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Biden-Harris admin rolls out another $4.28 billion in student loan handouts

The Biden administration announced another $4.28 billion in student loan handouts as President Biden and Vice President Harris prepare to leave the White House.

The massive loan handout will give 54,900 public workers loan forgiveness.

"Four years ago, the Biden-Harris Administration made a pledge to America’s teachers, service members, nurses, first responders, and other public servants that we would fix the broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and I’m proud to say that we delivered," Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a release on Friday.

The action brings the total loan forgiveness approved by Biden to nearly $180 billion for nearly 5 million borrowers.

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"With the approval of another $4.28 billion in loan forgiveness for nearly 55,000 public servants, the Administration has secured nearly $180 billion in life-changing student debt relief for nearly five million borrowers," Cardona said. "The U.S. Department of Education’s successful transformation of the PSLF Program is a testament to what’s possible when you have leaders, like President Biden and Vice President Harris, who are relentlessly and unapologetically focused on making government deliver for everyday working people."

The Biden-Harris administration touted the program for creating an "incentive" for public servants to "pursue and remain" in their careers by forgiving borrowers' remaining balance after they made the 120 qualifying monthly payments.

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"The relief announced today includes both borrowers who have benefitted from the Administration’s limited PSLF waiver, a temporary opportunity that ended in October 2022, as well as from regulatory improvements made to the program during this Administration," the release said.

During his 2020 presidential campaign, Biden pledged to forgive student loans for millions of Americans if elected, but the president has faced continuous legal roadblocks in his attempt to eliminate hundreds of billions of dollars in debt.

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After the Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration's first attempt at providing broad-based student loan forgiveness, ruling it was an overreach of the executive branch's authority under the Constitution, the president and his team began to work on other options to provide handouts.

President-elect Trump has not said specifically how he will approach the Biden administration's student loan handout plans, but he has said he plans to rework the entire education system during his term.

Fox News Digital's Audrie Spady contributed to this report.

Electoral College vote moves Trump another step toward officially becoming president

CONCORD, N.H. – Presidential electors are gathering at state capitals across the country on Tuesday to cast their electoral votes in the 2024 election, a key step in formalizing President-elect Trump’s White House victory last month over Vice President Kamala Harris.

At the New Hampshire Statehouse, the state’s four electors cast ballots on behalf of Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, in a largely ceremonial vote. 

Harris edged Trump by roughly three percentage points to carry New Hampshire, the only swing state in New England.

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"This is the formal vote for President and Vice President of the United States," New Hampshire Secretary of State Dave Scanlan, who presided over the procedure, said. "Every state in the country right now is going through this process."

New Hampshire was one of four states, along with Indiana, Tennessee and Vermont, to lead off Tuesday's Electoral College voting.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS RESULTS FROM THE 2024 ELECTIONS

When Americans cast their ballots in a White House election, they’re technically voting for state electors committed to supporting their choice for president and vice president. The electors are expected to vote in accordance with the outcome of the popular vote in their state. 

The electoral votes from the states will be certified on Jan. 6 during a joint session of Congress. And Trump will be inaugurated as president two weeks later, on Jan. 20.

The political parties in each state choose their slate of electors ahead of the general election. 

Trump convincingly won the presidential election, winning the popular vote for the first time in three tries, and carrying all seven of the crucial battleground states that were heavily contested. 

The former and future president ended up winning the electoral vote, 312 to 226, over Harris.

Top Harris aide hypes radical activist who said 'America deserved 9/11' while plotting future for Dems

A top aide on Vice President Harris' failed presidential campaign recently called for more cultural voices like the vocal anti-America and anti-Israel Twitch star, Hasan Piker, who previously faced backlash for saying that "America deserved 9/11."

Harris' former deputy campaign manager, Rob Flaherty, said during a recent interview that Democrats are "losing hold of culture" and laid out a strategy for them to develop a "whole thriving system" ahead of future elections.

"We need a whole thriving ecosystem," Flaherty told Semafor. "It’s not just Pod Save America, though I think we should have more of them. It’s not just Hasan Piker. We should have more Hasan Pikers. It’s also the cultural creators, the folks who are one rung out who influence the nonpartisan audience. Those things all need to happen together."

"The reality is it’s not going to be big media organizations. It’s going to be a network and a constellation of individual personalities, because that’s how people get their information now," he added.

KAMALA HARRIS AIDE ADMITS DEMOCRATS 'LOSING HOLD OF CULTURE' AS INFLUENCER MEDIA SHIFTS RIGHT

Flaherty, who previously served as the director of digital strategy for the Biden White House, is likely to face backlash for calling for "more Hasan Pikers" due to Piker's past controversial comments. Piker, who previously raised more than $1 million for Palestinian aid, has used his platform with millions of followers to downplay and justify terrorist attacks such as Oct. 7 and 9/11 as acts of resistance in recent years.

During a 2019 livestream, Piker praised the "brave f---ing soldier" who wounded conservative U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, while he was deployed to Afghanistan as a Navy SEAL, asking, "Didn't he go to war and, like, literally lose his eye because some mujahideen, a brave f---ing soldier, f---ed his eyehole with their d---?"

He went on to say that "America deserved 9/11, I’m saying it," before later walking it back and saying it was "inappropriate." However, in another stream this year, Piker joked about 9/11 again, saying, "Oh my god, 9/11 2 is going to be so sick" and "give Saudi Arabia a nuke so they can do 9/11 2."

In another stream, Piker broadcast propaganda from the Houthis, an Iranian-backed group in Yemen that has been designated by the U.S. as a terrorist group. Instead of explicitly addressing the materials as questionable propaganda, the streamer instead expressed sympathy and admiration for the group.

"They do musicals about, like, their f---ing actions all the time," Piker said of the terrorist propaganda. "They love walking over like the American flag and the Israeli flag, side by side."

"They do not care about the heavy missiles … they will literally take the war to them no matter what. … For them, it's an act of resistance. You know what I mean?" he added.

"It doesn't matter if f---ing rapes happened on Oct. 7," Piker said in a May 22 stream. "It doesn't change the dynamic [of Palestinians and Israelis] for me."

FOX NEWS ‘ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED’ NEWSLETTER: TRUMP'S WARNING TO HAMAS GIVES HOSTAGES' FAMILIES NEW HOPE

During an April 18 stream, Piker also expressed that Hamas was the "lesser evil" next to the Israeli military.

While Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and others have been on Piker's platform, Dem Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York wrote a letter this year to top executives at Twitch and Amazon expressing "alarm about the amplification of antisemitism on Twitch at the hands of Hasan Piker" and said Piker has "emerged as the poster child for the post-October 7th outbreak of antisemitism in America."

"Outside the context of October 7th, Mr. Piker has even joked and mused about men date-raping women on a college campus and has posted an image of a handgun on top of a United States Senator in what appears to be open invitation to gun violence against a sitting elected official," Torres said. "Inviting one’s followers to shoot an elected official, whether it be done in earnest or in jest, is the kind of threat that warrants serious attention from federal law enforcement."

Piker’s Twitch streams regularly hit more than a million views and often have as many as 30,000 viewers at a given time.  

Fox News Digital reached out to Flaherty for comment but did not receive a response.

Fox News' Andrea Margolis contributed reporting.

Harris tells DNC staffers after devastating layoffs, 'our spirit will not be defeated'

Vice President Kamala Harris tried to encourage Democratic staffers facing layoffs from the DNC on Sunday, telling them that their "spirit will not be defeated."

Harris made the comments during the DNC's holiday celebration in Washington, D.C., on Sunday. She spoke alongside President Biden and first lady Jill Biden at the event, which played host to staffers who were let go from the DNC without severance packages after the election.

"This holiday season, like any time of the year, let us really be conscious of all the blessings we have. Let us celebrate the blessings we have; let us celebrate and advance the blessings we have yet to create," Harris said. "And let us always remember our country is worth fighting for, and our spirit will not be defeated."

"And hear me when I say this, that spirit that fuels the countless hours and days and months of work that you have put into this, that spirit. It can never be defeated. Our spirit is not defeated. We are not defeated. Let's be clear about that. We are strong. We are clear about why we are in this. And because you're here right now. I say again, thank you. Because not only are you clear about all of that, you're willing to put in the hard work and that work must continue," she said.

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Biden took the stage after Harris and defended the pair's legacy as they prepare to leave office. He argued that the country is in a "resoundingly" better position today than when he and Harris entered the White House.

"The one thing I've always believed about public service, and especially about the presidency, is the importance of asking yourself, have we left the country in better shape than we found it? Today, I can say with every fiber of my being, of all my heart, the answer to that question is a resounding yes," he said.

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He went on to encourage staffers to "stay engaged" in the years ahead.

"You're not going anywhere, kid," Biden said of Harris. "Because we're not gonna let you."

Some DNC staffers had expressed frustration at the post-election layoffs, which are relatively common in Washington, D.C. The DNC union objected to the lack of severance packages and other benefits when the layoffs were announced in late November.

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"We find it very cruel that DNC management is trying to claim that layoffs are just part of the job," a DNC union member told Mother Jones. "And we feel strongly that losing an election has not absolved the organization of its responsibility to treat its workers with basic dignity."

DNC Chair Jaime Harrison does not plan to seek re-election to his post, leaving a pool of would-be leaders to vie for the top position.

The next chair will be chosen by the roughly 450 voting members of the national party committee when they meet at the beginning of February at National Harbor in Maryland for the DNC's winter meeting.

The list of candidates seeking to replace Harrison includes Martin O'Malley, the former two-term Maryland governor, Ben Wikler, who has led the Democratic Party in Wisconsin for five years, and Minnesota Democrats chair Ken Martin.

Donald Trump says this is the reason he won last month's presidential election

President-elect Trump says his White House victory last month comes down to two things.

"I won on the border, and I won on groceries," the president-elect said in an interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press."

Trump then drilled down on the high grocery prices that millions of Americans are paying as a key reason for his convincing White House victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.

FOX NEWS VOTER ANALYSIS: HERE'S HOW TRUMP WON THE WHITE HOUSE

"Very simple word, groceries. Like almost – you know, who uses the word? I started using the word – the groceries. When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a short period of time, and I won an election based on that," Trump emphasized in his interview, which was recorded on Friday and broadcast on Sunday.

AMERICANS WANT TO SEE TRUMP BRING DOWN HIGH PRICES

While inflation has eased significantly since its peak in 2022, grocery prices remain substantially higher than they did before the COVID pandemic swept the globe nearly five years ago.

According to the most recent Consumer Price Index inflation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans are dishing out 22% more for groceries in comparison to what they paid when President Biden took office nearly four years ago.

And voters' frustrations over high grocery prices, as well as other impacts from inflation, benefited Trump as he ran to win back the White House.

Voters said the economy was far and away the top issue facing the country, followed distantly by immigration and abortion, according to the Fox News Voter Analysis of the 2024 election.

And 40% said inflation was the single most important factor in their vote, and they backed Trump by almost two-to-one, according to the Fox News Voter Analysis, which was a survey of more than 110,000 voters and 18,000 nonvoters nationwide. An AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 registered voters, had similar findings.

On the presidential campaign trail, Trump railed against the Biden/Harris economy and promised to bring down prices.

 "Grocery prices have skyrocketed," Trump said during an August news conference, as he stood by tables stocked with packaged foods.

"When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one," he vowed.

And in his interview on "Meet the Press," Trump pledged that "we’re going to bring those prices way down."

But Trump, in the interview, reiterated that he would follow through on his campaign vow to levy large tariffs on imports from the nation's major trading partners.

During the presidential campaign, Harris argued that Trump's across-the-board tariffs, if implemented, would increase prices on many goods and amounted to a "a sales tax on the American people."

Tariffs are taxes that governments place on goods being imported or exported. They can raise the cost of imported products, making local products more attractive to buy.

Asked in his latest interview if he could guarantee that his tariffs wouldn't force Americans to pay more for items, Trump answered, "I can’t guarantee anything."

Former ESPN star Adrian Wojnarowski eyed by Harris campaign to announce Tim Walz VP pick: report

Former ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski was the best in the business, and that’s supposedly why the Harris campaign picked the ESPN insider to break the news of Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. 

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, senior writer Chris Mannix reported the Harris campaign had reached out to the beloved NBA insider in August to break the news that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz would be added to the Democratic ticket alongside Harris. 

"Consider: In August, representatives from Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign reached out. They had settled on their nominee for vice president and wanted Woj to break it. Alas, another outlet scooped him before he could," Mannix wrote. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

It wasn’t clear which outlet first broke the news, but just a month later, Wojnarowski announced his exit from the network. 

EX-ESPN STAR ADRIAN WOJNAROWSKI REVEALS CANCER BATTLE

Representatives from the Harris campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Wojnarowski announced in Thursday’s interview that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer before he decided to leave ESPN to take a job at St. Bonaventure.

"When you hear cancer, you think about it going through your body like Pac-Man," Wojnarowski said. "Prostate cancer, it generally stays confined to your prostate and is typically slow growing."

While his diagnosis did not force his retirement from ESPN, it did open his eyes. 

"It made me remember that the job isn’t everything. In the end, it’s just going to be your family and close friends. And it’s also, like, nobody gives a s---. Nobody remembers [breaking stories] in the end. It’s just vapor."

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report. 

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ESPN star Stephen A Smith tells Democrats to 'shut up' after election failure, spending scandal

ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith had a simple message for Democrats following the party’s defeat on Election Day to President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

Smith said on the latest episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show" on Monday that Democrats were in the driver’s seat after Trump blew the moment in the weeks after an assassination attempt, but they failed to capitalize.

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"It wasn’t just about him winning," Smith said of Trump. "Y’all lost big time because people were calling y’all hypocrites, and they were calling y’all full of it, and they were saying y’all can’t be trusted any more than you say he can’t be trusted. Then, you go out and you prove them right. You’ve got nothing. 

"If you’re the Democratic Party, here’s my advice to you – shut up. Wait for him to get pushed into office or to accept inauguration on Jan. 20, and he becomes the 47th president of the United State officially, wait for then and then judge him accordingly. Stop talking about the past.

"The American people have already told you to kick rocks. They don’t care what you have to say anymore as Democrats. You have been squashed, obliterated. Nobody in the White House, you don’t have the House, you don’t have the Senate, and you’re gonna walk around talk about how, ‘Oh, he didn’t get 50% of the vote.’ Well you didn’t either! You lost!

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"And every time you bring up something now and every time something comes up, you look even worse. Donald Trump is walking into office looking good … because of you, because of how y’all chose to act, how y’all chose to conduct yourself, how you leaned onto the fringes and got a bit extreme and engaged in culture and identity politics and wokeness and all of this other stuff. You look bad."

He added that President Biden then "put his foot in his mouth yet again" with his reasoning for pardoning his son, Hunter, and there was "no wonder why a healthy portion of America is done with y’all."

The talking-head also teed off on the party over its spending habits during the election season. He took issue with the party’s payments to Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network and billionaire Oprah Winfrey’s production company for a campaign event as they were going to vote for Harris anyway, showing zero indication of switching their support.

The Harris campaign kicked off in earnest at the beginning of August, after Biden dropped out of the race amid mounting concern over his mental acuity and age. The Harris campaign raised about $1.4 billion across her few months as the Democratic nominee but allegedly faces $20 million in debt, sources told Politico.

"Kamala Harris, her campaign and the Democrats are another matter," Smith said. "Do you have any idea how pathetic y’all look? That you were literally paying people who supported you before they sat down with you and gave you the interview. What would be the incentive to that? Could that be so they didn’t ask you certain questions, and they did ask you other questions? And that you knew the interviews were gonna be all nice and fluffy and cozy inside, was that it? Because it makes no sense."

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.

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Harris campaign still asking for donations weeks after massive loss to Trump

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign still has its hand out for donations, weeks after losing the election to President-elect Trump.

"With Trump nominating MAGA loyalists left and right, there is nothing more important than making sure we can fight back and hold him accountable," an email from Kamala HQ sent to the New York Post last week read. "That’s why we need you to step up today. Yes, today."

"Our records show that you haven’t pitched in to support our Harris Fight Fund program yet," the email continued, according to the New York Post. "We know the election didn’t turn out as we’d hoped, but we’re not backing down."

Trump was declared the victor in the presidential election last month, ultimately securing 312 electoral votes to Harris’ 226, and earning the popular vote as well. The election also included the Republican Party reclaiming the Senate and maintaining control of the House. 

HARRIS PAID OPRAH $1 MILLION IN FAILED BID TO HELP CAMPAIGN: REPORT

Weeks after the election, however, emails asking for donations keep hitting the inboxes of supporters. 

"Even a quick donation of $50 is enough to help us in this fight," a fundraising email to donors two weeks after the election read, according to Politico. "And with only hours left to hit our goal today, NOW is the best time to rush your support."

"Please do not click away," another email stated, according to the outlet. 

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The Harris campaign kicked off in earnest at the beginning of August, after President Biden dropped out of the race amid mounting concern over his mental acuity and age. The Harris campaign raised about $1.4 billion across her few months as the Democratic nominee, but allegedly faces $20 million in debt, according to sources who spoke to Politico. 

The campaign denied outstanding debts as of Election Day, and won’t report owed debts in reports due to the Federal Election Commission this month, the outlet reported. 

The Harris campaign faced scrutiny shortly after Election Day when reports spread the campaign paid $1 million to Oprah Winfrey’s production company for a campaign event, millions of dollars on private jets, $500,000 to Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network nonprofit ahead of a friendly interview on MSNBC, and other expenses. 

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Political candidates ending a campaign with debt is not out of the norm, but some Democrats remarked that repeated emails calling on voters to donate following the election is likely eroding trust. 

"I understand that the Harris campaign is in a very difficult position with the debt that they have, and so sometimes you just have to make practical decisions," Mike Nellis, founder of the Democratic digital firm Authentic, told Politico. "But yeah, I think that stuff like that erodes trust."

"Getting fundraising requests after any candidate has lost, when they admit that they are still millions of dollars in debt, having blown through over a billion dollars… is especially galling," Democratic strategist Jon Reinish told the New York Post. 

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A Harris campaign official told Politico that the post-election fundraising emails do not request donors contribute any more than they did during the campaign cycle, and that some of the fundraising was necessary in order to effectively shut down the campaign while retaining some employees to ensure that mission. 

HOW KAMALA HARRIS' FAILED 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RUN MIRRORS HER ILL-FATED 2020 CAMPAIGN

As reports spread last month that the campaign was in debt, Trump trolled the Harris team on social media, calling on MAGA supporters to do "whatever we can do to help them."

"I am very surprised that the Democrats, who fought a hard and valiant fight in the 2020 Presidential Election, raising a record amount of money, didn’t have lots of $’s left over," Trump posted to X days after the election last month. 

"Now they are being squeezed by vendors and others. Whatever we can do to help them during this difficult period, I would strongly recommend we, as a Party and for the sake of desperately needed UNITY, do," he continued, "We have a lot of money left over in that our biggest asset in the campaign was ‘Earned Media,’ and that doesn’t cost very much. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign regarding the continued donor emails and alleged millions of dollars in debt, but did not receive an immediate response.

Harris never led Trump, internal polls showed — but DNC officials were kept in the dark

A top aide to Vice President Kamala Harris during her presidential campaign recently revealed that internal polls never actually saw her defeating President-elect Donald Trump, but apparently this was not conveyed to those collecting high-dollar donations for her bid. 

"That's not what we were told," DNC National Finance Committee member and Harris campaign fundraiser Lindy Li shared with Fox News Digital. 

"We were told definitely that she had a shot at winning – it wasn't even a shot. I was even told that Pennsylvania was looking good, that we would win 3-4 swing states."

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"And on the night of election night… we were told that we were going to win Iowa."

But Harris senior adviser David Plouffe presented a much different analysis of the vice president's chances at that point in time on "Pod Save America," a show hosted by staffers of former President Barack Obama.  

"We didn’t get the breaks we needed on Election Day," he told the hosts in the episode which aired on Tuesday. 

ILHAN OMAR BLASTS HARRIS-WALZ CAMPAIGN FOR COURTING LIZ CHENEY: 'HUGE MISSTEP'

"I think it surprised people because there was these public polls that came out in late September, early October, showing us with leads that we never saw."

Plouffe, along with other top Harris aides Jen O'Malley Dillon, Stephanie Cutter and Quentin Fulks, joined the podcast to share why they believed they lost the election. 

While the top advisers on the campaign were apparently aware of Harris' polling deficit, this information was seemingly obscured to other relevant parties, including those soliciting capital from donors, such as Li. 

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According to Li, it is "absolutely not" normal for a campaign to obscure this type of information. 

"I've been doing this since I graduated from college more than a decade [ago]. Absolutely not."

She also shared that donors' trust will need to be gained back because of the daylight between what the campaign was telegraphing about its situation and the reality. "But like for some casual donors, they're going to be like, no f---ing way," Li said. 

"It's not that he'd beat her that's a shock. It's the extent to which he beat her. It wasn't even close. It was a decisive defeat." 

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Harris had rivaled Trump and even defeated him in numerous respected public polls across the country, which Plouffe acknowledged in the appearance.

"When Kamala Harris became the nominee, she was behind. We kind of, you know, climbed back, and even post-debate, you know, we still had ourselves down, you know, in the battleground states, but very close. And so, I think, by the end, it was a jump-ball race," he said. 

Riley Gaines takes swipe at Harris after VP releases surprise video to supporters

Riley Gaines got in on the viral conversation surrounding Vice President Kamala Harris' surprise video addressing supporters that was released on Tuesday. 

Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer and conservative influencer, was one of many high-profile users to share the video on X with a message mocking Harris for the unprompted and confusing-to-some video address. 

"Now do you understand why she didn't go on Joe Rogan lol," Gaines wrote in her post re-sharing the video. 

Harris not appearing on Rogan's podcast was pointed to as a key criticism of her campaign strategy both prior to and after her election defeat. President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance and billionaire backer Elon Musk all did interviews with Rogan in the weeks leading up to the election. 

Gaines, an OutKick contributor, raised the question about whether Harris' appearance on the show would have been as beneficial to her campaign. 

The video, shared by the Democratic Party’s official X account, featured Harris speaking directly to followers discouraged by the recent election.

"I just have to remind you, don’t let anybody take your power from you. You have the same power that you did before Nov. 5, and you have the same purpose that you did. And you have the same ability to engage and inspire. So don’t ever let anybody or any circumstance take your power from you," Harris said.

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Many other social media users on X raised concerns and questions about Harris' delivery during the unexpected video, with many criticizing the Democratic Party's decision to post it. 

The video reportedly came from a call Harris took with donors and volunteers earlier today, when she addressed her election loss for the first time since conceding to Trump.

Meanwhile, Gaines has used her platform to take aim at multiple figures in the Democratic Party in recent years and especially in the recent election cycle. 

Gaines incited a back-and-forth debate with former Harris surrogate and Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban over the vice president's handling of the border crisis on Sept. 27. It was a debate that ended with Gaines getting the last word on Cuban. 

Gaines also got in on a viral roast session of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. on Nov. 14, after it was discovered the congresswoman removed pronouns from her X bio. 

RILEY GAINES REPEATEDLY TEARS INTO AOC FOR TAKING PRONOUNS OUT OF X BIO AFTER ADVOCATING FOR TRANS ATHLETES

Gaines previously lambasted Ocasio-Cortez for her stance on trans athletes in women's sports. The Democratic congresswoman has been a frequent advocate for transgender rights and trans inclusion in women's sports during her tenure. Ocasio-Cortez recently spoke out against Green Party vice presidential candidate Butch Ware for saying he did not believe trans athletes should play in women's sports, calling the ticket "predatory." 

"AOC says it's predatory behavior to not want men competing in women's sports. To AOC, acknowledging biological reality is ‘predatory’ You know what's actually predatory? Sexualizing children and normalizing pedophilia," Gaines wrote on X while posting a Fox News Digital article about Ocasio-Cortez' comments.

Gaines leads a lawsuit against the NCAA with other female athletes, accusing the governing body of violating their Title IX rights due to its policies on gender identity. 

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, details the shock Gaines and other swimmers felt when they learned they would have to share a locker room with Lia Thomas at the 2022 championships in Atlanta. It documents a number of races they swam with Thomas, including the 200-yard final in which Thomas and Gaines tied for fifth but Thomas, not Gaines, was handed the fifth-place trophy.

Gaines shared her harrowing recollection of her experience being forced to share a locker room with Thomas at a Trump campaign rally on Oct. 23. 

"I could share the grotesque details of what it was like being forced to undress, inches away from a 6-foot-4 man who watched us strip down to nothing, while he did the same, exposing his fully-intact naked male body," Gaines said. "There are no words to describe the violation and the betrayal, the humiliation that we felt." 

Gaines has been a leading figure in holding Democrats to account for their past stances on enabling trans inclusion in women's sports. However, she has also taken advantage of plenty of opportunities to make more light-hearted digs against those figures as well during her ascendant rise on social media. 

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Mississippi runoff election for state Supreme Court justice is too close to call

A runoff election for the state Supreme Court in Mississippi is too close to call between state Sen. Jenifer Branning and incumbent Justice Jim Kitchens as of Wednesday morning. 

Although Mississippi judicial candidates run without party labels, Branning had the endorsement of the Republican Party, while Kitchens had several Democratic Party donors but did not receive an endorsement from the party. 

Branning, who has been a state senator since 2016, led Kitchens by 2,678 votes out of 120,610 votes counted as of Wednesday morning. Kitchens is seeking a third term and is the more senior of the court’s two presiding justices, putting him next in line to serve as chief justice. Her lead had been 518 just after midnight Wednesday.

NEWS ANCHOR DROPPED AFTER SOCIAL MEDIA POST TELLING TRUMP-HATERS SUPPORTING HARRIS: 'STAY HOME, DON’T VOTE'

Around midnight Wednesday, The Associated Press estimated there were more than 11,000 votes still to be counted. In the Nov. 5 election, 7% of votes were counted after election night.

Branning had a substantial lead in the first round of voting with 42% compared to Kitchens' 36%. Three other candidates split the rest.

The victor will likely be decided by absentee ballots that are allowed to be counted for five days following an election in Mississippi, as well as the affidavit ballots, according to the Clarion Ledger.

Voter turnout typically decreases between general elections and runoffs, and campaigns said turnout was especially challenging two days before Thanksgiving. The Magnolia State voted emphatically for President-elect Donald Trump, who garnered 61.6% of the vote compared to Vice President Harris’ 37.3%.

Branning and Kitchens faced off in District 1, also known as the Central District, which stretches from the Delta region through the Jackson metro area and over to the Alabama border.

Branning calls herself a "constitutional conservative" and says she opposes "liberal, activists judges" and "the radical left." The Mississippi GOP said she was the "proven conservative," and that was why they endorsed her. 

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She has not previously held a judicial office but served as a special prosecutor in Neshoba County and as a staff attorney in the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Division of Business Services and Regulations, per the Clarion Ledger.

Branning voted against changing the state flag to remove the Confederate battle emblem and supported mandatory and increased minimum sentences for crime, according to Mississippi Today.

Kitchens has been practicing law for 41 years and has been on the Mississippi Supreme Court since 2008, and prior to that, he also served as a district attorney, according to the outlet.

He is endorsed by the Southern Poverty Law Center's Action Fund, which calls itself "a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond." Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., also backed Kitchens.

In September, Kitchens sided with a man on death row for a murder conviction in which a key witness recanted her testimony. In 2018, Kitchens dissented in a pair of death row cases dealing with the use of the drug midazolam in state executions.

Elsewhere, in the state’s other runoff election, Amy St. Pe' won an open seat on the Mississippi Court of Appeals. She will succeed Judge Joel Smith, who did not seek re-election to the 10-member Court of Appeals. The district is in the southeastern corner of the state, including the Gulf Coast.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Ilhan Omar blasts Harris-Walz campaign for courting Liz Cheney: 'Huge misstep'

Controversial "squad" member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has explained where she thinks the Democratic presidential ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., went wrong. 

According to Omar, the campaign's choice to embrace the endorsements of former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, was "a huge misstep." 

This was especially true in battleground state Michigan, she told the Minnesota Star-Tribune, because it was where the Uncommitted Movement maintained a stronghold.

TOM COTTON SLAMS ‘PARTISANS AND OBSTRUCTIONISTS’ IN DOD REPORTEDLY PLOTTING TO BLOCK TRUMP PLANS

The Uncommitted Movement specifically withheld support from President Joe Biden — and then Harris — because of its disapproval of their handling of the war in Gaza. Particularly, a large population of Arabs and Muslims in Michigan believed the U.S. was not holding Israel accountable for death and destruction in Gaza.

"You have the one name for my generation and generations younger than me that is synonymous with war," Omar said of Cheney. 

CONGRESS HAS JUST WEEKS TO AVOID A PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AFTER THANKSGIVING

"It does say something about where your priorities are, even if those are not your priorities."

As part of the Harris-Walz campaign's strategy to attract disaffected Republicans, they advertised former Rep. Cheney's endorsement and even hosted an event with her and Harris in battleground state Wisconsin. 

SENATE GOP MOTIVATED TO RAPIDLY CONFIRM TRUMP NOMINATIONS AHEAD OF PARTY TRIFECTA IN WASHINGTON

She also explained why she thought Harris lost the city of Dearborn, Michigan, which is home to a large Arab community. The congresswoman pointed to the fact that President-elect Donald Trump met with the Democratic mayor, but Harris and Walz were only willing to send staff.  

"I think that personal touch for that community made the difference," Omar said. "We could have had that personal touch."

'CONVEYOR BELT OF RADICALS': GOP SLAMMED OVER SENATE ABSENCES THAT HELPED BIDEN SCORE MORE JUDGES IN LAME DUCK

Despite her past record of criticism of and opposition to Trump, Omar claimed she'd be open to collaborating with his administration. She maintained that she would still be opposing "hurtful" policies towards her constituents, though. 

With Trump returning to office, Omar said she is afraid that Israel will get the "green light" to "finish their genocidal war." 

The Harris-Walz team did not provide comment in time for publication.

Federal judge blocks Biden labor protections for foreign farmworkers

A federal judge in Kentucky rejected expanded protections implemented by the Biden-Harris administration for foreign farmworkers who come to the U.S. under H-2A visas.  

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves granted an injunction siding with Kentucky farmers and Republican attorneys general in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Alabama who argued that the new rules constituted granting foreign farmworkers collection bargaining rights. Reeves said that Congress, not the Biden-Harris administration, would have to determine whether to allow H-2A visa-holders the right to unionize. 

Those new rules, implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor in April, expanded protections for H-2A visa-holders, including requiring employers to ensure they would not intimidate, threaten or otherwise discriminate against foreign farmworkers for "activities related to self-organization" and "concerted activities for the purpose of mutual aide or protection relating to wages of working conditions." 

"In perhaps its most blatant arrogation of authority, the Final Rule seeks to extend numerous rights to H-2A workers which they did not previously enjoy through its worker voice and empowerment provisions," Judge Reeves wrote. "The DOL justifies this attempted regulatory expansion as an effort to prevent the alleged ‘unfair treatment’ of H-2A workers by employers to protect similarly situated American workers."

FARMERS 'BRUTALIZED' AS COSTS 'GO THROUGH THE ROOF' IN LAST DAYS OF BIDEN'S AMERICA

"The Final Rule not so sneakily creates substantive collective bargaining rights for H-2A agricultural workers through the ‘prohibitions’ it places on their employers," Reeves wrote. "Framing these provisions as mere expansions of anti-retaliation policies, the DOL attempts to grant H-2A workers substantive rights without Congressional authorization." 

Under a prior preliminary injunction issued by a federal judge in Georgia, the new rules had already been blocked in 17 states. Reeves' decision does not apply nationwide. 

TRUMP TAPS TEXAN BROOKE ROLLINS AS AGRICULTURE SECRETARY

Congress created the H-2A temporary agricultural visa program in 1986 through the Immigration Reform and Control Act, allowing employers to hire foreign farmworkers on a temporary, seasonal basis, when there is a shortage of U.S. workers to fill the needed positions. It includes protections for American workers, including setting a minimum wage rate for foreigners coming to work under the program. 

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman argued that the Biden-Harris administration rules could have caused "serious and irreversible damage to farmers who are just trying to get by and bring food to Kentucky’s dinner tables." 

"We should be working to help Kentucky’s farmers, not put them out of business. This unlawful and unnecessary rule from the Biden-Harris Administration would have made it harder to get farmers’ products to grocery store shelves and would have increased already high prices for families," Coleman said in a statement. "We will continue to do what’s right to stand up for Kentucky’s farmers."

DNC union launches GoFundMe to help former staffers hit by massive layoffs after election losses

The union representing members of the Democratic National Committee launched a GoFundMe to raise money for staffers who were abruptly laid off last week – prompting backlash from those still on the DNC payroll who have described the cuts as a "betrayal" of party values.

The GoFundMe created by the DNC union seeks to raise $25,000 to assist staff impacted by the layoffs following their losses in the 2024 election. 

Members of the DNC staff union said on the fundraising page that the abrupt wave of layoffs had included two-thirds of DNC staffers, who were let go with little notice and with "no severance."

DNC OFFICIAL PREVIEWS 'FINAL CASE' AGAINST TRUMP AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY

In a public statement, the union blasted DNC leadership for the layoffs, which they described as "callous" and "short-sighted" – and which they noted extended to employees who were previously told their positions at the DNC would be safe after Election Day. 

"We are heartbroken to see our colleagues – who dedicated countless hours to electing Democrats up and down the ballot – depart under these circumstances, and we are furious with DNC leadership for failing to provide severance to those affected," DNC staff union organizer Jill Brownfield wrote on the GoFundMe page. 

GAETZ WITHDRAWS AS ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE

DNC union officials said the relief fund will "directly aid" staff members hit by the layoffs, including single parents and workers expecting children, and will be "distributed equally to any laid-off member who opts in to receive funds."

"We hope these funds can soften the economic blow for those impacted."

The fundraising effort comes less than a week after the DNC announced its wave of layoffs Wednesday night. 

The cuts were met with scathing criticism by current DNC employees and union members. 

"The DNC’s senior leadership has chosen to leave loyal staff scrambling to cover rent, medical expenses and childcare costs," the union’s statement read.

They also called on Democratic Party leadership to offer severance to every permanent employee who was laid off, and to address the remaining staff "honestly and transparently" about how to move forward. 

The DNC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment as to what, if any, efforts the DNC has made to respond to the union request or otherwise ease the transition process for some of the affected employees.

As of this writing, the fund had raised $15,453 out of its total goal of $25,000. 

White House insists Biden, Harris have 'one of most successful administrations in history' despite 2024 loss

Just weeks after Vice President Kamala Harris’ overwhelming loss to President-elect Trump in the 2024 presidential election, the White House released a memo that hailed the Biden-Harris administration as one of the most successful in history.

The memo shared on Monday highlighted how President Biden and Harris took office during the COVID-19 pandemic and a "reeling" economy, before going on to call their administration "one of the most successful administrations in history" which "will be leaving behind the best economy in the world."

"Under President Biden and Vice President Harris’ leadership, 16 million jobs have been created, and we’ve gotten women and people of color back in the labor force at record rates," the memo stated. "A record 20 million new business applications have been filed, and inflation is down to near pre-pandemic levels."

The White House added that "our success" in these areas was due to "passing and implementing legislation that rebuilt our nation’s infrastructure, made the largest investment in climate action in history, lowered prescription drug costs, and spurred a manufacturing renaissance."

HARRIS DISAPPEARS FROM SPOTLIGHT, VACATIONS IN HAWAII AFTER ELECTION LOSS

The memo quotes unnamed "business leaders" calling the U.S. economy "among the best performing economies" in decades.

The latest jobs report released earlier this month, however, appears to show a different story.

The Labor Department report shows that just 12,000 jobs were created in October, far below estimates of up to 120,000 and were the lowest in four years. The unemployment rate was 4.1%, in line with expectations.

The cumulative effect of inflation has continued to weigh on many Americans.

TRUMP PLANNING TO LIFT BIDEN'S LNG PAUSE, INCREASE OIL DRILLING DURING 1ST DAYS IN OFFICE: REPORT

The Labor Department’s inflation report for October found that the consumer price index — a broad measure of how much everyday goods like gasoline, groceries and rent cost — was up 2.6% from a year ago for the U.S. as a whole, in line with expectations as inflation ticked higher amid a broader cooling trend.

Days ahead of the presidential election, Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt argued that "this jobs report is a catastrophe and definitively reveals how badly Kamala Harris broke our economy."

On Election Day, the will of the American people was reflected in the vote totals and appeared to show a referendum on the policies of the Biden-Harris administration.

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Trump beat Harris with a resounding 312 electoral votes to Harris’ 226, and with over 2 million more votes in the popular vote.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Fox Business’ Eric Revell contributed to this report.

Biden does his final White House Thanksgiving turkey pardoning: 'Last time to speak here as your president'

President Biden pardoned this year's national Thanksgiving turkeys "Peach" and "Blossom" on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday – the last time he will partake in the tradition in office. 

Biden thanked John Zimmerman, chair of the National Turkey Federation, and Zimmerman's son Grant for participating in the annual White House tradition.

The national turkey lobby first presented a turkey to President Truman in the 1940s for Thanksgiving, and President George H.W. Bush began the annual tradition of pardoning turkeys, Biden said. 

Zimmerman has raised more than 4 million turkeys over his 35-year career, Biden noted. In the last four years, Biden has pardoned other national Thanksgiving turkeys, named "Peanut Butter" and "Jelly," "Chocolate" and "Chip," and "Liberty" and "Bell." 

PETA PROTESTS BIDEN TURKEY PARDON WITH 'HELL ON WHEELS' DISPLAY, SUBLIMINAL MESSAGING TO MAKE PEOPLE GO VEGAN

In his remarks, Biden said Zimmerman's family was from Northfield, Minnesota, which the president and his Agriculture Secretary Tim Vilsack visited last year with "our great friend, the Minnesota governor Tim Walz, talking about transforming rural America back in Minnesota." Walz ran unsuccessfully for the White House as vice president on the ticket with Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Harris, who was notably absent from Monday's turkey pardoning ceremony. 

Biden did not mention Harris, who is reportedly keeping a low profile with close aides and family in Hawaii following her defeat by President-elect Trump. 

The 82-year-old president did take the opportunity to give thanks for his term in office.

HARRIS DISAPPEARS FROM SPOTLIGHT, VACATIONS IN HAWAII AFTER ELECTION LOSS

"This event marks the official start of the holiday season here in Washington. It's also my last time to speak here as your president during the season," Biden said. "And give thanks and gratitude. So let me say to you, it's been the honor of my life. I'm forever grateful that today my wife, Jill, and I will travel to Staten Island, New York, for a Friendsgiving with members of the Coast Guard and their families to demonstrate our gratitude for their service and sacrifice – like my son. We're also keeping our hearts to those who have lost so much who will have an empty seat at the Thanksgiving dinner table tonight, or excuse me, Thursday night."

"May we use this moment to take time from our busy lives, and focus on what matters most. Our families," Biden added. "In America, we never give up. We keep going. We keep the faith. Just remember who we are. We're the United States of America. There's nothing, nothing, nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together. So happy Thanksgiving, America. God bless you all. And may God protect our troops." 

Harris disappears from spotlight, vacations in Hawaii after election loss

Vice President Kamala Harris has kept a low profile since losing the election to President-elect Trump, vacationing in Hawaii with second gentleman Doug Emhoff since last week.

Harris arrived in Kalaoa, Hawaii, on Tuesday for what is expected to be a weeklong trip, a break from the rigorous campaign schedule she kept over the last couple of months but also from her duties as vice president, where she retains her tie-breaking vote as president of the Senate during the last few months of President Biden’s administration.

The timing of the vice president’s trip has generated questions, with some noting that many DNC staffers are uncertain about their futures while others had been surprised by sudden layoffs.

PRESIDENT BIDEN ADMITS PRESSURE FROM DEMOCRATS CONTRIBUTED TO DECISION TO DROP OUT

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the Harris vacation during a Thursday briefing, arguing there was nothing "wrong" with the vice president taking a vacation.

"The vice president has taken time off to go spend time with her family. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I think she deserves some time to be with her family and to have some downtime. She has worked very hard over – for the last four years, and her taking a couple of days to be with her family, good for her. Good for her," Jean-Pierre said.

Harris is still expected to play a critical role in helping Biden push through several judges as Democrats race against the clock to top the 234 that were confirmed during Trump’s first term, according to an NBC News report last week.

With the Democrats holding such a slim majority in the upper chamber, Harris broke the record last year for casting the most decisive votes of any vice president in history, the report notes, with Democrats expected to lean on the vice president once again in the coming weeks.

DEMOCRATS' FUROR OVER ‘UNQUALIFIED’ TRUMP NOMINEES PUTS BIDEN'S STAFFING DECISIONS BACK IN SPOTLIGHT 

"This is something they want to clear the decks on," a senior Harris aide told NBC News.

"She will definitely be available for any tie votes," a second senior aide said.

"It is a big focus," a third source told the outlet.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., also said Tuesday that she was given notice that Harris would be available, though the senator had not personally talked to Harris, according to the report.

"The goal is to fill every judicial nomination that we can," Warren said.

Meanwhile, a senior Harris aide told NBC News that the vice president had already delayed her trip in case she was needed in the Senate, though now many of those votes are expected to take place in December when Harris is back in Washington.

The Harris campaign and White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Harris campaign officials explain what went wrong – and what Trump did right: report

Top Democrats in Vice President Harris' campaign say their efforts to sway voters simply weren't enough in the face of a general dissatisfaction with the direction of the country among the electorate.

Officials who worked on the campaign offered a post-mortem to the Washington Post on Thursday, saying that former President Trump also took advantage of new media opportunities that Harris left mostly untouched.

"There are certain things we’re looking at to understand if we made the right call," campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon told the Post. "But fundamentally, there wasn’t just one audience of voters that would have impacted this, or one program. The headwinds were just too great for us to overcome, especially in 107 days. But we came very close to what we anticipated, both in terms of turnout and in terms of support."

Campaign officials said their own internal models going into Election Day had Harris with slim leads in Wisconsin and Michigan, and virtually tied in Pennsylvania, according to the Post. Their models had Trump leading in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina.

PRESIDENT BIDEN ADMITS PRESSURE FROM DEMOCRATS CONTRIBUTED TO DECISION TO DROP OUT

"We are very focused on understanding what happened," O’Malley Dillon said. "We were laser-focused on the battleground states. We knew it would be a margin-of-error race, but with the organization we had and the movement we saw, we thought it was possible."

DEMOCRATS' FUROR OVER ‘UNQUALIFIED’ TRUMP NOMINEES PUTS BIDEN'S STAFFING DECISIONS BACK IN SPOTLIGHT 

Campaign officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, also credited the Trump campaign and GOP in general for increasing their outreach to young men across the U.S.

"I think what we have seen is that the folks on the other side, on Team Red, have been doing a lot of this work for years," the official told the Post. "And there’s just, like, a lot of ground for us to make up in … where young men in particular are going to receive their information, particularly young men who are explicitly not looking for political content."

During the campaign, Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, made regular appearances on wide-reaching podcasts with major personalities, many of them comedians like Theo Von and Tim Dillon. That culminated with Trump and Vance having near back-to-back appearances on the largest podcast in the world, the Joe Rogan Experience, just before Election Day.

Harris made an attempt at similar forms of media with her appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, which appeals far more to young women.

"We are not here to tell you everything was perfect," O’Malley Dillon said. "We lost. But some of the ascribing the loss to singular things, like if we had just done [an interview with] Joe Rogan, then that would have solved the problem with young men. That is too simplistic and doesn’t solve anything and certainly doesn’t solve the path forward."

White House yet to release visitor logs for month Biden dropped out of race

The White House has still not released its visitor logs for July, the month President Biden gave up his re-election bid, leaving questions about who was seeing and advising the president before he made the historic decision to drop out. 

Despite consistently releasing visitor records at the beginning of each month throughout Biden’s term, the White House as of mid-November is far past its usual timeline for releasing guest records.

It released its most recent logs on Oct. 4. These records covered visits to the White House until June 26.

PRESIDENT BIDEN ADMITS PRESSURE FROM DEMOCRATS CONTRIBUTED TO DECISION TO DROP OUT

At the beginning of Biden’s presidency, media outlets praised the Biden administration for resuming the release of visitor logs after the Trump administration stopped the practice during his term. The New York Times spoke highly of the practice as "part of an effort to restore transparency to government." 

This practice revealed that Dr. Kevin Cannard, a top Parkinsons disease expert, made several visits to the White House in 2024, increasing anxieties about the 81-year-old president’s health and physical fitness.

After Biden’s poor debate performance on June 27, pressure for him to resign quickly mounted. But Biden did not drop out of the race until July 21. White House visitor logs would reveal who was close to the president in that critical month.

DEMOCRATS' FUROR OVER ‘UNQUALIFIED’ TRUMP NOMINEES PUTS BIDEN'S STAFFING DECISIONS BACK IN SPOTLIGHT 

This has led some, such as Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of the right-leaning government watchdog group Americans for Public Trust, to question the Biden administration’s reason for delaying publishing its records. 

Sutherland criticized the Biden administration for failing to deliver on its promise and leaving the American people in the dark. 

"The American people still don’t know who was coming and going from the seat of power in the lead-up to Joe Biden’s ouster and Kamala’s coronation," Sutherland told Fox News Digital. 

"At the outset, the Biden-Harris administration promised truth and transparency," she added. "Now, in the dwindling days of their term, their refusal to release White House visitor logs from such a tumultuous period illustrates just how hollow that promise was."

Andrew Bates, a White House representative, responded to these criticisms by calling Americans for Public Trust a "dark money group" and pointing to the fact that the Trump administration did not publish any of its visitor records for the entirety of his term.

"It’s intriguing that this right-wing dark money group was silent for years as the Trump administration stopped sharing White House visitor logs with the public, but they have now abruptly developed an interest in transparency about records that we’ll be releasing in the near future," he said. "We appreciate them inadvertently highlighting that Joe Biden leads the most transparent administration in American history."

Bates did not comment on when the White House plans on releasing its July visitor records or what has been the cause of the delay.

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