Ex-New York State official accused of spying for China called Hochul ‘more obedient’ than Cuomo, trial reveals
A former top New York state official accused of spying for China once remarked that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was “much more obedient” than former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Linda Sun made the remark after she convinced Hochul, who served as Cuomo’s lieutenant governor at the time, to film a Lunar New Year video touting China’s New York consulate, the New York Post reported, citing evidence presented at Sun’s corruption trial. “She is much more obedient than the governor,” Sun wrote to China consular official Lihua Li in a Jan. 25, 2021, message shown to jurors in Brooklyn federal court. EX-OFFICIALS COULD GET LIFETIME BANS FROM LOBBYING FOR CHINA, RUSSIA UNDER NEW BIPARTISAN PUSH Minutes later, Sun texted Huang Ping, who headed the consulate office at the time. “The deputy governor listens to me more than the governor does,” she allegedly wrote, prosecutors said. Chinese officials had asked for Cuomo to film the video, but Sun told them she could likely get Hochul to participate instead, prosecutors said. “Let me ask, but likely the LG can probably do it,” Sun replied to Li, referring to Hochul. “That would be great as well. Thanks,” Li responded. In the two-minute video, Hochul wishes everyone a happy Lunar New Year and talks about the “privilege” of working with the Chinese American community and the Chinese consular office. Fox News Digital has reached out to Hochul’s office. Sun, who also served under Hochul, is charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHINESE NATIONAL TRIED STEALING SENSITIVE AI MICROCHIPS, DOJ SAYS Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., reacted in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital as she gears up for a campaign to unseat Gov. Hochul. “The Worst Governor in America Kathy Hochul not only bent the knee to the radical Socialists but is also fully compromised by the Communist Chinese Party,” Stefanik told Fox News Digital. “Hochul is the Worst Governor in America for New Yorkers, but the most obedient for the Communist Chinese Party. I have a sterling record standing up against Communist China, and there will be no spies infiltrating our state government when we Save New York.” Prosecutors from the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office believe Sun acted on behalf of the Chinese government on a number of occasions, including seeking a high-level state visit to China and preventing representatives of the Taiwanese government from meeting with American officials. In 2023, Sun was fired from her position after “evidence of misconduct” was discovered. She is accused of doing favors for Chinese officials in exchange for millions of dollars in business funneled to her husband, Chris Hu, who conducted business in China. Hu and Sun are accused of using the money to buy property on Long Island and in Honolulu worth more than $6 million, in addition to a 2024 Ferrari Roma sports car. In one instance, Sun allegedly claimed to be able to stop Cuomo from mentioning the plight of the Uyghurs, the predominantly Muslim ethnic group that has been targeted by the Chinese government through mass incarceration and forced labor, according to human rights advocates. In the Jan. 25, 2021, exchange with Ping, Sun wrote that she had an “argument” with Cuomo’s speechwriter, who had “insisted” on bringing up the Uyghurs, according to the Post report. “This person has never been to China, right? He knows very little about China,” Ping replied. “Never been there,” Sun said. “I’m going to collapse. “I will think of a solution tomorrow, but I will definitely not let the governor bring it up.” Sun’s lawyers argued that her relationship with Chinese officials was not improper and was legal. “Linda Sun did what she was hired to do. She didn’t commit a crime by doing her job,” defense attorney Jarrod Schaeffer told jurors at the start of the trial, the Post reported.
US carries out 22nd strike on alleged drug vessel operated by a designated terrorist organization
The U.S. military carried out another strike on a suspected drug vessel operated by a designated terrorist organization, killing four narco-terrorists and marking the 22nd strike under Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. The strike on Thursday against a boat allegedly carrying drugs is the first strike in more than two weeks and brings the total killed to 86. “On Dec. 4, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization,” U.S. Southern Command said. “Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific. Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed.” U.S. Southern Command shared video of the strike on social media, showing the strike on the alleged drug-carrying vessel. US CARRIES OUT 8TH STRIKE ON ALLEGED DRUG VESSEL, THIS TIME IN EASTERN PACIFIC, HEGSETH SAYS The latest strike comes as lawmakers question another U.S. attack on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean, a Sept. 2 operation now under scrutiny for how commanders handled the survivors. Adm. Mitch Bradley confirmed to lawmakers Thursday that Hegseth did not order all survivors of counter-narcotics strikes be killed, pushing back on a Washington Post report that claimed he directed commanders to “kill them all.” Rep. Jim Himes said Bradley confirmed “there had not been a kill them all order” and no instruction to grant no quarter, a point echoed by Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton. SPEC OPS CHIEF ORDERED DEADLY CARIBBEAN STRIKE ‘IN SELF-DEFENSE’ WITH HEGSETH’S SIGN-OFF, WHITE HOUSE SAYS Lawmakers who viewed the full video disagreed sharply over what it showed. Himes described the survivors as “shipwrecked sailors,” while Cotton said the footage showed them “trying to flip their boat back over and continue their mission.” Sen. Chris Coons said it would be “hard to watch the series of videos and not be troubled by it,” while Rep. Rick Crawford criticized Democrats who said they were troubled, arguing they were ignoring the realities of targeting designated terrorists. Other recent strikes have resulted in different outcomes. In an Oct. 16 operation that killed two, two survivors were captured and sent back to Colombia and Mexico. During a series of Oct. 27 strikes that killed 14, one survivor was left for retrieval by the Mexican coast guard. Cotton said the protocol for handling survivors has remained consistent since early September. SENATE REPUBLICANS BLOCK BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO HALT MILITARY ACTION, DRUG BOAT STRIKES IN THE CARIBBEAN Legal analysts raised concerns after learning the Sept. 2 survivors were killed in a follow-up strike, noting the Pentagon’s Law of War manual prohibits attacking persons rendered “helpless” by wounds, sickness or shipwreck unless they resume hostile action. Pentagon officials have suggested the survivors may have been able to call for backup, a factor Bradley viewed as a threat. Hegseth has said he watched the initial strike in real time but did not view the second and had no involvement in authorizing it. He has maintained he stands by Bradley’s decision. Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
SCOTUS allows Texas to use Trump-pushed redrawn congressional redistricting map favoring Republicans
The Supreme Court signaled that Texas is likely to prevail in defending its new congressional map, faulting a lower court for misreading evidence and ignoring required legal inferences as the state races toward 2026 election deadlines. In a brief order that keeps Gov. Greg Abbott’s redrawn districts in place for now, the court said the district court committed two major errors by failing to apply the presumption of legislative good faith when considering disputed evidence and by declining to draw a near-dispositive inference against challengers who offered no alternative map that met Texas’s partisan goals. The stay is temporary while the merits proceed, yet Justice Elena Kagan warned in dissent that the ruling effectively locks in the contested boundaries for the 2026 midterms because of looming state deadlines. “This Court’s eagerness to playact a district court here has serious consequences,” Kagan said. “The majority calls its ‘evaluation’ of this case ‘preliminary.’ The results, though, will be anything but. DOJ BACKS TEXAS IN SUPREME COURT FIGHT OVER REPUBLICAN-DRAWN MAP “This Court’s stay guarantees that Texas’s new map, with all its enhanced partisan advantage, will govern next year’s elections for the House of Representatives. And this Court’s stay ensures that many Texas citizens, for no good reason, will be placed in electoral districts because of their race,” Kagan continued. “And that result, as this Court has pronounced year in and year out, is a violation of the Constitution.” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin condemned the ruling as a moral and legal failure that rewards partisan manipulation while undermining voters across Texas. “Today’s decision by the Supreme Court to allow Texas Republicans’ rigged, racially gerrymandered maps to go into effect is wrong — both morally and legally,” Martin said. “Once again, the Supreme Court gave Trump exactly what he wanted: a rigged map to help Republicans avoid accountability in the midterms for turning their backs on the American people. But it will backfire. “Texas Democrats fought every step of the way against these unlawful, rigged congressional maps and sparked a national movement. Democrats are fighting back, responding in kind to even the playing field across the country. Republicans are about to be taught one valuable lesson: Don’t mess with Texas voters. The DNC stands committed to building power in Texas, no matter the maps in play, one election at a time.” Texas House Democratic Leader Rep. Gene Wu said the Supreme Court not only failed Texas voters but American democracy. ABBOTT SIGNS TEXAS REDISTRICTING MAP INTO LAW, SECURING MAJOR GOP VICTORY AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS “This is what the end of the Voting Rights Act looks like: courts that won’t protect minority communities even when the evidence is staring them in the face,” Wu said. “I’m angry about this ruling. Every Texan who testified against these maps should be angry. Every community that fought for generations to build political power and watched Republicans try to gerrymander it away should be angry. “But anger without action is just noise, and Democrats are taking action to fight back: California passed Prop 50 and added five Democratic seats to offset Texas. Democrats are organized and fighting back in Illinois, New York, Virginia, and more,” he continued. “A nationwide movement is being built that says if Republicans want to play this game, Democrats will play it better.” Abbott, though, celebrated the decision, saying, “We won!” “Texas is officially — and legally — more red,” he said. “The U.S. Supreme Court restored the redistricting maps passed by Texas that were based on constitutional principles and Supreme Court precedent. The new congressional districts better align our representation in Washington, D.C., with the values of our state. This is a victory for Texas voters, for common sense, and for the U.S. Constitution.” The ruling arrives amid a broader, unprecedented national redistricting battle driven by President Donald Trump’s effort to fortify the GOP House majority heading into 2026, a campaign that began in Texas before rapidly spreading to other states. TEXAS FILES EMERGENCY SUPREME COURT PETITION AFTER TRUMP-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL MAP BLOCKED BY FEDERAL JUDGES Aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections, Trump in June first floated the idea of rare but not unheard of mid-decade congressional redistricting. The mission was simple: Redraw congressional district maps in red states to pad the GOP’s razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats. Texas was Trump’s first target. A month later, when asked by reporters about his plan to add Republican-leaning House seats across the country, the president said, “Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five.” Abbott called a special session of the GOP-dominated state legislature to pass the new map. Democratic state lawmakers broke quorum for two weeks and fled Texas in a bid to delay the passage of the redistricting bill. The legislature eventually passed the bill, and Abbott signed it into law in late August. REAGAN-APPOINTED JUDGE TORCHES COLLEAGUES IN TEXAS MAP FIGHT But the new map immediately faced legal challenges, and the plight of the Texas lawmakers who fled the state energized Democrats across the country. Among those jumping into the fight against Trump’s redistricting was Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California. California voters a month ago overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, a ballot initiative that will temporarily sidetrack the left-leaning state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and return the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated legislature. That is expected to result in five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which aimed to counter the move by Texas to redraw its maps. But the fight has spread beyond Texas and California. Right-tilting Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio have drawn new maps as part of the president’s push. The legislature in red-leaning Indiana meets this week to try and pass redistricting, while Florida and Kansas are also mulling redrawing their maps. “We
Largest public-sector unions spent eye-popping amount on left-wing politics — 86% funded by member dues
EXCLUSIVE: The country’s four largest public-sector unions spent a combined $915 million on elections and progressive political activism during the 2024 election cycle, 86% of which came from member dues. The Commonwealth Foundation, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit promoting free-market policies, highlighted the massive political spending by the National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) in a new report released this week. The foundation published a similar report during the 2022 election cycle that found all four of these unions spent $708 million on progressive politics, The report’s findings, particularly that 86% of the unions’ nearly $1 billion in political spending stems from membership dues, underscore criticism that these entities work more to push a political agenda than support their members. FEDERAL PROBE DEMANDS CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION EXPLAIN MISSING FINANCIAL AUDITS SINCE 2020 “What they’re doing when they’re making these political investments is they’re trying to get people into office that will raise taxes and increase the size and scope of government,” public sector unions expert Aaron Withe told Fox News Digital. “That’s the way that it’s been working for decades. That’s why you see the government grows every single year. That’s why you see taxes go up most every year as well.” Withe, a critic of both public- and private-sector unions, said private-sector unions at least have an incentive structure based on a company’s or industry’s bottom line, but public-sector unions, Withe argued, are incentivized by raising taxes and growing government. “When you look at union spending in politics, you have to remember that their goal — their primary purpose is a business — so they’re there to grow revenue. They’re there to gain more revenue than the year previously,” Withe pointed out. “The difference with the government union is that that revenue comes from public employees. And the way that you hire more public employees is by raising taxes on the private sector so that you can hire more bureaucrats.” David Osborne, senior director of labor policy for the Commonwealth Foundation and co-author of the report, said “the big question” from his report is whether rank-and-file union members are aware of how their money is actually being spent. “Years ago, [union members] could expect union executives to use dues to drive member services, including contract negotiations and grievance processing,” Osborne said. “Now, union members are unwittingly propping up left-leaning candidates and progressive causes like abortion, critical race theory and defunding the police.” MY TEACHERS UNION CALLS IT REPRESENTATION. I SAY THERE ARE $114 MILLION REASONS TO SUE THEM According to the Commonwealth Foundation’s report, the findings show that approximately 25% of the group’s total spending — or $642 million — goes toward “representational activities,” which the report describes as “the spending category most closely tied to membership support.” Meanwhile, the unions also spent about a combined 33% of their total spending — or $845 million — on general overhead, union administration, staff benefits and other cost categories “linked to basic operations.” But spending on elections and progressive political activism surpassed both those categories. Collectively, the unions spent around $755 million on federal elections and national progressive politics, while their state-level affiliates combined to spend another $160 million on state races and ideological causes. Of that spending, $650 million, or 86%, originated from union membership dues, according to the Commonwealth Foundation. The report notes the unions also collect voluntary political action committee (PAC) deductions from members and their families, which allows the unions to collect money that can then go directly to candidates, something that is not supposed to be done with members’ dues money. The union’s federal PAC spending accounted for 14% of the group’s political spending, according to the report. “Government unions’ heavy use of membership dues money for politics — more than what they collectively spent on representational activities — underlines a disturbing trend: the growing, overt reliance by union officials to spend member dues rather than political action committee funds on their political and ideological agendas,” the Commonwealth Foundation says in its new report. “Yet, much of this spending is possible only because of the lack of accountability and control over what powerful union executives do with members’ dues. Union dues, not the separately collected PAC funds, are the overwhelming power behind — 86 percent — of union political spending. “Few members are aware that union leaders launder much of their dues through super PACs and 527s to back political projects. Even fewer members can effect change within their union to stop it.” Fox News Digital reached out to the NEA, AFT, SEIU and AFSCME for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
Grand jury declines to re-indict Letitia James in Virginia
The Department of Justice failed to bring an indictment against Letitia James on Thursday after a federal judge tossed the initial indictment last week, according to a DOJ source. The DOJ attempted to persuade a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia to indict James a second time, the source said, after Judge Cameron Currie found that the prosecutor who brought the first indictment, Lindsey Halligan, was serving unlawfully as interim U.S. attorney. The revelation that a grand jury did not indict James, one of President Donald Trump’s top political foes, is a blow to the DOJ as it is rare that grand juries do not find enough probable cause to bring charges. It is possible the DOJ could attempt to bring charges again. Fox News is told that prosecutors intend to continue the effort to re-indict James. FEDERAL JUDGE DISMISSES JAMES COMEY, LETITIA JAMES INDICTMENTS “I’d say don’t celebrate just yet,” one source said. The attempt to re-indict the state attorney general also marks a shift for the DOJ after Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt vowed to immediately appeal the judge’s finding that Halligan was an invalid appointee and that James’ indictment was therefore also invalid. COMEY DENIES CHARGES, DECLARES ‘I AM NOT AFRAID’ James’ attorney, Abbe Lowell, said the grand jury’s refusal to re-indict James was a “decisive rejection” of a case he said should have never even existed. “A federal court threw this case out after President Trump illegally installed a U.S. Attorney to file baseless charges against Attorney General James that career prosecutors refused to bring,” Lowell said in a statement to Fox News. “This should be the end of this case. If they continue, undeterred by a court ruling and a grand jury’s rejection of the charges, it will be a shocking assault on the rule of law and a devastating blow to the integrity of our justice system.” James was previously charged with bank fraud in Norfolk, Virginia. She pleaded not guilty and had argued the charges should be dismissed on numerous grounds. Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ for comment.
Omar allies tied to massive Minnesota COVID meal fraud scheme involving Somali community
Members of the inner circle of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., personally profited from the $1 billion welfare fraud scandal in her district that has placed her Somali constituency under a White House microscope. Omar held events at one of the restaurants named in the fraud, knew one of its now-convicted owners and had a staffer who was also convicted, the New York Post reported. Omar also introduced the legislation that led to $250 million being defrauded from federal child-nutrition programs in COVID-19 aid, according to the newspaper. FEDERAL PROBE TARGETS ALLEGED MINNESOTA SOMALI FRAUD ‘NETWORK’ AS COVID-AID CRIME RINGS PERSIST Around $250 million in state funds was distributed beginning in 2020 to provide meals to schoolchildren during the pandemic. However, the money was allegedly pocketed by Salim Ahmed Said, the co-owner of Safari Restaurant, where Omar held her 2018 congressional victory party. Said was convicted in March for his role in the scheme, with the Justice Department stating that the funds — intended to feed children — were used to finance a lavish lifestyle. He spent much of the money on a $2 million Minneapolis mansion and a $9,000-per-month shopping habit at Nordstrom, according to prosecutors. The free meals were made possible by the 2020 MEALS Act, introduced by Omar and passed with bipartisan support, the Post said. Much of the funding was funneled through the now-defunct nonprofit Feeding Our Future, according to the DOJ. Omar appeared in a video promoting the program. LIZ PEEK: MASSIVE MINNESOTA WELFARE HEIST PROVES DEMOCRATS CAN’T POLICE THEIR OWN MESS The congresswoman has not been directly linked to the fraud. Fox News Digital has attempted to reach her office for comment. “The alleged fraud scheme orchestrated by Feeding Our Future is reprehensible. Using the guise of feeding children to funnel millions of dollars toward extravagant expenses is abhorrent, and anyone who participated in this scheme must be held accountable,” Omar told a local Minnesota news outlet at the time. During an appearance on CNN this week, Omar was pressed to explain how fraud became so rampant within her state. “I think what happened, um, is that, you know, when you have these kind of new programs that are, um, designed to help people, you’re oftentimes relying on third parties to be able to facilitate. And I just think that a lot of the COVID programs that were set up — they were set up so quickly that a lot of the guardrails did not get created,” she said. In August, Guhaad Hashi Said, a Democratic activist and former Omar campaign official, pleaded guilty to running a fake food site, Advance Youth Athletic Development. MINNESOTA GOVERNMENT WORKERS BLAME WALZ FOR ‘MASSIVE FRAUD’ AMID ALLEGATIONS AGAINST SOMALI COMMUNITY He claimed the group served 5,000 meals a day to children, pocketing millions, the Justice Department said. Said worked on Omar’s 2018 and 2020 campaigns as an “enforcer” who oversaw voter turnout efforts in the Somali community. As of November, at least 78 defendants have been charged in what has widely been considered the largest pandemic relief fraud scheme in the United States. The Trump administration has blamed Minnesota officials for the lack of oversight. The Small Business Administration is investigating a network of Somali groups in Minnesota that it says is tied to the scandal and a House Oversight Committee has opened an investigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s role. President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized Omar and blamed the Somali community for the scope of fraud occurring in Minnesota. “These Somalians have taken billions of dollars out of our country,” Trump told reporters. “They’ve taken billions and billions of dollars. They have a representative, Ilhan Omar, who they say married her brother. She should be thrown the hell out of our country. “And most of those people, they have destroyed Minnesota. She should not be — and her friend shouldn’t be allowed — frankly, they shouldn‘t even be allowed to be Congresspeople, OK? They shouldn’t even be allowed to be Congresspeople because they don’t represent the interests of our country.”
ICE arrests multiple Afghan nationals with criminal convictions released into US by Biden-era programs: DHS
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday announced the arrests of multiple Afghan nationals released into the U.S. by the Biden administration during Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome, with convictions for crimes including kidnapping and child fondling. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the Biden administration created “one of the worst and most complex national security crises in American history,” which the Trump administration has been working to remedy. The announcement comes after it was uncovered the suspect accused of killing one National Guard member and wounding another in a Nov. 26 Washington, D.C., ambush, was an Afghan national vetted by the CIA in Afghanistan. The Department of State has paused all visas for individuals traveling on Afghan passports. PATEL BLASTS BIDEN’S ‘EMBLEMATIC FAILURE’ AFTER AFGHAN NATIONAL CHARGED IN GUARD SHOOTING “Under Secretary [Kristi] Noem, DHS has been going full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and criminal illegal aliens that came in through Biden’s fraudulent parole programs,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote in a statement. “When Joe Biden let 190,000 Afghan nationals in, they didn’t do criminal background checks or vet social media. Someone just vouched for them, and they took the words as truth,” she continued. “We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out, and we are. We are working around the clock to get these public safety threats out of our country.” According to DHS, some of the Afghan nationals arrested by ICE include: On Aug. 29, ICE arrested Qesmat Din Zafran, a criminal illegal immigrant who entered the U.S. under Operation Allies Refuge in September 2021. His criminal history includes a conviction for lewd or lascivious acts with a minor under 16. THIRD AFGHAN NATIONAL FROM BIDEN-ERA PROGRAM ARRESTED IN A WEEK BY ICE AGENTS IN VIRGINIA: DHS On Oct. 2, ICE arrested Mansour Walizada, a criminal illegal immigrant who entered the U.S. under Operation Allies Refuge in 2021. His criminal history includes two convictions for sexual battery and an arrest for child fondling. On June 8, ICE arrested Mohammad Tabesh Rasoli, a criminal illegal immigrant who entered the U.S. under Operation Allies Refuge in September 2021. His criminal history includes a conviction for hit-and-run with serious bodily harm. According to the arrest report, Rasoli hit a pedestrian going about 50 mph. On May 8, ICE took custody of Javid Ghamgeen from the Iowa Department of Corrections. Ghamgeen, a criminal illegal immigrant, entered the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome in 2021. His criminal history includes convictions for two counts of possession of methamphetamine, burglary and aggravated assault against a public officer. On Oct. 9, ICE arrested Asirullah Khalid-Khan, a criminal illegal immigrant who entered the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome in 2021. His criminal history includes a conviction for kidnapping and an arrest for rape. On July 21, ICE arrested Said Mohammad Tanai, a criminal illegal immigrant who entered the U.S. under Operation Allies Refuge in 2021. His criminal history includes a conviction for assault with intent to commit sex abuse.
2021 Afghan remarks haunt GOP lawmaker’s Senate bid after DC Guard shooting
Republican Kentucky lawmaker Andy Barr’s 2021 claim that the U.S. had an “obligation” to welcome Afghans after the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal is resurfacing and complicating his high-stakes 2026 Senate campaign after the footage went viral. “We have failed in our obligation to help many of these Afghans who risked their lives and, in many cases, died for the cause of their own country in assistance to the United States, and we owe them to help them get into our country with these visas, and the P1 and P2 visas as well,” Barr said in a 2021 interview with Kentucky Educational Television of Afghans. “And I voted for these special immigrant visas because it would send a terrible message to our allies around the world that we’re going to abandon you if you help us in your time of need.” Many Afghans worked as interpreters, cultural advisors and offered other assistance to the U.S. during the Afghan war. Dozens of Republican lawmakers and leaders supported welcoming Afghan allies amid the withdrawal, while simultaneously stressing the need to vet the refugees, including then-former President Donald Trump. Barr’s 2026 Republican Senate opponent, Nate Morris, slammed him as having “blood on his hands” for his comments and previous support of a bill broadening special visas for Afghan refugees. STATE DEPARTMENT ‘IMMEDIATELY’ HALTS ALL AFGHAN PASSPORT VISAS FOLLOWING DEADLY NATIONAL GUARD ATTACK But Barr’s campaign hit back against the criticisms in a comment to Fox News Digital, underscoring he did not vote for Biden’s Afghan resettlement program and that he wholeheartedly supports Trump’s immigration policies. “Andy Barr voted against Biden’s Afghan resettlement program,” the spokesperson said. “Andy Barr supports President Trump’s common sense border security plan — deporting all illegals and reforming our legal immigration system.” Footage of Barr’s interview has spread like wildfire on social media. It’s racked up millions of views following the horrific shooting in Washington, D.C., the day before Thanksgiving when two National Guard members were shot, leaving one soldier critically injured and leaving Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom dead. Authorities identified Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, as the suspect in the shooting, which unfolded just blocks from the White House. Lakanwal entered the U.S. legally in 2021 under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome, a program that evacuated and resettled Afghan refugees as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. He reportedly worked with various U.S. government entities, including the CIA, as a member of a partner force in Afghanistan, Fox Digital previously reported. Other refugees who entered the nation under Operation Allies Welcome have been arrested for suspected terrorist ties. The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that ICE arrested a suspected ISIS-K Afghan terrorist, marking the third “Afghan national terrorist arrested in recent days.” Barr came under fierce scrutiny online recently as his 2021 comments spread. “WTF!???” Donald Trump Jr. posted to X on Black Friday. “Andy Barr voted to flood America with unvetted Afghans while our borders were wide open. Now we see the results. This blood is on establishment RINOs (Republican in name only) like Barr who sided with Biden & McConnell over America First,” another conservative account posted. Others pointed to the remarks as evidence that Barr should not be elected to the Senate during the 2026 midterms. Barr is among a handful of Republicans running to replace retiring Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell. Some Barr critics rallied around Morris, the CEO of Kentucky-based company Morris Industries, as the conservative candidate to replace McConnell. “Compare Barr to Nate Morris who is calling for an immigration moratorium and there’s literally no comparison,” Turning Point USA spokesman and executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show” Andrew Kolvet posted to X. “That’s why Charlie went out of his way to endorse @NateMorris. Our number one mission must be to save America, not destroy it through unfettered mass migration.” VANCE’S PAST WARNINGS REIGNITE AFTER AFGHAN NATIONAL NAMED AS SUSPECT IN DC GUARD SHOOTING Morris said, “Barr knows that he has been exposed for his role helping Biden bring these dangerous Afghan refugees to America and so now he’s trying to pretend that it never happened, but we’ve all seen the video footage. Just like Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell, Andy Barr has blood on his hands.” Barr’s campaign hit back at Morris’ remarks in comments to Fox Digital Wednesday, including highlighting that the lawmaker did not vote for an Afghan resettlement program under the Biden administration. “Nate Morris is spiraling and lying again,” a Barr campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Andy stands with Trump 100% on immigration; Nate Morris does not. If Nate Morris doesn’t support President Trump’s policies 100%, he can’t be trusted to vote with him in the U.S. Senate.” Barr voted against H.R. 5305 in September 2021, which provided more than $6 billion to resettle Afghan refugees, beyond people who assisted the U.S. during the war. He was among 192 Republicans who supported the Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs Act of 2021, which expedited the special immigrant visa process for Afghan nationals who worked with the U.S. government or NATO in Afghanistan and increased the number of available special immigrant visas to 8,000. The bill passed the House, but did not become law. President Joe Biden instead signed a spending bill that added 8,000 Afghan special immigration visas and eased some of its rules. On Aug. 29, 2021, the Biden administration launched Operation Allies Welcome, a Department of Homeland Security led-project to “support vulnerable Afghans, including those who worked alongside us in Afghanistan for the past two decades, as they safely resettle in the United States.” Trump dropped the hammer on the visa program shortly after the recent D.C. shooting that took place at the end of November. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that officials are “actively re-examining” all the Afghan nationals who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration. More than 76,000 Afghans were evacuated and processed into the country, Fox News Digital previously reported. Barr published a statement denouncing
Florida CFO rolls out new push to block illegal immigrants from tapping state systems: ‘Lives have been lost’
Florida’s chief financial officer announced a slate of legislative priorities to discourage illegal immigrants from settling in the state – a strategy that rarely makes headlines as most states focus on criminal justice laws versus financial policies. Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia, who previously represented Hernando and Citrus counties in the state Senate, said Florida has already taken sweeping actions to blunt illegal immigrants from utilizing programs in Florida but that there are still many openings in law that would allow them to benefit if the state ever trends to the left again. “Illegal immigration has scourged our communities. Too many lives have been lost, and too many people have been hurt as a result of illegal immigration,” Ingoglia said late Wednesday. He specifically cited the case of an Indian illegal immigrant with a California commercial driver’s license (CDL) who allegedly killed a carload of people on Florida’s Turnpike earlier this year. Ingoglia said the state’s actions thus far to blunt illegal immigrant truckers and those who are illiterate in English is a good start, but there is much more to be done. ICE AND FLORIDA ARREST 230 CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS IN 10-DAY OPERATION “Florida has led the nation in fighting back against the mess that the Biden administration created, but we must keep our foot on the gas and continue to disincentivize illegal aliens from coming to our state,” he said. “I am proud to announce my anti-illegal immigration legislative priorities, and I look forward to working with the legislature and the Governor to get these proposals passed.” Ingoglia said 26 illegal immigrants were arrested on charges that fall under the financial services banner that his agency oversees, including four people nabbed on insurance fraud offenses, collectively totaling $800,000. DESANTIS TAPS FLORIDA’S ‘MOST CONSERVATIVE SENATOR’ FOR STATE CFO Ingoglia’s package included proposals to bar free down-payment assistance for illegal immigrants, arguing that similar programs in New York and California have burdened taxpayers and incentivized unlawful immigration. He said the practice is not allowed in Florida as a policy of the current DeSantis government, but that “you never know what the future of the state of Florida is going to look like.” Ingoglia also launched an effort to prohibit illegal immigrants from receiving any licenses sanctioned by his office, formally the Florida Department of Financial Services, and suggested that revocation of any current licenses found could be on the table. 146 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCK DRIVERS ARRESTED IN INDIANA CRACKDOWN, AS NOEM SAYS, ‘YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED’ Referencing the fatal St. Lucie County truck crash, Ingoglia said he will also push to require CDL final exams to be administered only in English and to remove illegal immigrants as “covered employees” under workers’ compensation statutes. For insurance companies who have illegal immigrants among their policyholders in Florida, Ingoglia’s plan would also require the insurers to accept fault if such a person is involved in an auto accident. Ingoglia was joined in his efforts by several lawmakers who are backing his plan, naming state Rep. Kiyan Michael, R-Duval, and Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers. NOEM WARNS 18-WHEELERS BECOMING ‘WEAPONS’ AS NEWSOM, SANCTUARY STATES LICENSE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS “I know firsthand the tragedies that have resulted from rampant illegal immigration,” Michael said in a statement. “In Florida, we have leaders who are not afraid to take a stand and do what is right to protect the law-abiding citizens of Florida.” St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick also voiced support, saying the effects of the illegal immigration crisis are “far-reaching” and that Tallahassee must continue to “take steps to protect the citizens of our state.” Martin added that every Florida town has felt repercussions of illegal immigration and that Ingoglia’s plan would rightly protect law-abiding businesses. Ingoglia succeeded now-Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla., in the row office – as the latter was elected to fill the seat of the departed Matt Gaetz in the panhandle’s deep-red district.
California GOP rep makes re-election decision after considering running in Texas: source
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif, will not run in Texas and has chosen to remain in the Golden State to run in the newly gerrymandered 48th Congressional District, Fox News has learned. A source familiar with the matter told Fox News that Issa’s friends and congressional colleagues asked him to consider running in Texas after Prop. 50 passed in California, but the Republican has decided to fight it out in California and expects to have President Donald Trump’s full support. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Issa confirmed his decision to run in California despite his district being significantly reshaped toward a Democratic advantage. “I’m thrilled to set the record straight and here’s the truth: Texas House members and residents of that state did ask if I would consider running there following Gavin Newsom’s historically corrupt gerrymander,” Issa said. “I appreciate the opportunity, but California is my home. I told them I’m going to stay in Congress, and I don’t need to go to Texas for that.” GOP REP WEIGHS BOLTING CALIFORNIA FOR TEXAS SEAT AS DUELING REDISTRICTING WARS UPEND 2026 MAP: REPORT “I believe the people of Southern California in San Diego County and Riverside County who elected me so many times will, regardless of registration, consider my record in full and allow me to continue serving them,” he added. “I can hold this seat, I’m not quitting on California, and neither should anyone else.” Issa currently represents California’s 48th Congressional District — but the lines of the district will temporarily shift in several future contests because voters passed Proposition 50 last month. During a radio interview on Wednesday’s episode of “The Mark Davis Show,” Issa indicated that he had considered the possibility of running in Texas’s 32nd Congressional District. The lawmaker noted that he was slated to meet with Trump on Wednesday. GOP LAWMAKER FLIPS SCRIPT ON NEWSOM, BASS BY DEFINING ANTI-ICE RIOTS WITH 1 WORD Issa said during the interview that he needs to go where he can be most useful. The Texas legislature and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott greenlit redistricting plans in the Lone Star State, but those plans have been sidelined because a federal court enjoined the state from using the new map in the 2026 elections. FEDERAL JUDGES BLOCK TEXAS FROM USING REDRAWN CONGRESSIONAL MAP CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Republicans currently hold the House majority and will be aiming to maintain their grip on power in 2026, a task that could prove more difficult since Trump won’t be on the ballot like he was in the 2024 elections.