School voucher supporters backed by Abbott lead in pivotal Texas House GOP runoffs
With ballots still being counted across the state, anti-voucher GOP state Reps. DeWayne Burns of Cleburne, Justin Holland of Rockwall and John Kuempel of Seguin were trailing their runoff opponents.
Opposed by top Texas Republicans and Trump, state House speaker survives GOP primary runoff challenge
The Associated Press projects that Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan will survive a Republican primary runoff election challenge by David Covey. Phelan’s victory in a state House district east of Houston is seen as a political setback for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and former President Donald Trump, as well as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Phelan oversaw the effort last year to impeach Paxton over corruption charges. Paxton was acquitted by the state Senate after the House overwhelmingly impeached the controversial attorney general. CONTROVERSIAL MOVE: ABBOTT PARDONS ARMY SERGEANT WHO KILLED BLM PROTESTER In response, Paxton targeted over 30 GOP incumbent state representatives, with Phelan at the top of the list. Paxton’s most powerful ally, Trump, endorsed Covey. Meanwhile, Abbott was looking for payback over the downing in the state House last year of his education plan that would have opened the spigot for taxpayer funding of private schools. The school voucher measure, which was Abbott’s top legislative item last year, passed the state Senate, but its downing in the state House was a rare political setback for the three-term governor. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS Nine GOP state House lawmakers went down to defeat in the state’s March primary, with eight more forced into runoffs. All were targeted by either Abbott or Paxton, or by both the governor and the attorney general. “It’s a power play and definitely a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party of Texas and Gov. Abbott wants to get legislators in there who will support his agenda,” veteran Texas-based Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser told Fox News last week. “For Ken Paxton and [Lt. Gov.] Dan Patrick and Donald Trump by proxy, for them, it is definitely trying to take out the person who led the impeachment against Ken Paxton and who stood in the way of Dan Patrick’s agenda in the Senate. All those factors together make a really powerful force for the Speaker to overcome,” he emphasized. The race was also seen as a proxy battle for the future of the GOP in Texas. Phelan was backed by old guard Republicans – including former Gov. Rick Perry – and conservative-leaning business leaders who helped bring the GOP to power in Texas in the 1980s and 1990s. Covey enjoyed the support of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Paxton and Trump, but also far-right activists who place more of an emphasis on social and cultural issues. If Phelan had lost, he would have become the first Texas House speaker to be ousted in a primary in over a half century. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
RFK Jr. slams Democrats for toppling Confederate statues: ‘Destroying history’
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. voiced opposition to the removal of Confederate monuments, including the Robert E. Lee statue that was taken down and melted in Charlottesville, Virginia, adding he did not think “it’s a good, healthy thing for any culture to erase history.” Kennedy appeared on the “TimCast IRL” podcast on Friday, where the host, independent journalist Tim Pool, asked the Independent presidential candidate about activists tearing down statues like those from the Civil War or of former slaves like Frederick Douglass, who fought against slavery. The host particularly asked if he would condemn those who melted a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that was removed from Charlottesville in 2021. “I don’t think it’s a good, healthy thing for any culture to erase its history,” Kennedy said. “I have a visceral reaction against, against the attacks on those statues.” ROBERT E. LEE STATUE MELTED IN SECRET, ‘SYMBOLIC’ CEREMONY, TO BE REMADE INTO ‘INCLUSIVE’ PUBLIC ART He said he grew up in Virginia, and that there were heroes in the Confederacy who didn’t have slaves. “I just have a visceral reaction against destroying history. I don’t like it. I think we should celebrate who we are,” Kennedy said. “We should celebrate the good qualities of everybody…If we want to find people who are completely virtuous on every issue throughout history, we would erase all of history.“ A part of the discussion centered around Columbus Day, which Kennedy refers to as Indigenous People’s Day. NYC TO CONSIDER REMOVING STATUES OF GEORGE WASHINGTON, CREATE REPARATIONS TASK FORCE AMID BUDGET CUTS Kennedy told Pool that he thinks it is important to recognize all kinds of people, whether Italian-Americans, who celebrate Columbus Day, or indigenous people. “We can recognize the indigenous people who, you know, made the ultimate sacrifice as one of the greatest genocides in history,” Kennedy said. “My father always believed that our country would never live up to its ideals if we didn’t make some kind of amends…to the group that was exterminated in order for us to settle in this country, and I think it’s a good aspiration for every American.” Kennedy did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for further comment on the matter. PRO-NATIVE AMERICAN ACTIVISTS FIGHTING TO SAVE INDIGENOUS TRADITIONS IN NATIONWIDE WAR AGAINST WOKENESS The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that once stood in Charlottesville was secretly melted down at a ceremonial event. After both cultural and legal battles, the statue of Lee that sparked the infamous Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally was reportedly melted in a secretive ceremony in order to ensure the safety of those involved. The Washington Post reported that the statue met its end “in a 2,250-degree furnace” when it was “secretly melted down” to become a new piece of public art. Footage of Lee’s likeness being melted went viral across social media. The “Unite the Right” rally took place in Charlottesville in August 2017, and participants included far-right White supremacist sympathizers upset over the proposed removal of Lee’s statue, as well as many counter-protesters. On Aug. 12, James Fields Jr. deliberately rammed his car into a group of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring dozens. Fox News Digital’s Alexander Hall contributed to this report.
Fifth-generation Texan advances past GOP primary runoff to take on progressive homeless activist
State Rep. Craig Goldman secured the Republican nomination for the open 12th Congressional District in Texas in a runoff Tuesday, a seat opening up due to the retirement of Rep. Kay Granger, according to the Associated Press. Goldman won in a runoff after neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March primary. Granger has held the seat since 1997 but is retiring at the end of the term. The race had been a demonstration of the split in the state’s Republican Party. O’Shea had framed himself an “America First” candidate and had touted the backing of Attorney General Ken Paxton and Trump allies, including Roger Stone and Gen. Michael Flynn. TEXAS REPUBLICAN PRIMARY RUNOFFS FEATURE POLITICAL REVENGE, TRUMP AS KEY FACTORS “It is an honor to support John O’Shea for Texas’ 12th. John is a friend who I have found to be a dedicated husband and father who will put family, faith and country first,” Paxton said in a statement backing the candidate. O’Shea argued the U.S. “has a number of higher priority issues that must be addressed to ensure our citizens are taken care of before focusing on other global matters.” Goldman, a fifth-generation Texan, meanwhile, had the endorsement of Gov. Greg Abbott and Speaker Dade Phelan, and had voted to impeach Paxton in 2023. He had promised to be a “conservative fighter who will prioritize border security and the American taxpayer.” CONTROVERSIAL MOVE: ABBOTT PARDONS ARMY SERGEANT WHO KILLED BLM PROTESTER O’Shea had used that vote for Paxton’s impeachment to hit his opponent. “There is a civil war in the party in the state of Texas,” O’Shea said in April, according to the Texas Tribune. “I like to characterize it as the America First-Paxton side, and then there’s the establishment team Phelan side. You have a candidate who represents each one of those two sides. The choice is clear. Now, you have a chance to choose.” Goldman has pushed back against claims he is less conservative than O’Shea, arguing he had a proven conservative voting record. “That’s the difference between John and I,” Goldman said at an April debate, according to KERA News. The winner of the Republican primary runoff will face Trey Hunt, a progressive activist and mental health professional who has been outspoken on homeless issues. Hunt, whose campaign website says he was “born and raised in Southwest Fort Worth,” is running to push for “reform in the criminal justice system,” “guaranteeing abortion rights” for women and other issues. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS Both Republican candidates have emphasized their stances on tackling illegal immigration in a state that has been on the frontline of the ongoing migrant crisis at the southern border. They have both also highlighted their positions on abortion and Second Amendment rights. It’s one of a number of races in which Abbott and Paxton have chosen opposing candidates. They have done so in five separate races. Both lawmakers have scores to settle, with Paxton targeting those Republicans who voted to impeach him last year on corruption charges and Abbott eyeing those who defeated his 2023 education plan. The school voucher measure, which was Abbott’s top legislative item last year, passed the state Senate, but its defeat in the state House was a rare political setback for Abbott. “It’s a power play and definitely a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party of Texas, and Gov. Abbott wants to get legislators in there who will support his agenda,” veteran Texas-based Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser told Fox News. Granger had backed Goldman for the seat, touting his credentials as a “staunch advocate for a strong national defense.” Phelan faces his own challenge in District 21 from oil and gas consultant David Covey. Phelan oversaw the impeachment effort against Paxton. He was later censured by the Texas GOP for the effort. Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Early voting shows Texas Speaker Dade Phelan with an initial lead
With Jefferson, Orange and Jasper counties reporting early vote totals in the Southeast Texas district, Phelan leads by less than 1,000 votes.
Retired Navy officer Furman advances past GOP primary runoff to take on federally indicted Texas Democrat
Jay Furman defeated Lazaro Garza in the Republican runoff primary race to decide who will square off against Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, who was indicted by the federal government on conspiracy and bribery charges earlier this month. The GOP runoff primary for the 28th Congressional District was called Tuesday night for the winner, just after 8 p.m. local time Tuesday night. Jay Furman, a retired Navy officer, and rancher Lazaro Garza were competing in a heavily-watched primary that will help determine the political future of Cuellar, who was indicted earlier this month by President Biden’s Justice Department. The investigation is connected to $600,000 in bribes Cuellar allegedly accepted along with his wife between 2014 and 2021 from an Azerbaijan-based energy company and a bank in Mexico City to advance the former Soviet republic’s interests in the U.S. TEXAS REPUBLICAN PRIMARY RUNOFFS FEATURE POLITICAL REVENGE, TRUMP AS KEY FACTORS The couple has denied any wrongdoing. Cuellar has long been considered by many political pundits to be a thorn in the side of the Democratic Party due to his conservative positions on issues like abortion and immigration. Cuellar has been labeled the last openly pro-life Democrat in Congress and has also been an outspoken critic of the crisis along the southern border. ATTORNEY BACKS TEXAS SCHOOL DISTRICT OVER BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S TITLE IX CHANGES: ‘WE EXPECT TO WIN’ “If they’re looking at the same polls I’ve been looking at, the American public doesn’t like what’s happening,” Cuellar, who represents a district that sits along the southern border with Mexico, said of fellow Democrats on immigration earlier this year. “I represent an area where it’s almost 80% Hispanic, a lot of Democrats,” he said. “So, yeah, the polls are showing that it’s an important issue.” CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Four GOP candidates ran in the March primary but none of them hit the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff. Furman won 44.8% of the vote, Garza won 27.1% of the vote and candidates Jose Sanz and Jimmy Leon won 20.5% and 7.5%, respectively. Cuellar won his primary uncontested after narrowly defeating his primary challenger in 2022. The Cook Political Report ranks the November race as “Lean Democrat.” Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and The Associated Press contributed to this report
NY v Trump: Prosecution says they have presented ‘powerful evidence’ against former president
New York prosecutors presented the jury with their closing argument in the case against former President Trump Tuesday, saying the case is “about a conspiracy and a cover-up,” and maintained that they have presented “powerful evidence” to convict. Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. He has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump falsified records to conceal a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, a pornographic performer, in the lead-up to the 2016 election to silence her about an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. The former president has maintained his innocence. New York prosecutor Joshua Steinglass presented the closing arguments for Bragg. Steinglass presented his closing argument for more than five hours. Steinglass said Trump’s intent to defraud “could not be any clearer,” arguing that it would have been far easier for him to pay Stormy Daniels directly. Instead, the prosecutor said, he concocted an elaborate scheme and everything he and his cohorts did was “cloaked in lies.” “The name of the game was concealment and all roads lead inescapably to the man who benefited the most: the defendant, former President Donald Trump,” Steinglass said. NY V TRUMP: DEFENSE SAYS PROSECUTORS ‘DID NOT MEET THE BURDEN OF PROOF,’ FORMER PRESIDENT IS ‘INNOCENT’ Steinglass defended their use of Michael Cohen as a witness, telling the jury: “I’m not asking you to feel bad for Michael Cohen. He made his bed.” “But you can hardly blame him for making money from the one thing he has left, which is his knowledge of the inner workings of the Trump Organization,” he said. “We didn’t choose Michael Cohen to be our witness. We didn’t pick him up at the witness store,” Steinglass said. “The defendant chose Michael Cohen to be his fixer because he was willing to lie and cheat on the defendant’s behalf.” Cohen had testified he was “reimbursed $420,000” for the $130,000 he paid to Daniels. Cohen said former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg suggested he “gross up” the payments and that Trump knew the details of the reimbursement. The prosecution presented Cohen with 11 checks totaling $420,000. Cohen confirmed they were all received and deposited. The checks had a description of “retainer,” which Cohen said was false. Meanwhile, Steinglass argued the prosecution presented the jury with “smoking guns,” referring to handwritten notes by former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg and ex-controller Jeffrey McConney. The two documents show calculations related to the payments Cohen got in 2017. They included $130,000, in addition to as well as an unrelated payment, a bonus, and money to cover taxes, according to testimony. “They are the smoking guns,” Steinglass said, saying they “completely blow out of the water” the defense’s claims that the payments were for legal work. Steinglass went on to accuse Trump of “lies” in bank accounts, shell companies, false denials. “The name of the game was concealment and all roads lead to the man who benefited most, the defend, Donald Trump,” he said. Steinglass said Trump was actively trying to prevent “catch & kill” scheme from going public, saying “he had every reason to conceal election fraud.” Halfway through Steinglass’ presentation, Trump exited the courtroom, only to post on his Truth Social his opinion of the lengthy closing argument by the prosecution. “BORING!” Trump posted on Truth Social Tuesday. Steinglass went on to highlight a phone call between Cohen and Trump on Oct. 8, 2016 — the day after the “Access Hollywood” tape was made public. ROBERT DE NIRO’S ‘OVER-THE-TOP’ TIRADE WAS A ‘STUPID MISTAKE’ BY THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN: KARL ROVE “There’s just no way — no way! — Cohen wouldn’t tell Mr. Trump about Daniels in that phone call,” Steinglass claimed. Pointing to more calls, many around the time of key developments in the Daniels negotiations, Steinglass asked, “Is this timing all a coincidence?” Wrapping up his five-hour presentation, Steinglass, echoing an infamous Trump line: “Donald Trump can’t shoot someone on Fifth Avenue at rush hour and get away with it.” The comment prompted an objection from Trump’s lawyer, which was sustained. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
‘Potential misconduct’ behind Judge Merchan’s several Trump trial assignments, Stefanik charges
New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik sent a letter to New York officials arguing there may have been “misconduct” within the New York Supreme Court system to ensure Judge Juan Merchan presided over the unprecedented NY v. Trump trial. “One cannot help but suspect that the ‘random selection’ at work in the assignment of Acting Justice Merchan, a Democrat Party donor, to these cases involving prominent Republicans, is in fact not random at all,” Stefanik wrote in a letter Tuesday warning of “potential misconduct” sent to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct and the Inspector General of the New York State Unified Court System. The Daily Mail first reported the letter Tuesday. Stefanik pointed to how Merchan has overseen a handful of cases involving Trump or his allies, including the NY v. Trump case, the criminal trial against the Trump Organization in 2022 – a case that found the organization guilty of tax fraud – and is set to oversee the upcoming trial of Trump ally Steve Bannon. “The simple answer to why Acting Justice Merchan has been assigned to these cases would seem to be that whoever made the assignment intentionally selected Acting Justice Merchan to handle them to increase the chance that Donald Trump, the Trump Organization, and Steven Bannon would ultimately be convicted,” Stefanik continued in the letter. STEFANIK FILES ETHICS COMPLAINT AGAINST TRUMP TRIAL JUDGE, CITES DAUGHTER’S WORK FOR GROUP PROMOTING DEMS Her letter called on the commission and the Inspector General to “investigate this anomaly to determine whether the required random selection process was in fact followed in the assignment of these criminal cases to Acting Justice Merchan.” She continued that if Merchan or other justices of the court violated assignment rules, she hopes the “Commission would subject them to the required discipline.” The letter comes the same day the defense and prosecution teams held closing arguments in the NY v. Trump trial. Last week, Stefanik filed an ethics complaint against Merchan for an alleged conflict of interest related to his daughter’s role representing Democrat politicians and political action committees. Merchan’s daughter is the president of Authentic Campaigns, a digital marketing agency that has included clients such as Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Stefanik said in her complaint last week that she learned that the New York State Commission on Judiciary Conduct “privately cautioned [Merchan] in July over his illegal political donations to Biden and Democrats in 2020.” “This private caution has not deterred Judge Merchan’s judicial misconduct, as evidenced by this current complaint,” she wrote. “Judge Merchan appears driven by Democrat partisanship and financial gain for his daughter.” TRUMP SAYS JUDGE MERCHAN HAS WAY TO GAIN BACK ‘RESPECT’ DESPITE PRESIDING OVER ‘WITCH HUNT’ TRIAL Stefanik said it is “imperative that New Yorkers and all Americans have confidence that justice is being dispensed fairly in New York.” Trump has also railed against Merchan as a “conflicted” judge and previously called on him to recuse himself from the case, citing hid daughter’s work as a political consultant. COHEN’S BOMBSHELL ADMISSION COULD LEAD TO HUNG JURY, IF NOT ACQUITTAL: EXPERT “Judge Juan Merchan, who is suffering from an acute case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (whose daughter represents Crooked Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, and other Radical Liberals, has just posted a picture of me behind bars, her obvious goal, and makes it completely impossible for me to get a fair trial) has now issued another illegal, un-American, unConstitutional ‘order,’ as he continues to try and take away my Rights,” Trump posted on Truth Social ahead of the trial kicking off. TRUMP RISKS GAG ORDER VIOLATION WITH NEW SCREED AGAINST LAWYER WHO ARGUED THE CASE: ‘UNBELIEVABLE’ Trump has since been placed under a gag order, which bans him from publicly speaking about witnesses or making remarks about court staff, DA staff or family members of staff. Following the gag order, Trump has taken to calling Merchan “conflicted” and “corrupt,” but not going into great detail regarding Merchan’s alleged corruption. “We have a judge who’s highly conflicted. He happens to be corrupt. Yes, there is confliction. It’s the worst that anybody’s seen. Nobody has ever seen anything like it,” Trump said Tuesday morning ahead of court. Last week, Trump said Merchan could gain back “respect” if he dismissed the case. “This case should be dropped by the judge. I think the judge, if he did, that … could gain the respect back. The appellate court has to step in, something has to happen. Think of it, the Republican Party, one of the two great parties, nominates somebody to be their candidate. And that candidate now has been sitting here for almost five weeks in a freezing cold icebox listening to this stuff,” Trump said last Monday. Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct and the Inspector General of the New York State Unified Court System Tuesday evening but did not immediately receive responses.
Mayorkas says some migrants ‘try to game’ asylum system, as border crisis remains top political issue
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says that some migrants crossing the southern border “try to game” the U.S. asylum system – a hardening of rhetoric as the crisis at the border remains a top political issue going into the November presidential election. “The reality is that some people do indeed try to game the system,” Mayorkas told CBS News on Thursday. “That does not speak to everyone whom we encounter, but there is an element of it, and we deal with it accordingly.” The remarks represent a change in rhetoric from the DHS chief, who has typically emphasized the need to speed up claims and has defended the asylum system. Republicans have typically focused more on the ease with which migrants can cross the border and be released even if their claims are bogus. MAYORKAS FORCED TO ADMIT MORE MIGRANTS HAVE CROSSED US BORDER UNDER BIDEN THAN TRUMP: ‘SEVERAL MILLION PEOPLE’ Mayorkas told the outlet that a recent bipartisan border security proposal, which has failed to pick up support in the Senate “would have equipped us with more tools to deal with those individuals who seek to game the system.” Mayorkas’ remarks come as numbers at the southern border remain high despite a recent drop compared to previous months. There were 179,725 encounters at the southern border in April, compared to 211,992 in April 2023, and 189,357 in March. There was a record 2.4 million migrant encounters in FY 23, and that record could be broken in FY 24, despite the recent decrease. While recent numbers are lower than the over 200,000 seen in December, they still remain higher than most months preceding the Biden administration. The administration has said it is dealing with hemispheric factors and a “broken” system. BIDEN ADMIN REFUSES TO REVEAL TERROR WATCHLIST NATIONALITIES AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION EXPLODES ON HIS WATCH Earlier this month, Mayorkas cited violence, insecurity, poverty, corruption, authoritarian regimes and “extreme weather events” among the reasons for migration across the globe. However, he also said there were additional explanations for why the U.S. was a top destination. “In our hemisphere, we overcame COVID more rapidly than any other country. We had, in a post-COVID world, 11 million jobs to fill, we are a country of choice as a destination, and one takes those two forces and then one considers the fact that we have an immigration system that is broken fundamentally and we have a level of encounters that we do,” he asserted. The administration has demanded reform from Congress, including the bipartisan Senate bill. It has also pointed to 720,000 removals or returns of illegal immigrants since May 2023, more than in every full fiscal year since 2011. But Republicans have blamed the policies of the administration, including the rollback of Trump-era policies such as wall construction, the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and increased interior enforcement. They have passed their own legislation in the House that would significantly limit asylum claims, restart border wall construction and similar measures. It has so far not been taken up by the Senate. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM FOREIGN ADVERSARY HIT NEW HIGH AMID NATIONAL SECURITY FEARS Lawmakers also impeached Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis, but the impeachment articles were dismissed in the Senate. Republicans often accuse the administration of encouraging the crisis with its policies. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS It is a claim Mayorkas denied in his interview with CBS. “The reasons why people leave their countries of origin are those with which we are quite familiar: extraordinary poverty, violence, extreme weather events, corruption, suppression by authoritarian regimes. Those reasons and more,” Mayorkas said. Meanwhile, immigration looks likely to be a top political issue in the coming presidential election. A recent Fox News Poll found that border security was the biggest single issue among self-described very conservative voters (28%), Republicans (25%), White men without a college degree (20%), voters ages 65+ (17%), and rural voters (17%). A Fox News Poll in March found that seven in 10 voters say the White House has “mostly failed” at improving border security.
Biden White House rejects ICC sanctions proposed by lawmakers after Israel warrant requests
The White House refused to support proposed sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) following its choice to request warrants for Israeli officials for alleged “war crimes” as the country fights the terrorist group Hamas. “We don’t believe that sanctions against the ICC is the right approach here, no,” said National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator John Kirby during a Tuesday White House press briefing. He reiterated that the Biden administration does not “believe the ICC has jurisdiction” and they don’t support the arrest warrants requested against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. IN NEW TV AD, MARYLAND’S LARRY HOGAN CHARTS POTENTIAL SENATE PATH FORWARD AS CENTRIST The ICC requested the warrants alongside similar ones for Hamas’ leaders. Israeli and Hamas leaders were accused of committing “war crimes” by the body. Despite objecting to the ICC’s move, Kirby said the Biden administration doesn’t think “sanctioning the ICC is the answer.” BALANCE OF POWER: FILIBUSTER FATE COULD COME DOWN TO 2024 SENATE ELECTIONS The White House’s stance on potential sanctions comes as both the House and Senate make policy recommendations to respond to the ICC. Last week, a significant bipartisan group led by Sens. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., advised visa bans for ICC officials and sanctions on the international body. The group included Democratic Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., John Fetterman, D-Penn., and Bob Casey, D-Penn. SCOTUS CHIEF ROBERTS PRESSURED TO FORCE ALITO RECUSAL AHEAD OF TRUMP IMMUNITY DECISION The introduced Senate provision also sought to formally reject the actions of the ICC. In the House, Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Brian Mast, R-Fla., have introduced a measure that would force the president to implement sanctions against the ICC if the court goes after U.S. allies, such as Israel, which are not in its jurisdiction. RUBIO DEMANDS COLUMBIA PRESIDENT REFUND STUDENTS AFTER TAKEOVER BY ‘LAWLESS, PRO-HAMAS RIOTERS’ According to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., “There are ongoing discussions, as I understand it, between Chairman McCaul and ranking member Gregory Meeks, and the objective is trying to reach bipartisan consensus with respect to the International Criminal Court.” However, with the White House ruling out sanctions, its unclear whether any actions will be taken by the U.S. in response to the ICC. Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.