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Key moderate Republican comes out in favor of impeaching Mayorkas, says he should be ‘tried for treason’

Key moderate Republican comes out in favor of impeaching Mayorkas, says he should be ‘tried for treason’

EXCLUSIVE: A key moderate Republican lawmaker is coming out in support of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, bringing House GOP leaders one step closer to unifying their conference on the issue. Rep. John James, R-Mich., who represents a swing district that former President Donald Trump won by just 1% in 2020, told Fox News Digital that not only should Mayorkas be impeached but tried for treason as well. “Secretary Mayorkas must be impeached and tried for treason,” he said.  “Evidence will prove that Mayorkas’ sustained and willful betrayal of the public trust makes him an accessory to the poisoning of millions of Americans, complicit in a modern-day slave trade and so derelict in his duty to secure the homeland that it crosses unequivocally into the realm of high crimes and misdemeanors.” TEXAS SEIZES CONTROL OF PARK, BLOCKS BORDER PATROL FROM ENTERING, AS PART OF ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION EFFORTS House Republicans kicked off the process to impeach Mayorkas last week when the Homeland Security Committee held its first hearing into the matter on Wednesday.  Democrats have decried the move as political, while Republicans have accused Mayorkas of being responsible for the migrant crisis at the southern border. The number of encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border broke 300,000 for the month of December, shattering records. BIDEN LAWSUIT OVER TEXAS IMMIGRATION LAW LATEST ATTEMPT TO STIFLE STATE’S MOVES TO STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION Any future House floor vote on impeachment will likely not get any support from the left. For GOP leadership, that means bringing together a Republican conference that has been highly fractured for much of this term and getting moderates like James on board. Under the current circumstances, House GOP leaders cannot lose more than two votes to still pass anything along party lines.  James was among more than 60 House Republicans who visited the border at the start of this month. “I believe that legal immigration is an economic and moral imperative for this nation. But we’re talking about border security right now,” he told reporters on a press call afterward. BIDEN DOJ SEEKS SUPREME COURT INTERVENTION OVER TEXAS RAZOR WIRE AT SOUTHERN BORDER “We have Border Patrol agents that are underfunded, that are underappreciated, and they’re at their wit’s end. And part of the only reason they’re still sticking around is because if they leave, they feel like they’re leaving their buddies behind. That resonates with me… as a former military member.” James also discussed the toll of human trafficking by smugglers taking people across the border illegally. “These are human beings we’re talking about. These are men and women. These are children,” he said. “These are God’s creatures, who are being herded like cattle, like chattel, like, like animals, by these coyotes. And they’re being bought and sold to the tune of $32 million per week just in the Del Rio sector.” Republicans have blamed the Biden administration for fueling the crisis by rolling back Trump-era border policies.  House conservatives are currently pushing to bring many of them back via their own border security bill, known as H.R.2. Meanwhile, talks are ongoing in the Senate to cobble together a border security deal — talks which Mayorkas has been part of. Asked for comment on Republicans’ impeachment push, a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a memo, “After decades of Congressional inaction on our broken immigration laws, Secretary Mayorkas and a bipartisan group of Senators are working hard to try and find real solutions to address these challenges. Instead of working in a bipartisan way to fix our broken immigration laws, the House Majority is wasting time on baseless and pointless political attacks by trying to impeach Secretary Mayorkas.” The memo also pointed out that Republican lawmakers have fundraised off the Mayorkas impeachment push and the rhetoric around it, and that some in the GOP have decried it as a waste of time.

House investigation into ‘what really happened on January 6’ entering ‘new phase’ with Speaker Johnson support

House investigation into ‘what really happened on January 6’ entering ‘new phase’ with Speaker Johnson support

EXCLUSIVE: The House investigation into “what really happened” on January 6, 2021, is entering a “new phase,” Fox News Digital has learned, with Rep. Barry Loudermilk leading the charge and vowing to bring “the truth” to the American people. Loudermilk, R-Ga., the chairman of the House Administration Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee, told Fox News Digital that his investigation, which began under former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, is expanding with the support of House Speaker Mike Johnson. “We’re entering a new phase,” he said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. “The speaker has committee whatever resources we need to move forward, and has basically tripled the size of our staff.” REP. LOUDERMILK BLASTS JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE FOR TARGETING HIM: ‘THERE IS A WAR ON THE TRUTH IN THIS COUNTRY’ “We are investigating what really happened on January 6 and how were these people — whoever they were — how were they able to get into the Capitol? What was the security failure?” Loudermilk said, adding that the panel is also investigating “the actions of the Select Committee [on January 6] and how they conducted their investigation.” “Because the American people have a right to know what happened,” Loudermilk said. “My main goal is to get the truth out there and give the American people the ability to make their own determination on this with facts — not with preconceived ideas or pre-determined narratives — but just the facts of what happened.” Loudermilk told Fox News Digital that last Congress’ House Select Committee on January 6, led by Democrats, “went above and beyond the evidence to try to prove something that they wanted to be truth.” Loudermilk said that panel “cherry-picked” evidence and “excluded evidence that did not support their narrative, which was that Trump and the Republicans are the ones who planned and carried out and assisted in the attacks on the Capitol.” “But there isn’t evidence to support that so-called truth,” he said. “Look, I’m not here to vindicate anyone,” he said. “But we want the truth to prevail.” While the attacks on the Capitol took place three years ago, Jan. 6 has become a major talking point and issue for the 2024 presidential election cycle. Former President Trump has been charged out of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Jan. 6 and the 2020 election. Trump is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges. And while the 2024 GOP frontrunner has never been charged with inciting insurrection, several states across the nation have attempted to use the 14th amendment to remove him from state ballots. Meanwhile, President Biden’s first re-election campaign speech last week was focused on Jan. 6, and accused Trump of being a threat to democracy due to the Capitol riot, again claiming he incited the violence. BIDEN MARKS THREE YEARS SINCE JAN. 6 BLASTING TRUMP, SAYING HE IS ‘TRYING TO STEAL HISTORY’ “It is imperative at this point because we do have a major election,” he said. “I am not trying to influence the election but it is important that the people are really informed.” Loudermilk pointed to a Biden campaign commercial, using footage from Jan. 6. “He’s using images of the gallows that was erected — that’s something we’ve been investigating. It was erected at 6 in the morning — how in the world did it stay up all day long? Right with Capitol Police there?” He asked. “That is something that at first sight, somebody should have been taking down.” Loudermilk said that “regardless of who did the attack, how did these people get in?” Loudermilk said he is investigating the “security failure.” “We do know there was plenty of intelligence that there was going to be an attack on the Capitol. So Secret Service knew of it. The FBI knew of it. Department of Defense had intelligence. Homeland Security had intelligence. That intelligence was sent to the Capitol Police Intelligence Division—but it never got passed on any further. The chief did not know about it,” he explained. “Now whether it was intentional suppression or if it was incompetence, there was a huge cover-up over that,” he continued. “We are looking at that, but from what we can tell, there were groups that were planning this attack on the Capitol.” Loudermilk also said they have intelligence that there were federal agents embedded in the crowd, which he noted, is “not unusual for large gatherings.” “But our issue is, if a plainclothes law enforcement officer engaged in nefarious activities, which we have already proven there was one Metropolitan police officer who was plainclothes on duty and encouraged people to go to the Capitol — so that type of activity is very concerning to us,” he said. But Loudermilk noted that federal officers “are not allowed on Capitol Hill unless they are invited by Capitol Police or the Capitol Police Board.” “Were any of those federal officers here before the chief of police asked for mutual assistance?” He asked. Meanwhile, Loudermilk said the term “optics” comes up “way too often in a lot of the communications.” “People had a concern of the ‘optics’ from the Civil Defense unit to Capitol Police wearing riot gear — someone didn’t like that. I suspect it came from [then-Speaker Nancy] Pelosi’s office,” he said. “We’re tracking that down. But they were told to leave their riot gear in buses — it doesn’t do any good. You don’t have time to tell people storming the Capitol, ‘hey, wait until we go get our defensive gear on.’” “So the term ‘optics’ also comes up when it comes to the deployment of the National Guard,” he continued. “We have uncovered evidence that Trump was aware of the attack on the Capitol and did order the National Guard to be ready to deploy, so we’ll be coming out with that as well.” As for the portion of

Ron DeSantis places his chips on Iowa’s caucuses. Will his 2024 bet pay off on Monday

Ron DeSantis places his chips on Iowa’s caucuses. Will his 2024 bet pay off on Monday

Standing in front of a jam-packed room at the Iowa headquarters of a super PAC supporting his White House bid, Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis stressed “we’ve done it the right way.” The Florida governor has spent much of his time and resources in Iowa, the state whose caucuses kick off the GOP presidential nominating calendar. And with his presidential campaign arguably on the line in Monday night’s caucuses, DeSantis was urging his supporters to brave the frigid below zero temperatures that are punishing the Hawkeye State to show up and vote. “It’s going to be cold. It’s not going to be pleasant. But if you’re willing to go out there and you’re willing to fight for me, if you’re willing to bring people to the caucus, if you’re willing to brave the elements and be there for the couple of hours you have to be there, if you’re willing to do that, if you’re willing to fight for me on Monday night, then as president I’ll be fighting for you for the next eight years,” DeSantis emphasized. WHAT THE FINAL POLL BEFORE MONDAY’S IOWA GOP PRESIDENTIAL CAUCUSES SHOWS DeSantis, who was convincingly re-elected to a second term as Florida governor 14 months ago, was once the clear alternative to former President Donald Trump in the Republican White House race. For months, he was solidly in second place behind Trump, who’s the far-and-away front-runner in the latest Iowa polls and in national surveys. However, after a series of campaign setbacks over the summer and autumn, and after getting hammered by negative ads, DeSantis saw his support in the polls erode. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, grabbed momentum during the autumn and has caught up with DeSantis for second place in polls in Iowa and in national surveys.  HALEY KNOCKS MEDIA EXPECTATIONS BUT LOOKS TO ‘BIG SHOWING’ IN IOWA Haley also surpassed DeSantis and surged to second place and narrowed the gap with Trump in New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP nominating calendar, eight days after Iowa’s caucuses. While he no longer predicts victory in Iowa, DeSantis has repeatedly said over the past week that he’ll “do well” in the caucuses. And the Florida governor is betting that his vaulted ground game in Iowa – which is heavily reliant on the aligned super PAC Never Back Down – will carry him across the finish line. “We have massive numbers of people. I think we have more commits than anyone’s ever had in an Iowa caucus. We have all the counties organized. People that have been involved in this process say it’s the best yet,” he touted during a Fox News town hall in Des Moines on Tuesday. BLIZZARD DERAILS IOWA CAMAPIGN EVENTS, WILL BELOW ZERO TEMPS DEPRESS CAUCUS TURNOUT? Never Back Down highlights that they’ve knocked on 900,000 doors in Iowa and that they’ve lined up more than 1,700 precinct captains across the state for the caucuses. “We have a whole team paid staff, canvassers, volunteers, across the state,” Never Back Down’s Jess Szymanski told Fox News. “They’ve been here for months…we’ve been building this since July.” But Trump, who narrowly lost the 2016 caucus to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, has dramatically stepped up his campaign operation in the state compared to eight years ago. “We’ve built an operation in over 1,800 caucus locations with straight-up volunteers, neighborhood by neighborhood. They know the area, and they know who’s caucusing in their area, and they’ll be following up with them, making sure they vote,” Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita told Fox News. TRUMP TAKES NO CHANCES AS THE IOWA CAUCUSES APPROACH “Our focus and our premium has been on people…and we think it’s going to bear fruit in a big way,” he predicted. Haley is relying on the political wing of the powerful grassroots network from the influential conservative group Americans for Prosperity for much of her ground game efforts in Iowa. Speaking with supporters on Friday, Haley acknowledged “I know that on January 15th, it is going to be negative 19. I know it’s asking a lot of you to go out and caucus, but I also know we have a country to save. And I will be out there in the cold. And I know Iowans take this in a very serious way.” In a boost of adrenalin for Haley and blow to DeSantis, she edged him 20% to 16% for a distant second place behind Trump in the final Des Moines Register/Mediacom/NBC News poll of likely Republican caucus goers, which was released Saturday night. The highly anticipated and closely watched survey, conducted by longtime pollster Ann Selzer, has a well-earned tradition of accuracy in past GOP presidential caucuses, and is considered by many as the gold standard in Iowa polling.  The poll was the second straight to suggest DeSantis had slipped to third place. But DeSantis continues to sound confident, telling Fox News on Friday that his supporters are “motivated, they’re passionate, and they’re going to show up.” “What about the broader electorate? I just don’t know. But I’m confident our people are going to come out strong,” he predicted. Fox News’ Clare O’Connor, Deirdre Heavey, and James Levinson contributed to this report Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Nikki Haley’s campaign spent thousands on luxury hotels despite claims it runs ‘a tight ship’

Nikki Haley’s campaign spent thousands on luxury hotels despite claims it runs ‘a tight ship’

FIRST ON FOX: Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s campaign spent thousands on luxury hotels last year despite her team’s claim it runs “a tight ship” and stays in “affordable” lodging. According to Haley’s third-quarter disbursements filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), her campaign spent over $11,000 on high-end, four- and five-star hotels.  That included stays at The Breakers, a luxurious hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, and the Wave Resort in Long Branch, New Jersey. Other hotel expenditures listed in the report include stays at a high-end Fairmont Hotel in Texas, an Omni Hotel, a J.W. Marriott and multiple stays at the upscale Hotel Fort Des Moines in Iowa.  WATCH: VETERAN AIR FORCE COMMANDER JOINS RACE FOR CONGRESS, SAYS MOMENT ‘TOO IMPORTANT’ FOR CAREER POLITICIANS The numerous hotel bills contrast with the frugality touted by Haley’s campaign and her comments during the most recent primary debate between her and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, when she blasted him for what she described as blowing through millions of dollars on his campaign. “He spent more on private planes than commercial. I flew commercial. I stayed in Residence Inns. We went and saved our money,” Haley said. “We made sure we spent it right because you have to understand it’s not your money. It’s other people’s money. And you have to know how to handle it.”  Haley’s campaign made similar claims in multiple fundraising emails sent last July, including one that said it was “being smart with every dollar.” FORMER COP TARGETS TRUMP, GOP OPPONENTS OVER ‘DISGRACEFUL’ LAW ENFORCEMENT RHETORIC 3 YEARS AFTER JAN. 6 “We run a tight ship at Team Haley. Supporters like you contribute your hard-earned money to elect Nikki, and we make sure to spend that money wisely,” the email said.  “Nikki’s an accountant, not a lawyer. When Nikki and the team travel to New Hampshire and Iowa, they’re flying on a lot of Spirit and JetBlue flights. When they stay in hotels, they’re not staying in luxury suites, they’re staying at a lot of Residence Inns,” it added. Another email stated that the campaign’s road team wasn’t “out there renting private planes like some campaigns. You’re flying a lot of Spirit and JetBlue.”  WAR VETERAN SETS MAJOR FUNDRAISING RECORD IN BID TO FLIP CRUCIAL SENATE SEAT FROM DEMOCRATS “We’re getting you out to New Hampshire, Iowa, and wherever else you need to go with the most affordable option we can find. And when you all land, you’re driving the rest of the staff around in a rental car. You’re not staying in luxury suites. You’re staying at affordable hotels,” it said. “Our team is lean and mean. We track every penny coming in and out of our campaign because that was the expectation set on day one.” In addition to the high-end hotels, Haley’s FEC report also included stays at lower-rated hotels, such as Residence Inn and Hampton Inn, but those stays were not included in the total amount spent on those classified as luxury. “As an accountant, Nikki Haley understands the importance of sticking to a budget,” Haley’s campaign told Fox News Digital. “That’s what our campaign did, making smart decisions about staff size, TV spending and travel. The proof is in the pudding: This is now a two-person race with Nikki rising, Trump dropping and DeSantis fading fast after lighting $150 million on fire.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub

The battle begins: here’s how the Iowa caucuses work

The battle begins: here’s how the Iowa caucuses work

All eyes will be on Iowa on Monday as the state’s caucuses kick off the Republican presidential nominating calendar. The caucuses, unlike most primary elections, are run by the state parties. There is no set list of authorized candidates for the Iowa Republican caucuses, so caucusgoers may write in any person they prefer. Most, however, will choose between the current GOP candidates: former President Donald Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and entrepreneur Ryan Binkley. Both the Republican and Democratic parties will hold their caucuses Monday night, but only Republicans will vote for a 2024 presidential nominee. Registered Republicans will cast their vote for who they want to be president, while registered Democrats will meet to conduct party business and will not hold a presidential preference vote. HALEY KNOCKS MEDIA OVER EXPECTATIONS BUT PREDICTS ‘BIG SHOWING’ IN IOWA CAUCUSES So, how do the caucuses work? The Iowa caucuses have been the first-in-the-nation balloting since the 1970s. Unlike on Election Day, the caucuses take place at night, and voters must typically attend in person to vote.  Starting at about 7 p.m. local time (CST), registered Republican voters will arrive and sign in at their respective precincts in 99 counties statewide, where they will hear brief speeches by representatives of each candidate.  The caucusgoers will then cast their ballots for who they want to be president, and the ballots will be counted immediately and in view of the caucusgoers and campaign representatives. FIREBRAND HOUSE REPUBLICAN SEES ‘MASSIVE SURGE’ FOR DESANTIS IN IOWA: ‘CLOSER THAN PEOPLE THINK’ The results from each precinct will then be entered into an online system by each precinct chair, where they will be tallied by Republican Party of Iowa staffers and reported via the party’s official website. “It will be a very perfected operation, very slick,” Steve Scheffler, an Iowa caucuses precinct chair, told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum on Wednesday. “It’s pretty straightforward.” “It’s pretty simple, it’s a grassroots effort,” added Randy Weisheit, another chair. “They’ll be able to check in, they’ll get a slip of paper, they’ll be able to easily vote their preference for a presidential candidate. There’s county business that also goes on that we essentially look at, electing representatives to our county party as well as delegates to our county party. That’s it.” The goal is for the GOP to avoid the same reporting issues faced by the Iowa Democratic Party during the 2020 Democratic caucuses, when it didn’t certify the winner – then-Mayor Pete Buttigieg – until weeks later. The debacle led to several changes by the Iowa Democratic Party, including demoting the state to Super Tuesday status instead of first in the nation. As a result, Iowa Democrats will mail-in their pick for the presidential nominee and have until March 5 – Super Tuesday – to do so. On Monday, Iowa Republican voters will choose their presidential nominee, and the results of that vote will determine how many of the state’s 40 convention delegates each candidate will receive. Candidates win national convention delegates in direct proportion to the percentage of the vote they receive.  While the Iowa caucuses will give the winning candidate an early lead in the delegate race, it does not necessarily predict who will become the party’s nominee. Iowa makes up only 1.6% of the total number of Republican delegates nationwide, but because it is the first to vote in the country, the results can have a significant effect on a campaign and have the potential to further winnow the Republican primary field. The New Hampshire primary will be held just eight days after the caucuses. Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.