Gabbard fires ‘deep state’ heads of National Intelligence Council to root out ‘politicization of intel’
EXCLUSIVE: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has fired the top officials leading the National Intelligence Council – whom whistleblowers describe as “radically opposed to Trump” — and has moved the agency to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, or ODNI, to ensure she can block any “politicization of intelligence,” Fox News Digital has learned. Gabbard fired Mike Collins, who was serving as the acting chair of the National Intelligence Council, and his deputy, Maria Langan-Riekhof, Tuesday, senior intelligence officials told Fox News Digital. DNI GABBARD REFERS INTEL OFFICIALS TO DOJ FOR PROSECUTION OVER ALLEGED LEAKS OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION Fox News Digital reached out Langan-Riekhof for comment and did not immediately hear back, and couldn’t immediately find contact information for Collins. Collins also has whistleblower complaints against him for political bias and “deliberately undermining the incoming Trump administration,” officials said. They added that Collins was closely associated with Michael Morrell, the former deputy director of the CIA who worked to write a public letter in 2020 claiming that Hunter Biden’s laptop had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation,” and to get signatures from top ex-intelligence officials. As for Langan-Reikhof, officials said she has been a “key advocate” for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and is someone who whistleblowers allege is “radically opposed to Trump.” Meanwhile, Gabbard is moving the National Intelligence Council from the CIA to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to “directly hold accountable any improper action and politicization of intelligence,” Fox News Digital has learned. Many intel community leakers are “career bureaucrats that are entrenched in Washington politics,” officials said. “It takes time to weed them out and fire them,” one official told Fox News Digital, adding that “plans to eliminate non-essential offices within ODNI that we know are housing deep state leakers are underway.” A CIA official told Fox News Digital Tuesday that the National Intelligence Council “has always been a DNI component. It makes sense for them to be physically located at DNI.” GABBARD ESTABLISHES NEW INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY TASK FORCE TO RESTORE TRANSPARENCY The moves come as Gabbard has taken steps to root out leakers and alleged “deep state holdovers” who officials say are politicizing intelligence analysis and “trying to sabotage President Trump’s agenda.” FLASHBACK: BIDEN CAMPAIGN, BLINKEN ORCHESTRATED INTEL LETTER TO DISCREDIT HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP STORY, EX-CIA OFFICIAL SAYS So far, Gabbard has referred three intelligence community professionals to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution over alleged leaks of classified information. Fox News Digital first reported on those criminal referrals in April. An ODNI official at that time told Fox News Digital that the intelligence community professionals allegedly leaked classified information to the Washington Post and The New York Times. “Politicization of our intelligence and leaking classified information puts our nation’s security at risk and must end,” Gabbard told Fox News Digital in April. “Those who leak classified information will be found and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” A senior intelligence official told Fox News Digital Tuesday that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is investigating 12 other intelligence officials over alleged leaks of classified information. For example, officials told Fox News Digital that ODNI fired two bureaucrats in early May who they say leaked information from an assessment about the violent Tren de Aragua gang to the Times. Officials said those bureaucrats were “CIA detailees” who were fired for “not following proper procedures.” In April, Gabbard established a task force to restore transparency and accountability in the intelligence community. Fox News Digital first reported on the Director’s Initiative Group (DIG), which started by investigating weaponization within the intelligence community. Officials said the group will also work to root out politicization and expose unauthorized disclosures of classified intelligence. In addition, it will work to declassify information “that serves a public interest.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Gabbard also has held to account employees who participated in sexually explicit National Security Agency chatrooms, and is pursuing action against those who have made unauthorized leaks of classified information within the intelligence community. All the while, officials have complained about the hold up in confirming intelligence nominees, which they say are “essential” to enacting the Trump agenda. Currently, ODNI is without its nominees for principal deputy director of national intelligence; National Counterterrorism Center; National Counterintelligence and Security Center; intelligence inspector general; and general counsel; among others.
Biden made Harris campaign a ‘nightmare,’ destroyed her chances by staying in 2024 race too long, aides charge
Former President Joe Biden‘s second campaign ruined former Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances of defeating President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, according to a top Democratic consultant. David Plouffe, former President Barack Obama’s campaign manager in 2008 and a senior advisor on Harris’ 2024 campaign, detailed how dire Biden’s run was for the Democrats in a new book, “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.” “And it’s all Biden,” Plouffe said in the book, authored by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, about Biden’s choice to stay in the race so long and how the White House assured him Biden was capable of winning another election. “He totally f—ed us.” As a result, Plouffe said that Harris’ brief campaign against Trump turned into “a f—ing nightmare,” pointing the blame on Biden. CRITICS PILE ON BIDEN FOLLOWING ABC INTERVIEW, BLAST HIS REFUSAL TO COMMIT TO COGNITIVE TEST: ‘DISQUALIFYING’ Plouffe is far from the only one who believes that Biden undercut his own party running again in 2024 as his faculties began to decline. A senior White House aide described in the book that “we attempted to shield him from his own staff so many people didn’t realize the extent of the decline beginning in 2023.” The aide, who ultimately departed the White House because they did not believe Biden should run in 2024, described Biden’s decision to run for a second term as a “disservice” to the country and Democrats. “I love Joe Biden. When it comes to decency, there are few in politics like him,” the aide said in the book, which is slated for release Tuesday. “Still, it was a disservice to the country and to the party for his family and advisers to allow him to run again.” Spokespeople for Biden and Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. “Original Sin” details the 2024 election cycle and how Biden’s team orchestrated a cover-up to hide just how severely his mental faculties had suffered. The book is one of several that detail Biden’s decision to run in 2024 and assert the dramatic decline of his cognitive function. BIDEN AIDES ‘SCRIPTED’ EVERYTHING, ALLOWED HIS FACULTIES TO ‘ATROPHY,’ NEW BOOK CLAIMS For example, the book, “Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History,” also detailed how the White House kept Biden from socializing even with those he regarded as friends and allies. However, that book, authored by Chris Whipple, a former producer for CBS’ “60 Minutes,” said that one White House aide suggested “walling Biden off from the world was a grave mistake.” “‘They were afraid he might say the wrong thing or might feed the mental acuity narrative,’ he told me. ‘And so he started seeing fewer and fewer people. They allowed his faculties to atrophy. But I think, like knives, they have to be sharpened. They get sharpened by rubbing them up against steel. And they don’t get sharpened by sitting in a drawer,’” Whipple wrote.
SCOOP: Democrats who ‘stormed’ Newark ICE facility could be stripped of committees in new House bill
FIRST ON FOX: A Republican lawmaker is moving to have three of his Democratic colleagues removed from their House committees after they were accused of “storming” a federal detention facility in defense of illegal immigrants in New Jersey. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., introduced a resolution on Tuesday to strip Reps. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., and LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., of their committee assignments. The New Jersey Democrats were part of a group of protesters who rushed into Delaney Hall Detention Center after the gates opened for a bus carrying a group of detainees into the facility. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused them of breaking in and risking the safety of both law enforcement and detainees for what it called a political stunt. BROWN UNIVERSITY IN GOP CROSSHAIRS AFTER STUDENT’S DOGE-LIKE EMAIL KICKS OFF FRENZY The lawmakers and their supporters, however, maintained they were exercising their constitutional duty and accused ICE agents of assaulting McIver and Watson Coleman. “The radical left has lost their minds – they would rather raid an ICE facility to defend criminal illegal immigrants than represent their own constituents,” Carter told Fox News Digital of his legislation. “This behavior constitutes an assault on our brave ICE agents and undermines the rule of law. The three members involved in this stunt do not deserve to sit on committees alongside serious lawmakers.” His legislation would remove Watson Coleman from the House Appropriations Committee, remove Menendez from the House Energy & Commerce Committee and remove McIver from the House committees on Small Business and Homeland Security. Carter’s office is reaching out to other House Republicans to gauge support for the resolution. Fox News Digital reached out to the three Democrats for comment but did not immediately hear back. DHS said in a statement after the incident Friday, “These members of Congress storming into a detention facility goes beyond bizarre political stunt and puts the safety of our law enforcement agents and the detainees at risk.” “Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities. Had these members requested a tour, we would have facilitated a tour of the facility,” DHS said. The Democrats, meanwhile, have pushed back on the Republican categorization of the event. “The idea we ‘stormed’ a heavily guarded federal detention center is absurd – just more lies from the most dishonest administration in history,” Watson Coleman wrote on X. ANTI-ABORTION PROVIDER MEASURE IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ COULD SPARK HOUSE GOP REBELLION McIver wrote on the social platform Friday, “This is laid out clearly on ICE’s own website. What happened today, from the manhandling of me and my colleagues to the arrest of [Newark Mayor Ras Baraka], should never have occurred.” Democratic leaders like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., also defended the trio. “The concerns of elected officials about this unsanctioned facility will not be silenced by the Trump administration’s attempt to intimidate the public. We will never bend the knee,’ Jeffries said. “The masked agents who physically accosted two Congresswomen must be identified immediately and any trumped-up charges against Mayor Baraka dropped.”
Trump’s ‘wrong-headed’ effort to lower drug costs amounts to price control: expert
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday instructing drug companies to reduce prices of prescription drugs or face consequences from the federal government. But the effort amounts to price control since it’s not limited to just government programs — and similar policy initiatives in other sectors have prompted shortages, according to Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Washington-based libertarian-leaning Cato Institute think tank. “We have seen government price controls in housing,” Cannon told Fox News Digital Monday. “We call it rent control, and it creates shortages. We have seen it when it comes to food. We call them price caps there too, and it produces shortages.” “We see price caps after natural disasters,” he continued. “We call them anti-gouging laws, and they produce shortages. And so that’s what we can expect price controls to produce when it comes to pharmaceuticals as well — that’s if you have a binding price ceiling, you’re going to get a shortage, and I think it’s totally a wrong-headed thing.” Price control occurs when the government steps in to impose limits on how much one can charge for various goods or services in the free market. While price controls may lower costs for some consumers, they have largely been ineffective in American history. For example, former President Richard Nixon implemented price controls in the 1970s in an attempt to fix wages and other prices — which backfired and resulted in the gas crisis and other shortages across the country. PRESIDENT TRUMP TAKES ON ‘BIG PHARMA’ BY SIGNING EXECUTIVE ORDER TO LOWER DRUG PRICES For example, there was a series of initiatives that states unveiled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to address price-gouging, although they were difficult to enforce. In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order in March 2020 that barred individuals or businesses from selling any products in the state “at a price that is more than 20 percent higher than what the business or individual offered or charged,” according to a 2020 news release. Trump announced Monday that the executive order directs the Department of Health and Human Services to establish price targets for pharmaceutical manufacturers. But Cannon noted that the order isn’t just for prices for the government — it also applies to the free market and private sector. Failure to comply will prompt the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission to “undertake enforcement action against any anti-competitive practices,” along with other consequences. Additionally, Trump introduced plans to launch “most favored nations drug pricing.” “The principle is simple — whatever the lowest price paid for a drug in other developed countries, that is the price that Americans will pay,” Trump said at the White House Monday. “Some prescription drug and pharmaceutical prices will be reduced almost immediately by 50 to 80 to 90%.” “We’re going to equalize,” Trump said. “We’re all going to pay the same. We’re going to pay what Europe pays.” The White House pushed back against comments that the move equated price control. “If Americans had a truly free and fair market, they would not be paying several times more for the same exact prescription drugs as Europeans do,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a Tuesday statement to Fox News Digital. “President Trump’s historic executive order is fixing the anti-competitive behavior that’s forcing everyday Americans to subsidize the health care of other developed nations.” Drug prices have dramatically climbed in recent years. From January 2022 and January 2023, prescription drug prices increased more than 15%, reaching an average of $590 per drug product, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Of the 4,200 prescription drugs included on that list, 46% of the price increases exceeded the rate of inflation. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America trade group argued the executive order would harm American patients. “Importing foreign prices from socialist countries would be a bad deal for American patients and workers,” Stephen J. Ubl, the president and CEO of PhRMA, said in a Monday statement. “It would mean less treatments and cures and would jeopardize the hundreds of billions our member companies are planning to invest in America.” MAHA CAUCUS MEMBER PLEDGES HEARINGS INTO ‘CORRUPTION’ OF A PUBLIC HEALTH SECTOR ‘CAPTURED BY BIG PHARMA’ In April, Trump signed another executive order that aimed to tackle Medicare drug prices. Specifically, that order required HHS to standardize Medicare payments for prescription drugs, including those used for cancer patients, regardless of where a patient receives treatment. Patients could face a drop in prices by as much as 60%, according to a White House fact sheet. The order also called to match the Medicare payment for certain prescription drugs to the price that hospitals pay for those drugs, up to 35% lower than what the government pays to acquire those medications, per the White House. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Schumer moves to block Trump DOJ nominees as he seeks answers on Qatari jet to Defense Department
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Tuesday a “hold on all DOJ political nominees,” as he is demanding answers from the Trump administration over a jumbo jet gift from Qatar’s royal family, which the Democrat is calling a “grave national security threat.” “News of the Qatari government gifting Donald Trump a $400 million private jet to use as Air Force One is so corrupt that even Putin would give a double take. This is not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “So, in light of the deeply troubling news of a possible Qatari-funded Air Force One, and the reports that the Attorney General personally signed off on this clearly unethical deal, I am announcing a hold on all DOJ political nominees, until we get more answers,” he added. A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital in response that “Senator Schumer and his anti-law-and-order party are prioritizing politics over critical DOJ appointments, obstructing President Trump’s Make Safe Again agenda,” and that “Cryin’ Chuck must end the antics, stop Senate stonewalling, and prioritize the safety and civil rights of Americans.” ALLIES TURN ON PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR ACCEPTING LUXURY JET FROM QATAR Trump has defended the U.S. preparing to accept a jumbo jet gift from Qatar’s royal family to serve as a temporary Air Force One as Boeing failed to roll out a new Air Force One fleet in a timely manner. “We’re very disappointed that it’s taking Boeing so long to build a new Air Force One,” Trump said Monday morning. “You know, we have an Air Force One that’s 40 years old. And if you take a look at that, compared to the new plane of the equivalent, you know, stature at the time, it’s not even the same ballgame.” Reports spread Sunday morning that the Trump administration was expected to accept a $400 million Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar’s royal family. ABC News reported that Trump would use the jet until the end of his term, when it would be given to his presidential library. TRUMP DEFENDS QATAR JUMBO JET OFFER AS TROUBLED BOEING FAILS TO DELIVER NEW AIR FORCE ONE FLEET In his speech Tuesday, Schumer said he is calling on the Justice Department’s Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Unit to disclose all actions by those working as Qatari foreign agents in the U.S. “that could benefit President Trump or the Trump Organization.” “Since Attorney General Bondi took charge, the Department of Justice has not been doing its job when it comes to FARA. The FARA Unit needs to enforce the law, and inform the public about all activities not just on this luxury plane deal, but all deals involving foreign countries in the Middle East and President Trump, his family, and the Trump organization,” he said. “Second, with regards to this half-a-billion-dollar private jet deal, the American people deserve to know the facts. President Trump has told the American people that this is a ‘free jet.’ Does that mean the Qataris are delivering a ready-on-day-one plane with all the security measures already built in?” Schumer continued. “If so, who installed those security measures, and how do we know they were properly installed? Why would we take the risk of trusting any foreign country to do this sensitive work? If not, what security modifications would be needed to ensure a foreign-sourced Air Force One is safe to use? If this is, as President Trump promised, a ‘free jet’, will the Qataris pay for those highly sensitive installations or will American taxpayers have to cover those costs?” Schumer wondered aloud on the Senate floor. “The Attorney General must testify before both the House and Senate to explain why gifting Donald Trump a private jet does not violate the emoluments clause – which requires congressional approval – or any other ethics laws,” Schumer declared. “Until the Attorney General explains her blatantly inept decision and we get complete and comprehensive answers to these and other questions, I will place a hold on all political nominees to the Department Of Justice.” Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Blue state ICE facility ramps up security with new barricades amid clashes with protesters
NEWARK, N.J. – Large yellow barricades were at the front of Delaney Hall on Tuesday morning following protests at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on Monday and last week. An ICE officer told Fox News Digital that the barricades were placed following Monday’s protests, as they went all the way up to the gate itself. In addition to the barricades, signs are up saying “private property, no trespassing, violators will be prosecuted.” The facility is operated by the GEO Group, a private contractor, but law enforcement is also heavily present outside the building. WHO IS THE DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING AT AN ICE DETENTION CENTER? Two people were arrested at the protest on Monday, as a demonstration of clergy members were in attendance and said they would have “volunteered” to be taken into custody. They linked arms outside the main gate of Delaney Hall as they chanted and sang songs. This protest came after Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democratic candidate for governor, was arrested for trespassing last week. Baraka’s arrest occurred during a protest at the facility attended by three members of Congress, who said they were in attendance to perform their congressionally-mandated oversight duties related to federal detention facilities. The three lawmakers were outside the facility with a group of protesters when the gates opened to allow an ICE bus in. The lawmakers then rushed through the gates and past security, according to officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The lawmakers, including Rep. LaMonica McIver, said “ICE created chaos” that led to the incident, according to an X post. “We’re not asking for anything that’s incorrect. We ask them to obey our laws,” Baraka said after the incident. “To obey the policies and rules here in the city and the state of New Jersey, not to run roughshod over the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights, the Fourth, the Fifth, the Fourteenth Amendment and everybody on this soil who deserves due process.” NEWARK MAYOR SPEAKS AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM HSI FACILITY The arrest came as activists had been calling for access to the facility for days, which is a privately run facility that was revamped as an immigration detention facility this year. ICE also used the building in the heavily industrial area of the city from 2011 to 2017 for migrant detentions, according to the Washington Post. DHS said that many of the detainees currently at the facility are facing criminal charges or are already convicted of crimes. “Who do they want released from Delaney Hall? The child rapists, murderers, drug traffickers, MS-13 gang members or known terrorists?” Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin asked after Monday’s demonstration. “This was a cheap political stunt by the Democrats and by these protesters,” she said. “We’re not having it. They put law enforcement officers at risk. They put our staff in the facility at risk and put the detainees at risk. You saw that they didn’t even let an ambulance through. This is not something that this administration is going to put up with. And that’s part of the reason that this mayor was arrested. You can’t just storm a detention facility and assault law enforcement officers with impunity.” ALINA HABBA SWEARS TO PROTECT ‘AMERICAN SAFETY’ FROM THOSE ‘VIOLATING FEDERAL LAW’ Meanwhile, United States Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba said she is further looking into what happened on Friday involving the officials. “My office is undertaking a thorough investigation in coordination with our Federal Agency partners of what transpired on Friday at Delaney Hall. As is true of every investigation this office handles, all available evidence will be thoroughly reviewed prior to making a determination on how to proceed. I do not take these matters lightly,” Habba posted. Fox News’ Alec Schemmel, Anders Hagstrom, Alexis McAdams and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Trump says he’ll drop sanctions on Syria in move to normalize relations
President Donald Trump will drop sanctions against Syria and meet with the nation’s new president Ahmed al-Shaara on Wednesday. “I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump said in a speech in Saudi Arabia. “In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that we must all hope will succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace,” he went on. “So I say good luck, Syria.” Trump is expected to meet briefly with al-Shaara in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. TRUMP CONDEMNS ‘INTERVENTIONALISTS,’ PITCHES ‘MORE HOPEFUL FUTURE’ IN MIDEAST SPEECH The nation was cut off from the global financial system under ousted President Bashar al-Assad’s government, amid 14 years of civil war. Trump called the sanctions “brutal and crippling” but “important” at the time. “In Syria, they’ve had their share of travesty, war, killing many years. That’s why my administration has already taken the first steps toward restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria for the first time in more than a decade.” TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST TOUR BEGINS WITH SYRIA LOOMING AS STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITY Al-Shaara, who previously had a $10 million terrorist bounty on his head by the U.S., had been campaigning hard for a relationship with the U.S. and sanctions relief: he offered to build a Trump Tower in Damascus, détente with Israel and U.S. access to Syria’s oil and gas. His group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led Assad’s ouster last year. Originally founded as an offshoot of al-Qaeda, it has since worked to soften its image and lobbied to be delisted as a terrorist group. The announcement came on the sidelines of a whirlwind Middle East tour where Trump is traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, whose government leaders were widely expected to press Trump to release the sanctions to help Syria’s economy. Trump said that both Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Erdoğan had encouraged him to lift the sanctions. “Oh, what I do for the crown prince,” Trump quipped. U.S. sanctions had slapped financial penalties on any foreign individual or company that provided material support to the Syrian government and prohibited anyone in the U.S. from dealing in any Syrian entity, including oil and gas, and Syrian banks were effectively cut off from global financial systems. The new Syrian government has cooperated with U.S. intelligence agencies and foiled several ISIS plots to attack Damascus. Syrian intelligence services arrested ISIS commander Abu al-Harith al-Iraqi in February. But still, some are skeptical. “Right now, Sharaa is not restricting political and civil liberties, but he’s an authoritarian by nature.” former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford told Fox News Digital. Ford, who led the effort to put al-Sharaa on the terrorist list in 2012, said although al-Shaara is pragmatic, he is leading an extremely weak government. “He doesn’t control all of Syria yet. The government in Damascus that he leads is not very strong, and it will take time to reassert all of its authority over Syria,” Ford said. Fox News’ Chris Massaro contributed to this report.
Trump condemns ‘interventionalists,’ pitches ‘more hopeful future’ in Middle East speech
President Donald Trump hailed progress toward peace across the Middle East in an address in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, urging the region to pursue economic development rather than Iran’s “self-destructive” path. Trump made the comments during a speech in Riyadh shortly after meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump vowed to continue America’s strong partnership with the Saudi government and also condemned Western “interventionalist” policies that have brought disaster in the Middle East. “If the responsible nations of this region seize this moment, put aside your differences and focus on the interests that unite you, then all humanity will soon be amazed at what we will see here in the geographic center of the world, and the spiritual heart of its greatest faiths,” Trump said. “Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts and tired divisions of the past, and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism; and where people of different nations, religions, and creeds are building cities together, not bombing each other,” he added. “It is crucial for the wider world to note, this great transformation has not come from Western interventionalists flying in with lectures on how to live or how to govern your own affairs. The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation-builders, neo-cons, or liberal non-profits like those who spent trillions failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad,” he continued. Trump’s speech came after he and Salman signed several economic agreements totaling $600 billion in trade deals. The agreements could help create up to 2 million U.S. jobs, Trump said. TRUMP TARGETS MASSIVE INVESTMENTS IN FIRST MIDDLE EAST TRIP Several of the agreements tracked with previously stated ambitions by both Washington, D.C., and Riyadh, particularly when it comes to defensive deals. While the extent of the details of the agreements remain unclear, there were deals included that had not been previously flagged ahead of the president’s visit to the Middle East, like the “cooperation agreement” between Saudi Arabia and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Asian Arts, as well as an agreement established with the Smithsonian Institute National Zoo and Conservation Biology. AMERICAN CEOS ELON MUSK, SAM ALTMAN, LARRY FINK JOIN TRUMP AT SAUDI ROYAL COURT In a statement immediately following the signing ceremony in Riyadh, the White House said, “Saudi Arabia’s $600-billion commitment to invest in the United States, building economic ties that will endure for generations to come.” The largest investments detailed in the agreement included a $20 billion investment by Saudi Arabia’s DataVolt in AI data centers and energy infrastructure in the United States, an $80 billion investment in “cutting-edge transformative technologies in both countries” by Google, DataVolt, Oracle, Salesforce, AMD and Uber, as well as a massive $142 billion defensive package. According to the White House, “The United States and Saudi Arabia signed the largest defense sales agreement in history – nearly $142 billion, providing Saudi Arabia with state-of-the-art warfighting equipment and services from over a dozen U.S. defense firms.” The defense sale will reportedly be completed in the fall and will include air force advancement and space capabilities, air and missile defense, maritime and coastal security, border security and land forces modernization, and information and communication systems upgrades. Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
Trump’s $400M Qatar jet gift follows long history of unusual presidential presents
The White House may be courting controversy with President Donald Trump’s plans to accept a luxury jumbo jet from the Qatari government, worth $400 million, as the potential new Air Force One — but his administration wouldn’t be the first to welcome lavish gifts from foreign leaders. The practice goes all the way back to the founding of the country in 1776, with U.S. leaders receiving all manner of exotic and expensive gifts from royalty and heads of government around the world. Abraham Lincoln politely declined a gift of a herd of elephants from the King of Siam, modern-day Thailand, in 1862. But he kept “a sword of costly materials and exquisite workmanship,” a photo of the monarch’s family and two elephant tusks, according to a letter Lincoln sent to King Mongkut. QATAR OFFERS TRUMP JUMBO JET TO SERVE AS AIR FORCE ONE In 1880, Queen Victoria sent an intricately carved, 1,300-pound wooden desk to President Rutherford Hayes that was constructed from the oak timbers of the HMS Resolute, an Arctic exploration vessel. The desk was still in use in the Oval Office under the Biden administration but was temporarily removed in February for refinishing, according to reports. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill presented Franklin D. Roosevelt with a painting he did of Marrakech’s Koutoubia Mosque in 1943. Hollywood actor Brad Pitt bought the work in New Orleans for $2.95 million as a gift for his then-wife Angelina Jolie, who sold it a decade later for $11.5 million. Richard Nixon accepted a gift of two giant pandas from China in 1972 following the U.S. president’s visit to the Communist country. Female panda Ling-Ling and her male mate Hsing-Hsing were given to the National Zoo in Washington D.C. In 1997, President Clinton and wife Hillary received the gift of a handmade rug with their pictures woven into the tapestry as a gift from Azerbaijan’s leader, Heydar Aliyev. The six-by-five-foot rug was completed in a single day by a team of 12 women, according to reports. President George W. Bush received 300 pounds of raw lamb in 2003 as a goodwill gesture from Argentina’s then-president, Nestor Kirchner. Bush also received a puppy from Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov. At the end of his presidency, Bush and his wife Laura then bought the two-month-old Bulgarian Goran shepherd, named Balkan of Gorannadraganov, from the government and gave it to friends in Maryland. His father, George H.W. Bush, was gifted a Komodo dragon by the President of Indonesia in 1990. FREE RIDE: ALLIES, EVEN LAURA LOOMER, TURN ON PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR ACCEPTING LUXURY JET FROM QATAR One of the most lavish and controversial gifts was a gold and diamond snuff box given to Benjamin Franklin after his nine-year diplomatic tour of duty in France. In 1785, King Louis XVI gave the Founding Father the elaborate parting gift, which featured a miniature image of the monarch encrusted with 408 diamonds “of a beautiful water.” It raised questions about corruption and foreign influence on officials in the newly formed American government, wrote Fordham Law professor Zephyr Teachout in her 2014 book, “Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin’s Snuff Box to Citizens United.” Despite the hand-wringing over whether the gift entailed undue foreign influence, Franklin insisted upon keeping the box. The incident later contributed to the passage of the Emoluments Clause in the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits federal government officials from accepting any gift from the representative of a foreign state without the consent of Congress. Franklin’s daughter Sarah, who inherited the snuff box, gradually removed the diamonds to sell or give to family members. Hundreds of years later, only one diamond remained. The box is now at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia. Federal law requires executive branch officials to disclose any gift from a foreign government valued at $480 or more. Presidents are allowed to keep gifts to display at a presidential library, but cannot keep them for personal use unless they pay the fair market price. Trump has said that the $400 million new Air Force One plane would be donated to his presidential center or library after his term. Despite his administration’s insistence that the jet is a gesture of goodwill to the U.S. government, ethics watchdogs have raised concerns about transparency and foreign influence, particularly given Qatar’s efforts to bolster its profile in Washington over the past decade. More recently, Trump received a sword, dagger and three robes lined with white tiger and cheetah fur from Saudi Arabia’s royal family on his first trip abroad as president in 2017. The president held onto the items until he left office and did not disclose them as gifts but gave them to the General Services Administration. The pieces were later seized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which found that the fur was fake, according to reports.
David Hogg slams ‘fast-track’ effort to oust him as DNC vice chair
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg on Monday slammed the Credentials Committee’s decision to elevate a procedural challenge to his leadership position as the “first steps to remove me from my position,” amid an ongoing intraparty dispute. “While this vote was based on how the DNC conducted its officers’ elections, which I had nothing to do with, it is also impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote,” Hogg said, as he described a country “in crisis” and a Democratic Party “asleep at the wheel.” “I ran to be DNC Vice Chair to help make the Democratic Party better, not to defend an indefensible status quo that has caused voters in almost every demographic group to move away from us. The DNC has pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fast-track that effort,” Hogg said after the DNC Credentials Committee voted on Monday to elevate a vote challenging the vice chairs’ leadership positions. Kalyn Free, a longtime Democratic Party activist, submitted a complaint following the DNC’s Feb. 1 officer elections, in which Hogg and Malcolm Kenyatta were elected vice chairs. Free alleged in her complaint that the DNC’s tabulation method violated the charter’s provision and parliamentary procedure and “discriminated against three women of color candidates.” DAVID HOGG FACES CHALLENGE TO DNC ROLE AS PARTY TENSIONS ESCALATE “I am disappointed to learn that before I became Chair, there was a procedural error in the February Vice Chair elections. The Credentials Committee has issued their recommendation, and I trust that the DNC Members will carefully review the Committee’s resolution and resolve this matter fairly,” DNC Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement following the credentials vote. DEMOCRATS’ VICE CHAIR GETS ULTIMATUM: STAY NEUTRAL IN PRIMARIES OR STEP DOWN FROM PARTY LEADERSHIP The Credentials Committee on Monday found the Feb. 1 election violated parliamentary procedure and voted to recommend the DNC conduct a new election for the two vice-chair positions currently held by Kenyatta and Hogg. The full DNC will now have an opportunity to vote, and if approved, will conduct a re-election. One vice-chair position may be filled by a male and one may be a candidate of any gender, according to the DNC. If the DNC goes through with a re-vote, only the candidates who were eligible for the third ballot during the Feb. 1 election will qualify, which includes Kenyatta, Hogg, Free, Jeanna Repass and Shasti Conrad. While Free’s complaint was filed before Hogg stirred up DNC division for his brutal plan to primary incumbent Democrats in deep blue districts, the fallout is the latest blow to the young Democratic leader. Hogg pledged to donate $20 million through his political action committee, Leaders We Deserve, to primary challenge some older Democrats in blue districts. Soon after, Martin affirmed that the DNC would stay neutral in intraparty primaries, giving Hogg the ultimatum to either rescind his vice-chair position or forego his political influence via his PAC. Now, Hogg is framing the DNC’s vote as an expedited plan to remove him as vice chair. But DNC officials, past and present, said the procedural vote has nothing to do with Hogg personally. “This is not about David Hogg, despite what he’s saying. It is gender balance…. It’s in the rules that the officers need to be balanced between men and women. The full DNC now gets to vote again. If they like what Hogg is doing then that’s great, and he’ll be re-elected. It was disingenuous to not reveal his intentions the first time before they voted. While it has nothing to do with him, it’s an elected position so now we’ll find out if the party supports it or not, which they very well may,” a former DNC official told Fox News Digital. An additional former DNC official added in a statement to Fox News Digital that “either Hogg is wrong and misled members or they think he’s doing the right thing. Either way, it’ll be settled. And he can’t complain. A re-vote is not forcing him out, there are other ways to do that if they chose to.” Kenyatta, in a series of social media posts, said “any reporter covering this as party retribution against David is full of s—. It is unfortunate as I believe we both won fairly & there is no charge that we acted improperly.” “However, any story about this that neatly places this into a narrative about David Hogg is wrong. I worked my a– off to get this role and have done the job every day since I’ve held it. This story is complex, and I’m frustrated – but it’s not about @davidhogg111. Even though he clearly wants it to be,” Kenyatta said in a jab to his fellow vice chair facing potential re-election. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Free said the Credentials Committee lived up to the DNC’s reputation as “the party of free and fair elections” on Monday, and proved that “protecting democracy is more important than saving face.” “This was never about Malcolm Kenyatta or David Hogg,” Free said. “For me, this was about ensuring that the Democratic Party lives up to our ideals as the only political party to believe in and stand up for election integrity and a free and fair democracy.”