ActBlue, a central piece of the Democratic Party’s fundraising infrastructure, potentially misled Congress when it said it was adequately vetting incoming donations, according to a new report released this week.

The head of ActBlue, a major nonprofit fundraising platform that helps steer donations to left-wing candidates and causes, wrote in 2023 to Congress — in response to concerns about the platform’s ability to vet foreign donors — that it was taking all the necessary steps to ensure it was following the rules to ensure money from foreign sources were not making it through, according to a Thursday report from The New York Times. 

However, behind the scenes, ActBlue’s attorneys at Covington & Burling were expressing grave concerns that ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones’ claims in her letter to Congress were misleading and could open up the platform to significant legal risk, the report said.

ActBlue was already facing scrutiny from Trump, with him calling on the Justice Department last year to investigate the group over concerns the platform was allowing straw and foreign donations, which are barred by federal election laws. The fundraising platform has also been targeted by several congressional probes led by Republican House Committees.

SENATE HOPEFUL WITH DEEP DEM TIES SLAPPED WITH SCATHING COMPLAINT TARGETING ALLEGED FAMILY PAYOUT ‘SCHEME’

The concern from ActBlue’s legal counsel was found by the Times after reviewing memos between ActBlue and its legal counsel, resignation letters, and other communications. The Times also held interviews with ActBlue employees on the basis of anonymity. 

The memos reportedly communicated that claims to Congress by Wallace-Jones, indicating that ActBlue had a multi-layered vetting framework and processed contributions with foreign mailing addresses only if the donor supplied a U.S. passport number, were not fully accurate. Wallace-Jones also reportedly wrote in her letter that ActBlue’s framework would contact donors to request their U.S. passport information in order to process donations and would return any money when they could not reach the donor. However, this was also reportedly not happening on a consistent basis, according to The Times’ reporting.

“It can be alleged that ActBlue accepted and/or facilitated the acceptance of foreign-national contributions into American elections,” one memo reportedly stated. “In addition, because ActBlue’s staff was aware that its system was not as robust as necessary, it could be alleged that these violations were ‘knowing and willful,’ a standard that both increases the penalties the F.E.C. might seek and gives the Justice Department jurisdiction for a potential criminal investigation.”

FOREIGN BILLIONAIRES FUNNEL $2.6B TO US ADVOCACY GROUPS TO INFLUENCE POLICY, WATCHDOG REPORT CLAIMS

“An aggressive prosecutor may view the November 2023 letter not just as a false statement but as an effort to conceal the foreign contributions,” ActBlue’s legal counsel wrote, The Times reported.

The concerns about Wallace-Jones’ statements to Congress and what to do subsequently resulted in behind-the-scenes chaos at the political fundraising nonprofit, including a slew of departures at ActBlue that were reported publicly by The Times. Additionally, the relationship between ActBlue and its legal firm, Covington & Burling, which is known for representing some of the most high-profile political clients in the United States, was ultimately severed amid disagreements over whether Wallace-Jones’ claims in 2023 were the fault of the legal counsel,or ActBlue, according to the Times’ reporting on Thursday. 

“We have complete confidence in the legal advice our lawyers provided to ActBlue,” a Covington spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

ActBlue did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment in time for publication. 

In May, ActBlue put out a press release informing people about “what’s really happening and what you need to know,” pertaining to the investigation into ActBlue’s vetting mechanisms. The press release called it a “myth” that the platform allows foreign nationals to illegally contribute donations.

“While ActBlue has always had strong measures in place that have successfully prevented illegal foreign donations, beginning in 2025 we have gone even further,” the press release states. “We now require that Americans living abroad be physically present in the United States to make a contribution on our platform, despite campaign finance laws allowing citizens to contribute to campaigns while living abroad.”

Trump called on the DOJ early in his term to return a report within 180 days to him about the status of its findings into ActBlue. However, according to The Times, that report has never been made public. The outlet added that three investigations by GOP-led House committees remain ongoing. 

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism from local politicians and onlookers on social media over comments he made that critics say places blame on guns rather than criminals in an incident involving the shooting death of a 7-month-old child in Brooklyn.

“This is not our first family to know this pain,” Mamdani said in response to a 7-month-old baby girl, Kaori Patterson-Moore, who was killed by a stray bullet on Wednesday afternoon when a gunman on a moped opened fire on a Brooklyn street in a suspected gang-related incident. 

“Too many children have never grown up into becoming adults. To parents who’ve had to bury those they love most. We cannot accept it as normal in our city. We cannot grow numb to this pain, and today is a devastating reminder of just how much more work there is to be done… to combat gun violence across the city.”

The clip, along with other comments by Mamdani, have sparked criticism from local politicians, experts and onlookers who say the mayor is blaming guns instead of criminals and implementing policies that embolden those criminals.

HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR, 86, PRICED OUT OF NYC SAYS MAMDANI SKIPPED SCHEDULED HOUSING MEETING

“Literally anything but blaming the criminals who our system releases onto our streets repeatedly, over and over again, with no consequences,” NYC Republican Councilwoman Vickie Paladino posted on X. “Absolute disgrace.”

“If only New York had strict gun laws,” Power the Future Executive Director and New York City native Daniel Turner posted on X.

Manhattan Institute fellow Rafael A. Mangual told Fox News Digital that Mamdani’s “references to the means by which this heinous crime was committed suggests that he is uncomfortable with acknowledging that the murder of Kaori Patterson-Moore was committed by two evil thugs whose callous disregard for the value of human life should disqualify them from ever experiencing freedom.”

MAMDANI IGNITES SOCIAL MEDIA OUTRAGE AFTER PHOTO-OP AT NOTORIOUS NYC JAIL: ‘F—ING RIDICULOUS’

Mangual continued, “Framing this as a gun problem rather than an evil gangbanger problem is more familiar territory for a self-styled progressive whose political base is constituted by people simultaneously (if dissonantly) committed to the cause of ‘gun control’ as well as efforts to reorient the criminal justice system to be more lenient toward the offenders who pull triggers. But, as the recent killing of Richard Williams illustrates clearly, criminals can and do take lives without any weapons at all.”

Richard Williams, an 83-year-old Air Force veteran, was recently allegedly shoved onto subway tracks in New York City by an illegal immigrant with a long criminal history and later died from his injuries in an incident Mamdani has faced criticism for not addressing. 

“An 83-year old veteran was killed in New York City last month after being randomly pushed onto the subway tracks by an illegal alien,” Media Research Center Managing Editor Brittany Hughes posted on X. “Mamdani didn’t say a word because trains aren’t a good political prop, and he won’t condemn criminal aliens.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment. 

Mamdani, who has faced intense criticism over past calls to defund the police and proposed slashing the NYPD’s budget in February, did thank the department in a post on X, but that didn’t appear to assuage his critics.

“We should focus on the family’s loss today,” attorney Jim Walden, who ran against Mamdani for mayor, posted on X. “But every time you now ‘thank NYPD’ it burns my blood after you spent your career attacking them and coddling criminals. You really should be ashamed of yourself, @NYCMayor. But we all know you still hate police and policing and would dine with this vile criminal if you could get away with it, politically.”

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Amid several monumental Cabinet shakeups, President Donald Trump is signaling his continued confidence in Vice President JD Vance by having him address an “unprecedented” problem in Democratic-run states and declaring him the nation’s “fraud czar.” 

Vance announced Thursday his fraud task force busted an alleged $50 million hospice and healthcare fraud scheme in Los Angeles. Following this news, Trump took to Truth Social Friday morning to officially proclaim he was naming Vance fraud czar. 

Trump said Vance’s focus would be “EVERYWHERE” but with a special emphasis on Democratic-controlled states.

“Vice President JD Vance is now in charge of ‘FRAUD’ in the United States,” Trump wrote. “We will call him the ‘FRAUD CZAR,’ and his focus will be ‘EVERYWHERE,’ but primarily in those Blue States where CROOKED DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS, like those in California, Illinois, Minnesota (Somalia beware!), Maine, New York, and many others, have had a ‘free for all’ in the unprecedented theft of Taxpayer Money.”

VANCE ANTI-FRAUD TASK FORCE SUSPENDS 221 CALIFORNIA HOSPICE AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS SO FAR

The president called the fraud problems in the U.S. “massive and pervasive” and suggested the implications for the country are enormous.

As fraud czar, “the job (Vance) will be doing, in conjunction with many great people within the Trump Administration, will be a major factor in how great the future of our Country will be,” Trump wrote.

“The numbers are so large that, if successful, we would literally be able to balance our American Budget.”

He emphasized the work Vance already has done in California, writing, “Raids have already started in L.A.” and concluding, “Good Luck JD!”

The president already had placed Vance in charge of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which is a government-wide crackdown on fraud in federal benefit programs. 

However, Trump’s designation of Vance as fraud czar, an informal title, emphasizes the significance he is placing on the task force and his confidence in Vance to get the job done.

PAM BONDI ALREADY FIRED AS ATTORNEY GENERAL, CABINET OFFICIAL TEED UP AS REPLACEMENT: SOURCES

Trump first announced he would be putting Vance in charge of the “war on fraud,” and the position was solidified by Trump’s executive order establishing the fraud task force and placing Vance at the helm.

The announcement followed reporting revealing allegations of widespread fraud and abuse in Minnesota largely involving the state’s Somali immigrant community. 

Trump’s announcement comes the day after news broke that the president was removing Attorney General Pam Bondi from her role at the Department of Justice, a move that political analyst Jonathan Turley said hit Washington, D.C., like a “thunderclap.”

JD VANCE RELEASING BOOK ABOUT FAITH JOURNEY, CONVERSION TO CATHOLICISM

Just weeks before that, the president also removed former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. 

There are widespread rumors of Trump being displeased with several other high-ranking members of his Cabinet, though he has not publicly said so himself.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Vance’s office for comment. 

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FIRST ON FOX: The State Department has added business formal dress code guidance to its internal policy manual for the first time, establishing department-wide standards for employee attire.

The changes, implemented in recent days in the Foreign Affairs Manual — the department’s central repository for policies — mark the first time the agency has formally codified expectations for how diplomats and staff should dress in official settings.

“Representing the United States of America is an honor — and this new policy ensures our diplomats project credibility, respect, and the dignity of the nation we serve,” Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson told Fox News Digital.

The updated policy applies broadly across the department for both civil service and foreign service employees.

DEPARTMENT TO ASK FOR BONDS OF UP TO $15,000 FOR VISA APPLICATIONS FROM A DOZEN MORE COUNTRIES

The move underscores a broader recalibration at the State Department, where Trump administration officials have sought to impose clearer standards around discipline, appearance and adherence to policy. 

A State Department official said the change was driven in part by concerns that some diplomats had been dressing “pretty informally” in recent years. 

“This should have happened a long time ago,” the official said. 

The formal dress code represents a shift away from Biden-era personnel policies that prioritized flexibility and cultural inclusivity, toward a more uniform and prescriptive standard for how U.S. diplomats present themselves.

“Appropriate attire and appearance will depend on the duties performed, the work environment, and the level of interaction with foreign interlocutors and other external stakeholders,” reads the manual, viewed by Fox News Digital. “For staff participating in meetings or other official engagements with foreign interlocutors, dress is Business Formal and personal appearance is polished and professional unless otherwise specified.”

The dress code update follows other recent changes to how the State Department evaluates and manages its workforce, including revisions to hiring and promotion criteria for Foreign Service officers. 

Earlier in 2026, the department replaced diversity, equity and inclusion-related benchmarks with a new core precept focused on “fidelity,” emphasizing adherence to U.S. government policy and chain-of-command authority.

Under the updated guidance, mid- and senior-level diplomats are expected to demonstrate loyalty by “zealously executing U.S. government policy” and resolving ambiguity in favor of leadership direction, according to internal documents previously reported by Fox News Digital.

Those changes came alongside broader efforts to restructure the department’s workforce, including plans to reduce staffing and consolidate offices, signaling a shift toward more standardized expectations for diplomatic personnel. The addition of a formal dress code marks the latest step in that direction.

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FIRST ON FOX: A bipartisan pair of top-ranking senators want to know why sanctioned Russian officials were in Washington, D.C., and given access to the Capitol and meetings with administration officials as wars in Iran and Ukraine rage on.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, raised counterintelligence concerns over the recent visit of a delegation of Russian Duma members, all of whom are sanctioned for “conduct deemed to be harmful to U.S. national security.”

“The delegation came onto U.S. soil for one purpose: to advance the Kremlin’s strategic aims — including gathering additional useful intelligence,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

TRUMP EYES NEXT ATTORNEY GENERAL AS KEY GOP SENATOR SIGNALS POTENTIAL ROADBLOCK

“They did not come to engage in dialogue or pursue democratic aims,” they continued.

The lawmakers argued that Duma members “include Kremlin subordinates who have committed numerous cyber and ransomware attacks on Americans and have facilitated war crimes against Ukrainian civilians.”

“Remarkably, they are now helping Iran target U.S. military and diplomatic personnel across the Middle East,” Wicker and Shaheen wrote.

SENATE TO QUESTION TRUMP INTEL LEADERS ON IRAN WAR AFTER TOP OFFICIAL QUITS IN PROTEST

Several members of the Russian Duma visited Washington, D.C., late last month on a trip organized by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. She was joined by Reps. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., and Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, for a meeting with the delegation.

Luna later gave them a tour of the Capitol after posing for photos outside the United States Institute of Peace.

“As representatives of the world’s two greatest nuclear superpowers, we owe our citizens open dialogue, the exchange of ideas, and open lines of communication,” Luna said on X following the meeting. “We will continue to foster this dialogue and push for peace in support of this [administration’s] efforts, as well as economic opportunity.”

GRAHAM SAYS RUSSIA SANCTIONS BILL ‘NEVER GOING BACK ON THE SHELF’ AFTER TRUMP BACKS PUSH

Wicker and Shaheen noted that the Duma members were “far from innocent participants in a cultural exchange.”

“It included Vyacheslav Nikonov, who in 2023 referred to the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as the ‘Fourth Reich’ on Russian television. Mikhail Delyagin has advocated for destroying Ukraine’s energy sector. Boris Chernyshov once claimed that Russian retaliatory strikes were ‘an expression of our hatred [of Ukraine],’” they wrote.

Wicker and Shaheen demanded that Rubio and Bessent explain why sanctions were waived for the Russian officials’ visit, what meetings the delegation had with Trump administration officials, what counterintelligence assessments were conducted on the visiting Russians, and provide a complete manifest of who traveled from the Russian Federation.

The lawmakers wrote that the delegation’s visit came “at a time when Russia’s intentions are unambiguously clear.”

“Numerous public reports have cited Russian support for Iran’s military targeting of American service members in the Middle East,” they wrote. “European intelligence agencies have reported that Russia intends to attack NATO member states in the coming years. And [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has made it clear that peace in Ukraine is a mirage. His singular ambition for Ukraine is to erase its existence.”

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FIRST ON FOX: Montana’s attorney general is demanding a county reverse a policy whereby the state’s top cop denies Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to criminal justice data, warning the position is unlawful and undermines coordination with federal law enforcement, as a top local official pushed back.

Montana banned sanctuary cities under Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte’s pen in 2021, and that policy also allows Attorney General Austin Knudsen to enforce compliance and investigate alleged aberrations under threat of civil action against any such state agency or local or county government.

Knudsen notified Gallatin County — anchored by the city of Bozeman — that its policy stance is “legally incorrect” and that Big Sky Country is not Big Sur.

“Let me be clear: Montana is not California. This state does not embrace policies that isolate law enforcement partners or undermine the enforcement of duly enacted federal law,” Knudsen will write to Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell. 

SHERIFFS PLOT ICE COOPERATION ‘WORKAROUNDS’ AFTER NEW MARYLAND LAW BANS COOPERATION WITH IMMIGRATION OFFICERS

When asked about claims her county does not recognize ICE as a criminal justice agency qualified to receive confidential criminal justice information (CCJI), Cromwell said such a claim is not accurate.

When presented with the text of an email sent from her aide to county law enforcement stating the Gallatin County Attorney’s Office does “not legally recognize Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a law enforcement agency entitled to receive Confidential Criminal Justice Information (CCJI),” Cromwell’s office responded several hours later with a lengthy release stating in part that “there is no blanket policy in Gallatin County prohibiting cooperation with ICE or any federal agency, nor is there a policy restricting the sharing of information.”

“The County Commission, not the County Attorney’s Office, is the only governing body with the authority to establish county policy,” Cromwell’s office said.

“In the specific instance raised by the Records Department in September, ICE requested nonpublic CCJI regarding an individual for a civil matter. After legal review, the civil division of the County Attorney’s Office determined that ICE, in this context, was not acting as a ‘criminal justice agency’ under Montana’s CCJI statutes because the request was civil in nature and did not fall within the statutory definition tied to the administration of criminal justice,” the statement also read, adding that the email in question should not be considered “policy.”

FORMER MAINE COUNCILOR GIVES IMPASSIONED SPEECH OPPOSING CITY BLOCKING COOPERATION WITH ICE

In his own warning to Cromwell, Knudsen wrote that “Montana supports cooperation among all levels of law enforcement, including ICE, to ensure community safety and uphold the rule of law.”

“I write in response to your office’s determination that [ICE] is not a ‘criminal justice agency’ entitled to receive CCJI absent a court order. Your policy is legally incorrect and inconsistent with both Montana law and governing federal statutes. Montana law defines the term ‘criminal justice agency’ as a matter of statute—not local discretion,” he wrote, adding that it is not up to an individual prosecutor to make that call.

An October email from a Cromwell aide to two county law enforcement officials, obtained by Fox News Digital, described the policy that drew Knudsen’s ire.

“Good afternoon [officials], I am writing to inform you that the Gallatin County Attorney’s Office does not legally recognize Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a law enforcement agency entitled to receive Confidential Criminal Justice Information (CCJI).

FORMER MAINE COUNCILOR GIVES IMPASSIONED SPEECH OPPOSING CITY BLOCKING COOPERATION WITH ICE

“Accordingly, ICE is not authorized under Montana law to access CCJI without a court order.”

“Therefore, ICE is only entitled to public documents. All other documents being requested should be processed like a standard CCJI request,” the email read.

When asked about the reported policy, Cromwell told Fox News Digital, “That report is inaccurate.”

DEM GOVERNOR’S ‘DANGEROUS’ ANTI-ICE LAW IGNITES BACKLASH AFTER ALLEGED BOX CUTTER ATTACK BY ILLEGAL ALIEN

Knudsen said in his letter to Cromwell on Thursday that Montana’s legal definition of a criminal justice agency is intentionally broad to incorporate federal agencies when applicable and that ICE “plainly meets that definition.”

He went on to tell Cromwell that state law allows for an expansion of the definition of “law enforcement agency” rather than a restriction and that Gallatin’s position endangers public safety because ICE must be able to share information to keep the community safe.

Knudsen also accused the county in the letter of crafting the policy as a “deliberate effort to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities while avoiding explicit acknowledgment.”

DHS TORCHES NEW JERSEY’S PROFANE ‘F—ICE ACT’ AS ASSAULTS ON AGENTS SKYROCKET 1,300%

“Such an approach resembles a ‘sanctuary’ policy in practice, if not in name,” he said, noting Gov. Greg Gianforte’s ban on sanctuary cities.

Knudsen then gave Gallatin until Monday to take corrective action and communicate that to him via Solicitor General Christian Corrigan — the state’s principal litigator — and to retain all documents and correspondence about the policy.

Knudsen has been involved in several nationally relevant issues, including collaborating with West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey to object to the inclusion of a controversially constructed climate change chapter in a scientific evidence manual for federal judges.

Montana’s capital, Helena, also reportedly backed down from its stance of noncooperation with ICE following legal threats from Knudsen’s office.

That move came after the city’s commissioners heard analysis from outside legal counsel that Helena could face thousands of dollars in penalties every five days if it were found to be violating the state’s ban on sanctuary policies, according to Montana Public Radio.

ICE has continued to face political and, at times, physical attacks amid the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda, with a four-figure increase in assaults and threats against ICE and CBP agents, according to information shared with Fox News Digital by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

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President Donald Trump’s decision to fire Attorney General Pam Bondi tees up another whirlwind confirmation in the Senate, and some in the upper chamber are already drawing lines in the sand.

The Senate confirmed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin last month after a sprint to elevate him from lawmaker to Cabinet official following Kristi Noem’s firing. Lawmakers will again be tasked with confirming Bondi’s replacement in the coming weeks.

While Trump has selected Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to lead the Department of Justice (DOJ) on an interim basis, speculation is swirling over who he will tap as the next attorney general.

PAM BONDI ALREADY FIRED AS ATTORNEY GENERAL, CABINET OFFICIAL TEED UP AS REPLACEMENT: SOURCES

Whoever he picks will have to go through the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said in an interview with CNN that the next nominee must align with his views on the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol.

“The threshold for somebody following Pam Bondi ends the moment I hear they say one thing that excused the events of January 6,” Tillis said. “I’ve been very clear on that. So I hope whoever they have in mind to follow General Bondi is very clear-eyed about my position on January 6.”

“That’s why I didn’t support two other nominees who were coming through the Judiciary Committee, and I won’t support any nominee who thinks any element of January 6 was excusable,” he continued.

MULLIN CONFIRMED AS DHS CHIEF AS LAWMAKERS NEAR SOLUTION ON SHUTDOWN STANDOFF

Tillis will have a key vote on the Republican-led panel that could make or break any nominee’s chances of reaching a full Senate vote. Last year, he notably tanked Trump’s pick for top prosecutor in Washington, D.C., Ed Martin, over his comments on Jan. 6.

Trump is reportedly eyeing Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin for the job, but whether he taps another sitting senator remains an open question.

Some lawmakers in the upper chamber are reportedly pushing for Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to get the job. But Lee — who is pushing for the Senate to pass the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act — doesn’t appear keen on the idea.

BONDI OUSTER IGNITES BIPARTISAN UPROAR: ‘PARTISAN, PETULANT, POLITICAL HACK’

“I’m not going anywhere,” Lee said on X.

Then there is Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., who was previously under consideration for the job when Trump won in 2024.

Schmitt has a strong relationship with the president that dates back to his first campaign and has developed into regular invitations to join Trump for rounds of golf. But he turned down the job, opting to stay in the Senate after just winning his seat in 2022.

He confirmed his decision on X at the time, saying he was “just getting started” in the Senate.

“We need America First fighters who don’t just say they support the agenda but are willing to stand in the breach and actually fight for it — and for the hopes and dreams of the American people,” Schmitt said. “I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and be a champion for President Trump in the Senate.”

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that her predecessor, Karine Jean-Pierre, struggled in the role because she did not have an open relationship with former President Joe Biden.

Leavitt spoke in an interview with Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk, saying President Donald Trump’s “authentic” approach removes the need for political spin.

“I saw my predecessor in this role have a bit of a hard time,” Leavitt said, referring to Jean-Pierre. “I think it’s because she wasn’t able to communicate with her boss in a very open and transparent way.”

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE INSISTS IT’S ‘NOT TRUE’ BIDEN SPOKE ‘WAY LESS’ TO THE PRESS THAN TRUMP

In contrast, Leavitt described Trump as “honest” and open about his views with staff and the public.

“He just lays it on the table. There’s no guessing, there’s no questioning, there’s no spin, it’s just, it is what it is with him,” Leavitt said.

Jean-Pierre served as press secretary for nearly three years under Biden. She was frequently criticized by Republican lawmakers for relying heavily on notes and struggling to discuss the president’s positions beyond prepared remarks.

She also frequently defended Biden’s mental acuity from the podium, although later reports would suggest that even the president’s allies had reservations about his ability to do the job.

CNN HOST KAITLAN COLLINS REVEALS KAROLINE LEAVITT DEFENDED HER PRESS ACCESS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Leavitt said Trump’s openness about his views makes her job easier. However, he has also faced criticism for his unfiltered social media posts.

“We never know what you’re [going to] get when you walk into the White House these days. Every day is an adventure,” Leavitt said.

KAROLINE LEAVITT REVEALS ‘ANTI-CLIMATIC’ WAY TRUMP TOLD HER SHE’D BE PRESS SECRETARY: ‘OH, BY THE WAY’

Since leaving the White House, Jean-Pierre has registered as an Independent and written about that decision in her new memoir. In a podcast interview promoting her book, she defended Biden’s communication style.

“The president spoke to the American people a couple times a week. He traveled and did domestic travel and talked directly to the American people,”Jean-Pierre said on “The Bulwark” podcast last October.

“We are talking about a time politically that is incredibly partisan. It is hard to break through any messaging, and it was an incumbency as well,” she added.

Jean-Pierre has also pushed back on claims about Biden’s age, telling “CBS Mornings” she saw someone who was “always engaged. I saw someone who understood policy, pushed us on the policy, and also understood history.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Jean-Pierre for comment.

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One of the pilots who flew an F-15E fighter jet in Iran has been rescued, a well-placed source told Fox News. 

A search is still ongoing for the second crew member, the source said. 

President Donald Trump has been briefed on the incident, which marks the first known loss of U.S. aircraft in Iran since the conflict known as Operation Epic Fury began Feb. 28. 

It comes after 13,000 combat flights and five weeks into the campaign. Three F-15s were lost in a friendly fire incident in Kuwait. 

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and state media claimed to have shot down the U.S. fighter jet over central Iran, specifically in the mountainous Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province.

WHAT B-52 BOMBERS BRING TO IRAN FIGHT — AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE WAR

Initial Iranian reports claimed the aircraft was an F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter. However, subsequent photos of wreckage released by Iranian media suggest the aircraft may be an F-15E Strike Eagle, likely from the 494th Fighter Squadron based at Royal Air Force Lakenheath base. 

The Trump administration has notified congressional leaders about the incident, two sources confirmed to Fox.

The jet was apparently shot down by Iran, one U.S. official told Fox News Digital. Central Command, the theater responsible for operations in the Middle East, has not confirmed the incident but is expected to issue a statement soon. 

Local footage appears to show HC-130s and HH-60 Black Hawks flying low over Iranian territory, suggesting a search for those on board. Israeli Defense Forces paused their strikes while the search and rescue operation is underway. 

Combat search-and-rescue missions inside hostile territory are among the most dangerous operations, often requiring aircraft and helicopters to operate deep inside enemy air defenses. U.S. fighter pilots undergo advanced survival, evasion, resistance and escape (SERE) training designed to prepare them to evade capture and survive behind enemy lines.

The F-15E Strike Eagle is a two-seat fighter jet designed for long-range strike missions, capable of carrying precision-guided munitions deep into enemy territory. It is typically crewed by a pilot and a weapons systems officer and is widely used for both air-to-ground and air-to-air operations.

Iranian state media released images purporting to show the damaged jet, including an ejector seat. Fox News has not verified their authenticity.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN ‘NO LONGER A THREAT’ AFTER 32 DAYS — OUTLINES NEXT PHASE OF US WAR

Iranian claims of shooting down U.S. aircraft have surfaced repeatedly during the conflict, though previous reports were denied by U.S. officials.

U.S. officials for weeks have insisted the U.S. and Israel have “complete control over Iranian skies,” and recently sent the slower, non-stealthy B-52 bombers into Iran, underscoring how confident they were that Iranian airpower had been nearly eliminated. 

“We are in this military operation … for 32 days,” Trump said in an address Wednesday. “And the country has been eviscerated and essentially is really no longer a threat.”

“They have no anti-aircraft equipment,” Trump said. “Their radar is 100% annihilated. We are unstoppable.” 

Trump also said he expected operations to wrap up within two to three weeks, but added. “We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.”

Thirteen U.S. service members have lost their lives in Operation Epic Fury, and more than 350 have suffered injuries, though most have already returned to service, according to Central Command.

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FIRST ON FOX: A group of Republican lawmakers are pushing to block federal funding for transgender experiments on animals in the fiscal year 2027 spending bill. 

A letter spearheaded by Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and backed by GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., and more than a dozen other lawmakers asks appropriators to include language in the fiscal year 2027 spending bill banning federal funding for research on animals studying the effects of “drugs, surgery, or other interventions” intended to alter the human body.

“Tax dollars shouldn’t be funding the Biden Administration’s sickening transgender animal tests,” Gosar said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “That’s why I’ve been working with White Coat Waste to stop the NIH and other federal agencies from wasting money on this woke pseudoscience ever again.”

HHS UNLEASHES SWEEPING CRACKDOWN ON CHILD ‘SEX-REJECTING PROCEDURES,’ THREATENS HOSPITAL, MEDICAID FUNDING

Just days ago, Just the News reported that the NIH awarded another $584,117 to the University of California, San Diego for fiscal year 2026 to continue a mouse study examining the effects of cross-sex hormone treatments.

The lawmakers noted in their letter that language explicitly banning transgender experiments on animals was also included in the 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill.

The letter comes in response to investigations led by medical watchdog White Coat Waste and the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, which discovered that under the Biden administration, the National Institutes of Health, by the direction of Dr. Anthony Fauci, issued millions of dollars in grants for experiments to create transgender mice, rats and monkeys. The purpose of these experiments was to “mimic transgender human children and adults.”

TRUMP-SIGNED SHUTDOWN BILL SENDS $4M TO CHILDREN’S HOSPITALS UNDER FEDERAL PROBE FOR TRANSGENDER CARE

President Donald Trump heavily criticized NIH’s spending on these experiments during his 2025 State of the Union address and announced $8 million in NIH grants for transgender experimentation on animals would be cut.

In June 2025, a federal judge ordered that funding for hundreds of NIH studies, including trans mice research, be restored. However, that ruling applied only to that fiscal year’s budget.

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“Even though it didn’t have to, the NIH just doled out another half-million in taxpayer cash for a Biden-era experiment that crudely creates ‘female mice to model transgender men’ by cutting out their ovaries and pumping them with testosterone,” White Coat Waste Project Senior Vice President Justin Goodman told Fox News Digital. “Records obtained by White Coat Waste show this project will subject nearly 10,000 mice to horrific taxpayer-funded abuse — invasive surgeries and hormone injections meant to mimic transgender treatments, drilling into their skulls, injecting toxins into their brains, and ultimately decapitating them.”

“White Coat Waste’s exposé of the NIH’s renewed funding to create ‘female mice to model transgender men’ proves that Rep. Gosar’s effort is vital to ensure taxpayers aren’t forced to bankroll these barbaric animal tests,” Goodman said in a statement. “The solution is simple: Stop the money. Stop the madness!” 

A spokesperson for NIH shared in a statement that the government agency continues to invest in new approach methodologies which serve as an alternative to traditional animal testing.

“NIH recently announced a $150 million investment to expand human-based methods that better reflect human biology,” the spokesperson said. “This funding supports organoids, computational models, and other tools to improve how diseases and treatments are studied. The investment is part of a broader shift toward more predictive, human-relevant science.”

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