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Harris to attend Feinstein’s funeral in San Francisco
Vice President Harris will travel to San Francisco this week to attend the funeral service for the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will attend the services for Feinstein Thursday. Feinstein died last week at the age of 90.
Harris and Feinstein served together as California’s two senators from 2017, when Harris first took office, until 2021, when she became vice president. Both women worked at different points in San Francisco politics as well, with Harris serving as district attorney and Feinstein as mayor.
The vice president will hold a swearing-in ceremony Tuesday at the U.S. Capitol for Feinstein’s replacement, Laphonza Butler.
Butler is a former political adviser to Harris who has led EMILY’s List, which supports women running for office, since 2021.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) appointed Butler to serve the remainder of Feinstein’s term, which will end in early 2025. Several Democrats are running in a primary for the chance to replace Feinstein. Butler had not launched a campaign for the seat, and it’s unclear if she will seek to serve beyond the end of her appointment.
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Emmer’s Pernicious Trump History Complicates Gaetz’s Speakership Plans
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Deep State, Second Amendment, and Big Tech on Supreme Court Docket This Term
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Fulton County subpoenas ex-NYPD commish Bernie Kerik to testify in first Georgia trial of Trump election probe
The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office has issued a subpoena for former NYPD commissioner Bernie Kerik to testify in the first trial scheduled in Georgia later this month over allegations of election interference by former President Trump and more than a dozen of his allies 2020, Fox News Digital has confirmed.
Ahead of the upcoming trial for two of the 19 defendants – lawyer Kenneth Chesebro and former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell – scheduled to begin on Oct. 23 in Atlanta, Kerik received a subpoena to testify but plans to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights, CNN first reported Monday. Trump and the 16 others will be tried separately.
Kerik’s attorney Tim Parlatore told Fox News Digital he asked prosecutors that if Kerik was expected to testify as a part of a conspiracy case, would they be offering immunity. Parlatore stressed to Fox News Digital, however, that he did not ask for immunity for his client.
“And when they said no, I said I don’t care either way, but to expect my client to testify under oath with no immunity … I think Mr. Wade needs to go back to law school,” Parlatore saidl, referring to special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who has been leading the election interference probe for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for nearly two years.
“No competent criminal attorney would allow Mr. Kerik to testify absent a grant of immunity,” Parlatore wrote in a letter to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office Monday.
“To be clear, Mr. Kerik has done nothing wrong and rejects your claim that he is a co-conspirator in any alleged criminal conduct,” Parlatore wrote. “You made the public accusation, so now you must live with the consequences of Mr. Kerik (and presumably all other alleged unindicted co-conspirators) invoking their 5th Amendment rights and refusing to testify.”
Kerik has not been named as a co-conspirator in court documents, which include allegations involving several unnamed individuals.
The letter says Kerik will refuse to answer questions under oath without receiving written assurances from the district attorney’s office that he will not be prosecuted.
Parlatore claimed prosecutors have already told him, “If we wanted to indict Mr. Kerik, we would have already done so,” but have so far refused to put any promises in writing.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Fulton County DA office for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Parlatore previously confirmed to Fox News Digital in July that Kerik secured a deal with Special Counsel Jack Smith to hand over thousands of documents related to the Justice Department’s investigation into Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
At the time, Kerik’s attorney noted that the documents could include exculpatory evidence for Trump, suggesting the former president’s investigators acted in good faith.
Kerik’s legal team had initially refused to turn over documents to the House select committee probing the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. They had cited attorney-client privilege, given that Kerik worked with Trump’s attorney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani on the probe. Parlatore said Kerik received a “standard proffer letter” before later agreeing to an interview with Smith’s office to answer questions related to the 2020 election aftermath and the Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol, CNN reported.
Kerik, who served as the NYPD commissioner from 2000 to 2001, pleaded guilty in 2009 to felony charges of tax fraud and making false statements to the government. He spent about three years in prison before transitioning to home confinement and eventually supervised release. Trump pardoned Kerik for his past convictions in early 2020.
Fox News’ Andrew Murray contributed to this report.
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Watchdog: Biden stability effort harmed Afghanistan evacuation efforts
The Biden administration’s focus on projecting stability in Afghanistan amid the Taliban’s lightning takeover harmed efforts by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to prepare for and carry out evacuation operations in August 2021, according to an information brief provided by the State Department’s Office of Inspector General.
At one point, the U.S. Ambassador reprimanded embassy staff during a meeting when they raised concern about the dire security situation in Afghanistan ahead of America’s exit that summer, according to one finding in the report.
The decision to announce a drawdown of the embassy was so haphazard, the report said, that some staff only heard about it through loudspeakers on the compound, harming efforts to prepare for the evacuation.
The brief was published late last month as a summary of a classified report looking at whether U.S. Embassy in Kabul followed established State Department guidelines in preparing for and carrying out evacuation efforts of embassy personnel, private U.S. citizens, Afghans at risk and other Afghans in August 2021.
The chaotic pullout marks one of the darkest periods in President Biden’s term in office, defined by a fraught two weeks that saw the Islamic-fundamentalist Taliban take over the capital city following the last-minute flight of the western-backed Afghan government and the melting away of the Afghan army.
While the Biden administration evacuated over 120,000 people – including 6,000 Americans – amid a mass rush to the Hamid Karzai Intenrational airport in Kabul, a suicide bomber killed 13 U.S. service members and at least 150 Afghans, injuring scores of others.
The Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee has made documenting the failures of the U.S. pullout a central mission of its work.
An “After-Action” review of the State Department’s actions during the U.S. pullout, and published in July, found that the department lacked clear leadership in the chaos of the withdrawal, but blamed policies from both the Trump and Biden administrations.
The OIG report published last month narrowly focused on whether the State Department acted in accordance with established procedures to prepare for and execute the evacuation of U.S. government personnel, private U.S. citizens, Afghans at risk and other individuals from Afghanistan.
The OIG found that overall, the embassy met department guidelines and took seriously it’s Emergency Action Plan (EAP), planning documents for potential crisis that provide a framework for roles and responsibilities.
But it faulted the government for not being ready for the unpredictable nature of crises, something the documents themselves offered warnings about.
The OIG noted that the last-minute decision to evacuate was influenced by the Biden administration’s efforts to avoid causing a panic if the U.S. signaled it was drawing down its operations, and fearing it would undermine the Afghan government.
“Because of this effort to avoid signaling a lack of support for the Afghan government, communication with embassy personnel about the timing and scope of a potential evacuation was unclear,” the report noted.
“In one example, an official told OIG that the Ambassador reprimanded embassy personnel during a meeting when they expressed concerns about their safety given the deteriorating security environment.”
Once the decision was made to draw down the embassy and evacuate individuals, OIG found that the embassy was given no official guidance on the administration’s definition of an “Afghan at risk” and went off public comments by U.S. officials referring to a broad swath of people.
“According to Department officials, an official definition for ‘Afghans at risk’ was never provided to Embassy Kabul,” the review notes, and added that embassy staff were then pressured to evacuate as many Afghans as possible.
Unreliable data on Americans in the country and staff at the embassy was also highlighted as contributing to the chaos.
The OIG said it made 10 recommendations in the classified report and that the Department “concurred with the intent of the recommendations, which OIG considered resolved, pending further action.”
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Top House Dem resigned from leadership after colleagues voiced ‘discomfort’ about his attacks on Biden
Rep. Dean Phillip, D-Minn., recently stepped down from his House Democratic leadership role in a move that Fox News Digital is told was not forced but the “writing was on the wall” over his calls for a primary challenger to President Biden.
“I have decided to step down from the DPCC & Democratic Caucus leadership,” Phillips announced on Sunday. “While politics & official work do not mix, it’s clear my convictions about 2024 are incongruent with the position of my colleagues & that was causing discomfort. I was not pressured or forced to resign.”
Fox News Digital is told that Phillips was not pushed out of his role and that leadership was generally supportive of Phillips but that his criticism of President Biden caused ripples in the caucus.
“The writing was on the wall,” said one source.
DEMOCRATS HAVE PATHWAYS TO REPLACE BIDEN IN 2024, BUT THEY ARE NARROWING
In a follow-up post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Rep. Phillips said that House Minority Whip Hakeem Jeffries has “provided space & place for all perspectives, and I celebrate him and our DPCC Chair, [Rep. Joe Neguse], for their authentic & principled leadership.”
The straw that broke the camel’s back, Fox News Digital is told, came at a House Democratic Caucus meeting last week. During the meeting, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) was outspoken against Phillips for suggesting the president step aside.
Fox News Digital is told that this is the first time that Phillips may have realized his position was causing what was termed “significant discomfort” among some Democrats.
Fox has learned that the Minnesota Democrat later spoke to Kamlager-Dove on the floor and asked why she did not come to him privately to express her concerns.
One source told Fox News Digital that Phillips is “thinking about bigger things,” including a potential run for president, which the congressman has previously floated.
In August, Phillips urged his Democrat colleagues to jump into the race and told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he “adores” Biden but wants him to “pass the torch” to new leaders.
“I would like to see a moderate governor, hopefully from the heartland, from one of the four states that Democrats will need,” Phillips said.
He continued, “Anybody who wants to run, Joe Manchin, Cornel West … that’s why we have primaries because that doesn’t undermine the likelihood of returning, in this case, a Democrat to the White House. I’m actively inviting, encouraging to some degree, imploring that people who are ready and know it’s probably time to do so take the chance.”
Phillips told “The Warning” podcast last week that he is “thinking about it” when asked if he is considering running against Biden.
“I haven’t ruled it out,” he added.
“I think there are people who are more proximate, better prepared to campaign with national organizations, national name recognition, which I do not possess,” Phillips added. “I’m concerned that there is no alternative.”
Rep. Phillips did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Rep. Kamlager-Dove declined to comment.
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Former House speaker floats idea of removing Gaetz from House GOP caucus, committees
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., floated the idea of removing GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida from the House Republican Conference.
Gingrich wrote Sunday that he thinks expelling Gaetz fully from the lower chamber would be a step too far.
However, Gingrich said booting Gaetz from the House GOP conference and his committee assignments may be more of a “rational response.”
“The effort to expel Matt Gaetz for being a destructive, irresponsible anti-Republican may be a step too far,” Gingrich wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Expulsion from the House requires a two thirds vote.”
“However expelling him from the House Republican Conference and eliminating all his committee assignments and all resources other than those an individual member is entitled to would be a rational response to his suicidal efforts to cripple the House GOP,” Gingrich continued.
Fox News Digital reached out to Gaetz’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
According to the House Republican Conference rules set for the 118th Congress, it takes a two-thirds vote to expel a GOP member from the conference.
As for committee assignments, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is free to remove Gaetz from select and conference committees – such as the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence – but standing committees, like the House Judiciary Committee, are a different animal altogether.
To remove a member from a standing committee, the House is required to vote on a resolution for removal – like when “Squad” Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee in February of this year.
Gingrich’s tweet comes as Republican members of the House look to expel Gaetz from the lower chamber amid his renewed threat to pursue a motion to vacate McCarthy.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., blasted efforts to oust McCarthy on Sunday, saying the move would be a “disaster” for congressional Republicans.
Graham made the statement during an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation” with host Margaret Brennan. Graham endorsed McCarthy as the “right guy” for the job and said he only faces opposition from a handful of House Republicans.
“I think Kevin is the right guy at the right time,” Graham said. “The only way he loses his job is if a handful of Republicans join up with the Democratic Party to fire him.”
“That would be a disaster for the future of the Republican Party. That’s not gonna happen. Kevin has the overwhelming confidence of his membership, he worked to avoid a shutdown. He will fund Ukraine, but he’s telling everybody in the country, including me, you better send something over for the border for me to help Ukraine, and he’s right to make that demand.”
Graham is the latest of a flurry of lawmakers to weigh in on a potential bid to oust McCarthy from the speakership. Gaetz vowed on Sunday to file a motion to vacate against McCarthy sometime this week.
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed reporting.
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Biden administration concerned over corruption in Ukraine but still supports aid to combat Russia, memo states
A recent U.S. State Department strategy memo detailing the top priorities for Ukraine — ravaged by war against Russia since last year — shows the Biden administration has concerns over purported corruption in the Eastern European country but still supports continued aid to the region.
According to the 22-page document, called the Integrated Country Strategy, the “biggest challenge is winning the war,” but “Ukraine has a unique opportunity in the current moment to commit to the anti-corruption and judicial reforms needed to realize the aspirations of the Ukrainian people.”
The document outlines several objectives and timelines for each that the U.S. government wants to see Ukraine reach.
The document reiterates U.S. support for Ukraine with “continued military and security assistance” but adds, “A clear, transparent strategy to deoligarch the economy and deliver prosperity for all is central to these reforms.”
UKRAINE FUNDING RISES AS MAJOR POLITICAL LIGHTNING ROD IN GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FIGHT
“Even as Ukraine fights to liberate its territory, the fight for the future is also important,” the document states. “President Zelenskyy campaigned on a promise to clean up corruption and remains publicly committed to rebuilding a Ukraine that benefits all of society. Ukraine cannot afford to push reforms to a post-war period. The country must lay the framework to win the future even now.”
It adds, “Ukraine must move against entrenched, politically influential interests to succeed now and in the post-war recovery. Reforms in the energy sector, a bastion of corruption and oligarchic control, are essential to cementing Ukraine’s European integration.”
The mostly unnoticed document, approved for public release on Aug. 29, provides another layer to the administration’s support for Ukraine, emphasizing the importance of not only making public commitments to reform but also ensuring their actual implementation. This, it suggests, will not only bolster confidence among private sector investors for the country’s recovery but also strengthen U.S. and international support in military, development, and economic spheres.
REPUBLICANS SEND LETTER TO JAKE SULLIVAN DEMANDING ‘TOTAL FIGURES’ FOR UKRAINE AID
Following through on U.S. commitments to provide equipment and training is crucial in supporting Ukraine’s armed forces against Kremlin-led aggressions, the document notes.
The document also outlines enhancing the U.S. diplomatic presence in Ukraine, including exploring the possibility of expanding U.S. presence beyond Kyiv to possibly Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv and Dnipro.
Meanwhile, mostly GOP lawmakers have repeatedly called for more rigorous oversight to Ukranian aid, and the U.S. government averted a shutdown this weekend in a spending bill passed by Congress that left out assistance to the nation.
WHITE HOUSE REQUESTS SIX TIMES MORE SPENDING FOR UKRAINE THAN BORDER AND FENTANYL CRISIS
President Biden said in a statement Sunday after the funding bill passed late Saturday night that America’s support for Ukraine “cannot be interrupted.”
“We have time, not much time, and there’s an overwhelming sense of urgency,” he said. The spending bill expires on Nov. 17.
Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Department of State for comment but did not hear back by time of publication.
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Laphonza Butler Removes ‘Maryland’ as Residence After Newsom Appointment as California Senator
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