James Carville dismisses Democratic Party’s record-low polling: ‘We’re winning elections’
Despite a flurry of polling so far this year indicating the Democratic Party’s favorability sinking to record lows, veteran Democratic strategist and pundit James Carville remains optimistic, as he points to recent ballot box victories by his party. “You can’t discount people winning elections,” Carville told Fox News Digital this week. Carville spoke the day after a new survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research was the latest to spell trouble for the Democratic Party, six months after they suffered setbacks up and down the ballot at the hands of now-President Donald Trump and Republicans. The Democratic Party has been in the political wilderness since last November’s elections, when Republicans won back control of the White House and the Senate and defended their fragile House majority. And Republicans made gains among Black and Hispanic voters as well as younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party’s base. ON THE RISE: NEW POLL INDICATES TRUMP’S APPROVAL RATINGS EDGING UP According to the survey, only about one-third of Democrats are very or somewhat optimistic about the future of the Democratic Party. That’s a steep decline from last July, when around six in 10 Democrats said they were optimistic. The survey, conducted May 1-5, points to an increase in optimism among Republicans, with 55% more optimistic about the future of the GOP, up from 47% last summer. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING Since Trump’s return to power earlier this year, an increasingly energized base of Democrats is urging party leaders to take a stronger stand in pushing back against the president’s sweeping and controversial agenda during the opening months of his second administration. And their anger is directed not only at Republicans, but also at Democrats they feel aren’t vocal enough in their opposition to Trump. And that’s fueled the plunge in the Democratic Party’s favorable ratings, which have hit historic lows in several recent surveys. The Democrats’ ratings stood underwater in the most recent Fox News national poll at 41% favorable and 56% unfavorable in a survey conducted April 18-21. That’s an all-time low for the Democrats in Fox News polling. And for the first time in a decade, the party’s standing was lower than that of the GOP, which stood at 44% favorable and 54% unfavorable. The figures were reversed last summer, when Fox News last asked the party favorability question in one of its surveys. The Democratic Party’s favorable ratings were well in negative territory in a Pew Research national survey — 38% favorable, 60% unfavorable — conducted in early April and at 36% favorable, 60% unfavorable in a Wall Street Journal poll in the field a couple of weeks earlier. And national polls conducted in February by Quinnipiac University and in March by CNN and by NBC News also indicated the favorable ratings for the Democratic Party sinking to all-time lows. Confidence in the Democratic Party’s congressional leadership sunk to an all-time low, according to a Gallup poll conducted early last month. The confidence rating for Democrats’ leadership in Congress stood at 25% in the survey, which was nine points below the previous low of 34% recorded in 2023. And the semi-annual Harvard Youth Poll, which was released late last month, indicated that approval ratings for Democrats in Congress among Americans aged 18-29 nosedived. “I don’t doubt any of that’s true,” Carville told Fox News. “But there’s one thing: We’re winning elections left and right as we’re talking about how the Democratic number or image is low.” John Ewing, Jr., a Democrat, this week ousted a longtime Republican mayor in Omaha, Nebraska, a blue dot in a reliably red state. Ewing will become Omaha’s first Black mayor. Last month, the Democrat-aligned candidate comfortably defeated the Republican-aligned candidate in a Wisconsin state Supreme Court election. The high-profile and expensive campaign grabbed plenty of national attention and outside money. Democrats have also performed very well so far this year in special elections, including flipping red state Senate seats in Iowa and Pennsylvania. In addition to looking back, Carville also pointed ahead to November’s gubernatorial election in Virginia, where Democrats hope to win back the governor’s office in Richmond. “Let’s see what’s going to happen in Virginia,” said Carville, who first grabbed national attention for his work as a lead strategist on former President Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 presidential campaign. And Carville predicted that “we’re going to win that.”
Biden jokes ‘I’m a young man’ during interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur
Former President Joe Biden joked that he was a “young man” during an October 2023 interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur over his mishandling of classified documents, newly released audio shows. Axios released audio on Friday from Biden’s interviews with Hur in which the then-president appeared to struggle to remember when his son Beau died, when he left office as vice president, what year President Donald Trump was elected to his first term or why he had classified documents that should not have been in his possession. In addition to Biden’s memory lapses, the recordings showed him slurring his words and muttering when speaking to Hur. BIDEN STRUGGLES WITH WORDS, KEY MEMORIES IN LEAKED AUDIO FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW Transcripts of the interviews — conducted on Oct. 8 and 9, 2023 — were released on March 12, 2024. On the first day of the interview, Hur stressed the importance of answering truthfully and urged Biden to make his best effort to recall the events in question, which the prosecutor acknowledged happened years ago. “I’m a young man, so it’s not a problem,” Biden, now 82, jokingly responded. “Okay, great. Glad to hear it,” Hur replied. BIDEN REPEATEDLY SAYS ‘I DON’T REMEMBER’ REGARDING CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS IN NEWLY RELEASED HUR INTERVIEW AUDIO Hur, who was appointed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Biden’s handling of classified documents, said in his report, released on Feb. 5, 2024, that he declined to bring charges against the president, in part, because a jury would find him a “sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.” The report acknowledged that the documents were “willfully” obtained by Biden during his time as vice president and as a senator. “I’m well-meaning and I’m an elderly man and I know what the hell I’m doing. I’ve been president, and I put this country back on its feet. I don’t need his recommendation,” Biden said when questioned by Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy days after Hur released his report. The special counsel’s report, in addition to Biden’s gaffe-prone public appearances, amplified pressure from Republicans who said he lacked the mental fitness needed to serve as president. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Democrats and Biden’s White House initially criticized Hur for his report, insisting the then-president was “sharp” and that the special counsel was politically motivated. Later in 2024, during Biden’s re-election campaign, Democrats urged him to drop out of the race over his performance in the June presidential debate against Trump, citing his age and mental acuity. Biden formally dropped out of the presidential race in July and finished his term. His vice president, Kamala Harris, was defeated by Trump in November’s general election.
FLASHBACK: Biden shrugs off Hur report when pressed by Peter Doocy: ‘I know what the hell I’m doing’
Former President Joe Biden early last year dismissed Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report that sparked additional concern about his mental acuity, just months after he was interviewed about his mishandling of classified documents. Axios on Friday released audio from Biden’s October 2023 interviews with Hur. In the recordings, Biden seemed to struggle to remember when his son Beau died, when he left office as vice president, what year President Donald Trump was elected to his first term, or why he had classified documents that should not have been in his possession. The recordings not only showed Biden’s memory lapses, but also slurring his words and muttering when speaking to Hur. Transcripts of the interviews — conducted on Oct. 8 and 9 of 2023 — were released on March 12, 2024. In February 2024, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy was the first to question Biden about Hur’s report on his mental fitness. BIDEN STRUGGLES WITH WORDS, KEY MEMORIES IN LEAKED AUDIO FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW “Something the special counsel said in his report is that one of the reasons you were not charged is because, in his description, you are a ‘well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,’” Doocy said to Biden at a press conference on Feb. 8, 2024. Biden responded: “I’m well-meaning and I’m an elderly man and I know what the hell I’m doing. I’ve been president and I put this country back on its feet. I don’t need his recommendation—” Doocy then asked Biden how bad his memory was and if he could continue as president. BIDEN REPEATEDLY SAYS ‘I DON’T REMEMBER’ REGARDING CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS IN NEWLY RELEASED HUR INTERVIEW AUDIO “My memory is so bad I let you speak,” Biden told him. Hur, who was appointed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Biden’s handling of classified documents, said he declined to bring charges against him, in part, because a jury would find him to be a “sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory,” despite the acknowledgment that the documents were “willfully” obtained by Biden during his time as vice president and as a senator. The special counsel’s report, in addition to gaffes seen during Biden’s public appearances, amplified pressure from Republicans who said he lacked the mental fitness needed to serve as president. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Democrats and Biden’s White House initially criticized Hur for his report, repeatedly insisting he was “sharp” and that the special counsel was politically motivated. Later in 2024, amid Biden’s re-election campaign, Democrats called on him to drop his candidacy over his performance in the June presidential debate against Trump, citing his age and mental acuity. Biden, now 82, ended his presidential campaign in July but finished his term, and his vice president, Kamala Harris, was defeated by Trump in November’s general election.
New Hur interview tapes detailing Mongolia trip shed light on Hur’s ‘sympathetic’ characterization of Biden
Though new audio recordings released by Axios paint a picture of an elderly man suffering memory loss, rare exchanges showed glimpses into former President Joe Biden’s earlier days, and shed light on what could have led to Hur’s “sympathetic” characterization and findings related to the investigation. Biden reminisced during his interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur about a 2011 visit to Mangolia where he claimed to have “embarrassed the hell out of the leader of Mongolia.” “I went to Mongolia and, and great pictures,” Biden said. “They were showing — they were doing a what they would do at the time of the invasion of the Mongols into Europe in the 14 — in the 800s. And they — and then show what a normal day was, or how they, how they bivouac.” FORMER WHITE HOUSE SENIOR AIDE SAYS BIDEN BECAME LIKE ‘A DIFFERENT PERSON’ AS HE AGED IN OFFICE: REPORT He described being “out in the middle of nowhere” and looking up on a hill, seeing a tiny line of a 20-mile horse race between kids under the age of 16 on bareback. “And you know, there are sumo wrestlers doin’ everything they do,” Biden said lightheartedly. He said the leaders walked over to a target with bales of hay a hundred yards away, where locals were practicing their aim. BIDEN ADMIN OFFICIALS NOTICED STAMINA ISSUES IN PRESIDENT’S FIRST FEW MONTHS IN OFFICE: REPORT “I think — I don’t know if it was to embarrass me or to make a point, but I get handed the bow and arrow,” Biden said. “I’m not a bad archer. But (indiscernible) where I can pull it back, so I — and pure luck, I hit the goddamn target.” The people in the interview room burst into laughter, to which Biden assured them, “No, I really did.” He went on to describe the scene — “20 bales of hay with a big target in the middle of the bale of hay.” AS BIDEN DODGES PRESS ON BRAZIL TRIP, FRUSTRATED REPORTERS RESORT TO HOLDING UP SIGNS WITH QUESTIONS “And so I didn’t mean anything by it, I turned to the prime minister and handed it to him and the poor son-of-a-bitch couldn’t pull it back,” Biden said. The room roared with laughter once again. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I was like, ‘oh, God,’” Biden said through the cackling. Hur ultimately decided the former president should not be charged criminally for having classified Obama-era documents after leaving office, describing him as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
Biden fails to remember when son Beau died and Trump’s election year in leaked Hur interview audio
Leaked audio shared by Axios from President Joe Biden’s 2023 interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur has re-ignited serious questions about his mental sharpness, especially as he struggled to remember when his own son died and when Donald Trump was elected president. In one moment, Biden tries to recall the death of his son, Beau: “My son. Is either been deployed or is dying. And so… What was happening though?” “What’s much about dying? May 30, 2015, he died,” said Biden. “May 2015. I think it’s 2015. I’m not sure the months are, but I think that was it.” BIDEN STRUGGLES WITH WORDS, KEY MEMORIES IN LEAKED AUDIO FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW Beau Biden passed away from brain cancer on May 30, 2015, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He was 46. In the audio, Biden also mixes up the year of Trump’s 2016 victory: “Trump gets elected in November of 2017. 2016. 2016. So… That’s when we left office, January of 2017. But that’s when Trump gets sworn in manually.” The fumbling recollections are part of a six-hour interview that Hur used to support his conclusion that Biden’s memory was “significantly limited.” The White House kept the audio under wraps at the time as critical moments in Biden’s own life and in recent American history appeared to be completely out of reach for the former president. AXIOS REPORTER PUSHES BACK ON BIDEN’S DENIAL OF MENTAL DECLINE, SAYING WHITE HOUSE INSIDERS DISAGREE The conversation, part of a two-day interview in October 2023, led Hur to describe Biden as a “well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.” On Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle Friday night, host Laura Ingraham put it bluntly: “This is the biggest scandal that I remember in recent political history: that this man was allowed to continue as the commander in chief of the world’s greatest superpower.” Panelist Francey Hakes added, “I’m not sure Joe Biden was capable of ordering dinner for himself, much less ordering airstrikes or anything else the commander in chief might have to do.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP As Ingraham said later in the segment, “We still don’t really know who was making the tough calls. It obviously wasn’t the man we heard on that tape.”
Conservatives react to leaked Biden audio on social media: ‘This is painful’
Leaked audio from a 2023 interview between then-President Joe Biden and Special Counsel Robert Hur surfaced on Friday, revealing significant memory lapses and cognitive challenges. The audio recordings, obtained by Axios, depict Biden struggling to recall key dates, including the year his son Beau died and the year Donald Trump was elected president. The audio leaks have intensified criticisms over Biden’s mental fitness and prompted reactions from conservative commentators and political figures on social media site X. BIDEN STRUGGLES WITH WORDS, KEY MEMORIES IN LEAKED AUDIO FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk called for further scrutiny toward Democrats, writing X, “Nobody can listen to it without concluding that every Democrat working with Biden HAS to have known he was completely feeble as a commander in chief.” Fox News contributor Guy Benson called the audio “Painful.” “I couldn’t keep listening. The smears of Hur and the defenses of Biden look even worse,” Benson said. Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones III called for accountability, writing on X, “We need a Biden commission. The entire cabinet and White House staff must be sworn under oath.” Former NYPD inspector Paul Mauro commented on the administration’s reluctance to release the audio, saying, “This is painful…No wonder Biden’s DOJ wouldn’t release it.” HUR TRANSCRIPT CONFIRMS BIDEN MEMORY LAPSES, CONTRADICTS PRESIDENT’S CLAIM ABOUT EXCHANGE OVER SON’S DEATH Fox News contributor and radio host Hugh Hewitt highlighted the national security implications, stating, “Do not blame the president for aging quickly and poorly. But everyone involved in the cover-up put the country at risk because what we knew, all of our country’s enemies knew. They probably knew much of what we, the citizens, didn’t. The 25th failed.” Jake Schneider with the White House Rapid Response team emphasized prior warnings about Biden’s fitness, writing on X, “We tried to tell you. We literally spent years trying to tell you. Please stop acting shocked that Biden was senile, incompetent, and unfit for office.” Ambassador and Chief of Protocol to the U.S. Monica Crowley labeled the situation the “BIGGEST SCANDAL IN U.S. HISTORY.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Brit Hume, Chief Political Analyst for the Fox News Channel reminded everyone, saying “As you read this thread, recall all the crap Biden partisans said about Robert Hur at the time.”
Biden admits keeping classified Afghanistan document ‘for posterity’s sake’ in leaked audio
Former President Joe Biden, in newly leaked audio of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur, admitted he likely kept a classified document related to Afghanistan after he left the vice presidency for “posterity’s sake.” Biden first said he didn’t recall why he had the document when asked about it by Hur, who told him it was found in the library of his lake house. “I don’t know that I knew,” that he had the document, Biden answered, “but it wasn’t something I would have stopped to think about.” Hur noted that Bob Woodward and Jules Witcover both wrote about the document in their books about him, asking if he wanted to hang onto it because it might be the subject of reporting or “history.” BIDEN STRUGGLES WITH WORDS, KEY MEMORIES IN LEAKED AUDIO FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW “I guess I wanted to hang on to it for posterity’s sake. I mean, this was my position on Afghanistan. I’ve been of the view from a historical standpoint that there are certain points in history, world history, where fundamental things change using technology,” he said. “So, there are a lot of things that I think are fundamentally changing how international societies function, and they relate a lot to technology.” After the 80-year-old continued on that subject for a while, Hur interrupted him to get back to the topic of the document. “No, I’m sorry, that’s why I wanted it,” Biden answered. “It had nothing to with Afghanistan.” One of the former president’s lawyers then interrupted Hur to say, “For the purposes of a clean record,” he wanted to avoid “getting into speculative areas,” mentioning that Biden at first answered the question about the document by saying he didn’t recall why he had it. At that point, Hur answered, “I think we should take a break.” In other sections of the audio, Biden seems confused, asking what year his son, Beau Biden, died, and what year he left the vice presidency. HOUSE JUDICIARY SUES GARLAND FOR BIDEN AUDIO THAT HUR SAYS SHOWS HIM AS ‘ELDERLY MAN WITH A POOR MEMORY’ The audio, related to an investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents while vice president, came out after more than a year of congressional lawmakers demanding its release amid questions about the former president’s memory lapses and mental acuity. The House Judiciary Committee sued Attorney General Merrick Garland in July for the audio recordings, stressing the importance of the “verbal and nonverbal context” of Biden’s answers that could be provided by the audio recordings, especially considering Hur opted against charging Biden after the interview, partly because Biden was viewed as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” The committee argued at the time that the audio recordings, not merely the transcripts of them, are “the best available evidence of how President Biden presented himself during the interview.” That lawsuit was filed before Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race in July after he struggled in a June debate with Trump. Biden had exerted executive privilege over the audio recordings while president. Hur, who released his report to the public in February 2024 after months of investigation, did not recommend criminal charges against Biden for mishandling and retaining classified documents, and he said he would not bring charges against Biden even if he were not in the Oval Office. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Those records included classified documents about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan and other countries, among other records related to national security and foreign policy that Hur said implicated “sensitive intelligence sources and methods.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Biden for comment.
Biden’s autopen use questioned amid released audio from Special Counsel Hur interview
GOP House Oversight Committee Chairman and other Republicans are raising concerns about former President Joe Biden’s cognitive functions were well enough to authorize aides to use an autopen tool to sign important documents on his behalf. On Friday evening, Axios released exclusive audio footage of Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur, which reveals clues about Biden’s cognitive functioning while president that the interview’s transcript did not elucidate. Biden can be heard slurring his words, muttering and taking long pauses. Meanwhile, Biden also failed to recall the date of his son Beau’s death or the year Trump was first elected. “It questions who was actually making the decisions,” Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said Friday night on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity.” “Clearly, from that interview, which was many, many months prior to the heavy use of the autopen, Joe Biden wasn’t capable of making decisions. He wasn’t coherent.” BIDEN STRUGGLES WITH WORDS, KEY MEMORIES IN LEAKED AUDIO FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW Earlier Friday, Comer announced a new investigation trying to uncover who gave the orders to use the autopen. According to Comer, among other important things, the autopen tool was used to grant presidential pardons to Biden’s family members. “It does call into question these pardons – the use of autopen, and I think it may actually open the door – I’m not a lawyer – but I’d imagine Trump or his administration may try to make some arguments to federal courts about actions Joe Biden took because now we’ve got more information coming out, and they’re reasonably going to determine, ‘Yeah Joe Biden couldn’t remember anything. He didn’t even know when his son died, or when Trump got elected or when he left office,” political commentator Tim Pool added. ‘TERRIFYING’: BIDEN-HUR AUDIO SHOWCASES FORMER PRESIDENT’S DECLINE CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Who was controlling the autopen? Who was pulling the strings? Who were the unelected bureaucrats making decisions that negatively impacted our country?” asked former Robert F. Kennedy Jr. advisor Link Lauren. “I want names.” Donald Trump has said he does not use autopen to sign legally binding documents like pardons. In March, a White House official confirmed it was the administration’s policy to use Trump’s hand signature on any legally binding documents.
Biden repeatedly says ‘I don’t remember’ regarding classified documents in newly released Hur interview audio
When asked by special counsel Robert Hur’s co-counsel, Marc Krickbaum, in 2023 about a handwritten memo on Afghanistan during the Obama administration, President Joe Biden said he didn’t “remember” telling Mark Zwonitzer, the ghostwriter of his book, “Promise Me, Dad,” he “just found all the classified stuff downstairs.” In a new audio file released by Axios Friday, Biden said “I don’t remember” numerous times as Krickbaum questioned him on the second day of interviews in October 2023 about having classified documents he should not have had after leaving office. “You said to Mark, ‘I just found all the classified stuff downstairs,’ and, so, you can imagine we are curious what you meant when you said, ‘I just found all the classified stuff downstairs,’” Krickbaum said. BIDEN STRUGGLES WITH WORDS, KEY MEMORIES IN LEAKED AUDIO FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW “I don’t remember,” Biden replied. “And I’m not supposed to speculate, right?” “Correct,” Biden’s attorney, Bob Bauer, chimed in. “So, OK, well, I don’t remember, and it may have been — I just don’t remember,” the former president mumbled. BIDEN’S TEAM HID THE TRUTH ABOUT HIS HEALTH ALL ALONG: WH PRESS SEC After explaining that he was referring to a conversation with Zwonitzer about a handwritten memo he wrote for former President Barack Obama, Biden replied, “I probably did. I don’t remember specifically, but my guess is I may have done that.” Then, leading to the “classified stuff downstairs” comment, Zwonitzer asked Biden if he had found any documents in his home or if he told Zwonitzer about finding any while they worked together on the book in 2017. Stumbling over his words, Biden replied, “No, the only thing I can remember is I wanted to be clear to him that I didn’t want what he just heard me say about the memo to Barack, even though it wasn’t a top secret thing (indiscernible), I didn’t, I didn’t want any of that mentioned. It was confidential.” He clarified he didn’t mean confidential in the classification sense, but that he did not want it included in the book about his son, Beau. They discussed boxes in the library, hallway and the “back of the garage,” with Biden noting he did not know “where in the hell” all of it was going, but that was the extent of his knowledge of what they contained. “Not like I’m looking for something, like I’m trying to compile things. But just what’d they pack up, what’s here,” Biden said. BIDEN ADMIN OFFICIALS NOTICED STAMINA ISSUES IN PRESIDENT’S FIRST FEW MONTHS IN OFFICE: REPORT While the White House released the transcripts during his presidency, the audio of the interviews remained under wraps, with some speculating about his mental state as the reason. Hur’s investigation, which concluded in 2024, found Biden should not be criminally charged for mishandling and retaining classified documents that detailed military and foreign policy in Afghanistan and other countries, among other national security topics. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP After Hur described the former president as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” Biden fired back, saying, “I’m well-meaning, and I’m an elderly man, and I know what the hell I’m doing. I’ve been president. I put this country back on its feet. I don’t need his recommendation.” Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
Bumpy Weather Over Newark: House Democrats could face consequences for Delaney Hall incident
What’s dicier these days? Flying into Newark Liberty Airport? Or finding yourself near the front gate of an ICE detention center in Newark? To the mind of famous bandleader Raymond Scott – you’re in for “Bumpy Weather Over Newark” either way. That’s one of Scott’s most famous compositions. It ranks right up there with “Powerhouse” and the scores to 120 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. A trio of House Democrats scuffled with federal law enforcement officers last week at Delaney Hall in Newark. It’s possible they could face discipline from the House for the fracas. Or worse. REPUBLICANS STRUGGLE WITH TRUMP’S MIXED SIGNALS ON ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ Fox is told that arrests could be in the offing for Reps. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., Robert Menendez Jr., D-N.J., and Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J. “What happened on May 9th was not oversight. It was a political stunt that put the safety of our law enforcement officers, our agents, our staff, and our detainees at risk,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to a House hearing Wednesday. “The behavior was lawlessness. And it was beneath this body.” Noem should know something about that. She served in the House for eight years. On her way into the hearing, Noem said that an investigation is underway. “I think that arrests are still on the table for this,” said Homeland Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin on Fox. “If it was a typical U.S. citizen and they tried to storm into a detention facility that’s housing dangerous criminals or any person at all, they would be arrested. Just because you are a Member of Congress or just because you’re a public official does not mean you are above the law.” Democrats argue they did nothing wrong. They had a right, under the law, to request an inspection of the facility. That comports with their oversight responsibilities. But House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., assessed videotape of Democrats tangling with federal agents. He determined that wasn’t oversight. “It looked like a battery to me,” said Johnson. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., saw it differently. “There is zero basis to hold any Member of Congress accountable,” said Jeffries. “No videos have been produced suggesting that they’ve engaged in any inappropriate activity. And if those videos existed, certainly they would have been put into the public domain by now. Those videos haven’t been released because they don’t exist.” Chatter about possible arrests or sanctions for the Democrats rattled around Capitol Hill all week. McIver and her aides bowled past a wall of reporters en route to the Noem hearing Wednesday. “Are you worried about being arrested potentially?” asked yours truly. McIver’s aides pushed arms and hands holding microphones out of the way. “Excuse me! Excuse me!” ordered McIver, never breaking stride. “The Speaker has talked about censure, Ms. McIver. Do you have any response to that?” I asked. The Congresswoman disappeared behind a doorway to the House Homeland Security Committee, never responding. TRUMP PUSHES TAX HIKES FOR WEALTHY AS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ DEADLINE LOOMS Colleague Dan Scully tried valiantly to get McIver to comment on Thursday. But no dice. “(Interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey) Alina Habba said she was going to announce an investigation. Was there any sort of deal made between you and what happened over there? Do you care to comment on that at all?” asked Scully. Silence from McIver. “Has anyone from DOJ reached out to you?” asked another reporter. Crickets. “Congresswoman, do you regret shoving officers? Did you think you would get away with that?” asked another scribe. Nada. “Do you have any comment at all?” queried Scully. It’s doubtful that even the resourcefulness of TV’s MacGyver could have pried loose any response from McIver. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., introduced a resolution to strip McIver, Menendez and Watson Coleman of their committee assignments. “Keep your hands off of Members of Congress,” warned Jeffries. Yours truly followed up with Jeffries at his press conference Tuesday. “What happens if they were to go and arrest these Members, or if they would try to sanction them in the House first?” I asked. “They’ll find out,” replied Jeffries. “What would you do?” I followed up. “They’ll find out,” repeated Jeffries. “What resource?” I countered. “They’ll find out,” he said again. “Doesn’t that broach…?” “They’ll find out.” “Does that go against…?” “That’s a red line,” said Jeffries. “What’s the red line?” I asked. TWO PLANES DO ‘GO-AROUNDS’ TO AVOID MILITARY HELICOPTER NEAR REAGAN WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORT “It’s a red line. It’s very clear. First of all, I think that the so-called Homeland Security spokesperson is a joke. It’s a joke. They know better than to go down that road. And it’s been made loudly and abundantly clear to the Trump Administration. We’re not going to be intimidated by their tactics,” said Jeffries. “There are clear lines that they just dare not cross.” An arrest of these lawmakers would spark a firestorm on Capitol Hill. Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution generally shields lawmakers from charges – so long they as they are conducting official Congressional business. A lawmaker isn’t off the hook if they shoot someone. But the Founders were mindful of how politically-motivated arrests could undercut the work of Congress. So, they crafted what’s known as the “Speech or Debate” clause to inoculate lawmakers when conducting business. “They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place,” reads the provision. “I don’t think that’s Speech and Debate clause,” said Johnson about the rhubarb in Newark. “We have to set a standard here. You cannot have Members of Congress pushing law enforcement officials around and that’s exactly what everybody saw on the videotape.” Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., wondered how a