Reporter’s Notebook: Clinton contempt vote gains steam as Democrats join GOP in Epstein probe standoff
It all started back in the summer. A furor erupted over releasing the Epstein files. The House began its summer vacation a day early. That halted spending bills. Congressional Republican leaders were concerned that bipartisan lawmakers wanted to attach provisions to the measures to compel release of the Epstein files. But there was a weird détente — if you can call it that — on the House Oversight Committee. COMER RIPS ‘PAID DISRUPTER’ AS BRIEFING ON CLINTON CONTEMPT PUSH DEVOLVES INTO CHAOS On what turned out to be the final day for the House before the lengthy “August recess,” which consumed lots of July, all of August and some of September, the Oversight Committee conducted a hearing on international trafficking. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., popped a surprise on the committee. She engineered a plan to subpoena the Epstein files. Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., countered Lee’s effort. He concocted an amendment to subpoena former President Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, along with other luminaries who may have some information about the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and the sexual abuse of underage girls in 2005. Epstein later secured what critics termed a “sweetheart deal,” by then U.S. Attorney and future Labor Secretary Alex Acosta. Among those Perry wanted to hear from in depositions were former Attorneys General Merrick Garland, William Barr, Jeff Sessions, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder and Alberto Gonzales. Perry also asked to hear from former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller. That’s quite a list. Most never came in for interviews. Some simply had communication with the committee that they had no knowledge of Epstein or the original prosecution. HILLARY CLINTON EXPECTED TO DEFY EPSTEIN PROBE SUBPOENA, RISKING CRIMINAL CHARGES But the Clintons were another matter. Particularly former President Bill Clinton. Firstly, he’s a former president. Secondly, he traveled periodically with Epstein and was documented in photographs together. Third, the former president has a lot of baggage after his affair with Monica Lewinsky. The Clintons were supposed to meet with House Oversight Committee investigators in October. But that was moved until mid-December. The couple then begged off because of a funeral. The Oversight Committee assigned the duo separate dates in mid-January. Both failed to materialize. So House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., threatened them with contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena. “It always seems that the Democrat Party has rules for thee, not for me,” said Rep. John McGuire, R-Va. “But we have oversight and we have subpoena power. And we can put a case and give it to the DOJ and let them prosecute. They need to hold them accountable.” Of course, Democrats screeched that former Trump advisors Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro didn’t comply with subpoenas from the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The House then voted to hold Bannon and Navarro in contempt of Congress. “What do you suppose ol’ Steve Bannon has to say about contempt of Congress? They either need to show up or go to jail,” said Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis. They’re like extra super special people? Hell no they’re not. They’re American citizens. We are a country of laws. They break the law. They go to jail. I don’t care who it is.” CLINTON SPOKESMAN LASHES OUT AT COMER OVER EPSTEIN PROBE AS CONTEMPT VOTE NEARS In 2022, the same Jan. 6 committee subpoenaed former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., along with Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Perry and former Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., for depositions about the riot. All refused to comply with the subpoena because they were members of Congress. The Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause inoculates lawmakers from having to fulfill such demands. Moreover, it was argued that the House could always refer them to the Ethics Committee for not adhering to a congressional mandate. The Constitution stipulates that the House can discipline its members and establish codes of conduct. Those lawmakers argued that the Jan. 6 committee wasn’t valid because former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., vetoed McCarthy’s picks for the panel: Jordan and Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., who served in the House at the time. So the Oversight Committee voted to hold both the former president and former Secretary of State in contempt of Congress. There were two extraordinary votes. “Subpoenas are not mere suggestions,” said Comer. “He is not above the law.” Nine Democrats voted alongside all Republicans to hold the former Democratic president in contempt. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., was among them. “I’m just focused on survivors,” said Pressley. “We want to hear from anyone who has information. And that should not be limited to party lines.” Lee joined her. “I do believe that our subpoena is legally binding,” said Lee. “I did not feel like I could let one off.” A contempt citation must go before the entire House. If the House approves it, the body makes a criminal referral to the Department of Justice for prosecution. That’s what happened with Bannon and Navarro. But some Democrats predict that potentially prosecuting a former President will backfire. “If we launch criminal contempt proceedings, we will not hear from the Clintons. That is a fact. It’ll be tied up in court,” said Rep. Dave Min, D-Calif. ‘THE VIEW’ HOSTS CALL ON CLINTONS TO COMPLY WITH SUBPOENA, TESTIFY ON EPSTEIN The Clintons may have ducked multiple depositions as part of the Epstein probe. But Comer doesn’t think they can skip out forever. Especially since the House likely has the votes — on a bipartisan basis — to refer them to DOJ for prosecution. “I think the Clintons probably are thinking more about how they can get out of this today than they were for the last five months, because the court of public opinion is not on the Clintons’ side,” said Comer. Of course, there are legal issues about prosecuting a president. And even a former president. But some Democrats believe all the focus on the Clintons is an effort to divert attention
Trump keeps Macron under spotlight as Greenland talks grind forward from Davos
President Donald Trump has turned up the heat on European leaders as he looks to ink a deal for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, including a specific focus on French President Emmanuel Macron in recent weeks. Trump was in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum Wednesday and Thursday, delivering a speech and holding bilateral meetings with foreign leaders at the annual conference that attracts foreign dignitaries, business leaders and celebrities to discuss the world’s economy. The president’s visit to Switzerland came as he threatened to impose tariffs on eight European nations if no deal on the U.S. acquiring Greenland was achieved by Feb. 1. Initial tariffs would have begun at 10% on goods from Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, and was set to increase to 25% by June 1 if there is no deal by that point. Trump has put many of Europe’s top leaders on notice as he looks to secure the deal, but he has taken an outsized focus on Macron. TRUMP SAYS FRAMEWORK OF ‘FUTURE DEAL’ ON GREENLAND REACHED AFTER NATO TALKS AS TARIFFS PUT ON HOLD The French president has meanwhile vowed from Davos that France will stand up to “bullies” and added that U.S. threats to impose tariffs in a bid to acquire Greenland was “fundamentally unacceptable.” Trump announced Wednesday that he would not impose tariffs that were set to take effect, citing a “framework of a future deal” with NATO involving Greenland and the Arctic region. “Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The French president was pulled into more U.S. headlines in early January, after the U.S. military successfully captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, which opened the floodgates to heightened discussions of the U.S. making moves to acquire Greenland from Denmark. Days after Maduro’s capture and as talks of Greenland mounted, Trump joined House Republican lawmakers Jan. 6, when he imitated Macron’s accent while recounting how Trump pressured Macron to raise drug prices in France in 2025 as the U.S. looked to bring parity to its sky-high prescription costs compared to other nations. “He’s a nice guy,” Trump said before launching into an accent and recounting their conversation in a viral moment. Trump again put on a French accent to recount the same conversation he held with Macron Jan. 16 during a rural healthcare roundtable at the White House. “I said, ‘Emmanuel,’” Trump recounted. “‘Yes, Donald, Donald. Thank you so much for calling,” he continued, using an accent to indicate Macron was speaking. “I said, ‘You’re not going to like this call,’” Trump continued. TRUMP’S ‘SMALL ASK’ FOR GREENLAND WOULD BE THE REAL ESTATE DEAL OF A LIFETIME Trump recounted the story to show his long history as the deal-maker-in-chief and pressure Macron to raise France’s ultra-low government-set prices that Trump said let pharmaceutical companies shift costs onto Americans. France was listed among eight countries facing additional tariffs if no Greenland deal is made. Trump singled out France early Tuesday morning when he shared a text message Macron sent Trump, which included the French leader saying, “I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland.” “My friend, We are totally in line on Syria(.) We can do great things on Iran(.)” Macron wrote, according to the screenshot. “I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland(.) Let us try to build great things: 1) i (sic) can set up a g7 meeting after Davos in Paris on thursday afternoon. I can invite the ukrainians, the danish, the syrians and the russians in the margins 2) let us have a dinner together in Paris together on thursday before you go back to the us.” The president also shared a text from NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on social media, who told Trump that he was “committed to finding a way forward on Greenland.” “It just made my point,” Trump said in an interview with The New York Post of why he shared the messages. “They’re saying, ‘Oh gee, let’s have dinner, let’s do this, let’s do that.’ It just made my point.” Simultaneous to talks on potentially acquiring Greenland, Trump extended invitations to a swath of foreign leaders to join the Gaza Board of Peace, which is styled as a new oversight body tied to the next phase of the Gaza peace plan that the Trump administration ironed out in 2025. Macron turned the invitation down, with his office saying the Board of Peace proposal “goes beyond the framework of Gaza and raises serious questions, in particular with respect to the principles and structure of the United Nations, which cannot be called into question,” according to Politico. TRUMP CHALLENGES CARNEY AT DAVOS, ASSERTS CANADA SHOULD BE ‘GRATEFUL’ FOR GOLDEN DOME MISSILE DEFENSE Trump, again, targeted Macron with fiery comments when asked about the declined invitation. “Oh, did he say that? Well nobody wants him because he’s gonna be out of office very soon. That’s alright. What I’ll do is if they feel like hostile, I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes and he’ll join. But he doesn’t have to join. If he said that, you’re probably giving it to me a little bit differently, but if he actually did say that– but as you know, he’s gonna be out of office in a few months,” Trump said. Macron’s term ends in 2027, and he is unable to run for a third consecutive term under French law. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the president’s rhetoric focused on Macron and France’s role in a potential Greenland deal but did not immediately receive a reply. Trump underscored from his speech in Davos Wednesday that “no nation or group of nations is in any position to be able
Trump mocks ‘environmental insurrectionists’ as Americans brace for massive winter storms: ‘Global warming?’
As Americans brace for massive winter storms expected to impact more than 170 million people across the U.S., President Donald Trump mocked what he described as “environmental insurrectionists” in a Truth Social post on Friday. “Record Cold Wave expected to hit 40 States. Rarely seen anything like it before,” Trump said in the post. “Could the Environmental Insurrectionists please explain — WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING???” he quipped. WHAT AMERICANS SHOULD STOCK UP ON TO PREPARE FOR THIS WEEKEND’S MASSIVE WINTER STORM “A significant, long-duration winter storm will bring widespread heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain from the Southern Rockies to New England through Monday. Widespread travel disruptions, prolonged power outages, and vast tree damage is likely,” the National Weather Service noted in a Friday post on X. In a Truth Social post last year, the president declared, “I (WE!) just won the War on the Climate Change Hoax.” Trump’s post addressed a recent essay by Bill Gates. In the essay, Gates wrote, “Although climate change will have serious consequences — particularly for people in the poorest countries — it will not lead to humanity’s demise. People will be able to live and thrive in most places on Earth for the foreseeable future.” “Bill Gates has finally admitted that he was completely WRONG on the issue,” Trump wrote at the time. “It took courage to do so, and for that we are all grateful.” NATIONAL PARK SERVICE REMOVES CLIMATE CHANGE FACTS SIGN FROM CIVIL WAR LANDMARK FORT SUMTER: REPORT Former Democratic President Joe Biden repeatedly addressed the issue of climate change during his White House tenure. In his 2023 State of the Union Address, Biden claimed there is a “climate crisis” that is “an existential threat.” TRUMP SAYS OFFICIALS WHO PUSHED CLIMATE CHANGE DOOMSDAY POLICIES SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED: ‘REWARDED FAILURE’ In a Truth Social post the night of Biden’s 2023 speech, Trump asserted, “His Climate Change statements, they can no longer use Global Warming because that doesn’t work anymore, will bankrupt our Country, and bring us into the Third World status, which we’re getting closer and closer to anyway.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
SCOOP: House Republicans revive push to impeach ‘activist’ judges after Johnson’s green light
FIRST ON FOX: House conservatives are reviving various pushes to impeach judges accused of blocking President Donald Trump’s agenda after Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., gave his tacit approval earlier this week. “I just spoke to him on the House floor, and he’s still in support, so we’re going to push to move forward on at least one,” Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital in the early evening on Thursday. Ogles was among the conservative Trump allies who led the push to impeach judges last year as the administration engaged in legal battles with federal courts across the country over various rulings. He previously introduced impeachment articles against U.S. District Judge John Bates for blocking a Trump executive order targeting transgender recognition under federal law, as well as District Judge Theodore Chuang after his ruling to stop a crackdown on foreign aid by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). EX-JUDGES BLAST TOP TRUMP DOJ OFFICIAL FOR DECLARING ‘WAR’ ON COURTS Neither of those impeachment resolutions or others targeting several other judges went anywhere at the time, however. House GOP leaders made clear they believed impeachment was an impractical way to deal with what Republicans saw as “activist judges” trying to influence policy rather than interpret law. Johnson and other leaders instead favored a bill by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., to limit district judges’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions. That bill passed the House along partisan lines last year but was never taken up in the Senate. The speaker sounded more enthusiastic about impeachment during his press conference on Wednesday, telling reporters, “I’m for it.” JOHNSON CHANGES TUNE ON JUDICIAL IMPEACHMENTS AFTER ‘EGREGIOUS ABUSES’ OF TRUMP AGENDA He named U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, specifically, who’s been targeted by Republicans after rulings on several key immigration cases involving Trump’s policies, including flying migrants to El Salvador and other countries instead of detaining them in the U.S. Boasberg more recently raised GOP ire when it was revealed that Boasberg had signed off on decisions that allowed for the seizure of some Republican lawmakers’ phone records in former special counsel Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost probe. A resolution to impeach Boasberg led by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, gained traction among conservatives last year, and the Texas Republican told Fox News Digital he was heartened by Johnson’s comments on Thursday. DOJ ORDERS LAWYERS TO REPORT JUDICIAL ‘OBSTACLES’ IN IMMIGRATION, ANTIFA CASES “We’re going to do everything we can to push that forward. I mean the reality is that Boasberg has been acting as an agent of the Democrat Party for quite some time now,” Gill said. “I’m thrilled to see the speaker get on board. I think his leadership will be crucial in getting this passed.” Gill said it was still early to predict whether it would see a House-wide vote but said his office was in contact with Johnson’s office about the measure, which he said was “moving in the right direction.” A source familiar with his effort told Fox News Digital that his resolution to impeach Boasberg gained two new House GOP co-sponsors after Johnson’s comments this week. FRESH TRUMP-LINKED CASE PUTS BOASBERG BACK IN GOP CROSSHAIRS Other House Republicans who supported the push last year indicated they would do so again. “I’d be all for it,” Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital. He said of Boasberg specifically, “I think he’s one of the most forthright judicial activists on the bench and that’s not why he was put on the bench.” Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., said Johnson expressing support could strengthen the push. “There’s a lot of respect for Speaker Johnson, especially as a constitutional lawyer — he’s someone that a lot of people have a lot of confidence in,” Stutzman told Fox News Digital. “The fact that he’s willing to step out there as a Speaker of the House, it says a lot.” Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News Digital, “I think there’s more of an appetite and less of a hesitation than there was earlier in the Congress. We had an agenda. We didn’t want to be distracted with potential impeachment, but I think now, as we’re realizing things are not getting better, the people around the nation are expecting us to hold this judge and others like him accountable.” But not all Republicans were as enthusiastic. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., who was supportive of the GOP’s judicial impeachment fervor last year, told Fox News Digital Thursday that he was not sure it could survive the committee process needed before a House-wide vote. House GOP Conference Vice Chair Blake Moore, R-Utah, said “everybody has to be willing to consider impeachment” as a power of Congress but said he did not know the details of the specific initiatives. “I will reinforce how much I like Issa’s bill. It moves it away from political rhetoric into, ‘Hey, let’s do something substantive here,’” Moore told Fox News Digital. “It’s a pretty innovative solution in a very sound way.” Democrats and other critics of the impeachment push have called it an unwarranted persecution of a co-equal branch of government, but supporters say it’s well within Congress’ right to use the impeachment process when they believe abuses have taken place.
Trump vows heavy campaign push for GOP, cites ‘midterm curse’ for sitting presidents
He’s not on the ballot this year, but President Donald Trump promises he’ll be on the campaign trail “a lot” on behalf of fellow Republicans running in the midterm elections. “I’m gonna do a lot of campaign traveling,” Trump told reporters Thursday aboard Air Force One, as he pointed to his effort this year to help the GOP defend their narrow Senate control and razor-thin House majority. “We’re going to work hard.” But Trump appeared to downplay the GOP’s ballot box expectations as he acknowledged that the party in power, in this case the Republicans, normally faces stiff political headwinds in the midterms. “For whatever reason, it’s a deep-down psychological reason, sitting presidents … don’t seem to do well in the midterms,” the president noted. SCOOP: GOP TAKES FIRST STEP TOWARD HOLDING HISTORIC MIDTERM CONVENTION Trump made stops last month and earlier this month in the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Michigan to highlight his accomplishments during his first year back in the White House and to tout his efforts to combat rising prices, a key issue with voters. And next week the president travels to Iowa, where Republicans aim to defend open Senate and gubernatorial seats in November’s elections. RNC CHAIR BETS ON ‘SECRET WEAPON’ TO DEFY MIDTERM HISTORY, PROTECT GOP MAJORITIES Sources in the president’s political orbit confirmed to Fox News Digital last month that Trump would be making regular stops on the campaign trail this year. And earlier this week, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who served as co-campaign manager of Trump’s 2024 presidential bid, signaled that Trump would be making weekly stops. That’s a big change from Trump’s first term, when the president didn’t start his campaign travel blitz until Labor Day. Republicans lost control of the House in the 2018 midterms, something Trump is aiming to avoid in his second term. Part of Trump’s strategy includes holding a first-ever Republican midterm convention this year. As first reported by Fox News Digital, the Republican National Committee, at the winter meeting on Thursday, took the first formal step to change to the party’s rules, which would allow Chairman Joe Gruters “to convene a special ceremonial convention outside a presidential election cycle.” HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN CHAIR WANTS TRUMP ‘OUT THERE ON THE TRAIL’ IN MIDTERM BATTLE FOR MAJORITY National political conventions, where party delegates from around the country formally nominate their party’s presidential candidates, normally take place during presidential election years. And the hope among Trump and top Republicans is that a midterm convention would give the GOP a high-profile platform to showcase the president’s record and their congressional candidates running in the midterms. The GOP is dealing with a low propensity issue: MAGA voters who don’t always go to the polls when Trump’s name isn’t on the ballot. But Gruters emphasized in a Fox News Digital interview earlier this month that “the president of the United States is our secret weapon… He’s laser focused.” “We got to make sure we turn our voters out, and we got to make sure that we have people energized. And there’s nobody that can energize our base more than President Trump.” Trump on Thursday touted that “nobody had a better first year than I did.” “Look at what we’ve done. We have the greatest economy in the world. We have the greatest investment in a country, in history, by many times — nobody’s ever had that,” he added. But the president’s approval ratings remain well underwater, with many Americans giving him a big thumbs down on the job he’s doing with the economy and the issue of affordability. “One year into his second term, Donald Trump has made one thing unmistakably clear: He doesn’t care about everyday Americans,” DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer argued in a statement. “Voters won’t forget Trump’s betrayal come midterms — and Republicans will have to answer for it.”
Anti-ICE Minnesota agitator arrested days after daring Bondi to do so
William Kelly, one of the anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agitators who disrupted a service at Cities Church in Saint Paul, Minn., on Sunday, has been arrested. “A THIRD subject has now been arrested connected to targeting Cities Church in Minneapolis Sunday. William Kelly is now in custody,” FBI Director Kash Patel declared in a Thursday post on X. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem noted in a post, “William Kelly is being charged with conspiracy to deprive rights, a federal crime, for his involvement in the St. Paul church riots.” VIDEO SHOWS ANTI-ICE AGITATOR BERATING CHRISTIANS IN MINNESOTA CHURCH SERVICE “William Kelly is now in custody,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi noted in a Thursday post on X. “Our nation was settled and founded by people fleeing religious persecution. Religious freedom is the bedrock of this country. We will protect our pastors. We will protect our churches. We will protect Americans of faith,” she noted in the post. Kelly had said days earlier in a video, “Come and get me Pam Bondi, you f—in’ traitorous b—-.” ANTI-ICE PROTESTER WILLIAM KELLY DARES PAM BONDI TO ARREST HIM AFTER MINNESOTA CHURCH DISRUPTION In posts that feature the profanity-laced video, Kelly, who apparently goes by “dawokefarmer2” on social media, wrote, “And for the record they invited us into their church and the police never asked us to leave.” Williams has shared video of himself berating people at the church. ANTI-ICE AGITATOR WHO STORMED MINNESOTA CHURCH SERVICE ALSO HARASSED CONGREGANTS AT PETE HEGSETH’S CHURCH He asserts that “all these pretend Christians, all these comfortable White people… are living lavish, comfortable lives, while children are dragged into concentration camps.” “You’re sinners. You’re pretending to be Christians. But we know you live an easy life, don’t you? A very easy life while people are starving,” he said.
Border Patrol union chief touts high morale despite clashes with agitators: ‘They are patriotic’
National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez told Fox News Digital that, despite heavy criticism from the media and Democrats, as well as the consistent presence of agitators, officers’ morale remains high and there is “no shortage of volunteers” to assist with deportation operations. Perez told Fox News Digital during an interview that though the “majority of our agents are stationed on the southwest border,” members of his union understand the threat that criminal illegal immigrants pose to the entire nation after four years under the Biden administration. “Unfortunately, you throw a dart at the map, and it’s very likely that some of the people that Biden let in are there,” he explained. Though distinct from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who are primarily responsible for interior removal operations, Perez said there has been “no shortage of volunteers” for deployments for operations in cities across the country, including Minneapolis, Portland and Los Angeles. BORDER PATROL COMMANDER PROVIDES UPDATE ON MINNEAPOLIS OPERATIONS “We’ve got plenty of agents that are willing to go out there to go and help because they see the challenges that our ICE officers and our other our law enforcement partners are going up against and they want to be there to help,” he explained. “They’re very well-trained, they’re very eager, they are patriotic, and they want to do their duty to secure the border and help secure America.” Perez said that because the Biden administration wanted the flow of migrants entering the country to be processed quickly, “there are very few records for us to rely on that are accurate.” “There’s just so many people that were let in, to the tune of millions of people, and they were interspersed throughout the United States,” he said, adding, “A lot of these people weren’t required to put information that we could vet because the administration wanted them out quick.” Perez said that though Border Patrol agents have found themselves being deployed to communities far from home, they have approached operations with the same ethic. At the same time, he said the vitriol from some has had some impact on officers in his union. DHS SAYS ICE AGENTS RAMMED BY VEHICLES AMID MINNEAPOLIS ENFORCEMENT SURGE: ‘AGGRESSIVELY ASSAULTED’ “The rhetoric coming from the left, it does impact our families because of the doxing and the protesters thinking that it’s okay because politicians are asking them to protest. They’re seeing what they’re doing as agitators, and they continue to up the ante and say, ‘Hey, go after these ICE officers, interfere, impede,’ and there’s consequences to that,” he said. Despite this, Perez said that Border Patrol officers are as resolved as ever, and they are “not going to back down.” Despite the backlash from protesters, the media and politicians, he said that Border Patrol officers in his union feel that “we’ve got more support now than we’ve ever had” because of the administration. ‘SCOURGE’ OF SEXUAL PREDATORS, VIOLENT CRIMINALS BEING REMOVED FROM MINNEAPOLIS STREETS DESPITE BACKLASH “From the human aspect, we know the type of people that we’ve come across, and we don’t want them in the cities and communities of America because we know that the damage they can cause,” he explained. “We’ve got so many murderers, rapists, burglars, robbers, and we want to get them out of our country.” “Our Border Patrol agents live in the communities that they serve, the communities that they patrol and protect. And so, when we go out into other municipalities across the country, we take that into account because that is somebody else’s home, that’s somebody’s city that they live in, and we want them to be safe.”
WATCH: Former ICE director reveals what goes into agency’s decisions on cities to target
While some Democrats have accused the Trump administration of politically targeting Democratic cities for enforcement, former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Sandweg shared insight about how the agency selects the next city for operations. Sandweg, who served as acting ICE director under President Barack Obama from 2013 to 2014, told Fox News Digital during an interview that the existence of sanctuary policies harboring illegal aliens does play a major role in determining cities for targeting. However, Sandweg said that this is not for purely political reasons. “The biggest driver would be immigrant population, how significant a population is there in that particular community. And then the second thing is, is there something like a sanctuary policy that would increase the number of at-large targets, meaning people who ICE wants to take into custody who are not currently in a prison or jail,” he explained. “Those are the traditional factors that ICE would rely on in making determinations about where to do at-large surges.” In 2025, the Trump administration surged ICE agents to cities like Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Portland and Chicago. All of these were major cities with significant immigrant populations, and all had sanctuary policies. Sandweg said that he expects crackdowns such as these to be “just beginning.” VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE TO VISIT MINNEAPOLIS, SOURCE SAYS, AMID UNREST OVER ICE OPERATIONS “You want to go where the criminals are … and so, you’re going to be looking at data about where is it that we can find the biggest bang for our buck,” he explained, adding, “Traditionally, that’s going to be in larger urban cities, just because they’re higher density population, and you’re more likely to find your criminal populations there.” When it comes to the role of sanctuary cities in ICE’s targeting process, Sandweg said that “sanctuary policies are not all equal.” “ICE is really good at getting people in prisons and jails. There isn’t a person booked into a prison or jail in the United States today that ICE doesn’t get visibility on,” he explained. “While we’re paying a lot of attention to these kinds of very public standoffs between protesters and DHS agents in Minneapolis and other places, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes the public doesn’t understand, including the picking up of people in prisons and jails, federal, state, local, across the country.” DHS WEBSITE TRAFFIC SURGES 68% AS THOUSANDS USE TRUMP’S SELF-DEPORTATION APP FOR VOLUNTARY DEPARTURE Though he said that some sanctuary jurisdictions are willing to cooperate with ICE in arresting illegals with serious criminal charges, such as violent crimes, there are some that are not willing to do that. Sanctuary jurisdictions that refuse to honor requests by ICE to hold illegal aliens, called “detainers,” present their own operational challenge, said Sandweg. This, in turn, can potentially lead to the agency deciding to surge more agents and resources to the area. US CITIZENS ARE ONLY ARRESTED BY ICE IF THEY VIOLATE A STATUTE ICE ENFORCES: TOM HOMAN “There are jurisdictions … that have very restrictive sanctuary policies, where you’re sitting there scratching your head saying, these are bad guys, why won’t they give us custody of this person in jail?” he said. “In those jurisdictions, you’re going to find more targets because those people, ICE normally would take custody of them in jail or prison.”
Republican drops primary challenge against incumbent Sen Cassidy after Trump-backed candidate enters race
Louisiana state Rep. Julie Emerson announced on Thursday that she was nixing her U.S. Senate bid in light of President Donald Trump-backed U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow entering the GOP primary. “With Congresswoman Letlow’s entrance into the race, the path to victory that was visible a couple of months ago has diminished. I support President Trump and respect his decision to endorse Julia Letlow to defeat Bill Cassidy. Because of this, I’m choosing to end my campaign now,” Emerson said in a statement. Incumbent Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who has served in the U.S. Senate since 2015, is running for re-election. TRUMP ENDORSEMENT ROCKS LOUSIANA SENATE RACE AS LETLOW JUMPS IN After the House impeached Trump in 2021, Cassidy was one of the Senate Republicans who voted to convict during a vote that occurred after Trump had already departed from office — the Senate vote ultimately fell short of the threshold required to convict Trump. The president pledged his endorsement to Letlow in a Truth Social post on Saturday. WHO IS JOHN FLEMING, THE FREEDOM CAUCUS FOUNDING MEMBER CHALLENGING GOP SEN BILL CASSIDY? “Should she decide to enter this Race, Julia Letlow has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, JULIA, RUN!!!” the president exclaimed in the post. Letlow launched a Senate bid days later. GOP LOUISIANA STATE SENATOR SAYS HE’S RUNNING FOR US SENATE BECAUSE INCUMBENT REPUBLICAN ‘SUCKS’ “Today, I am announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate to ensure the nation we leave our children is safer and stronger. Louisiana deserves a conservative Senator who will not waver. I am honored to have President Trump’s endorsement and trust. Let’s Geaux!” she declared in a Tuesday post on X. Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming and state Sen. Blake Miguez are also running in the Republican U.S. Senate primary in the state.
NEA insider blows whistle on ‘toxic’ culture and far-left politics inside teachers union: ‘It’s a cult’
FIRST ON FOX: As the National Education Association, one of the most prominent teachers unions in the country, continues to face criticism over placing far-left agenda items over the needs of children, a whistleblower organization spoke to Fox News Digital about the “toxic” politics inside headquarters. “It’s a very liberal place, there’s only a handful of conservatives that work at NEA, and if you are, it’s like you just don’t say anything, because it’s a very toxic environment if you do say something,” an NEA employee, who is remaining anonymous due to concerns of retribution, told Fox News Digital. “It’s crazy, they’ll send out this weekly newsletter of ‘Trump’s a fascist’ and blast it to all the states.” The whistleblower described a workplace where staff members are often subject to staff meetings and breakout sessions focused on “social justice and White supremacy and all that nonsense” that feel more like “brainwashing” than they do education. “It’s a cult. It’s 100% a cult and if you don’t have their mindset, you’re the enemy.” GOT A SCOOP ON CAMPUS? SEND US A TIP HERE Earlier this month, Fox News Digital exclusively reported on a federal NEA filing showing the union funneled millions of dollars to far-left activist groups, ballot initiatives and social justice organizations. Among the largest expenditures was more than $3.5 million sent to Education International, a global teachers federation where NEA President Becky Pringle serves as a vice president. “Why are we sending money internationally?” The whistleblower told Fox News Digital. “They’re not American teachers.” In November, Fox News Digital first reported on NEA training sessions instructing members on a variety of far-left causes, including how to go through a gender transition at work, best practices for using gender pronouns and combating transphobia, while also being provided with literature labeling conservative opposition as “villains.” “They don’t care about the students, they care about pushing these leftist, liberal Democrat people [politicians] so that they can get more money and just fund all these stupid initiatives,” the whistleblower told Fox News Digital. PARENTS’ RIGHTS GROUP RELEASES SCATHING ‘LOOKOUT’ WARNING TARGETING TOP 2 TEACHERS UNIONS: ‘INDOCTRINATION’ Additionally, Fox News Digital obtained an email sent on Jan. 16 from NEA Executive Director Kim Anderson that included more heated rhetoric directed at ICE and President Donald Trump. “Masked ICE agents are operating with impunity in Minneapolis, attacking students on school grounds and abducting neighbors from locations that are considered places of safety and care, including churches and hospitals,” the email said. “ICE agents are harassing, frightening, abusing, detaining and killing our neighbors. They abuse power and disregard the rule of law.” The email continued, “Violent ICE raids disproportionately targeting Black and brown students, families, and communities, have forced public schools to close their doors. Keeping students safe from ICE also keeps them from their classrooms, their friends, and the support they deserve.” The email referred to Trump’s actions enforcing immigration law as “Un-American” and an “authoritarian threat.” “People talk about turning down the temperature and how rhetoric is getting people killed, like it is, and they’re doing it, they’re the ones saying all this crazy nonsense,” the whistleblower told Fox News Digital. Mika Hackner, director of research at the North American Values Institute, told Fox News Digital that a union’s purpose is “to advocate for and to represent effectively and fairly its union members” and that it’s “difficult to see how the NEA can do this when it ensures that a particular political position and worldview is woven into the fabric of its organization.” Another area the whistleblower flagged is union revenue, claiming NEA leadership is especially focused on protecting dues collection by shifting members to “auto-pay” in states where payroll deductions face pushback. “That’s the biggest thing they’re worried about right now,” the whistleblower said, claiming the union is fighting efforts that prevent dues from being “take[n]… directly out of your paycheck.” On the day following Trump’s victory over former Vice President Kamala Harris, endorsed by the NEA, in the 2024 presidential election, the whistleblower told Fox News Digital the NEA offices were filled with distraught employees. “Everybody in the office had their doors closed. They were crying. It was a whole thing. It was wild, grown-ass people crying over an election.” In a statement to Fox News Digital after publication, an NEA spokesperson said, “The positions of the NEA are determined through democratic processes by the educators and other dedicated public employees who make up our membership. NEA staff go to work every day to support our members as they educate and care for students. NEA members and staff hold a wide variety of views, but one thing remains constant: we believe in the value of a quality public education for every student and every community in this country.” Erika Sanzi, senior director of communications for Defending Education, told Fox News Digital in November that the union’s federal charter should be re-evaluated given the organization has become more of a political operation than a union pushing for better student outcomes. Sanzi explained, “Their federal charter was granted because they promised to ‘elevate the character and advance the interests of the profession of teaching; and to promote the cause of education in the United States.’ Seeing as their leadership — and by extension, the organization itself — has morphed into a far-left insane asylum that is actively destroying the cause of education, that charter is no longer defensible.” “Few organizations have done more to erode trust in American public education than the National Education Association,” Terry Stoops, director of state affairs at Defending Education, told Fox News Digital this week. “The National Education Association has little interest in improving the lives of America’s public school educators. Instead, it’s committed to dispensing millions of dollars in membership dues to Democrats, while infiltrating classrooms and corrupting young minds with the grotesqueries of the far Left.”