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Pardoned Capitol Rioter Charged With Threatening To Kill Hakeem Jeffries

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Authorities arrested a pardoned Capitol rioter last weekend for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Court documents obtained by CBS News said Christopher Moynihan was arrested Sunday after saying in text messages that he planned to “eliminate” Jeffries when the top House Democrat spoke at an event in New York City on Monday. 

The House Minority Leader spoke at the Economic Club of New York on Monday.ย 

CBS News reports:

According to a court filing by prosecutors in the New York state criminal case, Moynihan wrote, “Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live.”

Moynihan also allegedly stated: “Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future,” the filing said.

Moynihan faces a felony charge of making a terroristic threat, according to court filings.

Moynihan was among the large group of Capitol riot defendants pardoned by President Trump nine months ago. In a shocking move only hours after returning to the White House, President Trump granted clemency to more than 1,500 other Capitol riot defendants.

Moynihan was found guilty in August 2022 of obstructing an official proceeding, and pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges. He was sentenced in February 2023 to 21 months in prison.

Elvert Barnes, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Moynihan’s arrest for allegedly threatening Jeffries was made by New York State Police, according to a statement by the agency that was confirmed by a state official. The investigation was initiated by the FBI, according to state police.

A state police statement said Moynihan was arraigned in local court in Clinton, a town in New York’s Hudson Valley region. He was remanded to the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center “in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, a $30,000 bond, or an $80,000 partially secured bond.” 

The alleged threat against Jeffries is only the latest threat in part of a rapidly growing wave of threats against legislators and political figures. In a statement last month, Capitol Police said the number of threat investigations in 2025 had already eclipsed 14,000, more than the number of cases in all of 2024. ย 

Prominent Foreign Politician Meets With Trump

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Marine One lifts-off after returning President Donald J. Trump to Mar-a-Lago Friday, March 29, 2019, following his visit to the 143-mile Herbert Hoover Dike near Canal Point, Fla., that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. The visit was part of an infrastructure inspection of the dike, which is part of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee Everglades system, and reduces impacts of flooding for areas of south Florida. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian) [Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

On Monday, Former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron met withย former President Donald Trumpย in a surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago.

Cameron serves as theย U.K. foreign secretaryย and is in the U.S. to urge lawmakers to back additional funding to Ukraine in its war against Russia.

A spokesperson for the British government’s Foreign Office described the Mar-A-Lago meeting as “standard practice” to meet with an opposition candidate, with Trump being the presumptive Republican nominee for this yearโ€™s presidential election.

It is unclear how the meeting went or what exactly was discussed. Trump has previously stated that he would end the war within 24 hours should he be reelected while he has also touted converting the cost of weaponsย transfers to Ukraine into a loan.

Fox News has more:

Cameron will meet Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday to discuss the $60 billion military aid package which he has held up for months, while the pair will also discuss the Israel-Gaza war.

Last week, Cameron called on Western leaders to put pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans in Congress to approve the additional aid for Ukraine, as Britain and the European Union have already done.

“Speaker Johnson can make it happen in Congress,” Cameron said in a video posted on social media platform X. “Iโ€™m going to go and see him next week and say, โ€˜Ukraine needs that money. It is American security, itโ€™s European security, itโ€™s Britainโ€™s security thatโ€™s on the line in Ukraine, and they need our help.โ€™”

Elon Musk’s New America Party Poses Potential Threat To GOP

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By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54380002927/, Public Domain,

Billionaire Elon Musk announced the launch of his new political party on Saturday, but has yet to share any further details on how he plans to navigate the red tape to establish a viable alternative.

Musk on Saturday appeared to confirm his intention to launch his โ€œAmerica Party,โ€ after posting a poll to his X account the prior day asking followers whether or not he should create the new party.

โ€œBy a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it! When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,โ€ he wrote. โ€œToday, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.โ€

Elon Muskโ€™sย plan to launch a new US political partyย could split the Republicans, Donald Trumpโ€™s allies have warned.

Musk,ย who until recently was a key Trump ally, said the America Party would adopt a โ€œlaser focusโ€ on winning a handful of Senate seats and House districts in a bid to sway key votes on legislation.

โ€œGiven the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people,โ€ he posted on X.

On Sunday, Mr Musk responded to a post about how he could โ€œbreak the two-party strangleholdโ€ by writing: โ€œNot hard tbh [to be honest].โ€

Scott Bessent, the US Treasury secretary, insisted a Musk party would pose no threat to the Trump administration.

โ€œLook, the principles of Doge [theย Department of Government Efficiency] were very popular. I think if you looked at the polling, Elon was not,โ€ he told CNN on Sunday, referring to the cost-cutting agency Mr Musk headed for just over four months.

However, Laura Loomer,ย a leading MAGA influencerย who has been seen close to Trump, warned the move could trigger Republican defections and split the partyโ€™s base.

โ€œI predict Tucker Carlson,ย Marjorie Taylor Greeneย and Thomas Massie will join the new โ€˜America Partyโ€™ to spite President Trump,โ€ she posted on X.

Musk said his decision to form the party stemmed from opposition toย Trumpโ€™s new economic bill, which includes significant reductions to Medicaid and the removal of subsidies for electric vehicles.

The announcement follows the revival of his public feud with Trump, who threatened to cancel the Tesla tycoonโ€™s government contracts andย deport him back to South Africa.

Speaking with reporters ahead of a flight to Florida last Tuesday, the president was asked about whether he would consider deporting the South African mogul.

โ€œWeโ€™ll have to take a look,โ€ Trump said. โ€œWe might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon! Wouldnโ€™t that be terrible?โ€

Watch:

Fox Host Predicts Next Top Dem to Be Axed โ€” Once They Oust Chuck Schumer

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Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer attend medal ceremony via Wikimedia Commons

As Democrats face growing internal turmoil, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is under fire from members of his own party โ€” and some say the unrest may soon spread to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).

During Thursdayโ€™s segment of Fox & Friends, host Lawrence Jones offered a pointed prediction about who might be the next Democrat to fall out of favor with the partyโ€™s increasingly fractured base.

โ€œQuick prediction: Jeffries is next,โ€ Jones told co-hosts Brian Kilmeade and Ainsley Earhardt. โ€œTheyโ€™re gonna get rid of him next. First, it was Schumer. Theyโ€™re not happy with Jeffries either. They donโ€™t like his alignment with AIPAC and have been very critical of how he operates.โ€

Jones added that many progressives in the Democratic Party โ€œdonโ€™t respectโ€ Jeffries and that his position had been shielded for years by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

โ€œNancy Pelosi kind of protected him,โ€ Jones said. โ€œBut now that sheโ€™s retiring, I believe heโ€™s going to be the next target.โ€


Democrats in Disarray

The Democratic Partyโ€™s internal divisions have been on full display amid the historic 43-day government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history. Schumer, struggling to hold his caucus together, lost seven Democrats and one Independent who sided with Republicans to support a short-term continuing resolution that ultimately reopened the government.

That rebellion has led several prominent progressives โ€” including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) โ€” to openly question Schumerโ€™s leadership and even call for his ouster. Although no formal challenge has yet materialized, the discontent is unmistakable.


Pressure Mounts on Party Leadership

Many Democrats are torn between the partyโ€™s traditional pro-Israel establishment figures like Schumer and Jeffries, and the ascendant left-wing faction that has become increasingly critical of Israel and of AIPACโ€™s influence in Washington.

Jonesโ€™s comments reflect a broader sense that Democratic leadership is losing control of its own base โ€” particularly among younger, more progressive voters frustrated by what they see as political compromise and a lack of clear vision.


A Growing Divide

The potential downfall of two of the partyโ€™s most powerful figures โ€” Schumer in the Senate and Jeffries in the House โ€” would mark a stunning shift within Democratic ranks.

AOC Campaign Office Vandalized With Anti-Israel Message

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Police responded after a campaign office for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was vandalized with a painted anti-Israel slogan in New York City.

The slogan, written in red paint, read “AOC funds genocide in Gaza.” The vandals had also spread the paint all over the entrance to the campaign office before police arrived at roughly 1 a.m. Monday.

The incident came just days after Ocasio-Cortez voted against legislation from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) that would have cut funding for the Israeli Defense Forces.

The lawmaker, who has been vocally critical of Israel’s war in Gaza, said she voted against the bill because it only cut funding for the defensive “Iron Dome” and did nothing to cut off the “actual bombs killing Palestinians.”

Greene’s legislation would have cut off roughly $500 million in funding for Israel. Her proposed amendment, which failed on Thursday, came after Israeli Defense Forces bombed the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza.

“Israel bombed the Catholic Church in Gaza, and that entire population is being wiped out as they continue their aggressive war in Gaza,” Greene said.

Voting alongside Greene on the amendment were Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) members of the progressive so-called “squad” to which Ocasio-Cortez also belongs.

READ NEXT: Republican Congresswoman Pushes Mass โ€˜Amnestyโ€™ Bill For Illegal Migrants

Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls On Trump To Pardon George Santos

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Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) is coming to the defense of disgraced former Congressman George Santos, who is currently serving out his prison sentence.

On Monday, Greene called on President Trump to issue a pardon to Santos, who began his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey last month after being sentenced to 87 months in prison for wire fraud and identity theft. (RELATED: Disgraced Former Rep. George Santos Gets Over 7 Years In Prison)

In a letter to President Trumpโ€™s U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin, Greene wrote:

I am writing to request that your office urge the President to commute the sentence of former Congressman George Santos. In April 2025, Mr. Santos was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. I wholeheartedly believe in justice and the rule of the law, and I understand the gravity of such actions. However, I believe a seven-year sentence for such campaign-related matters for an individual with no prior criminal record extends far beyond what is warranted.

As a Member of Congress, I worked with Mr. Santos on many issues and can attest to his willingness and dedication to serve the people of New York who elected him to office. He committed himself to serving his constituents and did whatever it took to represent their interests in Washington, D.C. He is sincerely remorseful and has accepted full responsibility for his actions. Furthermore, my office has spoken with a pastor of his who discussed the regret and remorse of Mr. Santos, agreeing that the sentence imposed is a grave injustice.

While his crimes warrant punishment, many of my colleagues who I serve with have committed far worse offenses than Mr. Santos yet have faced zero criminal charges. I strongly believe in accountability for oneโ€™s actions, but I believe the sentencing of Mr. Santos is an abusive overreach by the judicial system.

Commuting his sentence would acknowledge the severity of his actions and simultaneously provide a path forward in allowing him to make amends for his crimes and strive to better serve the people in his community.

In May, Santos teared up on Piers Morgan Uncensored and pleaded with Trump for a pardon, โ€œcommutation, clemency, whatever the president is willing to give me,โ€ after being sentenced.

The former congressman also requested protective custody after expressing fear of being โ€œbrutalizedโ€ in prison.

โ€œIโ€™m not fearful of dying in there, Iโ€™m more fearful of being severely brutalized and harmed, if you get my drift,โ€ he said.

Watch:

Last month, during an interview with Tucker Carlson, Santos also expressed concern that his time in prison could be a โ€œdeath sentence.โ€

โ€œTucker, can I be honest with you?โ€ Santos asked Carlson, who called Santosโ€™s prison sentence unfair compared to lesser sentences handed to violent criminals.

โ€œI hope you will,โ€ Carlson responded.

โ€œI donโ€™t know that I survive it. Theyโ€™re putting me in a violent prison. Itโ€™s a medium facility. Iโ€™m not a street-wise guy. I donโ€™t know how to fight. Iโ€™m a gay man. Weโ€“ statistics tell you what happens to gay men in prison. I didnโ€™t know I survived this. I, Iโ€™m being honest. I mean, I canโ€™t change that,โ€ Santos said, later saying his only hope is prayer and a longshot pardon from President Donald Trump.

When Carlson pressed Santos on whether he was being serious, Santos insisted he is not โ€œexaggeratingโ€ his fear, saying heโ€™s lived a โ€œshelteredโ€ life that in no way prepared him for prison.

READ NEXT: The Smart Play: Fines, Pressure, And Patience In The Texas House Showdown

Ex-Biden Official Calls Karine Jean-Pierre โ€˜Kinda Dumbโ€™ Amid Fallout From Party Switch

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White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a press briefing on Friday, July 30, 2021, in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Erin Scott)

A number of Biden-era officials were stunned that former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre revealed she has decided to abandon the Democrat Party despite serving under two administrations.

KJP’s revelation has been met with immense criticism from party insiders, including ex-Biden policy advisor Tim Wu who called the former press secretary “kinda dumb.”

In a blistering post that has now been deleted on X on Thursday, Wu wrote: โ€œFrom WH policy staff perspective, the real problem with Karine Jean-Pierre was that she was kinda dumb. No interest in understanding harder topics. Just gave random incoherent answers on policy.โ€

Jean-Pierre, who served as former President Joe Bidenโ€™s press secretary for more than two years, revealed this week she is leaving the Democratic Party and releasing a memoir titled Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines. The book promises a scathing assessment of Bidenโ€™s final years in office, detailing what she calls โ€œthe betrayal by the Democratic Partyโ€ that led to his aborted re-election bid. (RELATED: Ex-Biden Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Announces Switch To Independent)

Jean-Pierreโ€™s pivot, according to Axios, drew immediate backlash from those she previously worked with.

โ€œOne of the most ineffectual and unprepared people Iโ€™ve ever worked with,โ€ one former colleague told the outlet. โ€œShe had meltdowns after any interview that asked about a topic not sent over by producers.โ€

One ex-official put it bluntly in conversation with Axios: โ€œToday Karine lost the only constituency that ever supported her โ€“ party line Democrats.โ€

One White House reporter sarcastically called the project “amazing,” and suggested Jean-Pierreโ€™s book wonโ€™t carry much weight.  

“Did she find the manuscript somewhere in that fat binder she toted around? If I were a historian writing about the Biden White House, I wouldnโ€™t ignore what Karine has to say, but itโ€™s not an account in which much weight will be invested โ€” just like her briefings,” the White House reporter told Fox News Digital

A second White House reporter said they wouldnโ€™t have even realized Jean-Pierre was in the news if Fox News Digital didnโ€™t ask about it. 

“She left the Democratic Party? I honestly didnโ€™t see that story and probably wouldnโ€™t have even noticed. I turned off my KJP Google Alert on Inauguration Day,” the reporter reacted, before joking, “Has anyone circled back with Jen Psaki?”

A third White House reporter was “shocked” that Jean-Pierre had left the Democratic Party. 

“I have to pick my jaw up from the floor. It is unbelievable that she, of all people, would choose this path,” the reporter told Fox News Digital. 

“Just take a look at her entire career and identity,” they said. “You canโ€™t change who you are just because you check a different box on a registration form. Itโ€™s also disappointing to see that she would turn her back on her party just because itโ€™s hit a really rough patch… it speaks to character.”

Report: Trump To File For New Hampshire Primary In Person

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Donald Trump is reportedly planning to file for the New Hampshire primary in person this week.

The filing period for New Hampshireโ€™s presidential primaryย opened earlier this month, and the window closes Oct. 27.ย 

A spokesperson for Trumpโ€™s campaign confirmedย reporting from The Associated Pressย that Trump will visit the Granite Stateโ€™s secretary of state office to formally file ahead of a campaign rally in Derry.ย 

Democrat Sen.ย Maggie Hassanย (N.H.)ย and New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairmanย Ray Buckleyย held a press conferenceย Monday ahead of Trumpโ€™s formal filing in the state to talk about the former presidentโ€™s โ€œfailures.โ€

โ€œAs Trump files for the [New Hampshire] primary today, Granite Staters are remembering just how disastrous his presidency was for our state,โ€ Buckley said.

โ€œTrump has proven over and over that we cannot trust him with New Hampshireโ€™s economy or important crises โ€” at home or on the world stage.โ€

Florida Gov.ย Ron DeSantis,ย former South Carolina Gov.ย Nikki Haleyย and entrepreneurย Vivek Ramaswamy,ย who have polledย as some ofย Trumpโ€™s top challengersย in the GOP primary, have already filed, according toย the latest postingย from the New Hampshire secretary of state.ย 

North Dakota Gov.ย Doug Burgum,ย South Carolina Sen.ย Tim Scott,ย former New Jersey Gov.ย Chris Christieย and former Vice Presidentย Mike Pence,ย Trumpโ€™s ex-running mate, are also among the GOP White House hopefuls who have already signed up.ย 

Dem Senator Leaves Door Open For Potential Presidential Run

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Could this no-nonsense Democrat be angling for a presidential bid?

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D) did not rule out a 2028 presidential run during a Wednesday podcast with political analyst Chuck Todd.

When Todd pressed Fetterman on โ€œThe Chuck ToddCastโ€ about whether he would run for the White House, the senator indicated he was unsure about whether he was paving the way for another independent-minded Democrat or considering his own bid.

โ€œI know weโ€™re wrapping up, so Iโ€™m going to make you answer the โ€™28 question,โ€ Todd said. โ€œWhat would it take to get you to run for president?โ€

โ€œI am focusing right now on just the burgeoning kinds of chaos and trying to find a balance and find a way forward,โ€ Fetterman replied. โ€œAnd, you know, doing things that I know that will anger parts of my base. I hope that there is room in my party for someone who wants that kind of truth.โ€

Todd pressed further, asking if Fetterman was attempting to โ€œplow a path forward for somebody like thatโ€ or if he wanted to โ€œtake the pathโ€ himself.

โ€œI donโ€™t know,โ€ Fetterman responded before Todd cut him off, noting the senator was โ€œnot saying noโ€ to a potential run.

โ€œIโ€™m not afraid of being honest. And now if there is going to be blowback or Iโ€™m punished, I get that. But for me, I think itโ€™s more important to be honest and to describe the danger of where we possibly are at,โ€ Fetterman responded. โ€œAnd we have to stop and think before we make another significant mistake thatโ€™s even more and more difficult to come back from.โ€

Todd told the senator he would mark Fetterman โ€œas not a no for โ€™28.โ€

โ€œWhat Iโ€™m saying is that there will be a 2028,โ€ the senator responded.

Watch:

A Washington Postย analysisย from January this year listed Fetterman as one of โ€œ12 Democrats who make the most sense for 2028,โ€ citing his independence within the Democratic Party.

Others considered to be potential Democratic 2028 contenders include failed 2024 candidatesย Kamala Harrisย andย Tim Walz, former Obama White House Chief of Staffย Rahm Emmanuel, former Transportation Secretaryย Pete Buttigiegย and a handful of Democratic governors โ€” Gavin Newsom of California, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Wes Moore of Maryland. Polling generally suggests that Democrats are by far most interested in seeing Harris become the partyโ€™s nominee again, followed distantly by Buttigieg and Newsom,ย accordingย to Newsweek.

Todd on Sunday recommended Harris not pursue political office for the next several years.

โ€œIf I were advising her, Iโ€™d tell her: go throw yourself into the rebuild of LA and get involved with the LA Olympic Committee,โ€ he said. โ€œBe above politics for a couple of years and come back maybe in 2030 or 2032.โ€

Trump Nominates Dr. Oz To Key Role

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump nominated celebrity Doctor Mehmet Oz to serve as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Servicesย (CMS) Administrator.

Read Trump’s full statement:

I am very pleased to nominate Dr. Mehmet Oz to serve as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator. America is facing a Healthcare Crisis, and there may be no Physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to Make America Healthy Again. He is an eminent Physician, Heart Surgeon, Inventor, and World-Class Communicator, who has been at the forefront of healthy living for decades. Dr. Oz will work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take on the illness industrial complex, and all the horrible chronic diseases left in its wake. 

Our broken Healthcare System harms everyday Americans, and crushes our Countryโ€™s budget. Dr. Oz will be a leader in incentivizing Disease Prevention, so we get the best results in the World for every dollar we spend on Healthcare in our Great Country. He will also cut waste and fraud within our Countryโ€™s most expensive Government Agency, which is a third of our Nationโ€™s Healthcare spend, and a quarter of our entire National Budget.

Dr. Oz graduated from Harvard College, and earned a joint MD and MBA degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Wharton Business School, my powerful alma mater. He rose to become a Professor of Surgery at Columbia University, while receiving numerous patents on his medical inventions, authoring more than 400 original publications, and publishing numerous New York Times Best Selling books.

He won nine Daytime Emmy Awards hosting โ€œThe Dr. Oz Show,โ€ where he taught millions of Americans how to make healthier lifestyle choices, and gave a strong voice to the key pillars of the MAHA Movement. Dr. Oz and his wife, Lisa, expanded this effort by founding HealthCorps, a non-profit that has improved the lives of millions of underserved teens Nationwide over the past two decades. 

I have known Dr. Oz for many years, and I am confident he will fight to ensure everyone in America receives the best possible Healthcare, so our Country can be Great and Healthy Again!

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.