House’s East Wing, demolished in October and now undergoing below-grade work, cannot be left unfinished without compromising essential security measures. “Accordingly, any pause in construction, even temporarily, would leave the contractor’s obligation unfulfilled in this regard and consequently hamper the Secret Service’s ability to meet its statutory obligations and protective mission,” reads the filing in part. The government’s memorandum was in response to a lawsuit filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit that says it advocates for preserving historic sites of national importance and protecting the public’s role in that process. WALZ REPEATS DEBUNKED CLAIM THAT TRUMP CONSIDERS WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM ‘TOP PRIORITY’ The National Trust lawsuit targets key government officials responsible for overseeing the White House grounds and the agencies managing the construction project, including the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior. It argues that pausing the Trump administration’s ballroom project is essential to prevent irreversible changes while the required oversight and public involvement procedures are carried out. “Submitting the project to the National Capital Planning Commission for review protects the iconic historic features of the White House campus as it evolves. Inviting comments from the American people signals respect and helps ensure a lasting legacy that befits a government of the people, by the people, for the people,” said Carol Quillen, the president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. TRUMP UNVEILS VISION FOR EISENHOWER EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING MAKEOVER The White House announced President Donald Trump’s plans in July to move forward with a 90,000-square-foot state ballroom that would cost an estimated $200 million. That figure has now risen to at least $300 million, and while the project is backed by some private donors, Trump has also insisted it will be funded “100% by me and some friends of mine.” In its filing, the administration emphasized that key regulatory reviews are forthcoming, saying it plans to submit draft architectural drawings and materials to the National Capital Planning Commission and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts in the coming weeks. The government argued the lawsuit is premature because above-grade construction is not scheduled to begin until April 2026. The National Trust, however, counters that the scale of the project makes early intervention necessary. In its lawsuit, the group argues that the 90,000-square-foot addition would dwarf the Executive Residence and permanently upset the classical balance of the White House’s design. The complaint also cites an October statement from the Society of Architectural Historians, which warned that the proposed ballroom would represent the most significant exterior change to the building in more than 80 years.
House GOP tensions erupt as Republicans turn on each other heading into year’s end
Tensions are boiling within the House GOP as lawmakers are set to begin their final legislative week of 2025. More than a dozen House Republicans who spoke with Fox News Digital over the last week gave different answers on where tensions lie, with frustrations directed toward Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., the White House, their Senate counterparts and even each other. Most of the issues they discussed were varied as well, but several people acknowledged concerns over whether there could be any defining legislative issues Republicans could coalesce around in 2026 to follow up on their signature achievement with the “one big, beautiful bill” last summer. “Right now, we don’t have a focused agenda that we’re moving towards like we did with the one big, beautiful bill,” one House GOP lawmaker told Fox News Digital. “That brought all of our energy together in a focused manner.” HOUSE GOP SPLITS OVER OBAMACARE FIX AS COSTS POISED TO SPIKE FOR MILLIONS Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., said he was not frustrated with any one leader in Congress specifically, but lamented that the institution did not better allow House Republicans to tackle the issues in front of them. “The problem is, because of the nature of the beast, we’re always fighting against the next big emergency, right? So, instead of being proactive and doing good solutions — I mean, healthcare. Healthcare has been the number one expense for families for a decade,” McCormick said. He said Republicans “did nothing” on healthcare when they first came to power earlier this year and were now left “in this position” where they were scrambling for a solution to the looming health insurance premium hikes early next year. House Republicans unveiled a bill aimed at lowering healthcare costs on Friday evening, but it’s unclear as of now if it has enough support to pass. Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital broadly, “I’m always gonna want to see more action. My job isn’t to come here and be satisfied.” But he said of House GOP leadership, “When you’re in charge you get more blame and more praise than you probably deserve, but it’s gonna take the whole conference to come together, remembering what brought us here.” CONGRESS MELTS DOWN: MEMBERS UNLEASH PERSONAL ATTACKS AFTER WEEKS OF SHUTDOWN DRAMA Still, a fair share of GOP lawmakers have directed their anger at Johnson in recent weeks. “I think there’s a lot of concerns about the way things have been handled the last several months, starting with leadership, let this redistricting war break out, which is gonna upend the districts of dozens of our members. And then the fact we just weren’t here for two months,” Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital. “And then the way that the House is really not in the driver’s seat on a lot of the key issues around here — I think all of that is pretty frustrating to a swath of the conference.” Others are frustrated at Johnson over more personal issues. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital she believed Johnson was blocking her efforts to build a National Women’s Museum, an effort she said had President Donald Trump’s support. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: HOUSE EXODUS THREATENS JOHNSON’S GRIP ON POWER AS OVER 40 MEMBERS HEAD FOR EXIT “It’s been stalled by the speaker, in committee, despite having 165 sponsors from both parties,” Malliotakis said. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., meanwhile, was angered last week by the way Johnson handled the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). “We’re getting shoved, and we just have to eat it, or, you know, vote against increasing pay to our military service members. It’s a very unfortunate situation to be in, that the speaker keeps putting us in,” Steube said. “I think getting Trump’s signature piece of legislation through is excellent, and everybody should be commended for that, because that was just a huge accomplishment, and it’ll do great things for the country next year. Now that we’ve gotten over that … now you’re kind of, like, what can we do next?” MIKE JOHNSON SAYS HOUSE GOP WORKING FULL STEAM AHEAD ON TRUMP’S ‘AFFORDABILITY AGENDA’ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has notably been one of Johnson’s loudest critics and recently become a political enemy of Trump’s as well. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who Johnson promoted to House GOP leadership chairwoman after the White House took her out of the running for ambassador to the United Nations, publicly accused Johnson of kowtowing to Democrats over a provision in the NDAA before walking the anger back when she won that battle. And Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., recently wrote a scathing op-ed in The New York Times, where she wrote, “Here’s a hard truth Republicans don’t want to hear: Nancy Pelosi was a more effective House speaker than any Republican this century.” “Speaker Mike Johnson is better than his predecessor. But the frustrations of being a rank-and-file House member are compounded as certain individuals or groups remain marginalized within the party, getting little say,” Mace wrote. Mace told Fox News Digital she had spoken with Johnson the same week the op-ed was published. While she declined to go into detail about their private conversation, Mace said she did not feel heard by the speaker. A second House Republican who spoke with Fox News Digital anonymously said, when asked if there was wider frustration with Johnson, “Yeah, I would say so. Especially rank-and-file people.” DEMOCRATS SEE MANDATE AFTER 2025 WINS — REPUBLICANS SAY IT’S A MIRAGE But three others accused those criticizing Johnson publicly of doing so for their own personal gain. A senior House Republican said those complaining were “people whose modus operandi is about showing their opposition for their own purposes.” A fourth House Republican said, “Some people have been frustrated, but we have some people who are in Congress now that care more about their own personal headlines when they’re running for other offices or whatever, so they’re trying to push things out.” Meanwhile, Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill.,
Pentagon launches full command investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly over ‘serious misconduct’ allegations
The Office of the Secretary of War on Monday escalated its preliminary review of Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., to a full command investigation, according to a report. The investigation into Kelly for “serious allegations of misconduct” has intensified, according to a Pentagon official, first reported by Punchbowl News, with a new probe in conjunction with the Department of War’s Office of the General Counsel. The department previously announced it had launched a formal review into allegations of misconduct against Kelly over a video calling on service members to “refuse illegal orders.” KELLY SHRUGS OFF TRUMP COURT-MARTIAL THREAT, SAYS GROWING UP IN TONY SOPRANO’S HOMETOWN MADE HIM ‘RESILIENT’ A War Department official confirmed to Fox News Digital that the Office of the Secretary of War is “escalating the preliminary review of Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Ret.), to an official Command Investigation.” “Retired Captain Kelly is currently under investigation for serious allegations of misconduct,” the official said. “Further official comments will be limited to preserve the integrity of the proceedings.” HEGSETH RIPS MARK KELLY’S POST ABOUT HIS SERVICE: ‘YOU CAN’T EVEN DISPLAY YOUR UNIFORM CORRECTLY’ Kelly said in a statement that “it should send a shiver down the spine of every patriotic American that the president and secretary of defense would abuse their power to come after me or anyone this way.” “It wasn’t enough for Donald Trump to say I should be hanged,” he continued. “It wasn’t enough for Pete Hegseth to threaten me with a court martial. Now they are threatening everything I fought and served for across twenty-five years in the U.S. Navy—all because I repeated something every service member is taught.” Kelly added that he will “keep doing my job representing Arizona.” “If Trump and Hegseth think this will stop me from doing what I’ve done every day of my adult life—fighting for this country—then they’ve got the wrong guy. Tomorrow, and the next day, I will keep doing my job representing Arizona.” Fox News Digital has reached out Kelly’s office for comment.
Ilhan Omar lashes out at ‘sick’ Republicans for investigating her alleged marriage to brother
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., called those concerned about whether she married her brother “sick” after the far-left lawmaker was approached by Fox News Digital about border czar Tom Homan, signaling that federal officials have started digging into records pertaining to the matter. Homan said last week that records and files related to Omar’s potential immigration fraud were being pulled and looked at after President Donald Trump revived the years-old scandal amid an ongoing debate over the Somali Medicaid fraud scandal taking place in Omar’s state of Minnesota. While Homan suggested that fraud likely took place, he also signaled that the crime’s statute of limitations could present a problem when it comes to prosecuting Omar for any potential violations. “Any response to what [Homan] is saying? And the public?” Fox News Digital asked Omar as she was walking through the halls of Congress. “I have no response because I don’t know what they’ll be investigating,” Omar shot back. ILHAN OMAR CLAIMS ICE PULED OVER HER SON DURING ‘RACIAL PROFILING’ SWEEP AMID TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN IN MINNESOTA “So you don’t think they would find anything?” she was asked. “Absolutely not,” Omar responded. “Why do you think they keep bringing this up?” Omar was then asked before she walked onto an elevator and out of sight. “Because they’re sick!” she exclaimed. But, according to a top Senate Republican, if the allegations against Omar – that she married her brother to enter the U.S. – were true, she’d be breaking several laws. “If this is true, then Omar faces criminal liability under three different statutes,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. REP OMAR’S GOP CHALLENGER UNLOADS ON HER ROLE IN MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL Cruz has argued that Omar could have committed federal marriage fraud, which makes knowingly entering into a marriage to evade immigration laws illegal, and could result in up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and deportation. Omar was born in Somalia and came to the U.S. in 1995 after her family was granted asylum. She became a naturalized citizen in 2000. In 2002, Omar entered a religious marriage with Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi, while, in 2009, she legally married Ahmed Elmi, a British citizen, despite maintaining her religious union with Hirsi and continuing to have children with him. Omar and Elmi separated in 2011 and did not legally divorce until 2017, according to reports. In 2020, Omar married political consultant Tim Mynett. In addition to marriage fraud, Cruz said Omar could also be breaking Minnesota’s state incest law, a felony in the state punishable by jail time up to 10 years. Cruz also indicated Omar could be liable for tax fraud, specifically if joint tax returns were filed while she was not legally married, a violation that could lead to a $100,000 fine and up to three years in prison.
DHS arrests ‘worst of the worst’ illegal migrants, including murderers and pedophiles, in weekend operation
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed a list of 17 illegal migrants who were previously convicted of an array of charges, including murder and sexual exploitation of a minor, who were arrested over the weekend and are currently being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). DHS released the names as part of their “worst of the worst” campaign which exposes illegal migrants who have been convicted of serious felonies and crimes. “While Americans were at Christmas parties and celebrating the first night of Hanukkah, the patriotic heroes of ICE law enforcement were selflessly risking their lives to arrest the worst of the worst,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital in a statement. “This weekend, ICE arrested murderers, pedophiles, and drug traffickers. This holiday season, Americans can rejoice these monsters are out of their neighborhoods.” Some convictions included second-degree murder by Thai Lor, an illegal migrant from Thailand, sexual exploitation of a minor by Benevenuto Walter Lopez-Alonzo, an illegal migrant from Guatemala, lewd act with a child under 14 years old by Yovanny Dominguez-Herrera, an illegal migrant from Mexico, money laundering by Chi Ying, an illegal migrant from China, and pimping a minor over 16-year-old by Patricia Judith Diaz-Angel, an illegal migrant from Guatemala, DHS said. DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN CLAIMS TRUMP’S ICE IS ‘PRIMARILY GOING AFTER INNOCENT PEOPLE, INCLUDING US CITIZENS’ All 17 illegal migrants were convicted of their respective crimes while residing in the United States. The arrests come just days after the agency announced it had arrested over 10,000 illegal migrants in Los Angeles despite “violent rioters who assaulted our law enforcement, threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at them, and attempted to obstruct lawful arrests of criminal illegal aliens,” as reported by Fox News Digital. Immigration officers and agents were met by rioters across Los Angeles over the summer, and many Democrats have been staunchly critical of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and the Trump administration’s approach to deporting illegal migrants. DHS SWEEPS TWIN CITIES, ARRESTS 400 AS FEDS BLAST WALZ FOR ‘FAILING TO PROTECT MINNESOTA’ Noem and the Trump administration have stood firm in their campaign commitment to return the millions of migrants who crossed the border under President Joe Biden back to their home countries. “Follow the law and you’ll find opportunity. If you break it, you’ll find consequences,” Noem said in a recent DHS advertisement. DHS has not held back from boasting about the capture of dangerous illegal migrants, and even recently created an arrest database available to the public. The agency announced a “worst of the worst” website, which was launched last week, to provide details about convicted violent criminals and pedophiles that are living in the United States illegally.
DC police accused of manipulating crime stats as federal probe finds thousands of misclassified cases
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Monday that a months-long federal investigation uncovered widespread misclassification of crime reports by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), making crime statistics across Washington, D.C. “artificially lower.” Pirro said the findings were based on a review of nearly 6,000 reports and interviews with more than 50 witnesses, showing that D.C.’s crime numbers were significantly understated. “It is evident that a significant number of reports had been misclassified, making crime appear artificially lower than it was,” Pirro said in a statement. Pirro said MPD’s conduct “does not rise to the level of a criminal charge,” but added that it is up the department to “take steps to internally address these underlying issues.” PIRRO TEARS INTO PRITZKER AFTER DEADLY WEEKEND IN CHICAGO: ‘HE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF HIMSELF’ Pirro’s office began investigating reports of deflated crime statistics last August, as President Donald Trump initiated a federal crime crackdown in the district. Trump issued an executive order addressing the “epidemic of crime” in the nation’s capital and deployed federal law enforcement personnel, including the National Guard. “The uncovering of these manipulated crime statistics makes clear that President Trump has reduced crime even more than originally thought, since crimes were actually higher than reported,” Pirro stated. “His crime fighting efforts have delivered even more safety to the people of the District.” TRUMP SAYS CHICAGO CRIME HAS FALLEN DRAMATICALLY DESPITE ‘EXTRAORDINARY RESISTANCE’ FROM LOCAL DEMOCRATS The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment and further information on its investigation into the MPD. Pirro’s statement came after the House Oversight Committee released an interim report on Sunday claiming that outgoing MPD Chief Pamela Smith, who announced her resignation on Dec. 8, oversaw an unprecedented system of intervention in crime reporting. The Republican-led committee alleges that Smith pressured commanders to lower classifications of crime and retaliated against those who reported spikes, according to the congressional report. MPD did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.