Nebraska's Republican Gov. Jim Pillen was in intensive care at a hospital on Monday to be treated for injuries after he was thrown off a horse while riding with his family the day before.
Pillen, 68, was treated at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, where he underwent a medical procedure for an injured spleen he suffered when he was bucked off a new horse.
Doctors said Pillen's prognosis was positive despite seven rib fractures, a partially collapsed lung, a minor fracture in one of his vertebrae and a minor kidney injury that is expected to heal on its own. He is expected to remain in the hospital for at least another day, but is in stable condition.
The governor underwent a minimally invasive procedure called a prophylactic embolization for the spleen injury. Doctors passed a wire into his arteries near the spleen and inserted coils to stop the bleeding, according to Nebraska Medicine trauma surgeon Hillman Terzian.
Terzian said Pillen did well during the procedure, which he was sedated for. The operation lasted less than an hour and GOP Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly acted as governor for the time being in a routine transfer of power.
The governor did not suffer any damage to his nervous system and there were no signs of an injury to his head, neck or spinal canal, according to Terzian.
Pillen has been motivated to get out of bed and has already been walking laps, Terzian said, noting that this is "very impressive."
The doctor said being in intensive care is normal for people with a spleen injury similar to Pillen's and with rib fractures at his age. Terzian said the governor had "a very good prognosis."
"We don't expect anyone with his injuries to be up and running a marathon the next day, but we like them to be out of bed, to show us that they can pick up small objects, that sort of thing," Terzian said.
The biggest priority for Pillen's doctor right now is controlling his pain.
No other operations are planned, although physicians have options for treating his ribs, Terzian said.
Pillen has made arrangements to work from his hospital room.
The governor's office said his injuries were serious, but not life-threatening, and could have been much worse.
Pillen was elected as governor in 2022, running in the gubernatorial election that year because former Gov. Pete Ricketts, also a Republican, was term-limited.
The House Democrat who chairs the party’s campaign committee says she wants to "build on" the "things we did right" in the 2024 elections as she works to win back the chamber’s majority in the 2026 midterms.
While the party lost control of the White House and Republicans flipped the Senate majority while holding on to their fragile control of the House, Democrats were able to take a small bite out of the GOP congressional majority.
Republicans will hold a razor-thin 220-215 majority in the next Congress, which means the Democrats only need a three-seat gain in the 2026 midterms to win back the chamber for the first time in four years.
"We won in tough districts, outperformed across the country," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington state emphasized in a recent Fox News Digital interview.
DelBene, who is sticking around for a second straight tour of duty steering the party’s campaign committee, said the 2024 successes are "a good example of what we need to continue to follow heading into 2026."
"Number one, have great candidates who are independent minded, focused on the needs of their communities," DelBene said. "Those candidates and their voices were critically important in this election."
DelBene said "making sure that they [the candidates] have the resources they need to get information out to voters and to continue to address head on the issues that are most important to their communities, lowering costs, making sure there's economic opportunity" are also top priorities.
With President-elect Trump returning to the White House next month, and the GOP in control of both chambers of Congress, DelBene said Republicans are "going to be accountable for what they do in this country and the impact that has on working families"
"We're going to hold them accountable for their votes and the actions they take, especially if they aren't supporting working families," she emphasized. "I think people want to see governance work. So, if Republicans aren't willing to work in a bipartisan way to get things done, that's going to be a key part of the 2026 election as well."
The party in power traditionally takes a gut punch in the ensuing congressional election, which means the Democrats will have historical winds at their backs.
Looking to the 2026 map, DelBene touted that Democrats will have "opportunities across the country."
And she said it’s the DCCC’s job to "reach voters where they are and make sure they're getting accurate information about where our candidates stand."
Fox News' Emma Woodhead contributed to this report
As President-elect Trump begins his second term in the White House, his days as a candidate are numbered.
But even though he's term limited and his name will no longer be on the ballot, Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley says Trump will play a "significant" role in supporting GOP candidates in the 2026 midterm elections.
"President Trump is going to be a very significant part of this because at the end of the day, what we need to do is hold on to the House, hold on to the Senate so that we can finish his term and his agenda," Whatley emphasized in a recent interview with Fox News Digital at the RNC headquarters in the nation's capital.
Republicans enjoyed major victories in last month's elections, with Trump defeating Vice President Kamala Harris to win back the White House, the GOP flipping control of the Senate from the Democrats, and Republicans holding on to their razor-thin majority in the House.
Whatley argued that "as we go forward into this next election cycle, the fundamentals are going to remain the same."
"We need to make sure that we are building our state parties, that we're building our ground game, we're building our election integrity apparatus to be in place to make sure that when we get those candidates through those primaries in ‘26, that we're going to be in a position to take them all the way to the finish line," he emphasized.
But the party in power traditionally suffers setbacks in the ensuing midterm elections. And Trump, who was a magnet for voter turnout in this year's elections, won't be on the ballot in 2026.
Whatley predicted, "Donald Trump will be very active on the campaign trail for Republicans. And his agenda is the agenda that we're going to be running on."
The Harris campaign and the Democratic National Committee outraised the Trump campaign and the RNC this past cycle, but Whatley is confident that with the party soon to control the White House, Republicans will be even more competitive in the campaign cash race in the midterms.
"We're pretty excited about where we are in terms of the fundraising that we did throughout the course of this cycle and what we're going to do going forward," he said.
Whatley said his message to donors will be, "We were successful in putting Donald Trump into the White House, and we need to carry forward with his agenda by keeping these House majorities and Senate majorities."
He also pushed back on the persistent questioning of the RNC and Trump campaign's ground game efforts during the general election.
"We focused very hard on low propensity voters. This was an entirely new system that we put in place over the course of this election cycle. It worked very, very well," he touted.
And looking ahead, he said, "In a midterm election cycle, low propensity voters are going to, again, be very, very important for us. So, we're going to continue to focus on building that type of a program."
Whatley spotlighted that "we also focused on outreach to communities that the Republican Party has traditionally not reached out to – Black voters, Hispanic voters, Asian American voters. That's why we were able to see such seismic shifts toward Donald Trump versus where those blocs had been in 2016 and 2020. We also saw seismic shifts among young voters and women voters because we were talking to every single American voter. Our ground game was very significant."
Whatley was interviewed earlier this month, a week after Trump asked him to continue as RNC chair.
In March, as he clinched the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, Trump named Whatley to succeed Ronna McDaniel as RNC chair. Whatley, a longtime ally of the former president and a major supporter of Trump's election integrity efforts, had served as RNC general counsel and chair of the North Carolina Republican Party.
Donald Trump says it is "an absolute necessity" for our country to own Greenland.
He says the U.S. should take back the Panama Canal unless the "ridiculous" shipping fees are lowered.
He threatened that any Republican who opposed him on the bill to avoid a government shutdown can and should be primaried.
The president-elect is earning his reputation as a disruptor, with enough influence over what is now his party to blow up carefully negotiated bipartisan compromises. Let’s look at each of these.
Trump tried in his first term to buy Greenland, which is controlled by Denmark but under home rule. That went nowhere, though it created a diplomatic crisis with Danish officials.
While the U.S. built the Panama Canal in the early 20th century, it was turned over to Panama under a treaty approved by both countries. Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino says "every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone is Panama’s and will continue to be so. The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable."
That didn’t stop Trump from posting an AI image of an American flag flying over a waterway presumed to be the canal.
The incoming president has certainly demonstrated the ability to engineer primary challenges to those who cross him. But three dozen conservative Republicans voted against him on the government shutdown bill, including on final passage, which dropped his demand to eliminate the debt ceiling during his term. Would he really gin up primaries against all of them?
So the overwhelming likelihood is that the status of Greenland, the Panama Canal and rebellious Republicans won’t change in the second term.
The reason Trump does this is that it reinforces his role as a disruptor, someone taking on the decrepit Washington establishment, even though a president, by definition, is the new establishment.
Beyond that, whether he’s making outrageous demands or not, Trump shapes, and often dominates, the news agenda. As the 47th president has acknowledged to me, he sometimes crosses the line because he knows it will provoke a strong media reaction. As Trump sees it, even negative coverage is good coverage because the press is playing on his turf.
And sometimes these are just negotiating positions to win concessions, as with the threatened 25 percent tariffs against Canada and Mexico.
Remember, most people outside the media-political complex aren’t breathlessly following these developments. Since the government didn’t actually close down, they don’t see it as a setback for Trump that he didn’t get most of what he wanted. They probably don’t recall that he tried to buy Greenland before.
What Trump clearly has the power to do is to blow up carefully crafted bipartisan agreements. He did it after Speaker Mike Johnson–whose own future is in doubt because, like Kevin McCarthy before him, he didn’t have the votes–let the bill grow into a Christmas tree monstrosity.
And he did it during the campaign when both parties agreed on a tough border enforcement deal, which was then trashed by Trump’s objections.
But there are clearly limits to Trump’s ability to shape events, especially with the country. For three dozen Republicans to defy him on as fundamental a matter as the debt ceiling shows that he can only push his party so far.
Rep. Nancy Mace, a Trump supporter who voted against him on final passage–told me on Sunday’s Media Buzz that was because she wants to keep the debt ceiling.
But with the GOP clinging to a 1-vote House margin, for now, the cauldron of campaign rhetoric is running up against the cold, hard math of getting to the number 218.
Democrats have to wonder if it’s worth negotiating with the other party if they’re just creating a target for Trump’s demolition derby.
It was Elon Musk who first tweeted about how bad the original bill was–at Trump’s suggestion–and after 70-plus tweets (including some falsehoods), the new president was drawn into the fight.
Over the weekend, Trump denied that he had surrendered his presidential powers to his billionaire buddy, and half-mockingly said Musk could never be president:
"You know why? He wasn’t born in this country. Hahaha."
A favorite media parlor game is whether the two strong-willed men will eventually have a falling out.
For now, though, Trump’s tough talk about Greenland and the Panama Canal shows that he’s most comfortable playing offense, even if nothing much comes of it.
In other news:
--The House Ethics report says Matt Gaetz "regularly" paid women for sex, including with an underage girl, and used illegal drugs.
In 2017, the former attorney general nominee "engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl," who was also paid.
Gaetz used or had possession of such illegal drugs as cocaine and Ecstasy "on multiple occasions," and also accepted lucrative gifts, such as transportation and lodging in the Bahamas.
"Many of the women interviewed by the committee were clear that there was a general expectation of sex," with one woman telling the committee Gaetz paid her more than $5,000 and that sex was involved "99 percent of the time."
The panel said Gaetz was "uncooperative" and that he "knowingly and willfully sought to impede and obstruct the committee’s investigation of his conduct." The Justice Department investigated but brought no charges.
Gaetz also misused House resources when he had his chief of staff "assist a woman with whom he engaged in sexual activity in obtaining a passport, falsely indicating to the U.S. Department of State that she was a constituent…
"There was substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress."
If Gaetz was still in the running for AG, this would have blown him out of the water.
Says Gaetz: "I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED. Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me. Then, the very 'witnesses' DOJ deemed not-credible were assembled by House Ethics to repeat their claims absent any cross-examination or challenge from me or my attorneys. I’ve had no chance to ever confront any accusers. I’ve never been charged. I’ve never been sued." He says he even sent money to women he wasn’t dating.
--A dogged reporter the Dallas Express discovered what happened to Texas Rep. Kay Granger, who went "missing" months ago. He found her, and got on-the-record confirmation, at a nursing facility that specializes in dementia and other memory problems. She put out a statement about health challenges that utterly missed the point: How could she not tell her constituents about this? Why did she insist on hiding it? There would have been enormous sympathy for her. Instead, the congresswoman kept it all shrouded in secrecy.
--Actress Blake Lively was the target of an online smear campaign, as laid out in texts and emails that blatantly discuss planting stories to ruin her reputation, while cautioning that this must remain secret because they can’t very well admit that they are trying to "bury" her. "You know we can bury anyone."
Lively obtained these documents through legal action against her co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, and reviewed by the New York Times. She is alleging sexual harassment, saying Baldoni and others routinely came into her trailer unannounced when she was topless, such as having body makeup removed, or breast-feeding.
The Wayfarer studio said that the company and its PR people "did nothing proactive or retaliatory" against the actress, accusing her of "another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation."
Lively says Baldoni tried to add unneeded sex scenes, had improvised unwanted kissing and discussed his sex life, including instances in which he may not have gotten consent. Another member of the team showed her a video of his wife naked.
The sad thing is that this sort of thing goes on all the time. We just happened to get the goods this time, with Lively being portrayed as difficult, tone-deaf and a bully.
--The Daily Mail reported that Jeff Bezos was going marry his fiancé Lauren Sanchez this weekend in a $600 million extravaganza in Aspen.
The Amazon founder, who owns the Washington Post, says that’s a crock:
"This whole thing is completely false — none of this is happening…
"The old adage ‘don’t believe everything you read’ is even more true today than it ever has been. Now lies can get ALL the way around the world before the truth can get its pants on. So be careful out there folks and don’t be gullible."
Good for Jeff for punching back against a crappy story.
Yesterday — 23 December 2024Latest Political News on Fox News
A spokesperson for President-elect Trump lashed out on Monday against President Biden's decision to commute the death sentences of 37 inmates on federal death row, calling the move a "a slap in the face to the victims, their families, and their loved ones."
In a short statement, Steven Cheung, Trump's communications director, noted the different approaches to crime between Biden and Trump.
"These are among the worst killers in the world and this abhorrent decision by Joe Biden is a slap in the face to the victims, their families, and their loved ones," he said in a statement. "President Trump stands for the rule of law, which will return when he is back in the White House after he was elected with a massive mandate from the American people."
The White House announced that Biden was commuting the death sentences to life without the possibility of parole on Monday. Among the victims of the 37 men are law enforcement officers, children and other inmates.
"Biden’s decision is a slap in the face to the victims and to the families of the victims that thought justice was going to be served," Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., wrote on X.
Many other Republican lawmakers echoed the same reactions.
Biden believes the federal death penalty should only be imposed for acts of terrorism and hate-motivated killings, the White House said.
"When President Biden came into office, his Administration imposed a moratorium on federal executions, and his actions today will prevent the next Administration from carrying out the execution sentences that would not be handed down under current policy and practice," the White House said.
Three federal inmates whose death sentences were not commuted are Robert Bowers, who is responsible for the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, which left 11 people dead; Dylann Roof, a White supremacist who killed nine Black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015; and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who worked with his now-dead brother to perpetrate the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured hundreds.
Biden said the move would prevent the incoming Trump administration from carrying out the executions.
"In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted," he said.
The action came after Biden commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 prisoners placed in home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and pardoned 40 others, including his son, Hunter.
As of Dec. 13, Biden has pardoned a total of 65 individuals and commuted sentences for 1,634 inmates during his time as president, according to the Department of Justice.
"The President has issued more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same point in their first terms," White House officials said in a previous statement.
Trump has taken a tough stance on the death penalty, previously suggesting that drug dealers should be eligible for the ultimate punishment.
"We're going to be asking everyone who sells drugs, gets caught selling drugs, to receive the death penalty for their heinous acts," Trump said earlier this year on the campaign trial. "Because it's the only way."
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
**Please note that while we plan on publishing tomorrow, Dec. 24, the newsletter will take a short hiatus for the Christmas holiday, returning on Monday, Dec. 30.***
Here's what's happening…
-TikTok divestment could be ‘deal of the century’ for Trump, House China Committee chair says
-Trump names several new White House picks to work on AI, crypto and more: 'America First Patriots'
-Gaetz sues to block release of Ethics Committee report
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is calling out the Biden administration for spending over a trillion taxpayer dollars on "government waste" this year, including on a bearded lady cabaret show, Arabic Sesame Street, and "girl-centered climate action."
The Kentucky senator released his annual "Festivus" report that details different ways in which the current administration spent taxpayer dollars throughout the year.
The 2024 Festivus Waste Report found that the Biden-Harris administration spent over $1 trillion this year, including giving a $10,000 grant to "Beards on Ice" — an ice skating drag show on climate change put on by the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, a self-described "queer cabaret arts organization."…Read more
LOOKING BACK: Six household appliances that have taken heat from Biden's crackdown on regulations…Read more
OFF THE NAUGHTY LIST?: Biden admin lifts $10M bounty on the head of leader of Islamist group now in charge in Syria…Read more
'ACT OF COMPASSION': 'Squad' Dem applauds Biden for sparing murderers from 'racist' death penalty in 11th-hour clemency move…Read more
SEE THE VICTIMS: Biden spares federal death row inmates: Murderers targeted sailor, young girls, law enforcement…Read more
BLOWING SMOKE: How Biden's last-minute emissions target may prove short-lived when Trump takes office…Read more
'SOFT ON CRIME': Republicans hammer Biden for federal death row commutations ahead of leaving office…Read more
CANAL CLASH: Panama's president hits back at Trump idea to reclaim key canal…Read more
FALL OF ASSAD: Why 2024 was a very bad year for Iran…Read more
BUILDING SUPPORT: Top Trump aides join group prepping to shore up support for MAGA agenda during second term…Read more
'RAPID' DECLINE: Retiring GOP congresswoman's decline has been 'very rapid,' son says…Read more
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT: House report accuses Matt Gaetz of paying women for sex, using illegal drugs, accepting improper gifts…Read more
SKIRTING THE RULES: Watchdog releases report highlighting the worst ethics violations it saw from public officials in 2024…Read more
FIRED: New York Gov. Hochul orders prison staffers involved in inmate's deadly beating to be fired…Read more
LUIGI PLEADS NOT GUILTY: Ivy League suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO's killing pleads not guilty…Read more
'SHEER INSANITY': Conservative watchdog puts ‘sanctuary’ officials on notice ahead of Trump deportation push…Read more
Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Allies of Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., are urging President-elect Trump to publicly reaffirm support for the House GOP leader to avoid a messy, protracted battle that could delay the certification of his own victory.
"If we have some kind of protracted fight where we can’t elect a speaker — the speaker’s not elected; we’re not sworn in. And if we’re not sworn in, we can’t certify the election," Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital.
"I would hope that President Trump would chime in and talk to those who are maybe a little hesitant, and say, ‘We’ve got to get going. We don’t have time.’"
Meanwhile, Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital "it would be immensely helpful" if Trump chimed in.
"Any time would be great, but right after Christmas if President Trump said, ‘You know, listen’ — it would even be really cool if somehow Mike Johnson ended up at Mar-a-Lago for Christmas… wherever the president is," Fallon said. "I think it would be incredibly powerful."
House lawmakers are returning to Washington, D.C., for a chamber-wide vote to elect the speaker on Friday, Jan. 3. Just days later, on Monday, Jan. 6, the House will meet to certify the results of the 2024 election.
Johnson is facing a potentially bruising battle to win the speaker’s gavel for a full Congressional term, with several House Republicans vocally critical of the Louisiana Republican and his handling of government funding.
His predecessor went through 14 public defeats in his quest to win the gavel, finally securing it after days of negotiations with holdouts on the 15th House-wide vote.
When he was ousted, Johnson won after a three-week inter-GOP battle that saw Congress paralyzed for its duration.
But some House Republicans are now warning that they can afford few delays in what Trump himself said he hopes will be a very active first 100 days of his second term.
"To ensure President Trump can take office and hit the ground running on Jan. 20, we must be able to certify the 2024 election on Jan. 6. However, without a speaker, we cannot complete this process," Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital.
Tenney warned it could delay "the launch of his agenda."
Congress narrowly avoided a partial government shutdown hours after the Dec. 20 federal funding deadline, passing a bill to extend that deadline to March 14 while also extending several other key programs and replenishing the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund.
It angered GOP hardliners who opposed the addition of unrelated policy riders to what they believed would be a more straightforward government funding extension.
Johnson also tried and failed to heed Trump’s demand to pair action on the debt limit — which was suspended until January 2025 — with his government funding bill, after 38 House Republicans and all but two Democrats voted against it.
Fallon told Fox News Digital that it did not necessarily mean they would defy Trump if he backed Johnson again ahead of Jan. 3.
"Some of the people in the 38 — that was more of a principle thing — they really want to attack the debt," Fallon said. "They felt like just letting the debt ceiling latch for two years — they like to use that as a negotiating tool to say, 'Let's reduce the debt to GDP ratio.'"
But one of Johnson's biggest critics, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has already told reporters he is not voting for Johnson next year.
Two more, House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., and Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, suggested they were no longer committed to backing Johnson over the weekend.
Meanwhile, there have been media reports that Trump is unhappy with how Johnson handled government funding and that his demand for the debt limit was not heeded.
Trump himself has not mentioned Johnson publicly since the Friday vote. But top Trump allies, like Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, have come to Johnson’s defense.
"He’s undoubtedly the most conservative Speaker of the House we’ve had in our lifetime," Cruz said on his podcast "The Verdict." "If Mike Johnson is toppled as Speaker of the House, we will end up with a speaker of the House who is much, much more liberal than Mike Johnson."
Others have also signaled that Trump’s influence will weigh heavily on what ultimately happens.
One House Republican granted anonymity to speak freely told Fox News Digital early last week that they considered opposing Johnson but said Trump would be the final deciding factor.
"I think, ultimately, it's going to be decided who President Trump likes, because I believe that will weigh in heavily on the decision-making of that, because, currently, President Trump works very well with Mike Johnson. They have a great relationship," Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told CNN’s "State of the Union."
When asked if he would support Johnson if Trump did, despite opposing his government funding plans, Burchett said "Possibly."
Johnson will head into the Jan. 3 speaker vote with just a slim GOP margin of three votes — and is virtually unlikely to get Democratic support.
Former President Bill Clinton was admitted to a hospital Monday afternoon for testing and observation after developing a fever, a spokesperson for Clinton said.
"President Clinton was admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center this afternoon for testing and observation after developing a fever. He remains in good spirits and deeply appreciates the excellent care he is receiving," Angel Urena wrote.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
The White House is concerned that Iran’s weakened position will prompt the regime to pursue a nuclear weapon, and national security adviser Jake Sullivan is coordinating with the Trump team on this concern.
Iran has suffered a year of setbacks amid Israeli assaults on its proxy forces and a pull-out from Syria amid the takeover by Sunni Muslim forces, hostile to Iran's Shiite government.
Israeli strikes on Iranian facilities, including missile factories and air defenses, have reduced Iran’s conventional military capabilities, Sullivan told CNN on Sunday.
"What I found over the last four years is that when good things happen, like Iran being weaker than it was before, there are frequently bad things lurking around the corner," Sullivan said.
"If you’re Iran right now and you’re looking around at the fact that your conventional capability has been reduced, your proxies have been reduced, your main client state has been eliminated, Assad has fallen, it’s no wonder there are voices saying: ‘Hey, maybe we need to go for a nuclear weapon right now,'" the outgoing national security official said.
"They’re saying it publicly, in fact. They’re saying: Maybe we have to revisit our nuclear doctrine. A doctrine that has said: We’ll have a civilian nuclear program and certain capabilities, but we’re not going for a nuke," he added. "It’s a risk we’re trying to be vigilant about now."
While Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, but it has expanded uranium enrichment since the last Trump administration to 60% purity, a short step away from the 90% needed for a nuclear weapon.
Last week the United Kingdom, Germany and France publicly called on Iran to "reverse its nuclear escalation," arguing there is no "credible civilian justification" to stockpile 60% uranium.
Sullivan said there was a risk Iran would abandon its promise not to build nuclear weapons.
"It's a risk we are trying to be vigilant about now. It's a risk that I'm personally briefing the incoming team on," Sullivan said, adding that he was consulting with Israel too.
Sullivan held out hope Trump could come in and use Iran’s weakened position to get them to agree to a new nuclear deal.
"Maybe he can come around this time, with the situation Iran finds itself in, and actually deliver a nuclear deal that curbs Iran's nuclear ambitions for the long term," he said.
Trump's team is currently weighing its options to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, including preventive airstrikes.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is calling out the Biden administration for spending over a trillion taxpayer dollars on "government waste" this year, including on a bearded lady cabaret show, Arabic Sesame Street, and "girl-centered climate action."
The Kentucky senator released his annual "Festivus" report that details different ways in which the current administration spent taxpayer dollars throughout the year.
The 2024 Festivus Waste Report found that the Biden-Harris administration spent over $1 trillion this year, including giving a $10,000 grant to "Beards on Ice" — an ice skating drag show on climate change put on by the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, a self-described "queer cabaret arts organization."
Additionally, the Agency for International Development (USAID) spent $20 million on a Sesame Street spin-off show in Iraq, titled "Ahlan Simsim," in an effort to promote "inclusion" and "mutual respect."
About $1.5 was spent experimenting how different species, such as young female kittens, respond to motion sickness.
According to the report, researchers would strap kittens to a table, where they are spun around in several directions and have holes drilled into their skulls to keep them in place — "and it’s all being done with your money," Paul writes in the report. "More than one and a half million dollars of it."
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reportedly gave New York University (NYU) over $400,000 to study whether lonely rats seek cocaine more than rats who are in positive environments, while the Department of the Interior (DOI) allocated $12 million to fund a pickleball complex in Las Vegas, according to the report.
"Now, did the government really need to spend nearly half a million dollars to verify that social isolation and starvation may lead to increased drug usage? One thing is for sure, we must end this rat-wheel of waste!" Paul wrote in the report.
The State Department spent $3 million on "Girl-Centered Climate Action" in Brazil, a program reportedly designed to "empower young women to become climate leaders by integrating equity and inclusivity into environmental activism," the report writes, citing the grant details.
"As the average American taxpayers struggle to pay rent, their hard-earned dollars are ironically funneled into more real estate," the report read, referring to the Biden struggles spending $10B on maintaining and furnishing buildings that were almost entirely empty.
The Department of Energy (DOE) gave automakers $15.5 billion to push the industry into the electric vehicle (EV) sector, while another $388,000 was given to "Magic in the United States," a podcast discussing how magical beliefs and practices have evolved in the U.S.
The senator also mentioned the Biden administration giving $2.1 million to fund Paraguay's border: "Nothing says "America First" like securing someone else’s border," Paul wrote.
EXCLUSIVE: Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is charging that overseas conflicts escalated under the Biden administration.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken testified before the committee in December after a report on the administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan, where he was pressed to "take responsibility" for the widespread conflicts that erupted across the globe following the deadly event.
Speaking with Fox News Digital on Monday, Lawler delved into the report that claimed the Biden administration "has left the world in a worse off place than it inherited it" — beginning with the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"The report on the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan is his legacy and that of the Biden administration, because in my estimation, it's set about a series of events around the globe that have left us in the most precarious place since World War Two, starting with that disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan that resulted in the death of 13 U.S. service members," Lawler told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.
The congressman detailed several tragic events under the Biden administration that followed the Afghanistan withdrawal, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel, threats in the Indo-Pacific from China, and the "illicit" oil trade between China and Iran that Lawler says is "funding terrorism."
"This administration has left the world in a worse off place than it inherited it. And that, in my view, is the legacy of the Biden-Harris administration and that of Secretary Blinken," the New York Republican said.
Lawler added that while national security has appeared in the most "precarious" position since WW2, foreign policy will soon look different under the incoming Trump administration.
"I think President Trump obviously had four years in which there was greater peace and prosperity around the globe. And the difference between Biden and Trump is that Biden is unable to stop conflicts. Trump is willing to act," Lawler told Fox. "When you are strong, when your adversaries acknowledge and understand that you are willing to act and strike. They think twice about it."
Lawler also said that he thinks "President Trump will be a very strong leader when it comes to foreign policy, when it comes to bringing these conflicts to an end."
Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., will serve as chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee next Congress, where Lawler says there will be "a lot of the focus is going to be on reauthorizing the State Department operations," such as how the agency programs operate and how its funds are used.
"I think, obviously, with President Trump coming in, the foreign policy of the United States is going to change," Lawler said of the incoming administration. "It is going to be much stronger, much more unforgiving on our adversaries. And certainly seek to bring these conflicts to an end."
After the White House announced President Joe Biden's decision to commute the sentences of nearly all the inmates on federal death row, Republicans slammed him for being "soft-on-crime."
"Joe Biden is an addled, corrupt, and demented failure. The White House has become a memory care facility as Biden is led around by his corrupt kids and his Marxist staffers. That's why 37 depraved murderers have clemency," wrote Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on X.
Cotton is the incoming chairman of both the Senate GOP conference and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
House Majority whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital in a statement, "Unfortunately, this is not surprising given that the Biden-Harris administration has let murderers and rapists come in through our southern border for the last four years. Joe Biden’s soft-on-crime record is exactly why voters fired him and reelected President Trump on November 5."
"The President’s decision today provides accountability with a term of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and ensures that these individuals never again pose a threat to public safety, but without implicating the myriad issues associated with capital punishment. I have long advocated for the abolition of the federal death penalty and commend President Biden for this act of justice and mercy and for his leadership," said Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., in a statement.
In her own statement, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said, "This is a historic day in America. We thank President Biden for this extraordinary act to spare the 37 individuals facing the death penalty, a discriminatory and fundamentally inhumane punishment. This is a powerful use of executive action to save lives and deliver justice."
She had previously encouraged the administration to take such action.
Biden's death penalty commutations came after he already rolled out commutations for roughly 1,500 people's sentences in the largest single-day act of clemency.
FIRST ON FOX: A conservative legal group is putting "sanctuary" jurisdictions across the U.S. on notice ahead of an expected mass deportation by the incoming Trump administration.
America First Legal says it has notified nearly 250 officials in jurisdictions which limit or forbid local law enforcement cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that there could be legal consequences for interfering with the feds or for concealing illegal immigrants.
President-elect Trump has promised to launch a "historic" deportation campaign when in office, and his transition team has already been making concrete steps toward that goal. America First Legal’s president is Stephen Miller, who will serve as deputy chief of staff for policy in the Trump White House.
But a number of Democratic officials in states including in Arizona, Colorado, California and Massachusetts have said they will not cooperate with the operation. Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, has hinted there could be legal consequences for those who get in the way of the operation.
Proponents of sanctuary policies argue that local jurisdictions cannot be compelled to assist the government, and that barring ICE cooperation encourages otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants to work with police and report crimes, making the area safer. Opponents say that policies result in the release of otherwise-deportable criminals back onto the streets.
AFL’s notice letter to the 249 officials says that the federal government has ultimate authority over immigration, and points to clauses in federal law that prohibit state and local governments from restricting communications with DHS about immigration status, and that make concealing, harboring or shielding an illegal immigrant a federal crime.
The group argues that sanctuary policies can therefore lead to criminal liability, and that victims of illegal immigrant crime may be able to sue for damages.
"We have identified your jurisdiction as a sanctuary jurisdiction that is violating federal law. Such lawlessness subjects you and your subordinates to significant risk of criminal and civil liability. Accordingly, we are sending this letter to put you on notice of this risk and insist that you comply with our nation’s laws," the letter says.
The group is also launching a new website that gives users a map of "sanctuary strongholds," identifying jurisdictions with sanctuary policies and giving contact information for elected officials.
The group also announced that it has also filed a petition with the DOJ’s Office of Violence Against Women to seek data on citizenship status and nationality information against those charged with a slew of crimes against women and children, including domestic violence, murder and child maltreatment. In addition, it is filing requests to officials, including mayors and governors, across the U.S. for information on organizations it believes are undermining federal immigration enforcement.
In a statement, America First Legal's Senior Vice President Reed D. Rubenstein pointed to the recent arrest of an illegal immigrant in New York City in connection with the death of a woman who was set on fire and burned to death as "another reminder that open borders and sanctuary jurisdictions are sheer insanity."
"The left-wing politicians who create and run them, and those who support them, put our citizens at risk, undermine our Constitution, and dangerously erode the rule of law. America First Legal will continue working tirelessly to protect our immigration laws and support the brave men and women who enforce them. Today’s actions are but a first step in our fight against sanctuary lawlessness," Rubenstein said.
The new announcements shine a spotlight on what could be a fierce fight between the Trump administration, and its allies, and Democrats and left-wing activists over the deportation push and the extent to which it can be resisted at state and local level.
Some have doubled down on their opposition, with the Boston City Council recently voting to limit ICE cooperation and to ban police from keeping migrants in custody for possible deportation unless there is a criminal warrant.
The resolution adopted by the council states that "proposals for mass deportations represent a direct attack on Boston’s immigrant families, and threaten to tear communities apart."
Some Democratic officials, however, have indicated their willingness to work with the incoming administration. Homan met with New York City Mayor Eric Adams last week to discuss areas of potential cooperation, including the deportation of violent illegal immigrant criminals. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker also said he wanted to see "violent criminals who are undocumented and convicted of violent crime" deported, and said he would welcome a meeting with Homan.
Fox News reported this month on new data provided to Congress that showed there are 1.4 million noncitizens who have deportation orders but are not currently in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention.
FIRST ON FOX: Two top aides to President-elect Donald Trump are joining a key outside group ahead of his second term, as the organization preps to garner public support for his MAGA agenda.
One of Trump's campaign managers in the 2024 election, Chris LaCivita, along with his campaign's chief pollster Tony Fabrizio are joining 501c4 Building America’s Future (BAF) as senior advisers.
"We are pleased to be joining BAF who in the 2024 cycle was a valuable and key ally in promoting President Trump’s agenda and his candidacy," LaCivita and Fabrizio said in a statement. "We look forward to helping guide BAF and their efforts to promote President Trump’s America First agenda so their efforts compliment and augment the President’s team’s efforts."
The two will provide strategic counsel to the group as it looks to energize support for Trump's policy proposals during his presidency.
BAF, which was founded by Phil Cox and Generra Peck in 2018, led a $45 million effort during the election to support Trump and his campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris. The group has already signaled its intention to continue promoting Trump and his administration past the election, debuting an ad campaign in support of Pete Hegseth, Trump's choice to lead the Department of Defense.
The group will take an active role, energizing the public in support of Trump's policy priorities as he enters his second term.
This comes as Republicans prepare to use the budget reconciliation process to pass key Trump items such as his economic and tax agenda as well as some elements of border security. By using this process, Republicans only need a simple majority in the Senate, rather than 60 votes to beat the legislative filibuster.
However, nearly all Republicans will need to be on board, as the party only has 53 seats in the new Senate.
By ramping up public support for Trump's priorities, Republicans may feel some pressure to get behind certain items.
Other legislation is still expected to face an uphill battle due to the filibuster, but BAF's work to build public support for Trump's agenda could also pressure Democrats to join their Republican counterparts, particularly those who are up for re-election in 2026 in red or purple states.
Trump's other co-campaign manager, Susie Wiles, was named as his White House chief of staff pick shortly after he was elected.
The inmates on federal death row whose lives were spared by President Biden after he commuted their sentences have killed victims across all facets of American society, ranging from a sailor to children as young as 8 years old.
Biden announced Monday that he commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 inmates on federal death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole because he is "more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level."
"Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss," Biden added. "In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted."
Among those who have been spared are Jorge Avila-Torrez, a Marine veteran found guilty of killing Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Amanda Snell inside of her barracks in Arlington, Virginia, in July 2009.
Federal prosecutors said Avila-Torrez confessed to an inmate that he "entered Snell’s room through her unlocked door, jumped on her as she slept in her bed, bound her wrists with the power cord from her laptop computer and strangled her with the rest of the cord."
Then years later, Avila-Torrez pleaded guilty to stabbing 8-year-old Laura Hobbs and 9-year-old Krystal Tobias to death on Mother’s Day 2005 in Zion, Illinois, and was told by a judge that he was a "serial killer," according to The Associated Press.
Another inmate spared by Biden is Daryl Lawrence, who was convicted of killing Columbus Police Officer Bryan Hurst in 2005.
The Justice Department, which posthumously awarded Hurst the Medal of Valor, said he was working uniformed special duty at a bank when a masked gunman entered and the two exchanged fire.
"In spite of receiving a mortal wound, Hurst maneuvered around the counter and fired at the suspect before he collapsed. Authorities apprehended the gunman several days later when he sought medical attention at a hospital in Washington, D.C.," it added. "Officer Hurst's quick action, exceptional courage, and persistence protected the lives of the many people at the bank."
Thomas Sanders also will no longer face the federal death penalty despite being found guilty for the "brutal kidnapping and murder" of 12-year-old Lexis Roberts in 2010.
In that case, prosecutors said Sanders was dating Roberts’ mother Suellen Roberts, whom he fatally shot in the head near Interstate 40 in Arizona during a trip to a wildlife park near the Grand Canyon over Labor Day weekend. He then forced Lexis into a vehicle and held her captive as he traveled east.
"Sanders drove several days across the country before he murdered Lexis Roberts in a wooded area in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana," the Justice Department said. "Evidence at trial established that Sanders shot Lexis Roberts four times, cut her throat, and left her body in the woods where a hunter found her body on October 8, 2010."
Other inmates who were once on federal death row include Alejandro Umana, an MS-13 gang member who fatally shot brothers Ruben and Manuel Garcia Salinas at a restaurant in Greensboro, North Carolina, in December 2007 "after they ‘disrespected’ his gang signs by calling them ‘fake,’" according to federal prosecutors.
Amnesty International USA, a supporter of Biden’s decision, said Monday that the "death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment" and Biden’s move is "a big moment for human rights."
"With a stroke of his pen, the President locks in his legacy as a leader who stands for racial justice, humanity, and morality," added Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. "This will undoubtedly be one of the seminal achievements of the Biden presidency."
President Biden is increasing the United States' emissions reduction goal for the next decade, but the green energy push could be hindered by the incoming administration under President-elect Trump.
In 2021, Biden set a climate target for the U.S. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50-52% from 2005 levels by 2030.
However, under the Paris climate agreement, which the U.S. is currently enrolled in, each country is required to submit their contribution to reducing global emissions every five years under the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).
In his final contribution to the global climate change agreement under the NDC, Biden on Thursday set a new goal to reduce even more emissions within the next decade – but Trump has suggested initiating a potential withdrawal from the global climate treaty.
During his campaign, Trump told Politico that he would be in favor of withdrawing from the treaty when he assumes office, which could impact the new climate goal.
The Paris climate agreement was established at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in 2015 as a legally binding treaty among nearly 195 parties committed to international cooperation on climate change.
The U.S. first entered into the agreement under former President Barack Obama in 2016, but was withdrawn under Trump in 2020.
If Trump chooses to withdraw from the agreement a second time, it could occur at a faster pace than the first.
Trump also has the option to submit the treaty to the Senate for advice and consent, which would require a two-thirds vote for the U.S. to rejoin the climate agreement – creating a potential hurdle for future administrations seeking to reenter the accord.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., allegedly paid multiple women for sex, including a 17-year-old high school girl, and used illicit drugs like cocaine and ecstasy, according to a House Ethics Committee report.
The 37-page report released Monday morning concluded that Gaetz violated multiple Florida state laws related to sexual misconduct while in office.
"The Committee concluded there was substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress," the report states.
Gaetz has consistently denied any accusations of wrongdoing, and an earlier federal investigation into the allegations ended without charges against him. Earlier Monday, Gaetz filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block the release of the report.
The committee's report stated that Gaetz "continuously sought to deflect, deter, or mislead the Committee in order to prevent his actions from being exposed."
The report alleges that despite Gaetz’s denials, he made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women "likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use" from 2017 to 2020.
In one alleged sexual encounter, Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old minor at a summer 2017 party, according to the committee’s report. The report concluded that the act violated Florida’s statutory rape law even though the girl, identified in the report as "Victim A," said she never told Gaetz her age.
"The Committee received testimony that Victim A and Representative Gaetz had sex twice during the party, including at least once in the presence of other party attendees," the draft report alleged.
The 17-year-old girl claimed to have received $400 in cash from Gaetz, "which she understood to be payment for sex," according to the report. She said she was under the influence of ectasy at the time of the sexual encounter, while alleging that she saw Gaetz use cocaine.
The committee’s report stated that it did not receive any evidence indicating Gaetz was aware the girl was a minor when he allegedly had sex with her.
The report also alleges Gaetz refused to comply with a subpoena demanding an interview and "intentionally withheld information" about a trip to the Bahamas with women.
The committee said it obtained text messages Gaetz allegedly sent to women, asking them to bring drugs "to their rendezvous," referring to drugs as "party favors," "rolls" or "vitamins."
In interviews with the committee, witnesses said they observed Gaetz using marijuana, the report states.
The House Ethics Committee's multi-year investigation into Gaetz, involving allegations of sex with a minor and illicit drug use, came to an abrupt halt last month after he resigned from Congress hours after President-elect Trump tapped him to be his attorney general.
Gaetz later dropped out of consideration for the post amid quiet but steady GOP opposition.
The House Ethics Committee lost its jurisdiction to continue its investigation into the accusations against Gaetz after his resignation from Congress. While the committee "has typically not released its findings after losing jurisdiction in a matter," as noted in the report, a majority of committee members determined that the findings should be released as they were in the public interest.
Gaetz had filed a lawsuit on Monday in an attempt to block the release of the committee's report.
The Biden administration has lifted a $10 million bounty on the head of Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of the group that overthrew Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
In exchange, al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, agreed to a U.S. demand not to allow terrorism groups in Syria to threaten the U.S. or Syria’s neighbors.
"We had a good, thoroughgoing discussion on a range of regional issues," Barbara Leaf, the U.S.’s top envoy to the Middle East, told reporters of her Friday meeting with al-Sharaa.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) drove Assad out of Damascus earlier this month. While other rebel factions remain throughout the country, HTS has amassed control over much of Syria.
HTS was founded as an offshoot of al Qaeda but broke away from the group in 2016. It evolved from the Nusrah Front, which was designated as a terrorist group in 2012, and in 2018 the U.S. added HTS’ terrorism designation.
"It was a policy decision… aligned with the fact that we are beginning a discussion with HTS," Leaf explained.
"So if I’m sitting with the HTS leader and having a lengthy detailed discussion about the interests of the US, interests of Syria, maybe interests of the region, it's suffice to say a little incoherent then to have a bounty on the guy’s head."
The group has been trying to shake its extremist reputation and the designation, with al-Sharaa claiming he does not want Syria to become the next Afghanistan and he believes in education for women.
"We've had universities in Idlib for more than eight years," Sharaa told BBC, referring to Syria's northwestern province that HTS has held since 2011.
"I think the percentage of women in universities is more than 60%."
"He came across as pragmatic," Leaf said. "It was a good first meeting. We will judge by deeds, not just by words."
U.S. officials have visited Syria to push for a pragmatic government and to find information on the whereabouts of detained U.S. journalist Austin Tice.
The U.S. has had a mixed relationship with HTS due to its militant Islamist roots.
Al-Sharaa has said HTS is not a terrorist group because it does not target civilians or civilian areas, and they consider themselves to be the victims of the crime of Assad's regime.
The U.S. has launched an aggressive campaign of airstrikes in northeastern Syria to take out ISIS militants, fearing a resurgence amid the upheaval in Syria which could lead to the release of more than 8,000 IS prisoners, "a significant security concern," according to the Pentagon.
The Pentagon revealed on Thursday that the U.S. doubled the number of its forces from 900 to roughly 2,000 to fight IS before Assad’s fall.
A leading progressive House Democrat is commending President Biden's sweeping commutation order for people on the federal death row, calling the death penalty itself "racist."
"The President’s decision to commute the death sentences of 37 individuals on federal death row is a historic and groundbreaking act of compassion that will save lives, address the deep racial disparities in our criminal legal system, and send a powerful message about redemption, decency, and humanity," Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said in a statement on Monday.
"The death penalty is a racist, flawed, and fundamentally unjust punishment that has no place in any society."
Pressley argued the death penalty has overwhelmingly targeted Black and Brown communities "and failed to make America any safer."
The Massachusetts lawmaker, a member of the hardline-left group of House Democrats dubbed the "Squad," has been on the forefront of the progressive push to abolish the death penalty.
Biden's clemency order affects nearly everyone on the federal death row in the United States.
Just three of 40 inmates remain – Dylann Roof, who murdered nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina in 2015; Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was found guilty for carrying out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing; and Robert Bowers, who killed 11 worshipers at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue in 2018.
Among those whose sentences were commuted to life imprisonment are Thomas Sanders, who kidnapped and killed a 12-year-old girl; Jorge Avila-Torrez, who sexually assaulted and stabbed two young girls to death and strangled a 20-year-old female Naval officer four years later; and Anthony Battle, who murdered an Atlanta prison guard with a hammer 30 years ago.
Democrats had been mounting pressure on Biden to use his clemency powers after the controversial and broad pardon he granted to his son, Hunter Biden, just weeks before he was expected to be sentenced on federal gun charges.
Biden heeded that pressure earlier this month when he commuted the sentences of roughly 1,500 Americans in the largest such single-day order.
It comes as President-elect Trump has touted plans for months to expand the death penalty to drug traffickers, child rapists and illegal immigrants who kill U.S. citizens.
At the tail end of his first term, Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) performed the first federal executions in 20 years, carrying out sentences for 13 federal prisoners on death row.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., a top Trump ally, blasted Biden for his order on Monday.
"Once again, Democrats side with depraved criminals over their victims, public order, and common decency," Cotton wrote on X.
"Democrats can’t even defend Biden’s outrageous decision as some kind of principled, across-the-board opposition to the death penalty since he didn’t commute the three most politically toxic cases. Democrats are the party of politically convenient justice."
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., filed a lawsuit Monday in an attempt to block the release of a House Ethics Committee report on his alleged behavior.
In a complaint filed in federal district court in Washington, D.C., the Republican's attorneys maintain Gaetz's innocence, say that the conduct detailed in the report is untrue, and claim the committee does not have jurisdiction over him because he is no longer in office.
The House Ethics Committee's multi-year investigation into Gaetz, involving allegations of sex with a minor and illicit drug use, came to an abrupt halt last month after he resigned from Congress hours after President-elect Trump tapped him to be his attorney general. Gaetz later withdrew his nomination.
The House Ethics Committee then released the report on Monday.
"The anticipated statements and release of information by Defendants is expected to include reference and make conclusions that Plaintiff engaged in conduct amounting to 'misconduct' or was otherwise unethical," the complaint says. "The anticipated statements and information is false, factually incorrect, and untrue because Plaintiff did not violate any criminal code or other standard of ethics within the jurisdiction of Defendants."
"Once released, the damage to Plaintiff's reputation and professional standing would be immediate, severe and irreversible, particularly because: a. The Committee's findings would carry the imprimatur of official Congressional action; b. Media coverage would be immediate and widespread; c. The allegations would permanently remain in the public record; d. No adequate remedy exists to retract or correct information once released," it adds.
The filing says, "After Plaintiff’s resignation from Congress, Defendants improperly continued to act on its investigation, and apparently voted to publicly release reports and/or investigative materials related to Plaintiff without proper notice or disclosure to Plaintiff."
"The Committee's apparent intention to release its report after explicitly acknowledging it lacks jurisdiction over former members, its failure to follow constitutional notions of due process, and failure to adhere to its own procedural rules and precedent represents an unprecedented overreach that threatens fundamental constitutional rights and established procedural protections," it also states.
Last week, after the committee voted to release the report, Gaetz wrote on X, "I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED."
"Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me. Then, the very ‘witnesses’ DOJ deemed not-credible were assembled by House Ethics to repeat their claims absent any cross-examination or challenge from me or my attorneys. I’ve had no chance to ever confront any accusers. I’ve never been charged. I’ve never been sued," Gaetz said.
"In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated – even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18," he continued. "Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court – which is why no such claim was ever made in court."
"My 30’s were an era of working very hard – and playing hard too. It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life," Gaetz concluded. "I live a different life now."
The House Ethics Committee did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment by Fox News Digital.
Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
