Ilhan Omar’s embattled husband appears at scene of HSI raid in midst of criminal fraud investigation
The husband of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was captured on camera by Fox News Digital entering their shared Washington, D.C., residence the day after it was raided by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents. Tim Mynett, a political consultant, was walking with a yellow Labrador dog on a leash Tuesday afternoon before entering the home that was searched early Monday morning amid a federal investigation into Omar’s immigration status. His outing came the same day U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced her office is investigating Omar’s financial disclosures about reporting of the couple’s shared worth. Two sources close to HSI’s investigation say the raid was part of a criminal fraud investigation into the Somali-born congresswoman’s immigration paperwork, which was filled out by her late father when she was a child. ILHAN OMAR’S WEALTH SCANDAL TAKES A TURN JUST ONE DAY AFTER RAID OF HER DC HOME Omar’s husband is at the center of one of the congresswoman’s most prominent controversies after her financial disclosure filings decreased significantly in reported worth within the span of one filing period. Pirro revealed her office is now investigating Omar’s financial disclosures after the Office of Congressional Conduct in September dropped its misconduct investigation into the congresswoman. Tuesday’s announcement opens a new chapter of investigations into the Minnesota Democrat. The controversy surrounding Omar’s finances began when a 2024 financial report estimated that Omar and Mynett possessed between $6 million and $30 million in assets, all while the Minnesota fraud scandal within the Somali community was beginning to come to fruition. The largest change in the documents was from Mynett’s assets. His reported ownership interests in both his winery and venture capital advisory firm, which were previously valued in the millions of dollars, are listed with no value now. In Omar’s 2024 financial disclosure records, Mynett’s share in his winery was valued between $1 million and $5 million, and his share at the venture capital advisory firm was valued between $5 million and $25 million. Now, his equity interests are both listed at $0. OMAR DUCKS QUESTIONS AS SCRUTINY GROWS OVER FILINGS THAT SLASHED HER REPORTED WEALTH BY MILLIONS Omar’s office previously told Fox News Digital that Mynett has partners in both businesses and said the earlier disclosure mistakenly reflected the businesses’ total equity rather than his ownership interest. The office also said the original filing listed assets without accounting for liabilities. Mynett was a partner of a firm that worked on Omar’s 2020 re-election campaign. The two announced their marriage in March 2020. This is Omar’s third marriage, but not her most controversial. The “Squad” Democrat has also come under fire for her first marriage to a man many alleged to be her brother. Critics and skeptics claim the two married as part of an immigration scheme. WATCH: ILHAN OMAR DENIES FEDS HAVE CONTACTED HER AFTER BORDER CZAR HOMAN CONFIRMS ‘CRIMINAL’ INVESTIGATION When White House border czar Tom Homan first announced a criminal investigation into Omar, many speculated it would be related to the allegations that she married her brother to evade United States immigration laws. But a former federal prosecutor recently confirmed to Fox News Digital that the statute of limitations would make opening an investigation into the matter difficult. A Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the judicially authorized search warrant for the raid of Omar’s house Monday was obtained by the DOJ as part of an ongoing federal investigation. Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca and Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
‘Squad’ Democrat formally introduces bill to abolish ICE, Border Patrol and dismantle DHS
Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., formally introduced sweeping legislation to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and eliminate Customs and Border Protection (CBP), advancing a radical proposal that would fundamentally overhaul federal immigration enforcement. The progressive “Squad” member’s Reimagining Safety Act would replace DHS with a new Department of Community Safety, while preserving several existing federal agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The legislation would eliminate CBP, including Border Patrol, toppling the federal agency responsible for securing America’s borders and screening travelers and goods entering the country. ‘SQUAD’ DEMOCRAT SLAMMED BY TRUMP ADMIN FOR MOST ‘RADICAL’ PLAN TARGETING ICE YET While certain customs and immigration functions would be transferred to other federal departments under Ramirez’s legislation, the proposal would eliminate CBP’s existing enforcement structure. The bill’s original cosponsors include fellow “Squad” member Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., along with Reps. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Jim McGovern, D-Mass., according to Ramirez’s office. The legislation would also prohibit federal funding for border walls beginning in fiscal year 2027 and require the closure of the military detention center at Guantánamo Bay within 60 days of enactment. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin previously blasted the proposal in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital last month. DEMOCRAT COMPARES ICE TO ‘DOMESTIC TERRORISTS’ AS 111 HOUSE DEMS DEMAND TEXAS DETENTION CENTER CLOSE “Radical leftists are calling to defund the police and abolish DHS. It’s NEVER going to happen. Our 270,000 DHS patriots are keeping Americans SAFE— unlike this open-borders politician who refuses to prioritize Americans over illegal aliens,” Mullin said. A DHS spokesperson also criticized Ramirez, saying she “should be thanking our law enforcement for removing these dangerous criminals from her district — NOT vilifying law enforcement.” Ramirez previously defended her proposal in a statement to Fox News Digital, arguing the current department should be dismantled and replaced with an agency focused on community safety. ‘SQUAD’ MEMBER CALLS DHS ‘GREATEST THREAT TO OUR SAFETY’ AFTER ICE-INVOLVED SHOOTING “Every day, Americans wake up with a new reason to dismantle DHS, reimagine safety and build something that honors our shared humanity,” Ramirez said. Under the legislation, the TSA and Coast Guard would be transferred to the Department of Transportation, while FEMA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency would move to the proposed “Department of Community Safety.” Customs functions would hypothetically move to the Treasury Department, while certain immigration functions would transfer to the Justice Department. The legislation would need to pass Congress and be signed into law before taking effect. None of its proposed changes to immigration enforcement are currently in force. Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this reporting.
Ilhan Omar’s wealth scandal takes a turn just one day after raid of her DC home
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro revealed Tuesday that her office is investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar’s financial disclosures, opening a new chapter in the controversy surrounding the Minnesota Democrat’s previously reported multimillion-dollar assets. Speaking on Fox News’ “America Reports,” Pirro said her office was examining Omar’s financial disclosures, which previously showed that the reported value of businesses tied to her husband, Tim Mynett, had surged from as much as $51,000 in 2023 to as much as $30 million in 2024. The latest development comes one day after federal agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., home as part of an ongoing criminal investigation involving her immigration paperwork, two sources familiar with the probe told Fox News Digital. The Justice Department confirmed that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant Monday as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation. It remains unclear whether the search is connected in any way to the financial disclosure investigation described by Pirro. WATCH: ILHAN OMAR DENIES FEDS HAVE CONTACTED HER AFTER BORDER CZAR HOMAN CONFIRMS ‘CRIMINAL’ INVESTIGATION The disclosures drew scrutiny from congressional Republicans, including House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., who requested financial records from two companies tied to Mynett in February. The original filings, examined by Fox News Digital earlier this year, showed millions of dollars in newly reported assets associated with two of Mynett’s business ventures — a California-based winery and a Washington, D.C.-based venture capital firm. ILHAN OMAR NOT OUT OF THE WOODS DESPITE FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REVISION, TOP REPUBLICAN WARNS The winery, eStCru LLC, saw its reported valuation jump from between $15,000 and $50,000 in 2023 to between $1 million and $5 million in 2024. Rose Lake Capital LLC showed an even sharper increase, rising from a reported value of between $1 and $1,000 in 2023 to between $5 million and $25 million the following year. Combined, the businesses had reported values ranging from approximately $15,000 to $51,000 in 2023, compared with between $6 million and $30 million in 2024. Financial disclosure forms report assets in broad ranges rather than exact dollar amounts, meaning the filings did not establish the couple’s precise net worth. In February, Comer requested documents and communications related to the finances of eStCru LLC and Rose Lake Capital LLC, raising questions about the dramatic increase in their reported valuations. Omar subsequently amended her financial disclosures in April, reducing the couple’s combined reported assets to between $18,004 and $95,000. The revised filing listed her husband’s two businesses as having no net value after accounting for liabilities. Omar’s office, at the time, said the original disclosures had failed to properly account for liabilities associated with her husband’s businesses, creating what it described as a misleading picture of the couple’s finances. The congresswoman has repeatedly maintained that she is not a millionaire. MEET THE LONGTIME BIZ PARTNER OF ILHAN OMAR’S HUSBAND AS QUESTIONS SWIRL OVER HER SKYROCKETING NET WORTH In September, the Office of Congressional Conduct voted 5-1 to recommend that the House Ethics Committee dismiss misconduct allegations stemming from the financial disclosures. The congressional watchdog found there was not substantial reason to believe Omar had reported false or incomplete information in violation of federal law or House rules. Omar’s office characterized the findings as vindication, maintaining that the congresswoman had done nothing wrong. The congressional watchdog’s review is separate from the federal investigation described by Pirro on Tuesday. Omar’s latest annual financial disclosure, filed in May, listed assets totaling between approximately $20,000 and $125,000, according to a Minnesota Star Tribune analysis. The filing also reported student loan and credit card debt associated with her husband. The Somali-born congresswoman has denied allegations of wrongdoing and has accused the Trump administration of targeting her for political reasons — especially after Monday’s raid of her Washington, D.C., residence. The Minnesota Democrat has been a frequent target of criticism from President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans.
New evidence debunks Talarico psych hospital rumor after ‘mind-numbing malpractice’ fuels firestorm
A viral rumor claiming Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico secretly spent his recent campaign absence at an Ohio behavioral health center has now been debunked — but new questions are emerging over why evidence that could have quickly undercut the allegation was not made public as the speculation exploded online. The New York Times reported Monday that it reviewed time-stamped security camera images provided by Talarico’s campaign showing the Democrat at his Austin home between Oct. 1 and Oct. 8, when his nine-day absence from the campaign trail was fueling mounting speculation about his whereabouts. The images, which the campaign provided to the Times on the condition they not be published for security reasons, offer the clearest independent evidence yet supporting Talarico’s account that he was home recovering from the flu and contradict claims that he instead traveled more than 1,000 miles away for treatment at an Ohio behavioral health center. PAXTON’S ESTRANGED WIFE BREAKS SILENCE ON TEXAS SENATE RACE AFTER ‘BIBLICAL GROUNDS’ DIVORCE But the revelation has also prompted criticism from some observers questioning why Talarico’s campaign did not provide similarly verifiable evidence earlier before an unsubstantiated theory about his whereabouts mushroomed across social media and was amplified by prominent conservatives. “In October of an election year, every day and every hour count as candidates do everything they can to meet with voters. So, if you are out of commission for any extent of time, it’s easy for voters to wonder what’s going on,” GOP strategist Mark Bednar told Fox News Digital. “That being said, if there’s a simple explanation like an illness, it’s even easier to just prove that outright to voters. If the flu was really the case with Talarico, it’s mind-numbing malpractice that his campaign didn’t quickly and easily demonstrate that.” Washington Free Beacon investigative reporter Chuck Ross pointed to the Times report Monday, writing on X that the footage “could have been released a week ago and quashed the rumors.” FOX NEWS POLL: IT’S A LONE STAR SENATE SHOWDOWN BETWEEN TALARICO AND PAXTON Talarico’s campaign had maintained throughout his absence that he was recovering from the flu, and Talarico appeared virtually at an event Sept. 30 while visibly ill and told attendees he had come down with the illness. But his extended absence from in-person campaigning increasingly became a subject of speculation as Election Day approached. The speculation accelerated after Talarico’s campaign reposted footage from a February rally on Oct. 3 without initially identifying it as a months-old video. His campaign told the Times it routinely reposts older social media content. “Let’s be fair here. You’re 20 days out from Election Day, and you’re running for senate in one of the biggest states in the country. Use tech to connect: direct to camera videos, do a livestream. To just go dark is malpractice,” Matt Gorman, chief communications officer at Targeted Victory, told Fox News Digital. “You’re running for Senate, not some cubicle dweller.” Fox News Digital gave Talarico’s campaign an opportunity Tuesday to respond to the criticism and update its previous statement after The New York Times’ reporting. The campaign declined to add to its earlier response. “This is a conspiracy theory that has been proven false. James is excited to be back on the campaign trail after recovering from the flu,” campaign spokesperson JT Ennis told Fox News Digital Monday. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Ennis, meanwhile, turned his attention toward Talarico’s Republican opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. “It’s been 87 days since James challenged Ken Paxton to come out of hiding and answer Texans’ questions in a debate, which even President Trump called on him to do,” Ennis said. “Ball is in Paxton’s court.”
CodePink launches China tour as grand jury investigation into Singham network funding continues
A California-based nonprofit with ties to the CCP and Neville Roy Singham embarked on a Chinese propaganda tour this week, telling attendees they could learn about the “revolutionary history” of the communist country while “marveling” at the socialist development in the country. On Sunday, CodePink, a 501(c)(3) registered in Marina del Rey, California, posted a video of co-founder Medea Benjamin in an airport discussing her trip to China. The video, which was posted in between separate posts bashing Columbus Day and propping up feminism, detailed how Benjamin will show how the communist country is different from “the one we keep hearing about in Washington.” The following day, CodePink posted another clip of Benjamin outside a university in China lauding the safety of the country, saying enthusiastically that it is “amazing” an umbrella or bike can be left unattended in the region “without worrying about someone stealing it.” SENATOR TARGETS ALLEGED CHINA-LINKED SINGHAM NETWORK IN FIERY FLOOR SPEECH The trip, according to an event promotion link for sign-up on the CodePink website, is 12 days and 11 nights in Shanghai, Chongqing, Zunyi, Loushanguan, Maotai Village and Guiyang estimating that attendance would cost between $3,000 and $4,000 depending on the total number of participants. The website said attendees will be “greeted by local Shanghai comrades,” and a tour with Benjamin and Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans is included. “Explore China’s revolutionary history, while marveling at high-tech infrastructure and modern socialist development,” the event description reads. “Highlights include Red Memorials, Historical Re-Enactments and Museums, Socialist Infrastructure, and Rural Revitalization.” HASAN PIKER NAMES PRO-CCP TYCOON SINGHAM AS FINANCIER OF ‘POLITICAL MOVEMENTS’ DESPITE NONPROFIT VENEER Evans visits the communist country to see her husband, Marxist and CCP sympathizer Neville Roy Singham. A Fox News Digital investigation revealed that Singham, a 72-year-old American who sold his tech company for an estimated $785 million in 2017, has directly supported and provided funding to CodePink. Since 2017, Singham has funneled $278 million into a broad network of nonprofits, including CodePink, according to a Fox News Digital investigation. These groups regularly organize and participate in anti-ICE, anti-Israel and pro-Iran demonstrations. ‘TROJAN HORSES’ IN AMERICA: CONGRESS PROBES INFLUENCE NETWORKS TIED TO CHINA, IRAN AND CUBA Evans consistently participates in protests and demonstrations with Benjamin and the nonprofit. Just last month, she marched alongside communist and Marxist groups in protest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speaking at the United Nations General Assembly. In June, Fox News Digital first reported that the Justice Department’s U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York opened a grand jury investigation into alleged money laundering, bank fraud and wire fraud by Singham and his network. Singham and CodePink have denied that the organization takes direction from the Chinese government. Singham has said he is guided by his own political beliefs, while Benjamin has said CodePink receives no money from the Chinese Communist Party. No criminal charges have been filed against Singham or the organizations related to the allegations. Fox News Digital reached out to CodePink and Singham but did not receive responses.
Dem making Senate comeback bid says he wouldn’t support a Trump impeachment push
Former Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat currently running to regain a U.S. Senate seat in Ohio after losing his 2024 re-election bid, has indicated that he would not support impeaching President Donald Trump. If Democrats win the House majority during the midterms this year, they could seek to impeach the president along party lines next year — if that were to happen, the matter would then head to the Senate. “I can’t speak for everybody else, but I would not support an impeachment of Trump. There’s just simply no reason for that, no matter what happens in the midterms,” the former lawmaker told The Columbus Dispatch on Oct. 9 Brown’s campaign and the White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on Tuesday. DEM’S DATA CENTER ATTACK IN CRITICAL SENATE RACE HITS SNAG WHEN MONEY TRAIL SURFACES: ‘JEKYLL-AND-HYDE’ The Democrat, who previously served in the Senate from early 2007 until early 2025, lost a 2024 Senate contest to Republican challenger Bernie Moreno. Brown is currently facing Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, in the Buckeye State’s special U.S. Senate election. In a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, a Husted campaign spokesperson said, “Sherrod Brown sided with his party twice to impeach President Trump during his first term. Now he’s masquerading as a moderate, despite a career aligning himself with Bernie Sanders and AOC. Don’t be fooled; when radical Democrats call, Brown always toes the line.” TRUMP TOUTS ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AT OHIO RALLY, URGES VOTERS TO DELIVER GOP MIDTERM WINS Gov. Mike DeWine last year tapped Husted to fill JD Vance’s Senate seat, after Vance relinquished his legislative post in preparation for transitioning to the role of vice president. During Trump’s first term, Brown voted to convict the president after both House impeachments. Though in both cases, the Senate’s votes fell short of the threshold necessary to convict, and by the time the Senate voted on the House’s second impeachment effort, Trump was no longer in office FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: AS THE HOUSE FALLS, THE SENATE STAYS IN PLAY While Trump has endorsed Husted, former President Barack Obama is backing Brown.
Trump’s new press secretary faces first major test as White House briefing room enters new era
The White House is set to end a weeks-long stretch without a permanent press secretary at the podium Tuesday when Katie Zacharia makes her briefing room debut, succeeding Karoline Leavitt after a shake-up in President Donald Trump’s communications team. “I am pleased to announce that Katie Zacharia will be beginning her term as Press Secretary tomorrow, Columbus Day, and will be doing an introductory News Conference on Tuesday at 9:30 A.M. from the Press Briefing Room in the White House. Katie has been with me, in spirit, from the very beginning, and will do a fantastic job!” Trump said on Truth Social Sunday. Zacharia, an attorney and television commentator, served as senior communications adviser to Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates the president’s social media platform, Truth Social. Her appointment follows Leavitt’s departure from the White House in August. During his first administration, President Donald Trump had four White House press secretaries: Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham and Kayleigh McEnany. TRUMP NAMES LEAVITT SUCCESSOR AFTER WEEKS OF SPECULATION — AND SHE’S NO STRANGER TO MAGA Leavitt served as the first press secretary of Trump’s second administration for 19 months before leaving the role on Aug. 27. Zacharia previously served as deputy assistant secretary for public affairs and a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security. She appeared on “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Saturday in her new role, touting President Donald Trump’s newly announced deal with Russia to supply more than 1.8 million tons of diesel fuel to U.S. and global markets in a bid to lower fuel and grocery costs. “President Trump has heard people have been frustrated with the gas prices. People are frustrated with the increasing grocery prices. And he is delivering what he always does, which are solutions,” Zacharia said. KATIE ZACHARIA HITS GROUND RUNNING, PROMISES TRUMP DIESEL DEAL DELIVERS CHEAPER GAS FOR AMERICANS She celebrated the appointment in a post on X Friday, thanking Trump for what she called the “distinguished privilege” of serving as White House press secretary. “Serving President Trump and the American people at this critical 250-year mark is the honor of a lifetime,” Zacharia wrote. “President Trump has shown America that we can be great again, and he works to effectuate that greatness every single day. His confidence is a true privilege, and his leadership is a blessing to this country.” “The work ahead is to continue delivering strong results for our Country and communicating to the American people the major wins that this Administration is making every single day,” she wrote. “I look forward to working with the White House press corps, and with reporters across the country, to get that record out,” she added. She also acknowledged the expectations that come with succeeding Leavitt. KAROLINE LEAVITT JOINS FOX NEWS AS CONTRIBUTOR AFTER LEAVING WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY ROLE “Following the fabulous Karoline Leavitt is a high standard, and one worth meeting,” Zacharia wrote. Since Leavitt’s departure, the White House has held a limited number of press briefings and news conferences led by senior administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Attorney General Todd Blanche. The White House adopted a rotating lineup of top Trump administration officials to lead press briefings while Leavitt was on maternity leave over the summer. “Katie has been an effective champion of MAGA movement and America First policies – and most importantly clearly has [the] trust of President Trump,” former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer told Fox News Digital on Friday. “Anyone who has not met her yet will quickly see that she is a genuinely kind person who will work well with the press corps, unlike the first press secretary who came across as an angry leprechaun at times,” Spicer added, poking fun at himself.
Kimberly Guilfoyle faces potential Senate probe over bombshell $100K allegation
U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle may soon be the target of a Senate investigation following a bombshell report accusing her of influence peddling. Guilfoyle is under fire following a Wall Street Journal report that alleged, before she was confirmed as ambassador to Greece, she pushed a top donor to President Donald Trump to clear $100,000 in personal credit card debt. And a top Senate Republican believes that following that report, an investigation may soon follow. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that “what we’ve seen in the reports is very troubling, it’s concerning.” TRUMP JR UNDER SCRUTINY FROM OWN PARTY OVER PUTIN-LINKED OLIGARCH’S LAVISH GIFT “And I’m sure there’s gonna be an investigation,” Barrasso said. “I would assume the State Department would be conducting that,” he continued. “I know the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will have oversight and look into that, as well. But I think the public has a right to know what was found, and it is quite a bit of concern.” Fox News Digital reached out for comment on a possible investigation to the State Department and Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. DONALD TRUMP JR MARRIES BETTINA ANDERSON AHEAD OF BAHAMAS WEDDING CELEBRATION Guilfoyle, who was recently engaged to Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. until the two publicly split in 2024, was confirmed by the Senate last year for the post in Athens. Barrasso’s prediction comes as allegations surrounding Guilfoyle and her time in Athens mount, and as speculation that her time in the role may be coming to an end. The State Department’s Office of Inspector General, the watchdog for the agency, has already opened a probe into Guilfoyle for previous alleged misconduct. The Daily Mail reported that an investigation was already underway into Guilfoyle’s luxury lifestyle in Greece that included allegations of mistreatment of staff, substance abuse, close ties to an energy and construction company and the improper acceptance of gifts. FORMER USCIS OFFICIAL, ACCOMPLICE CHARGED IN ALLEGED $960K CITIZENSHIP BRIBERY SCHEME The latest claim against her is that she allegedly solicited Trump donor Eric Deters to pay off a $100,000 American Express bill directly to the credit card company, urged him not to leave a paper trail and offered to help him gain access to top administration officials in exchange. Deters said he never made the payment. In the wake of that report, Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are said to be “extremely pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s alleged conduct and are weighing her removal, The Associated Press reported Sunday, citing a senior U.S. official. Rubio fired back shortly after the Wall Street Journal reported the allegations, saying, “You guys walk around thinking that because some source told you something, and you reported it, it’s the gospel.” “It’s not the gospel,” Rubio said. “It’s not the gospel for me. That’s not the way we do things.”
Booker ‘wowed’ by GOP challenger’s blunt message to Trump
Sen. Cory Booker’s Republican Senate challenger had a blunt message for President Donald Trump about the war in Iran during the pair’s recent debate: ” Finish it.” The advice drew applause during Thursday’s forum — and a ” Wow” from Booker, who then blasted former Tabernacle Deputy Mayor Justin Murphy’s remarks as the kind of ” Yahoo” foreign policy that has dragged the United States into costly wars in the Middle East. New Jersey is a blue state that has trended redder in recent years, with President Donald Trump flipping key areas in 2024. However, 1972 was the last time a Republican won a U.S. Senate election in the state, when Sen. Clifford Case was re-elected. Sens. Nick Brady in 1982 and Jeff Chiesa in 2013 later served brief, appointed terms. Murphy, an attorney from the Pine Barrens, earned loud applause for his response to a question about Iran when asked what he would tell Trump if the president called him for advice on the conflict. “Finish that war in a positive manner,” Murphy replied firmly. “We can’t wait halfway through and decide we don’t want to do this anymore. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is a radical terrorist organization that has deprived the Iranian people, the Persian people, of their history and of a decent life.” ‘FINISH THE DAMN JOB’: HAGERTY TELLS ‘RUTHLESS PODCAST’ THAT TRUMP WILL COMPLETE IRAN MISSION The exchange highlighted the candidates’ opposing approaches to the conflict, with Murphy defending Trump’s military campaign and Booker warning against another prolonged American war in the Middle East. As Murphy continued, the broadcast’s split-screen showed Booker briefly looking down and shaking his head before pursing his lips for the rest of Murphy’s response and raising his eyebrows at one point. LAWMAKER’S STUNNED FACE AND OTHER VIRAL MOMENTS CAP ROUGH WEEK FOR POLITICAL CLASS “Four decades is enough. The Iranian people have suffered enough,” Murphy began to conclude. “And I would say, ‘Mr. President, put your cowboy hat on and get out there and kick some a–, and get this done and done right’,” Murphy said. “Wow,” Booker mouthed as moderator David Wildstein gestured toward the Democrat and said it appeared he wanted to respond. BOOKER SLAMS TRUMP’S IRAN DEAL AS AN ‘ABJECT SURRENDER,’ LABELS HIM THE ‘BIGGEST LOSER’ WITH ‘EGG ON HIS FACE’ “Honestly,” Booker began. “This is the kind of ‘Yahoo’ foreign policy that has mired us in Middle East war after Middle East war — with false bravado leaders saying we’re just going to go in there and kick ass. Well, you know what that’s done to the treasury of our country?” Booker replied. When asked the same question as Murphy, Booker joked that Wildstein was asking him about “a guy calling me for advice who has literally said ‘I know more than my generals’.” But the former Newark mayor entertained the hypothetical, saying he and the rest of New Jersey have known Trump for years because he “bankrupted our casinos” — referring to the president’s former Atlantic City casino businesses. He accused Trump of frequently ignoring advice, claiming advisers had to “jangle keys” to keep him on topic during a meeting about the trans-Hudson rail tunnel project spearheaded by Booker and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Murphy also received attention for his comments during the debate on illegal immigration. He recounted leaving a campaign event in Washington, N.J., and looking across at a home where a child was allegedly abducted and raped by Guatemalan illegal immigrant Lester Noe Perez-Amador — whom the Biden administration previously released after a Texas county notified ICE that it had taken him into custody, according to WRNJ. Besides putting a Republican running for a long-held blue seat on the social media radar, the exchange over Iran underscored sharp divisions across party lines and within the Republican Party over Trump’s military campaign and how it should end.
Media narrative predicting blue wave in key battleground state not meshing with local Republicans: ‘Fired up’
DAVENPORT, Iowa — As Iowa emerges as one of the most critical states in the midterm election in both House and Senate races, Fox News Digital spoke with local Republican candidates about what the media is getting right and wrong on the ground in the Hawkeye State. As local conservatives gathered at a Scott County Republican Party event near downtown Davenport in early October to watch the first gubernatorial debate, a month out from the consequential midterm election, Fox News Digital was there asking if the media narrative was accurate that Iowa was primed for a “blue wave” amid concerns about President Donald Trump’s economy, gas prices, and the war in Iran. Greg Guy, running as a Republican for treasurer in Scott County, acknowledged that Iowans are “concerned” about the price of gas, but believes they understand that the surge in cost is likely temporary after the war in Iran winds down. “Surprisingly not,” Guy said when asked if he thinks a blue wave is imminent in Iowa based on the reactions he gets when he knocks on doors in the county telling voters about his campaign, which he says is focused on doing “what’s right” and “taking care” of the community. DEMOCRATS THINK A BLUE WAVE IS BUILDING. HERE ARE 3 FORCES THAT COULD STOP IT “My neighbor is one of the big people in charge of the canvassing for the Democrat Party. I don’t see where they’re excited to vote,” Guy said. “I mean, if I talk to a hundred doors and 30 to 40% will open up, I might get one out of 40. That’s a hater, and then I’ll just tell them, hey, I know you’re not going to vote for me, but when I’m treasurer, and you have a problem, you can still call me. They don’t know what to do because they’re wound up in the hate. But otherwise, I don’t think there’s a whole lot of belief that the Democrat Party can do anything to fix our economy.” Davenport, a town of about 100,000 people in southeast Iowa along the banks of the Mississippi River, stands out as a Democratic-leaning urban pocket in an increasingly Republican Iowa. President Trump carried Scott County by roughly four points in 2024, 51% to 47%, but former Vice President Kamala Harris won Davenport’s congressional district precincts overall, reflecting the city’s more competitive and complex political profile. Trump won Iowa by about 13 points in 2024, and Republicans control the governor’s office and both chambers of the state legislature. But Scott County’s mix of urban Democrats, suburban swing voters and conservative rural communities makes it a key test of whether the GOP’s statewide strength can overcome Democratic resilience in eastern Iowa. One of the critical questions is whether conservative Iowans are frustrated enough with Republicans to vote Democrats back into power. “No, not at all,” Cynthia Mensendick, a registered nurse running for election to the Iowa State Senate to represent District 49, said when asked if voters think handing Democrats control of Congress is the “right answer.” “The concern is that there will be a Democrat governor because if you look at any state where a Democrat takes over, they immediately increase spending,” Mensendick said, adding, “I’m not seeing that,” when asked if a “blue wave” was set to occur in Iowa this November. Mensendick, who is running a campaign focused on healthcare and the high cancer rate in Iowa, says one of the top concerns with Republican voters is Iowa turning into Illinois if Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand is elected. FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: THE BIGGEST SURPRISES COME AFTER OCTOBER Republicans are facing an uphill battle in Iowa, where polling shows Democrats have gained momentum in the gubernatorial, Senate and congressional races. Additionally, Republicans are going up against historical headwinds as the party in power heading into the midterms. However, Iowa has shifted more red in recent years, and the Republicans in the room in Scott County remained optimistic. Dillon Fillion, the youngest candidate in Scott County history at 22 years old, told Fox News Digital that Republicans in Iowa and nationwide have a choice between two very different parties at the end of the day. “I think people have got to weigh the options here, they either have an option of voting for socialist candidates like Abdul El-Sayed, who is a pronounced communist and supports all the things that Lenin supports, which led the Soviet Union into the downfall that it went to, or they have the support of supporting Republicans who were actually serious about cutting their taxes, which cut their taxes in 2025 with the One Big Beautiful Bill,” Fillion, running for the Iowa House of Representatives in District 81, said. “And Democrats will continue to lie about that, but again, the Democrats also voted to raise their taxes 60% in 2025, voting against the Big Beautiful Bill.” Kurt Whalen isn’t running for office, but rather serves as the Scott County Iowa GOP Vice Chair, and he told Fox News Digital that while there are many frustrations with the state of affairs from Republicans in the state, he doesn’t think GOP voters will sit on the sidelines with so much at stake. “I think people are still fired up for the Republican cause. I mean, we are a big tent party. There’s people that absolutely love Trump, there’s people that don’t care for him. But the reality is, Trump’s been an overwhelming force for good in our country,” Whalen said. “So, we can haggle about specifics, but I really think the Republican Party will ultimately come home and certainly support the president, and I would certainly encourage them to do that because what other choice do we have? I mean, the other choice is straight up, communist, Marxist, DSA, mask mandates. The Democratic Party in general, if you look at it historically, it has always been for big government against the little guy.”