GOP’s Murkowski laments Trump’s ‘baggage’ following guilty verdict
A moderate Republican senator finally broke her silence on former President Trump’s conviction on Friday, lamenting the focus “Trump’s legal drama” takes away from President Biden’s “indefensible record.” “These distractions have given the Biden campaign a free pass as the focus has shifted from Biden’s indefensible record and the damage his policies have done to Alaska and our nation’s economy, to Trump’s legal drama,” wrote Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, on X. “A Republican nominee without this baggage would have a clear path to victory.” The Republican, who frequently emerges as a detractor from her party in divisive matters, did not say whether she approved of the verdict or not. SOROS HEIR URGES DEMOCRATS TO HAMMER TRUMP AS ‘CONVICTED FELON AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY’ The Alaska senator notably issued a last-minute endorsement of former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley for the Republican nomination for president shortly before her campaign ended. Haley often pointed to Trump’s legal troubles and the “chaos” she said follows him on the 2024 campaign trail, while similarly avoiding taking a position on whether the cases were right or wrong. SENATE DEMS IN BATTLEGROUND RACES CAREFUL TO WEIGH IN ON TRUMP VERDICT “Yesterday, a New York jury found former president Trump guilty of falsifying business records,” Murkowski wrote on Friday. “This is the first step in the legal process. The former president has the right to appeal and I fully expect him to exercise that right.” However, she said, “It is a shame that this election has focused on personalities and legal problems rather than a debate about policies that would lift up Americans.” SCHUMER URGES TRUMP ALLIES TO LET LEGAL PROCESS ‘MOVE FORWARD’ AFTER GUILTY VERDICT Many of Murkowski’s fellow Senate Republicans issued their responses to the verdict promptly, with most of them objecting to the outcome. Even Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who is often on the same page as Murkowski, denounced Thursday’s verdict. “It is fundamental to our American system of justice that the government prosecutes cases because of alleged criminal conduct regardless of who the defendant happens to be. In this case the opposite has happened. The district attorney, who campaigned on a promise to prosecute Donald Trump, brought these charges precisely because of who the defendant was rather than because of any specified criminal conduct,” the lawmaker said in a statement. “The political underpinnings of this case further blur the lines between the judicial system and the electoral system, and this verdict likely will be the subject of a protracted appeals process,” Collins said. ‘BOOM’: DEMOCRATS CELEBRATE TRUMP GUILTY VERDICT AS BIDEN WEIGHS REMAINING THREAT Collins similarly did not back Trump for president in the GOP primary and admitted to voting for Haley. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, has emerged as someone often in line with Murkowski and Collins on certain issues, but did not release his own statement on the Trump guilty verdict. Romney’s office did not immediately provide comment when contacted by Fox News Digital. However, earlier this month, Romney claimed President Biden made a mistake by not pardoning Trump. “You may disagree with this, but had I been President Biden, when the Justice Department brought on indictments, I would have immediately pardoned him,” he said in an interview on MSNBC. “I’d have pardoned President Trump. Why? Well, because it makes me, President Biden, the big guy and the person I pardoned a little guy,” Romney explained.
Soros heir urges Democrats to hammer Trump as ‘convicted felon at every opportunity’
Progressive megadonor George Soros’s son and heir to his enterprise advised Democrats on Friday to emphasize former President Trump’s status as a “convicted felon,” after he was found guilty by a New York jury on charges filed by a district attorney that the powerful Soros family helped elect. “Democrats should refer to Trump as a convicted felon at every opportunity,” Alexander Soros wrote on X. SENATE DEMS IN BATTLEGROUND RACES CAREFUL TO WEIGH IN ON TRUMP VERDICT “Repetition is the key to a successful message and we want people to wrestle with the notion of hiring a convicted felon for the most important job in the country!” Soros said. The Soros family has bankrolled campaigns of prosecutors across the country blamed for being lax on crime. Fox News previously reported that George Soros gave Color of Change PAC $1 million in 2021, which spent a significant sum in support of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s candidacy. Fox News Digital reviewed campaign finance records that showed his son and daughter-in-law Jonathan and Jennifer Allan Soros donated directly to the then-candidate’s campaign. SCHUMER URGES TRUMP ALLIES TO LET LEGAL PROCESS ‘MOVE FORWARD’ AFTER GUILTY VERDICT Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who the former president allegedly had an affair with. “I did my job. Our job is to follow the facts and the law without fear or favor. And that’s exactly what we did here,” Bragg told reporters following the guilty verdict being reached on Thursday. ‘BOOM’: DEMOCRATS CELEBRATE TRUMP GUILTY VERDICT AS BIDEN WEIGHS REMAINING THREAT “What I feel is gratitude to work alongside phenomenal public servants who do that each and every day in matters that you all write about.… I did my job. We did our job. Many voices out there. The only voice that matters is the voice of the jury. And the jury has spoken,” he added. ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE’ CLAIMS MUDDY BATTLEGROUND STATE POLITICS AMID COMPETITIVE RACES Republicans overwhelmingly took issue with the verdict, slamming the trial as politicized. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio demanded on Friday that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and prosecutor Matthew Colangelo testify next month at a hearing on “the unprecedented political prosecution of President Trump.”
First Texas National Guard troops move into new Eagle Pass base
Gov. Greg Abbott inaugurated the base, which will be able to house at least 1,800 troops when construction is finished.
Fox News Politics: ‘Felonious’ Trump’s Dream
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. Former President Trump’s conviction in New York had an immediate windfall of campaign cash to both his own campaign and other Republican election funds. Within hours of the conviction, both the Trump and Biden campaigns were raising money on the news. VERDICT CASH DASH: Trump quickly gets ‘back to the mission’ following his guilty verdicts …Read more Plenty of Democrats and anti-Trump figures have celebrated former Trump’s conviction in a New York court on 34 counts of falsifying business records — a felony under New York state law when done to conceal another crime. But the jury didn’t have to agree, or even declare, what that other crime was. Numerous legal scholars — including an analyst at CNN who called it an “unjustified mess” — have pointed to severe flaws in the case, despite the jury’s unanimous verdict. Get the latest live updates of the Trump trial fallout on Fox News. GRIN AND ‘BARE’ IT: President Biden himself said Trump has the right to appeal. But when asked Friday to comment on Trump’s claims about being a political prisoner, Biden grinned — and ignored the question. SILENT MINORITY: 2024 GOP rival remains mum on Trump’s NYC conviction …Read more ‘GREAT DAMAGE’: Elon Musk set to host Trump town hall after ripping NYC guilty verdict …Read more ‘CONVICTED FELON’: Schumer urges Trump to avoid ‘outside political influence’ as he appeals conviction …Read more ‘OUTRAGE’: Trump guilty verdict reveals split among former GOP presidential primary opponents …Read more ‘I WANTED TO TESTIFY’: Trump says he would have ‘loved’ to testify in New York criminal trial …Read more PENCE-IVE RESPONSE: Pence breaks silence and responds to Trump’s NYC conviction …Read more WHAT’S NEXT? A look at the New York appeals system that awaits Trump after his conviction …Read more OUR ‘GREATEST ENEMY’: Biden moves to open US banks to Cuba’s private sector …Read more ‘ACCEPT’ IT: Larry Hogan says Republicans should ‘accept’ Trump verdict …Read more TAKE THAT: ‘The View’ celebrates Trump’s conviction: ‘I got so excited, I started leaking’ …Read more UNINVITED: Robert De Niro loses prestigious award over anti-Trump outburst …Read more PARTY’S OVER: Longtime Democrat registers as independent …Read more ‘I’M DONE’: Blue state lawmaker urges colleagues to toughen penalty on predators who solicit sex with kids …Read more A HOUSE DIVIDED: Former Biden officials claim many in administration ‘fed up’ with Gaza policy …Read more POTS AND KETTLES: Rep. Crockett, who made merchandise off her ‘butch body’ insult of MTG, laments House has been run ‘like a circus’ under GOP …Read more Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Campaigning from prison? It’s been done. Meet 20th century socialist firebrand Eugene Debs
Following his unprecedented felony conviction, former president and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has to wait to find out what his sentence will be. But even if it involves time behind bars, that doesn’t mean his campaign to return to the White House comes to an end. He wouldn’t even be the first candidate to run for that office while imprisoned. That piece of history belongs to Eugene V. Debs, who ran on the Socialist Party ticket in 1920 — and garnered almost a million votes, or about 3 percent. AMERICANS MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD ON THE TRUMP VERDICT The circumstances are obviously different. Debs, despite his influence and fame, was effectively a fringe candidate that year; Trump has already held the office and is running as the near-certain nominee of one of the country’s two major political parties. But there are similarities, too. Debs, born in 1855, became a strong voice advocating for labor causes from the time he was a young man. A staunch union member and leader, he was first sent to prison for six months following the 1894 Pullman rail strike, on grounds he violated a federal injunction against the strike. He became a committed socialist, and a founding member of the Socialist Party of America. He ran for president as a socialist in 1900, 1904, 1908 and 1912. In 1918, though, he was sent to prison for speaking out against American involvement in World War I, which was a violation of the recently passed Sedition Act. But being locked up in a federal prison in Atlanta didn’t lower Debs’ profile at all, and in 1920, he was once again nominated as the party’s presidential candidate. Being in prison didn’t make campaigning impossible, either. While Debs obviously could not travel around the country himself, his party turned his status into a rallying point, using his convict number on campaign buttons. Surrogates spoke for him, as well as a film clip of him being told of his nomination that played around the country, said Thomas Doherty, professor of American Studies at Brandeis University. “The fame of Debs and the novelty of him running for president from prison gave him a sort of purchase,” Doherty said. “It was a credible campaign, considering you’re running from prison.”
Senate Dems in battleground races careful to weigh in on Trump verdict
Democrats facing the most competitive Senate elections heading into November were among the last to weigh in on the guilty verdict handed to former President Trump on Thursday as they fight off the potential for Republicans to flip their seats. Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Bob Casey, D-Penn., didn’t respond to the news of Trump’s conviction on Thursday night or Friday morning, while their colleagues on both sides of the aisle sounded off. Trump was found guilty by a New York jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records, which he did to cover payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels that had been made after an alleged affair with her. SCHUMER URGES TRUMP ALLIES TO LET LEGAL PROCESS ‘MOVE FORWARD’ AFTER GUILTY VERDICT Montana, Ohio, and Nevada are home to the most competitive Senate races in the country, according to non-partisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report, in which incumbent Democrats contend with a real risk of losing their seats, in addition to the Senate majority. “Senator Tester respects the judicial process and believes everyone should be treated fairly before the courts, and voters will have the opportunity to make their voices heard at the ballot box in November,” a Tester spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Friday afternoon. “Every American, even a former president, is subject to the rule of law and must be held accountable for criminal actions,” said Rosen in a statement. “A jury has made its decision, and I respect our legal system and the outcome of this fair and impartial process.” ‘BOOM’: DEMOCRATS CELEBRATE TRUMP GUILTY VERDICT AS BIDEN WEIGHS REMAINING THREAT In her own statement, Baldwin told Fox News Digital, “Donald Trump had his day in court. A jury of his peers saw that there was evidence beyond a reasonable doubt he was guilty. No one, including a former president, is above the law.” “I’m not a lawyer or a judge, but I’ve said from the beginning that no one is above the law,” Brown told Fox News Digital in a statement after publication. “Ultimately, this is up to the legal system to sort out and for the American people to decide in November.” Casey said in a statement after publication, “The former president had his day in court in front of a jury of citizens, as we all deserve, and this verdict reflects that.” ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE’ CLAIMS MUDDY BATTLEGROUND STATE POLITICS AMID COMPETITIVE RACES National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesperson Mike Berg slammed the senators’ mild responses, saying in a statement to Fox News Digital, “All of these Democrats endorsed Joe Biden, who is leading this witch hunt, so it’s clear they support his legal warfare against President Trump. Democrat Senator Jon Tester even advocated for physical violence against President Trump, so his refusal to embrace the verdict is very surprising.” In 2019, Tester told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” “I don’t think, even in states where Donald Trump won big, that it does you any good running away from Donald Trump. I think you need to go back and punch him in the face,” when responding to a question about Republican colleagues supporting the then-president. SPEAKER JOHNSON PLANS TO INVITE ISRAEL’S NETANYAHU TO MEET WITH CONGRESS SOONER RATHER THAN LATER Republican lawmakers promptly responded to the verdict on Thursday, with most of them criticizing the conviction. Democratic lawmakers’ reactions varied from celebration to solemn acknowledgment and claims that the verdict must be respected. However, notably missing from the responses on X and in public statements were those of the five most vulnerable incumbents, many of whom are from battleground states that have voted for Trump in the past. Tester hails from a state where Trump beat President Biden by over 16% in 2020, despite losing the presidency. In 2016, Trump won the red state by an even larger margin.
Republicans vow to upend Dem-led Senate after Trump’s guilty verdict
Republican senators signed a public letter to the White House on Friday, vowing to prevent the upper chamber from accomplishing anything — from appropriations to confirmations — in the wake of former President Trump’s guilty verdict. “As a Senate Republican conference, we are unwilling to aid and abet this White House in its project to tear this country apart,” read a letter led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. On Thursday, Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying documents to cover up payments made to former porn star Stormy Daniels, a woman with whom he allegedly had an affair in 2006. SCHUMER URGES TRUMP ALLIES TO LET LEGAL PROCESS ‘MOVE FORWARD’ AFTER GUILTY VERDICT The lawmakers laid out that they will no longer allow the Senate to run smoothly, by confirming President Biden’s nominees or allowing Congress to move forward with funding for the next fiscal year. “Strongly worded statements are not enough. Those who turned our judicial system into a political cudgel must be held accountable. We are no longer cooperating with any Democrat legislative priorities or nominations, and we invite all concerned Senators to join our stand,” Lee announced on X. ‘BOOM’: DEMOCRATS CELEBRATE TRUMP GUILTY VERDICT AS BIDEN WEIGHS REMAINING THREAT Sens. JD Vance, R-Ohio; Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.; Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; Rick Scott, R-Fla.; Roger Marshall, R-Kan.; and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., joined Lee in stating they will refuse to allow any increases for funding that are unrelated to security. The senators further claimed they wouldn’t allow “any appropriations bill which funds partisan lawfare.” ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE’ CLAIMS MUDDY BATTLEGROUND STATE POLITICS AMID COMPETITIVE RACES No political or judicial nominees proposed by Biden will receive their votes for confirmation either, they wrote. Lastly, the Republicans said they won’t allow any “expedited consideration and passage of Democrat legislation or authorities that are not directly relevant to the safety of the American people.” This plan, if adhered to, would force Democrats to go through regular order to pursue legislative priorities, which can take a long time. The Senate relies on the common use of unanimous consent requests to expedite these processes. Two of the signatories, Vance and Rubio, are being speculated as potential running mates for Trump as the Republican National Convention draws near. SPEAKER JOHNSON PLANS TO INVITE ISRAEL’S NETANYAHU TO MEET WITH CONGRESS SOONER RATHER THAN LATER Scott is notably running for the position of Republican Senate Leader, vying to replace outgoing Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Congress will need to pass appropriations bills or a stopgap funding bill before the start of the next fiscal year in October, otherwise the government will shut down ahead of the November election. Neither the White House nor the office of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., responded to inquires for purposes of this story in time for publication.
Strict rules over delta-8 and delta-9 likely for Texas’ booming hemp industry
Lawmakers are struggling to balance demands for medicinal cannabis products with a wildly growing market that is outpacing meaningful regulation.
Biden mocked for ‘disturbing’ smile after ignoring question about Trump being ‘political prisoner’
President Joe Biden took heat Friday for his strange response to a question about his political rival’s historic criminal conviction following remarks from the White House, flashing what some called an “evil” grin. President Biden, 81, said Friday after former President Donald Trump was found guilty in his New York criminal trial that “he’ll be given the opportunity, as he should, to appeal that decision, just like everyone else has that opportunity.” Biden added that it was “reckless, it’s dangerous, it’s irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don’t like the verdict.” As Biden walked away from the podium, a reporter shouted out a question: Donald Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly. What’s your response to that, sir?” The president paused, turned to the reporters and flashed what some called a “disturbing” smile for almost 10 seconds before walking away, not offering a verbal response. BIDEN SAYS TRUMP ‘SHOULD’ HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAL CONVICTION, GRINS AND IGNORES QUESTIONS “Do you think a conviction will have an impact on the campaign?” the reporter pressed, without a response from the president. Sage Steele, a former ESPN reporter, reacted to the video on X, saying, “Honestly, I rarely use the word evil to describe another human being but…..” Amber Duke, an editor for The Spectator, posted similarly on X, “The President of the United States’ disturbing reaction to being asked if Trump is a political prisoner and if he is responsible for Trump’s criminal conviction.” LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP RAILS AGAINST ‘RIGGED’ CONVICTION Jason Miller, a senior Trump campaign official commented on the site, “where was the senile fool shuffling off to???” Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for the Trump campaign commented, “Evil.” A Republican National Committee X account posted, “Pure Evil.” TRUMP SAYS HE WOULD HAVE ‘LOVED’ TO TESTIFY IN NEW YORK CRIMINAL TRIAL “He’s NOT even trying to hide it anymore . . . Biden’s grin is all American voters need to see,” Rep Wesley Hunt, R-Texas., said. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said, “Joe Biden is a clear and present threat to democracy.” Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
Nikki Haley silent on Trump’s NYC conviction as other prominent Republicans spring to his defense
Former U.N. Ambassador and GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley has remained silent on the criminal conviction of former President Donald Trump as prominent Republicans and former Trump rivals continue to sound off. Haley’s social media accounts have made no mention of the conviction as of early Friday afternoon and neither she, nor her representatives, responded to Fox News Digital’s repeated requests for comment. Haley, who has been on a visit to Israel, posted on her X account multiple times since the conviction describing the horrors of the Oct. 7 attack carried out by Hamas against Israel. Trump and Haley’s strong working relationship deteriorated after Haley entered the 2024 GOP primary field despite previously saying she would not, which the former president took issue with during the campaign multiple times. JAMAAL BOWMAN CALLS NIKKI HALEY ‘DISGUSTING’ FOR SIGNING ISRAELI BOMB After Trump came out on top of the battle for the GOP nomination that involved the trading of personal attacks between him and Haley, the former ambassador was at first noncommittal about whether she would support him. Haley ultimately came out and endorsed Trump this month. “I will be voting for Trump,” Haley said during an event at the Hudson Institute in Washington. VEEPSTAKES VERVE: CONTENDERS CREATE MEDIA BOOMLETS WITH LEAKS AND MANIPULATION “Having said that, I stand by what I said in my suspension speech,” Haley added. “Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me and not assume that they’re just going to be with him. And I genuinely hope he does that.” Reactions from prominent Republicans started pouring in immediately following Trump’s conviction and many of Trump’s other primary opponents have also weighed in on the conviction with mixed reactions. The jury found Trump guilty Thursday on all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to the hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election. Moments after the verdict was delivered by the jury, the former president spoke to reporters in the hallway outside the courtroom. “This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt, as a rigged trial and disgrace. It wouldn’t give us a venue change,” Trump said. “We were at 5% or 6% in this district, in this area. This was a rigged, disgraceful trial.” Trump said “the real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people.” Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.