Texas Weekly Online

Texas-trans-white
Menu
Menu

Year: 2025

Kamala Harris back in national spotlight as James Comer floats subpoena in Biden ‘cover-up’ probe

Kamala Harris back in national spotlight as James Comer floats subpoena in Biden ‘cover-up’ probe

Former Vice President Kamala Harris is back in the national spotlight with her forthcoming book about her short-lived 2024 White House campaign, and she is generating a buzz about whether she’ll try again in 2028. While politicos are keenly watching Harris for her next moves, she’s also being eyed by House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., who is investigating whether top Biden administration officials covered up evidence of a mental decline in former President Joe Biden. Comer all but guaranteed his committee would be contacting Harris during an appearance on “The Ingraham Angle” last week. He joined Fox News Channel just after Harris announced she would not be running for governor of California, as some have speculated, and will instead embark on a listening tour to hear from Americans and try to boost fellow Democrats across the country.  “I think that that’s another great thing about Kamala Harris not running for governor – she’s gonna have more time to come before the House Oversight Committee and testify about Joe Biden’s cognitive decline,” Comer said. “So I think that the odds of Kamala Harris getting a subpoena are very high.” COMER DISMISSES BIDEN DOCTOR’S BID FOR PAUSE IN COVER-UP PROBE: ‘THROWING OUT EVERY EXCUSE’ During a recent appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Harris distanced herself from any immediate electoral ambitions. She emphasized she wanted to hear from all voters, however, not necessarily ruling out a future presidential run. “I believe, and I always believed, that as fragile as our democracy is, our systems would be strong enough to defend our most fundamental principles. And I think right now that, they’re not as strong as they need to be,” Harris said. “And I just don’t want to for now, I don’t want to go back in the system. I want to, I want to travel the country. I want to listen to people. I want to talk with people. And I don’t want it to be transactional, where I’m asking for their vote.” RON KLAIN DODGES REPORTERS AFTER MARATHON GRILLING IN BIDEN COVER-UP PROBE Jonathan Turley, a Fox News contributor and professor at George Washington University Law School, told Fox News Digital the optics of a congressional subpoena would be less than ideal for a potential 2028 candidate. “This is a tough question for Harris, who clearly has aspirations to run again,” Turley said when asked if he would advise Harris to appear. “The committee can compel her to appear. However, the optics of forcing a subpoena are not exactly optimal for someone who wants to run again for this office.” He added, however, that Harris would be a “natural” target for Comer’s probe. “Harris held a unique spot within the inner circle of the White House,” Turley said. But both he and former House Oversight Committee ChairTrey Gowdy, R-S.C., now a Fox News Channel host, were doubtful that bringing Harris in would yield much new information. “Is it worth investigating? Absolutely. Is it worth getting her take on it? Yeah. Is she going to cooperate? No,” Gowdy told Fox News Digital.  The former South Carolina congressman, who also served as a federal prosecutor, predicted that Harris’ lawyers would seek to bury any potential appearance in a quagmire of legal proceedings stemming from executive and/or presidential privilege claims. “That privilege has been invoked by both parties repeatedly during congressional investigations,” Gowdy said. “Leaving the names out of it, just for the sake of an analogy, I can’t think of an advisor that would be closer to a president than his or her vice president. So, by the time you’re litigating the issue of whether or not you can compel a vice president to talk about conversations that he or she had with a chief of staff, with a spouse, with the president, with the president’s physician – you’ll be as old as I am by the time that’s litigated.” Turley said House investigators would have to be armed with “specific” questions to avoid someone like Harris being able to answer with “a matter of opinion.” Gowdy agreed Harris was a “legitimate” witness to bring in and that the issue of Biden’s autopen use, particularly for pardons, “warrants further scrutiny.” He warned, however, that a potent subpoena comes with consequences for noncompliance. “Prosecutors can send cops and have [people] brought in. Congress can’t do that. Judges can send the marshals or the sheriff’s deputies out to bring a witness in if the witness is recalcitrant. Congress can’t do that,” Gowdy said. “So your power is only as good as what you can do to enforce it.” A spokesperson for Biden declined to comment on Comer’s subpoena threat when reached by Fox News Digital. Spokespeople for Harris and House Oversight Committee Democrats did not return requests for comment.

Young progressives look to Zohran Mamdani, AOC as future of the Democratic Party – under one condition

Young progressives look to Zohran Mamdani, AOC as future of the Democratic Party – under one condition

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and New York City Democratic mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani, are the future of the Democratic Party, young political activists at the Voters of Tomorrow Summit in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital. At the summit, attendees voiced their enthusiasm for the democratic socialist stars—but also pointed to one issue where they want a stronger, clearer stance. The “Fighting for Our Future” event on Friday, July 25, featured more than 200 youth organizers, leaders and progressive politicians, like Rep. Ro Khanna of California and former DNC vice chair David Hogg. As the progressive wing of the party looks to new leadership, one attendee urged Ocasio-Cortez to get louder about Gaza.  “I really like AOC,” Reihena Djema, an attendee from Ohio, told Fox News Digital. “Unfortunately, I would like to see her stand and be more vocal about Palestine. But other than that, I really think that she should be the leader of the Democratic Party as she is a Democratic socialist.” Ocasio-Cortez made political waves when she welcomed Mamdani to the nation’s capital for a closed-door skill-sharing event with congressional Democrats on how to run a successful digital campaign. The self-described Democratic socialists may have been missing from Friday’s event, but their policies seeped into conversations at the summit.  AOC, SANDERS WELCOME MAMDANI TO DC FOR HIS CAPITOL HILL DEBUT, URGING RELUCTANT DEMS TO ‘GET TO KNOW HIM’ “I think that more politicians should be adopting socialism,” Djema said. “I think it’s really important to be class-conscious, and remove ourselves from this neo-liberal idea of it’s okay to, like, do capitalism and exploit workers, and I think the Democratic Party should be the party for workers and look more towards socialism.” AOC WELCOMES SOCIALIST MAMDANI TO NATION’S CAPITAL AS DEM LEADERS WITHHOLD ENDORSEMENTS Mamdani has been criticized by conservatives and moderates for his past anti-capitalist comments, including a years-old suggestion to seize the means of production.  And Ocasio-Cortez’s own progressive base, including the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), has criticized her for voting against an amendment proposed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to cut $500 million in funding for Israel’s defense systems, which the Democrat said “does nothing to cut off offensive aid to Israel nor end the flow of US munitions being used in Gaza.” “If you’re saying I voted for military funding, you are lying,” Ocasio-Cortez fired back on X. And she had previously clarified, “I remain focused on cutting the flow of US munitions that are being used to perpetuate the genocide in Gaza.” But her campaign office was later vandalized with red paint, reading, “AOC funds genocide in Gaza.”  “I think that she should be more vocal about what’s happening in Gaza, specifically condemning Israel for their genocide, and standing out on that,” Djema said, while adding she thinks Ocasio-Cortez is “great.” “Being a young person, a young voter, a college student, seeing people like Zohran Mamdani and AOC, just gaining so much more footing and so much more recognition in the policy field is very empowering,” Zainab Chowdry, a rising junior at the University of Texas, told Fox News Digital.  Chowdry said there’s a “stigma” around socialism, particularly from conservatives, so she’s optimistic and empowered that “people are really advocating for very common-sense policies,” like healthcare for all and affordability.  “I think candidates like Zohran Mamdani and AOC are really inspiring to see. Someone like Mamdani, a Muslim like me, and Zainab here, it’s so inspiring to see. I think that someone like that in 2028 can carry a lot of momentum. I think people are so excited,” Ayan Molodina, a high school sophomore from Austin, Texas, told Fox News Digital.  Molodina said people in Texas are “fired up” about Mamdani, adding, “I think that’s proof right there that people are ready for change, and I think that he brings that fresh perspective that people are looking for.” Deon Tran, a young voter from California, admitted that, “Yes, sometimes, a lot of these policies seem out there. They haven’t been tried before.”  But Tran told Fox News Digital that young voters “need politicians and leaders who are willing to fail and are willing to try, at the very least, instead of sticking with institutional traditions.” The Californian touted Ocasio-Cortez’s support for the failed Green New Deal and Mamdani’s emphasis on the cost of living.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP And Ashi, another Californian who was representing her state’s chapter at Voters of Tomorrow, said young voters are looking for “fresh thinkers” and leaders who can deliver for everyday Americans.  “To some extent, that’s probably why a lot of these young voters are really resonating with AOC and people like Zohran Mamdani,” she added.  Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office regarding the implication that she do more for Gaza. 

Colorado deputy could face massive fine for sharing information with immigration authorities

Colorado deputy could face massive fine for sharing information with immigration authorities

An officer sued by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser for allegedly sharing information with federal immigration agents in violation of state law continues to be under investigation, but he could face a hefty fine. “The complaint filed against the deputy is a civil lawsuit (not criminal). Violations of these laws … can result in an injunction and civil penalties up to $50,000,” Lawrence Pacheco, director of communications at the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, said in an email to Fox News Digital Friday. Mesa County Sheriff’s Deputy Alexander Zwinck and another deputy were disciplined by the sheriff’s office for allegedly sharing information with federal immigration agents on a drug task force during a Brazilian college student’s arrest for an expired visa, according to The Associated Press. COLORADO DEPUTIES VIOLATED NEW STATE LAW WHEN SHARING INFORMATION WITH FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENTS Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell said Caroline Dias-Goncalves, a 19-year-old nursing student, was pulled over by Zwinck for a traffic stop June 5 after she was allegedly driving too close to a semi-truck. While Dias-Goncalves was released with a warning after about 20 minutes, federal immigration agents stopped her and arrested her shortly after. Zwinck was placed on three weeks of unpaid leave, and Erik Olson was placed on two weeks of unpaid leave, Rowell said in a statement. Both were removed from the task force. Two supervisors were also disciplined, with one suspended without pay for two days and another receiving a letter of reprimand. A third supervisor received counseling. FLORIDA AG REFUSES TO BACK DOWN AFTER CONTEMPT RULING IN STATE IMMIGRATION LAW BATTLE CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “Based on our findings, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office should not have had any role in the chain of events leading to Miss Dias-Goncalves’s detention, and I regret that this occurred. I apologize to Miss Dias-Goncalves,” Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell said in a statement on Wednesday. “I have pushed for collaboration with state and federal partners to solve crime in our community. In the area of drug interdiction, HSI has been our primary federal law enforcement partner. Although discussions were had with HSI supervision in the months preceding this incident to ensure my deputies would not be involved in immigration enforcement, the administrative review showed that those lines of collaboration were crossed.” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed legislation earlier this year that prevents local governments from sharing immigration information with immigration officials at the federal level. ‘OBEY THE LAW’: CONSERVATIVE FIREBRAND TORCHES BLUE STATE IMMIGRATION POLICIES AMID MAJOR LAWSUIT “Basically, this new law gives a narrow exception for Colorado law enforcement to cooperate with the federal government if ICE or the Department of Homeland Security asks for assistance in a particular crime investigation,” Kristi Burton Brown, executive vice president of Advance Colorado, wrote in an email to Fox News Digital.  “However, there is an absolute ban on local law enforcement proactively notifying DHS if they discover that a violent criminal or repeat felon is here illegally. If they report to ICE anyway, they will face a $50,000 fine.” The law preventing law enforcement from cooperating with the federal government in many circumstances was blasted by Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., a former police officer. “As a former cop, I know firsthand how Colorado’s sanctuary laws have flipped the switch on crime, handcuffing cops instead of criminals. Let me be clear: our state’s leftist laws don’t prioritize public safety, they prioritize political games,” Evans posted to X.