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Sweeping gun control bills awaiting final passage as Maine legislative session nears its end

The Maine Legislature moved in fits and starts toward adjournment on Wednesday, with unfinished business including final votes on a series of gun safety bills that were introduced after the deadliest shooting in state history last fall. The Senate was awaiting an enactment vote on the governor’s gun safety proposals that would strengthen the state’s yellow flag law, boost background checks for private sales of guns and make it a crime to recklessly sell a gun to a prohibited person. MAINE TARGETS SECOND AMENDMENT WITH SEVERAL GUN SAFETY BILLS AFTER DEADLIEST SHOOTING IN STATE’S HISTORY The Senate narrowly gave final approval to a 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases and a ban on bump stocks that can transform a weapon into a machine gun. Looming in the background: Lawmakers had yet to vote on a red flag proposal sponsored by House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross to allow family members to petition a judge to remove guns from someone who is in a psychiatric crisis. The state’s yellow flag law puts police in the lead of the process, which critics say is too complicated. Legislators faced a Wednesday deadline for completing work before adjournment. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills indicated she had no interest in extending the session. A dustup between the governor and lawmakers over the amount of money to help communities recover from storm damage created an 11th-hour wrinkle. Lawmakers also had to approve a budget revision that could prove contentious. The Oct. 25 shooting by an Army reservist that claimed 18 lives and injured 13 others served as a backdrop for the legislative session. Republicans accused Democrats of using the tragedy to play on people’s emotions to pass contentious bills, some of which were previously defeated. Supporters of the legislation said constituents implored them to do something to prevent future attacks.

Texas Republicans rue Democrats for dismissing Mayorkas impeachment without trial

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the trial the “least legitimate, least substantive, and most politicized impeachment trial in the history of the United States.”

California Democrats ‘mutilate’ anti-trafficking bill targeting adults who pay for sex with minors

California Democrats “mutilated” part of a bipartisan anti-sex trafficking bill this week that makes it a felony for people to purchase sex with minors and requires those convicted to register as sex offenders, according to the lead author of the bill. Democrats added several amendments that only made proposed charges applicable if the child is younger than 15.  The changes “mutilated this bill,” Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove, lead author of SB 1414, said in an interview with Fox News Digital. Grove’s original bill would have toughened the punishment for child trafficking and increased it from a misdemeanor charge to a felony, carrying a maximum penalty of four years in prison and a $25,000 fine. Unlike current law, the penalties would apply regardless of whether the adult was aware of the child’s age.  AS CALIFORNIA POLICE FIGHT RAMPANT PROSTITUTION, JOHNS LINE UP LIKE THEY’RE AT ‘FAST-FOOD DRIVE-THROUGH’ It would also require the perpetrator to register as a sex offender, but Democrats opposed that provision. Public safety committee Democrats worried the bill was “overly broad” and would criminalize young adults who are in consensual relationships with minors. Under current sex offender laws that have been on the books in California for decades, judges decide whether an adult, no more than 10 years older than a minor between the ages of 14 and 17, should be placed on the sex offender registry if they are engaging in sexual intercourse.  “This is not consensual, this is commercial sex,” Grove told Fox News Digital Wednesday. “And, again, the Democratic committee consultant was conflating those issues, and I kept trying to explain to them this is not consensual sex. This is commercial sex purchase. NEARLY NAKED PROSTITUTES PROWL STREETS IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, BUT CALIFORNIA LAW TIES POLICE HANDS: MAYOR “My bill goes after the buyer for engaging in that process.”  The current law for soliciting a child for sex carries a $10,000 fine and two days to a year in a county jail.  Democrats on the public safety committee, senators Scott Wiener, Nancy Skinner and Aisha Wahab, pushed the amendments through in a 4-0 vote, skipping a procedural vote to take up the amendments first. During the hearing, Grove said “on record” she opposed the amendments and called it “completely unacceptable.” “My goal is to continue to work on the bill and amend it. Their goal was to make it so bad I would pull it and not address this issue this year,” Grove said. “But I couldn’t do that because there are minors out there who would be subjected to this horrific crime for one more year. So, we’re going to continue to move forward and see if we can get amendments back in this bill and give it some teeth to address this issue.” During the hearing, Wiener told Grove they could’ve “easily just said no to this bill, because this bill is incredibly overbroad in my opinion.”  “This bill will sweep in a lot of people who are not trafficking,” Wiener said. “This bill will send people to state prison, put people in the sex offender registry, which is basically, effectively in many ways, the end of their life.” While Grove did not accept the amendment to make the law applicable only when dealing with children below 15, she did offer to amend the bill to remove the requirement for first-time offenders to be placed on the sex offender registry.  Earlier this month, Democrats on the committee blocked a similar bill that would have recriminalized street loitering for the purpose of prostitution. SB 1219 would have reinstituted a provision previously taken out of California’s penal code that prohibited loitering in a public place. 

Republicans predict Dems to pay ‘heavy price’ in election after Mayorkas impeachment bid fails

Republicans warned that vulnerable Senate Democrats would be punished in the upcoming November general election for their votes to kill the impeachment trial of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.  “Every Democrat will pay a heavy price in November for willfully refusing to end this border crisis,” said Republican conference Chairman John Barrasso, R-Wyo., in a statement following the impeachment trial proceedings.  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., proposed points of order after senators were sworn in as jurors to deem both of the House-passed articles of impeachment unconstitutional. Votes on the points of order were along party lines, with all Democrats agreeing that both articles were in fact unconstitutional.  SENATE DEMOCRATS KILL BOTH ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST DHS SECRETARY MAYORKAS This included all five of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents, Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Jon Tester, D-Mont., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Bob Casey, D-Penn., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.  “The American people will hold Senate Democrats accountable for this shameful display,” warned House Republican leaders in a joint statement from Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and Republican conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. “History will not be forgiving of Democrats’ decision to table this hearing,” echoed Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., in a statement. “The American people will hold Mayorkas accountable at the ballot box this November.” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, additionally slammed his Democratic counterparts for disregarding “their duty to the American people.” GOP SENATOR EYES LEGISLATION TO DEFUND ‘PROPAGANDIST’ NPR AFTER SUSPENSION OF WHISTLEBLOWER In his own statement following the decision to vote in line with his party, Tester said, “Montanans want real solutions that secure the border, not partisan games from D.C. politicians.” He urged “President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas to use their remaining executive authorities to help secure our border,” and asked his colleagues in the Senate to revisit the bipartisan border package that was abandoned following former President Trump’s public disapproval.   Tester’s race is considered one of the most competitive races in the country heading into November.  “Senate Democrats just showed voters they will do nothing to hold Joe Biden and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas accountable for the disastrous border policies that caused this crisis,” National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Tate Mitchell said in a statement.  SENATE DEMS REVEAL MASSIVE $79M AD SPEND TO PROTECT MAJORITY AHEAD OF KEY MATCHUPS Republicans further lamented the precedent set by Wednesday’s impeachment trial proceedings. “This means that the Senate can ignore, in effect, the House’s impeachment,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., remarked on the chamber floor following the Senate adjourning.  “This is a day that’s not a proud day in the history of the Senate,” he added.  Throughout the Senate’s history, charges and trials have only ever been dismissed when the impeached individual had resigned or was otherwise no longer in office.  Cornyn noted the precedent set is “unfortunate” and part of the Democrats’ larger effort “to sweep the Biden administration’s failing border policies under the rug.” “In 2020, Dems voted to impeach Trump without even charging a crime. Today they voted that a *felony* CANNOT be an impeachable crime. It’s beyond absurd,” claimed Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., comparing the impeachment trial proceedings to those of Trump during his presidency.  TRUMP’S LOAN PROPOSAL FOR UKRAINE AID MAY BE COMMON GROUND FOR COMPREHENSIVE FOREIGN AID PACKAGE While Republicans denounced the proceedings that unfolded on the Senate floor, President Biden’s administration rejoiced over the result.  “Today’s decision by the Senate to reject House Republicans’ baseless attacks on Secretary Mayorkas proves definitively that there was no evidence or Constitutional grounds to justify impeachment,” said Mia Ehrenberg, DHS spokesperson, in a statement.  Ian Sams, White House spokesperson for Oversight and Investigations, added in his own statement, “Once and for all, the Senate has rightly voted down this baseless impeachment that even conservative legal scholars said was unconstitutional.” He also noted that Biden and Mayorkas would “continue doing their jobs to keep America safe and pursue actual solutions at the border.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Former US ambassador, Cuban spy blames decision to betray country on Yale’s radical politics in 60s, 70s

A former National Security Council member and U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, who admitted to secretly acting as an agent for the government of the Republic of Cuba, blames the radical politics pushed on him during his formative college years for turning on his country. A federal judge sentenced 73-year-old Victor Manuel Rocha of Miami to 15 years in prison last week for working against the U.S. government for decades for communist Cuba in “clandestine intelligence-gathering missions.” Before the judge handed down the sentence, Rocha issued a statement on his guilty plea, which was shared by Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., on X. “I am a 73-year-old man. During my formative years in college, I was heavily influenced by the radical politics of the day,” Rocha said. “My deep commitment at that time to radical social change in the region led me to the eventual betrayal of my oath of loyalty to the United States during my two decades in the State Department.” FORMER US AMBASSADOR, NSC OFFICIAL ADMITS TO ACTING AS SECRET AGENT FOR CUBA, LEARNS FATE: DOJ Rocha graduated from Yale University in 1973 before going on to earn his master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University in 1976, then a master’s degree in international relations from Georgetown University in 1978, according to the State Department’s website archives. Fox News Digital reached out to Yale for a comment regarding Rocha’s statement. The university declined to comment. Rocha was a former U.S. Department of State employee who served on the National Security Council from 1994 to 1995, and as U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002. FORMER US AMBASSADOR, NSC MEMBER CHARGED WITH ACTING AS SECRET AGENT FOR COMMUNIST CUBA FOR DECADES: DOJ According to a criminal complaint from the DOJ, Rocha used his employment in the State Department between 1981 and 2002 to obtain classified information and affect U.S. foreign policy. Following his employment at the State Department, Rocha transferred in 2006 as an advisor to the Commander of the U.S. Southern Command, a joint command of the U.S. military whose area of responsibility includes Cuba. The DOJ said that Rocha provided false and misleading information to the U.S. to maintain his secret status, traveled outside the U.S. to meet with Cuban intelligence operatives and made false and misleading statements to obtain travel documents. FORMER US AMBASSADOR ACCUSED OF SECRETLY WORKING FOR CUBA PLEADS NOT GUILTY After serving the foreign service, he settled in Miami as a businessman in the private sector. “Today, I no longer see the world through the radical eyes of my youth,” Rocha said in his statement. “I left the Government 22 years ago, moved to this great city, and dedicated the rest of my life to my family and the education of my children. My long and successful transition to the private sector culminated in my becoming a top international executive in the mining sector for well over a decade. “The latter, however, cannot erase the damage done during my earlier career working for the Government,” he added. Rocha told the judge he takes full responsibility for his actions and accepts the penalty he has to pay. FORMER US AMBASSADOR CALLED CASTRO THE ‘COMANDANTE,’ LABELED US ‘THE ENEMY’: DOJ “Importantly, I am making, and will continue to make as required, significant amends through my unconditional collaboration to those I have betrayed,” the former ambassador said. “I know that my actions have caused great pain to my family, former colleagues, and the closest of friends. I ask them all for their understanding and their forgiveness.” The judge accepted Rocha’s guilty plea to counts 1 and 2 of the indictment, which charged him with conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government and conspiring to defraud the U.S. and acting as an agent of a foreign government without notice as required by law. He was then sentenced to the statutory maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a $500,000 fine, three years of supervised release and a special assessment.  FORMER US AMBASSADOR ARRESTED, ACCUSED OF SECRETLY SERVING AS AGENT TO CUBA: REPORT “Convicted spy Victor Manuel Rocha worked as a spy for Communist #Cuba, while he served as a United States Ambassador,” Gimenez said in a post on X in which he shared Rocha’s statement. “He is a traitor to our nation [and] must face the MAXIMUM sentence. No one believes his bogus Statement of Allocution!” Under the terms of the parties’ plea agreement, Rocha must cooperate with the U.S., including assisting with any damage assessment related to his work on behalf of the Republic of Cuba. Rocha must relinquish all future retirement benefits, including pension payments, owed to him by the U.S. based upon his former State Department employment.  He must also assign to the U.S. any profits that he may be entitled to receive in connection with any publication relating to his criminal conduct or his U.S. government service. Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Danielle Wallace and Stepheny Price contributed to this report.

‘Very scary prospect’: Spike in illegal immigrants from this US adversary blows lid off previous year’s record

The number of Chinese nationals entering the United States illegally and stopped by Border Patrol so far this fiscal year has exceeded the enormous number seen in all of fiscal year 2023 — with six months still to go. According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data, in the first six months of fiscal 2024, which began in October, Border Patrol had caught 24,296 Chinese nationals crossing illegally between ports of entry. That exceeds the 24,125 caught in all of fiscal 2023. For comparison, in fiscal 2022, there were just 1,987 apprehensions, and in fiscal 2021 there were just 342.  Those numbers only account for those entering illegally between ports of entry. Including ports of entry, there have been 41,970 encounters, compared to 52,700 in fiscal 2023. CHINA PUSHING US FENTANYL CRISIS, HOUSE PANEL REPORT REVEALS  Fox reported earlier this month that the number of Chinese nationals entering illegally has surged by over 6,300% since fiscal 2021. That report came as 182 Chinese nationals were encountered in a single sector in a single day. Lawmakers and officials have raised concerns about the migrants’ potential ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the movement of fentanyl into the U.S. “There have been numerous documented instances of Chinese nationals, at the direction of the CCP, engaging in espionage, stealing military and economic secrets,” lawmakers, led by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said last year.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, which represents all rank-and-file Border Patrol agents nationwide, told Fox News in February the majority of the Chinese border crossers are single adult males of military age. “That is a very scary prospect. We know that China does not like us. We know that we are in the crosshairs of China,” he said. “And they are exporting so many people to our country, and you have to really fear about that.” This week, a bipartisan House report found the Chinese government has given tax rebates and grants to companies that make certain fentanyl and synthetic drug precursors used by drug traffickers as long as they are sold outside of China. “Through its actions, as our report has revealed, the Chinese Communist Party is telling us that it wants more fentanyl entering our country,” said Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chairman of the special House committee. “It wants the chaos and devastation that has resulted from the epidemic.” Illicit fentanyl is typically created in Mexico using Chinese precursors and then moved across the southern land border. CHINESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTED AFTER DRIVING ONTO MILITARY BASE IN CALIFORNIA Last month, a Chinese illegal immigrant was detained in California after entering a Marine Corps base without authorization and ignoring orders to leave. The Biden administration has also acknowledged the national security threat from China more broadly in its national threat assessment, although not specifically from migrants, who it says are fully vetted using biographic and biometric information. Border officials have stressed there will be consequences for those who enter the U.S. illegally, including those from China. “DHS continues to enforce United States immigration laws, expanding lawful pathways while strengthening enforcement consequences for those who cross our border unlawfully,” the agency said in a statement when the Chinese national was arrested at the military base.  “Individuals and families without a legal basis to remain in the U.S. are subject to removal pursuant to Title 8 authorities and are subject to a minimum five-year bar on reapplying for admission and potential criminal prosecution if they subsequently re-enter without authorization.” Fox News has also spoken to Chinese migrants who have said they are just trying to benefit themselves and their families. “My English is not very good, and I don’t know anyone in the United States,” one migrant told Fox last month. “Once I get to the United States, I know I have to start all over again. But I want to live a good life in the future, and I want my children to be educated well. I strive to take root in the United States as soon as possible.” Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

Surging GOP Senate candidate unfazed by personal war chest of millionaire Dem in key blue state battle

Former two-term Republican Gov. Larry Hogan — who’s aiming to flip a Democrat-controlled open Senate seat in his heavily blue home state of Maryland — is spotlighting his grassroots fundraising as he works to paint a stark contrast with the multi-millionaire front-runner for the Democratic nomination. Hogan, considered the overwhelming front-runner for the GOP nomination in next month’s primary, is running in the contest to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin in a race that is one of a handful that may determine if the Republicans win back the Senate majority. The former governor, a vocal GOP critic of former President Donald Trump, may face off in November against Rep. David Trone, the polling front-runner in a crowded field of Democrats vying for their party’s Senate nomination. The Democratic field also includes Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, who is second in public opinion surveys. Trone, the founder and co-owner along with his brother of the alcohol retailer Total Wine and More, is one of the wealthiest members of Congress and is largely self-funding his Senate bid.  HOGAN PUSHES TO REBUILD COLLAPSED BALTIMORE BRIDGE The congressman has loaned his campaign nearly $42 million since launching his bid in May of last year, according to federal campaign finance records. That makes him the largest self-funder of a Senate primary in American history, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Hogan’s campaign, along with two aligned political action committees, hauled in over $3.1 million in fundraising since the former governor declared his Senate candidacy in mid-February. His campaign, asked about Trone’s self-funding, spotlighted an upcoming May 4 fundraising barbecue, where those attending are asked to contribute small-dollar donations. SIX KEY SENATE SEATS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP IN NOVEMBER  “Following Governor Hogan’s bus tour directly reaching voters in every region of the state, we are excited to host a grassroots family BBQ with hundreds of supporters with tickets starting at $50 and kids under 12 for free,” the campaign told Fox News. His team, pointing to the likelihood of a Hogan-Trone faceoff in November, vowed that their candidate “may be outspent, but not be outworked in this campaign.” Trone’s campaign told Fox News that their candidate “has been crystal clear that he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to beat Larry Hogan in November and protect the Democratic Senate majority.” “With national Republicans and right-wing donors flooding Maryland with contributions to Hogan, there has never been a more important time to take the fight directly to Mitch McConnell, Larry Hogan and Donald Trump. David Trone is the best candidate to do that,” they argued in a statement. The latest polls indicate Hogan topping either Trone or Alsobrooks in general election matchups in Maryland, a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a two-to-one margin.  “I would not put a lot of stock in polls right now. We’ve got a lot to do. We have not elected a Republican senator from Maryland since 1980, when Ronald Reagan was elected president,” Hogan cautioned in a Fox News Digital interview last month. He noted that “it’s a tough state — the bluest state in America. But I think if we work hard, we have the ability to get people to vote their hearts and vote for the person they think can do the job and not just vote straight party line.” A successful business leader before entering politics, Hogan seriously mulled a run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and made numerous trips in 2022 to New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary on the GOP nominating calendar. But in March of last year, Hogan announced he wouldn’t seek his party’s presidential nomination. SENATE SHOCKER: FORMER GOVERNOR MAKES SURPRISE CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENT During his last year as governor, Republican leaders in the nation’s capital and in Maryland heavily courted Hogan to run for the Senate in the 2022 midterm elections against Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen. But Hogan declined to run. Last month, Hogan told Fox News a main reason he’s now running for the Senate is to “bring some sanity back to the divisiveness and dysfunction” in the nation’s capital. He’s also touting his ability during his tenure as governor to work with a Democratic-dominated legislature to reach consensus. And in a new nearly $1 million ad blitz launched on Wednesday, Hogan takes aim at the “partisan BS” in Washington. In the spot, Hogan vows “to be a voice of common sense” and “get stuff done” in the Senate. The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the campaign arm of the Senate GOP which heavily courted Hogan to run, is footing half the bill for running the spot on TV, digital, and streaming services. Hogan’s entry into the Senate race in Maryland is giving Democrats more headaches. Democrats currently control the U.S. Senate with a 51-49 majority, but Republicans are looking at a favorable Senate map this year, with Democrats defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs.  Three of those seats are in red states that Trump carried in 2020 — Ohio, Montana and West Virginia, where Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin is not running for re-election. And five more are in key general election battlegrounds. Fox News’ Matthew Reidy and Aubrie Spady contributed to this report Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Fox News Politics: Capitol grill

Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail.  What’s happening?  – Democrats express openness to saving Speaker Mike Johnson – Seven jurors have been selected in Trump’s trial – Far left reps launch “Protect the Squad” fundraising effort In the Senate, the impeachment trial was over practically before it began. Before House managers even presented the articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Democrats in a series of party-line votes dismissed the matter altogether. The first of two articles of impeachment alleged Mayorkas engaged in the “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” regarding the southern border in his capacity as DHS secretary. The second claimed Mayorkas had breached public trust. “This process must not be abused. It must not be short-circuited. History will not judge this moment well,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as he motioned to table the point of order from Schumer. House Republicans on Wednesday grilled Columbia University president on the employment of a professor who celebrated the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks as “awesome.” The university president at first said the professor had been removed as chair of a committee, but Rep. Elise Stefanik pointed out he was still listed in that role online. Columbia’s president later promised that the prof would be removed as chair, if he still served in the role. ‘ALARMING’: GOP bill cracks down on dark money after foreign billionaire donates eye- popping amount boosting Dems …Read more JOHNSON’S COMPROMISE: Speaker Johnson says border security bill will get vote alongside foreign aid …Read more FEELING BLUE: Democrats say they’re ‘very open’ to making deal to save Speaker Johnson …Read more STRONG ARM: Biden takes action against China’s unfair practices to protect US steel and shipbuilding industries …Read more ‘NOTHING TO DO WITH ME’: Biden dismisses Trump claim that president is behind GOP rival’s criminal charges …Read more ‘SEC UNDER FIRE’: GOP attempts to overturn SEC climate rule …Read more ‘SQUAD’ UP: Far-left lawmakers launch ‘Protect the Squad’ fundraising venture …Read more BELOVED FIGURE: Illegal immigrant arrested in collision that killed Democratic senator’s advisor …Read more BALLOT BLUNDER: Ohio AG shuts down Dem proposal to skirt election deadline to get Biden on ballot …Read more COLUMBIA OCCUPIED: Anti-Israel agitators set up tents on campus as university president faces grilling from Congress …Read more MEET THE JURY: Seven jurors have been selected in Trump’s hush money trial …Read more ‘ABANDONING GOD’: Arizona governor vetoes Republican bills defining biological sex, allowing Ten Commandments in classrooms …Read more WHISTLEBLOWER RESIGNS: NPR editor quits liberal outlet after he was ‘disparaged’ for speaking out …Read more ‘EXTREME TACTICS’: Experts warn Israel protests could foreshadow volatile summer ahead …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.

Bragg says he will try to ‘discredit’ Trump if he testifies in his defense during criminal trial

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg intends to use former President Trump’s alleged prior “misconduct and criminal acts” to discredit him if he testifies in his own defense at trial, according to a notice filed Wednesday.  Trump, the 2024 presumptive Republican nominee, has never been convicted of a crime.  Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree relating to alleged hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.  TRUMP SAYS CRIMINAL TRIAL IS HAVING A ‘REVERSE EFFECT,’ AS HE CAMPAIGNS AT NEW YORK BODEGA, VOWS TO SAVE CITY Trump, who pleaded not guilty to all counts, said last week that he plans to testify in his own defense.  “I tell the truth,” Trump said.  TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL: MEET THE JURORS WHO WILL HEAR BRAGG’S CASE AGAINST THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE But Bragg filed a notice on Wednesday to “disclose a list of all misconduct and criminal acts of the defendant not charged in the indictment which the People intend to use at trial to impeach the credibility of the defendant.”  “If the defendant chooses to testify, the People intend to inquire regarding the following acts,” the filing states. Bragg and his team intend to use information from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case against the former president and the determination from New York Judge Arthur Engoron after the months-long non-jury civil fraud trial against Trump and his family.  Engoron ruled Trump was liable for fraud and “falsifying business records,” “issuing false financial statements,” “conspiracy to falsify false financial statements,” “insurance fraud” and “conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.”  Trump was required to post a slashed judgment bond of $175 million as he appeals the ruling.  TRUMP’S $454M JUDGMENT BOND SLASHED BY MORE THAN HALF IN APPEALS COURT RULING The trial took place without a jury.  Bragg also intends to use Trump’s alleged violation of the gag order imposed by Engoron in that case. Bragg, in his case, wants Trump to be held in contempt of court, claiming he violated the gag order imposed upon him by Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the criminal trial.  Bragg says he also intends to use information from the E. Jean Carroll defamation case. Trump was ordered to pay Carroll $83.3 million in damages after he denied allegations that he raped her in the 1990s.  TRUMP ORDERED TO PAY $83.3 MILLION TO E JEAN CARROLL BY MONDAY OR POST BOND: JUDGE Trump appealed the decision.  Separately, last year, a federal jury in New York City decided that Trump was not liable for rape of Carroll but was liable for sexual abuse and defamation. The former president was ordered to pay $5 million in that trial. Bragg also said in the filing that he would point to Clinton v. Trump, in which the former president was sanctioned and fined for filing a “frivolous, bad-faith lawsuit.”  The filing came Wednesday, after two days of jury selection in the trial. Seven jurors were selected and sworn in on Tuesday. Court does not meet for the trial on Wednesdays.  Jury selection is expected to reconvene Thursday at 9:30 a.m. in New York City.

Stefanik slams Columbia University ‘arrogance,’ ‘inconsistent testimony’: ‘reckoning of accountability’

House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., gave a blistering review Wednesday of the testimonies of Columbia University leadership who appeared before the House Education and the Workforce Committee’s hearing to discuss antisemitism soaring at the prestigious New York campus.  After the hearing, Stefanik issued a statement regarding Columbia University President Dr. Nemat “Minouche” Shafik’s response to a line of questioning from Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., about whether there have been any explicitly “anti-Jewish” protests on campus.  “Today’s hearing of Columbia University president and board members epitomizes the failed leadership on ‘elite’ college campuses to combat antisemitism and protect Jewish students,” Stefanik said in a statement. “From the university president’s moral equivocation on antisemitism, to glaringly inconsistent testimony regarding disciplinary action and lack thereof taken against antisemitic students and pro-terrorist faculty, to astonishingly stating that there has been no ‘anti-Jewish’ protests on campus only to then acknowledge that ‘F– the Jews’ & ‘Death to the Jews’ is in-fact anti-Jewish when she was further pressed.”  HOUSE REPUBLICANS GRILL COLUMBIA PRESIDENT OVER EMPLOYMENT OF PROF WHO CALLED OCT 7 HAMAS ATTACK ‘AWESOME’ Arguing there have simply been what she categorizes as “anti-war” or “pro-war” protests at the university, Omar asked Shafik if she’s seen any “protest saying we are against Jewish,” to which the Columbia president responded “I have not.” But Stefanik rejected the assertion, later on at the hearing noting how “the slurs and the chants have been ‘f the Jews. Death to Jews. F Israel. No place. Death to the Zionist state. Jews out.’ You don’t think those are anti-Jewish?”  Shafik agreed, “Completely anti-Jewish, Completely,” to which Stefanik said, “So you changed your testimony on that issue as well. So there have been anti-Jewish protests.”  At the hearing, Stefanik and other House Republicans also questioned why a tenured Columbia professor, Joseph Massad, who praised “the innovative Palestinian Resistance” and Hamas militants for attacking Israel and glorifying Hamas’s slaughter of nearly 1,200 Jews, describing the terror attack on southern Israel as “awesome,” “astonishing,” “astounding,” and “incredible,” remained as the chair of the School of Arts and Sciences Academic Review Committee. Shafik at first testified she believed Massad was no longer chair of the committee, but Stefanik later pointed out he was still listed as holding the position on the university’s website. Shafik later clarified that Massad is under investigation for the antisemitic remarks. COLUMBIA STUDENTS OCCUPY CAMPUS AS UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT FACES GRILLING FROM CONGRESS In her post-hearing statement, Stefanik said that during a break, “the witnesses were overheard discussing how well they thought their testimony was going for Columbia.”  “This arrogance is eerily reminiscent to the previous three university presidents who believed walking out of the hearing that their testimony was acceptable,” Stefanik said. “Columbia is in for a reckoning of accountability. If it takes a member of Congress to force a university president to fire a pro-terrorist, antisemitic faculty chair, then Columbia University leadership is failing Jewish students and its academic mission. No amount of overlawyered, overprepped, and over-consulted testimony is going to cover up for failure to act.” Notably, the House GOP chair grilled the presidents of Harvard, UPenn and MIT in December on whether calls for the genocide of Jews violated university policy against bullying and harassment or their codes of conduct. Each school leader said more context would be needed, failing to give a definitive response.  Months later, after those testimonies prompted widespread outcry and the resignations of two of the three presidents, Shafik and other Columbia witnesses testified definitively, “yes,” to the same question.