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Tight-lipped House Dems still divided on Biden, leave closed-door meeting without consensus

House Democrats are still at odds with each other over how to handle President Biden’s re-election campaign after a closed-door meeting on Tuesday morning, as concerns grow over his viability as a candidate and his mental fitness for office. Left-wing lawmakers were largely evasive when leaving the meeting at Democratic National Committee headquarters on Capitol Hill, telling crowds of reporters they had “no comment” on what went on. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., avoided reporters by departing through an alternate entrance. Others who have publicly expressed concerns about Biden’s candidacy said they did so during the meeting as well. Democrats who spoke with Fox News Digital characterized those discussions as “respectful.” But lawmakers also conceded that they were on a rapidly-shrinking timeline to either mount a caucus-wide push against Biden or get in line behind him as the nominee. Democrats’ nominating convention, in Chicago, is in mid-August. “I explained how I came to the decision to go public with my concerns, about how I made a lot of calls, and behind the scenes, and tried to get my voice heard before going public,” Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., one of six House Democrats who’s asked Biden to step aside, told Fox News Digital. TRUMP ADDRESSES CALLS FOR BIDEN TO DROP OUT OF 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE: HE ‘DOESN’T WANT TO QUIT’ Moulton said he also “addressed some of the concerns that people raised about what would happen next.” “I think that we… either pass the baton to the vice president or have some sort of makeup primary,” Moulton said when asked to elaborate. “It’ll show the American public that we’re energetic. We’re willing to change. We’re listening and responding to the people’s concerns. And we’re willing to have a serious debate within our party about the path forward, something that Republicans are obviously unwilling to do.” When asked how his comments were taken, he said, “I will tell you that everybody who spoke on either side of this issue was received respectfully.” BIDEN’S ‘DISASTER’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE SPARKS MEDIA MELTDOWN, CALLS FOR HIM TO WITHDRAW FROM 2024 RACE “People were respectful, nobody booed or cheered, it was a serious conversation that I appreciate we’re able to have in a closed-door meeting,” Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo., said when asked about disagreements. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, the first House Democrat to come out against Biden, said he also spoke up in the meeting. He told reporters, “I’ve had a tremendous outpouring of support in my district for the position I’ve taken. So many people saying, ‘Thank you for voicing this.’” Other lawmakers were less willing to talk. Rep. Earl Blumenaur, D-Ore., told reporters, “I don’t do this in the media. It’s not helpful.” At least six more House Democrats either declined to comment or simply did not respond when approached after the meeting by Fox News Digital. Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, who has expressed concerns about Biden, told reporters the president has “got a lot of work” to convince people he’s fit for candidacy. All the lawmakers who Fox News Digital heard from said there was no consensus communicated by House Democratic leaders on how to move forward. SENIOR HOUSE DEM CALLS ON BIDEN TO STEP ASIDE, SLAMS CAMPAIGN’S ‘BE QUIET AND FALL IN LINE’ STRATEGY “It was not about consensus… it was listening to discussions,” said Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., who is emphatically behind Biden. He told Fox News Digital he was not frustrated at those who spoke out against Biden, explaining, “I wanted to hear them.” Pettersen told reporters, “I think that the path moving forward, you know, we’re still having discussions. But if Joe Biden doesn’t step aside, people will be united in support of the president.” “I think we just had a lot of, wide variety of perspectives and different pieces to highlight. There wasn’t one concise message,” she said. Similarly, Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., said on Monday morning that he would support Biden if he was ultimately declared the nominee in August. Biden, for his part, has said multiple times that he will not step aside and that he is the best person to take on former President Trump. But his disastrous debate performance late last month on CNN has brought concerns about his age and mental acuity to the forefront. Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., said the matter should be solved “sooner than later.” When asked about the timeline, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., pointed out that Congress only returned to session on Monday evening. “Obviously, everything has to be wrapped up [by August],” he said.

Judge McAfee gets $150 campaign donation from Trump co-defendant in Fani Willis case

Judge McAfee gets 0 campaign donation from Trump co-defendant in Fani Willis case

A co-defendant in the Georgia racketeering case against former President Trump donated to the 2024 campaign of the Atlanta judge presiding over the case, according to news reports. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee received $150 from co-defendant Ray Smith III on May 25, 2023, according to campaign data filings reported by Newsweek. McAfee won his primary election in May, fending off a challenge from a civil rights attorney and radio host, Robert Patillo. McAfee has been a judge for just over a year, since Republican Gov. Brian Kemp appointed him to fill an empty seat, and will now serve a full four-year term beginning in January. Smith was the first co-defendent to plead “not guilty” after a grand jury returned a sweeping indictment in District Attorney Fani Willis’ case against the former president’s co-conspirators. TRUMP JUDGE SCOTT MCAFEE WINS GEORGIA PRIMARY Smith was accused of 12 counts of illegally asking state lawmakers to appoint a different set of electors from Georgia who would cast their votes for Trump in the Electoral College. In 2020, Smith participated in state legislative hearings on behalf of the Trump campaign, arguing it was “impossible” to certify President Biden’s victory. “Because of irregularities and abject failure of the secretary of state of this state and the counties to properly conduct the election, it is impossible – impossible – to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election,” Smith told the Georgia state Senate Judiciary Subcommittee at the time. He argued that Georgia’s election was “flawed” and claimed state lawmakers held the power to choose presidential electors in the event of gross “irregularities” in a presidential election. Smith presented the Trump campaign’s case to lawmakers that Georgia election code was not followed in 2020 – claims tossed out of court – and interviewed several witnesses put forward by Trump’s defense team. REPUBLICANS HAMMER JUDGE MCAFEE’S RULING IN FANI WILLIS CASE, CALLING IT ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE’ McAfee was randomly assigned the unprecedented case against the former president and presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee last year. Newsweek reported that Smith is not the first from the defense side of the case to contribute to McAfee. Wilmer Parker III, who represents co-defendant John Eastman, donated $500 to McAfee’s re-election campaign in March, according to the outlet. McAfee became one of the highest-profile judges in the country after bombshell evidence was revealed in his courtroom that Willis had an “improper” affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she hired to help prosecute the case. The case against Trump is now on pause until the Georgia Court of Appeals reviews Trump’s arguments that Willis should be disqualified. Earlier this year, McAfee allowed Willis to stay on the case only if Wade resigned or was removed. In a three-day evidentiary hearing, Trump and co-defendants argued that Willis should be disqualified because she was in a romantic relationship with Wade prior to his hiring and that she financially benefited from his post in the DA’s office. Both Willis and Wade denied those claims. TRUMP GEORGIA CASE: FIVE KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM JUDGE’S ORDER GIVING DA FANI WILLIS AN ULTIMATUM In March, McAfee ruled that “neither side was able to conclusively establish by a preponderance of the evidence when the relationship evolved into a romantic one.” Still, the judge said that “an odor of mendacity remains,” and added that “reasonable questions about whether the district attorney and her hand-selected lead SADA [special assistant district attorney] testified untruthfully about the timing of their relationship further underpin the finding of an appearance of impropriety and the need to make proportional efforts to cure it.” He allowed Trump and his co-defendants to appeal his decision, which the Georgia Court of Appeals in May chose to take up. Oral arguments in that appeal are scheduled for October. Smith did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

State Department denies report Blinken told German chancellor Biden had to go to bed early at G-7 meeting

The State Department is disputing a report from the Wall Street Journal claiming President Biden skipped out on a meeting with German high officials to catch some sleep. The WSJ reported Monday that Germany had arranged a meeting between Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Schloss Elmau resort in Bavaria following the June 2022 G-7 summit. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is alleged to have arrived without Biden to that early evening lounge meeting and announced that the president would not be attending because he had to go to bed, according to two sources speaking to the WSJ. HOLLYWOOD ELITES, MEGADONORS TURN ON BIDEN AMID GROWING CALLS FOR NEW DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for comment on the alleged incident. “That is absolutely not accurate,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. “Secretary Blinken never said that or anything like it.” The State Department gave an identical statement to the WSJ in the original report. SECOND LOCAL RADIO HOST ADMITS TO GETTING QUESTIONS FROM BIDEN TEAM AHEAD OF INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT A source familiar with the 2022 meeting described the lounge gathering as informal and said Biden was never expected to attend. Blinken has defended Biden in the weeks following his disastrous performance against former President Trump at the first presidential debate. Speaking at a Brookings Institute event on July 1, Blinken claimed worldwide observers would not be dissuaded from supporting Biden due to his confused demeanor during the debate. “They’ve seen a president who’s reinvested America, reinvested America in the world, reinvested in these alliances, in these partnerships in ways that they seek and want,” Blinken said. He added that “confidence in American leadership has gone up dramatically” over the course of Biden’s term in the Oval Office.

New White House digital staffer cheered social media ban on Trump: ‘What took them so long?’

FIRST ON FOX: A newly hired White House digital staffer celebrated social media companies “finally, mercifully” banning President Trump on their platforms and asked “What took them so long?” in a 2021 blog post days before President Biden took office. Andy Volosky, who posted a picture on social media Monday in front of the White House with the caption “Started the new gig today,” joined the White House’s Office of Digital Strategy as the “deputy director of platforms,” according to his Linkedin profile. In Volosky’s blog post, published on the website of a previous employer, he called the action from social media companies to ban Trump following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots “welcome steps to limiting anyone’s ability to incite real-world violence.” In a subsection of his article, titled “A New, and Hopefully Welcome, Standard,” Volosky warned that “Twitter still allows the accounts of various world leaders, governments, and spokespeople, who use Twitter for what one can only describe as propaganda as cover for autocracy, to continue to use their platform. WHITE HOUSE PROMOTES BIDEN OFFICIAL WHO COMPARED POLICE TO SLAVE PATROLS, WANTS TO ABOLISH ICE “While these speeches’ consequences are far from most of the world’s eyes, and certainly from those of most Americans, the effects are real all the same,” he continued. He went on to say that Democrats have “long advocated for regulating the [social media] platforms” and emphasized how active social media users like himself and others can “keep the platforms honest.” “As social professionals, this is initially scary; we know these platforms inside and out, and unknown regulations affecting our day to day work aren’t exactly something we list on our to-do,” Volosky added. “But with the same token, we can play a role in keeping the platforms honest and improving the positive role of social in people’s lives. “It’s past time for the platforms to take content moderation and user safety seriously; as social media professionals, we should be ready and eager to make that happen, and we hope that this can be a small step in getting that ball rolling,” he added, referring to Trump being kicked off social media. Volosky’s new role made headlines in 2022 when the White House hired Megan Coyne, who previously worked in multiple social media roles for New Jersey’s Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, to run the White House social media accounts. The Washington Post called the White House’s tweets “feisty,” and BuzzFeed said the posts were “punchy.” It appears Coyne is still in her role and will share the same title with Volosky. Volosky, who appears to have deleted his X account and created a new account last month ahead of starting the White House position, previously worked for Middle Seat Consulting as a “senior social & texting strategist.” BIDEN STAFF ‘SCARED S—LESS’ OF HIM, SENIOR ADMIN OFFICIAL SAYS; WH HITS BACK The progressive digital agency, which specializes in fundraising and advertising, received millions of dollars from the campaign of Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and has worked closely with Justice Democrats and several members of the “Squad.” The digital agency also promoted a fundraiser for an organization led by controversial activist Shaun King, which aimed to promote Soros-style prosecutors across the country. Middle Seat has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Real Justice PAC. A White House spokesperson defended Volosky, telling Fox News Digital that White House officials are “proud to have Andy on the team and are excited about the work he’s already doing to inform Americans about the president’s work to lower costs and deliver for the American people.” “As we have consistently said, social media companies make independent decisions about the information they present,” Robyn Patterson added. “But those companies have a critical responsibility to take into account the effects their platforms are having on the American people and the security of this nation.” Patterson’s comments follow multiple controversies involving Rob Flaherty, who previously served as the White House’s director of digital strategy and is currently the Biden campaign’s deputy campaign manager. Flaherty played a prominent role in working with Facebook on behalf of the Biden White House regarding the narrative on social media as it related to COVID-19, according to Facebook files reviewed by Fox in 2023. The files showed conversations between Flaherty and Facebook officials in which the Biden staffer suggested the tech company “pay attention” to certain types of conversations, specifically those that expressed hesitancy about the COVID-19 vaccine and its potential side effects. “Since it’s a global pandemic, can we give agencies access to targeting parameters that they normally wouldn’t be able to?” the White House official said in a conversation at the time. Fox News’ Aubrie Spady and Andrew Murray contributed to this report.

Amber Rose confirms pro-Trump speech at RNC in Milwaukee next week

Model and TV personality Amber Rose announced on Instagram and X that she will be speaking at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week. Fox News Digital confirmed the news Tuesday. The convention will take place from July 15-18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “It’s True! I’m speaking at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee #MAGA,” Rose wrote on social media Monday. TRUMP ADDRESSES CALLS FOR BIDEN TO DROP OUT OF 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE: HE ‘DOESN’T WANT TO QUIT’ Former President Trump will be chosen officially as the Republican nominee for president next week at the RNC. The world will also be tuning in as Trump announces his VP pick. The four-day event is attended by more than 50,000 people, including party delegates from all 50 states and six U.S. territories, who will be selecting nominees for president and vice president of the United States ahead of the election on Nov. 5, 2024. Trump is expected to accept his nomination during a speech on Thursday, July 18, according to Reuters. His vice president is expected to be revealed by Monday, July 15, and the pick is anticipated to give a speech on Wednesday, July 17. Presently, Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota and Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and JD Vance of Ohio are possible VP picks for Trump. Lara Trump, the Republican National Committee co-chair, shared that there would be some “unlikely attendees” speaking at the convention this year. TRUMP FOCUSED ON CAMPAIGNING, AS DEMS ARE ‘IN DISARRAY’ AMID BIDEN CHAOS “I think you’ll be very excited, and I think very surprised actually to see a lot of the people that we’re going to have speaking at the convention this year,” Lara Trump said during a stop Monday in Waukesha, per ABC affiliate station WISN-TV. “Look, this is a convention that really every single American should see themselves reflected in this convention. That is the goal, but I think you’ll also hear from unlikely people, celebrities who maybe you’ve never heard from who support Donald Trump and support conservative values and the Republican Party. They feel this is the time right now, it is important to come out, to talk about that. To talk about why this election matters so much to them, why they’re voting for Donald Trump and why they’re voting for conservatives all the way down the ballot.” Rose shocked her social media followers when she posted a photo with Trump and his wife, former first lady Melania Trump, on May 20, 2024, with the caption “Trump 2024”. Most recently, she posted a photo endorsing Trump by wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat while posing in a white bikini. Prior to her recent endorsement, she had been an opponent of the former president, calling Trump a “f—ing idiot” during an interview with The Cut in 2016 and sharing that she “really hope[s] he’s not president.” She has also gained public attention for her former relationships, including one with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. The pair dated from 2008 until 2010. She also dated Wiz Khalifia, whom she married in 2013. Their relationship ended in divorce a year later. It is unclear which day Rose will give a speech at the RNC.

Would-be carjacker targets Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor security detail officer, suspect shot

A would-be carjacker was shot Friday in Washington, D.C., when he pointed a gun at a U.S. Marshal assigned to protect the homes of U.S. Supreme Court Justices near the residence of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Two Deputy U.S. Marshals were on-duty working a protective detail on the 2100 block of 11th Street NW around 1:15 a.m. when Kentrell Flowers, 18, exited a silver minivan and approached one of the unmarked Marshal’s vehicles, D.C. Metropolitan Police said in a criminal complaint. Flowers pointed a handgun at the Deputy U.S. Marshal through the driver-side window in an apparent attempt to carjack him, according to police. The Deputy Marshal pulled out his service firearm and fired approximately four times at Flowers through the window, according to a police criminal complaint. A second Marshal from another vehicle also responded and fired his service weapon. SHOCKING VIDEO SHOWS FLORIDA CARJACKER ABANDON KIDNAPPED CHILD ON SIDE OF ROAD The U.S. Marshals Service confirmed to Fox News that the Deputy U.S. Marshals involved in the shooting incident were assigned to the unit that protects the residences of U.S. Supreme Court justices, though the agency said it could not discuss specifics of protective security details. There is no indication Justice Sotomayor was in her home at the time, or in any danger. Flowers was shot in the mouth and rushed to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities recovered a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson with 8 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition in a 13-round capacity magazine, according to the complaint. Flowers was arrested at the hospital. He faces charges of armed carjacking, carrying a pistol without a license and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device. WASHINGTON, DC POLICE REUNITE WOMAN WITH FRENCH BULLDOG STOLEN DURING ARMED ROBBERY So far this year, there have been 258 carjacking offenses reported in Washington, D.C., according to public police data. The statistics show that 71% of those offenses involved guns. The number of carjacking offenses year-to-date was down 46% compared to the same period last year, according to the data. Within the last nine months, several high-profile carjackings and attempted car break-ins were reported. In January, former President Trump administration member Mike Gill was shot during a carjacking rampage in DC. Gill later died of his injuries. In November, a U.S. Secret Service agent assigned to protect President Biden’s granddaughter, Naomi, opened fire at attempted car break-in suspects in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The Secret Service said at the time that there was no threat to any protectees. A month earlier, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, was carjacked near the Capitol by three armed assailants, who stole his car but didn’t physically harm him. Fox News’ Bill Mears, Shannon Bream and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

Trump and his allies turn up the volume on Biden amid Democratic turmoil following disastrous debate

Former President Trump’s week and a half of keeping a relatively more restrained profile following his debate with President Biden appears to be coming to an end. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee is expected at a rally Tuesday evening near Miami, Florida, to take aim at Biden’s extremely uneven debate performance. And the Trump campaign says the former president will “lay out an indictment” on what he claims is an attempt by the Biden campaign, the Democratic Party, and the mainstream media to cover up what he argues is the 81-year-old president’s cognitive decline. A campaign aide, who asked for anonymity to speak more freely, said Trump will “press the case that Biden and the Democrats, with the collusion of mainstream media, have perpetrated a fraud and cover-up on the nation by claiming that Biden is fit to serve.” BIDEN SURROGATE NEWSOM SAYS CALLS BY FELLOW DEMOCRATS FOR BIDEN TO DROP OUT ‘NOT HELPFUL’ The debate was a major setback for Biden, who at 81 is the oldest president in the nation’s history. His halting delivery and stumbling answers at the showdown in Atlanta sparked widespread panic in the Democratic Party and a rising tide of public and private calls from within his own party for him to step aside as its 2024 standard-bearer. BIDEN TELLS CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS CALLS FOR HIM TO DROP OUT ‘ONLY HELPS TRUMP AND HURTS US’ Over the past week, six House Democrats have publicly called on Biden to end his re-election bid. And on Sunday, Fox News and other news organizations reported that four House Democrats who hold top positions on key committees said on a private conference call that the president needed to step aside. But the president and his campaign have strongly pushed back against the calls to step aside. Biden, in a letter sent to congressional Democrats on Monday as they returned from the July 4th holiday recess, reiterated that he’s “firmly committed to staying in this race” and argued that “the question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it is time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump.” “Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us,” the president added. “It is time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump.” Biden allies and other Democrats often point to the scores of times the former president – during his tenure in the White House and in the ensuing years – has slurred or confused his own words, which has raised concerns about Trump’s mental acuity. “Donald Trump must be confused. The only candidate who has been indicted, charged, impeached, and criminally convicted is Donald Trump,” Biden campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika told Fox News in a statement, as she pointed to his 34 felony convictions in his criminal trial in New York City. WHY TRUMP’S STAYED RELATIVELY QUIET THE PAST WEEK AND A HALF Over the past week, Trump has kept an uncharacteristically low profile, as his rival for the White House has worked to shore up his campaign. A source in Trump’s political orbit told Fox News a week ago, “How much do we need to do while they are busy committing suicide?” when asked about the campaign’s small footprint in the days after the debate. But Trump is starting to turn up the volume. Trump called into Fox News’ “Hannity” on Monday night for his first TV interview since the debate. The former president told host Sean Hannity that Biden “may very well stay in” the 2024 presidential race, but said he is prepared if the Democratic incumbent withdraws. “He’s got an ego and he doesn’t want to quit,” Trump claimed. And If Biden does withdraw, Trump said he would expect to face off against Vice President Kamala Harris. “I don’t think he wants to get out,” Trump told Hannity. “But, if he does get out, it will be her.” As Trump heads back out onto the campaign trail – in Florida on Tuesday and in battleground Pennsylvania on Saturday ahead of the Republican convention – a top allied group is also getting into the game. A super PAC funded in large part by Republican mega-donor Miriam Adelson is set to spend $61 million on TV and digital ads attacking Biden, a source with knowledge confirmed to Fox News. The commercials from the Preserve America super PAC will begin airing later this month, and are timed to coincide with the start of the Summer Olympics, which is expected to draw massive ratings. The ads will run through Labor Day in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the three key battleground states known as the Democrats’ blue wall. The commercials will spotlight the issues of immigration, national security and the economy. “Joe Biden and his hard-left allies have raised the cost of living, let terrorists cross our border, and crushed our veterans,” veteran Republican consultant Dave Carney, a senior adviser for Preserve America, told Fox News. “We’re going to put a boot on their necks so he can’t continue ruining our country over the next four years,” Carney said. The Preserve America ad blitz was first reported by Politico. Fox News’ Bryan Llenas contributed to this report Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

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