‘Important opportunity’: DNC chair candidates reveal how they will rebound after disastrous 2024 results
Nearly three months after Democrats’ major setbacks up and down the ballot in the 2024 elections, the party gathers on Saturday to choose new leadership. It’s the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) first formal step to try and emerge from the political wilderness and rebound in upcoming elections after President Donald Trump recaptured the White House and Republicans flipped the Senate, held onto their fragile majority in the House and made major gains with working-class, minority and younger voters. And with no clear leader in the party, the next DNC chair will become the de facto face of Democrats from coast to coast and will make major decisions on messaging, strategy, infrastructure and where to spend millions in political contributions. “It’s an important opportunity for us to not only refocus the party and what we present to voters, but also an opportunity for us to look at how we internally govern ourselves,” longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley told Fox News. DEMOCRATS RALLY AROUND LIGHTENING ROD ISSUE AT FINAL DNC CHAIR DEBATE Buckley, a former DNC vice chair, said he’s “very excited about the potential of great reform within the party.” And he emphasized he hoped for “significantly more support for the state parties. That’s going to be a critical step towards our return to majority status.” Eight candidates are vying to succeed DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, who decided against seeking a second straight four-year term steering the national party committee. FIRST ON FOX: AFTER 2024 ELECTION SETBACKS, DEMOCRATS EYE RURAL VOTERS The next chair, as well as vice chairs and other officers, will be chosen by the roughly 450 DNC voting members gathered for the party’s winter meeting, which is being held this year at National Harbor just outside Washington, D.C. Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chair Ken Martin, a DNC vice chair who has led the association of state Democratic Party chairs, is considered to be the frontrunner for chair heading into Saturday’s election, with Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler close behind. Martin recently told Fox News Digital that if he becomes chair, the first thing he would do is “figure out a plan to win. And we need to start writing that plan, making sure we’re looking underneath the hood. How much money do we have at the party? What are the contracts? What contracts do we need to get rid of? And, frankly, bringing all of our stakeholder groups together. That’s the biggest thing.” DEMOCRATS’ NEW SENATE CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS KEYS TO WINNING BACK MAJORITY IN 2026 Wikler, in a Fox News Digital interview, emphasized that the party needs to show voters “that we’re fighting for them against those who would try to rig the economy for those at the very top and deliver that message in places where people aren’t paying attention to politics much. But they know what they’re struggling with in their own lives.” Wikler, who pointed to the success of Democrats in his home state, a crucial battleground, added, “That means communicating in clear language in a way that shows people that we see them. And with our actions showing that we’re fighting for them to bring costs down and make sure that working people have a fair shot in this country.” Also considered competitive is Martin O’Malley, the former two-term Maryland governor and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate who served as commissioner of the Social Security Administration during former President Biden’s last year in office. DEMOCRATS’ HOUSE CAMPAIGN CHAIR TELLS FOX NEWS HER PLAN TO WIN BACK MAJORITY O’Malley told Fox News Digital he’s running for DNC chair “because I love my country, and the only way we’re going to save the Republic is if the Democratic Party gets itself battle-ready as quickly as possible.” Pointing to his past steering the Democratic Governors Association, he noted, “I’m the only candidate that’s actually chaired a national committee — the Democratic Governors — and I’m the only candidate that’s actually run for office and been elected to office, city council, mayor, governor. And we need to recruit people all across the ballot in order to bring our party back.” Among the longer-shot candidates for chair are late entry Faiz Shakir, who ran the 2020 Democratic presidential campaign of progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Marianne Williamson, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2020 and 2024 Democratic presidential nominations. “This party’s not going to rise up unless there’s some deeper honesty,” Williamson told reporters Thursday after the final chair election forum, as she took aim at the Democrats’ establishment. The debate during the three-month DNC campaign sprint has mostly focused on the logistics of modern political campaigns, such as media strategy and messaging, fundraising and grassroots organizing and get-out-the-vote efforts. On those nuts-and-bolts issues, the candidates are mostly in agreement that changes are needed to win back blue-collar voters who now support Republicans. But the final forum included a heavy focus on systemic racism and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, issues that appeared to hurt Democrats at the ballot box in November. And the forum, moderated and carried live on MSNBC and held at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., devolved into chaos early on as a wave of left-wing protesters repeatedly interrupted the primetime event, heckling over concerns of climate change and billionaires’ influence in America’s elections before they were forcibly removed by security. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The chair election comes as a new national poll spells more trouble for the Democrats. Only 31% of respondents in a Quinnipiac University survey conducted over the past week had a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, with 57% seeing the party in an unfavorable light. “This is the highest percentage of voters having an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party since the Quinnipiac University Poll began asking this question,” the survey’s release noted. Meanwhile, 43% of those questioned had a favorable view of the GOP, with 45% holding an unfavorable opinion, which was the highest favorable opinion for the Republican Party
DOJ directs FBI to fire 8 top officials, identify employees involved in Jan. 6, Hamas cases for review
Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove sent a memo to the acting FBI director Friday evening directing him to terminate eight FBI employees and identify all current and former bureau personnel assigned to Jan. 6 and Hamas cases for an internal review, Fox News has learned. Bove’s memo to acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll, which was obtained by Fox News, asserts the Department of Justice cannot trust the FBI employees to carry out President Donald Trump’s agenda. The subject of the memo is “Terminations.” JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FIRES MORE THAN A DOZEN KEY OFFICIALS ON FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S TEAM “This memorandum sets forth a series of directives, authorized by the Acting Attorney General, regarding personnel matters to be addressed at the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Bove wrote. Bove, a former Trump defense attorney, directed Driscoll to fire eight specific FBI employees by Monday, Feb. 3, at 5:30 p.m. “I do not believe that the current leadership of the Justice Department can trust these FBI employees to assist in implementing the President’s agenda faithfully,” Bove wrote in the memo. Bove cited comments made by President Trump on his first day back in office, in which Trump accused the Biden administration’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies of going after Biden’s political adversaries. “The American people have witnessed the previous administration engage in a systemic campaign against its perceived political opponents, weaponizing the legal force of numerous Federal law enforcement agencies and the Intelligence Community against those perceived political opponents in the form of investigations, prosecutions, civil enforcement actions, and other related actions,” Bove’s memo noted. “This includes the FBI.” ANTI-TRUMP FBI AGENT RESPONSIBLE FOR OPENING JACK SMITH ELECTOR CASE AGAINST PRESIDENT: WHISTLEBLOWER Bove said the FBI’s “prior leadership actively participated in what President Trump appropriately described as ‘a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years’ with respect to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “The weaponization of the FBI’s security clearance process is similarly troubling,” Bove continued. “So too are issues relating to the FBI’s reticence to address instructions and requests from, among other places, the Justice Department.” Bove said the problems “are symptomatic of deficiencies in previous leadership that must now be addressed.” Bove wrote that he “deem[s] these terminations necessary, pursuant to President Trump’s January 20, 2025 Executive Order, entitled ‘Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government’ in order to continue the process of restoring a culture of integrity, credibility, accountability, and responsiveness to the leadership and directives of President Trump and the Justice Department.” Beyond the terminations of the eight employees, Bove directed Driscoll to identify by noon Tuesday, Feb. 4, “all current and former FBI personnel assigned at any time to investigations and/or prosecutions” relating to “the events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021” and United States v. Haniyeh, a terrorism case against six Hamas leaders charged with planning and carrying out the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel. The defendants in that case include Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, high-level Hamas leaders believed to have been assassinated in 2024 by Israeli operatives. MAJOR FBI CHANGES KASH PATEL COULD MAKE ON DAY 1 IF CONFIRMED AS DIRECTOR Bove ordered that the lists of employees Driscoll should compile “should include relevant supervisory personnel in FBI regional offices and field divisions, as well as at FBI headquarters.” “For each employee included in the list, provide the current title, office to which the person is assigned, role in the investigation or prosecution, and date of last activity relating to the investigation or prosecution,” Bove directed. “Upon timely receipt of the requested information, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General will commence a review process to determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary.” Fox News also obtained the letter Driscoll sent to bureau employees Friday evening after receiving Bove’s memo. In it, Driscoll notified employees he was directed to fire the specific employees Bove identified “unless these employees have retired beforehand.” “I have been personally in touch with each of these impacted employees,” Driscoll wrote. As for the directive to compile a list of FBI employees involved in the Jan. 6 and Hamas cases, Driscoll said that request “encompasses thousands of employees across the country who have supported these investigative efforts.” “I am one of those employees, as is acting Deputy Director Kissane,” Driscoll wrote. “As we’ve said since the moment we agreed to take on these roles, we are going to follow the law, follow FBI policy, and do what’s in the best interest of the workforce and the American people — always. “We will be back in touch with more information as soon as we can. In the meantime, stay safe, and take care of each other.” The FBI declined to comment on any personnel matters, including names, titles or numbers. The DOJ directive comes after Acting Attorney General James McHenry earlier this week fired more than a dozen key officials who worked on special counsel Jack Smith’s team prosecuting Trump. Fox News Digital exclusively reported the action Monday. A DOJ official Monday used similar language to that seen in Bove’s letter, telling Fox News Digital McHenry “does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the president’s agenda.” The directive also comes a day after Fox News Digital exclusively reported that whistleblower emails were shared with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, revealing that a former FBI agent, Timothy Thibault, allegedly broke protocol and played a critical role in opening and advancing the bureau’s original investigation related to the 2020 election, tying President Donald Trump to the probe without sufficient predication. Bove’s memo also comes a day after President Trump’s nominee to lead the bureau, Kash Patel, testified during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Trump and allies have maintained the law enforcement agency was weaponized against him and conservatives across the nation. The House Judiciary Committee, for months, investigated the FBI for the
Supreme Court to consider an effort to establish the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school
The Supreme Court will weigh an effort to establish the nation’s first religious charter school with implications for school choice and religious practices. The court agreed Friday to hear two cases on the matter, which will be argued together — Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond and St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond. In 2023, the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board voted to approve an application by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa for a K-12 online school, the St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Charter School. SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE IF FAMILIES CAN OPT OUT OF READING LGBTQ BOOKS IN THE CLASSROOM Oklahoma parents, faith leaders and an education group sought to block the school after the approval. In a 7-1 decision, the Oklahoma Supreme Court found a taxpayer-funded religious charter school would violate the First Amendment’s provision on “establishment of religion” and the state constitution. “Under Oklahoma law, a charter school is a public school,” Justice James Winchester wrote in the court’s majority opinion. “As such, a charter school must be nonsectarian. “However, St. Isidore will evangelize the Catholic school curriculum while sponsored by the state.” Alliance Defending Freedom Chief Counsel Jim Campbell told Fox News Digital the case “is fundamentally about religious discrimination and school choice.” SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS LOOMING TIKTOK BAN “The Supreme Court has been clear in three cases over the last eight years that you can’t create a public program like that and then exclude religious organizations,” Campbell said. “So, we’re going to be arguing before the court that the state of Oklahoma should be allowed to open up the program to religious organizations.” Campbell says the decision would give parents, families and the state “more educational options.” Oklahoma Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who originally challenged the school’s approval, has previously said the school’s establishment is unconstitutional. His spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement the attorney general “looks forward to presenting our arguments before the high court.” “I will continue to vigorously defend the religious liberty of all 4 million Oklahomans,” Drummond said in a statement released in October. “This unconstitutional scheme to create the nation’s first state-sponsored religious charter school will open the floodgates and force taxpayers to fund all manner of religious indoctrination, including radical Islam or even the Church of Satan. My fellow Oklahomans can rest assured that I will always fight to protect their God-given rights and uphold the law.” TENNESSEE AG OPTIMISTIC ABOUT SCOTUS CASE AFTER ‘RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY’ REVERSAL IN LOWER COURT The Oklahoma case is one of several religious institution cases that have been filed in the Supreme Court. In 2017, the high court ruled in favor of a Missouri church that sued the state after being denied taxpayer funds for a playground project as a result of a provision that prohibits state funding for religious entities. Likewise, in 2020, the Supreme Court struck down a ban on taxpayer funding for religious schools in a 5-4 decision that backed a Montana tax-credit scholarship program. Most recently, in 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that a Maine tuition assistance program violated the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause for excluding religious schools from eligibility. Campbell said given the court’s previous considerations of cases involving religious educational institutions, he is “hopeful that the Supreme Court will recognize that the same principle applies here.” “You can’t create a charter school program that allows private organizations to participate but tell the religious groups that they can’t be included,” Campbell said. “So, we’re hopeful that the Supreme Court will make it clear that people of faith deserve to be a part of the charter school program as well.” Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the case, although an explanation was not given. The Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments in April. School choice has become a hot-button issue, particularly after the 2024 election cycle. President Donald Trump recently signed two executive orders on education, one to remove federal funding from K-12 schools that teach critical race theory and another to support school choice. Fox News Digital’s Ronn Blitzer and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
‘Unfit to lead’: Blue state governor lashes out at Trump for targeting DEI policies after DC plane crash
Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker accused President Donald Trump of being too incompetent to lead the country because he suggested the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) prioritization of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) played a role in the tragic Washington, D.C., aircraft collision on Wednesday. “We face the unfortunate reality that we must be honest with the nation about: Donald Trump is unfit to lead during moments of crisis like this,” Pritzker said in a statement Thursday night. The blue state governor, whom Trump evoked on the campaign trail as an example of the downfall of Democrat-run states, urged the Trump administration to respond to the American Airlines crash with “information and facts to instill confidence in our nation’s aviation safety.” “Before victims have even been identified, Trump is blaming people with disabilities,” Pritzker said, referring to FAA DEI hiring practices. “He’s blaming the U.S. service members in the Blackhawk helicopter. He’s blaming hiring programs he can’t even name or offer examples of. The buck stops with him — yet he is failing to demonstrate his role as protector of the American people and head of our government.” TRUMP ATTACKS DEI POLICIES AFTER DC PLANE CRASH, SAYS FAA EMPLOYEES MUST BE HELD TO ‘HIGHEST STANDARDS’ The second-term governor is among the long list of Democrats considering a 2028 presidential run. Pritzker has seized opportunities over the past two weeks to play a leadership role in Democrat opposition to Trump, refusing, for example, to follow Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. PRITZKER BASHES TRUMP ORDER ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: ‘WE WILL NOT FOLLOW AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL ORDER’ Pritzker’s comments Thursday were the latest in a long-standing feud between the two. “Sloppy J.B. Pritzker… has presided over the destruction and disintegration of Illinois at levels never seen before in any State,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in June. “Crime is rampant and people are, sadly, fleeing Illinois. Unless a change is made at the Governor’s level, Illinois can never be Great Again!” Trump’s attacks have veered into the ad hominem, labeling Pritzker a “rotund Governor from the once great State of Illinois, who makes Chris Christie look like a male model.” In his statement, Pritzker demanded the Trump administration answer his “critical questions,” including why the control tower was not fully staffed during the crash; why the Trump administration fired members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee; whether the president now understands fully staffing federal agencies is a “matter of life and death”; and whether he plans to reverse federal workforce cuts. Pritzker questioned whether Elon Musk played a role in the removal of the former FAA director; why a replacement for FAA director was not named until after the crash; whether the federal government authorized the Blackhawk helicopter to fly on a commercial flight path; and if the government will continue allowing helicopters to fly at the same altitude as commercial planes. “Will the President, Vice President, Defense Secretary, and Transportation Secretary cooperate with the independent NTSB investigation and correct any misinformation they spread about the crash?” Pritzker demanded to know. Trump on Thursday listed headlines about Biden-era FAA DEI hiring that he suggested weakened the agency. “Here’s one,” Trump said in the White House briefing room. “The FAA’s diversity push includes focus on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities. That is amazing. And then it says the FAA says people with severe disabilities, the most underrepresented segment of the workforce, and they want them in. They can be air traffic controllers. I don’t think so.” “This was on January 14th, so that was a week before I entered office,” Trump said, seeking to push blame onto the Biden administration. “They put a big push to put diversity into the FAA’s program.” Trump then expanded his list of conditions allowed among controllers: “Hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability, and dwarfism.” The president drew a stark contrast between Democratic policies and his own first-week executive orders that halted DEI programs in the federal government and restored “the highest standards of air traffic controllers.” “Brilliant people have to be in those positions,” he stated. When asked how he came to the conclusion that diversity had something to do with the crash, the president said, “Because I have common sense.” Pritzker is not the only potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender who took issue with Trump’s comments. After Trump called former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg a “disaster,” Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic primary candidate, called Trump’s comments “despicable.” “As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying,” he wrote on X. “We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch. President Trump now oversees the military and the FAA. One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe.”
Colombian president urges illegal immigrants in US to return home days after diplomatic spat
Colombian President Gustavo Petro is urging Colombian nationals in the U.S. illegally to return home, promising to provide loans to those who return, days after being embroiled in a diplomatic controversy with the U.S. “I ask undocumented Colombians in the US to immediately leave their jobs in that country and return to Colombia as soon as possible,” Petro said on X. “Wealth is produced only by working people. COLOMBIA PRESIDENT WELCOMES FIRST FLIGHTS OF DEPORTED MIGRANTS AFTER LOSING PUBLIC SPAT WITH TRUMP “The Department of Social Prosperity … will seek to provide productive loans to returnees who enroll in its programs,” he said. “Let’s build social wealth in Colombia.” Petro had initially refused Sunday to take U.S. deportation flights carrying Colombian nationals, saying the U.S. cannot “treat Colombian migrants as criminals.” The Trump administration, in response, announced the immediate suspension of visa issuance and travel sanctions on government officials. President Donald Trump warned he would slap 25% tariffs on all goods from Colombia. “Measures will continue until Colombia meets its obligations to accept the return of its own citizens,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. “America will not back down when it comes to defending its national security interests.” A VICTORY FOR TRUMP’S ‘FAFO’: HOW THE WHITE HOUSE STRONG-ARMED ONE-TIME CLOSE ALLY COLOMBIA OVER IMMIGRATION At first, Petro retaliated with his own 25% tariffs on U.S. goods. Petro insisted he would not accept the return of migrants who were not treated with “dignity and respect” and who had arrived shackled or on military planes. But the White House later said Colombia’s president had caved “to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay,” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE On Tuesday, two Colombian air force planes carrying deportees arrived in Bogotá. On Friday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed that visa processing in Bogotá had resumed. “Our commitment to work together with Colombia to advance our mutual interests remains steadfast,” she said. Fox News’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
DOGE announces more than $1B in savings after canceling 104 federal DEI contracts
The new federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced Friday that taxpayers will see just over a $1 billion savings through the elimination of 104 diversity, equity and inclusion-related (DEI) contracts. As of Wednesday, DOGE had recorded the cancellation of 85 “DEIA” contracts from 25 federal agencies. By Friday afternoon, that number had grown to 104 contracts totaling $1,000,060,792, according to a DOGE news release. Of note, 21 Department of the Treasury contracts were canceled, saving a total of $25,247,783. In second place was the Department of Health & Human Services, which canceled 15 contracts worth $28,187,448. While the Office of Personnel Management only had three contracts canceled, the dollar figure was pinned at a whopping $494,956,233, an average of about $165 million per DEI contract. TOP DOGE LAWMAKER SAYS TRUMP ‘ALREADY RACKING UP WINS FOR TAXPAYERS’ WITH EFFICIENCY INITIATIVES The other agencies with the most contracts canceled by the Trump administration include Agriculture with 11 and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Homeland Security with seven each. According to a release Monday from the Department of Veterans Affairs, 60 employees whose roles were solely focused on DEI were placed on administrative leave, and spokesperson Morgan Ackley said the administration is “laser focused on providing the best possible care and benefits to Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.” “We are proud to have abandoned the divisive DEI policies of the past and pivot back to VA’s core mission,” Ackley said. The rapid-fire DEI contract eliminations come one week after President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting the endeavors, officially described as “ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity.” ‘DOGE’-MEETS-CONGRESS: GOP LAWMAKER AARON BEAN LAUNCHES CAUCUS TO HELP MUSK ‘TAKE ON CRAZYTOWN’ However, a consortium of liberal state attorneys general lambasted Trump with a warning that the moves “have nothing to do with combating discrimination.” A joint statement led by Rhode Island AG Peter Neronha Friday called the executive orders that led to the dismantling of DEI policies and programs “unnecessary and disingenuous.” Neronha and his co-signers — attorneys general from California, Illinois, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Washington state — said they would agree to be “willing partners” in cracking down on discrimination if Trump chose instead to utilize “longstanding civil rights laws” rather than the path he has chosen. “Contrary to President Trump’s assertions, the policies he seeks to end do not diminish the importance of individual merit, nor do they mean that employers are lowering their standards, hiring unqualified candidates, or engaging in race-and-sex-based preferences,” the statement said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “DEIA initiatives simply ensure that there are fair opportunities for everyone, helping to maximize contributions from all employees and enabling businesses and organizations to succeed in their missions.” In Congress, Rep. Aaron Bean and Sen. Joni Ernst have been leading DOGE efforts to further curtail government waste and abuse. Bean, a Republican from Jacksonville, Florida, founded the Congressional DOGE Caucus in November, and Ernst, Iowa, has led the charge to lobby for return-to-work requirements for federal employees and sales of unused or underused federal office space.
Trump administration to pause federal government websites in effort to eliminate DEI, anti-Trump content
The Trump administration will put a pause on most federal government websites Friday evening in an effort to eliminate DEI content and any language opposed to President Trump’s agenda, Fox News Digital has learned. A Trump administration official told Fox News Digital that federal government websites are expected to go dark at around 5:00 p.m. Friday evening. The official told Fox News Digital that the length of the pause on federal websites is unclear at this time, but will seek to remove content that is “anti-Trump administration.” This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Legal experts say Kash Patel’s opposition to warrant requirement is not a major split
Kash Patel, President Donald Trump‘s pick for FBI director, claimed Thursday that he won’t stand for federal law enforcement needing a warrant for surveillance in some scenarios because it’s plainly impractical in real-time practices. Despite lawmakers’ surprise at his opposition, legal experts say his take is far from unusual within the law enforcement arena. Patel was peppered with questions Thursday on a provision called Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. When asked if he believed that a warrant requirement is “practical and workable or even a necessary element of 702,” Patel said he had issues with “those that have been in government service and abused it in the past.” Patel said that because of the viability of abuse, “we must work with Congress to provide the protections necessary for American citizens dealing with these matters.” “Having a warrant requirement to go through that information in real time is just not comported with the requirement to protect American citizenry,” Patel said during his Senate hearing. “I’m all open to working with Congress on finding a better way forward. But right now, these improvements that you’ve made go a long way.” 4 OF THE BIGGEST CLASHES BETWEEN PATEL, SENATE DEMS AT HIS CONFIRMATION HEARING “The fact that the soon-to-be head of the nation’s, sort of, top law enforcement agency takes the position that is favored by law enforcement shouldn’t surprise anybody,” former assistant district attorney and criminal defense attorney Phil Holloway told Fox News Digital. “When Mr. Patel answered the question the way that he did, that answer is adverse to the public positions taken by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.” Patel, throughout his testimony, emphasized his interest in working with Congress if he were to head the FBI. “Some lawmakers have absolutely called for the necessity of a warrant in these situations. And so it makes sense that the senators would ask the nominee to run the FBI whether or not he has an opinion on it,” Holloway continued. “But, ultimately, it’s not his call.” KASH PATEL HAMMERS ‘GROTESQUE MISCHARACTERIZATIONS’ FROM DEMS AMID FIERY FBI CONFIRMATION HEARING “I’ve always thought that there’s a middle ground here where you don’t have to. And I think there are some situations that warrant a warrant and deserve a warrantless search,” Palm Beach County, Fla., state attorney Dave Aronberg told Fox News Digital. “And I think Patel’s remarks show that he thinks the same way.” Aronberg noted that under U.S. law, there is a warrant exception under exigent circumstances, i.e. emergency situations, where it is impractical to obtain a warrant. “What Kash Patel is saying is that there may be some situations that may be in that gray area where you shouldn’t have to get a warrant,” Aronberg said. “And I am encouraged by his comments because I do think that law enforcement needs flexibility when it comes to national security matters, especially with the very real threat of terrorism here on our shores.” KASH PATEL FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEM SENATOR AFTER BEING GRILLED ON J6 PARDONS: ‘BRUTAL REALITY CHECK’ Congress voted to pass a renewal of FISA’s Section 702 last April. The legislation serves as a governmental tool in gathering intelligence on foreign subjects using the compelled assistance of electronic communication service providers. If the renewal had not been passed, the expiration would have meant companies would not be forced to comply with the government’s requests for surveillance aid under the bill. Without the FISA section’s reauthorization, the government would be required to seek a warrant to compel any such assistance, which is a process that can span extended periods of time. Earlier this month, a federal district court ruled that the federal government had violated the Fourth Amendment when it searched the communications of an Albanian citizen residing in the U.S. at the time of his arrest without a warrant. The information had been collected under FISA’s Section 702. “The individual rights of people in the United States under our Constitution come first,” Holloway said. “So having constitutional requirements that sort of frustrate or perhaps slow down law enforcement, this is a tension that is not new at all. And so what we’re seeing is this playing out.” Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind and Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
‘Important lesson’: Conservative activist reveals ‘fascinating’ experience at liberal Sundance Film Festival
A documentary about bridging the political divide in one of the most hotly contested battleground counties in the United States debuted at the Sundance Film Festival this week, leading some to conclude that the historically liberal festival is moving toward the center. “One of the things that is fascinating about ‘Bucks County, USA’ being chosen as an official selection at Sundance is it appears, in the era of Trump being re-elected, the well-known left-leaning Sundance Film Festival is moving to the middle,” Paul Martino said. “There is a new openness to dialogue,” Martino, the founder of Bullpen Capital, told Fox News Digital about the documentary series “Bucks County, USA” being screened at Sundance, a Utah festival known for screening films promoting liberal causes and being a place for anti-Trump demonstrations. KELSEY GRAMMER SAYS CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT IS LOOKING ‘MORE ATTRACTIVE’ TO HOLLYWOOD Martino, who is featured in the film, told Fox News Digital that the five-part docuseries is “all about the political divisions that happen in the United States focused on where I live, Bucks County, USA.” “It is about all of the post-COVID policies and all of the things that happened at the school board level once a lot of the parents’ rights movement started, and the film dives into a lot of detail about the political division that happened, and it focuses, ironically, on the friendship of my daughter and her best friend, who is what I would describe as my political rival’s daughter,” Martino explained. Martino, a conservative, told Fox News Digital walking around Sundance was a “fascinating” experience and that he encountered many people who seemed to be open to the movie’s message of listening to the other side. “Obviously, it is a rather left-leaning crowd in general. But even the people behind Sundance, the people who pick the films this year, said that they felt this film, ‘Bucks County, USA,’ was very important because it was in a Trump re-elected era,” Martino said. “Understanding and speaking to the other side and understanding who the other side is is important. MEL GIBSON DOESN’T ‘BLAME’ CELEBRITIES FLEEING HOLLYWOOD BUT VOWS TO ‘FIX’ AS TRUMP’S SPECIAL AMBASSADOR “One of the amazing stories told by one of the filmmakers at Sundance was there’s a guy sitting next to me in a MAGA hat who I would have never talked to on the plane had I not made this movie and realized he had a lot to say to me. And the fact that this film affected even the filmmakers, I think, is a really interesting and important lesson for the rest of the country.” While many people at Sundance were receptive to the film, Martino told Fox News Digital he did encounter some opposition from people at a question-and-answer session after the screening. “I would say one of the only disappointments of the experience was I felt that some people in the crowd, you know, it’s an honor to be in the Q&A at the end of the series and, look, we had everybody up there. We had people who really don’t like each other, who disagree vehemently, and I think it was lost on the audience that all of us were standing there,” Martino said. “The fact that we all agreed to be part of this, the fact that we were all there and I got asked a question or two that were directed in my direction that I felt were a little bit inflammatory and I kind of chuckled to myself thinking, ‘Did you just watch the movie? And did you just see the fact that we’re all here? Maybe you missed a little something there.’”
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Taking It to the ‘Streets’
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… –Noncitizen voter crackdown led by GOP ahead of 2026 midterms -4 of the biggest clashes between Kash Patel, Senate Dems at his confirmation hearing -Trump health secretary nominee RFK Jr survives heated hearings ahead of crucial confirmation votes The White House is blasting House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries after pledging to fight Republicans’ agenda “in the streets.” “While President Trump remains focused on uniting our country and delivering the mandate set by the American people, the House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, incites violence calling for people to fight ‘in the streets’ against President Trump’s agenda,” White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai told Fox News Digital. “This unhinged violent rhetoric is dangerous. Leader Jeffries should immediately apologize.”…Read more ‘CONCERNING’ CRASHES: Military aircraft collisions raise questions about training and equipment, expert says…Read more ‘COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE’: What to know about the mistakes made leading up to the fatal collision…Read more BUTTI-JUDGMENT: Biden Transportation secretary blasts Trump after president excoriates him in press briefing…Read more DANGER ZONE: Two planes aborted landings at Reagan National Airport due to helicopters in flight path in week before crash…Read more ‘BAD DECISIONS’: Trump orders assessment of aviation safety, names acting FAA administrator after deadly DC plane crash…Read more ‘CONCERNING’ CRASHES: Military aircraft collisions raise questions about training and equipment, expert says…Read more NOWHERE TO RUN: Trump’s migrant DHS FBI crackdown leaves killers, rapists nowhere to run…Read more GETTING THE BOOT: Trump issues unexpected ultimatum to senior FBI ranks…Read more NICE TRY: Trump to sign memo lifting Biden’s last-minute collective bargaining agreements…Read more ‘VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM’: Trump facing first test in Africa amid bloody battles ‘over electric vehicle battery minerals’…Read more AMERICAN HOSTAGE: First American hostage to be released from Gaza, Hamas says…Read more ‘REFUSE TO BE THEIR PUPPET’: Top 5 moments from Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation hearing…Read more CONFIRMED: Trump VA pick Doug Collins advances to full Senate vote…Read more ‘IN THE STREETS’: Trump White House demands apology after Jeffries calls for Dems to fight president’s agenda ‘in the streets’…Read more FARM TEAM: After stinging election defeats, DNC eyes rural voters as key to midterm success…Read more DRAFT DODGE: New FOIA on migrants potentially avoiding the draft could open new deportation predicate: attorneys…Read more ‘PUSHING RHETORIC’: Chicago mayor lambasts Trump, claims US being run like ‘had the Confederacy won’…Read more LESSONS NOT LEARNED?: Democrats rally around lightening rod issue during unruly DNC debate despite voter backlash in 2024…Read more Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.