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Double endorsement drama: Trump backs second candidate in red state’s GOP gubernatorial runoff

Double endorsement drama: Trump backs second candidate in red state’s GOP gubernatorial runoff

President Donald Trump is making an 11th-hour endorsement in the final stretch ahead of Tuesday’s high-profile Republican gubernatorial runoff in solidly red South Carolina, saying he “can’t hurt one of them by only Endorsing the other.” Trump on Friday took to Truth Social to say that he was supporting longtime South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in the battle for the GOP nomination in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster. “I can’t hurt one of them by only Endorsing the other, so, therefore, I am going to Endorse, for Governor of South Carolina, both Pam Evette and Alan Wilson!” Trump wrote, adding: “With either one you can’t go wrong.” The endorsement of Wilson appears to be a move by Trump to hedge his bets, because Trump is already backing Evette, who is also supported by McMaster, a longtime top ally of the president. The South Carolina runoff had been viewed as the latest test of Trump’s immense grip over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican nominating contests. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB And his decision to back both Evette and Wilson isn’t the first time he’s made dual endorsements in the same Republican race. He was backing both Gina Swoboda and Jay Feely in next month’s Republican primary in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District before Swoboda dropped out of the congressional race to run for secretary of state. Most famously, Trump endorsed “ERIC” in the 2022 GOP Senate primary in Missouri, where the two major candidates were Eric Schmitt and Eric Greitens. Both candidates claimed the endorsement, with Schmitt ultimately winning the nomination. In South Carolina, Trump endorsed Evette late last month, a week and a half before the gubernatorial primary. Evette finished on top of a crowded field of contenders in the primary election, with Wilson second. The field also included Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, and multimillionaire businessman Rom Reddy. Since no candidate won a majority of the vote, as the top two finishers, Evette and Wilson advanced to the June 23 runoff. Mace and Norman endorsed Wilson after failing to advance to the runoff. And Wilson was also backed a week ago by Sen. Ted Cruz, the conservative firebrand from Texas. The runoff between Evette and Wilson has become combustible, and in Tuesday’s final debate both candidates launched personal attacks and accused each other of lying and misrepresenting their records. Wilson has worked to contrast his tenure as attorney general with what he’s argued is Evette’s largely ceremonial role as lieutenant governor. And he has spotlighted his experience as a combat veteran, prosecutor, and the state’s top law enforcement official. Evette has showcased herself as an outsider and a Trump-endorsed businesswoman, while casting Wilson as a career politician. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is supporting Wilson and has helped with fundraising, made calls on behalf of Wilson and encouraged the president’s endorsement of the state attorney general, a source familiar told Fox News Digital. It’s been 28 years since a Democrat won a gubernatorial election in South Carolina, and the winner of the GOP runoff will be considered the clear favorite in the general election against Democratic nominee Jermaine Johnson, a state representative. The brute force of the president’s endorsement power has been on display in GOP primaries over the past two months, with his candidates ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky and Texas that grabbed plenty of national attention. But Trump’s endorsement streak in statewide and congressional Republican primaries was snapped three weeks ago when his last minute endorsement of Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa in the race to succeed retiring GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds wasn’t enough to propel the three-term congressman to victory. Feenstra was narrowly edged by Zach Lahn, a businessman, farmer and former political strategist who was backed by the political wings of MAHA — the acronym for the Make America Healthy Again movement aligned with Trump Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and Turning Point USA, the powerful conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk. Trump rebounded a week later, as Evette finished first in the GOP gubernatorial primary and longtime Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina won a majority of the vote in the Republican Senate primary, and avoided a runoff. Graham, who was endorsed by Trump, was facing primary challenges from five candidates, including conservative businessman Mark Lynch, who took aim at the senator over his support for the war in Iran. Lynch was backed by some MAGA leaders who have been critical of the president. And a couple of days ago, Trump-backed candidates won two of the three top races in Georgia and Alabama, with the one setback coming against a billionaire businessman who shelled out over $100 million of his own money to boost his campaign. Rep. Barry Moore, a House Freedom Caucus member and longtime Trump supporter who was endorsed by the president, comfortably defeated rival Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL sniper who was supported by some top names on the right, in solidly red Alabama’s GOP Senate runoff. In battleground Georgia’s Republican Senate runoff, an 11th hour endorsement by Trump this past weekend helped boost Rep. Mike Collins, a MAGA champion, to victory over former college football coach Derek Dooley, who was backed by popular conservative Gov. Brian Kemp. Collins will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in the general election in a race that’s among a handful that will likely decide if the GOP holds its slim majority in the chamber in the midterms. Jones regularly showcased his Trump endorsement, but Jackson, who launched his bid in February long after the president had endorsed Jones, repeatedly said that Trump had inspired him to run. But in Georgia’s GOP gubernatorial runoff, the candidate Trump backed, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who was also endorsed by Kemp this past weekend, was defeated by Rick Jackson, who ran

Schiff silent on Biden-era Newsom probe report as California AG claims DOJ ‘weaponization’

Schiff silent on Biden-era Newsom probe report as California AG claims DOJ ‘weaponization’

California Attorney General Rob Bonta doubled down on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s claims that the Trump administration is weaponizing the Justice Department after being pressed on reports that the federal probe involving Newsom and his wife originated in California and was not opened by the Trump Administration in Washington, D.C. “I know what I’ve concluded is that this is highly dubious — there’s no trust in it,” Bonta said. “This is someone who’s weaponized the U.S. DOJ time and time again. I think he’s doing it now.” Newsom took to X on Monday to publicly announce his uncovering that he and his wife, Jen Siebel Newsom are being investigated by the DOJ, claiming President Donald Trump directed the DOJ to investigate them and that they’ve joined “Donald Trump’s hit list.”  GAVIN NEWSOM CLAIMS TRUMP ORDERED DOJ PROBE TARGETING HIM AND HIS WIFE He is also widely claiming that Trump is targeting him because of recent speculation of Newsom as a promising 2028 presidential bid. “Newsom is the governor for the biggest state, the bluest state in the nation, the fourth largest economy in the world,” Bonta said “Everyone knows that he could be president of the United States. So you put that situational awareness and context into this, and what do you conclude?“ Bonta told Fox News Digital that Trump has “weaponized” the Justice Department, saying it has shifted from pursuing criminal prosecutions to conducting “political persecutions against political enemies.” FORMER GAVIN NEWSOM CHIEF OF STAFF CHARGED IN $225K FRAUD AND CORRUPTION SCHEME, DOJ SAYS He also claimed that Trump ordered former Attorney General Pam Bondi “to go after his political enemies.” “If that doesn’t destroy trust and make you doubt the intent behind this probe, I don’t know what else I can tell you,” Bonta said. Bonta claimed Trump has used the DOJ to commit “political persecution” of his enemies, including a specific reference to “shifty Schiff.” Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., declined to answer questions from Fox News Digital about reports that the probe was opened by federal prosecutors in California rather than the administration in Washington. ATTORNEY GENERAL BONDI CALLS OUT GAVIN NEWSOM FOR NOT PROTECTING CITY, VOWS TO PROSECUTE LOOTERS AND RIOTERS Sources familiar told Fox News that the investigation has been ongoing since 2025 and that the probe is based on whistleblower complaints related to Newsom and his wife’s personal finances. The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento.  A source also said that Washington was not involved in the decision to open the probe, according to the Associated Press. An investigation launched last year under then-President Joe Biden resulted in corruption charges against Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson. She pleaded guilty to lying about sharing internal information with a former associate. Newsom was not involved in the probe personally. It is reported that Newsom’s office believes the Trump administration’s federal investigators widened the efforts of the probe to also look into Newsom. The Governor’s office announced on Monday that it filed a public records request to the DOJ seeking documents that mention Newsom or his wife during Trump’s second term, including messages to and from Justice Department leaders. Fox News’ David Spunt, Jake Gibson and Olivia Palombo contributed to this story.

Transgender former New Hampshire state representative sentenced to 33 years for child sex abuse: report

Transgender former New Hampshire state representative sentenced to 33 years for child sex abuse: report

A transgender former New Hampshire state representative will spend more than three decades in federal prison after admitting to receiving nude photos of children at a Massachusetts daycare. Stacie Marie Laughton, 41, of Nashua was sentenced to more than 33 years behind bars after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of children, according to a report from local outlet WCVB.  Laughton received the explicit images from his former intimate partner, Lindsay Groves, 40, of Hudson, New Hampshire, who was sentenced earlier this month to 22 years in prison, according to the report. FORMER SUBSTITUTE TEACHER AND BOYFRIEND FACE 38 CHILD SEX CHARGES AS BOND NEARS 9 MILLION Groves, who previously pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of distribution of child pornography, was employed at the Creative Minds daycare in neighboring Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. Authorities said that between May 2022 and June 2023, Groves took multiple photos of prepubescent children in a private bathroom during routine diaper and pull-up changes prior to nap time.  WASHINGTON STATE TEACHER CHARGED WITH INCEST AFTER ALLEGEDLY HAVING SEX WITH TWO TEENAGE BOYS SHE ADOPTED Groves then sent the photos to Laughton via text message, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A forensic review of Laughton and Groves’ cellphones uncovered more than 10,000 text messages sent between the two over a one-month period in 2023. Court documents revealed the messages included discussions about and transfers of explicit images of children, including victims as young as 3 to 5 years old. The U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed all the children in the case were identified, and their families were contacted by law enforcement. Hillsborough County jail officials confirmed to NH Journal that Laughton has been housed in the male population. Creative Minds Early Learning Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.