Biden admin eyes parade of foreign visits for president’s final months in office
President Biden’s administration is in the process of planning possible foreign travel for the president’s final months in office, with an eye to his biggest foreign policy focus areas, Fox News has learned. Much of Biden’s presidency has focused on helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression, strengthening the NATO alliance, and pursuing peace in the Middle East. Sources familiar with the planning say Biden’s team is assessing the potential for travel to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The sources stress that plans are subject to change and there are a considerable number of moving parts. Biden himself pledged earlier this year that he would travel to Africa “in February after I’m re-elected.” Several White House officials are interested in ensuring that trip takes place before he leaves office. HOW LONG WILL THE KAMALA HARRIS HONEYMOON IN THE POLLS LAST AGAINST DONALD TRUMP? Biden is also expected to attend the G20 summit in Brazil, which takes place from November 18 to 20. The White House may expand that trip to include the APEC summit in Peru, which runs from November 10 to 16. KAMALA HARRIS SUPPORTERS UNSURE WHEN ASKED ABOUT VP’S POLICY ACCOMPLISHMENTS The plans come as the nation’s attention has largely shifted away from Biden now that he has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Vice President Harris. The Democratic Party began its virtual roll call to formally nominate Harris on Thursday. Unlike the Republicans, who held their roll call in person during their convention in Milwaukee last month, the DNC is using a virtual roll call, which will conclude on Monday, two weeks ahead of the Aug. 19 start of the party’s convention at the United Center in Chicago. ONE OF THESE FIVE DEMOCRATS COULD BE HARRIS’ RUNNING MATE The DNC decided to hold a virtual roll call – which is similar to the one they held four years ago to nominate Biden amid the coronavirus pandemic – in order to formally have a nominee topping their ticket ahead of an August 7 ballot access deadline in Ohio, they say. Harris’ campaign has indicated that she will announce her running mate in just days. Officials say she will appear with her running mate at a rally in Philadelphia next week.
Biden calls Russia prisoner swap deal that freed WSJ’s Gershkovich, Whelan a ‘feat of diplomacy’
President Biden has called the prisoner swap deal with Russia Thursday that secured the release of The Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and others a “feat of diplomacy.” “Today, three American citizens and one American green-card holder who were unjustly imprisoned in Russia are finally coming home: Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Vladimir Kara-Murza,” he said in a statement. “The deal that secured their freedom was a feat of diplomacy. All told, we’ve negotiated the release of 16 people from Russia — including five Germans and seven Russian citizens who were political prisoners in their own country,” Biden said in a statement released by the White House. “Some of these women and men have been unjustly held for years. All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. Today, their agony is over.” “I am grateful to our Allies who stood with us throughout tough, complex negotiations to achieve this outcome — including Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Turkey. This is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world whom you can trust and depend upon. Our alliances make Americans safer,” Biden continued. “And let me be clear: I will not stop working until every American wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world is reunited with their family,” he added. Gershkovich, 32, was arrested on March 29, 2023, while reporting on a trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg and accused of espionage. The Biden administration declared him “wrongfully detained” and The Wall Street Journal and U.S. government both emphatically denied the charges, calling them absurd on their face. Whelan had languished in Russian custody for years. A well-placed source told Fox News that Turkish intelligence officials played a key role in mediating the prisoner swap. The last time Russia exchanged prisoners with the U.S. was December 2022, when it freed basketball player Brittney Griner in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia for smuggling and possessing cannabis. Like in Gershkovich’s case, Griner’s harsh sentence was viewed as Russia effectively taking an American hostage to obtain leverage over the U.S. Fox News has learned that the detainees are now on a plane heading back to the U.S. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Fox News’ David Rutz, Brian Flood and Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.
‘Dangerous message’: Top Republican raises concerns over trading Americans for ‘actual Russian criminals’
A top Republican warned on Thursday that the Biden administration’s choice to trade Russian criminals for detained Americans – Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Marine veteran Paul Whelan – could be sending a “dangerous message” to Russian President Vladimir Putin. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, joined others in celebrating the releases, saying he was “thrilled” to hear the detained Americans were coming home. “But I remain concerned that continuing to trade innocent Americans for actual Russian criminals held in the U.S. and elsewhere sends a dangerous message to Putin that only encourages further hostage taking by his regime,” he added. KAMALA HARRIS HIT FOR HER ROLE IN PROMOTING IRA FUNDING OF ‘ANTI-AMERICAN’ GROUPS He further stressed, “We should also not forget those Americans who may still be held in Russia, like Marc Fogel and Ksenia Karelina, as well as those held in other countries, including Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and David Lin, who are held in China, and Ryan Corbett, who is held in Afghanistan. We must get all of them home to their families too.” A senior administration official told Fox News on Thursday that the U.S. and Russia agreed to a prisoner transfer and the prisoners are now expected to soon be in U.S. custody. SCHUMER SILENT ON BIDEN OIL PURCHASE AFTER BLASTING TRUMP FOR ‘BAILOUT FOR BIG OIL’ Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, expressed his own relief at the planned release of Gershkovich and Whelan “after years of wrongful detention in Russia.” “The baseless charges, sham trials, and unjust imprisonment of these men is a stark reminder of Russia’s blatant disregard for human rights and its continued oppression of innocent Americans,” he said. KARI LAKE WINS GOP NOD, SETTING UP GENERAL ELECTION BATTLE WITH GALLEGO FOR SINEMA’S SEAT In a joint statement, the Pennsylvania congressional delegation, including Democratic Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, as well as Republican Reps. Mike Kelly and Guy Reschenthaler and Democratic Rep. Chris Deluzio, pushed the administration to include Fogel. “As news of a potential prisoner exchange is being reported, we urge that any swap include Pennsylvania’s Marc Fogel, along with Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich,” they said. “Marc is a Pennsylvania teacher with severe health issues who has been unjustly imprisoned in a Russian prison for three years, and as the congressional members who represent Marc and his family, we have been pushing to bring Marc home as quickly as possible. As negotiations are ongoing with the Russian Federation, we respectfully request that any potential prisoner swap include Marc Fogel.” GILLIBRAND, HAWLEY LEAD BIPARTISAN BILL TO CREATE MENTAL HEALTH HOTLINE FOR POLICE, FIRST RESPONDERS Former Rep. Mike Rogers, q Republican Senate candidate in Michigan, where Whelan is from, responded to the news on X, writing, “I’m so grateful to hear that Paul Whelan is finally coming home to Michigan! This great news is long, long overdue, but will hopefully bring peace to the Whelan family who’s been through unimaginable pain these past few years thanks to Russia’s egregious actions.”
Kamala Harris played key role in helping man become 1st illegal immigrant with law license: report
Vice President Kamala Harris was vital in a push to help an undocumented Mexican immigrant become the first licensed attorney in U.S. history. Harris, then-California’s attorney general, came out in support of the case of Sergio Covarrubias Garcia, who in 2012 was fighting a legal battle to earn his license as an attorney, according to a report from the Sacramento Bee on Wednesday. Garcia, whose parents permanently moved from Mexico to Northern California when he was 17, had been in a yearslong struggle to achieve his dream of becoming an attorney, with his case eventually making it all the way to the California Supreme Court. According to the report, Garcia worked in almond fields, at a grocery store, received two degrees at a community college and a paralegal certificate from California State University, Chico. He would later go on to complete law school and pass the bar exam on his first try in 2009. However, the California Supreme Court initially blocked him from obtaining his license. KAMALA HARRIS SUPPORTERS UNSURE WHEN ASKED ABOUT VP’S POLICY ACCOMPLISHMENTS The battle was highly publicized, attracting the attention of the Obama administration, who publicly opposed his case, with the Obama Justice Department arguing that a 1996 law was “plainly designed to preclude undocumented aliens from receiving commercial and professional licenses issued by states and the federal government.” While Harris serves today in the President Biden administration, she publicly bucked President Obama’s administration, where President Biden was then serving as vice president, going so far as to write a brief backing Garcia’s legal case and provided him an attorney from her office to argue on his behalf in front of the state’s Supreme Court. The state bar, civil rights groups and Latino lawmakers in the state all came out in support of Garcia, the report notes, though Harris’ endorsement “made the difference,” Kevin Johnson, the dean of UC Davis’ law school, told the Sacramento Bee. “When the highest law enforcement officer of a state weighs in and says this is legal, this is permissible, this is possible, the Supreme Court of the State of California listens,” said Johnson, who also represented the State Bar of California in support of Garcia’s case. “She could have ducked and covered and tried to avoid any political controversy. But she sided with the State Bar of California and Sergio Garcia, so, I respect her for that.” In an amicus brief filed by Harris in support of Garcia, the then-attorney general staked out an opposite position to the Obama administration, arguing that the undocumented migrant receiving a license to practice law was in line with state and federal policies that “encourage immigrants, both documented and undocumented, to contribute to society.” HOW LONG WILL THE KAMALA HARRIS HONEYMOON IN THE POLLS AGAINST DONALD TRUMP LAST? “It is not a crime either to be present or to work in the United States without immigration status, and Garcia has never been charged with the crime of unlawful entry,” Harris’ office wrote in the brief. “In fact, Garcia has been forthright about his immigration status with federal officials and has been approved for a visa when one becomes available.” The state’s Supreme Court ultimately sided with Harris unanimously, making Garcia the nation’s first undocumented attorney and inspiring a 2014 state law that allowed immigrants without legal status to apply for professional licenses. The highlighting of Garcia’s case comes as Harris has entered the spotlight as the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, with her record on immigration attracting particular attention after she was handed the task of solving the “root causes” of illegal migration by Biden in 2021. Garcia, who now practices law in Chico, California, told the Sacramento Bee that Harris took a big risk by taking his side in the case over a decade ago. “There was absolutely nothing she could gain from supporting me and a lot to lose,” Garcia said. However, he now expresses some disappointment in how the Biden administration has handled immigration and outreach in the Latino community. Garcia, who said he will still support her bid for president, hopes Harris will now push for immigration reform and to “shine for the immigrant community” by helping the 11 million undocumented immigrants who currently live in the United States. “I hope if she gets to become president that she gets to show to the rest of the country, and especially the rest of the Latino community, the person that she showed me,” Garcia said. The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Virginia sees 10,000th new business open under Youngkin’s tenure, fulfilling top campaign pledge
EXCLUSIVE: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin will announce Thursday that his state has surpassed a business-creation milestone he made a campaign pledge to meet. After he was declared the victor in November 2021 against Democratic former Gov. Terence McAuliffe, Youngkin, a Republican, pledged to foster 10,000 new start-up businesses during his term. “On day one, we’re going to jumpstart our jobs and reinvigorate the economy so it lifts up all Virginians,” Youngkin said at the time, having repeatedly declared since that “Virginia is open for business.” On Thursday, Youngkin said he achieved that goal in “record time.” YOUNGKIN: EDUCATION IS THE ‘BEDROCK OF THE AMERICAN DREAM’ “Through our ‘Compete to Win’ strategy, we’ve reached this incredible milestone by driving innovation, fostering entrepreneurship, bolstering our talent pipeline, providing needed tax relief, and truly creating an environment where startups and businesses can thrive,” he said. “Our efforts to bolster our business environment over the past two and a half years have earned Virginia the top state for business accolade. All startups should come to Virginia because we are fostering an environment of success.” Youngkin will visit ZEBOX in Arlington later Thursday to commemorate the milestone. ZEBOX is a “startup accelerator” and “innovation hub,” the governor’s office said in a statement. In response, Virginia Secretary of Commerce Caren Merrick said it is exciting to see so many innovators and entrepreneurs choose Virginia to launch their projects. “I look forward to thousands more in the future,” Merrick said. With Virginia being the rare state in which governors cannot be sequentially re-elected, that left the Falls Church businessman with only four years to meet the goal. Youngkin said he is also proud to see CNBC name Virginia the top state for business in the country. One recent ribbon-cutting took place not far from the governor’s office, as Youngkin joined Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham to open the Petersburg Pharma Campus, which houses several pharmaceutical manufacturers. YOUNGKIN VETOES A SLEW OF VIRGINIA BILLS INCLUDING CONTRACEPTION ACCESS MEASURE On the other side of the state, Firefly Aerospace chose Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Wallops Island facility near Accomac earlier this summer as the launchpad for its Alpha launch vehicle. Wallops Island is also home to an active NASA site. As early as 2022, Youngkin’s name was being floated as a potential Republican presidential candidate, though the governor has repeatedly stressed his focus remains on Virginia rather than any national political aspirations. “They elected me to lead change. They elected me to lead Virginia forward. And that’s what we’re doing,” Youngkin told Fox News at the time. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Until Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, was ultimately selected by former President Trump, the political newcomer had also been floated as a potential vice presidential nominee. Prior to venturing into politics, Youngkin himself had a successful career in the business sector, helming an executive position with the private equity firm Carlyle Group since 1995. During his tenure there, he reportedly helped Carlyle lead a high-profile $12 billion revamp of John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 1.
Democrats start virtual roll call to nominate Harris to be the party’s nominee against Trump
A virtual roll call to formally nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee kicked off on Thursday. The Democratic National Committee’s electronic voting for their party’s 2024 standard-bearer comes less than two weeks after President Biden, in a blockbuster announcement, ended his re-election campaign and endorsed his vice president to succeed him at the top of the ticket. Unlike the Republicans, who held their roll call in-person during their convention in Milwaukee last month, the DNC is using a virtual roll call which will conclude on Monday, two weeks ahead of the Aug. 19 start of the party’s convention at the United Center in Chicago. HARRIS LEANS IN ON BORDER SECURITY AND TRUMP RELISHES THE FIGHT But similar to the GOP nomination of former President Trump, there is no drama, as the vice president is the only candidate who qualified by a Tuesday night deadline to have her name placed on the roll call. 2024 AD WARS: TRUMP, HARRIS RACE TO DEFINE VICE PRESIDENT Biden’s disastrous performance against Trump at a late June debate that was held in Atlanta fueled questions about his physical and mental abilities to serve another four years in the White House. It also spurred a rising chorus of calls from within his own party for the 81-year-old president to end his bid for a second term in the White House. Biden’s immediate backing of Harris ignited a surge of endorsements for the vice president by Democratic governors, senators, House members and other party leaders and elders. Within 36 hours, Harris announced that she had locked up her party’s nomination by landing the verbal backing of a majority of the nearly 4,700 convention delegates. The DNC decided to hold a virtual roll call – which is similar to the one they held four years ago to nominate Biden amid the coronavirus pandemic – in order to formally have a nominee topping their ticket ahead of an Aug. 7 ballot access deadline in Ohio. “Our delegates have an important responsibility – and opportunity – in the days ahead to cast their history-making ballots for Vice President Harris, ensuring that she will be on the ballot in every state this November,” DNC chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement earlier this week. 1 OF THESE 5 DEMOCRATS COULD BE HARRIS’ RUNNING MATE The DNC reported that 3,923 delegates petitioned to put Harris on the ballot for the Democratic nomination, and that no other candidate met the party’s threshold of 300 delegate signatures to qualify for the ballot. While the official nomination vote by the delegates is being held remotely, the DNC says a ceremonial roll call will be held at the convention in Chicago. With the nomination of Harris not in doubt, speculation has soared in the past week over whom the vice president will choose as her running mate. The Harris campaign announced that the vice president and her soon-to-be-named running mate will embark on a swing through all seven key battleground states starting Tuesday in Pennsylvania. The running mate announcement could potentially come as early as Monday evening. That’s when it’s expected Harris will be announced as the nominee, following the 6 p.m. ET conclusion of the virtual roll call. DNC rules then allow for Harris to place the name of her running mate into nomination. According to the DNC, the convention chair would then declare that candidate to be the party’s vice presidential nominee. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Kamala Harris hit for her role in promoting IRA funding of ‘anti-American’ groups
Vice President Kamala Harris is being criticized for her support for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the organizations that have been chosen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to receive grants under the law. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works ranking member Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., shared findings from her investigation into the groups getting money from the IRA with reporters on Wednesday. She pointed out that Harris promoted the IRA’s work to boost “equity” by providing grants through the EPA to various left-wing groups being funded by the law when they were announced last year. SCHUMER SILENT ON BIDEN OIL PURCHASE AFTER BLASTING TRUMP FOR ‘BAILOUT FOR BIG OIL’ “We found that a lot of this money that’s going out really has little to do with the environment and a lot to do with funding groups that are basically engaged in what I characterize as anti-American activities. They’re anti-American, antisemitic, anti-Israel, anti-police, and anti-border security,” Moore Capito said of her investigation into the money. She listed several organizations, including the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, the Climate Justice Alliance (CJA), the NDN collective, the New York Immigration Coalition and the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice as examples of groups with radical left-wing beliefs that are being granted money by the EPA under the IRA. KARI LAKE WINS GOP NOD, SETTING UP GENERAL ELECTION BATTLE WITH GALLEGO FOR SINEMA’S SEAT CJA, which is slated for a grant of $50 million from the EPA, “have glorified Hamas in a lot of their social media on their websites and other things. And they think Israel has no right to exist,” Moore Capito revealed. The group has previously hosted events designed to frame the “free Palestine” movement as a “climate justice issue.” It has also promoted artwork symbolizing the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israeli citizens by Hamas. One image promoted by the organization for use at protests showed a bulldozer taking down a section of the Israel-Gaza border fence during the attack, with the word “Decolonize Palestine” written above it. The Ella Baker Center has frequently promoted its support for defunding the police, particularly through posts on X. In a statement last year, the NDN Collective claimed, “We do support defunding the police and U.S. military which continue terrorizing Indigenous, Black, LGBTQIA2S+ and poor people across the planet, because we have seen firsthand the destruction caused by state violence and control.” The group also refers to the U.S. as “so-called” as well as any locations within the country. Both the New York Immigration Coalition and the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice have expressed support for abolishing ICE or keeping the agency from operating within the states. When groups selected for EPA grants were announced in December 2023, Harris remarked that in order to provide a clean environment, “President Joe Biden and I have put equity at the center of our nation’s largest investment in climate in history.” GOP, DEM SENATORS UNITE TO CONDEMN ‘HORRIFYING’ TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT “Today’s announcement puts that commitment into action by ensuring critical resources to fund environmental justice projects across the country reach the organizations that know their communities best,” she said in a statement at the time. SCHUMER WON’T COMMIT TO SENATE VOTES FOR BIDEN’S LONG-SHOT RADICAL SCOTUS OVERHAUL Moore Capito pointed to a new report that a coalition called the Green New Deal Network, which is linked to CJA and other youth climate groups, is allegedly planning to endorse Harris for president. The West Virginia senator claimed the EPA was rushing to get the grants out to groups as they fear a potential return to the White House for former President Trump. “There’s been a recent rush to get this money out. And that’s because they know that there’s a likelihood, we like to think a high likelihood, that the administration will change come November,” Moore Capito said. A spokesperson for the EPA told Fox News Digital, “These are selections from EPA funding programs administered independently by EPA, in accordance with our rigorous grant competition policy. EPA strongly condemns violence, hate, or discrimination in any form, and any such comments are abhorrent and unacceptable.” “EPA is confident in the Agency’s strong oversight of all programs with robust controls in place to ensure all recipients manage grants consistent with the law and other federal requirements,” they added. Harris’ office pointed to a recent statement from the vice president condemning Hamas. “I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews,” she said in the statement. None of the highlighted groups selected for EPA grants immediately provided comment to Fox News Digital. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Court grants bail to SUV driver Manuj Kathuria in Delhi UPSC aspirants’ deaths case
Police claimed that Kathuria had driven his Force Gurkha through the flooded street, allowing the water to rise to the point where it broke through the gates of the three-story building and flooded the basement.
Border district Republican invites Kamala Harris to view crisis firsthand: ‘Sticks out like a sore thumb’
EXCLUSIVE: A senior House Republican whose district borders Mexico is inviting Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, to come see the crisis firsthand. “Every year, for four years now, both before and after she was given the job of dealing with the border by finding and curing the root causes, I’ve invited her to come to the border. And one of the reasons was that obviously it was a border crisis practically from day one of the Biden administration,” Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital in an interview. “But also by year two, when she got this job from the president, she immediately implied that there were three countries that this was all coming from, or that those three countries were filled with people who were coming, you know, fleeing crime.” Issa was referring to Harris being tapped to tackle the “root causes” of mass migration from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala – a role that’s earned her widespread criticism among Republicans as the migrant crisis continued to affect cities across the country. VENEZUELAN GANG TREN DE ARAGUA GIVES ‘GREEN LIGHT’ TO MEMBERS TO ATTACK COPS: OFFICIALS The former House Oversight chairman told Fox News Digital that from his experience in his home district, however, the migration problem was more widespread than just those three countries. “I wanted her to come and see that, even then, we had a very diverse group of immigrants, coming more and more from other parts of the world, whether it was Romania or Russia, or all the parts of Asia,” Issa said. Issa said he does not expect Harris to take him up on his offer, citing his experience with her as then-junior senator from California when he served as director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency under the Trump administration. BORDER STATE LAWMAKER SOUNDS ALARM ON BLOODTHIRSTY VENEZUELAN GANG ENTERING US: ‘THEY HAVE NO RULES’ “When I was a Trump appointee, she wouldn’t meet with me as a hometown senator. [Late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.,] did,” Issa said. “She has never been somebody who took the time to cross the aisle and speak to senators or House members, even from their home state, even on state issues.” The most recent data show that border encounters fell to their lowest monthly number during Biden’s presidency in June, with just under 84,000 migrants encountered between points of entry, after the president signed an executive order restricting most asylum claims when the seven-day average of illegal crossings rises above 2,500. But Republicans have argued that number is still too high, and continued to blame both Biden and Harris for instances of crime committed by illegal immigrants against Americans this year. “I have about 100 miles of the Mexican border, east of San Diego. What we see and hear is from law enforcement, the increased amount of border crime,” Issa said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS His latest invitation to Harris comes as Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, former President Trump’s running mate, is expected to tour part of the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona on Thursday. “Republicans don’t agree on everything, but we agree that government is already too big, the taxes are already too high. We believe that laws should be enforced, criminals should be punished, and that our border should be secure,” Issa said. “Harris not coming sticks out like a sore thumb. J.D. coming is to be expected because … supporting national defense, including border defense, those are core tenets of our party.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment but did not hear back by press time.
Ohio purging hundreds of noncitizens from state voter rolls amid 2024 election audit
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is moving to purge hundreds of noncitizens currently registered to vote after an election year audit revealed flaws in state voter rolls. The audit uncovered 499 individuals who were registered to vote but were not U.S. citizens. The removals announced Thursday include individuals who confirmed their noncitizen status to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. That data was then paired with the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database, which also confirmed them to be noncitizens. “These individuals failed to respond to notices from the Secretary of State’s office asking that they either confirm their citizenship status or cancel their registration,” LaRose’s office said in a statement. Officials clarified that any individual losing their registration as a result of Thursday’s action may submit a provisional ballot, which “will be counted upon proof of citizenship.” DEMOCRATS TO CONFIRM NOMINEES BY VIRTUAL ROLL CALL WEEKS BEFORE DNC IN CHICAGO TO AVOID LEGAL CHALLENGES “I swore an oath to uphold the constitution of our state, and that document clearly states that only United States citizens can participate in Ohio elections,” LaRose told Fox News Digital in a statement. “That means I’m duty-bound to make sure people who haven’t yet earned citizenship in this country aren’t voting. If or when they do become citizens, I’ll be the first one to congratulate them and welcome them to the franchise, but until then the law requires us to remove ineligible registrations to prevent illegal voting.” BIDEN’S CABINET DOUBLES DOWN ON SUPPORT FOR PRESIDENT AMID CALLS TO INVOKE 25TH AMENDMENT Ohio law requires that in order for a person to be removed from voter rolls, they must have confirmed their lack of citizenship to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles on two separate occasions, and also have updated their voter registration or voted in between the two occasions. Ohio had previously removed 136 noncitizens from its voter rolls in May. That action came as a result of an internal investigation relying on state data. LaRose called on President Biden’s administration to release the federal SAVE data at the time and the administration complied with the request, leading to Thursday’s action. The improper voter registration could result in prosecution for some, but LaRose cautioned that not all instances are criminal. His office’s Election Integrity Unit will refer cases for criminal prosecution when applicable, however. HARRIS REPEATS DEBUNKED CLAIM TRUMP WANTS TO ‘BAN’ ABORTION DURING FIRST CAMPAIGN RALLY SINCE BIDEN QUIT RACE “I want to give these folks the benefit of the doubt and say that most of them didn’t intend to break the law,” LaRose said. Ohio’s audit remains an ongoing process, and LaRose’s office says it may announce more voter roll purges as Election Day nears. The state has also removed nearly 155,000 registrations confirmed to be abandoned and inactive for at least four consecutive years. “We want to make sure a mistaken registration doesn’t become an illegal vote. We also want to make sure that lawfully registered citizens can participate seamlessly in the process,” LaRose said.