‘Definition of insanity’: Frustrated House Republicans blast GOP rebels’ threat to oust Johnson
House Republicans were left frustrated on Tuesday after two of their colleagues threatened to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., over his plan on foreign aid. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. “So, you do it again, you’re going to end up with the same results.” Those GOP lawmakers are worried about repeating the three weeks of chaos that followed the ouster of ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., by a group of eight Republicans and all House Democrats. Most would not go so far as to say it could cost them the election in November, but they suggested it weakened the Republican position in the House while already dealing with just a razor-thin majority and a Democrat-controlled Senate and White House. “The new speaker will have to play the same hand that this speaker is playing. The results are going to be the same,” Gimenez said, adding that it “could” hurt the GOP in November. SPEAKER JOHNSON, MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE EXCHANGE TEXTS AFTER MOTION TO OUST HIM: ‘WE’RE GOING TO TALK’ During a closed-door conference meeting on Tuesday morning, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., urged Johnson to step down or face a possible vote to vacate the speaker’s chair. He’s now signed onto a resolution introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., last month to oust Johnson over his actions on government spending and foreign aid. Johnson, for his part, told reporters he would not step down and called the threats “absurd.” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus who ran for speaker after McCarthy’s ouster, called vacating Johnson a “bad idea.” “We don’t need that. No way, no way. We don’t. We don’t want that. We shouldn’t go through that again,” Jordan told reporters. I WANT MY MTV (MOTION TO VACATE): SPEAKER JOHNSON FACES POTENTIAL THREAT WHEN CONGRESS RETURNS Even an ally of Greene and Massie, Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., said it was a “mistake.” “Marjorie is my friend but she made a huge mistake there,” Higgins said of Greene initiating the move. “Mike is amazing man, a deeply principled Republican. And that’s a very good starting point for a leader of our conference, and he was like thrust into an impossible job out of precarious moment with the slimmest majority in the history of Congress.” Meanwhile Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good, R-Va., one of the eight Republicans who ousted McCarthy and who has been critical of Johnson for working with Democrats on critical legislation, suggested he had no appetite to follow the same path again right now. CONSERVATIVES THREATEN TO SINK FISA RENEWAL AS HOUSE REPUBLICANS BATTLE OVER FEDERAL SURVEILLANCE TOOL “I don’t have any comment on motion to vacate. You can ask the two members who are talking about doing that. I don’t hear other members talking about doing that,” Good told reporters. “But I didn’t go around cavalierly, flippantly throwing motion to vacate around.” Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., a leadership ally, called the three weeks Republicans spent without a speaker last year “wasted time.” “I think it’s an unwanted distraction,” he said. And Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., who was close to McCarthy when he was speaker but has a noticeably more distant relationship with Johnson, said it was not in the House GOP’s interest to oust his fellow Louisianan. “I think we have a number of people here that, they don’t think past step one, which is why we have so many problems here right now,” he said of the vacate push. Massie said he would sign onto Greene’s existing resolution to vacate Johnson. But unless they file it as a privileged motion, as was the case with McCarthy, there is nothing compelling House Republican leadership to hold a vote. If they do file it as privileged, however, the House will be forced to act on it within two legislative days. Neither Massie nor Greene were part of the eight Republicans to oust McCarthy in October, and criticized the people who did so.
Blue city mayor defunds police force by more than $8 million to aid migrants
A Democrat-controlled city announced $45 million in funding for programs to help deal with the skyrocketing number of migrant arrivals it is facing, resulting in over $8 million in budget cuts for the police department. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced last week a package of $45.9 million to fully fund programs for “newcomers” for 2024 and avoid worst-case scenarios projected by the city. That’s in addition to $44 million in spending already secured for the program through previous budget moves. Spending on migrants in the city skyrocketed last year from $2 million a month in August to $15 million in December. In January, migrant numbers peaked at around 5,000 in shelters but have since dropped to around 1,000, according to official figures. DENVER CITY OFFICIAL CAUGHT ON CAMERA BEGGING MIGRANTS TO LEAVE, HEAD TO CHICAGO, NYC “After more than a year of facing this crisis together, Denver finally has a sustainable plan for treating our newcomers with dignity while avoiding the worst cuts to city services,” Johnston said. DENVER MAYOR PLEADS FOR NATIONALLY COORDINATED EFFORT ON MIGRANT CRISIS AS CITY NEARS ‘BREAKING POINT’ The mayor’s office says it will avoid layoffs or furloughs of employees, but there will still be cuts to find the extra $45.9 million in funding. The mayor’s office will see its budget cut by nearly 10%. Denver’s police department, meanwhile, will have its budget cut by $8.4 million, about 1.9% of its budget. And about $5 million of that will come from restricting hiring for open positions, 9News reported. Police officers will still be hired by Denver International Airport, which will pay for the costs of a recruiting class. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS Elsewhere, the city’s fire department will have its budget cut by less than 1%, about $2.5 million, largely from not filling open positions. Funded as part of the new spending will be a new “Denver Asylum Seekers Program.” It will apply to around 1,000 people in the shelter system and will connect them with housing assistance options for six months until they can get a work permit under their asylum claims. There will also be a “WorkReady” program, described as an “innovative pre-work authorization readiness program” by which migrants can be connected with training opportunities, including language instruction. The city says it has helped more than 40,000 migrants in 16 months, the most per capita of any city in the country, at a cost of more than $68 million. A spokesperson for Johnston rejected descriptions of the cuts as “defunding” the police and said there will be 167 new police recruits added to the force in 2024. The spokesperson also said the 1.9% cut is less than the average of 2.5% cuts to all city agencies and that the cuts will have no impact on public services and result in no officers being taken off the streets. “The City of Denver’s adjustment to the Denver Police Department’s budget was carefully crafted with safety leaders and Mayor Johnston to ensure there would be no impact to the department’s public services. And no officers will be taken off the streets,” spokesperson Jordan Fuja said. “To say that Denver is ‘defunding the police’ is a willful mischaracterization of the budget adjustments, which actually just delays the purchase of new furniture and shifts the funding source for one cadet class,” he said. “In fact, Mayor Johnston has invested millions to add 167 new police recruits to our force in 2024 and will continue to invest in public safety to ensure every Denverite is safe in their city.” It’s the latest battle by liberal cities to deal with the flow of migrants that have surged into their communities, whether it be the migrants moving by themselves or being bussed in from Texas. New York City last year proposed significant budget cuts, including to police, but later reversed them amid a growth in revenue. Chicago has also faced massive pressures on its budget over the number of migrants coming in.
West Virginia AG vows to keep defending girls’ sports despite court ruling against transgender ban
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey vowed to keep fighting to keep biological males out of girls’ sports after a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday to overturn a state transgender sports ban because it “violated the Equal Protection Clause and Title IX.” The 2-1 ruling Tuesday from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocks a West Virginia law, signed in 2021, that bans transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams. The court said the law cannot lawfully be applied to a middle-school aged trans girl who has been taking puberty-blocking medication and has publicly identified as a girl since the third grade. “I am deeply disappointed in the court’s divided decision today,” Morrisey said in a statement. “The Save Women’s Sports Act is ‘constitutionally permissible’ and the law complies with Title IX.” OREGON HIGH SCHOOL TRANSGENDER TRACK ATHLETE COMPETES AGAINST GIRLS AT EVENT, SPARKING OUTRAGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA “We must keep working to protect women’s sports so that women’s safety is secured and girls have a truly fair playing field,” he said. “We know the law is correct and will use every available tool to defend it.” In 2021, after the law went into effect, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on behalf of 12-year-old transgender athlete, Becky Pepper Jackson (B.P.J) who would be kicked off the middle school’s track and field team under the new ban. Jackson’s lawyers argued the law violated the 14th Amendment and protections under Title IX. West Virginia was one of 24 states that had laws barring biological males from competing in girls’ sports. COLORADO COULD BECOME THE FIRST STATE TO BUILD SEPARATE PRISON UNITS FOR TRANSGENDER FELONS “Offering B.P.J. a ‘choice’ between not participating in sports and participating only on boys teams is no real choice at all,” Judge Toby Heytens wrote in Tuesday’s opinion. “The defendants cannot expect that B.P.J. will countermand her social transition, her medical treatment, and all the work she has done with her schools, teachers, and coaches for nearly half her life by introducing herself to teammates, coaches, and even opponents as a boy.” The ACLU cheered the court’s decision and called it a “tremendous victory” for Jackson and West Virginians. “It also continues a string of federal courts ruling against bans on the participation of transgender athletes and in favor of their equal participation as the gender they know themselves to be,” senior ACLU attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project, Joshua Block, said in a statement. “This case is fundamentally about the equality of transgender youth in our schools and our communities and we’re thankful the Fourth Circuit agreed.” Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
Supreme Court wary of obstruction charge used against some Jan 6 riot defendants
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority expressed concern Tuesday over the federal government’s use of an obstruction law to prosecute a Jan. 6 Capitol riot defendant, which could have major implications for President Trump’s separate election interference case. Joseph Fischer, a onetime police patrolman, is one of about 350 people charged by the Justice Department with “obstruction of an official proceeding” in connection with the disruption of Congress’ certification of then-former Vice President Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory over Trump. Trump is also facing that same obstruction count. At issue is whether a federal law passed two decades ago to address corporate fraud and document destruction can be properly applied to those allegedly engaged in “assaultive conduct” like participating in a riot. Several on the bench expressed concern the obstruction statute sweeps too broadly into areas like peaceful but disruptive conduct. SUPREME COURT TO DEBATE ‘SLEEPER’ CASE THAT COULD AFFECT TRUMP FEDERAL PROSECUTION “Would a sit-in that disrupts a trial, or access to a federal courthouse, qualify? Would a heckler in today’s audience [inside the Supreme Court] qualify, or at the State of the Union address? Would pulling a fire alarm before a vote qualify?” asked Justice Neil Gorsuch. He may have been referring to Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D–N.Y., charged with triggering a fire alarm in a House office building in a non-emergency. But others on the court appeared to agree with the government’s view that Congress intended to allow a “classic catchall” to include other obstructive behavior involving official proceedings. Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the provision was designed to “cover every base,” including the Capitol riots. “We’ve never had a situation before,” she said, “with people attempting to stop a proceeding violently.” A federal judge earlier dismissed the obstruction offense against three Jan. 6 criminal defendants, ruling it did not cover their conduct on the Capitol grounds. Those defendants include Fischer, Garret Miller of the Dallas area, and Edward Jacob Lang of New York’s Hudson Valley. The high court accepted Fischer’s appeal for final review. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a 2019 Trump bench appointee, determined prosecutors stretched the law beyond its scope to inappropriately apply it in these cases, ruling a defendant must have taken “some action with respect to a document, record or other object” to obstruct an official proceeding under the law. The Justice Department challenged that ruling, and a federal appeals court in Washington agreed with prosecutors that Nichols’ interpretation of the law was too limited. The relevant statute – 18 U.S. Code Section 1512(c)(2) – of the Corporate Fraud Accountability, part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reads: “Whoever corruptly… obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.” Congress passed the law in 2002, after the Enron financial and accounting scandal. Executives at the Texas-based energy company were charged with fraud, and the company eventually went bankrupt. Nichols, in his ruling in the Miller case, cited then-Senator Biden, who referred to the new provision at the time as “making it a crime for document shredding.” Both the government and Fischer – who was a North Cornwall Township police officer in Pennsylvania at the time – offer contrasting accounts of his actions on Jan. 6, 2021. In his appeal, Fischer’s lawyers argued he “was not part of the mob that forced the electoral certification to stop; he arrived at the Capitol grounds well after Congress recessed.” And while he admits entering the Capitol building and pushing his way through the crowd, Fischer claims he also helpfully returned a pair of lost handcuffs to a U.S. Capitol police officer. After being pepper-sprayed by law enforcement, the defendant then says he left the complex just four minutes after entering. But the Justice Department says Fischer “can be heard on the video yelling ‘Charge!’ before pushing through the crowd and entering the building. Once inside, he allegedly ran toward a line of police officers with another rioter while yelling profanities. And the prosecution points to text messages he sent just before attending the “Stop the Steal” rally where Trump spoke – and the subsequent march to the Capitol. “Take democratic congress to the gallows,” he said in one post, and “Can’t vote if they can’t breathe.. lol.” Fischer has pleaded not guilty to several charges, including disorderly and disruptive conduct; assault, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers; civil disorder; and obstruction. His trial is pending. His legal team argues hindering or affecting an official proceeding is too ambiguous, as applied to Fischer’s conduct on the Capitol grounds. For more than 90 minutes Tuesday, the justices offered a range of hypotheticals about how the relevant obstruction statute could be applied in other contexts. SUPREME COURT REJECTS APPEAL FROM BLACK LIVES MATTER LEADER HELD LIABLE FOR VIOLENT ATTACK ON POLICE OFFICER Justice Amy Coney Barrett raised the criminal charges against Trump in the election interference case. She asked whether the charges were evidence-related over obstructing or impeding evidence and could be applied to Trump’s alleged efforts to disrupt the presidential electoral vote count and certification by Congress on Jan. 6. “Do you agree that the government could take a shot at proving that your client actually did try to interfere with … evidence because he was trying to obstruct the arrival of the certificates arriving to the vice president’s desk for counting?” Barrett asked. Justice Clarence Thomas, who returned to the bench after missing Monday’s oral arguments for unexplained reasons, asked whether other violent, anti-government protests were prosecuted under the statute. U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar struggled to find specific examples but did say the obstruction provision was used in document forgery and witness tampering cases. “For all the protests that have occurred in this court, the Justice Department has not charged any serious offenses,” said Justice Samuel Alito, suggesting the obstruction statute was not being applied fairly. “What happened Jan. 6 was very, very, serious. I’m not equating this with that,” added
US files 2nd labor complaint after Mexico refuses to act on union-busting by a Mexican company
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The United States said Tuesday it has filed a labor complaint after Mexico refused to act on alleged union-busting by a Mexican company. The U.S. Trade Representatives Office said it has filed a request for a dispute settlement panel under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, known as the USMCA. The trade pact established rapid-resolution mechanisms to guarantee unions the right to organize in Mexico. For decades, wages in Mexico have been held very low because unions were not allowed to organize freely. US PUSHES WORKERS’ RIGHTS IN MEXICO AMID LABOR MARKET BOOM Over the last two years, in the face of about 22 requests by the United States, Mexico has usually agreed to press companies to comply. But in January, Mexico refused to act in the case of a call center that allegedly threatened or fired union organizers. It is only the second time the United States has filed such a complaint. The first complaint was filed in August. Interestingly, it is only in the last six months that Mexico has started refusing the requests. In the case of the call center, the Mexican Telephone Workers Union claimed the company, Atento Servicios, had threatened and fired employees who were trying to organize a new union. Mexican authorities acknowledged that abuses had taken place at the call center in the central state of Hidalgo, but they claimed the company had taken sufficient corrective measures. The USTR said it did not agree with that assessment. The panel of experts would have about six months to decide who is right on the issue. In many cases in Mexico, old-guard, pro-company unions negotiated “paper” contracts behind the backs of workers. So the fight is to get a new, more democratic union into workplaces. In August, the USTR requested a dispute resolution panel to decide the case of the San Martín mine in the northern state of Zacatecas. The mine, which produces zinc, lead, copper and silver, has been in a long dispute between two unions that claim to represent its workers. Mexico said that the dispute should be resolved only by Mexican courts, because it dates from 2007 and thus predates USMCA, which went into effect in 2020. Mexico changed its labor laws between 2012 and 2017, in part to get approval for entry into the USMCA. The new laws require secret-ballot votes on union contracts. Old-guard unions, in cahoots with companies, would often threaten workers with dismissal or loss of benefits if they chose an independent union. They would also hold voice votes, if they held any at all. When forced to participate in secret-ballot votes, the old-guard unions sometimes stole the ballot boxes if they felt they were losing. The U.S. government has said it hopes the labor complaints will one day allow Mexican wages to rise closer to those in the United States, stemming the outflow of manufacturing jobs. There is a long way to go to reach that goal. For example, at one auto plant in northern Mexico, a newly elected union got the minimum wage increased to about $14 a day, but that is still less than what a U.S. autoworker earns in an hour.
Texas Republicans urge Senate Democrats to give Mayorkas a full impeachment trial
Two Texans are among 11 House impeachment managers initiating a trial of the Homeland Security secretary in the Senate.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick asks state to halt new concrete plant permits until 2025
Citing community concerns about a planned cement plant in Grayson County, Patrick’s letter asks TCEQ to reject the permit and halt permit approvals statewide.
House resolution condemning ‘From the River to the Sea’ chant as antisemitic passes with 44 opposed
The House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning a pro-Palestinian activist chant as antisemitic on Tuesday – but 43 Democrats and one Republican voted against it. A House GOP-led resolution introduced by Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., to formally criticize the use of the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” passed in a 377 to 44 vote. As has been the case with most issues surrounding Israel, the measure split the Democratic Party, with progressives bucking their more traditional colleagues in their criticism of the longstanding U.S. ally. ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS SHUT DOWN TRAFFIC, DISRUPT CITIES ALL ACROSS US IN DEMAND FOR GAZA CEASEFIRE Progressive “Squad” Democrats were among those to vote against it, including Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y.; Cori Bush, D-Mo., as well as House Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. One Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., voted against the measure as well. Fox News Digital reached out to his office for comment. The bill is part of a list of 17 measures House Republican leaders are putting up for a vote this week aimed at affirming support for Israel and condemning Iran after the latter launched a barrage of airstrikes over the weekend. BIDEN’S MORAL EQUIVALENCY BETWEEN ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIANS WILL RESULT IN FAILURE – AGAIN It marked a dramatic escalation in Middle East tensions as the first time Tehran launched an attack on Israel from its own soil, though Israel said 99% of the rockets were intercepted. The phrase “From the river to the sea” is a pro-Palestinian liberation phrase that has been used by Hamas and other anti-Israel actors as a call to arms against the Jewish nation. Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American in Congress, was censured last November for her harsh rhetoric toward Israel, including her use of the phrase. VIDEO SHOWS CHICAGO ACTIVISTS CHEER AFTER LEARNING IRAN LAUNCHED ATTACK ON ISRAEL: ‘HANDS OFF IRAN!’ She got bipartisan blowback over invoking it in a social media video posted to X, but the progressive lawmaker was unrepentant. “From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate. My work and advocacy is always centered in justice and dignity for all people no matter faith or ethnicity,” Tlaib said at the time.
Left-wing dark money group funds bail, legal support for anti-Israel agitators blocking traffic
A left-wing dark money group funded by billionaire George Soros will provide bail and legal support for the anti-Israel activists arrested after blocking major roads and highways nationwide this week, according to an online fundraiser. The traffic-snarling stunts, which took place in several major cities Monday, were said by protesters to be a response to the United States’ continued support for Israel during its war with Hamas terrorists. The demonstrations were largely organized by A15 Action, a recently created group that said it would “coordinate a multi-city economic blockade on April 15 in solidarity with Palestine.” Under the group’s “resources” section on its website, users are pointed to a “bail and legal defense fund” hosted by ActBlue, the leading fundraising platform for Democratic campaigns and groups nationwide. ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS’ ‘UNLAWFUL’ TACTICS WILL ‘NOT BE TOLERATED,’ CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL WARNS The contributions “will benefit Community Justice Exchange,” a project of the Soros-funded Tides Center, according to the fundraising page. “Donate here to support community members who are criminalized in the U.S. for their solidarity with Palestine,” a fundraising page, which was first reported by The Washington Free Beacon, states. “Should the actions of the state result in the need for it, these funds will be used for bail, legal defense, and support for defendants.” The Community Justice Exchange has a self-described mission to provide “money bail, court fees and fines” to “community-based organizations across the country that are experimenting with bottom-up interventions that contest the current operation and function of the criminal legal and immigration detention systems.” It was revealed last November that the Soros-backed Open Society Policy Center had given $13.7 million, through the Tides Center, to groups that have reportedly expressed support for Hamas or justified attacks on Israel, with a total of $15 million donated since 2016. Hundreds of anti-Israel agitators stopped traffic and created havoc, sending Americans scrambling on Monday in major U.S. cities like San Francisco, New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia. Traffic on both lanes of California’s Golden Gate Bridge was shut down Monday, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) told Fox News Digital, as images emerged showing anti-Israel agitators holding banners with messages like “Stop the world for Gaza” and “End the siege on Gaza now!” CHP said 38 people were arrested for involvement in the Golden Gate Bridge demonstration and later warned that tactics used by the “unlawful” protesters there and along Interstate-880 in Oakland “will not be tolerated.” Some demonstrators in California attached themselves to 55-gallon drums filled with concrete. ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS SHUT DOWN TRAFFIC, DISRUPT CITIES ALL ACROSS US IN DEMAND FOR GAZA CEASEFIRE In New York City, nearly 300 protesters gathered outside the New York Stock Exchange Monday morning. Protesters were heard chanting “free, free Palestine,” “Palestine will never die,” “from Wall Street to Palestine … intifada” and “Israel bombs. USA pays. How many kids did you kill today?” Many of the protesters were also carrying watermelon balloons, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity. Demonstrators also took to the Brooklyn Bridge, where police quickly intervened in an attempt to prevent the protest from growing in size. In Chicago, protesters blocked traffic to Chicago O’Hare International Airport, causing delays that lasted several hours after the protest was broken up by police. Chicago Police told Fox News 40 people were arrested and that charges are pending. Anti-Israel agitators also gathered outside Philadelphia’s City Hall, drawing a noticeable police presence. The protesters there blocked the intersection at Market Street and Schuylkill Avenue in Center City. NBC 10 Philadelphia later reported police “arrested 41 people while Pennsylvania State Police arrested 27 for a total of 68 arrests.” Protesters also flooded downtown Miami and downtown Tampa, calling for a cease-fire in the ongoing war in Gaza. In Texas, a group of protesters also demonstrated outside the Valero headquarters in San Antonio to express their opposition to Israeli military action in Gaza. The protests continued into Monday evening, with pro-Israel agitators taking to Washington’s Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, shutting down traffic along the expressway. Fox News’ Stepheny Price and Greg Norman contributed to this report.
Daughter’s boyfriend, of whom Atlantic City mayor disapproved, recorded abuse on video call: affidavit
Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small and his wife disapproved of their teenage daughter’s boyfriend, who secretly recorded an incident of him allegedly physically and verbally assaulting the girl over a video chat, according to an affidavit filed by prosecutors. Small and his wife LaQuetta, Atlantic City’s superintendent of schools, were charged Monday with child endangerment and assault regarding interactions in December and January with their daughter, who is now 16. The mayor is accused of repeatedly hitting his daughter in the head with a broom until she blacked out, and repeatedly punching her in the legs. Her mother is accused of dragging her by her hair, punching her in the chest and face, and hitting her with a belt. ATLANTIC CITY MAYOR, WIFE CHARGED WITH ABUSING, ASSAULTING TEENAGE DAUGHTER: ‘SMACK THE WEAVE OUT OF HER HEAD’ “Mayor Small and Superintendent LaQuetta Small are completely innocent of any wrongdoing and will ultimately be vindicated,” their lawyer Ed Jacobs said in a statement Tuesday. “These complaints focus exclusively on private family matters, basically attempting to second-guess parental decisions.” He said the Smalls “remain a close and loving and intact family,” adding the mayor intends to continue serving in office. An affidavit filed by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office quotes the girl, whose name The Associated Press is not publishing because she is the alleged victim of a crime, as telling child welfare authorities that her parents disapproved of her boyfriend. LaQuetta Small is also quoted as telling the same thing to a therapist who was made available to the girl after she reported abuse to school personnel. The affidavit was first reported by the web site breakingac.com. It includes a transcript of dialogue between the Smalls and their daughter that were recorded by cell phones or laptops, apparently without the parents’ knowledge. But it also includes assertions that the girl told state child welfare investigators that she made up the allegations because she was angry at her parents. These claims were contradicted in the affidavit by text messages she sent to friends claiming she actually was being abused and did not feel safe at home. Several recordings involve an incident from Jan. 3 between Marty Small and his daughter, while she was talking to her boyfriend on a video chat. “I’m scared,” the girl whispers to her boyfriend, according to the transcript. Using the girl’s name, the mayor says, “Don’t make me hurt you.” She replies, “Hurt me, that’s all you do!” The mayor orders his daughter to sit down, and she tells him to stop pushing her. “I’m gonna hurt you,” he says, threatening to throw her down a staircase. “Tell them. I don’t care. What they gonna do to me? I’ll smack that weave out ya head. Nothing is gonna happen to me!” The transcript also references an incident on Jan. 7 incident between the girl and her mother that was witnessed by her grandmother in which the teen yells at her mother to get off her and stop hitting her. “A little punch in the eye ain’t gonna stop her,” the grandmother says. The affidavit also contains messages from the girl to friends asking if she can stay with them, saying she does not feel safe at home, and that her bags are packed. “I’ve been mentally, emotionally, verbally and physically abused, and it’s a lot,” she wrote. “I’m overwhelmed and I keep crying every night.” She sought treatment at a hospital for a head injury three days after her father allegedly hit her with the broom, telling a nurse she had hit her head on a window and lost consciousness, a claim with which her father agreed, according to the affidavit. But the affidavit also includes quotes from the girl to county detectives and investigators with the state child welfare agency, the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, in which she claims to have fabricated the claims against her parents. In a Jan. 25 interview at Atlantic City High School, the girl told detectives that she “told DCP&P she made the allegations up and she was not physically assaulted,” according to the affidavit. The girl told detectives she wanted to meet friends at a seafood restaurant a few weeks earlier but her parents would not allow it. “She stated she made the allegations up because of this and stated no physical abuse occurred,” the affidavit read. The girl “was asked if she was ever hit by her parents and she stated no.” The Smalls have a May 15 initial court date. Monday night, he posted a picture of himself with the hashtags “unbothered” and “God got us.”