Fox News Politics: Hunter Biden, not guilty
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. What’s Happening? – Trump goes rogue, defies judge’s ban on former president delivering closing statement – Hunter Biden makes first court appearance on federal tax charges – House GOP divided ahead of looming government shutdown The president’s son pleaded not guilty to multiple felony and misdemeanor charges that he failed to pay taxes for several years. The charges came out of Special Counsel David Weiss’ investigation into Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden’s trial on the tax charges is set for June in Los Angeles. In the indictment, prosecutors said Hunter Biden failed to pay taxes for several years, and allegedly falsely claimed payments to strip clubs and luxury hotels were business expenses, among other accusations. TAIWAN TRIP: Biden to send delegation to island amid rising tensions with China …Read more ‘PUT THIS TO BED’: Republican senators propose bill to put future ballot bans in SCOTUS’ hands …Read more CLOCK TICKING: House GOP divided on avoiding government shutdown with deadline next week …Read more ‘HOLD UNIVERSITIES ACCOUNTABLE’: Cassidy, Fetterman bill aims to protect students from discrimination on college campuses …Read more ELECTION SECURITY: House Republicans roll out new election integrity ‘tool kit’ days before 2024 Iowa caucuses …Read more WHAT ABOUT THE ‘PRIVATE JET’?: DeSantis goes after Dems on climate change hypocrisy …Read more BATTLE FOR SECOND: Haley pulls ahead of DeSantis in new Iowa poll …Read more RE-ELECTION HAUL: Cruz brings in cash for contentious Senate campaign …Read more GROWING ANXIETY: Biden secretly meets with donors to alleviate concerns over his age, energy: report …Read more MONEY TO THE STATE: Who would get the $370M Trump is being sued for by NYAG Letitia James? …Read more TRUMP CHALLENGER CHARGED: Man who sought to block Trump from ballots citing 14th Amendment indicted for alleged tax fraud …Read more SOROS SAVED: Federal appeals court rules in favor of ‘Soros’ DA fired by DeSantis …Read more
House Rules Committee to consider Hunter Biden contempt resolutions next week, setting up floor vote
The House Rules Committee will consider the resolutions that would hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress, setting up the potential for a full vote on the House floor as early as next week on whether to recommend the first son for prosecution. The House Oversight Committee and the House Judiciary Committee passed resolutions to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden on Wednesday. The vote by the House Judiciary Committee was 23-14. The House Oversight Committee vote was 25-21. HOUSE COMMITTEES FORMALLY RECOMMEND TO HOLD HUNTER BIDEN IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS The resolutions are now set to be considered by the House Rules Committee on Tuesday January 16 at 4 p.m. The panel will set the terms for the floor debate and prepare the resolution. It is unclear, at this point, whether each committee’s resolution will be considered on the floor for a full vote, or if the House Rules Committee will combine both resolutions into one for consideration for a contempt of Congress vote. A source familiar tells Fox News Digital a full House floor vote on whether to hold Hunter Biden in contempt could come as early as Wednesday. House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Jaime Raskin, D-Md., blasted the move, saying the committee took “unprecedented action to hold in contempt a private citizen who stands ready to provide the Committee with all the information it seeks.” Hunter Biden made a surprise appearance at the House Oversight Committee markup with his attorneys Abbe Lowell and Kevin Morris. Biden and his attorneys ultimately left the markup session before the vote on the resolution. Hunter Biden, ahead of his subpoenaed deposition on December 13, had offered to testify publicly. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, rejected his request, stressing that the first son would not have special treatment and pointed to the dozens of other witnesses who have appeared, as compelled, for their interviews and depositions. Comer and Jordan vowed to release the transcript of Hunter Biden’s deposition. The first son, though, defied the subpoena, ignored the offer and delivered a public statement outside the Capitol. At the time, he said his father “was not financially involved in my business.” Comer said Wednesday that Hunter Biden “blantantly defied two lawful subpoenas.” Comer said “Hunter Biden’s willful refusal to comply with the committees’ subpoenas is a criminal act” that “constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution as prescribed by law.” HOUSE GOP SAYS HUNTER BIDEN ‘VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW’ BY DEFYING SUBPOENA, PREPARE CONTEMPT RESOLUTION “We will not provide Hunter Biden with special treatment because of his last name,” Comer said. “All Americans must be treated equally under the law. And that includes the Bidens.” Meanwhile, the White House refused to answer questions on whether it was told in advance that Hunter Biden would attend the House Oversight’s markup session on Wednesday. “So here’s what I’ll say. And I’ve said this many times before: Hunter, as you all know, as a private citizen, he’s not a member of this White House,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “He makes his own decisions, like he did today about how to respond to Congress.” She went on to refer “any further questions, any additional questions about this process” to Hunter Biden’s attorneys. When pressed again on whether the White House was informed in advance, Jean-Pierre said, “I don’t have anything — we don’t have anything else to share beyond that.” Last month, Comer and Jordan expanded their investigation to probe whether President Biden was involved in his son’s “scheme” to defy his subpoena for deposition, which, they say, “could constitute an impeachable offense.”
NYC Mayor Adams reverses NYPD budget cuts planned due to city’s spiralling migrant crisis
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday that the city is reversing budget cuts targeting the city’s police department that had been planned as a result of the enormous costs of the migrant crisis the sanctuary city is facing. “Under this administration, more police officers mean safer streets, safer subways and a safer New York City,” Adams said, citing a better than expected tax revenue and “strong fiscal management.” Adams had announced budget cuts across the board in November, citing the $1.45 billion spent in FY 2023 on the migrant crisis, and expectations that nearly $11 billion will be spent in FYs 2024 and 2025. “Migrant costs are going up, tax revenue growth is slowing and COVID stimulus funding is drying up,” he said at the time. DENVER TO SLASH BUDGETS BY UP TO 15% DUE TO ONGOING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRISIS The cuts included a hiring freeze for the New York Police Department (NYPD) to bring numbers below 30,000 by the end of FY 2025 from over 33,000 currently. The budget would have also cut firefighters from the FDNY. The move brought condemnation from the police union, which called it a disaster for New Yorkers who want safe streets. But on Wednesday, Adams — who is himself a former cop — said that some of the cuts targeting the NYPD and the fire department will be reversed. As a result, there will be an additional 600 police officers on the streets in April, in addition to three additional classes due to graduate this year. He said that the reverse course was due to his administration, and not because of any additional help from New York state or the federal government. “While we are grateful to the state and federal support we have received thus far, it is sadly not enough. It did not change our circumstances, we did.” The police union welcomed the additional hires, but warned that the NYPD “can’t hire its way out of its staffing crisis.” “We are still at least 2,700 cops below the pre-‘Defund the Police’ headcount. Nearly 3,000 more cops quit or retired last year. Those who remain are stretched beyond their breaking point. 911 response times are still rising, and the City Council keeps piling on new burdens,” Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said. “To keep our public safety gains from slipping away, the city must focus on retaining the cops it already has by improving their quality of life and providing incentives to keep them on the job,” he said. NYC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FORCED INTO REMOTE LEARNING AS 2,000 MIGRANTS SHELTERED IN SCHOOL INSTEAD The funding issue is one of many to arise from the more than 160,000 migrants that have flooded into New York City since the middle of 2022. While some have come from Texas buses sent by Gov. Greg Abbott, many have come independently. Adams and other liberal mayors have called for $5 billion in funding to help them deal with the crisis. The Biden administration has currently proposed about $1.5 billion in its supplemental spending proposals that is currently before Congress. Adams has also put restrictions in place on when and where migrant buses can drop off their passengers, and has called for other mayors in the region to do the same. Separately, his administration has launched a lawsuit seeking $700 million from the transportation companies involved in dropping off the migrants. The effects of the crisis were on display earlier this week when students at a Brooklyn high school were put into remote learning temporarily while nearly 2,000 migrants used the school as a shelter due to incoming storms that made their shelter unusable.
Art dealer reveals Hunter Biden knew ‘sugar brother’ was top buyer, making WH ethics pledge a ‘sham’: Comer
Hunter Biden’s New York City art dealer testified Tuesday that the president’s son knew his “sugar brother” lawyer was the top buyer of his paintings, contradicting the White House’s previously cited ethics plan to conceal his patrons’ identities. According to the readout of a closed-door deposition with the House Oversight Committee, Georges Bergès, who owns the Georges Bergès Art Gallery in Manhattan, revealed he never worked with the White House on such an ethics pact, and that Hunter knew who bought about 70% of his art work. According to a July 2021 report by The Washington Post, Biden administration officials “helped craft an agreement under which purchases of Hunter Biden’s artwork — which could be listed at prices as high as $500,000 — will be kept confidential from even the artist himself, in an attempt to avoid ethical issues that could arise as a presidential family member tries to sell a product with a highly subjective value.” WATCH: NANCY MACE SHREDS HUNTER BIDEN FOR HAVING ‘NO B—S’ AFTER SURPRISE VISIT DERAILS HOUSE HEARING The agreement was frequently cited by then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who now hosts an opinion show on liberal network MSNBC. Of those purchases Bergès said Hunter was aware of, the most lucrative was from Kevin Morris, the Hollywood lawyer dubbed Hunter’s “sugar brother” due to his financial support, help writing a book and lending a private jet to the president’s son. He purchased $875,000 worth of artwork in a Jan. 2023 deal. Bergès testified that Morris only paid 40% commission on the $875,000 purchase, and that the lawyer worked with Hunter to figure out the financial implications. He admitted to never having done an art deal like that before. HUNTER BIDEN MAKES SHOCKING APPEARANCE AT HIS OWN CONTEMPT HEARING Another individual he testified Hunter knew of was Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali, who spent $42,000 on his art work in Feb. 2021, prior to being appointed by President Biden to the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad that July. She bought another $52,000 worth in Dec. 2022. According to The New York Post, Naftali has denied that she purchased the art to gain the president’s favor, and that “any insinuation that her purchase of art was unusual or somehow improper” was false. Bergès’ spoke to the committee as part of House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into President Biden. GOP lawmakers have accused Biden of using his status and name to enrich himself and his family. HOUSE GOP SAYS HUNTER BIDEN ‘VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW’ BY DEFYING SUBPOENA, PREPARE CONTEMPT RESOLUTION Republican investigators have suggested they are suspicious over whether Hunter’s art career, which began in recent years, has led to any conflicts of interest between wealthy buyers and the White House. “The Biden White House appears to have deceived the American people about facilitating an ethics agreement governing the sale of Hunter Biden’s art,” Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said in a statement calling the agreement a “sham.” “The vast majority of Hunter Biden’s art has been purchased by Democrat donors, one of whom was appointed by President Biden to a prestigious commission after she purchased Hunter Biden’s art for tens of thousands of dollars shortly after Joe Biden’s inauguration. The White House has a lot of explaining to do about misleading the American people,” he added. The White House’s arrangement also previously took heat from a former Obama administration ethics chief, who called it a “perfect mechanism for funneling bribes.” “So instead of disclosing who is paying outrageous sums for Hunter Biden’s artwork so that we could monitor whether the purchasers are gaining access to government, the WH tried to make sure we will never know who they are,” Walter Shaub wrote in a 2021 thread on X, following The Washington Post’s report. “That’s very disappointing.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and Bergès for comment. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Trump accuses New York attorney general of bias in court closing arguments
Trump’s remarks come on final day of a trial over allegations that he habitually exaggerated his wealth. Former US President Donald Trump has used closing arguments in his civil fraud trial to attack New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump had sought to deliver Thursday’s full closing arguments, but permission was denied when he failed to sign off on restrictions stopping him from using the courtroom as an electioneering platform. The former president is the current frontrunner for the Republican nomination to go against the current president, Joe Biden, in the November election. Judge Arthur Engoron, who is ruling on what penalties to impose on Trump after an earlier decision that he and his company had manipulated property values fraudulently, allowed Trump to make brief additional comments after his lawyer had spoken. Trump quickly took the chance to attack the New York state attorney general, saying, “They want to make sure I never win again. The [attorney general] hates Trump … and if I can’t talk about that it’s a disservice.” Former US President Donald Trump attends the closing arguments in the Trump Organisation civil fraud trial at New York State Supreme Court in the Manhattan borough of New York City [Shannon Stapleton/Reuters] James brought the case and is looking for a nearly $370m ruling and a lifetime ban on Trump from the state’s real estate industry. “We have a situation where I am an innocent man,” Trump said, adding, “I’m being persecuted by someone running for office and I think you have to go outside the bounds.” But Engoron attempted to interrupt Trump with a warning to wrap up his comments, to which the former president responded, “You have your own agenda, you can’t listen for more than one minute”. The judge told Trump’s lawyer, Christopher Kise, to “control your client” in response to Trump’s statement. The trial is one of multiple criminal and civil cases Trump faces as he seeks to return to the White House, ranging from a rape allegation to conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election. On the final day of the trial, Engoron was sceptical of Kise’s argument that Trump should not be penalised for allegedly manipulating the value of his properties because lenders and insurance still turned a profit. Engoron said there does not have to be any “evidence of harm”. Throughout the trial, the state’s lawyers have looked to prove that Trump consistently overvalued many of the towers, golf clubs, and other assets that he had before he entered politics. In November last year, Trump admitted to providing inaccurate property valuations. “The myriad deceptive schemes they employed to inflate asset values and conceal facts were so outrageous that they belie innocent explanation,” James’s office said in a filing. In one example heard at the court, James’s team argued that Trump valued his Mar-a-Lago Florida club by “asking prices” rather than actual sales prices. “From 2011-2015 defendants added a 30 percent premium because the property was a ‘completed [commercial] facility,’” the filing said. But Trump’s lawyer, Kise, argued that while there could be errors in Trump’s corporate financial statements, they do not “lead to the conclusion there was fraud”. Trump is also scheduled to go on trial in Washington in March for conspiring to overturn the 2020 elections and in May for taking troves of highly classified documents in his belongings after he left the presidency. Adblock test (Why?)
South Africa presents case to the ICJ accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza
NewsFeed South Africa presented their case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing Israel of committing genocide against the people of Gaza. Published On 11 Jan 202411 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Gaza daily deaths exceed all other major conflicts in 21st century: Oxfam
The killing of civilians in Gaza is at a scale unprecedented in recent history, monitoring groups have said, as Israel continues to pound the besieged coastal enclave more than three months into the war. Britain-based charity Oxfam said on Thursday that the daily death toll of Palestinians in Israel’s war on Gaza surpasses that of any other major conflict in the 21st century, while survivors remain at high risk due to hunger, diseases and cold, as well as ongoing Israeli bombardments. “Israel’s military is killing Palestinians at an average rate of 250 people a day, which massively exceeds the daily death toll of any other major conflict of recent years,” Oxfam said in a statement. For comparison, the charity provided a list of average deaths per day in other conflicts since the turn of the century: 96.5 in Syria, 51.6 in Sudan, 50.8 in Iraq, 43.9 in Ukraine, 23.8 in Afghanistan, and 15.8 in Yemen. Oxfam said the crisis is further compounded by Israel’s restrictions on the entry of aid into Gaza, where only 10 percent of weekly food aid that is needed gets in. This poses a serious risk of starvation for those who survive the relentless bombardment, it said. Also on Thursday, United States-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its World Report 2024, which said civilians in Gaza have been “targeted, attacked, abused, and killed over the past year at a scale unprecedented in the recent history of Israel and Palestine”. ‘War crimes’ At least 23,469 Palestinians have been killed and 59,604 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. In the most recent 24-hour reporting period, Israeli forces carried out 10 mass killings in the Gaza Strip, causing 112 deaths and 194 injuries, the ministry added. About 7,000 people remain missing under the rubble and are presumed dead. “The heinous crimes carried out by Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups since October 7 are the abhorrent legacy of decades-long impunity for unlawful attacks and Israel’s systematic repression of Palestinians,” said Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at HRW. “How many more civilians must suffer or be killed as a result of war crimes before countries supplying weapons pull the plug and otherwise take action to end these atrocities?” he asked. This comes as South Africa on Thursday presented its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing the country of committing “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza, a charge that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected as “hypocrisy and lies”. In its report, HRW noted that Israel’s war on Gaza has included “acts of collective punishment that amount to war crimes and include the use of starvation as a method of warfare”, including cutting off essential services such as water and electricity and blocking the entry of most critical humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, HRW said during the first eight months of 2023, incidents of settler violence against Palestinians and their property reached the highest daily average since the United Nations started recording this data in 2006. At least 3,291 Palestinians were held in administrative detention without charge or trial, according to Israel Prison Service figures. “Israeli authorities’ repression of Palestinians, undertaken as part of a policy to maintain the domination of Jewish Israelis over Palestinians, amount to the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution,” HRW said. ‘Gaza is different from space’ Experts in mapping damage during wartime have also found that the war in Gaza now sits among the deadliest and most destructive in recent history. According to an analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by the CUNY Graduate Center and Oregon State University, the war has killed more civilians than the US-led coalition did in its three-year campaign against ISIL (ISIS). The offensive has wreaked more destruction than the razing of Syria’s Aleppo between 2012 and 2016, Ukraine’s Mariupol or, proportionally, the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II, researchers found, according to a report by The Associated Press. Israel’s offensive has likely either damaged or destroyed more than two-thirds of all structures in northern Gaza and a quarter of buildings in the southern area of Khan Younis, according to satellite data collected by the research group. That includes tens of thousands of homes as well as schools, hospitals, mosques and stores. UN monitors have said that about 70 percent of school buildings across Gaza have been damaged. “Gaza is now a different colour from space. It’s a different texture,” said Corey Scher of the CUNY Graduate Center, who has worked to map destruction across several war zones. Adblock test (Why?)
Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to tax charges brought by Special Counsel David Weiss
Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty in his initial appearance in federal court Thursday, after being charged with tax crimes out of Special Counsel David Weiss’ investigation. The first son arrived to court to make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Downtown Los Angeles Thursday ahead of the hearing set at 4 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. local time. HERE’S WHAT’S IN HUNTER BIDEN’S NEW CALIFORNIA INDICTMENT Judge Mark Scarsi presided over the proceedings. Biden was processed after the hearing by the U.S. Marshals Service. Weiss charged Biden in December, alleging a “four-year scheme” when the president’s son did not pay his federal income taxes from January 2017 to October 2020 while also filing false tax reports. Weiss filed the charges in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The charges break down to three felonies and six misdemeanors concerning $1.4 million in owed taxes that have since been paid. In the indictment, Weiss alleged that Hunter “engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019, from in or about January 2017 through in or about October 15, 2020, and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns in or about February 2020.” HOUSE COMMITTEES FORMALLY RECOMMEND TO HOLD HUNTER BIDEN IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS Weiss said that, in “furtherance of that scheme,” the younger Biden “subverted the payroll and tax withholding process of his own company, Owasco, PC by withdrawing millions” from the company “outside of the payroll and tax withholding process that it was designed to perform.” The special counsel alleged that Hunter “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” and that in 2018, he “stopped paying his outstanding and overdue taxes for tax year 2015.” Weiss alleged that Hunter “willfully failed to pay his 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 taxes on time, despite having access to funds to pay some or all of these taxes,” and that he “willfully failed to file his 2017 and 2018 tax returns on time.” Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty in October to federal gun charges brought by Weiss. Hunter’s defense attorney Abbe Lowell attacked Weiss over the charges last month, accusing the special counsel of “bowing to Republican pressure” when talking to the press. “Based on the facts and the law, if Hunter’s last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been brought,” Lowell said in a statement. HUNTER BIDEN MAKES SHOCKING APPEARANCE AT HIS OWN CONTEMPT HEARING Hunter’s court appearance in California comes a day after the House Oversight Committee and the House Judiciary Committee passed resolutions to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden, setting up a full vote on the House floor in the coming days that would recommend the first son for prosecution. Hunter made a surprise appearance on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning, as the House Oversight Committee considered the resolution. The House Oversight and Judiciary Committees had subpoenaed Hunter Biden to appear for a closed-door deposition, scheduled for Dec. 13, as part of the House GOP impeachment inquiry against President Biden. Hunter Biden offered to testify publicly, but Republicans rejected the request. Oversight Chairman James Comer and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan cited the setting of other witness interviews, saying Biden would not receive special treatment. The chairmen did, however, vow to release a full transcript of his deposition, as they had for previous witnesses, and agreed to schedule a subsequent public hearing. On Dec. 13, Hunter Biden appeared on Capitol Hill, but not for his deposition. Instead, he delivered a statement to the press, defying the subpoena.
Gov. Kemp touts Georgia victories, fires shots at Washington DC
Gov. Brian Kemp used his State of the State speech to draw contrasts between his Republican philosophy and Democrats in an election year when the presidency and all of Georgia’s state House and Senate seats are on the ballot, but the Republican Kemp himself doesn’t face the voters. Combined with that heavy dose of politics is good news for the pocketbooks of state employees and public school teachers. Kemp says he wants to give a 4% cost of living increase to public employees and an equivalent $2,500 raise to teachers. That’s possible because the state is on track for another multibillion-dollar surplus despite slowing tax revenues, and has banked nearly $11 billion in extra cash in previous years. Echoing his economic message from his 2022 reelection and his pledge to put “Georgians First” from his 2018 campaign, Kemp on Thursday painted his policies as bringing opportunity and prosperity, while calling on voters to reject “Washington D.C.” because of high inflation and overregulation. GEORGIA GOV. KEMP ANNOUNCES $1K YEAR-END BONUS FOR TEACHERS, STATE EMPLOYEES: ‘WHOLLY APPROPRIATE’ “They will see what we’ve achieved together at the state level to make Georgia an even greater place to live, work and raise a family,” Kemp said. “And they’ll see the hardships Washington, D.C. has brought into every home and placed on every kitchen table across our state.” Kemp contrasted his economic record, including low unemployment, big industrial announcements and billions in tax rebates and tax cuts with inflation and high prices that he said are squeezing Georgians. “These are the people that Washington, D.C. has left behind,” Kemp said. “Because for every challenge our nation faces, the federal response is to spend more, regulate more, tax more, and come up with yet another government program meant to cure every ill.” That national message lines up with the political profile Kemp has built after weathering the storm of COVID-19, overcoming Donald Trump’s attempt to torpedo his reelection and then vanquishing Democratic superstar Stacey Abrams for a second time. Kemp cultivates a profile of a steady conservative who doesn’t alienate moderates. In some ways, he’s enjoying the fruits of his second term, including a trip next week to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, for a second year in a row. But Kemp is also tending a political organization that suggests future plans. His organization plans to support Republican candidates in this year’s state legislative elections, but also could help Kemp if he were to run for U.S. Senate or even president. In line with that political future, Kemp framed themes Thursday to rally Republicans and dismay Democrats, making his strongest push to date for a school voucher bill and emphasizing support for a much-disputed police and fire training center. The governor was a late supporter last year of a proposal that would give a $6,500 educational savings account to parents to pay for private school tuition or homeschooling supplies. But he voiced full-throated support Thursday for a bill that failed to pass because 16 House Republicans voted against it. “Our job is not to decide for each family — but to support them in making the best choice for their child,” Kemp said. GEORGIA GOV. KEMP APPOINTS LAUREN CURRY AS FIRST WOMAN CHIEF OF STAFF Kemp again hit on support for the training center — derided as “Cop City” by opponents — by honoring state Trooper Jerry Parrish in his speech. Officials say Parrish was shot and wounded by Manuel Paez Terán in January 2023 when officers were trying to clear protesters occupying the property that includes the training center. A report identified Parrish as one of six troopers who fired guns at Paez Terán, who was inside a tent. The troopers who fired on Paez Terán weren’t wearing body cameras, and Paez Terán’s family and other activists have expressed skepticism about law enforcement’s account of the shooting. But Kemp voiced no doubts, continuing to proclaim his support for the training center, an issue his aides believes makes some Democrats look anti-police. “As long as I’m your governor, there will be no gray area or political double talk,” Kemp said. “We will support our law enforcement officers. We will support our firefighters and first responders. And the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center needs to be built — period!” Kemp also emphasized law enforcement support for by proposing an additional $3,000 pay raise for state law enforcement officers including troopers and prison guards atop the 4% raise for all employees. He also called on lawmakers to repay police officers’ college loans. The governor promised a substantial increase in spending on mental health, increasing crisis center beds and paying more to mental health workers and service providers. But Kemp also said he would spend to reduce the state’s debt, proposing $500 million to reduce the unpaid liability in the pension fund that covers most noneducation state employees. Kemp defended his record on health care, even as his partial expansion of Medicaid has come under fire, signing up fewer than 3,000 people over its first six months. Kemp didn’t mention the Pathways program, which offers insurance to low-income adults who meet work, education or community service requirements. Instead, he focused on his much more popular backing of subsidies that has helped bring down premiums and persuade more insurers to offer coverage in rural areas of the state. Notably, Kemp also didn’t outline a position on whether Georgia should make a fuller expansion of Medicaid coverage to low income adults, as state House Speaker Jon Burns says he wants to explore.
Ramaswamy urges Supreme Court to overturn Colorado decision, files amicus brief in support of Trump
Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has filed an amicus brief at the Supreme Court in support of former President Donald Trump’s efforts to remain on state ballots. “President Trump’s political opponents have sought to disqualify him from the ballot in multiple states because they fear they cannot beat him in a free and fair election,” Ramaswamy noted in the filing. “Needless to say, the distress of competing against a formidable opponent cannot justify disqualification under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. The consequences of affirming the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision will extend far beyond the dispute over President Trump’s eligibility.” “Specifically, this Court’s blessing of the state supreme court’s interpretation of Section 3 will warp incentives for state decision-makers and voters alike,” Ramaswamy added in the filing. “For secretaries of state and state supreme court justices, the path to national notoriety will be illuminated: To enhance your credibility among copartisans, simply concoct a reason to declare a disfavored presidential candidate of the opposing party ineligible to run for office.” TRUMP BACKED BY 27 STATES IN SUPREME COURT FIGHT, WHO WARN OF 2024 ‘CHAOS’ IF HE’S REMOVED FROM BALLOT “For voters, the message will be equally clear: Scour the records of disfavored candidates for speeches containing martial rhetoric, or even policies that had unintended consequences, and then file challenges under Section 3. The number of Section 3 complaints will proliferate, as will the number of divergent outcomes.” The amicus brief was filed Thursday as the Supreme Court gears up to hear arguments on whether Trump should remain on the Colorado Republican presidential primary ballot. The justices said they will hear the case on an expedited basis, with arguments on February 8. The justices issued an administrative stay that orders the Colorado Secretary of State to put the former president’s name on the GOP primary ballot, at least until the case is decided. The high court said that the briefs are due by January 31. Ramaswamy said Wednesday that he planned to file the amicus brief at the Supreme Court in hopes that it would “overturn Coloarado’s disastrous decision to try to keep Donald Trump off the ballot.” SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE IF TRUMP BANNED FROM COLORADO BALLOT IN HISTORIC CASE In the clip announcing the filing, Ramaswamy said the court should overturn Colorado’s decision because it’s “the right thing to do for this country.” “I feel a sense of obligation to do that as somebody who understands the Constitution,” he said. “It’s my belief that every other Republican, myself included, needs to withdraw from any ballot that forcibly withdraws Donald Trump from the primary.” The Colorado Supreme Court decision was the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was used to bar a presidential contender from the ballot. The state’s highest court concluded that Trump “engaged in insurrection” over his role in the January 6, 2021, protests at the U.S. Capitol. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The historical hearing will consider the meaning of the 14th Amendment, which bars people who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office. The amendment was adopted in 1868, following the Civil War. Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.