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A Senate Republican wants the Justice Department to investigate, and potentially prosecute, former Special Counsel Jack Smith over whether he ‘unlawfully took political actions to influence the 2024 election’ against President Donald Trump.

Sen. Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, accused Smith of seeking to impact the 2024 election in his capacity as special counsel under the Biden-led Justice Department in a letter to the acting head of the Office of Special Counsel, Jamieson Greer, first obtained by Fox News Digital.  

‘As the Office of the Special Counsel is tasked with ensuring federal employees aren’t conducting partisan political activity under the guise of their federal employment, you’re well situated to determine whether Smith broke the law,’ the Arkansas Republican wrote.

‘Many of Smith’s legal actions seem to have no rationale except for an attempt to affect the 2024 election results – actions that would violate federal law,’ he continued.

Smith was tapped by former Attorney General Merrick Garland to probe allegations that Trump sought to overturn the 2020 election results, and later investigated the handling of classified documents that were uncovered during a raid at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago compound.

Cotton listed four instances during Smith’s tenure where he charged that the prosecutor sped up trial dates and published information ‘with no legitimate purpose.’

In one example, Cotton accused Smith of fast-tracking the trial date and jury selection for his case against Trump related to his August 2023 indictment that was part of his 2020 election investigation.

That indictment included four charges against the president, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.

Cotton argued that, typically, defendants have more than two years to prepare for that kind of trial, and noted that the jury selection period was slated just two weeks before the Iowa Caucuses in 2024.

He also charged that Smith skirted the normal appellate process and ‘failed to articulate a legitimate reason’ the court should grant his request when Smith demanded a trial before the forthcoming election day, wanted an expedited review by the appeals court and then filed a petition with the Supreme Court to bypass the district court after Trump filed his defense with the District of Columbia District Court in December 2023.

Cotton accused Smith of violating the Justice Department’s ’60-day rule,’ that prevents prosecutorial steps from being taken that could influence an upcoming election. That charge stemmed from Smith’s move to file a brief following the Supreme Court’s decision regarding presidential immunity, which was granted on Sept. 26, 2024, a little over a month out from the election.

And that brief, Cotton noted, exceeded the normally allowed length four times over and included grand jury testimony ‘typically kept secret at this point in other proceedings.’

‘These actions were not standard, necessary, or justified – unless Smith’s real purpose was to influence the election,’ Cotton said. ‘In fact, throughout Special Counsel Smith’s tenure, he regularly used farfetched and aggressive legal theories to prosecute the Republican nominee for president. I would add that President Biden also called during the election for President Trump to be ‘locked up.’’

‘President Trump, of course, vanquished Joe Biden, Jack Smith, every Democrat who weaponized the law against him, but President Trump’s astounding victory doesn’t excuse Smith of responsibility for his unlawful election interference,’ he continued. ‘I therefore ask the Office of Special Counsel to investigate whether Jack Smith or any members of his team unlawfully acted for political purposes.’

Fox News Digital reached out to Smith but did not immediately hear back.

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The Supreme Court revealed on Wednesday that Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal to her sex trafficking conviction will be among the many cases the high court reviews at a closed-door conference in September.

The Supreme Court posted a brief notice indicating it plans to examine a petition from Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend and associate, on Sept. 29, marking the first time the justices will have her case before them. The public could learn whether the high court plans to review Maxwell’s case within days or weeks of that date.

If the Supreme Court were to deny Maxwell’s petition, she would have no appeal options left. If the high court were to grant it, that means it would review Maxwell’s arguments that she was improperly prosecuted.

Maxwell was convicted by a jury in New York in 2021 of five counts involving sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

She appealed her conviction, arguing it should be tossed out because a plea deal Epstein reached with the federal government in 2007 immunized her and statutes of limitations for her actions had lapsed.

Maxwell’s case has reentered the spotlight in recent weeks after the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI revealed that they had reviewed Epstein’s case files and found no further information that they could release to the public. The DOJ and FBI also said they uncovered no further evidence that would allow them to bring investigative action against figures who may have been associated with Epstein, a wealthy financier and registered sex offender who died in 2019 while in prison awaiting trial.

However, the administration faced intense blowback from MAGA supporters who felt Trump appointees, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, were reneging on promises to unveil revelatory information about Epstein’s case.

Trump, who was among the many prominent figures who once socialized with Epstein, said the topic was ‘sordid’ but ‘boring’ and dismissed questions about it. However, in the face of building pressure, the president demanded the DOJ take more action to release files.

The Supreme Court signaling that it will review Maxwell’s case comes at a delicate moment.

After Trump’s demands, the department asked the court to release a limited and redacted batch of documents from the grand juries’ indictments of Epstein and Maxwell. Then, DOJ Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Maxwell in Tallahassee, Florida, where she is serving her prison sentence, and questioned her for two days. 

Blanche’s motives for the meeting remain unclear.

Maxwell’s attorney, David Markus, told reporters after the meeting that it marked the ‘first opportunity she’s ever been given to answer questions about what happened.’  She answered questions about ‘maybe about a hundred different people, and she didn’t hold anything back,’ Markus said. He said they had not ‘yet’ approached Trump about clemency. The president recently said, when asked by a reporter about the matter, that he is ‘allowed’ to give Maxwell a pardon but that he had not considered it at this stage.

The House Oversight Committee has also moved to pull back the curtain on Epstein’s case by subpoenaing Maxwell to testify before the panel.

Maxwell’s attorney responded by saying she would need full immunity to testify and that she wanted to wait until after the Supreme Court responded to her petition.

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Israel-supporting Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres revealed on Tuesday he no longer has a relationship with some of his family due to his support for Israel. 

‘I’ve lost friends, all of you have lost friends there,’ he told a room full of Jewish students at the Israel on Campus Coalition Summit on Tuesday. ‘I’m no longer on speaking terms with with certain members of my family.’

Torres’ deep support for Israel has put him at odds with progressives in his party — but the New York Democrat has only recently begun to express frustration with the Jerusalem government. 

‘No offense, but there are moments when I feel like the Israeli government has the worst PR operation that I’ve ever seen,’ he told a room full of Israel-supporting students at the Israel on Campus Coalition Summit, some of whom applauded the remark. 

‘If I have like a normal constituent who comes to me, is not anti-Israel, is not anti-Semitic, but expresses this concern about hunger in Gaza, I cannot tell her there’s no issue,’ he said. ‘I cannot deny it. I cannot downplay that.’

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reports that 60,000 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel’s offensive campaign in Gaza to eradicate Hamas, and 154 have died from lack of food. President Donald Trump this week acknowledged there’s ‘real starvation’ in Gaza due to food shortages.  

Torres said that while he doesn’t hold Israel responsible for that starvation, ‘I feel like we should be doing everything we can to ease the human suffering in Gaza.’

He claimed that Israel is held to a ‘double standard’ because ‘no other country has been and has been expected to deliver food to its adversaries.’ 

Aid has been trickling into Gaza through the Israel-partnered Gaza Humanitarian Fund, which, since operations began on May 27, the group says has delivered more than 97 million meals. 

That ‘definitely contradicts the narrative that there’s a deliberate policy of starvation,’ Torres said. 

However, Israeli forces guard distribution sites, and the United Nations — which opposes GHF — claims over 1,000 Palestinians have died seeking aid through the group. GHF, in turn, argues the U.N.’s aid distribution has been entirely ineffective: U.N. data shows that only 8% of U.N. aid has reached its destination without being looted in the last 10 weeks, according to a Reuters report.

Israel has said there is no widespread famine in Gaza, asserting photos are misleading or of isolated cases, but has started to pause fighting in large swathes of the strip for 10 hours a day to allow for a surge of aid by land and air. 

A ceasefire and hostage deal has so far evaded Israel and Hamas leadership. White House envoy Steve Witkoff is on his way to Israel for negotiations as of Wednesday, Axios reported. 

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Former WWE CEO Vince McMahon was charged with reckless driving in Connecticut after he was involved in a three-car accident that severely damaged his vehicle.

The accident occurred on the Merritt Parkway in Westport, Connecticut on the morning of July 24, according to a state police report obtained by USA TODAY Sports. According to the report, McMahon was driving northbound on Route 15 when he collided with the rear of another vehicle and then crashed into a median wooden beam guardrail. Another vehicle was driving southbound on the route and collided with ‘debris projected over the center median’ from McMahon’s vehicle.

No injuries were reported in the crash, and there were no passengers in any of the affected vehicles. All vehicle airbags were deployed in the crash. TMZ was first to report the accident and posted photos of McMahon’s damaged Bentley.

McMahon was issued a misdemeanor for reckless driving and following too closely resulting in an accident. He was released on $500 bond and was ordered to appear in Stamford Superior Court on Aug. 26.

USA TODAY Sports has reached out to McMahon’s representatives for comment.

The WWE founder helped build wrestling into a worldwide phenomenon when he took the reins of the business in 1982, transforming its stars into larger-than-life characters and well-known celebrities. He was at the helm of the company for nearly four decades before he stepped down as CEO in 2022 amid reports he paid upward of $12 million to four women in a 16-year span to quiet allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity.

In 2024, he resigned as executive chairman and board member of TKO Group Holdings, parent company of WWE, a day after a former employee accused him of sex trafficking and assault in a lawsuit. The suit is still pending.

Coincidentally, McMahon’s accident occurred on the same day that WWE icon Hulk Hogan died at the age of 71. McMahon called Hogan the ‘greatest WWE superstar of all time.’

“His grit and unbridled thirst for success were unparalleled – and made him the consummate performer,” McMahon said in a statement.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

EA Sports is preparing to release its latest installment of its Madden NFL video game ahead of the 2025 season.

Naturally, many fans will be looking forward to Madden 26’s arrival due to the new players included in the game. Notably, the game will feature all 257 players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, as well as a portion of the undrafted rookies on each team’s 90-man roster.

Most of these rookies won’t immediately be high-level impact players in the game. That said, a handful could emerge as early impact players and X-factors who could help gamers win in head-to-head battles or build quality contenders in Madden’s franchise mode.

But who earned the distinction of being Madden 26’s top overall rookie? Four players were given ratings of at least 80, but one unicorn stands alone atop the list ahead of the game’s release.

Who is the top rookie in Madden 26?

Travis Hunter is the top-rated rookie in Madden 26. The 2025 NFL Draft’s No. 2 overall pick earned a rating of 84 overall for the 2025 edition of the video game, one point higher than No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty.

Hunter’s top billing comes amid his attempt to become a two-way star with the Jacksonville Jaguars after playing both receiver and cornerback at Colorado. Gamers will be able to use the 22-year-old at both positions in Madden 26.

Madden 26 rookie ratings

Hunter and Jeanty are the highest-rated offensive rookies in Madden 26, while Abdul Carter represents the top-rated defensive rookie in the game.

Below is a look at the 10 highest-rated rookies for Madden 26:

  • Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars: 84 overall
  • Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders: 83 overall
  • Abdul Carter, New York Giants: 81 overall
  • Mason Graham, Cleveland Browns: 80 overall
  • Will Campbell, New England Patriots: 79 overall
  • Jalon Walker, Atlanta Falcons: 79 overall
  • Kenneth Grant, Miami Dolphins: 78 overall
  • Jahdae Barron, Denver Broncos: 78 overall
  • Mykel Williams, San Francisco 49ers: 78 overall
  • Maxwell Hairston, Buffalo Bills: 78 overall

All 10 of the top-rated rookies were first-round picks. Hunter was the highest drafted on the list at No. 2 overall, while Hairston, the 30th overall pick, was the lowest.

In total, seven of the top-10 rookies primarily play on defense, while two play on offense. Hunter is the lone two-way player of the bunch.

What is Cam Ward’s Madden 26 rating?

Ward is set to have a rating of 72 for his first-ever appearance in Madden. The mark is four points lower than the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams, who earned an opening mark of 76 in Madden 25.

What is Shedeur Sanders’ Madden 26 rating?

Sanders received an opening rating of 67 for Madden 26. That compares favorably to the two fifth-round quarterbacks from Madden 25: Spencer Rattler and Jordan Travis. They earned ratings of 67 and 66, respectively.

Notably, Sanders is the fourth-highest rated rookie quarterback in Madden 26. Only Ward (72), Jaxson Dart (68) and Tyler Shough (68) are ahead of him.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

  • Shortstop Bo Bichette has re-emerged as one of MLB’s top hitters.
  • Blue Jays lead AL East a year after finishing 74-88.
  • Bichette, 27, is a free agent after the season.

Worse yet, every one of them could look around their clubhouse, assess the talent and wonder why they were stuck in this last-place hellscape, where franchise cornerstones were mentioned as trade candidates and not extendable pieces and the entire course of the franchise was subject to change.

“Everyone, as a whole, got punched in the face last year,” Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman tells USA TODAY Sports. “Everybody on the team, really, besides Vladdy, to be honest.”

And Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s stellar 2024 did not augur better times ahead but rather more uncertainty. Slated to hit free agency after 2025, Vladdy needed both dollars and details to be convinced to stay, and a spring training extension impasse seemed to extend the buzzard’s luck into the new year.

Yet something was already going on in the Blue Jays organization, and within the roster.

A 74-88 campaign has a way of inspiring attention to detail, rearranging key pieces, of, as Gausman said, buttoning things up a bit.

And what has emerged is both beyond that group’s wildest imaginations and also what they envisioned could someday be: The best record in the American League heading into the trade deadline, money and prospects to burn, a full-speed-ahead setting well earned.

“The best way I can describe it is just, a great team,” says two-time All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette of the 63-46 Blue Jays, who could still significantly improve in the final two days before the July 31 deadline. “A great group, a great team, however you want to look at it.

“But this is just the best group and team I’ve been a part of, for sure.”

Bichette is a massive reason for the 180. His 2024 was perhaps the most miserable, limited to 81 games by injury, a .225 average and four home runs and -0.3 WAR dotting his ledger after he was worth 4.8 just a year before.

So just how did Bichette search his soul and vow to come back a new man?

“My main goal was just to, like, chill,” he says.

OK, there was maybe a little more to it than that.

Bo Bichett’: ‘I owe it to my teammates’

Bichette’s year-ago misery was largely the result of calf strains that robbed him both of games and any hope for productivity from a compromised lower half. Yet it was a displaced fracture of his middle finger that ended his season and sent him into the off-season with explicit instructions.

Due to the fear of infection, Bichette was told he could not break a sweat. He did virtually nothing for six weeks, and didn’t initiate anything resembling baseball activity until around mid-January.

“I had a long year last year. And I needed to refresh and honestly grateful, in a way, that I had the finger thing,” he says. “It made me sit down and relax. I just needed to reset.

“Mentally, I needed every bit of it, I think.”

He’s certainly showing there’s plenty in the tank. A guy who barely played half the games last year is leading the major leagues with 131 hits, has more at-bats than anyone in the AL and has been on a three-week heater.

Bichette extended an on-base streak to 21 games July 29 before it was snapped later in the second game of a doubleheader at Baltimore. But what a run: Bichette batted .391 with a 1.040 OPS, 12 doubles, two homers and a run of hits in nine consecutive at-bats.

“We’ve seen him do this before. You know he can do this,” says Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “He’s a really talented hitter. Man, when he gets locked in, he can beat you in a lot of ways. That’s really good for us.

‘Bo has the ability to get hits. You see guys go on power streaks or on base streaks. To see nine consecutive hits is ridiculous.”

Bichette, Guerrero and George Springer have batted better than .400 since the All-Star break, dovetailing nicely with the Blue Jays’ rise. They’ve won 21 of their last 30 and boast the majors’ best win percentage since May 8, their 47-26 mark building a four-game lead in the AL East.

Bichette has long been joined at the hip with Guerrero, as sons of big leaguers and budding superstars with matching service time. As such, their ability to walk into free agency has been a hot topic since they were barely major leaguers.

Guerrero put the pressure on the Blue Jays, walking away from extension talks before the club came back with a 14-year, $500 million offer that made Vladdy a Jay for life.

“I think Toronto has been begging for their own, in any sport,” says Bichette. “For that kind of player to stay and want to be part of the city, I know that was something he wanted as well. It’s great for both sides.”

As for Bichette, his injury-plagued fifth season scotched any thoughts of an extension, for either side. Now, Bichette is nicely reestablishing his value. Guerrero is set in stone at first base.

The franchise has money to burn. And Bichette will have interesting options come free agency.

When that time comes.

“That’s the cliché answer,” he acknowledges, “but with how the team’s playing and the vibe in the clubhouse and everything, I owe it to my teammates to be that way.”

And he could have some new ones to welcome very soon.

‘Nice to be on the flip side’ for Blue Jays

When Seranthony Dominguez made the not-so-long walk down the Camden Yards hallway from the home clubhouse to the Blue Jays’ visiting digs, it was a fun baseball oddity – guy traded between games of a doubleheader pitting the two teams – but was drenched in a greater symbolism for Toronto.

They were in Baltimore this time last year, but instead of eagerly awaiting arrivals, they were saying goodbye.

Top starter Yusei Kikuchi, to Houston. Veteran bulwark Justin Turner, to Seattle. Upbeat center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, off to win a ring with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Dominguez’s arrival created a little awkwardness, but that was more than outweighed by the undeniable siren that the Blue Jays will make more hay the next two days.

“It’s great. Ross and the guys have shown they’re going to be aggressive when we’re in contention, which is awesome,” says Schneider. “We love that support. We’ve been playing really well.

“The tricky part is, people don’t understand the roller coaster that goes into these couple days. There’s some moving parts and you still have to go out and focus on the game.”

To that point, they’ve dropped four consecutive games, yet retain a 95% chance to make the playoffs, and 61% to win the division, per FanGraphs.

Once they get there, a team that makes consistent contact – their 16.4% K rate since May is the best in the majors – catches the ball and has a solid front end of a rotation in Gausman, Jose Berrios and the surprising Eric Lauer could make hay.

To say nothing of more reinforcements.

It’s all a little stunning, given the time and place and the grim reality that seems not so long ago, yet for Toronto, slips further in the past with every week.

“It’s nice,” says Schneider, “to be on the flip side of last year for sure.”

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

  • Starting Sept. 1, female athletes in international competitions must undergo a one-time genetic test to verify biological sex.
  • The test checks for the SRY gene, a determinant of male sex, and can be done via cheek swab or blood test.
  • This follows a 2023 ban on transgender athletes who transitioned after male puberty.

Female athletes who want to compete on the international stage in women’s events will be required to undergo a one-time genetic test, the World Athletics Council announced.

The new changes take effect Sept. 1, just in time for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo that begin Sept. 13.

The test for the SRY gene, which is located on the Y chromosome and determines male sex in humans and other mammals, can be used to determine biological sex.

Female athletes can have the once-in-a-lifetime test conducted via a cheek swab or blood test, whichever is more convenient.

‘The philosophy that we hold dear in World Athletics is the protection and the promotion of the integrity of women’s sport. It is really important in a sport that is permanently trying to attract more women that they enter a sport believing there is no biological glass ceiling. The test to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case,’ World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said.

In 2023, World Athletics banned transgender athletes who had transitioned male to female and gone through male puberty, and it previously announced earlier this year that changes were forthcoming to determine biological sex in competing athletes.

The organization said moving forward it would not judge or question gender identity, respect and preserve the dignity and privacy of individuals, and ‘never has and never would impose any obligation to undergo surgery.’

In the United States, President Donald Trump issued an executive order just last week, titled ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,’ with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee telling the federations under its purview that they had an ‘obligation to comply’ with the order.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday that Democrats invoked a century-old law to force President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice and the FBI to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. 

At a press conference, Schumer said he joined all his Democratic colleagues on the Senate Homeland Security Committee in invoking ‘a century-old and little-known law known as the Rule of Five.’ Under the federal law, Schumer said, ‘when any five senators on the Homeland Security Committee call on the executive branch, the executive branch must comply.’ 

Schumer said their request ‘covers all documents, files, evidence and other materials’ in possession of the DOJ and the FBI related to the case of the United States v. Jeffrey Epstein. 

‘While protecting the victims’ identities can and must be of top importance, the public has a right to know who enabled, knew of, or participated in one of the most heinous sex trafficking operations in history,’ Schumer said. 

He pointed to past statements from Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel promising transparency, but argued the public has only received ‘stonewall, evasion, lies.’ 

‘Donald Trump campaigned on releasing the Epstein files. He broke that promise,’ Schumer continued. ‘Trump should stop hiding from the truth. He should stop hiding from the American people. So today, Senate Democrats took action. We’re invoking federal law and using our authority as a check on the executive to compel transparency.’ 

‘It’s not a stunt. It’s not symbolic. It’s a formal exercise of congressional power under federal law. And we expect an answer from DOJ by August the 15th,’ the top Senate Democrat continued. ‘That’s what accountability looks like. This is what oversight looks like. And this is what keeping your promises to the American people look like.’ 

He also appealed to Senate Republicans. 

‘If you believe in transparency, if you believe Congress has a role to play in checking the executive, join us. Join us in calling for more transparency on the Epstein files, because once there’s transparency, the truth emerges,’ Schumer said. 

The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Schumer initially made the announcement during a speech on the Senate floor earlier Wednesday. The top Democrat argues that he and four other senators can force the Department of Justice to release the files to the public.

President Donald Trump explains why he kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago

Wednesday’s floor speech was Schumer’s second in the past few days focusing on the Epstein files. He also called on the FBI to conduct a counterintelligence threat assessment on the Epstein case on Tuesday.

He argued the FBI assessment should accomplish three things: determine if foreign intelligence agencies could gain access to the information ‘the president does not want to release in the Epstein files, through methods that include cyber intrusion;’ identify any vulnerabilities that could be exploited by foreign intelligence agencies with access to non-public information in the Epstein files, ‘including being able to gain leverage over Donald Trump, his family, or other senior government officials;’ and result in the FBI publicly showing that the bureau is ‘developing mitigation strategies to counter these threats and safeguard our national security.’

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President Donald Trump dished on the ‘strange story’ stemming from reports that a Secret Service agent attempted to smuggle his wife onto a Secret Service cargo plane accompanying the president on his trip to Scotland, as the Secret Service kicks off an investigation into the incident. 

Trump told reporters that he had just heard about the alleged incident, which he labeled a ‘weird deal’ and said that the agency was handling the matter. 

‘I don’t know, that’s a strange one. I just heard that two minutes ago. I think Sean’s taking care of it … Is that a serious story?’ Trump told reporters on Air Force One Tuesday, appearing to reference Sean Curran, Secret Service director. 

‘I don’t want to get involved, it’s a strange story,’ Trump said. 

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on whether Trump had been briefed on the matter or on the investigation. 

Real Clear Politics first reported that a Secret Service agent attempted to smuggle his wife aboard a Secret Service cargo aircraft during Trump’s travels for his Scotland trip. 

When asked about the report, the Secret Service told Fox News Digital a personnel investigation is underway. 

‘The U.S. Secret Service is conducting a personnel investigation after an employee attempted to invite his spouse – a member of the United States Air Force – aboard a mission support flight,’ a Secret Service spokesperson said in a Tuesday statement to Fox News Digital. 

‘The aircraft, operated by the U.S. Air Force, was being used by the Secret Service to transport personnel and equipment,’ the spokesperson said. ‘Prior to the overseas departure, the employee was advised by supervisors that such action was prohibited, and the spouse was subsequently prevented from taking the flight. No Secret Service protectees were aboard and there was no impact to our overseas protective operations.’ 

The Secret Service has come under scrutiny following the aftermath of the July 2024 assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

In that incident, 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight bullets at Trump from a rooftop during a campaign rally. One bullet grazed Trump’s ear, and the gunman killed Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter, father and husband attending the rally. 

Additionally, another man was apprehended and charged months later with attempting to assassinate Trump at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

Both incidents are under investigation, and a bipartisan House task force that investigated the Pennsylvania attack determined the episode was ‘preventable,’ and that various mistakes were not an isolated incident.

Since these episodes, the Secret Service has implemented a host of changes to its agency to beef up its security practices. 

Specific steps taken include expanding the use of drones for surveillance purposes, and overhauling its radio communications networks and their interoperability with Secret Service personnel, and state and local law enforcement officers. 

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President Donald Trump pressured the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee to end a longstanding practice in the Senate to expedite his nominations to district courts and U.S. attorney’s offices, but the lawmaker isn’t budging.

Trump late Tuesday night demanded that Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, ‘have the courage’ to end the ‘blue slip’ tradition in the Senate, which effectively gives senators the ability to veto district court and U.S. attorney nominees in their home states.

He charged that the practice was ‘probably unconstitutional,’ and lamented that a president would ‘never be permitted to appoint the person of his choice’ because of it.

‘Chuck Grassley, who I got re-elected to the U.S. Senate when he was down, by a lot, in the Great State of Iowa, could solve the ‘Blue Slip’ problem we are having with respect to the appointment of Highly Qualified Judges and U.S. Attorneys, with a mere flick of the pen,’ Trump said in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform.

‘Democrats like Schumer, Warner, Kaine, Booker, Schiff, and others, SLEAZEBAGS ALL, have an ironclad stoppage of Great Republican Candidates,’ he continued.

The 91-year-old Grassely, who has been a member of Congress since 1975 and in the Senate since 1981, handily beat his previous opponent by over 12 points three years ago.

The longtime lawmaker addressed Trump’s comments during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday that he was surprised to see the president ‘go after me and Senate Republicans over what we call the ‘blue slip.”

‘Now, to people in the Real America — not here in Washington, D.C., an island surrounded by reality — the people in Real America don’t care about what the ‘blue slip’ is, but, in fact, it impacts the district judges who serve their communities and the U.S. Attorneys who ensure law and order is enforced,’ Grassley said. ‘I was offended by what the President said, and I’m disappointed that it would result in personal insults.’

Trump’s fury comes as Senate Republicans are working to ram as many of his nominees through Senate Democrats’ blockade as possible. Currently, lawmakers are working on a deal to get more low-hanging fruit nominations, like ambassadors, through in a large group rather than eating away at floor time.

One instance where Democrats have opted to block some of Trump’s nominees came earlier this year when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., used his blue slip privileges to nix Trump’s U.S. Attorney nominees for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

‘Donald Trump has made clear he has no fidelity to the law and intends to use the Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney offices and law enforcement as weapons to go after his perceived enemies,’ Schumer said at the time. 

‘Such blatant and depraved political motivations are deeply corrosive to the rule of law and leaves me deeply skeptical of Donald Trump’s intentions for these important positions,’ he said. 

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