Virginia AG candidate embroiled in violent text message scandal cancels latest fundraiser amid backlash
Democratic candidate for Virginia attorney general Jay Jones canceled a fundraiser scheduled for Thursday night in the wake of backlash he has faced over past text messages in which he fantasized about putting “two bullets” in the head of a Republican colleague. The fundraiser was planned to be held at the home of author David Baldacci, but donors expected to attend reportedly received a memo that their contributions would be refunded since the event will be canceled, a person familiar with the matter told Axios. The canceled fundraiser suggests the Jones campaign could still be in crisis repair mode after news of his violent rhetoric, which even fellow Virginia Democrats running alongside Jones have condemned. However, those same Virginia Democrats have stopped short of calling for Jones to exit the race. VIRGINIA AG REVEALS WHAT’S ‘STARTLING’ ABOUT DEM OPPONENT’S TEXTS On Tuesday, in a new campaign advertisement titled “Two bullets,” Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears blasted her Democrat opponent, former Virginia member of Congress from the state’s seventh congressional district, Abigail Spanberger, for failing to explicitly call for Jones to bow out of the race. “Jay Jones says he wants to put two bullets in a political opponent,” the ad starts out, before pivoting to Spanberger saying, “Let your rage fuel you.” The narrator then comes back and begins citing headlines that “Jones says he hopes an opponent’s children die,” before, again, highlighting Spanberger’s “rage” comments. “Abigail Spanberger continues to support Jones,” the ad’s narrator continues. “She stands with him, not us.” DEMOCRATS STAND BY VIRGINIA AG HOPEFUL WHO FANTASIZED ABOUT KILLING GOP LAWMAKER Jones’ opponent, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, released his own massive $1.5 million ad buy in response to Jones’ text messages as well. The text messages came from Jones in 2022, as he was attempting to describe a hypothetical situation about who he would kill if Jones had a gun with just two bullets and there were three people standing in front of him. “Three people, two bullets,” the text messages read. “Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” Jones wrote, referring to then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert. He added: “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.” The surfaced text messages from 2022 come at a time of heightened sensitivity to inflammatory and violent political rhetoric following the assassination of Charlie Kirk and two attempted assassinations of President Donald Trump. Even Democrats have warned – in the wake of Kirk’s recent assassination – that “violent words precede violent actions” and “we should have a culture of condemning any rhetoric that glorifies violence.” Jones did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on this story. Representatives for Miyares declined to comment.
Israel calls prominent Democrat ‘mouthpiece for Hamas’ in blistering Oct. 7 post
Israel’s Foreign Ministry blasted Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, after he marked the day with a post criticizing Israel and the U.S. and calling to end what he described as “occupation and apartheid.” “Two years after Hamas launched its barbaric massacre against Israel and the Jewish people, Mamdani has chosen to act as a mouthpiece for Hamas propaganda — spreading Hamas’s fake genocide campaign,” wrote the ministry. The Israel Foreign Ministry said that “by repeating Hamas’s lies, he excuses terror and normalizes antisemitism.” ZOHRAN MAMDANI EMPLOYED WOMAN CAUGHT ON CAMERA TEARING DOWN HOSTAGE POSTERS “He stands with Jews only when they are dead. Shameful,” the ministry added. Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response. In his statement, Mamdani acknowledged that “two years ago today, Hamas carried out a horrific war crime, killing more than 1,100 Israelis and kidnapping 250 more.” He wrote, “I mourn these lives and pray for the safe return of every hostage.” ‘EXISTENTIAL THREAT’: JEWISH LEADERS WARN OF NYC ‘MASS EXODUS’ IF ZOHRAN MAMDANI WINS IN NOVEMBER At the same time, Mamdani also criticized Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for having “launched a genocidal war” with a death toll that, he said, “far exceeds 67,000: with the Israeli military bombing homes, hospitals, and schools into rubble.” “Every day in Gaza has become a place where grief itself has run out of language,” Mamdani wrote, adding, “our government has been complicit through it all.” Mamdani also wrote that “the occupation and apartheid must end” and that the U.S. “must hold those responsible to account.” “The last two years have demonstrated the very worst of humanity. We must answer it by modeling the very best: a relentless pursuit of our higher ideals and an unwavering commitment to universal human rights,” wrote Mamdani. Jewish leaders and advocates have criticized 33-year-old socialist Zohran Mamdani since he secured the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City, particularly for his hesitancy to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.” NEW YORKERS SKEPTICAL AFTER ZOHRAN MAMDANI DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM PHRASE ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ After months of refusing to condemn the anti-Israel rallying cry, which, according to the American Jewish Committee, “calls for people from around the globe to participate in rising up against Israel,” Mamdani shared with business leaders during a closed-door meeting in July that he would not use the slogan and would discourage others from using it moving forward. However, his previous record has left many still very concerned. “If Zohran Mamdani is elected, expect a Jewish exodus out of New York City,” Yuval David, an actor, filmmaker and Jewish activist told Fox News Digital. In an interview with “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker in June, Mamdani was asked to condemn the phrase three times but refused. He attempted to justify his position, saying, “My concern is, to start to walk down the line of language and making clear what language I believe is permissible or impermissible, takes me into a place similar to that of the president, who is looking to do those very kinds of things, putting people in jail for writing an op-ed, putting them in jail for protesting.” JEWISH LEADER PREDICTS VIOLENT FUTURE FOR NYC RESIDENTS IF MAMDANI WINS IN NOVEMBER: ‘REAL CONCERN’ “Ultimately, it is not language that I use. It is language, I understand there are concerns about, and what I will do is showcase my vision for the city through my words and my actions,” he said. Mamdani has also been criticized for supporting a slate of anti-Israel positions such as supporting BDS, an acronym for boycott, divestment and sanctions, and sanctions against Israel. After Mamdani’s Oct. 7 post, the antisemitism awareness group Canary Mission also criticized him, saying he “pays lip service to condemning the Hamas massacre” while he “reserves much more vitriol for Israel, which he accuses of perpetuating a Nakba, occupation and apartheid on a regular basis- including in his October 7 statement itself!”
Patel dismisses perp walk rumors, says no ‘theater’ in Comey indictment
EXCLUSIVE: Top Department of Justice officials brushed off rumors on Tuesday that James Comey would be arrested and paraded in front of the media, providing their remarks on the former FBI director’s court case one day before his scheduled arraignment. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital in a sit-down interview at the FBI Chicago Field Office that media reports about a possible camera-ready Comey arrest, sometimes known as a perp walk, were mere distractions. “We conduct arrests, the FBI conducts arrests at every courthouse in this country every single day of the year,” Blanche said, calling the rumors about Comey’s circumstances “gossip.” COMEY INDICTED FOR ALLEGED FALSE STATEMENT, OBSTRUCTION OF CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDING “Mr. Comey has been directed to appear, and I expect that he will. But the noise from MSNBC and from retired agents or unnamed anonymous sources about perp walks is just that,” Blanche said. “It’s just noise.” Reuters, MSNBC and other outlets reported in recent days that an FBI official was fired for refusing to partake in a showy arrest of Comey and staged walk. Comey has been summoned to appear at a courthouse in Virginia on charges of making a false statement to Congress, but it is unclear if an arrest is also planned. HOW JAMES COMEY’S INDICTMENT COULD GO SOUTH FOR THE DOJ Patel, meanwhile, spoke as part of a visit to Chicago’s field office to show support for FBI personnel who have been partaking in “Operation Midway Blitz,” a massive immigration enforcement operation that has been rife with tension among city leaders, federal law enforcement and activists. He called the media reports about Comey a “detraction” from the FBI’s work. “The mainstream media wants to take the eye off the ball and create theater,” Patel said. “We’re not about theater. We’re about producing our results in court. And that’s what you’re going to see tomorrow start, the revelation of details, and it will be forthcoming in the judicial process as everyone in America is entitled to, including Mr. Comey, and we want him to have his day in court, and it starts tomorrow.” Fox News Digital reached out to Comey’s attorney for comment.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Government crawls into crisis as shutdown continues
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, your source for the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening … –Supreme Court to decide if faith-based counseling on gender identity is protected speech -Dem senator’s hefty donation to disgraced AG candidate’s campaign comes back to haunt him -Who is the Trump-appointed judge blocking deployment of the National Guard to Portland? The Senate remains deadlocked on a path to end the shutdown as it nears its second week, and Republicans’ meager support across the aisle to reopen the government may be crumbling. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., needs at least eight Senate Democratic caucus members to join Republicans to reopen the government, given that Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has consistently voted against the GOP’s bill. So far, a trio of Democratic caucus members, Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, have crossed the aisle to reopen the government … Read more FEDERAL OVERRIDE: Trump says he’d consider invoking the Insurrection Act as courts, governors seek to block his crime crackdown ‘SUBSTANTIAL’: Trump says ‘substantial’ number of jobs will be permanently lost if shutdown persists. Dems ‘have no leader’ COVER-UP EXPOSED: Biden blocked dissemination of intel showing Ukrainian officials’ concerns about his family’s ‘corrupt’ business ties PRESIDENT’S PICK: Trump looms large over special congressional election Republican primary in deep red district CLASH OF POWERS: White House slams ‘egregious’ court order blocking troop deployments amid Portland unrest BREAKTHROUGH: Trump, Brazil’s Lula move to mend fences after trade clash, judicial firestorm with ‘friendly’ call TALKS END: Trump ends Venezuela talks, military options loom, new report NEW DESTINATION: Cuban-led caravan aims for Mexico City as Trump policies deter migrants from US WAR ON DRUGS: War on cartels? The White House says it has an iron-clad case to strike narco-terrorist groups ‘ACCOUNTABILITY’: FBI fires agents, dismantles corruption squad after probe unveils monitoring of GOP senators, Patel says CAMPAIGN FALLOUT: Kaine defends Jay Jones amid AG candidate’s texts envisioning murder of top Republican: ‘Still a supporter’ ‘ABUSE OF POWER’: Hawley rips Jack Smith’s ‘Biden’s Stasi’ probe, calls alleged spying ‘abuse of power beyond Watergate’ NOTHING TO HIDE: House committee withdraws James Comey subpoena for Jeffrey Epstein testimony ‘NOT NORMAL’: Dem shellacked by McConnell in 2020 mounts new Senate bid: ‘cowards in Washington are bowing to Donald Trump’ DEMS DIG IN: Schumer’s shutdown holds as Senate Dems block GOP bid to reopen government CASE IN LIMBO: Georgia prosecutors request 90-day extension to replace Willis in Trump election case ‘IT’S MY JOB’: Bondi clashes with Durbin on National Guard deployment: ‘Love Chicago as much as you hate President Trump’ CLAIM VS. REALITY: DHS takes on Pritzker’s ‘Smorgasbord of Lies,’ releases list debunking his claims DEATH WISH: Jay Jones said if more police were killed it would reduce shootings of civilians, according to Virginia lawmaker ROOMMATES RISING: The only two Dems running for governor this year are former roommates with mirroring political careers PHOTO FINISH: Cuomo slams Mamdani for photo with anti-LGBTQ Uganda official: ‘If he’s smiling, he’s lying’ TAMPERING DETECTED: Maine investigates claim that 250 unmarked ballots found in Amazon box COURT FIGHT AHEAD: New Jersey Dem hopeful vows to sue Trump over troop deployments, says states would pay the price LONE STAR RISING: Abbott Deploys ‘Elite Texas National Guard’ After Trump Call for Reinforcements: “Ever Ready” COMMON GROUND: New MAHA initiative around biomedical research is uniting the GOP with some unusual bed fellows DEFYING FEDERAL LAW: Federal agent says Chicago’s ‘ICE-free zones’ endanger operations, embolden protesters ‘ROCK BOTTOM’: Ex-Chicago police officer rips city’s stand-down order for swarmed ICE agents: ‘Most disgusting act’ Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
New Navy Under Secretary Cao to ‘supercharge’ force by ditching DEI, raising standards, modernizing IT
Navy Secretary John C. Phelan has tapped new Navy Under Secretary Hung Cao to lead a sweeping overhaul of the service and “supercharge the Navy and Marine Corps,” including modernizing its business and IT systems. Cao, sworn in Oct. 3. by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, returns to the Department of the Navy with direct orders to “cut red tape and raise standards.” Phelan said in a memo shared exclusively to Fox News Digital that the reforms are to “sharpen readiness, fix faster, and put sailors, Marines, and their families first” as well as restore the Navy and Marine Corps’ warrior ethos. Cao, a former U.S. Navy captain, is also a well-known Republican figure, who ran for the U.S. Senate in Virginia in 2024 and in 2025, was nominated by Trump and confirmed as the 35th Navy under secretary. HEGSETH ORDERS ABOUT FACE ON PENTAGON’S SLIPPING GROOMING STANDARDS The move follows remarks by Hegseth Sept. 30 to flag and general officers at Marine Corps Base Quantico. “First and foremost, we must restore a ruthless, dispassionate and common-sense application of standards,” Hesgeth said. “Standards must be uniform, gender-neutral, and high. If not, they’re not standards — they’re suggestions. Suggestions that get our sons and daughters killed.” Cao’s reforms will start at home and include launching a new inspection system with 60-day repair timelines to overhaul military family housing. Base dining will shift to healthier, locally sourced menus designed to mirror combat readiness and improve nutrition. HEGSETH VOWS TO REBUILD MILITARY DETERRENCE SO ENEMIES ‘DON’T WANT TO F— WITH US’ Outdated IT and business systems will be replaced with modern, mobile-ready platforms to streamline daily operations and empower sailors with tools that work for the first time. Beyond quality-of-life upgrades, the Navy is targeting full audit compliance by FY2026 to strengthen transparency and accountability. Recruiting reforms will eliminate DEI-based waivers in favor of merit-only accessions, while reserve forces will integrate more closely with active-duty training pipelines. Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders will move faster, and new policies will expand school choice for military families. On Guam, infrastructure upgrades, from runways to fuel and housing capacity will harden the island’s role as a vital Indo-Pacific power-projection hub. AIR FORCE TIGHTENS RULES ON TRANSGENDER AIRMEN; SUPPORTERS SAY IT PRIORITIZES READINESS: REPORT “These aren’t talking points, they’re timelines,” Cao said of the reforms. “We’re ending bureaucratic drift and restoring excellence.” Cao’s initiatives will also aim to unify family welfare and combat readiness under what Phelan describes as “one quarterback, one playbook.” On Capitol Hill, Rep. Jack Whitfield, R-Texas, chair of the House Armed Services readiness panel, said Congress would “support the Navy’s renewed focus on lethality and accountability.” HEGSETH TELLS TROOPS TO RESIGN IF THEY OPPOSE HIS PLAN TO SCRAP ‘WOKE’ POLICIES AND RESTORE WARRIOR ETHOS A Democratic staffer on the Senate Armed Services Committee called it “an overdue reset” and confirmed oversight “will track results closely.” The sweeping, new portfolio integrates quality-of-service improvements, modernization, and reserve reform under a single chain of command. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “This is about speed, standards, and service,” Phelan said. “When the basics work the first time, ships sail more, aircraft fly farther, and the world’s greatest maritime force only gets stronger.” Hegseth and Phelan did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Mamdani funnels big money to radical allies plotting control of City Hall: ‘Seize state power’
FIRST ON FOX: Newly released campaign finance records reveal New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s campaign gave over $28,000 last month to the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, a radical group that has boasted about the level of influence it will have if Mamdani is elected mayor. The Mamdani campaign made a payment of $28,677.57 to DSA’s NYC chapter on Sept. 15 and filled in the purpose field that the funds were for “Other: explntion / Texting.” Mamdani’s campaign has previously given numerous smaller payments totaling roughly $3,000 to DSA for “Fundraising / Fundraising Emails” but the September donation represents by far the largest contribution to the group since his campaign was launched. NYC-DSA has received 36 payments, totaling over $33,000 from Mamdani’s campaign since early 2025. The donation comes amid public boasting from DSA that they wield massive influence on Mamdani’s platform. ‘ABSOLUTELY A COMMUNIST’: MAMDANI DODGES LABEL, BUT HIS RECORD AND EXPERT SAY OTHERWISE During a July panel discussion, Fox News Digital previously reported how DSA members discussed how they have been closely collaborating with Mamdani and how he has the organization positioned to “seize state power.” DSA organizer Daniel Goulden claimed the organization has been intimately involved in Mamdani’s campaign, even helping to write portions of his platform. “With Zohran, we’re in basically the best possible position to seize state power that we can be in because, you know, we’re like this,” Goulden said, indicating with his fingers that the campaign and organization are very close. Goulden went on to suggest that “one of the things that made Zohran really successful with his policy rollouts is specifically relying on DSA.” “DSA has regular meetings with him, let alone his team. His policy director is my friend. I’ve been working with his campaign manager for well over a year. You know? I have friends who are his staff,” he said. He went on to say the DSA worked especially closely with Mamdani on his “trans rights” platform to use city resources to give free transgender treatments to people across the country. “We wrote the platform with him. The team was so happy to work with us on this,” he explained. “What we explicitly wanted to do was use the power of New York City to provide free gender-affirming care – and I say free in case insurance companies decide to boot us off – free gender-affirming care, not just to people in New York City, but across the country.” “Our endorsed candidates are expected to follow the will of the membership,” chapter leader Darren Goldner concluded. Last week, New York Post reported from a DSA event that group leaders boasted about a “symbiotic” relationship with Mamdani that will last past the election if Mamdani wins. Mamdani revealed during a 2021 interview that he was “very excited about being a member of DSA, specifically the New York City chapter” and that the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement was a major issue pushed by DSA in order to get endorsements, Fox News Digital previously reported. “Within the questionnaire when you submit to be considered a candidate to be endorsed by the organization, you’re asked what your views are on BDS and I think that has also brought what it is typically thought of as a separate issue into the sphere of local politics where we create a bench of candidates,” Mamdani said. “We’re not legislating on BDS on a daily basis, but it’s clear that our commitment is unabashed to justice.” The national DSA organization and its chapters, including the NYC-DSA, have shared views on several issues that they have been vocal about, including their disdain for ICE and cracking down on on “bad landlords” by having the city take control of properties when a landlord refuses to make repairs or “demonstrates consistent neglect” of their tenants. He also believes he can fix New York City’s affordable housing crisis by immediately freezing the rents of the over two million New York residents who live in rent-stabilized apartments, which is part of DSA’s housing justice platform. “Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani is here to bring New Yorkers back to the left. With a platform focused on cost of living: from utility bills to grocery bills to bus fares to childcare to rent, Zohran is the candidate who wants to make life in New York City more affordable,” NYC-DSA’s website says. “His platform focuses on the pillars of free childcare, fast and free buses, and freezing rent for all rent-stabilized tenants.” A Fox News Digital review found that multiple staff members of Mamdani’s campaign are directly involved with DSA, including Tascha Van Auken, who has been paid over $100K by the campaign and is the campaign’s field director. In a July 2025 profile piece, she explained how the Mamdani campaign adopted the DSA’s model of canvassing. “So I would say that the beginning of the campaign for us is building up the leadership structure, building up the infrastructure, really honing in on what we’re talking to voters about,” Auken, who has been branded as the NYC-DSA’s “field operations guru,” said. “Then once petitioning is over, we go full force into persuasion, which is basically just lots and lots of talking to voters that we haven’t talked to before, persuading them to vote for Zohran or just identifying that they are Zohran supporters or not.” CUOMO WARNS DEM SOCIALIST RIVAL’S TAX PLAN WOULD TRIGGER MASS EXODUS OF NYC’S WEALTHY Elliana Bisgaard-Church, who previously served as Mamdani’s campaign manager during the Democratic primary and is member of his inner circle, is also a member of the NYC-DSA and worked closely with top leaders of the DSA chapter. Mamdani and Bisgaard-Church, who raked in a six-figure salary working for Mamdani, met on a weekly basis with NYC-DSA co-chairs Grace Mausser and Gustavo Gordillo, according to The Nation. “Toward the end of the race, in a final get-out-the-vote push, Mausser recalled a meeting in which Bisgaard-Church requested help to secure as much youth turnout as possible. NYC-DSA
Who is the Trump-appointed judge blocking deployment of National Guard to Portland?
U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, who President Donald Trump nominated during his first term, is blocking the commander in chief from deploying National Guard troops in Oregon. The Senate confirmed her via voice vote in 2019. Immergut was involved in a probe pertaining to the salacious scandal that indelibly marked President Bill Clinton’s White House tenure. “I was hired by Ken Starr almost five months after Attorney General Reno sought to expand the OIC’s authority to investigate whether Monica Lewinsky or others suborned perjury, obstructed justice, or intimidated witnesses in connection with the civil sexual harassment case in Jones v. Clinton,” Immergut wrote in response to a question from then-Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., in 2018. “I was hired to work as a line prosecutor to determine whether there were facts to support or refute those allegations,” she noted. She said that she questioned Lewinsky. WHITE HOUSE REBUKES ‘EGREGIOUS’ COURT ORDER BLOCKING TROOP DEPLOYMENTS AMID PORTLAND UNREST “When Ms. Lewinsky agreed to cooperate with the Office of Independent Counsel, I was asked to be one of the team of prosecutors debriefing her. As I was involved in the debriefings, I was asked to participate in questioning Ms. Lewinsky before the grand jury and take her deposition,” she noted in response to another question. Responding to questions from Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Immergut expressed the view that it is not appropriate for lower courts to buck Supreme Court precedent. Asked whether Roe v. Wade was “settled law,” she replied, “Yes” — the nation’s high court overturned the controversial abortion ruling in 2022. Asked whether the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry is “settled law,” she again replied in the affirmative. Sen. Feinstein passed away in 2023. OBAMA-NOMINATED FEDERAL JUDGE MARRIED TO HOUSE DEM RECUSES HIMSELF FROM OREGON NATIONAL GUARD CASE Trump issued a Truth Social post last month in which he declared that he was “directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.” A document featuring Hegseth’s signature noted that “200 members of the Oregon National Guard will be called into Federal service effective immediately for a period of 60 days.” But this month, Immergut temporarily blocked the move amid a legal challenge lodged by the State of Oregon and the City of Portland. “The President’s determination was simply untethered to the facts,” the judge’s opinion and order asserted, declaring that “this Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ Motion for Temporary Restraining Order … and temporarily enjoins Defendants’ September 28, 2025, Memorandum ordering the federalization and deployment of Oregon National Guard service members to Portland.” Then she issued a second temporary restraining order that more broadly blocked the administration from deploying any federalized National Guard in the state. “Defendants are temporarily enjoined from deploying federalized members of the National Guard in Oregon,” the document declared. TRUMP’S ‘WAR-RAVAGED PORTLAND’ NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT HALTED BY FEDERAL JUDGE OVER AUTHORITY CONCERNS White House deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller declared in a post on X that “A district court judge has no conceivable authority, whatsoever, to restrict the President and Commander-in-Chief from dispatching members of the US military to defend federal lives and property.”
FBI fires agents, dismantles corruption squad after probe unveils monitoring of GOP senators, Patel says
The FBI has already terminated employees and abolished the CR-15 squad just one day after it was revealed that several Republicans’ private communications and phone calls had been tracked. FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday announced the actions the bureau had taken in response to the revelation of the “baseless monitoring” during the Biden administration and promised more actions to come. “We are cleaning up a diseased temple three decades in the making — identifying the rot, removing those who weaponized law enforcement for political purposes and those who do not meet the standards of this mission while restoring integrity to the FBI. I promised reform, and I intend to deliver it,” Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital. JACK SMITH TRACKED PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS, CALLS OF NEARLY A DOZEN GOP SENATORS DURING J6 PROBE, FBI SAYS Patel also posted about it on X, saying, “Transparency is important, and accountability is critical. We promised both, and this is what promises kept looks like… We terminated employees, we abolished the weaponized CR-15 squad, and we initiated an ongoing investigation with more accountability measures ahead.” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino replied to the post and echoed Patel’s message, writing, “We promised you transparency and accountability. We will continue to deliver on those promises. You deserve better.” The CR-15 squad was the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s public corruption unit. The squad helped former Special Counsel Jack Smith investigate President Donald Trump, according to NBC News, which cited sources familiar with the matter. FBI’S TRUMP PROBE ‘ARCTIC FROST’ ALSO INVESTIGATED CHARLIE KIRK’S TPUSA, GRASSLEY REVEALS On Monday, Fox News Digital learned that Smith allegedly tracked the private communications and phone calls of nearly a dozen Republican senators as part of his investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots. Trump reacted to the revelation on Tuesday and slammed Smith in a post on Truth Social that read, “Deranged Jack Smith got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. A real sleazebag!!!” HAWLEY RIPS JACK SMITH’S ‘BIDEN’S STASI’ PROBE, CALLS ALLEGED SPYING ‘ABUSE OF POWER BEYOND WATERGATE’ A document, reviewed by Fox News Digital on Monday, revealed that Smith and his “Arctic Frost” team investigating Jan. 6 were allegedly tracking the phone calls of GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and GOP Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania. The document, recently discovered by Patel and exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, is titled “CAST Assistance” and dated Sept. 27, 2023. “CAST” refers to the FBI’s cellular analysis survey team. The case ID is marked in the document as “ARCTIC FROST—Election Law Matters—SENSITIVE INVESTIGATIVE MATTER—CAST.” Additionally, it states the names of the lawmakers and that an FBI special agent on Smith’s team “conducted preliminary toll analysis” on the toll records associated with the lawmakers. An FBI official told Fox News Digital that Smith and his team tracking the senators were able to see which phone numbers they called, the location the phone call originated and the location where it was received. A source said the calls were likely in reference to the vote to certify the 2020 election.
WATCH: Kaine defends Jones amid AG candidate’s texts envisioning murder of GOP leader: ‘Still a supporter’
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine defended his fellow Democrat, former Del. Jay Jones of Norfolk, as the attorney general nominee’s campaign unravels after texts surfaced depicting Jones envisioning the murder of a top state Republican. Pressed ahead of a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday, Kaine said Jones’ comments were “indefensible” but that he is “still a supporter” of his candidacy against incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares. “Jay has apologized,” Kaine said. “I’ve known Jay Jones for 25 years,” he said. “I think those statements were not in character, and he has apologized — I wish other people in public life would sincerely apologize for stuff.” YOUNGKIN PRESSES DEMS TO PUSH JAY JONES OFF VIRGINIA AG TICKET AFTER ‘BEYOND DISQUALIFYING’ MESSAGES SURFACE Asked whether Jones’ controversy will affect other Democrats on the ballot, Kaine replied that the situation is a “significant challenge” for Jones but that he doesn’t think it will affect other races. “I think he’s got to explain it in ways that Virginia can see who he really is,” Kaine added. Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., is at the top of the ticket against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in the governor’s race, and Democratic state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi is facing conservative commentator John Reid for the lieutenant governorship. Fox News later followed up with Kaine, asking if he definitively does not believe Jones should drop out. “Yeah, I’ve answered the question correctly, and I don’t think I can improve on the first answer,” Kaine said. VIRGINIA DEM LOGGED PAC HOURS TO SKIRT POSSIBLE JAIL TIME FOR RECKLESS DRIVING, DOCS SHOW Jones had, apparently accidentally, texted Virginia Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chester, a message about then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, venting about Gilbert’s friendship with a recently deceased Democratic Party elder. The texts first came to light Friday to National Review, and were later confirmed to Fox News Digital through multiple Richmond, Virginia, sources. Jones had said the late state Sen. Joe Johnson, D-Bristol, “leaked” Democratic goings-on to Gilbert and the GOP caucus, before remarking: “If those guys die before me, I will go to their funerals to p— on their graves. Send them out awash in something.” VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE ONCE REFERENCED PUTTING TWO BULLETS IN HEAD OF GOP LEADER, TEXTS SHOW Jones then envisioned that Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, would be shot twice in the head if lined up with Cambodian Khmer Rouge dictator Pol Pot and former German Chancellor Adolf Hitler and the executioner only had two bullets. “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time,” he added. ‘CONSUMED WITH HATE’: WINSOME SEARS, JASON MIYARES UNLOAD ON DEMOCRAT JAY JONES OVER VIOLENT TEXTS He went on to suggest that Gilbert and his wife, Jennifer, were “breeding little fascists.” The Gilberts have two young children. Since the texts were sent in 2022, Gilbert resigned from the House of Delegates to briefly accept President Donald Trump’s nomination to be the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia based in Roanoke. He has since left that post as well. The texts came one week after documents from New Kent County showed Jones had been charged with reckless driving on a notorious straight-arrow stretch of Interstate 64 between Virginia’s Williamsburg and Richmond in the middle of the night. Jones escaped the typical one-year jail sentence by filing 1,000 community service hours split between his own political PAC and the NAACP’s Virginia branch. A New Kent County, Virginia, official told Fox News Digital that it was not uncommon to have traffic-related crimes prosecuted with the defendant not receiving jail time during the COVID-19 era amid capacity and spacing concerns for more serious offenders. Jones is set to face Miyares at the University of Richmond on Oct. 16 for their only debate, at which the firestorm is sure to be a top issue. Fox News’ Dan Scully contributed to this report.
War on cartels? White House says it has an ironclad case to strike narco-terrorist groups
The White House has told Congress the United States is now in an “armed conflict” with narco-traffickers operating in Latin America — a declaration that sounded to some like a formal announcement of war. Last week, a memo sent to lawmakers stated that the U.S. is in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug traffickers classified as “unlawful combatants.” That followed President Donald Trump’s earlier designation of several cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and four U.S. strikes on boats allegedly carrying narcotics near Venezuelan waters, which killed 21 people over the past month, according to U.S. officials. The White House says those operations are part of a broader national-security campaign to stop what it calls a direct threat to Americans — and insists the administration’s legal case to do so is “ironclad.” “The President acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans,” deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement. CARTEL CONNECTION: HEZBOLLAH AND IRAN EXPLOIT MADURO’S VENEZUELA FOR COCAINE CASH A White House official stressed that the report “does not convey any new information,” noting that it followed a Sept. 15 strike against a designated terrorist organization after earlier operations in the Caribbean. Immediately after the report was delivered, the Department of War carried out its fourth strike on suspected traffickers in the Caribbean, killing four in international waters off the coast of Venezuela. “A boat loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE was stopped, early this morning off the Coast of Venezuela, from entering American Territory,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The new memo effectively shifts U.S. operations against drug cartels from a law-enforcement model — arrests and prosecutions — to a wartime paradigm that allows for lethal force and detention without trial. Like the post-9/11 War on Terror, the administration argues that drug cartels are “unlawful combatants” and can be targeted militarily rather than treated as criminals. Administration officials maintain this approach is legally justified, while critics warn it stretches presidential authority. TRUMP APPROVES MILITARY ACTION AGAINST LATIN AMERICAN CARTELS CLASSIFIED AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS Under Article II of the Constitution, presidents may use force to repel sudden attacks. The Trump administration argues drugs that have killed more than 100,000 Americans per year in recent years constitute an urgent national security threat, granting authority for the strikes. But national security lawyers say that authority is limited. “That’s a far cry from authorizing an ongoing series of strikes,” wrote Georgetown law professor Marty Lederman, who argued such a campaign would amount to “war in the constitutional sense” and therefore require congressional approval. National security lawyer Irina Tsukerman said the administration’s framing signals a protracted campaign and an effort to assert unilateral presidential authority. “He’s saying he doesn’t even need to go to Congress, because he’s essentially taking action against these unlawful combatants, and it’s going to be a long-term operation, just like with the War on Terror,” she said. She also noted that, unlike al Qaeda or ISIS, no authorization for use of military force exists for cartels. “The president has only the authority to continue strikes for 60 days,” she added. “Beyond that, Congress must approve.” That means the 60-day war powers clock is already running — it began with the first strike on Sept. 2. Unless Congress acts, that authority expires in early November. So far, Democratic leaders have questioned the scope of the strikes but have not moved to block them. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., claimed Trump’s advisors are pushing him toward war. “The insecure, overcompensating war mongers around Trump — who convinced him to change the name of the Department of Defense — now seem to be trying to goad Venezuela into a war no one wants,” he wrote on X last month. Pedro Garmendia, managing director of geopolitical risk firm The Pinafore Group and a former representative of Venezuela’s interim government at the Organization of American States, the international body of Western Hemisphere nations, said the strikes should be viewed less as isolated counternarcotics operations and more as part of a larger regional message. “For years, the regime in Venezuela has used its ties to drug trafficking organizations and international terror groups like Hezbollah to prop itself up and destabilize its rivals,” Garmendia said. “This is best understood as an extension of the Bush Doctrine. It lets Trump take control of the Caribbean, a major drug route, while also sending messages to Iran, China and Russia — all of whom have a footprint in Venezuela.” TRUMP UNLEASHES US MILITARY POWER ON CARTELS. IS A WIDER WAR LOOMING? Garmendia argued that by treating cartels as non-state combatants, the administration is also signaling that Nicolás Maduro’s regime is not a legitimate government, but a “zombie behemoth” sustained by foreign sponsors and criminal enterprises. “The leaders of the cartels and gangs are the members of the government. They are completely intertwined,” he said. “The message here is more to Venezuelan authorities — that they are legitimate targets as well. If I were a minister in Maduro’s government, or even Maduro, I would be very scared by that declaration.” He added that Venezuela lacks the capacity to retaliate against overwhelming U.S. force. “They don’t have the ability to intercept an F-35 or match the firepower already in the Caribbean,” Garmendia said. Colombian President Gustavo Petro, facing an election year, may adopt an “anti-imperialist” posture toward U.S. escalation but is unlikely to provide material support to Maduro, while Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva may try to discourage strikes but is not expected to openly defend Caracas. “Maduro’s regime is essentially a drug cartel that captured an entire country,” Garmendia said. “I don’t see Lula putting his hands on the fire to save him.” Trump has also moved to cut off diplomatic channels with Caracas, instructing