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Biden team reportedly considering preemptive pardons for Fauci, Schiff, other Trump ‘targets’

Biden team reportedly considering preemptive pardons for Fauci, Schiff, other Trump ‘targets’

President Biden’s White House is reportedly considering preemptive pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci, Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.  White House counsel Ed Siskel is arranging discussions about the potential pardons with several other senior Biden aides, including chief of staff Jeff Zients, Politico reported, citing senior Democrats familiar with the talks.  The president, who granted a sweeping pardon to his son, Hunter, for the past 11 years of crimes or potential crimes earlier this week, reportedly has not been roped in on the deliberations, according to Politico.  The conversations included whether Fauci, Schiff or Cheney would even accept a preemptive pardon, which could suggest wrongdoing and exacerbate criticisms brought by President-elect Trump’s team.  “I would urge the president not to do that,” Schiff told Politico. “I think it would seem defensive and unnecessary.” WHO ELSE MIGHT BIDEN PARDON AFTER HE SPARED HUNTER FROM SENTENCING? Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back.  Trump’s appointment of Kash Patel to be the next FBI director reportedly drove the talks of preemptive pardons amid concern of possible forthcoming inquiries or indictments once the new administration takes over in January.  Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., who hosted Biden in battleground Pennsylvania before the election, called on the president to issue blanket pardons when Patel’s nomination was announced – though he did not specify the intended recipients.  “By choosing Kash Patel as his FBI Director, Trump has made it clear that he is more focused on settling personal scores than on protecting the American people or upholding the rule of law. Patel has openly published an ‘enemies list’ in his book, naming individuals he and Trump plan to investigate and prosecute – targeting those who stood up to Trump’s lies, abuses of power, and baseless attempts to overturn the 2020 election. This is no hypothetical threat,” Boyle said in a statement. “The people they’re targeting include law enforcement officers, military personnel, and others who have spent their lives protecting this country. These patriots shouldn’t have to live in fear of political retribution for doing what’s right. That’s why I’m urging President Biden to issue a blanket pardon for anyone unjustly targeted by this vindictive scheme.” NY TIMES WARNS HUNTER BIDEN PARDON COULD GIVE TRUMP AMMO FOR JAN. 6 PARDONS, WILL ‘TARNISH’ BIDEN’S RECORD Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., also spoke in favor of preemptive pardons last week, noting how former President Gerald Ford granted one to Richard Nixon.  “If it’s clear by January 19 that [revenge] is his intention, then I would recommend to President Biden that he provide those preemptive pardons to people, because that’s really what our country is going to need next year,” Markey told WGBH. Schiff and Cheney both led the Jan. 6 select committee that investigated the U.S. Capitol riot.  Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), is under renewed scrutiny this week in light of the over 500-page final report dropped by the House subcommittee that has been investigating government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report – which found that COVID-19 most likely emerged from a laboratory in Wuhan, China – supported how Fauci “played a critical role in disparaging the lab-leak theory” among top scientific circles early in 2020 and later to the public. His congressional testimony to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the report states, misled the public regarding National Institute of Health (NIH) funding of gain-of-function research at coronavirus labs.  It goes on to cite how Fauci testified that the six-foot social distancing rule imposed on Americans “sort of just appeared” and did not support quality scientific standards, when he was grilled on what studies he and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had reviewed before announcing the policy. He also gave similarly vague testimony when asked what science supported K-12 public school mask mandates. 

Republicans slam Biden migrant parole program: ‘Rife with fraud’

Republicans slam Biden migrant parole program: ‘Rife with fraud’

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee grilled Ur Jaddou, head of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), on Wednesday, slamming her leadership and the Biden administration for waving in mass illegal immigration and running a humanitarian parole program “rife with fraud.” USCIS is a federal agency meant to oversee lawful immigration into the U.S. “You totally blew it,” Texas Rep. Troy Nehls told Jaddou. “The American people are sick and tired, and you should all be fired. Well you will be shortly because the American people said, ‘We ain’t going to tolerate this anymore,’” he added.   BIDEN USCIS NOMINEE CALLED FOR PAUSING BORDER PATROL FUNDING Rep. Tom McClintock, head of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, also drilled into Jaddou, saying: “If anyone wonders why real wages for working families have declined under this administration, look no further than the agency before us today.” “Our subcommittee,” he continued, “has noted that in millions of cases, credible fear interviews are not even conducted before migrants who have illegally entered the country are then released into the country. How do you explain that?” Jaddou attempted to explain by saying that USCIS, which primarily receives its funding from applicant fees, is underfunded. McClintock shot back that “until we opened our borders those fees were more than adequate to conduct those interviews and under your administration, they’re not.” BORDER PATROL CHIEF THRILLED WITH TRUMP BORDER CZAR PICK AFTER ‘EXHAUSTING’ BIDEN-ERA CRISIS: ‘I’M EXCITED’ The chairman took particular issue with the Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans parole program – known as CHNV – which, according to a November report by the subcommittee, was used to allow more than 530,000 migrants from those countries into the U.S. The CHNV program was started by the Biden administration in January 2023 and allows up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter the U.S. each month. It was temporarily paused by the administration in July due to fraud concerns but then reinstated just weeks later.   “They took a parole authority that required case-by-case review of individual exigent circumstances to provide temporary entry to the United States and transformed it into a fraud-ridden, mass admission of more than half a million Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans up to 1,000 every day,” said McClintock.   COLORADO REPUBLICANS SOUND OFF ON IMPACT OF MIGRANT SURGE ON CITIZENS: ‘THEIR SOULS ARE CRUSHED’ McClintock also criticized USCIS for not properly vetting CHNV sponsors and allowing migrants to sponsor each other. “Literally one parolee can immediately arrive in this country, receive indefinite status, and then sign up as a sponsor for the next. This is illegal chain migration on steroids all made possible by an agency willing to contort and ignore the law,” he said. Pressed further by Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, Jaddou admitted that the program allows migrants to sponsor other migrants. She said 86% of CHNV parole sponsors are U.S. citizens and lawful residents, leaving questions about the other 14%.    Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs dug further, questioning Jaddou on the widespread abuses of the CHNV program by migrants, citing hundreds and thousands of instances of the same Social Security number, email, zip code and responses being used on multiple sponsor applications. “This program is rife with fraud,” Biggs said, adding that “the fraud was so rampant you closed down the program, but you didn’t fix it. It’s still ongoing.” “Do you know how you reduce illegal immigration, according to the left? It’s really simple. You make illegal immigration legal,” said Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt.  “Biden was upset the American people were complaining about the increase in illegal immigration numbers at the border,” he said. “So, what did Biden do? He legalized illegal immigration by expanding the intended use of parole to fit his needs.” Throughout the hearing, Jaddou maintained that her agency was effectively managing its duties, including the CHNV program, which she said is “just one piece” of “an entire border management strategy.”  “It cannot work alone,” she said. “Neither can enforcement measures work alone if we want it to be long-lasting, and that’s why this process is important.” 

You’ve been elected to Congress. Now what? Freshman Republican reveals what it’s like to enter office

You’ve been elected to Congress. Now what? Freshman Republican reveals what it’s like to enter office

Rep.-elect Ryan Mackenzie, R-Penn., says entering office is like a “whirlwind” as Republican leadership prepare the freshman class of lawmakers to hit the ground running in January. Mackenzie, who ousted Democratic incumbent Rep. Susan Wild to gain his seat, told Fox News Digital in an interview that his experience from multiple terms in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has proven invaluable in these opening weeks. Incoming House members of both parties – this cycle it’s 57 new members – visit Washington barely a week after winning their elections for a freshman orientation that Mackenzie says makes it seem “just like it’s any other job.” “You go through ethics training, HR training, cybersecurity training to make sure that you’re gonna protect your information and the data that is so critical and sensitive for ourselves and our constituents and everybody else,” Mackenzie said. HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE TO MEET WITH VOTE ON RELEASING GAETZ REPORT LOOMING Mackenzie said new lawmakers also have to get up to speed on legislation passing through Congress or legislation that soon will be, all while setting up and staffing their Capitol Hill offices. “Some people have called it that you’re building a small business when you’re running a congressional staff and office networked across your district and in Washington, D.C., but you’re building that in a very short period of time,” he said. DEM REP. NADLER PICTURED WITH HEAD DOWN, EYES CLOSED DURING TESTIMONY FROM OTHERS OF MIGRANT CRIME VICTIMS Mackenzie also offered a look at the Republican game plan for when they take over Congress in January, saying the party is set to be far more effective than the opening months of the first Trump administration. Republican lawmakers heard from both their congressional leadership and President-elect Trump about what the party’s priorities will be come January. “With the House, the Senate and the White House all lined up, we have a great opportunity, but it’s still incredibly difficult to get things done,” Mackenzie said, noting that lawmakers have to come to an agreement on the specific solutions to the campaign issues they ran on, namely lowering the cost of living and stemming the flow of illegal immigration. END OF DEFUND POLICE ERA? CRIME, PROSECUTORIAL CRACKDOWN IN BLUE AND PURPLE STATES SIGNALS SHIFT, EXPERTS SAY “I feel very confident that we’re going to hit the ground running in those first 30–100 days in Congress,” he said. “It’s not going to be like it was the first time when Donald Trump came into office and people were maybe shocked and didn’t really have their act together. It’s much different this time around.” Mackenzie went on to argue that handling the issues of cost of living and illegal immigration “go hand-in-hand in a lot of ways.” He stated that mass illegal immigration drives up the cost of housing and health care. He nevertheless noted that lowering costs was consistently the top priority for voters in polls, followed closely by the border crisis. “We need to make sure we’re addressing these things in tandem,” he said. “It’s about how can we best get both of these things actually across the goal line and through a House, a Senate and signed into law by the president.”

‘ANTIFA Baby Onesie’: Podcast group founded by former Obama staffers sells ANTIFA gear for babies, toddlers

‘ANTIFA Baby Onesie’: Podcast group founded by former Obama staffers sells ANTIFA gear for babies, toddlers

A progressive political media group founded by former Obama administration staffers is selling “ANTIFA” onesies for babies and other anti-fascist-themed clothing for both kids and adults.    The items can be bought via a digital merchandise store run by Crooked Media, which was co-founded in 2017 by former Obama staffers Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor. Oftentimes referred to as the “Obama bros,” the three communications professionals co-host “Pod Save America,” one of the most listened-to political podcasts in the nation, per Apple Podcasts U.S. rankings. ‘DANGEROUS’ SUSPECTED ANTIFA SYMPATHIZER PLEADS GUILTY TO DETONATING NAIL-FILLED EXPLOSIVE DEVICE In addition to the “ANTIFA” onesie for babies, a T-shirt with the same bold “ANTIFA” text written across it can be purchased for toddlers via the Crooked Media merch store. An “ANTIFA Dad Hat” is also for sale.  “ANTIFA” is a common term used to refer to far-left “anti-fascists” who were at the forefront of the George Floyd protests during the summer of 2020. Many of those protests devolved into violent riots, even resulting in the deaths of dozens of people and billions of dollars in property damage because of the unrest. Following that summer, ANTIFA continued to deploy violent tactics.   A spokesperson for Crooked Media told Fox News Digital that the clothes it has listed on its website “are not a joke,” but also quipped that “all toddlers are antifa until their souls are broken by capitalism.” JOURNALIST ATTACKED ON CAMPUS BY ANTIFA RECOGNIZES ATTACKERS FROM 2020 BLM RIOTS: ‘THESE ARE PROFESSIONALS’ In addition to the “ANTIFA”-branded clothing for babies and toddlers, the Crooked Media merch store also carries other items, such as a onesie that reads “WOKE MOB” across the front and another that simply reads “BIRTH CONTROL” in big, bold lettering. One onesie for sale displays the word “ILLUMINATI” on the front. They come in T-shirts, too.  Crooked Media produces a number of podcasts, but “POD SAVE AMERICA” gets most of the group’s attention with nearly 1,000 episodes recorded, far surpassing any of its other programs, according to Crooked’s website. Fox News reporter Brooke Singman contributed to this story.

Theatre of Violence: The ICC’s landmark trial of a former child soldier

Theatre of Violence: The ICC’s landmark trial of a former child soldier

A Ugandan defence lawyer asks whether the International Criminal Court (ICC) is imposing a new form of colonialism. Krispus Ayena is appointed defence lawyer in The Hague to defend the first former child soldier to be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court (ICC). His client, Dominic Ongwen, was nine years old when he became one of at least 20,000 children abducted by rebel leader Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda. He is charged with 70 counts of different war crimes, including torture, rape and murder. But Ayena wants him acquitted, raising vital questions about accountability when someone is both victim and perpetrator, and what justice means when prosecuted in an international court far away from the crime scene. Theatre of Violence is a documentary film by Lukasz Konopa and Emil Langballe. Adblock test (Why?)