A city hall building, the mayor's house and some residences of current and former council members in Huntington, California, were raided on Wednesday in a major corruption probe of a $14 million project, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman.

The investigation, named "Operation Dirty Pond," has been focusing on the "potential misuse of millions of dollars in public funds allocated for the construction of an aquatic center" since November 2022, the DA’s Office said.

The Huntington Park Regional Aquatic Center, which was deemed "critical" on the city website, was expected to become a two-story building with an Olympic-size pool, gym, football field, conference rooms and more. However, residents never saw any results, according to the city’s vice mayor.

"This is a project that has yielded nothing for the residents," Vice Mayor Arturo Flores said to FOX 11 Los Angeles. "It's my understanding that there's an estimated $14 million, give or take, that has been expended by the city, and that from those funds, the residents of the city have only received an empty lot with dead grass and nothing to show for those millions of dollars."

RECALLED OAKLAND MAYOR INDICTED ON FEDERAL CORRUPTION CHARGES

Fox News Digital also reached out to Flores and Huntington Park Mayor Karina Macias for comment but did not immediately hear back. 

Former Huntington Park city council member Linda Caraballo reportedly said she sent a 282-page dossier to the DA’s Office many years ago to alert them to alleged corruption. Caraballo said to the local station that "big time city officials from the city manager all the way down to the shot caller" should be prepared.

"Heads are going to roll and a lot of people are going to be really put into some serious problems," Caraballo said to FOX 11. "They all should find lawyers right away."

SKYROCKETING HEALTHCARE BUDGET FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAUNTS BLUE STATE TAXPAYERS

Valentin Amezquita, another former Huntington Park council member, said to FOX 11 that this may not be the city’s only corrupt project and suggests conducting a "forensic audit of the city of current and past contracts."

"This is just the tip of the iceberg," Amezquita said to the local station. "There's many, many more."

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS ASKING FOR CORRUPTION CHARGES TO BE SCRAPPED

Numerous items were seized during the searches, including public records, financial paperwork and electronic devices, according to the DA’s Office.

"My office is committed to ensuring that public officials uphold the highest standards of honesty, integrity and transparency," Hochman said. "When concerns arise about the use of public funds or the actions of those in office, it is our duty to investigate thoroughly and protect the public’s trust."

"I want to commend our dedicated prosecutors and investigators for their diligent work on this complex case. Their unwavering commitment to justice ensures that no one – regardless of their position or title – is above the law."

Attorneys for New York City Mayor Eric Adams asked a U.S. judge to dismiss with prejudice all charges against their client on Wednesday, citing alleged prosecutorial misconduct and an "extraordinary" flurry of leaks that they argued would have violated Adams' right to a fair trial.

The filing comes nearly two weeks after the Justice Department filed a motion to dismiss the corruption case against Adams, and after the presiding judge in the case, U.S. District Judge Dale Ho, declined to immediately grant the request to do so.

In the new filing, Adams' legal team asked Judge Ho to grant the Justice Department's request to drop charges swiftly and prejudice, arguing that the actions by prosecutors had violated multiple statutory and court rules, including long-established Justice Department policies aimed at curbing prosecutorial misconduct. 

They also cited the "extraordinary" amount of leaked information from prosecutors that they argued would have violated Adams' right to a fair trial; noting in particular a Feb. 12 resignation letter by former acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, which lawyers said would have "destroyed whatever presumption of innocence Mayor Adams had left."

TRUMP STRIPS SECURITY CLEARANCES FROM LAW FIRM TIED TO JACK SMITH CASES

"In addition to violating Mayor Adams’s fundamental constitutional rights and ability to receive a fair trial, the government’s leaks violated numerous statutory and court rules, including the Justice Department’s own longstanding policies aimed at curbing prosecutorial misconduct," they argued in the filing.

The charges against Adams will remain intact until Judge Ho agrees to dismiss them.

Adams was indicted last fall on five federal corruption and bribery charges tied to the alleged solicitation of illegal campaign contributions and the alleged receiving of luxury travel perks on behalf of Turkish foreign nationals, according to Justice Department documents.

Adams pleaded not guilty to all charges and has strenuously denied any wrongdoing. 

DEMOCRAT REP RITCHIE TORRES ENDORSES CUOMO FOR NEW YORK CITY MAYOR OVER ERIC ADAMS: REPORT

U.S. Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove asked federal prosecutors earlier this month to drop all corruption charges against the mayor— an unusual move, and one that requires the formal sign-off of the presiding judge in the case. 

In the motion to dismiss, Bove said the legal proceedings against Adams were detracting from other Justice Department priorities, such as illegal immigration and violent crime. 

However, Judge Ho declined to immediately grant the motion to dismiss at a court hearing last week, telling Bove and Adams' legal team that he needed more time to further consider the facts.

Ho also appointed former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement to argue against the motion to dismiss and to look into the Justice Department's motives for dismissing the charges.

He has instructed legal briefs to be filed on March 7 and, if necessary, said there would be a hearing on March 14. 

"This is a very complicated situation, at least from where I sit," Ho said after the roughly 90-minute hearing last week, adding, "I’m not going to shoot from the hip right here on the bench." 

Not dropping the charges against Adams is highly unusual, and no U.S. appellate court has ever sided with a federal judge who declined to grant an unopposed motion to dismiss.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on its view of the new filing and if it agreed with the assertion that the case against Adams should be dismissed with prejudice.

Dolton, Illinois, mayor Tiffany Henyard, a Democrat, is projected to lose in a landslide in the village's mayoral primary held on Tuesday amid various scandals and allegations of corruption.

The embattled mayor predicted earlier on Tuesday that she would win in a landslide, according to Fox 32, but challenger Jason House overwhelmingly defeated Henyard in convincing fashion, securing 3,896 votes to Henyard's 536.

House, a village trustee and former ally of Henyard, campaigned on transparency and reform, promising a "clean house" and to bring accountability back to Dolton government.

DOLTON, ILLINOIS MAYOR TIFFANY HENYARD, OTHERS HIT WITH FEDERAL LAWSUIT OVER FIGHT AT MEETING

"Not only is Ms. Henyard depriving the public of what they deserve, it’s costing the village money," he said on Election Day. "Day one, every record will be turned over."

Henyard, who assumed office in 2021, made headlines during her time as mayor over controversy surrounding her alleged financial mismanagement and other scandals. A federal subpoena issued in May of last year asked for Dolton’s financial records in an attempt to review the mayor's expensive out-of-state trips.

Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, also a Democrat, was hired last year to investigate Henyard’s handling of Dolton's funds.

Lightfoot’s probe revealed that the village's general fund had diminished from a $5.6 million surplus in 2022 to a $3.6 million deficit in 2024, raising concerns about questionable credit card purchases and a lack of financial accountability.

Henyard was heavily criticized by residents ahead of the election over her various scandals. She has also been accused of civil rights violations, is facing numerous lawsuits over her alleged corruption and was involved in a brawl at a board meeting last month.

DOLTON MAYOR TIFFANY HENYARD INVOLVED IN BOARD MEETING BRAWL BETWEEN BOYFRIEND, ACTIVIST

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"The way that the present mayor has been doing things just hasn't been sitting right with me," voter Sharon Hunley told Fox 32.

Another voter, Regan Lewis, said, "We’re kinda like a joke. It’s not a good thing, it’s embarrassing."

• Rep. Ilhan Omar said she barely has "thousands let alone millions" in a X post about her net worth.
• The member of AOC's "Squad" said she doesn't own stocks or a house and still has student loans.
• Commenters on X reacted to Omar's post with everything from skepticism to appreciation.

Rep. Ilhan Omar said she hardly has "thousands let alone millions," doesn't own stocks or a house, and is still repaying her student loans, sparking reactions from X users ranging from disbelief to reluctant respect.

Omar is perhaps best known as a member of the "Squad" of progressive House members along with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, known as AOC.

The Minnesota lawmaker emulated her New York colleague by publicly discussing her personal finances this week, after an X user claimed both Democratic congresswomen were worth tens of millions of dollars, and accused Ocasio-Cortez of taking bribes.

Ocasio-Cortez replied that she's worth less than $500,000, doesn't earn any income beside her government salary, and doesn't own a house or trade individual stocks.

Omar said the user was lying about her net worth too. She pointed to her past financial disclosures as proof of her modest wealth, and added a facepalm emoji.

"Since getting elected, there has been a coordinated right-wing disinformation campaign claiming all sorts of wild things, including the ridiculous claim I am worth millions of dollars which is categorically false," Omar told Business Insider.

"I am a working mom with student loan debt. Unlike some of my colleagues — and similar to most Americans — I am not a millionaire and am raising a family while maintaining a residence in both Minneapolis and DC, which are among the most expensive housing markets in the country," she added.

The Democratic legislator was born in Somalia, moved to the US as a refugee in 1995, and has been a House member since 2019. She earns the standard congressional salary of $174,000 a year.

Omar's financial disclosure form last year showed up to $65,000 of assets, split across a congressional savings account and a Minnesota state retirement account. She also reported between $15,0001 and $50,000 of outstanding student loans dating back to 2005. Like Ocasio-Cortez, she might hold additional funds in accounts that don't need to be disclosed.

The form also showed funds attributed to her spouse, a political consultant named Tim Mynett. He disclosed up to $143,000 of assets and up to about $54,000 of income, linked to various individual retirement accounts (IRA) and 401 (k) retirement savings plans, a winery, and a venture capital firm.

Gauging the reaction

One X user, @beetle6000, said in response to Omar's post: "How could you still be paying off student loans making that much money?"

Others said they disagreed with Omar's politics but respected her integrity, echoing reactions to Ocasio-Cortez's similar post.

"I usually don't agree with you but on this, until they produce receipts I have to agree," @adryenn wrote.

@AidenPerrin40 wrote: "You and I disagree on 99.9% of issues but … Major respect to you ma'am for not owning any stock. It's important to give credit to those of which we disagree with when they get it right."

@nrghound wrote: "I disagree with Omar politically, but I'm sure she's telling the truth about her income. The Democrat Senators make a ton of money narrative is circulating right now. It feels like a hit piece to me."

Some just seemed to enjoy what seemed like refreshing transparency.

@runningmoron wrote: "I kind of like this era of congress people talking about how broke they are."

Politicians face fresh scrutiny as Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency searches for fraud, waste, and abuse.

In a Tuesday press conference, the Tesla CEO and close advisor to President Donald Trump said it was "rather odd" that government employees earning salaries of a few hundred thousand dollars could grow their net worth into the tens of millions while in their roles, but didn't offer any examples.

Musk said he thinks "the reality is that they're getting wealthy at the taxpayers' expense, that's the honest truth of it."

Correction: February 12, 2025 — An earlier version of this story misstated the date of the press conference. It took place on Tuesday, not Wednesday.

President Donald Trump on Monday pardoned former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, five years after commuting his 14-year sentence for political corruption charges. 

Blagojevich, a former "Celebrity Apprentice" contestant, served eight years in prison on charges stemming from his effort to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat after Obama won the 2008 presidential election.

Trump commuted the sentence in 2020. 

"It's my honor to do it," Trump said as he signed the order in the Oval Office. "I've watched him. He was set up by alot of bad people. Some of the same people that I had to deal with."

"He wasn't quite as successful, but he had somebody that saw what was going on. I didn't know him, other than I believe he was on the Apprentice for a little while," Trump added. 

GRAHAM GRILLS FBI NOMINEE PATEL OVER 'DISGUSTING' AND 'CORRUPT' CROSSFIRE HURRICANE PROBE

In a statement, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., noted the speculation that Blagojevich is under consideration for an ambassadorship to Serbia under Trump. 

"In a state with more than its fair share of public corruption, the Blagojevich chapter still looms as one of the worst," he said. "America and Serbia deserve better."

Blagojevich was convicted in 2011 and was sentenced to 14 years before Trump cut his prison term short. 

He appeared on "Celebrity Apprentice" in 2010, before his first corruption trial started, drawing praise from Trump at the time when he "fired" him as a contestant.

TRUMP FBI DIRECTOR PICK KASH PATEL 'INSTRUMENTAL IN UNRAVELING' RUSSIA COLLUSION HOAX, FORMER CHAIR SAYS

Later as president, Trump drew links between investigations of his own behavior in his first term and Blagojevich’s case. Patrick Fitzgerald, the former U.S. attorney who prosecuted Blagojevich, represented former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired from the agency in 2017.

Comey was working in the private sector during the Blagojevich investigation and indictment.

Former special counsel Robert Mueller, who oversaw the investigation into the Russian collusion hoax, was FBI director during the investigation into Blagojevich.

Blagojevich was convicted on 18 counts. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago in 2015 tossed out five of the convictions, including ones in which he offered to appoint someone to a high-paying job in the Senate.

Axios first reported the news of the expected pardon on Monday afternoon.

Fox News' Pat Ward and the Associated Press contributed to this report. This is a developing news story. Check back for updates.

Baltimore and its Democratic mayor have teamed up with progressive groups to file a lawsuit aimed at stopping President Donald Trump’s executive orders that dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion "programs and preferencing" as the president described in one of his directives.

Baltimore's Mayor Brandon Scott – along with the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, American Association of University Professors, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United – filed suit in Maryland federal court this week against Trump and several cabinet heads.

Scott did not respond to a request for comment but said in a statement that Trump’s order goes beyond attacking DEI but "aims to establish the legal framework to attack anyone or any place who dares to celebrate our diversity."

"Baltimore citizens risk losing vital federal funding due to this executive order, putting jobs and livelihoods at stake," the mayor added. The city council is also listed as a plaintiff.

LAWMAKERS FROM STATE WITH MOST FEDERAL WORKERS PER CAPITAL BALK AT TRUMP'S BUYOUT BID

Baltimore, the nation's 30th largest city, is 60% Black, 27% White, 8% Hispanic and 2% Asian, according to the Census Bureau.

Trump’s order seeks to erase roles within the bureaucracy that include diversity officers as well as "equity"-related endeavors.

Paulette Granberry Russell, the CEO of the diversity officers’ association, said in a statement that Trump’s orders will undermine the ability for higher education to open "opportunity, innovation and progress for people across the nation."

"As the nation’s leading association for diversity officers and professionals in higher education, we will use all tools available, including the legal process, to block these harmful orders," Granberry Russell said.

An official for the restaurant industry group said that eateries rely on workers of all ethnic backgrounds and that diversity is what sets the food service sector apart from others.

"President Trump wishes to see the end of all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs of any kind whatsoever – and we will not stand for it," its interim president, Teofilo Reyes, said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the White House disagreed with Baltimore’s assertions.

SCHUMER MOCKED FOR CORONA-AVOCADO CLIP WARNING TRUMP TARIFFS WILL HURT SUPERBOWL PARTIES

"Minorities in America have recognized the Democrat Party’s empty promises and failed policies. That’s why President Trump earned historic support from Black, Latino, Asian, and Arab Americans by prioritizing secure borders, economic opportunity, and an America First foreign policy," Trump's Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital.

Fields said the left’s "divisive focus" on DEI has undermined decades of progress toward true equality and that Trump and his administration reject such "backward thinking."

"[The White House] will pursue an agenda that lifts everyone up with the chance to achieve the American Dream," Fields said.

Fox News Digital also reached out to Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., who represents most of Baltimore City in Congress. Mfume did not ultimately offer a response to the inquiry.

The legal filing opens with a quotation from West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnett – a 1943 Supreme Court case brought by a Jehovah’s Witness family that ruled students cannot be compelled to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

"If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation it is that no official ... can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion or other matter of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein," Justice Robert Jackson, an FDR appointee, wrote in his ruling.

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The filing itself alleges that if "lawful DEI programs are suddenly deemed unlawful by presidential fiat, plaintiffs must either risk prosecution for making a false claim or censor promotion of their values."

"Our Constitution does not tolerate that result."

It goes on to allege that Trump’s "goal is to punish those who recognize or choose to speak out about this country's history on issues of enslavement, racial exclusion, health disparities, gender inequality, treatment of individuals with disabilities, and discrimination."

The lawsuit was reportedly assisted or organized in part by Democracy Forward, a nonprofit organization founded during the first Trump administration that claimed to have identified a number of severe "threats to democracy, social progress and rule of law" that Trump represented after his 2016 win.

Democracy Forward boasted on its website that it has sued the Trump administration more than 100 times thus far.

The group’s president, Skye Perryman, said in a statement on the Baltimore lawsuit that the Constitution protects all Americans regardless of occupation and that Trump’s anti-DEI orders "offend these protections and others."

"The coalition bringing this suit represents people of diverse professions and backgrounds who are all harmed by these unlawful orders, which have chilled their activities and provision of essential services," Perryman said.

Washington, D.C., City Councilmember Trayon White is facing potential expulsion from city leadership amid an ongoing corruption trial on alleged bribery charges.

The FBI arrested White in August 2024, alleging that he took over $150,000 in bribes to influence the city's contracting. While the trial has yet to begin, the FBI revealed evidence showing White accepting envelopes full of cash from a bureau informant. The city council will vote on White's expulsion later Tuesday.

"This is quintessential corruption," Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said in a December statement. "There is only one remedy: to remove the corruption from our body. This incident has damaged the public trust necessary for government to function well."

Despite the charges and evidence leveled against him, White was re-elected to the city council in November, just three months after his arrest. His federal trial is set to begin in January 2026. He has pleaded not guilty.

DC COUNCILMAN A STEP CLOSER TO FACING EXPULSION AFTER LAW FIRM FINDS HE VIOLATED CODE OF CONDUCT

"I feel confident that the people of Ward 8 have spoken. I feel like I’m going to win by a landslide but I’m still humbled and prayerful. I hope [it] sends a loud message to the D.C. Council about keeping the decisions in the hands of the people." White told WJLA on Election Day after results made it clear he would win.

DC COUNCILMEMBER FACING FEDERAL BRIBERY CHARGES WINS LANDSLIDE RE-ELECTION

White's expulsion would require a unanimous vote of the 11 other members of the city council, and public statements from councilmembers don't look good for White.

"Councilmember White betrayed the trust of his staff, the council, the agencies and, above all, the residents of Ward 8," Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, a Democrat, said at a preliminary hearing last week.

Mendelson, also a Democrat, echoed McDuffie's skepticism in a statement.

"The public [has to] have trust in the government, they have to have trust in the legislature, they have to have trust in those who are elected," he said.

Other members expressed hope that White would resign before the council is forced to take action.

"I wish he would resign," said Councilmember Robert C. White Jr., also a Democrat, according to the Washington Post. "If you broke the council rules, and you know you broke the council rules, to put the council through this is something to think about."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has resigned from her position, while a Biden-era executive order that sought to phase out the use of private prisons has been repealed amid President Donald Trump's efforts to implement drastic reforms to the Justice Department.

Colette Peters, who has led the BOP since August 2022, is out as director of the beleaguered agency, and she has been replaced by William Lothrop, who had been serving as deputy director of the BOP.

Peters was appointed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 and touted as a reform-minded outsider tasked with rebuilding an agency plagued for years by staff shortages, widespread corruption, misconduct and abuse.

DOJ TO INVESTIGATE STATE OR LOCAL OFFICIALS WHO OBSTRUCT IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT: MEMO

The agency has nearly 36,000 employees and is responsible for more than 155,000 federal inmates. 

Lothrop, who says he has more than 30 years’ experience working in the BOP, announced the change via a statement on Tuesday, the day after President Trump was sworn into office. The BOP director is not subject to confirmation by the Senate, per the legal news service Law 360.

"On Jan. 20, 2025, Director Peters separated from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and I will be serving as the Acting Director," Lothrop said. "As we face ongoing challenges, including staffing shortages and operational issues, I am committed to working alongside you to find real solutions that strengthen our facilities. We will continue collaborating with our law enforcement partners and stakeholders to maintain robust programming and support services for inmates."

"Our mission remains clear: to provide a safe, secure and humane environment, ensure public safety, and prepare those in our custody for successful reentry into society," his statement added.

CAREER JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS REASSIGNED TO DIFFERENT POSITIONS: REPORTS

Soon after Trump was elected, Peters announced the closure of six male federal prison camps and one female facility, including the scandal-hit Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, per Forbes.  

FCI Dublin had garnered the nickname "rape club" after the Justice Department in December was ordered to pay almost $116 million to 103 women who say they were abused there. 

The prison's former warden, Ray Garcia, and at least seven other employees are now in prison themselves for sexually abusing inmates.

During her tenure, Peters appeared before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees and spoke about the challenges the BOP faced, but she had trouble getting results. 

In September 2023, Peters was scolded by Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, who said Peters forced them to wait more than a year for answers to written follow-up questions they sent her after she first appeared before the committee in September 2022, leaving them without information critical to fully understanding how the agency runs.

Peters also irked senators by claiming she couldn’t answer even the most basic questions about agency operations — like how many correctional officers are on staff — and by referring to notes and talking points on a tablet computer in front of her.

In 2024, then President Biden signed the Federal Prison Oversight Law, which allowed the Office of Inspector General to conduct more unannounced prison inspections, per Forbes. 

Of the inspections OIG has done over the years, it found significant shortages of staff, poor medical care for prisoners, rotten food and dirty living conditions. Peters said she welcomed the law, but that it had not yet been funded.

Trump reversed Executive Order 14006, which had eliminated Justice Department contracts with private prisons. The reversal now allows for new contracts between private prison corporations and the U.S. Marshals Service.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

• Corruption has been plaguing China's military, including senior leadership.
• The issues and purges raise questions about China's military readiness and its ambitions.
• China's military has long struggled with graft, but it's growth and modernization can't be overlooked.

Corruption investigations have led to significant high-level purges in the Chinese military. A US Department of Defense official said that these purges are "just the tip of the iceberg" and that the issues affecting the military could hinder its ambitions, including Taiwan.

The Defense Department released its annual report on China's military last month, assessing that the People's Liberation Army has "experienced a new wave of corruption-related investigations and removals of senior leaders that may have disrupted its progress towards stated 2027 modernization goals."

China's leadership has directed the PLA to be fully ready to execute a potential invasion or blockade of Taiwan as a professional fighting force should Beijing opt to pursue that path.

The PLA has long faced corruption scandals, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping has spent the last decade cracking down as part of a wider campaign to root out corruption and ensure loyalty to the Communist Party. But the latest string of cases has left the Pentagon questioning China's military ambitions and their ability to achieve them in the Pacific.

At an event in mid-December with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Chase said the US has assessed "the anti-corruption campaign — the corruption challenges themselves — and how they could present real obstacles to accomplishing the goals that Xi has set for the PLA for 2027."

"Just the tip of the iceberg"

Over the past year and half, China has sacked at least 15 high-ranking military officers and defense industry executives. A prominent example includes the dismissal of Defense Minister Li Shangfu. China also expelled Li and another defense minister from the ruling party over graft. The suspension of Adm. Miao Hua from his position as the Director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission in November 2024, was also significant.

Leaders within the People's Liberation Army's Rocket Force have also been removed.

PLARF's leadership has faced allegations of fraud in the construction of silos for ballistic missiles, and US intelligence has reported on missiles filled with water and intercontinental ballistic missile silos equipped with improperly functioning lids that could derail a missile launch.

At CSIS last month, Assistant Secretary of Defense Ely Ratner said a key takeaway from the corruption crackdown: corruption investigations such as this are typically highly secretive. Beijing has often publicly described the current wave of dismissals as "serious violations of discipline."

"We often don't hear about them until they're done," Ratner said of the Chinese corruption investigations. "And what that should lead us to believe is that what we are seeing now — which already has been substantial, right, 15 senior PLA officials already rounded up — is just the tip of the iceberg."

Chase added that there can be a spiral effect in these kinds of situations, where an investigation may reveal further corruption in a different branch or program. That's broadly been the case in the current wave of allegations.

China's military growth and Taiwan

The PLA has long suffered from corruption issues. Since he took office, Xi's anti-corruption campaign has been seen as a renewed effort to root out problems while also ensuring the PLA is both politically loyal to Chinese Communist Party leadership and prepared for any military directives Xi gives it.

China has pursued massive military buildup and growth over the past decade or so, with its eyes set on Taiwan and challenging the US as a peer adversary, but that's also driven corruption.

"The PLA is modernizing so quickly, and they're spending significant amounts of money to build up their forces," said Brian Hart, a fellow with the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He said that widespread graft is, in many ways, also "a manifestation of the rapid pace of PLA modernization."

A concentration of the PLA purges being in equipment procurements and the defense industrial base supports the argument that the corruption could be tied to how quickly and aggressively the military is attempting to build up its forces and capabilities.

That raises questions of whether the PLA is on track to meet its mandated modernization goals — a concern that likely keeps Xi up at night, Hart said.

"Does that really undermine the PLA's ability to fight and win wars, especially when it comes to Taiwan?" he asked.

The Pentagon said in its recent report that an investigation announced in July 2023 related to weapons procurement programs dating back to 2017 pointed to "significant concerns with the PLA's modernization efforts more broadly."

What does corruption mean for China's military goals?

Despite the corruption, China's military has achieved tremendous military growth across its branches, from procuring advanced aircraft and bolstering its naval forces to doubling the number of missiles that can reach Guam.

Its military exercises in the Western Pacific, specifically around Taiwan, have grown in size and frequency, and it puts pressure on US allies. And there have been other demonstrations of might.

In September 2024, PLARF carried out an intercontinental ballistic missile test in the Pacific for the first time in 40 years, an apparent signal that despite its challenges with corruption, it maintains power and ambition.

Since the US election, China has been flexing its muscles, sending a clear message to the incoming Trump administration.

The ultimate goal, Hart explained, of Xi's anti-corruption campaign has been to ensure the PLA can modernize on the timeline he has implemented. Even with some issues along the way, China's military growth shows that effort has seen its successes.

Despite the Pentagon's observations, it remains unclear if the PLA's corruption problems will impact China's 2027 goals.

Federal prosecutors say disgraced former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez should be imprisoned for 15 years after his conviction in a "long-running bribery and foreign influence scheme of rare gravity." On Friday, prosecutors filed a 108-page briefing outlining their arguments for sentencing Menendez, as well as Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, who were convicted alongside the former lawmaker.

In their briefing, the prosecutors emphasized the seriousness and profundity of the crimes and noted their historical significance.

"As proven at trial, the defendants engaged, for years, in a corruption and foreign influence scheme of stunning brazenness, breadth, and duration, resulting in exceptionally grave abuses of power at the highest levels of the Legislative Branch of the United States Government," prosecutors wrote.

Prosecutors believe that Menendez needs to be thrown behind bars for the "egregious" crimes that they say showed "naked greed" and a "sense of entitlement to convert the public’s trust to private and personal benefit."

BOB MENENDEZ TO RESIGN FROM SENATE AMID DEMOCRATIC PRESSURE AFTER GUILTY VERDICT

The disgraced former Democrat was accused and convicted of participating in a yearslong bribery scheme involving the governments of Egypt and Qatar. Menendez’s wife, Nadine, who is set to go on trial on January 21, also allegedly participated in the scheme. She is accused of receiving paychecks for a job that did not exist.

"Menendez, who swore an oath to represent the United States and the state of New Jersey, instead put his high office up for sale in exchange for this hoard of bribes," prosecutors noted in the brief.

DEMOCRATIC SEN. BOB MENENDEZ GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES IN FEDERAL CORRUPTION TRIAL

Menendez, who was charged in 2023, made history in July 2024 when he became the first US senator to be convicted of acting as a foreign agent. His conviction came after a nine-week-long trial. The former Democratic lawmaker was accused of accepting gifts totaling more than $100,000 in gold bars as well as cash.

His sentencing is currently slated to take place on Jan. 29, 2025.

Jamie Joseph, Anders Hagstrom, and Maria Paronich contributed to this report.

Bonita Mersiades is a FIFA whistleblower and a former head of corporate and public affairs at Football Australia. She played a key role in Australia's bid to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, a bidding season at the heart of a major FIFA corruption scandal that led to the indictment of 14 officials and executives.

After she was fired in 2010, Mersiades became a prominent whistleblower and helped expose "the FIFA way," the culture of bribery and corruption within FIFA. Her efforts contributed to investigations that led to high-profile FIFA arrests in 2015. She is the author of "Whatever It Takes: The Inside Story of the FIFA Way" and the founder of Fair Play Publishing, a company specializing in nonfiction stories about football.

Mersiades speaks with Business Insider about the ongoing culture of corruption within FIFA, the controversial 2018 and 2022 selections of Russia and Qatar, and the history of misconduct and misogyny within the world of football. She speaks about the future of the World Cup tournament, which has been awarded to Saudi Arabia for 2034.

For more: https://www.amazon.com.au/Whatever-Takes-Inside-Story-FIFA/dp/1925914682

West Virginia Democrats torched President Biden’s choices of last-minute executive clemency recipients, saying they would expect such actions from their rival, President-elect Trump.

In a statement released late Monday, local party leaders said they applauded Biden for leading the U.S. "through significant economic challenges" but blasted commutations being given to people convicted of public corruption.

"Public corruption is a betrayal of trust. When officials abuse the power of their office for personal gain, they not only harm the communities they are supposed to serve, but they also erode faith in our government institutions," wrote Chairman Mike Pushkin, a state lawmaker from Kanawha County.

"Even more troubling, these kinds of pardons are exactly what we would expect from President-elect Donald Trump, not President Biden."

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In a statement for the state party, Pushkin criticized Trump’s first-term pardons of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Gen. Michael Flynn, political strategist Stephen K. Bannon and ex-Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz.

"By following this same path, President Biden has legitimized the idea that public officials who violate their oaths of office are above the law," Pushkin said.

"Worse still, it will embolden Trump to issue even more pardons for political corruption if he returns to the White House."

Pushkin and other Democrats were particularly critical of Biden’s decision to pardon disgraced Pennsylvania Judge Michael Conahan, the key figure in the "kids-for-cash" scandal.

Conahan was convicted of receiving kickbacks for sentencing young people to for-profit prisons.

Delegate Hollis Lewis, D-Charleston, told Fox News Digital that he, too, took issue with Biden’s decision to give Conahan clemency.

"The one that got me upset was the judge who was involved in the cash-for-kids case," he said.

"Any time that you have individuals who prey on our most vulnerable population, which are children and the elderly, that's very problematic."

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Lewis said presidents of both parties have made questionable clemency choices, adding that a pardon is an important tool that has its place.

"I don't think anybody needs to walk around with a scarlet letter of a felony for the whole lot, depending on the particular crime that they committed; if that pardon is going to allow them to move on with their lives," he said.

"But specifically when it's crimes involving the elderly… and children or crimes with patterns of violence where the evidence is clear and there's no reasonable doubt, then maybe we ought to think twice before we exonerate those individuals."

In its statement, the West Virginia Democratic Party also criticized Biden’s clemency for ex-Dixon, Illinois Comptroller Rita Crundwell, who was punished for embezzling $54 million in the largest municipal fraud case in the country.

The third case mentioned involved Jimmy Dimora, a former county commissioner in Cleveland involved in a pay-to-play scheme.

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Fox News Digital reached out to West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who is now an independent, but still caucuses with Democrats.

West Virginia previously found itself in the news during presidential pardon season, when former President Clinton issued his widely-rebuked pardon of then-fugitive financier Marc Rich.

Rich had been accused of tax evasion and circumventing sanctions on Iran and apartheid South Africa.

However, Rich also had a stake in an aluminum manufacturer on the Ohio River when it was accused of locking out 1,500 workers and hiring scabs amid allegations such a move was illegal because the plant allegedly conducted a lockout.

Members of the West Virginia union reportedly picketed in Switzerland in front of Rich’s office. 

Clinton’s pardons of Rich and business partner Pincus Green earned him a federal investigation initially led by New York prosecutor Mary Jo White. 

When White’s tenure ended in 2002, she was replaced by a young federal prosecutor whose name would resurface in another Clinton controversy many years later: James Comey.

President Biden has sparked anger among Pennsylvanians after he commuted the sentence of a corrupt judge who was jailed for more than 17 years after he was caught taking kickbacks for sending juveniles to for-profit detention facilities.

In what came to be known as the kids-for-cash scandal, former Judge Michael Conahan shut down a county-run juvenile detention center and shared $2.8 million in illegal payments from the builder and co-owner of two for-profit lockups. Another judge, Mark Ciavarella, was also involved in the illicit scheme, the effects of which are still felt today among victims and families. 

The scandal is considered Pennsylvania’s largest-ever judicial corruption scheme with the state's supreme court throwing out some 4,000 juvenile convictions involving more than 2,300 kids after the scheme was uncovered.

BIDEN COMMUTES 1,500 JAIL SENTENCES, GRANTS PARDONS FOR 39 OTHERS: 'LARGEST SINGLE-DAY GRANT OF CLEMENCY'

Conahan, 72, pleaded guilty in 2010 to one count of racketeering conspiracy but was released from prison to home confinement in 2020 because of COVID-19 health concerns with six years left in his sentence.

But Biden, the so-called favorite son of Scranton, commuted Conahan's sentence Thursday as part of the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history in which he commuted jail sentences for nearly 1,500 people and granted 39 pardons.

"My Administration will continue reviewing clemency petitions to advance equal justice under the law, promote public safety, support rehabilitation and reentry, and provide meaningful second chances," the president said. 

Sandy Fonzo, who once confronted Ciavarella outside federal court after her son was placed in juvenile detention and committed suicide, said that the president’s actions were an "injustice" and "deeply painful."

"I am shocked and I am hurt," Fonzo said in a statement, per The Citizens Voice. "Conahan‘s actions destroyed families, including mine, and my son’s death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power. This pardon feels like an injustice for all of us who still suffer. Right now I am processing and doing the best I can to cope with the pain that this has brought back."

The decision has raised questions as to why Biden would choose to commute the sentence of a judge who is detested in the area. 

Fox News has reached out to the White House for comment but has not received a response. 

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said that he opposed the president's actions and insisted that the judge should have been given a longer prison sentence given the damage he inflicted on families. 

"I do feel strongly that President Biden got it absolutely wrong and created a lot of pain here in Northeastern Pennsylvania," Shapiro said at a press conference in Scranton Friday while adding he was not privy to all the information about the decision. 

"This was not only a black eye on the community, the kids for cash scandal, but it also affected families in really deep and profound and sad ways. Some children took their lives because of this. Families were torn apart. There was all kinds of mental health issues and anguish that came as a result of these corrupt judges deciding they wanted to make a buck off a kid's back."

"Frankly, I thought the sentence that the judge got was too light, and the fact that he's been allowed out over the last years because of COVID, was on house arrest and now has been granted clemency, I think, is absolutely wrong. He should have been in prison for at least the 17 years that he was sentenced to by a jury of his peers. He deserves to be behind bars, not walking as a free man."

The scheme began in 2002 when Conahan shut down the state juvenile detention center and used money from the Luzerne County budget to fund a multimillion-dollar lease for the private facilities.

WHO ELSE MIGHT BIDEN PARDON AFTER HE SPARED HUNTER FROM SENTENCING?

Ciavarella, who presided over juvenile court, pushed a zero-tolerance policy that guaranteed large numbers of kids would be sent to PA Child Care and its sister facility, Western PA Child Care. 

Ciavarella ordered children as young as 8 years old to detention, many of them first-time offenders deemed delinquent for petty theft, jaywalking, truancy, smoking on school grounds and other minor infractions. The judge often ordered youths he had found delinquent to be immediately shackled, handcuffed and taken away without giving them a chance to put up a defense or even say goodbye to their families.

In 2022, both Conahan and Ciavarella were ordered to pay more than $200 million to nearly 300 people they victimized, although it's unlikely the now-adult victims will see even a fraction of the damages award.

During the case, one victim described how he shook uncontrollably during a routine traffic stop — a consequence of the traumatizing impact of his childhood detention — and had to show his mental health records in court to "explain why my behavior was so erratic."

Several of the childhood victims who were part of the lawsuit when it began in 2009 have since died from overdoses or suicide, prosecutors said. 

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The scheme, per The Citizens Voice, involved former Pennsylvania attorney Robert Powell paying Ciavarella and Conahan $770,000, who in turn funneled juvenile defendants to two private, for-profit detention centers Powell partly owned.

Powell served an 18-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to felony counts of failing to report a felony and being an accessory to a conspiracy.

Real estate developer Robert K. Mericle paid the judges $2.1 million and was later charged with failing to disclose to investigators and a grand jury that he knew the judges were defrauding the government. Mericle served one year in federal prison, per The Citizens Voice. 

Ciavarella is serving a 28-year prison sentence on honest services mail fraud charges, per the publication.

Fox News' Matt Finn and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Washington, D.C., councilman Trayon White edged closer to expulsion this week after an investigative report found he violated multiple city code of conduct provisions. 

Despite being arrested by the FBI on a federal bribery charge in August, White, a Democrat representing Ward 8, recently secured a third term on Election Day in a landslide victory. 

While the federal criminal case remains pending, the report, commissioned by an ad hoc committee and conducted by the law firm Latham & Watkins LLP, was submitted to the council on Monday following an independent probe into whether White violated applicable D.C. law, the D.C. Code of Conduct, or Council Rules. The council is meeting next Monday to deliberate the findings and consider whether to recommend sanctions against White.  

The councilman has pleaded not guilty to allegations he accepted $156,000 in cash payments in exchange for using his position to pressure government employees at the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) and Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) to extend several D.C. contracts. The federal complaint says the contracts were valued at $5.2 million and were for two companies to provide "Violence Intervention" services in D.C.

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D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson established the ad hoc committee in August.

White has declined multiple offers to meet with the committee since. 

Councilman Kenyan McDuffie, who chairs the ad hoc committee, said the investigation found "substantial evidence" that White’s alleged conduct connected to the bribery claims violated several provisions of the D.C. Council’s Code of Official Conduct, FOX 5 DC reported. McDuffie said that the report does not support allegations White violated residency requirements outlined in the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973.

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White has not publicly commented on the report’s findings. 

The investigation spanned 11 weeks and involved 22 interviews with officials from multiple D.C. agencies, including DYRS, ONSE and the Office of Risk Management; current and former members of White’s staff; leaders in the violence intervention community and other individuals believed to have information related to the allegations against White. 

The law firm also reviewed relevant documents and records obtained from D.C. agencies and thousands of emails from the official accounts of White and his staff.

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The report says White declined both requests to be interviewed by the law firm. 

In his first appearance in court for corruption charges, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid bare his stark disagreements with former President Barack Obama over Iran and a Palestinian state. 

"Obama made it clear to me that U.S. policy was going to take a sharp turn against the ideas I believed in," Netanyahu recounted of his interactions with the U.S. in the early days of the Obama administration. 

"He saw Iran not as a threat but as an opportunity and saw a vital need for us to return to the '67 lines and establish a Palestinian state here."

Netanyahu took the stand for about four hours Tuesday morning in Tel Aviv District Court. The trial was moved from Jerusalem for undisclosed security reasons and convened in an underground courtroom, according to Reuters. He recalled his rocky relationship with Obama – how they failed to see eye to eye on an appropriate course of action for Palestinians.

"I had to face great pressure to create a Palestinian state," Netanyahu said. "[Obama] demanded it during the first meeting, he said: 'Not even one brick will you build over the Green Line.' I responded: 'Half of Jerusalem is over the Green Line; for instance, the Gilo neighborhood.' Obama said: 'Gilo too.' He demanded a total construction freeze, massive pressure. I had to deal with this, I had to deflect it, and it was no small matter."

NETANYAHU TO TESTIFY IN CORRUPTION TRIAL AMID MULTIPLE CONFLICTS

Netanyahu called to mind a disagreement with then-Secretary of State John Kerry, who was urging Israeli forces to withdraw from Judea and Samaria. 

"Kerry explained to me that my fear of placing security in Judea and Samaria in Palestinian forces' hands was unfounded because the Americans were training Palestinian forces and we could withdraw." 

He also said Obama had recommended Israel take notes from the U.S. policy in Afghanistan, and Netanyahu predicted it would not age well. 

"Obama suggested I make a secret visit to Afghanistan to see how American forces were training local forces. I told him the moment you leave Afghanistan, these forces will collapse under Islamist forces, and that's exactly what happened."

The corruption trial, which stems from a 2019 indictment for alleged breach of trust, accepting bribes and fraud, takes place against the backdrop of Israel’s war with Hamas. Netanyahu must attend court three times a week while it is ongoing. 

Netanyahu, 75, is the first sitting prime minister to be charged with a crime. 

The charges include: accepting gifts from Israeli Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan in exchange for advancing his interests, failing to report a bribery attempt from newspaper "Yediot Aharonot" publisher Arnon Mozes, who wanted Netanyahu to allow a bill outlawing free newspapers to pass and offered him favorable coverage in exchange, and accepting an offer in which Shaul Elovitch, the owner of Israeli telecom conglomerate Bezeq, would grant Netanyahu favorable media coverage in exchange for favorable regulatory changes. 

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Netanyahu said he is not in office for personal gain, and directly responded to allegations he asked for a constant supply of luxury items like champagne and cigars. 

"Absolute lies," he said. "I work 17-18 hours a day... It's around-the-clock work into the early hours of the night. There's almost no time to see family. I didn't see the children, and that's a hefty price to pay," Netanyahu said, adding that his rare leisure time is spent reading history or economics books. 

The prime minister argued that if he had been concerned about better media coverage, he could have just moved toward granting Palestinians statehood.

"Had I wanted good coverage, all I would have had to have done would be to signal toward a two-state solution… Had I moved two steps to the left I would have been hailed," he said. 

The court had been granting Netanyahu delays in his testimony throughout the 14-month-long war in Gaza, but last week ruled he must start testifying. In the lead-up to his court date, Netanyahu classified the charges against him as a witch hunt and railed against law enforcement and the media. 

"The real threat to democracy in Israel is not posed by the public’s elected representatives, but by some among the law enforcement authorities who refuse to accept the voters’ choice and are trying to carry out a coup with rabid political investigations that are unacceptable in any democracy," he said in a statement on Thursday.

"Netanyahu is on trial for allegedly using his political power to improve his media coverage. His defense: the coverage was not positive but hostile, and I did not attempt to change it for the benefit of Netanyahu the citizen but for the benefit of the State of Israel in response to Obama’s hostile stance," Amit Segal, chief political analyst for Israel's Channel 12, told Fox News Digital of the prime minister's testimony. 

Democratic Senators-elect Andy Kim of New Jersey and Adam Schiff of California were appointed to the upper chamber of Congress three weeks early on Sunday following their election wins last month.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a fellow Democrat, announced on Sunday that he appointed Kim to the U.S. Senate following the official certification of the 2024 election results by the state board of canvassers and Sen. George Helmy's resignation on Thursday. Helmy, a former chief of staff to Murphy, was sworn into the Senate in September after Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., was convicted in a federal corruption trial and resigned from the Senate a month prior.

Kim defeated GOP businessman Curtis Bashaw by nearly 10 percentage points in November's election. 

"Today, I am appointing Senator-elect Andy Kim to the United States Senate so he can begin his term in office before the new year begins," Murphy said in a statement. "Taking this step will allow Senator Kim to embark on the smoothest possible transition into his new role so he can hit the ground running serving the people of New Jersey."

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Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, appointed Schiff on Sunday to complete the remainder of the term of Sen. Laphonza Butler. 

Butler, the former EMILY’s List president who was tapped in 2023 to serve the rest of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein's term, resigned on Saturday. 

"When Senator Laphonza Butler took her seat in the Senate a year ago, she brought with her a lifetime of lessons learned from organizing and advocating for opportunity and justice," Newsom said. "In just a short time, she has left an indelible mark — proving that true leadership isn’t measured by the length of service, but by the depth of impact." 

"Laphonza has never shied away from fighting for what’s right. She works not for recognition, but for the greater good — a commitment that began long before her time in the Senate and will continue well beyond it," Newsom added. "Thank you, Senator Butler, for your dedication and service and for honoring the life and legacy of the late Diane Feinstein, a legacy I’m confident Senator-elect Schiff will also carry forward."

Schiff defeated GOP candidate and former L.A. Dodgers star Steve Garvey by more than 17 percentage points on Election Day. 

Schiff and Kim are both expected to be sworn into the Senate on Monday. 

Murphy congratulated Kim "for making history as the first Asian American Senator from New Jersey and as the first Korean American Senator in the nation." 

"His election represents a proud milestone –  not just for our great state, but for our entire country," Murphy said. "I look forward to working with Senator Kim to continue lowering costs for New Jerseyans, defending our fundamental freedoms, and building a stronger and fairer state for every family."

Kim, who represented New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District in the House, said it is an honor "to get to represent the state that gave my family a chance at the American Dream in the U.S. Senate." 

"It’s a dream that remains out of reach for too many of our neighbors, and one that I’m ready on day one to fight for," Kim said. "I want to thank Governor Murphy and Senator Helmy for ensuring that New Jersey was well represented during this transition, and look forward to getting to work for the people."

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In a statement announcing his resignation Thursday, Helmy said he and Kim "have worked closely since his being elected to ensure a seamless transition and I have made myself readily available over the coming weeks to support this process." 

"It has been the honor of a lifetime representing the people of New Jersey in the Senate, and I am eternally grateful to Governor Murphy for entrusting me with this responsibility," Helmy said. "The voters of New Jersey made the right decision in November to elect Andy Kim to serve as their United States Senator. Having known him for nearly a decade now, I can attest to Senator Kim’s great dedication, character, and empathy towards the people of New Jersey." 

In his brief 85 days in office, Helmy touted how he introduced and co-sponsored over 30 bills, including five resolutions that passed the Senate Chamber, maintained a perfect voting record, including the confirmation of 20 federal judicial nominees, "advocated for youth mental health and supplying humanitarian aid to Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon," and successfully nominated 48 New Jersey candidates to the four United States Military Academies.

Menendez was convicted in July on all 16 counts he faced in a federal corruption trial. Prosecutors alleged he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes, including gold, cash, and a Mercedes-Benz, in exchange for using his influence to meddle in state and federal investigations regarding three businessmen. The now-former senator is alleged to have also helped one friend obtain a multi-million-dollar deal with a Qatari investment fund and another retain a contract to provide halal meat to Egypt.

Menendez asked for a new trial and for his conviction to be dismissed last week, citing what he argued was improper evidence viewed by jurors during deliberations. 

Lawmakers reacted with harsh criticism on Sunday after President Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden, who earlier this year was convicted in two separate federal cases.

The pardon comes after Biden and his communications team continued to insist the president’s son would not be pardoned.

Hunter pleaded guilty to federal tax charges in September, which spared him from a public trial over his failure to pay taxes while he spent lavishly on drugs, escorts, luxury hotel stays, clothing and other personal items.

The first son was also convicted of three felony gun charges in June after lying on a mandatory gun purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.

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After Hunter was convicted, President Biden indicated he did not plan to pardon his son. That all changed on Sunday night.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., was quick to respond to Biden’s move to pardon his son, saying the president "has lied from start to finish about his family’s corrupt influence peddling activities."

"Not only has he falsely claimed that he never met with his son’s foreign business associates and that his son did nothing wrong, but he also lied when he said he would not pardon Hunter Biden," Comer said. "The charges Hunter faced were just the tip of the iceberg in the blatant corruption that President Biden and the Biden Crime Family have lied about to the American people. It’s unfortunate that, rather than come clean about their decades of wrongdoing, President Biden and his family continue to do everything they can to avoid accountability."

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Another federal lawmaker who weighed in on the matter Sunday was House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

"Democrats said there was nothing to our impeachment inquiry," Jordan said. "If that’s the case, why did Joe Biden just issue Hunter Biden a pardon for the very things we were inquiring about?"

Jordan had been one of the key figures pushing to expose Biden family business dealings and an investigation into alleged corruption that Republicans suggest could have led to an impeachment against President Biden.

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In September 2023, Hunter filed a lawsuit against former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, alleging the former Trump lawyer violated his privacy rights by illegally disseminating content from a laptop the first son dropped off at a computer store in Delaware.

The complaint claimed Giuliani was "primarily responsible" for the "total annihilation" of Hunter's digital privacy, while also naming Robert Costello, a former federal prosecutor who previously represented the former New York City mayor, as a defendant.

"Biden, who will not even meet with his granddaughter Navy, didn’t pardon his son because he’s a good father," Giuliani wrote on X after learning about the pardon. "He did so because, as his son admits on the Hard Drive, for 30 years Hunter has given half the millions he’s collected to the Boss of the Crime Family- Joe Biden."

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Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, also responded to the pardon on X.

"I’m shocked Pres Biden pardoned his son Hunter [because] he said many many times he wouldn’t & I believed him," Grassley wrote. "Shame on me."

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President-elect Trump had previously been asked whether Biden would pardon his son, and said, "I’ll bet you the father probably pardons him. Let’s see what happens."

On Sunday, the president-elect took to Truth Social to share his reaction.

"Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?" Trump asked. Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!"

Trump's transition team also responded to the news in a statement to Fox News.

"The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system," Steven Cheung, who served as Trump’s campaign communications director and has since been appointed to serve as his director of communications in the White House, said. "That system of justice must be fixed, and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people."

IRS investigators Gary Shapley and Joe Ziegler, who blew the whistle on political interference into Hunter’s tax crimes, released a statement after learning about the pardon.

"No amount of lies or spin can hide the simple truth that the Justice Department nearly let the President's son off the hook for multiple felonies. We did our duty, told the truth, and followed the law," they said. "Anyone reading the President's excuses now should remember that Hunter Biden admitted to his tax crimes in federal court, that Hunter Biden's attorneys have targeted us for our lawful whistleblower disclosures, and that we are suing one of those attorneys for smearing us with false accusations.

"President Biden has the power to put his thumb on the scales of justice for his son, but at least he had to do it with a pardon explicitly for all the world to see rather than his political appointees doing it secretly behind the scenes," they continued. "Either way it is a sad day for law-abiding taxpayers to witness this special privilege for the powerful."

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment, but has not yet heard back.

• A member of China's highest military body is being slapped with a corruption investigation.
• Adm. Miao Hua is one of six members of an exclusive commission led by Xi that oversees China's military.
• He's the latest in a string of high-ranking defense officials to be purged from China's military.

A top-ranking admiral in China's Central Military Commission — the highest body commanding its forces — has been placed under investigation, the country's defense ministry said on Thursday.

Adm. Miao Hua, who's in charge of the Political Work department, was suspended and is being probed for "serious violations of discipline," said ministry spokesperson Wu Qian at a press briefing.

That accusation usually refers to corruption.

An investigation into a commission member like Miao is significant because the six-member committee, helmed by Chinese leader Xi Jinping himself, is the top body that oversees China's military forces.

However, Miao is not one of the commission's vice-chairmen, who are usually considered China's strategic leaders. Two People's Liberation Army generals, Zhang Youxia and He Weidong, hold those positions.

Xi, who has consolidated much of China's decision-making power under himself in the last 10 years, is the commission's highest authority as chairman.

Miao, 69, was an army political commissar based in Fujian in the 1990s and early 2000s, about the same time Xi was governor of the province.

The overlap between their rising careers led the two to be seen as having worked closely together. Two years after Xi became paramount leader in 2012, Miao was transferred to the PLA Navy to be its top political commissar.

The announcement of the probe into Miao comes as The Financial Times reported on Wednesday that Adm. Dong Jun, China's defense minister, was also placed under investigation. The report cited unnamed US officials.

That would make Dong the third officer involved with the defense ministership to be implicated in a string of corruption probes. His two predecessors, Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, were found guilty in June of taking bribes.

Beijing has denied the FT's findings, with a foreign ministry spokesperson dismissing them as "chasing wind and shadows."

Unlike those in the Central Military Commission, the defense minister holds a mostly diplomatic and symbolic role and has no real operational command over China's forces.

CNN reported that Miao "is seen as a political patron of Dong," with both men having served in the PLA Navy.

In China, top officials are almost always found guilty in corruption investigations, though some have received reduced sentences.

Two vicechairmen of the Central Military Commission have been investigated before, but only after they exited the commission. Both were in the top-ranking body until 2012 when Xi rose to power.

The probes into the careers of the pair — Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou — were launched in 2014 and 2015.

Since his beginning as paramount leader, Xi has championed a sweeping crackdown against rampant corruption in China's central and local governments.

It has more recently involved purges in the military, including the ousting last year of several high-level generals and officials. The push has coincided with Xi's heavy emphasis on modernizing China's military and catching up in strength with US forces.

Federal agents briefly detained infamous ex-hospital CEO Ralph de la Torre early last week and seized his phone, according to an investigative report from the Boston Globe.

De la Torre is the ultra-wealthy former CEO of the now-bankrupt hospital chain Steward, once the largest for-profit health care company in the country. Steward and de la Torre have been accused of being "health care terrorists" and practicing "third-world medicine" that killed and maimed patients as executives extracted millions in payouts, stripping the company of assets.

In September, de la Torre was held in criminal contempt of Congress for failing to abide by a congressional subpoena to attend a Senate hearing over the alleged corruption.

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