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Trump scolds Mitch McConnell as GOP Senate majority becomes unlikely after Democrats keep crucial Arizona seat

Source image: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-scolds-mitch-mcconnell-gop-senate-majority-becomes-unlikely-democrats-crucial-arizona-seat

Former President Donald Trump is blaming Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for Republicans not winning more seats in the U.S. Senate, as their chances of flipping a majority in the chamber become more unlikely.

On Friday evening, shortly after Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly fended off Republican challenger Blake Masters, Trump took to social media to blame McConnell over the loss. 

“Mitch McConnell, the Republicans Broken Down Senate Leader, does nothing about this. He’s too busy spending vast amounts of money on bad Senator Lisa [Murkowski] of Alaska, when Kelly [Tshibaka] is FAR better.”

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during a press conference following a Senate Republican luncheon at the U.S. Capitol.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during a press conference following a Senate Republican luncheon at the U.S. Capitol.
((Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images))

Trump also criticized McConnell for not committing to overturning the 2020 presidential election, giving funding to Democratic agenda items and allowing them to increase the debt ceiling. 

TRUMP BLASTS MARICOPA COUNTY AFTER ARIZONA SEN. MARK KELLY DEFEATS BLAKE MASTERS: ‘DO ELECTION OVER AGAIN!’

“He is the WORST!” Trump added, referencing the Kentucky Republican leader.

The former president’s comments come as a handful of Senate Republicans sought to delay their leadership elections set for next week as they too have growing frustration with McConnell and other leaders.

“It makes no sense for Senate to have leadership elections before GA runoff,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, tweeted Friday. “We don’t yet know whether we’ll have a majority & Herschel Walker deserves a say in our leadership. Critically, we need to hear a specific plan for the next 2 yrs from any candidate for leadership.”

This combination of pictures created on February 16, 2021 shows US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, October 27, 2020 and US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kent., in Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on February 5, 2020. 

This combination of pictures created on February 16, 2021 shows US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, October 27, 2020 and US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kent., in Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on February 5, 2020. 
(SAUL LOEB,MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., also tweeted Friday that the leadership vote “should be postponed.” 

Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., tweeted in support of Rubio’s proposition. 

As did Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

SENATE GOP WON’T MOVE LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS DESPITE CALLS FOR DELAY

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., has not said whether he would support McConnell, or potentially run against him for the leadership post. 

Former U.S. President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with Republican U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters at a campaign rally at Legacy Sports USA.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with Republican U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters at a campaign rally at Legacy Sports USA.
(Mario Tama/Getty Images)

However, a Senate GOP aide that spoke with Fox News Digital said the elections will continue as planned.

“Members are frustrated, and they’re looking for an outlet to have a conversation. There will be a robust discussion at lunch on Tuesday,” at Senate GOP aide told Fox News Digital. 

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“There will also be a lot of questions about candidate quality/campaign priorities and mistakes. A lot of these will be directed at Scott, especially if the reports are true that he was preparing to challenge McConnell before Election Day had even concluded,” the aide added.

McConnell has led Republicans in the Senate since 2007 and served as the Senate Majority Leader from 2015 to 2021.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-scolds-mitch-mcconnell-gop-senate-majority-becomes-unlikely-democrats-crucial-arizona-seat

Politics

Michigan man pleads guilty to assisting Whitmer kidnapping scheme

A man accused of aiding a plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor pleaded guilty Wednesday, the ninth conviction in state and federal courts since agents broke up an astonishing scheme by anti-government rebels in 2020.

Shawn Fix said he provided material support for an act of terrorism, namely the strategy to snatch Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home in Antrim County. Prosecutors agreed to drop a weapon charge.

Fix trained with a militia, the Wolverine Watchmen, for “politically motivated violence,” prosecutors have said, and hosted a five-hour meeting at his Belleville home where there was much discussion about kidnapping Whitmer.

MICHIGAN MAN CHARGED WITH AIDING WHITMER KIDNAPPING PLOT TO CHANGE PLEA

Fix, 40, acknowledged helping plot leader Adam Fox pinpoint the location of Whitmer’s home, key information that was used for a 2020 ride to find the property in northern Michigan.

“Guilty,” Fix told the judge.

Shawn Fix

Shawn Fix has pleaded guilty to his role in the planned kidnapping of Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. (AP Photo/John Flesher)

He appeared in an Antrim County court, one of five people charged in that leg of the investigation. A co-defendant pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in March, leaving three other men to face trial in August.

Fix, who faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, agreed to testify if called by prosecutors.

The main kidnapping conspiracy case was handled in federal court, where four men, including ringleaders Fox and Barry Croft Jr., were convicted. Two others were acquitted.

WISCONSIN MAN CHARGED IN WHITMER KIDNAPPING PLOT TO CHANGE PLEA

Separately, three men were convicted at trial in Jackson County, the site of militia training, and are serving long prison terms.

Whitmer, a Democrat, was targeted as part of a broad effort by anti-government extremists to trigger a civil war around the time of the 2020 presidential election, investigators said. Her COVID-19 policies, which shut down schools and restricted the economy, were deeply scorned by foes.

But informants and undercover FBI agents were inside the group for months, leading to arrests in October 2020. Whitmer was not physically harmed.

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After the plot was thwarted, Whitmer blamed then-President Donald Trump, saying he had given “comfort to those who spread fear and hatred and division.” Last August, after 19 months out of office, Trump called the kidnapping plan a “fake deal.”

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Politics

Utah Rep. Chris Stewart to step down from Congress in September

U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, on Wednesday officially submitted his letter of resignation from Congress. 

In a letter to Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox, Stewart said he would be stepping down as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives effective Sept. 15. 

Utah Rep. Chris Stewart addresses supporters at an election night party

FILE: Utah Rep. Chris Stewart talks to supporters during an Utah Republican election night party on June 28, 2022, in South Jordan, Utah.  (Photo/George Frey, File)

“It has been one of the great honors of my life to serve the good people of Utah in Congress,” Stewart said.

Stewart, a six-term lawmaker, announced his plans to leave Congress last month due to his wife’s illness. 

His resignation would leave open a Republican seat on the House Appropriations and Intelligence committees — and reduce an already narrow GOP majority to just four seats.

FBI WILLING TO ALLOW ALL HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO VIEW BIDEN DOC ALLEGING CRIMINAL SCHEME: SOURCE

Utah law states that the governor must call for a special election in the event of a House vacancy. Once Stewart makes his resignation official, Republican Gov. Spencer Cox will have seven days to set the time for a primary and special election. 

The law requires those dates to be the same as municipal primary and general elections scheduled for this year, unless the state legislature appropriates funds to hold a separate election.

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Though Stewart’s departure will mean one less Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, it is not expected to affect House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ability to steer a tight Republican majority. 

The district is reliably Republican and Stewart defeated a Democratic challenger by more than 30 percentage points in 2022.

Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report. 

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Politics

Trump attorneys notified former president is target of criminal investigation

Federal prosecutors reportedly notified former President Donald Trump’s attorneys that he is the target of a criminal investigation regarding his handling of classified materials after serving as commander in chief, two sources with knowledge of the ongoing grand jury probe confirm to Fox News.

Trump’s handling of classified materials after leaving office in 2021 has been the focus of an investigation led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed as special counsel on the matter in November 2022.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower, Monday, April 3, 2023, in New York. Trump arrived in New York on Monday for his expected booking and arraignment the following day on charges arising from hush money payments during his 2016 campaign.  (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

The appointment came just months after the FBI searched for missing classified documents in a raid at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Aug. 8, 2022.

TRUMP LAWYERS MEET OFFICIALS AT DOJ AS SPECIAL COUNSEL PROBE ON CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS NEAR END

That Justice Department notification came days ago, said sources, and is in indication the Special Prosecutor may be close to deciding whether to bring charges in the months long investigation. The fact prosecutors privately informed Trump’s lawyers he is a target is another indication, sources said, that the former president’s own actions on handling classified material are the focus of the investigation.

Notifying individuals they are a target is a routine part of criminal investigations done at the discretion of prosecutors, but charges may not ultimately be filed.

Trump’s legal team met privately at the Justice Department with Smith and some of his team to discuss the grand jury investigation.

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To be clear, Trump has not, nor does this suggest that he will be charged with a crime.

The notification is simply to notify the former president that he has become a target, and to allow him time to present evidence in front of a grand jury.

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