Sen Chuck Schumer unveils anti-corruption agency aimed at Trump and future presidents
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced Thursday morning that he is introducing legislation to create a new federal agency tasked with investigating alleged corruption involving President Donald Trump and future presidential administrations. During Public Citizen’s “Combating Corruption” event, Schumer unveiled the new bill, calling it the “biggest, boldest and broadest proposal ever put forward to revitalize our anti-corruption institutions.” It would establish the Anti-Corruption Bureau, a new agency that would have subpoena power and could investigate the Trump administration even once Trump leaves office. The bill would also allow citizens and state attorneys general to file lawsuits “to recover money stolen from the public through government corruption.” WATCH: SCHUMER’S ANTI-CORRUPTION SPEECH DERAILED AFTER HECKLER BRANDS HIM ‘GENOCIDAL MANIAC’ “The idea is simple. If Donald Trump or one of his lackeys, sons or cronies uses government influence to steal from you, you deserve your day in court. Our bill has provisions that give priority to state attorneys general and to larger, more severe cases of corruption to ensure that frivolous suits don’t get in the way of justice,” Schumer said. The Anti-Corruption Bureau would be led by seven board members who would be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. To address possible bias, the board would be capped at three members from each party, with the seventh being nonpartisan. The bill, if passed, would also represent a huge shake-up to the federal bureaucracy, since the Anti-Corruption Bureau would replace the Office of Government Ethics, the Federal Election Commission and the Office of Special Counsel, The Washington Post reported ahead of Schumer’s speech. More broadly, the bill would ban presidents and vice presidents — as well as their spouses and adult children — and many other senior administration officials from seeking or accepting gifts worth more than $50,000, the Post also reported. REPUBLICANS TARGET TRUMP’S CRYPTO EMPIRE WITH NEW PLAN, DEMS SAY IT FALLS SHORT The bill would empower the Anti-Corruption Bureau to investigate violations dating back to Jan. 20, 2025 — the first day of Trump’s second term — and would establish a 10-year statute of limitations, according to the Post. Schumer said the bureau would be given “a self-sustaining funding source to guarantee its independence, much like the Federal Reserve.” Trump has repeatedly targeted Federal Reserve officials, including by considering whether to remove former Chair Jerome Powell before his term expired and attempting to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook. None of those attempts were successful. “What if Trump tries to commandeer [the Anti-Corruption Bureau] to go after his political opponents?” Schumer said. “This would come at a steep price. Our bill explicitly prohibits weaponizing the bureau.” Schumer rattled off a number of supposed conflicts of interest Trump has been accused of having, including his solicitation of private donations for the White House ballroom project and his family’s various crypto ventures. “Trump has raked in at least $2.2 billion since taking office 18 months ago. Together, the Trump family has made at least $4 billion in that time,” Schumer said. “How does a president and his family secure billions in profits just after a year and a half in office? How? By exploiting the information, access and influence that only the president of the United States can have.” Throughout Schumer’s remarks, he emphasized that while Trump was the genesis of the legislation, it would not solely apply to him. TRUMP FAMILY PROFITS FROM BLOCKBUSTER DEAL IN CENTRAL ASIA DESPITE BACKLASH DUE TO ‘PROOF PROBLEM’: EXPERT “Trump has created obnoxious new ways to undo government ethics that no one ever imagined the president would attempt. But picture if our next president is an even more devious or competent crook. The bill isn’t just about this moment. It’s about restoring American’s trust in government long term,” Schumer said. He also suggested that Republicans are privately frustrated by Trump’s alleged abuses of office and that they would “welcome this type of legislation.” The bill’s first cosponsors include Sens. Andy Kim, D-N.J.; Alex Padilla, D-Calif.; and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Schumer said.
WATCH: Schumer’s anti-corruption speech derailed after heckler brands him ‘genocidal maniac’
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wanted to talk about alleged corruption committed by President Donald Trump and his family, but instead was interrupted by a protester calling out his “diabolical record.” Schumer was just getting started with his speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to make a “major anti-corruption announcement,” when an audience member seated in the front row tore into the Senate’s top Democrat. “You talk about corruption, how can you talk about corruption when you back genocide? What can be more corrupt than genocide? This is part of the same con of you and Trump playing off of each other,” the protester said. REPUBLICANS TARGET TRUMP’S CRYPTO EMPIRE WITH NEW PLAN, DEMS SAY IT FALLS SHORT The disruptor then noted that Schumer and other congressional Democrats were “put on notice” by the Center for Constitutional Rights in 2023 for “aiding and abetting” Israel in its war against Hamas. Critics of that conflict have long pointed to the Jewish State for going above and beyond in their quest to snuff out the terrorist organization by leveling cities in Gaza, withholding food, aid and electricity and targeting civilians. Schumer tried to regain control of the moment and told the audience member, “Thank you for your diatribe. Now let’s continue. Let’s continue.” But he wasn’t successful. “You should be questioned about your diabolical record,” the audience member said. “It’s amazing that you can show your genocidal face in public.” REPUBLICANS FALL IN LINE WITH TRUMP ON IRAN WAR DESPITE RISING COSTS AND US DEATH TOLL “Mr. Senator. Mr. Senator. Shame on Public Citizen for not allowing questions to this genocidal maniac,” he said as he was escorted out. Schumer has been a vocal supporter of Israel, voting to send aid and weaponry to the country during the conflict. But over the last several months, Senate Democrats have broken from him on a handful of occasions, and in growing numbers. Earlier this year, Senate Democrats showed their slow creep away from Israel following the release of photos of starving children in Gaza. GOP BLOCKS SCHUMER’S EFFORT TO GROUND TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR TRUMP’S QATARI AIR FORCE ONE Forty Senate Democrats voted to halt arms sales and military bulldozers to Israel as an act of protest against Trump’s war in Iran in April. The two resolutions from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., combined would have blocked nearly $500 million in arms and equipment sales to Israel. One resolution would have halted the sale of roughly $295 million in Caterpillar bulldozers, while the other would have stopped the sale of nearly $152 million worth of 1,000-pound bombs. Meanwhile, despite the disruption, Schumer did get his point across: to announce the push for legislation to create a new anti-corruption agency. “This bill is the biggest, boldest and broadest proposal ever put forward to revitalize our anti-corruption institutions,” Schumer said.
Capitol sex scandals spark push to ban House lawmakers from sleeping with staffers
FIRST ON FOX: New legislation being dropped on Thursday is seeking to bar House lawmakers from having sex with staffers after a series of exposés rocked Capitol Hill. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is expected to introduce a pair of bills aimed at better defining the relationships lawmakers can have with employees of the House of Representatives, Fox News Digital is told. One is a House resolution that would bar House lawmakers from having sex with any employee of the chamber. The other would block those lawmakers from living with House employees, except for married couples cohabitating. CAPITOL HILL SEX SCANDALS TRIGGER NEW PUSH TO REDRAW THE LINE FOR LAWMAKERS Mace told Fox News Digital, “If you’re a member of Congress, your priorities should be serving your constituents and this country, not fooling around with staff.” And while the sex ban would apply to all members, regardless of gender, she made clear it was aimed at male lawmakers who she argued were abusing their power over female staff. “Congress is not your personal dating pool. If you can’t do your job without hitting on staff, find another job and leave the women you work with alone,” Mace said. REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER WELCOMES HOUSE ETHICS PROBE INTO SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HIM On her second bill banning lawmakers from living with staff, she said, “No staffer should ever be coming home at night to the person who signs their paycheck. It’s inappropriate, it’s a conflict of interest, and it should have been banned decades ago.” Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is the latest member of Congress whose reported past trysts with Hill aides were made public. Gallego previously had sexual relationships with two House staffers, the New York Post reported. Gallego’s defenders have argued that he would not have run afoul of any rules because he was unmarried at the time and the staffers did not work for him. GONZALES RESIGNS IN WAKE OF RENEWED EXPULSION THREAT AFTER SCANDAL Before that, sexual misconduct and rape allegations against former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., derailed his then-promising gubernatorial campaign and forced him to resign from Congress. Swalwell has denied those accusations but admitted to making unspecified personal mistakes in a public statement where he also apologized to his wife. On the other side of the aisle, Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, was forced to resign his seat after scrutiny piled up over an affair with a staff member who later died by suicide. And Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., is being probed by the House Ethics Committee over sexual harassment allegations himself, which Edwards has denied, Axios reported. Mace’s bills are the latest response from Congress over the slew of scandals. Reps. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., Jeff Crank, R-Colo., Lisa McClain, R-Mich., and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., have all endorsed limits on what relationships House members can have with staff. Cammack and Crank have also introduced legislation imposing limits on such conduct.
Can Fauci hide behind the Fifth? Game-changing Biden pardon may not provide complete cover, experts say
Dr. Anthony Fauci‘s refusal to answer more than 100 questions during Wednesday’s fiery Senate hearing has sparked a legal showdown over whether a witness granted a sweeping presidential pardon can still invoke the Fifth Amendment. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, announced after the hearing that he plans to pursue contempt proceedings against Fauci following the repeated invocations of the Fifth Amendment and his refusal to answer lawmakers’ questions. “We’re going to have a vote next week on contempt,” Paul said. “I think there’s another legal question that the courts may have to decide upon, and that is whether or not a presidential pardon offers you complete immunity.” RAND PAUL SEEKS CONTEMPT CHARGES AFTER FAUCI INVOKES FIFTH AMENDMENT MORE THAN 100 TIMES Former President Joe Biden issued Fauci, who served as the chief architect for the government’s COVID-19 guidelines, a full and unconditional pardon for all actions taken between Jan. 1, 2014, and Jan. 19, 2025. Biden’s broad pardon protected Fauci from prosecution for the actions being investigated by the committee, leaving only the possibility of charges if he lied under oath. Abhishek Kambli, a former Justice Department official who now represents former Trump advisor Peter Navarro in his contempt of Congress case, told Fox News Digital that the issue presents a novel legal question about whether Fauci can invoke the Fifth Amendment at all. “Obviously, if he tells the truth, then he would be protected by that blanket pardon, since the past conduct that he reveals he’s fully immunized from,” Kambli told Fox News Digital. Kambli questioned whether the Fifth Amendment privilege properly applies if truthful testimony could no longer expose Fauci to prosecution for the underlying conduct. “His theory is that it’s a witch hunt and that they’re looking for perjury traps to charge him with, so that’s why he needs to invoke the Fifth Amendment,” Kambli said. But Kambli said the argument becomes more difficult to sustain if lawmakers are asking straightforward factual questions. “I think it gets a little problematic,” Kambli said of Fauci invoking the Fifth Amendment for common knowledge questions like what day of the week it is. FAUCI PLEADS FIFTH WITH ‘ZERO LEGAL JUSTIFICATION’ AS CRITICS ERUPT AND DEMAND CONTEMPT CHARGES “If it’s just factual questions that he should know the answer on, it’s hard to see how he would walk into a perjury trap if he’s just telling the truth, because perjury also requires that you knowingly made a false statement,” Kambli said. “If he had an incorrect recollection, that was an innocent mistake that typically wouldn’t lead to a perjury charge.” Kambli said federal law distinguishes between witnesses who ignore a congressional subpoena and those who appear before Congress but refuse to answer questions. In the latter case, he said, prosecutors generally do not have to prove the witness intentionally violated the law. Instead, the central question is whether the witness had a valid legal basis for refusing to answer, such as a legitimate claim under the Fifth Amendment. “The issue is [the witness] is already protected if he tells the truth, and it’s only if he knowingly lies about something material that he can be charged,” Kambli said. “So the issue becomes whether the Senate can make a referral to DOJ based on that.” George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said the legal issues surrounding Fauci’s testimony are more complicated than either side suggests. “The only risk that he faced would come from any false statements that he made in the hearing in dealing with these questions,” Turley told Fox News Digital. “That would likely be viewed as sufficient, particularly since some questions could extend to statements and conduct from after the pardon grant.” Turley also pointed to Fauci’s decision to deliver an opening statement before invoking the Fifth Amendment, suggesting it could raise additional legal questions. “There are also questions about the questions limited to the period of his pardon as well as his decision to give an opening statement before invocation. Those are possible grounds for contempt. It would raise novel issues, though there is precedent from the Lois Lerner matter,” Turley said. TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM FAUCI’S HEARING: PAUL BOOTS LAWYER, MORENO ERUPTS AS CONTEMPT VOTE LOOMS Turley was referring to former IRS official Lois Lerner, who declared her innocence in a voluntary opening statement before invoking the Fifth Amendment during a 2013 congressional hearing. House Republicans argued Lerner waived her right to invoke the Fifth Amendment when she made statements about the very subject under investigation. Although the House held Lerner in contempt, the Justice Department later declined to pursue criminal contempt charges. But Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, argued Paul’s position is stronger than Fauci’s. “He can’t be prosecuted by the federal government for any actions he took during the period the pardon covers,” von Spakovsky said. “However, if he lies while under oath at his hearing today about any of those prior actions, he could be prosecuted for perjury.” SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER While von Spakovsky acknowledged that Biden’s pardon of Fauci covers only federal charges, it does not shield Fauci from facing state charges. But he noted no state has accused Fauci of violating state law, at least not yet. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Wednesday announced a state investigation into Fauci, following his testimony on Capitol Hill. “The possibility of a state prosecution is almost nonexistent because states generally cannot prosecute federal officials acting within the scope of their duties and Fauci would argue that everything he did over COVID was carried out in his official slot as head of NIAID,” von Spakovsky told Fox News Digital. “The only reason for him to take the Fifth is because he doesn’t want to admit, based on his personal diaries, that he lied repeatedly to the public and Congress when he was head of the NIAID,” von Spakovsky said. If Paul’s contempt resolution clears
Melania Trump helps reunite fifth group of Ukrainian, Russian children with families
First lady Melania Trump’s office announced a fifth group of Ukrainian and Russian children that she helped reunite with their families, as five more children are now with their loved ones. “While diplomacy and peace-building are important to this effort, they are surpassed by our collective ability to place children above international disputes,” Melania Trump said in a statement. “Every reunion is a reminder that compassion, dignity, and family can transcend even the darkest of times: war. My representative and I continue working with the governments of Russia and Ukraine to safely return children to their families and communities.” The first lady’s reunification program officially began in October 2025 after she had President Donald Trump hand-deliver her note to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their August 2025 summit in Alaska. Thus far, the White House reports around 30 Ukrainian children have been reunited with their families. RUSSIA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILE ATTACK ON KYIV HOURS AFTER ZELENSKYY WARNS OF MAJOR STRIKE Thousands of civilians, including children, have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, with last year being the deadliest year since the war began, according to United Nations figures. ZELENSKYY SAYS PUTIN ‘LOST THE INITIATIVE’ AS UKRAINE’S TECH INDUSTRY RESHAPES THE WAR “The first lady’s leadership has bridged political divides in pursuit of a singular humanitarian mission: placing the well-being of children above conflict and helping restore families torn apart by war,” the White House announced in a Thursday morning news release. The returnees are the first since April. MELANIA TRUMP, QUEEN CAMILLA TEAM UP AT WHITE HOUSE YOUTH EVENT SPOTLIGHTING US-UK BOND “This is not an easy feat. I applaud leadership from both nations in working with my representative and me to bring love and safety back to each individual who has been displaced as a result of this horrible war,” Melania Trump said in an April 23 speech. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve as first lady but understand that my persistence alone is not enough.” “Together we can change people’s lives for the better.” Reuters contributed to this report.
Supreme Court tariff, birthright citizenship decisions cost US ‘TRILLIONS,’ Trump says
President Donald Trump accused the U.S. Supreme Court of costing the United States trillions of dollars due to rulings pertaining to tariffs and birthright citizenship. “Does anybody have any idea how much Money and Prestige the United States Supreme Court has cost our Nation with their negative Rulings on Birthright Citizenship and TARIFFS?” he asked in a Wednesday Truth Social post. “The answer, TRILLIONS AND TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS!” he added. TRUMP SUFFERS MAJOR SUPREME COURT DEFEAT AS JUSTICES UPHOLD BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP The Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the president to levy tariffs. The high court later ruled against an executive order that Trump had issued last year to oppose birthright citizenship. TRUMP DEFENDS TARIFFS AHEAD OF LOOMING MIDTERMS, SAYS THEY HAVE MADE THE US ‘A FORTUNE’ The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, in part, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” Trump’s executive order declared, “It is the policy of the United States that no department or agency of the United States government shall issue documents recognizing United States citizenship, or accept documents issued by State, local, or other governments or authorities purporting to recognize United States citizenship, to persons: (1) when that person’s mother was unlawfully present in the United States and the person’s father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth, or (2) when that person’s mother’s presence in the United States was lawful but temporary, and the person’s father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth.” TRUMP CRITICIZES 2 SUPREME COURT JUSTICES BY NAME OVER TARIFF RULING During his first term, Trump nominated three of the nine justices currently sitting on the high court: Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett.
Obama endorses Democratic Iowa state rep running for US Senate against Trump-backed House Republican
Former President Barack Obama has endorsed Democratic Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek for U.S. Senate. “Now the ball’s in your court, Iowa. Let’s make sure that we send Josh Turek to the United States Senate,” Obama said near the end of a video that featured the two men shooting hoops on a basketball court in a modified version of the classic game horse. “Let’s go. We playin’ horse or what? Obama asks. “We’re playin’ Iowa,” Turek replies. OBAMA WARNS VANCE IS PUSHING ‘BLOOD AND SOIL’ VERSION OF ‘WE THE PEOPLE’ MANTRA “I know a little somethin’ about winning Iowa,” Obama quips. Obama won the state in both the 2008 and 2012 presidential contests. Turek is a four-time wheelchair basketball Paralympian and was a gold medalist twice. DEM SENATE HOPEFUL RIPPED AS ‘ABSENTEE LEGISLATOR’ AFTER MISSING NEARLY 60% OF VOTES He will face U.S. House Republican Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, in the general election. U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, announced last year that she would not run for re-election in 2026. That same day, Hinson announced a U.S. Senate bid. TRUMP-ENDORSED HINSON SECURES IOWA SENATE NOMINATION AS DEMOCRATS EYE GOP SEAT Then just days later, President Donald Trump endorsed Hinson for Senate.
Clinton, Obama-era Democratic heavyweights Penn and Emanuel rip NYC’s Mamdani over taxes, Israel, blast DSA
Two prominent Democratic figures with deep ties to the Clinton and Obama administrations publicly criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani this week, with former Clinton adviser Mark Penn attacking the mayor’s proposed property tax plan while former Obama White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel recounted what he described as a private conversation in which he challenged Mamdani’s rhetoric on Israel. The criticism is notable because it comes from longtime Democrat insiders rather than Republican opponents and focuses on two of the issues that have defined Mamdani’s rise political rise: his far-left economic agenda and his positions on Israel. Fox News Digital reached out to Penn, Emanuel and Mamdani’s office for comment. NYC MAYOR MAMDANI CALLS THREAT OF RICH PEOPLE LEAVING NYC OVER TAXES ‘IMAGINED’ Penn, a longtime Democrat strategist and former pollster and adviser to President Bill Clinton, accused Mamdani of dramatically understating the scope of his proposed pied-à-terre tax after the mayor released a public database identifying property owners who could be subject to it. In a lengthy post on X, Penn argued the city’s valuation system had swept in nearly one million property owners rather than the roughly 30,000 luxury homeowners Penn said had previously been described as the intended targets. “The $5 million figure was a fake,” Penn wrote, arguing the city’s valuation system had improperly classified properties and would force homeowners to prove they should not be taxed. RAHM EMANUEL WARNS NEW GENERATION OF DEM SOCIALISTS DON’T LIKE AMERICA Penn also argued the proposal could depress property values, discourage investment in New York City and potentially raise constitutional questions. Meanwhile, Emanuel said during an appearance on the Unholy Podcast that he met privately with Mamdani for roughly 90 minutes and challenged the self-described democratic socialist mayor over his views on Israel. Emanuel said he praised portions of Mamdani’s domestic agenda, including childcare, but criticized Mamdani’s past use of the phrase “from the river to the sea.” MAMDANI DODGES ON ‘POLITICAL THEATER’ OF EMPTY NETANYAHU ARREST THREAT, CALLS FOR US ACTION AND NYC PROTESTS “I know where there’s a line. You don’t,” Emanuel recalled telling Mamdani. Emanuel said both calls for a “Greater Israel” and the slogan “from the river to the sea” would lead to “perpetual conflict.” After clips of Emanuel’s remarks circulated online, Mamdani communications director Anna Bahr publicly disputed the account. “can confirm this …. did not happen,” Bahr wrote on X in response to a post summarizing Emanuel’s remarks. It was not immediately clear from Bahr’s post whether she was disputing that the meeting occurred or Emanuel’s characterization of the conversation. Emanuel has also recently criticized the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) more broadly. In a post on X this week, he argued Democrats should focus on winning competitive elections rather than what he characterized as ideological distractions. “You can be focused on winning tough races, flipping red seats blue. Or you can be focused on abolishing prisons and… the Senate and Supreme Court? You can’t do both,” Emanuel wrote. “I’m for winning this November and ending Trump’s corruption — and I’m also for putting an end to all the distractions from the DSA.” Penn, Emanuel and Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for additional comment before publication.
Trump AG pick Blanche stalled as key Republicans refuse to budge
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s chances of confirmation were derailed Wednesday, less than 24 hours before a pivotal vote in the Senate. It’s another chapter in the troubled saga that has followed Blanche since he was tapped to replace former Attorney General Pam Bondi and one that boils down to issues among Blanche, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and two key Republicans who control his fate in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senators John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., are demanding that the DOJ provide explicit, written proposals to modify the settlement deal reached between the IRS and President Donald Trump and his family earlier this year. TRUMP AG PICK TODD BLANCHE FACES SENATE TEST IN FIRST MAJOR CONFIRMATION FIGHT SINCE GRAHAM’S DEATH Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had hoped a deal could be struck and allow for the confirmation to move forward, eying next week as the major floor vote to formally confirm Blanche as Bondi’s replacement. “I think that that’s an issue between, right now, the White House and Senators Cornyn and Tillis,” Thune said. “But, yeah, I would encourage them to sit down, which I think they are, and try to come to a resolution there so that the markup can continue tomorrow, and we can get Todd Blanche ready for the floor.” The DOJ had until 4 p.m. Wednesday to get the lawmakers what they wanted, but the agency fell short, and Blanche’s bumpy carriage ride to confirmation turned into a pumpkin. Without a guarantee that Cornyn or Tillis would vote to confirm Blanche, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, opted to postpone the hearing until a later date. Their targets are the now-defunct, nearly $2 billion anti-weaponization fund and the president’s audit immunity. Republicans and Democrats alike railed against the fund, particularly over concerns that the funding would go to people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots on Capitol Hill. Trump’s audit immunity has similarly ruffled feathers. Blanche, in his announcement of the settlement deal earlier this year, outlined that, as part of the agreement, the IRS would not be allowed to audit Trump, his family or affiliated companies. DEMS REJECT TRUMP’S TOP SPY PICK AFTER DEMANDING REPLACEMENT, LEAVING COUNTER-TERROR TOOL IN AIR Cornyn has proven the most resistant until his demands are met. He’s used his newfound freedom to extract concessions from the Trump administration in recent weeks. His push for an explicit end to the audit language in the settlement agreement is another such example. The longtime lawmaker, who will exit the Senate at the end of this year after being ousted by the Trump-backed Ken Paxton, was set to meet Blanche Wednesday morning. But the confab was called off, and Blanche continued making the rounds in the Senate throughout the day, capping off his visit to the Capitol with Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo. He declined to comment to reporters on his way out. Cornyn said it was “made clear from the outset that we expected some written proposals to modify the release that was signed in the tax dispute with President Trump and his organization.” “We need to conform the actual document to what Todd Blanche testified under oath as the president’s acting attorney general,” Cornyn said. “We’ve had two meetings scheduled that have now been canceled because they have not been responsive in providing those written documents.” TRUMP AG PICK HANGS BY A THREAD AS KEY GOP SENATORS REFUSE TO COMMIT Trump, when asked about the holdup in the Senate for Blanche, portrayed himself as a president at an arm’s length from the situation and said he heard his attorney general pick was “going through quite nicely.” “Well, all I can say is Todd Blanche is outstanding. And I thought he’s — I thought it was pretty routine because he’s so good,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “You just wouldn’t find a better person. So, I don’t know, maybe John Cornyn is upset with me because I didn’t endorse him. I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t heard that there’s a problem.” Tillis made clear he doesn’t “have a beef with DOJ or with Blanche.” “They’re trying to get it done, but still gotta get it done,” Tillis said. He also noted that the number of hurdles that getting those kinds of written proposals through was more extensive than meets the eye. For example, Tillis said the actual settlement likely was signed by the president’s lawyer and not Trump himself. “So there’s, you know, there’s a circle of people that have to go through the loop,” he said. “And I get that, but, you know, if we can get it done or possibly get him reported out on Tuesday, if they schedule a markup, I would support that if we get the language.”
Ted Cruz demands Fauci face jail time, labels him America’s ‘most damaging bureaucrat’
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is calling for Anthony Fauci to be held in contempt, prosecuted for perjury and sent to jail after the former White House COVID-19 advisor pleaded his Fifth Amendment right more than 100 times during a Senate hearing Wednesday. “Years from now, they’ll look back and say, ‘What collective madness overtook this country?’” Cruz told Fox News Digital. “I think Anthony Fauci has had contempt for Congress and contempt for the American people for decades,” he said. “His diary shows that he deliberately lied to the American people over and over and over again.” FAUCI PLEADS FIFTH WITH ‘ZERO LEGAL JUSTIFICATION’ AS CRITICS ERUPT AND DEMAND CONTEMPT CHARGES Cruz made the comments after Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul announced he will seek contempt charges against Fauci after Fauci dodged self-incrimination by refusing to answer any questions throughout the entirety of the hearing. “Dr. Fauci ought to think about what it says about the end of his career, that what he will be remembered for the most is pleading the Fifth more than 100 times,” Cruz said. “He’s been the most damaging bureaucrat in the history of America.” RAND PAUL SEEKS CONTEMPT CHARGES AFTER FAUCI INVOKES FIFTH AMENDMENT MORE THAN 100 TIMES Cruz and Fauci have had a longstanding feud, similar to his relationships with other GOP senators like Paul, over Fauci’s handling of the outbreak and claims he was dishonest about the origins of COVID-19 to both Congress and the American people. “In his diary, he wrote early on that it was clear that the COVID virus did not come from the wet market in Wuhan, and then he turned around and said exactly the opposite thing on national television,” Cruz said. The released private diaries expose that Fauci considered possibilities about how the virus originated that he later downplayed to the public. He wrote that scientists considered the possibility of a deliberately inserted laboratory origin worthy of further expert review, while his later statements suggested the opposite to the public. LEGACY MEDIA IGNORES MASSIVE ANTHONY FAUCI DOCUMENT RELEASE ALLEGING HE MISLED CONGRESS ON COVID ORIGINS The Texas senator also accused Fauci of pushing for the lockdown of schools. Fauci wrote in his diary that he convinced both New York and California government officials to lock down their state’s school systems. This was, again, contradictory to what he said publicly, when he claimed multiple times in interviews and testified to the House Oversight Committee that he “did not close the schools.” “In his diary, he brags about convincing Democrats in New York and California to shut schools down, and yet he goes on TV and says, ‘Oh, I wasn’t for shutdowns,’” Cruz said. “The school shutdowns, which Fauci bragged that he was responsible for, may well be the single most destructive public policy step we’ve seen in decades. That learning loss will stick with those kids the rest of their lives when they’re 90 years old. “They will still be suffering the consequences of Anthony Fauci’s corrupt and dishonest shutdowns. “The fact that he knew he was lying to the American people — he should be held in contempt, he should be prosecuted for perjury, and he should go to jail.”