The White House News

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., announced Thursday that he will not seek re-election in the wake of a House ethics report. 

“If there was a single ounce of ETHICS in the ‘Ethics committee’, they would have not released this biased report. The Committee went to extraordinary lengths to smear myself and my legal team about me not being forthcoming (My legal bills suggest otherwise),” Santos wrote on X. “It is a disgusting politicized smear that shows the depths of how low our federal government has sunk. Everyone who participated in this grave miscarriage of Justice should all be ashamed of themselves. We the People desperately need an Article V Constitutional Convention.”

“I will continue on my mission to serve my constituents up until I am allowed. I will however NOT be seeking re-election for a second term in 2024 as my family deserves better than to be under the gun from the press all the time,” he wrote. “Public service life was never a goal or a dream, but I stepped up to the occasion when I felt my country needed it most. I will 100% continue to maintain my commitment to my conservative values in my remaining time in Congress.”

Santos also said, “We are quickly approaching $34 trillion dollars in debt, the government is continuously on the verge of a shutdown, our southern border is wide open, our current President is the head of an influence peddling crime family, and all this Congress wants to do is attack their political enemies with tit for tat unconstitutional censures, impeachments, expulsions and ethics investigations. THE TIME IS NOW FOR THE STATES TO RISE UP AND COMMENCE AN ARTICLE V CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION!”

 “I’ve come to expect vitriol like this from political opposition but not from the hallowed halls of public service,” he wrote. “I will remain steadfast in fighting for my rights and for defending my name in the face of adversity. I am humbled yet again and reminded that I am human and I have flaws, but I will not stand by as I am stoned by those who have flaws themselves.”

This is a developing news story. Check back for updates.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is leading renewed calls for President Biden to support a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas over the “grave violations” being committed against children in the war. 

“We write to you to express deep concern about the intensifying war in Gaza, particularly grave violations against children, and our fear that without an immediate cessation of hostilities and the establishment of a robust bilateral ceasefire, this war will lead to a further loss of civilian life and risk dragging the United States into dangerous and unwise conflict with armed groups across the Middle East,” the progressive lawmaker wrote.

She and 23 other progressives wrote to Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday, asking for details on the U.S. plan to de-escalate tension in the region. 

They cited figures from both Israel and the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza about how many children have been killed or abducted since Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing hundreds of civilians.

PRO-PALESTINIAN VIOLENT PROTEST ERUPTS OUTSIDE DNC HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON DC, CAPITOL POLICE INJURED

Israel has responded by bombarding Gaza with rocket fire and a ground invasion.

“We reaffirm our unequivocal condemnation of the Hamas attacks on Israel that took place on October 7th, in which Hamas killed over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, and captured over 200 hostages, who were subsequently taken to Gaza,” the Democrats wrote.

“While exact figures have not yet been released, Israeli authorities so far have confirmed the identity of 846 civilians killed, including 31 children, and at least 20 children who have been abducted by Palestinian armed groups.

TENS OF THOUSANDS ‘MARCH FOR ISRAEL’ IN WASHINGTON, DC

“We also share dire concerns with the ongoing Israeli response, in which the Israeli Defense Forces have killed over 11,078 Palestinians, nearly half of whom have been children.”

Among the signatories are Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Cori Bush, D-Mo., Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., and Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

“We are profoundly shocked by the grave violations of children’s rights in the context of armed conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” they wrote. “International norms require that all parties to an armed conflict protect children and prevent the commission of grave violations against them, including killing and maiming, attacks on schools and hospitals, recruitment and use of children, abduction of children, and denial of humanitarian access.”

RIGHT AND LEFT UNITE IN SUPPORT OF ISRAEL AS BUSH, CLINTON CONFIDANTS SPEAK OUT AGAINST HATE TOGETHER

They thanked Biden for pushing for an expansion of humanitarian aid to Gaza, though argued it had “limited impact on the ground so far,” while criticizing Israel for its response to the Oct. 7 attack.

“In addition to the threat of widespread Israeli airstrikes on residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, these children face further imminent threats due to Israeli government restrictions on food, water, fuel, and other humanitarian assistance being able to reach these children and their families,” they wrote of young people in Gaza.

The letter concluded, “We understand that the Administration has serious concerns regarding the objectives and consequences of a large-scale ground offensive, and we urge you to press this case directly.”

The chairman of the House Ethics Committee will move to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from Congress after the release of a damning report into the embattled Long Island Republican.

“Chairman Guest feels that the evidence uncovered in the Committee’s investigation is more than sufficient to warrant punishment, and that the most appropriate punishment is expulsion,” Rep. Michael Guest’s, R-Miss., office told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

“So, separate from the Committee process and his role as Chairman, he plans to file an expulsion resolution during tomorrow’s 9:00 am pro forma session.”

The ethics panel released a damning eight-page report that accused Santos of having “used campaign funds for personal purposes” and “engaged in fraudulent conduct,” among other allegations. 

Guest filing the resolution on Friday tees up an expected vote on whether to boot Santos from the House sometime after lawmakers return from the Thanksgiving break on Nov. 28.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen appointed on Wednesday fellow Republican and former State Board of Education member Fred Meyer to fill a vacant legislative seat representing eight central Nebraska counties.

Meyer, of St. Paul, will finish the term of former state Sen. Tom Briese, who vacated the seat in October after Pillen tapped him to fill the vacant post of state treasurer.

Meyer, who owns and operates a cattle farm near St. Paul, served on the Education Board from 1999 to 2010.

NEBRASKA TEACHERS UNION TRYING TO KILL SCHOOL CHOICE LAW OUT OF FEAR, MOTHER SAYS

PROPOSAL TO GIVE NEBRASKA’S GOVERNOR MORE CONTROL OVER THE STATE’S EDUCATION POLICIES RECEIVES LITTLE SUPPORT

Pillen said during a news conference to announce the appointment that Meyer assured him he will only serve the remainder of Briese’s term, which runs through the end of 2024, and not seek election to the upcoming term. Pillen said that was important to him, because other candidates have already launched campaigns for the seat.

Neither the governor nor Meyer will be endorsing anyone running for the seat in 2024, Pillen said.

“We believe that the people of District 41 are best served to find out who works the hardest, who will be able to earn the seat,” he said.

OPPONENTS OF NE’S TAXPAYER-FUNDED SCHOOL VOUCHER PLAN CLAIM ENOUGH SIGNATURES TO TAKE ISSUE TO BALLOT BOX

One of Pillen’s first actions after being elected governor last November was to appoint his predecessor, outgoing Gov. Pete Ricketts, to Nebraska’s U.S. Senate seat vacated by Republican Ben Sasse. Sasse left the Senate only two years into his second term to become president of the University of Florida.

The move was roundly criticized by Democrats and even some Republicans who said the appointment gave the appearance of a pay-to-play deal. Pillen was elected in large part because of Ricketts’ backing, which included more than $1 million of his own money to political actions committees supporting Pillen and directly to his campaign.

Ricketts announced this summer that he’ll seek election to the U.S. Senate seat in a special election next year.

Israeli actress Noa Tishby testified before Congress on Wednesday calling on the FBI to investigate the funding behind pro-Palestinian groups at American college campuses, effectively “brainwashing” and “grooming” students into aligning with “terrorist sympathizers” amid the Jewish state’s war against Hamas. 

Speaking before the House Ways and Means Committee, Tishby argued that violence and harassment against Jewish students “has been planned, engineered and incubated for decades by heavily funded, professionally orchestrated groups with close connections to terrorist organizations, like Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the PFLP.” 

“One of the main perpetrators of campus Jew-hate is Students for Justice in Palestine or SJP,” she said in her opening statement. 

“SJP was set up and is supported by groups and individuals with well documented records of support and fundraising for terrorist organizations,” Tishby told lawmakers. “Individuals like Hatem Bazien, who founded SJP and is also the founder of American Muslims for Palestine – or AMP. Terrorist sympathizers figured out decades ago that instead of sending money to jihadist organizations, they will target the hearts and minds of young and naïve, sometimes well-meaning American students.”

FORMER HARVARD PRESIDENT TAKES A SWIPE AT SCHOOL FOR ‘NOT BEEN SWIFT’ IN CONDEMNING ‘CANCER’ OF ANTISEMITISM

The actress noted how these groups use “progressive buzzwords like ‘justice’ and ‘freedom,’ but their true intent – is destroying the world’s only Jewish state by all means necessary.” 

“And after Oct. 7, we have seen that anything goes: Beheading babies and raping women is just fine. If it’s done to the Jews, they call it resistance,” she said. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, SJP is a hate group. It is grooming American college students – grooming your children – to hate Israel, hate Jews and hate America. And for years, universities stood by, watched this brainwashing take place and did nothing.”

VIOLENT INCIDENTS OVER ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR AT TOP CANADIAN COLLEGE LEADS TO ARREST, POLICE INVESTIGATION

Tishby urged lawmakers, “With the amount of evidence linking SJP and AMP members with support and financing of terrorist groups including Hamas, these organizations and networks should be investigated by state police and the FBI.”

“We need to kick these hate groups off campus,” Tishby said. “How can it be that college fees and taxpayers’ dollars are funding hate groups that cheer on the burning alive of Jewish families? Every college in this country should ban SJP, and never let them back. We wouldn’t fund KKK chapters in our colleges. We shouldn’t fund SJP chapters in our colleges either. And if universities fail to remove SJP off campus; if they continue to protect and fund the ringleaders of an antisemitic mob, then this Committee should withdraw funding for them. We would not allow the mafia to teach business on campus. We should not allow terrorist supporters to teach political activism to our kids.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is not just a Jewish issue; it’s an American one,” the actress added, concluding her opening remarks. “There is a direct line between brainwashed extremists who rip down posters of kidnapped Jewish children, and those who rip down the American flag ahead of Veterans Day. I urge this committee to act now, and stop this coordinated assault on Jewish students, on American values and on the future of the American dream.”

President Biden said Wednesday that he thinks Israel’s military operation in Gaza will stop when Hamas “no longer maintains the capacity to murder, abuse, and do horrific things to the Israelis.”

Speaking at a press conference after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Biden called on the Israeli military to exercise caution as they pursue Hamas military targets near civilian infrastructure. He said the Israel Defense Forces has “an obligation to use as much caution as they can in going after their targets.”

But he added, “Hamas said they plan to attack Israelis again and this is terrible dilemma.”+

PRO-PALESTINIAN VIOLENT PROTEST ERUPTS OUTSIDE DNC HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON DC, CAPITOL POLICE INJURED

Biden and his administration have remained steadfast in support for Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas. U.S. officials have strongly condemned the Oct. 7 terror attacks on Israel, in which Hamas terrorists infiltrated the Jewish state and massacred as many as 1,200 people, taking some 240 back to Gaza as hostages. 

Other world leaders have condemned Israel’s military actions in Gaza, specifically attacks on hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, pointing to the staggering death toll figures released by the Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry. Israel has said, and the White House confirmed, that Hamas uses al-Shifa Hospital, the largest in Gaza City, as a military base to store weapons and plan terrorist attacks. 

BIDEN MEETS XI, SAYS TEHRE IS ‘NO SUBSTITUTE’ FOR ‘FACE-TO-FACE DISCUSSION’ ON ISSUES FACING US, CHINA

The U.S. government has rejected calls for a ceasefire in the conflict, insisting that Israel has a right to defend itself. At the same time, the Biden administration has pressured Israel to allow short-term pauses in the fighting so humanitarian aid, including food and medical supplies, can be delivered to the Palestinians living in Gaza. 

The president acknowledged he did not know when the Israel-Hamas war would end. However, he made clear that, in his view, the only solution to the conflict is the formation of a Palestinian state.

BIDEN AGAIN CALLS XI JINPING A ‘DICTATOR’ AS CHINA VOWS TO BE ‘UNSTOPPABLE’ IN RETAKING TAIWAN

“I’m not a fortune-teller, I can’t tell you how long it’s going to last. But I can tell you, I don’t think it ultimately ends until there’s a two-state solution,” Biden said. “I made it clear to the Israelis I think it’s a big mistake for them to think they’re going to occupy Gaza and maintain Gaza. I don’t think that works.”

“And so I think you’re going to see efforts to bring along – well, I shouldn’t go into anymore, because it’s things I have been negotiating with Arab countries and others about what the next steps are,” he added.