Biden administration granted sanctions relief to Arab nations just before president’s Israel aid threat
The Biden administration told Congress it would waive sanctions on military sales to several Middle Eastern nations the day before President Biden publicly declared the U.S. would not give Israel offensive aid if it invaded Rafah. Some of those countries have been accused of playing an active role in the proliferation of Hamas and other terror groups intent on wiping Israel off the map. The State Department sent Congress a notification Tuesday that it would extend existing sanctions waivers for Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen Libya, Qatar and Saudi Arabia through April 30, 2025, according to a copy of the notice obtained by Fox News Digital Friday. Biden made the high-stakes ultimatum to Israel’s government in a CNN interview that aired Wednesday night as it prepares for a ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The city is home to more than a million Palestinians who left other parts of the Gaza Strip, where Israel has conducted its mission to eradicate the terrorist group Hamas. LIVE UPDATES: ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS ON US COLLEGE CAMPUSES President Biden said Israel would continue to see U.S. support for its defensive systems, like the Iron Dome, in the CNN interview. He added, however, that “if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, that deal with that problem.” The day before, however, the administration appears to have quietly approved the sale of “defense articles or defense services” to countries the U.S. previously accused of engaging in anti-Israel boycotts, according to the document. Under current law, the president is permitted to enact and extend sanctions waivers on Arab nations boycotting Israel if the waiver “is in the national interest of the United States” and if the U.S. deems waivers “objectives of eliminating the Arab League boycott.” The notice was first reported by The Washington Free Beacon. ANTI-ISRAEL TEEN, 16, ARRESTED FOR DEFACING WWI MEMORIAL AFTER FATHER TURNS HIMSELF IN: REPORT Lebanon is home to terror group Hezbollah, which claimed credit for rocket strikes against Israel as recently as Friday, according to AFP. In the State Department notice, the Biden administration acknowledges Lebanon has had an active Israel boycott since June 1995 but added as its reasoning for a sanctions waiver, “The waiver’s extension is in the U.S. national interest as it facilitates U.S. support for Lebanese stability, sovereignty, and efforts to undermine violent extremist influences in Lebanon and to strengthen the ability of Lebanese security institutions.” For Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels have caused chaos in the Red Sea for months in retaliation for Israel’s invasion of Gaza, the Biden administration argued a sanctions waiver was necessary “in our national security interest as we seek to continue working with the Government of Yemen to tackle regional threats — particularly the Houthis.” BIDEN’S HOLD ON ISRAEL WEAPONS SHIPMENT STUNS RETIRED US GENERAL: ‘THIS IS A TURNING POINT’ Qatar, a wealthy gulf nation on the list, has for over a decade housed Hamas’ top officials, including its leader, Ismail Haniyeh. The arrangement, though requested by the U.S., has come under criticism recently in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Qatar is also playing an active role in cease-fire negotiations. The State Department said Qatar’s sanctions waiver “underscores the strength of our bilateral relationship, which is crucial to maintaining security in the region, while also permitting U.S. officials to continue working closely with the Government of Qatar to eliminate further instances of boycott requests.” Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for comment.
Justice Department rebuked for delay tactics in Biden-Hur tapes pursuant to judge’s order
The Justice Department faced criticism on Friday for pushing back on a federal court’s order to expedite the timeline for determining whether recordings of President Biden’s interviews with then-Special Counsel Robert Hur should be released. The situation developed after advocacy groups filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the recording last month. The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, as well as Judicial Watch and CNN, all filed requests seeking the release of the tapes, which congressional Republicans have sought and unsuccessfully subpoenaed. The three organizations’ FOIA requests were combined into one suit. In April, the DOJ announced it would not abide by a subpoena from House Republicans, while maintaining its cooperation with Congress’ Biden family investigation has been “extraordinary.” That development led Reps. James Comer, R-Ky., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to threaten Attorney General Merrick Garland with a contempt of Congress citation. However, Washington, D.C.’s U.S. District Court ruled this week there would be an expedited briefing schedule to litigate the release of the tapes, which Republicans claim will further prove Biden’s cognitive decline and lack of fitness for office. HOUSE REPUBLICANS SUBPOENA DOJ MATERIALS RELATED TO SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW WITH BIDEN Kyle Brosnan, an attorney and chief counsel for the Oversight Project, called the Justice Department’s arguments for what he said was originally roughly an August briefing schedule “absurd,” telling Fox News Digital on Friday that it is in the public interest to have the tapes released promptly. While the Oversight Project, Judicial Watch and CNN had their FOIA suits merged, Brosnan said each plaintiff can continue to independently file its own briefs and motions. Brosnan also noted how Jordan and Comer’s panels have subpoenaed the same recordings and threatened Garland with contempt, saying that shows the lawsuit has been briefed to the top levels of the Justice Department already. “And so, it’s nonsense that they need time to prepare their legal arguments, given how the entire apparatus of the Justice Department, including the top levels, are well aware of not only the congressional interest, but also the legal cases,” he said. In the court motion filed May 2 and obtained by Fox News Digital, Heritage-related plaintiffs objected to the original briefing schedule, calling the FOIA case one “of extraordinary importance.” “The Heritage Plaintiffs are willing to accord this case the speed it demands. The Department of Justice should be willing to do the same,” it read, while later claiming the DOJ “needs no great time to prepare its papers.” The plaintiffs also critiqued what they alleged was “bemoan[ing]” by the government for the need to account for the Memorial Day and Independence Day holidays. BIDEN, NOT SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR, BROUGHT UP SON’S DEATH IN QUESTIONING In a published response to the ruling, Judicial Watch called Justice Department objections “yet another brazen cover up,” alleging a “political gambit.” In his ruling this week, text of which was obtained by Fox News Digital, Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the government to file any oppositional motion for summary judgment — a motion to decide claims without holding a trial — by May 31. Kelly’s order included several other accelerated dates, with a stated plan for final motions on July 29. As for criticism that the Justice Department has already done its job and released the transcript of Hur’s interview, Brosnan said audiotapes are much different contextually than a transcript, given Hur’s descriptions of how Biden presented as a “sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory” whom prospective jurors would be “difficult to convince… they should convict.” “The audio recording can help alleviate the dispute over President Biden’s mental capabilities,” he said, noting how the White House took issue with those descriptions in Hur’s report. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “President Biden himself, you know, in response to questions about his mental capabilities, has said to ‘watch me.’ Well, if we had the ability to listen to him, we could put this dispute to bed,” Brosnan said. In a statement published by the Washington Times, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boyton said plaintiff CNN “is not entitled to any documents or information exempt from disclosure under the FOIA.” Boyton said DOJ actions did not violate FOIA or any other statute or provision. The Justice Department declined comment to Fox News Digital for purposes of this story.
Biden ripped over resurfaced anti-Trump tweet critics say ‘endorses his own impeachment’
President Joe Biden was blasted on social media this week over a past anti-Trump tweet that critics said showed he should be impeached for withholding some weapons from Israel if it moves forward with a military operation in Rafah, Gaza. “President Trump withheld Congressionally appropriated aid to Ukraine unless they granted him a political favor,” Biden tweeted as a candidate in 2019 about the impeachment push against Trump over a phone call with Ukraine that Democrats claimed was a “quid pro quo.” “It’s the definition of quid pro quo. This is no joke—Trump continues to put his own personal, political interests ahead of the national interest. He must be impeached.” Trump was ultimately impeached for “abuse of power” and “obstruction of Congress” related to his dealings with Ukraine. NETANYAHU SAYS ISRAEL ‘WILL STAND ALONE’ IF NECESSARY AFTER BIDEN THREATENS TO WITHHOLD WEAPONS Biden’s 2019 post drew immediate push back on social media from conservatives who argued that Biden’s recent move to withhold some military aid from Israel due to his objection to their military campaign in Gaza was similar to what Democrats accused Trump of during the impeachment. “Joe Biden endorses his own impeachment,” Red State writer Bonchie posted on X. “Wow — how newly relevant,” New York Post reporter Jon Levine posted on X. “Joe Biden is withholding Congressionally appropriated aid to Israel unless they grant him a political favor. It’s the definition of quid pro quo,” conservative communicator Steve Guest posted on X. “This is no joke—Biden continues to put his own personal, political interests ahead of the national interest. He must be impeached,” Federalist co-founder Sean Davis posted on X. GOP GOVERNOR FUMES OVER BIDEN’S THREAT TO CUT OFF ISRAEL AID: ‘HE’S NEGOTIATING FOR THE TERRORISTS’ “Joe Biden withheld Congressionally appropriated aid to uproot Hamas in a political pay off pro-Hamas radicals,” Trump adviser Stephen Miller posted on X. “This warrants impeachment and criminal investigation — including exploring all ties between Biden aides and Iran.” Some have pushed back on the suggestion that Biden committed an impeachable offense, including those who have pointed to a 2020 report from the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan office that analyzes U.S. policy, that says, “The Arms Export Control Act of 1961 “prohibits the sale or delivery of U.S.-origin defense articles if the President finds that a recipient country has used such articles for unauthorized purposes.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, a White House official dismissed the accusations of hypocrisy as “ridiculous.” ISRAEL BOMBS RAFAH, PREPARES FOR GROUND INVASION AFTER CEASEFIRE TALKS WITH HAMAS FALL APART “Senior administration officials had already made multiple public statements about Rafah similar to the President’s, including that we are also ensuring Israel gets every dollar appropriated in the supplemental,” the official said. “Trump failed to spend dollars appropriated by Congress that he was legally required to spend. This is about a purchase made by a foreign government using its own funds, not funds appropriated by Congress, and our decision whether to deliver that purchase right now, which could enable an operation we’ve publicly and privately objected to.” House Republicans disagree with the assessment from the White House as evidenced by news on Friday that articles of impeachment were filed against President Biden over the controversy. “In violation of his oath to faithfully execute the office of President and to uphold the Constitution, President Biden abused the powers of his office by soliciting a ‘quid pro quo’ with Israel while leveraging vital military aid for policy changes,” GOP Rep. Cory Mills said in a statement first reported by Fox News Digital. “This egregious action not only compromised the credibility of the United States but also undermined the interests of our longstanding ally, Israel. Therefore, President Biden’s conduct warrants impeachment, trial, removal from office, and disqualification from holding any future office under the United States.” Biden has faced criticism from members of his own party as well including Democratic Rep. Ritchie Tores, who said he suspects that Biden is “pandering to the far left.” “It looks like election year politics was driving it,” Tores said. “That’s my impression.”
Everything you need to know about the gag order in NY v. Trump
In the unprecedented criminal trial of former President Donald Trump, Judge Juan Merchan’s gag order has added another layer of complexity to an already unique legal circumstance. Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee for the 2024 presidential election just six months away, is barred from speaking about any of the witnesses in his case, the jury and members of the district attorney’s staff – other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg himself. Anyone under Trump’s direction is also barred from speaking to or on any of those matters. On April 2, the gag order was expanded to include barring Trump from speaking about family members of the judge, including his daughter, who works as a Democratic consultant and has represented Democratic elected officials such as Vice President Kamala Harris and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. In a Truth Social post, Trump called out Merchan’s daughter by name, noting her place of work and referenced a social media post of a picture showing Trump behind bars. The Manhattan court has claimed that the account does not belong to Merchan’s daughter. Trump’s legal team has appealed the gag order after Merchan found Trump in violation of it. The judge has also imposed $10,000 in fines and even threatened jail time if he continues to violate court rules. HOPE HICKS: COHEN CALLED HIMSELF ‘MR. FIX IT’ ONLY BECAUSE HE ‘BROKE IT’ New York’s Appellate Division on Wednesday granted the Trump team’s request for an expedited briefing timeline for appealing the gag order. The prosecution now has a deadline of May 15 to file a reply brief; Trump’s lawyers will have until May 20 to file their response. All of the briefing documents are under seal by court order, so the details of the appeal and the specific challenges to the order are not public. But a source close to the campaign says that the Appellate Division appears to be inclined to move more quickly than it normally would. Trump’s lawyers argued to Merchan that the gag order was unilateral and that it only applies to Trump and not to other expected witnesses. Trump’s ex-lawyer Michael Cohen, expected to take the witness stand Monday, has made disparaging comments about Trump on social media, fundraising off the case and wearing a T-shirt depicting Trump behind bars, but the gag order prevents Trump or his team from responding publicly. EX-TOP BIDEN DOJ OFFICIAL NOW PROSECUTING TRUMP WAS ONCE PAID BY DNC FOR ‘POLITICAL CONSULTING’ Trump’s team had also argued that Merchan has an irretrievable conflict of interest, since his daughter is accused of actively helping her clients profit off of the trial. They have also argued the gag order wrongly bans Trump from commenting on Michael Colangelo’s involvement with the case. Colangelo is a former high-ranking Justice Department political official and worked in the New York Attorney General’s office on other Trump prosecutions. Trump’s lawyers have argued that the gag order wrongly prevents discourse about what they perceive as Colangelo’s possible political motivations. Gregory Germain, a law professor at Syracuse University, told Fox News Digital that, if the issue were before the Supreme Court, he’s “quite confident “that the gag order would be overturned. “The Supreme Court would be very concerned about gagging a presidential candidate during an election from criticizing the court or the process in such a broad way. A very limited order to protect the identity of jurors or secret witnesses might stand, but gagging Trump from speaking about well-known witnesses like Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen, who are on the lecture circuit talking about him, or criticizing the political nature of the process, could not be justified under the very restrictive standard for prior restraints on free speech,” Germain said. GOP AG LAUNCHES NEW PROBE INTO COMMUNICATIONS FROM DOJ AND TRUMP PROSECUTORS Germain noted that the issue is a long way from the Supreme Court and that the Appellate Division “may not have the same respect for the serious constitutional issues posed by a gag order of this kind. They might slow-walk the request or try to tinker with the language.” “But the issue will become a constitutional crisis if Judge Merchan puts Trump in jail for contempt. If that happens, and it seems like a real possibility because Merchan and Trump are locked in a game of chicken over the issue, I would not be surprised to see an emergency petition to the Supreme Court being granted if the Appellate Division does not take the matter seriously now,” he said. “If the Appellate Division is wise, they will send the order back to Judge Merchan with strict instructions to limit the order very specifically to threats that pose an imminent danger of violence or lawlessness. Mere fear that a deranged supporter might respond with violence does not meet the constitutional test.” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said, “The gag order imposed by conflicted Judge Juan Merchan in the lawless Manhattan D.A. case is unconstitutional and un-American.”
DNA TV Show: Will Arvind Kejriwal’s bail impact on AAP’s election campaign for Lok Sabha polls?
In Today’s DNA News anchor, Sourabh Raaj Jain analysed how Arvind Kejriwal’s release could be major turning point for AAP and the impact of Kejriwal’s bail on Lok Sabha elections
Judge directs Michael Cohen to zip it on Trump, including his disparaging TikTok videos
At the close of the 15th day of the trial of N.Y. v. Trump, Judge Juan Merchan directed New York prosecutors to tell Michael Cohen to stop making comments about the case and former President Donald Trump, but did not impose a gag order. Merchan imposed a gag order on the former president that prevents him from speaking about the witnesses, the jury, and any prosecutors other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Cohen, his ex-lawyer, is expected to take the witness stand on Monday. Cohen has been making TikTok videos disparaging Trump and has been spotted wearing a T-shirt depicting Trump behind bars. Because of the gag order in place, Trump is not allowed to respond publicly, though he has broken that order several times. In court Friday, Trump’s lawyers argued that Cohen should also be restrained by a gag order. But Merchan told the prosecutors to tell Cohen to stop making such comments in a warning that “comes from the bench.” The states’ lawyers said they would relay the message. MICHAEL COHEN TIKTOK VIDEOS, FUNDRAISING STUN LEGAL OBSERVERS: MAY HAVE ‘TORPEDOED CASE AGAINST TRUMP’ A spokesperson for Trump’s campaign called the judge’s decision a “big win.” The warning does not impose any legal consequences should Cohen not heed the judges’ instructions. Trump’s legal team has appealed the gag order to the appellate division. Cohen is expected to be the star witness for Bragg and his team for his role in arranging a purported $130,000 payment in 2016 to adult actress Stormy Daniels to silence her story that she had a sexual encounter with Trump in the early 2000s. MICHAEL COHEN TO TESTIFY IN TRUMP TRIAL ON MONDAY Trump, later, made several payments of $35,000 to Cohen, who was his personal attorney at the time. Trump has denied the encounter with Daniels ever happened. Those payments served as the basis for Bragg’s indictment of Trump on charges of falsifying business records. Bragg is trying to prove those payments were reimbursements for the payment to Daniels. HOUSE GOP GOES AFTER ‘CONVICTED LIAR’ MICHAEL COHEN, URGES JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO INVESTIGATE RECENT LIES But Trump defense attorneys say that the $35,000 payments were “not a payback,” but instead, legal payments or attorneys fees. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Legal experts told Fox News Digital Cohen might have “torpedoed” the case before taking the stand by ranting about it on TikTok while fundraising. “It is a major problem for prosecutors. It is not a problem for Cohen’s credibility because he has none – he is a convicted perjurer and fraudster whose current ‘defense’ of his fraud convictions is that he wasn’t telling the truth when he pled guilty,” former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew McCarthy said. “It’s a problem for prosecutors because they chose to build a case on a witness with a track record of bad conduct and deep bias and, not surprisingly, he can’t help himself but continue to act in character,” McCarthy said. Defense attorney Jeremy Saland, who used to work in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, told ABC News that Trump’s legal team can use Cohen’s actions to “tear down his credibility.” “If I’m the prosecution, I’m on the phone right now saying, ‘Stop what you are doing — right now,’” Saland told ABC News. Fox News Digital’s Brian Flood and David Ruitz contributed to this report.
Biden under investigation after threat to Israel’s offensive aid: ‘playing political games’
The House Oversight Committee is launching an investigation into the Biden administration over its threats to withhold offensive aid from Israel if it proceeds with a ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., questioned both the decision-making process and the timing of the announcement itself in a letter to President Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. He also requested a congressional briefing from the White House National Security Council in addition to communications and other documents related to discussions about pausing any kind of aid to Israel, with a deadline of May 24. “The Committee is alarmed by the Biden administration’s willingness to play political games with U.S. taxpayer-funded assistance going to Israel,” Comer wrote in a letter signed by Republicans on the Oversight Committee. “On May 9, 2024, President Biden made public that he would not supply offensive weapons that Israel could use in its offensive on Rafah—the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza.” LIVE UPDATES: ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS ON US COLLEGE CAMPUSES “Further reporting indicates that the National Security Council actively chose to withhold this information from the public eye for days, in part so that news of the decision would not be known when President Biden delivered a speech touting support for Israel on Holocaust Remembrance Day. The Committee seeks a briefing, as well as documents and information related to this decision, including any legal justification for withholding essential supplies from Israel in its fight against Hamas terrorists who still have Israeli and American hostages.” Biden made the high-stakes ultimatum to Israel’s government in a CNN interview that aired Wednesday night as it prepares for a ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The city is currently home to more than a million Palestinians who left other parts of the Gaza Strip, where Israel has conducted its mission to eradicate the terrorist group Hamas. Biden said Israel would continue to see U.S. support for its defensive systems, like the Iron Dome, in the CNN interview. He added, however, that “if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, that deal with that problem.” ANTI-ISRAEL TEEN, 16, ARRESTED FOR DEFACING WWI MEMORIAL AFTER FATHER TURNS HIMSELF IN: REPORT “The Committee finds both the decision to withhold essential military aid and hiding that decision from the public for political purposes disturbing, especially given that on President Biden’s first day in office, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki pledged that the administration would, ‘bring transparency and truth back to government.’ Hiding information from the public for political gain does not meet this Committee’s definition of transparency,” Comer wrote. “The Biden administration’s priorities appear to be motivated by public perception, and not what is best for national security or diplomacy.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment. BIDEN’S HOLD ON ISRAEL WEAPONS SHIPMENT STUNS RETIRED US GENERAL: ‘THIS IS A TURNING POINT’ White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby suggested to reporters on Thursday that Israel was aware of the Biden administration’s warning about offensive aid before his CNN interview and stressed that Israel has yet to wage a full invasion of Rafah’s population centers. “The President said yesterday that if Israel in fact proceeds with a major ground operation in Rafah, he will not provide certain categories of weapons to support such an operation. The Israeli government has understood this for some time,” Kirby said. “He also said yesterday that he will continue to ensure that Israel has all of the military means it needs to defend itself against all of its enemies, including Hamas. For him, this is straightforward: He will continue to provide Israel with all of capabilities it needs, but he does not want certain categories of American weapons used in a particular type of operation in a particular place. And again, he has been clear and consistent with that.” Notably, however, Biden said of Israel aid in a 2019 PBS interview, “The idea that we would cut off military aid to an ally, our only true, true ally in the entire region, is absolutely preposterous. It’s just beyond my comprehension anyone would do that.” The House Oversight Committee has already been investigating the Biden administration’s funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), after staffers for the refugee organization were accused of links to the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack in southern Israel.
Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency: Check polling date, key candidates, past election results
Krishnanagar is one of the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal. The date of voting Krishnanagar seat is May 13 ( Phase 4 ).
Trump predicts he will flip this blue state for the 1st time in 34 years.
It has been over three decades since a Republican carried New Jersey in a presidential election. One has to go back to then-Vice President George H.W. Bush, who carried the state in the 1988 election on his way to winning the White House. Since then, Democrats have won the state eight straight times in presidential elections. However, former President Trump thinks he can clear the high hurdles he faces in the reliably blue state. “We’re going to try and win the state of New Jersey. I want the people to know that I love it,” Trump predicted in a Friday morning local radio interview on New Jersey 105.1 in the Garden State. “You know, it’s not just going to be like, gee, maybe we can get close. We’re going to win it.” WHERE THE BIDEN-TRUMP REMATCH STANDS SIX MONTHS UNTIL ELECTION DAY Trump added that New Jersey “is supposed to be a Democrat state. I think it’s going to flip to Republican.” The former president spoke on the eve of returning to the Garden State. “We have a tremendous rally and hope you’re all going to be there. It’s in Wildwood, New Jersey. It’s going to be a big crowd,” the former president touted on Friday. TRUMP TRIES TO CLOSE HIS FUNDRAISING GAP WITH BIDEN Wildwood, at the southern tip of the Jersey Shore, is part of the Garden State’s Cape May County, a heavily Republican county in a longtime blue state. Trump held a rally in Wildwood in January 2020. However, Trump ended up losing New Jersey by 16 points to President Biden. Four years earlier, he lost the state to 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton by 14 points. For Trump, the weekend rally is a short distance from New York City, where he is spending his weekdays in court, making history as the first former or current president to stand trial in a criminal case. Democrats do not appear to be taking Trump’s prediction very seriously. Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, a Biden surrogate, told reporters on Friday that “Jersey is not going to be a welcoming place for Trump.” Additionally, Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler noted that “Trump’s team is talking about New Jersey. They’re talking about holding concerts in Madison Square Garden to turn out voters in states like New York. I think here on planet earth in the Biden campaign, we’re going to remain laser focused on winning 270 electoral votes.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Secret Service downplays report of petition warning of ‘inadequate training’: ‘Our people are exceptional’
The Secret Service is downplaying a report that a petition is circulating internally raising concerns about recent incidents linked to “inadequate training,” telling Fox News Digital that “our people are exceptional.” Bloomberg White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs tweeted Thursday that the petition has at least 39 signatures and calls for a congressional investigation into the Secret Service. She said the document “flags concerns about ‘a number of recent Secret Service incidents indicative of inadequate training,’ a double standard in disciplinary actions, and a vulnerability ‘to potential insider threats’ that could pose a risk to U.S. national security.“ But Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi told Fox News Digital in a statement that “It’s evident that this anonymous petitioner does not embody the U.S. Secret Service’s values of service over self.” SECRET SERVICE AGENT ON VP HARRIS’ DETAIL REMOVED FROM ASSIGNMENT AFTER PHYSICAL FIGHT WHILE ON DUTY “Our agency is comprised of talented professionals from various walks of life who are dedicated to safeguarding the continuity of the presidency and the U.S. financial system. Our strength comes from our diversity, in the knowledge, skills, experience, and perspective each employee brings,” Guglielmi said. “Our people are exceptional, and we are incredibly proud to call them members of the U.S. Secret Service,” he added. In late April, Fox News Digital reported that a U.S. Secret Service agent with Vice President Kamala Harris’ detail was removed from their assignment after engaging in a physical fight with other agents while on duty. DEMOCRATS LOOK TO STRIP SECRET SERVICE PROTECTION FROM TRUMP IF HE’S CONVICTED “At approximately 9 a.m. April 22, a U.S. Secret Service special agent supporting the Vice President’s departure from Joint Base Andrews began displaying behavior their colleagues found distressing,” Guglielmi said in a statement at the time shared with Fox News Digital. He added, “The agent was removed from their assignment while medical personnel were summoned. The Vice President was at the Naval Observatory when this incident occurred and there was no impact on her departure from Joint Base Andrews. The agent, who had been acting “erratically,” began punching the special agent in charge after getting on top of him, Real Clear Politics reported. Fox News’ Brie Stimson contributed to this report.