Author: NOVA Corp

With the six-month mark until Election Day 2026 closing fast, President Donald Trump’s top political advisers are meeting behind closed doors Monday with dozens of leading Republican political consultants from across the country for a strategy session as the party defends its razor-thin House and slim Senate majorities in the midterms.

The meeting, organized by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who was co-chair of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, and Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair, comes as the party in power in the nation’s capital faces traditional political headwinds and is expected to lose congressional seats. Republicans are also battling a challenging political climate fueled by persistent inflation, rising gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran, and the president’s underwater approval ratings.

The gathering, which was first reported by Politico, is aimed at establishing better coordination and sharing of data and strategy between the White House political team and consultants advising candidates in midterm showdowns.

STRATEGY SESSION: TRUMP’S TEAM HUDDLES ON MIDTERM MESSAGING

The meeting also comes two weeks after Trump announced that Blair would temporarily step down from his White House role to steer midterm strategy from the outside. The president said in a social media post that Blair would take “a short leave of absence to lead the charge from the outside” against Democrats, and after the midterms would “return again to the White House, so we can finish the job.”

This is the second major gathering ahead of the midterms. Wiles, Blair and other top Trump political advisers met in February at the party’s Capitol Hill Club with Cabinet officials and their top aides to discuss promoting the Trump agenda and other midterm messaging.

Trump made a two-day swing last week to Nevada and Arizona, two crucial swing states in this year’s elections, to highlight the tax cuts that congressional Republicans passed, and which he signed into law last summer.

BACK ON THE TRAIL: TRUMP HITS BATTLEGROUND STATES TO TOUT TAX CUTS

The president’s stops were part of a full-court press last week by Republicans, around last Wednesday’s tax filing deadline, to spotlight the tax cuts, which they insist will give them a political boost with voters in the midterms.

The tax cuts were a key component of Republicans’ massive domestic policy measure, which passed almost entirely along party lines in the GOP-controlled House and Senate.

The law, originally titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act but rebranded as the Working Families Tax Cuts, is stuffed full of Trump’s 2024 campaign trail promises and second-term priorities, including extending the president’s signature 2017 tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay. 

FIRST ON FOX: GOP TAKES AIM AT DEMOCRATS FOR OPPOSING TRUMP TAX CUTS

But much of the GOP messaging last week was overshadowed by coverage of the war with Iran and Trump’s very public spat with the pope.

Republicans in Congress are increasingly concerned about the political climate ahead of the midterms.

“If we lose the midterms, it’ll be because we didn’t talk about what moms and dads are worried about when they lie down to sleep at night…and that’s primarily the cost of living, GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said Saturday in an appearance on Fox News’ “The Big Weekend Show.”

And pointing to the tax cuts, Kennedy said the “One Big Beautiful Bill is going to help a lot of people in terms of their taxes and a lot of small businesses. And that’s what I wish the president would talk more about. If we talk about it, we’ll win the midterms.”

Despite the Democratic Party’s poll numbers hitting all-time lows over the past year, Democrats are energized heading into the midterms thanks to a slew of off-year-election and special election victories and over performances, thanks in part to their laser focus on affordability since Trump returned to the White House.

The Democratic National Committee, in an email release Monday to supporters, claimed that “Republicans are in trouble ahead of the midterms — and they know it.”

President Donald Trump rejected the notion that Israel convinced him to launch the war against Iran, asserting in a Monday Truth Social post that the outcome “will be amazing.”

The president said the heinous Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack against Israel bolstered his view that Iran must be blocked from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon.

“Israel never talked me into the war with Iran, the results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, did,” the president declared in the Truth Social post.

“I watch and read the FAKE NEWS Pundits and Polls in total disbelief. 90% of what they say are lies and made up stories, and the polls are rigged, much as the 2020 Presidential Election was rigged. Just like the results in Venezuela, which the media doesn’t like talking about, the results in Iran will be amazing – And if Iran’s new leaders (Regime Change!) are smart, Iran can have a great and prosperous future!” he added.

US SEIZES IRANIAN SHIP AFTER OPENING FIRE; PAKISTAN TALKS IN DOUBT

The commander in chief launched the U.S. into the war against Iran in conjunction with Israel earlier this year, prosecuting a punishing air campaign against the Islamic Republic for more than a month.

While Trump announced a ceasefire earlier this month, tensions have remained high, and the president warned on Sunday that if Iran fails to accept the deal offered by the U.S., the American military will destroy Iran’s bridges and power plants.

US MILITARY ANNOUNCES ANOTHER DEADLY STRIKE AGAINST ‘NARCO-TERRORISTS’

“Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement! Many of them were aimed at a French Ship, and a Freighter from the United Kingdom. That wasn’t nice, was it?” Trump said in a Sunday Truth Social post.

“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY! They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honor to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years. IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END!” he declared.

The U.S. opened fire on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on Sunday.

“Guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) intercepted M/V Touska as it transited the north Arabian Sea at 17 knots enroute to Bandar Abbas, Iran. American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade,” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) noted.

MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE CLAIMS ISRAEL ‘JUST AS EVIL’ AS HAMAS

“After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room. Spruance disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska’s engine room. U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the non-compliant vessel, which remains in U.S. custody,” CENTCOM added.

Pro-Palestinian activists shouted down Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., as the U.S. Senate hopeful spoke at Michigan Democrats’ spring convention on Sunday.

When Stevens, a pro-Israel Democrat, walked on stage with a group of union employees, the crowd erupted with party activists heckling her over her support for Israel. 

“Democrats, I love you, even when we disagree,” the congresswoman said, but audience members continued to drown her out with boos and jeers.

DEMOCRATS TEAM UP WITH FAR-LEFT STREAMER WHO ONCE SAID ‘AMERICA DESERVED 9/11’

As Stevens departed the stage following her remarks, several attendees stood up, put their fists in the air and started to chant: “Shame on you.”

The tense moment underscores the Democratic Party’s race to the left, and how support for Israel has become a central flashpoint in Michigan’s competitive three-way Democratic primary in a state with sizable Jewish and Arab constituencies.

Stevens has come under scathing criticism from progressive Democrats over her long-held pro-Israel stances and support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Her primary competitors, by contrast, have leaned further left on the issue.

Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow have accused Israel of genocide and sworn off AIPAC and the pro-Israel lobby.

Stevens recently upset Michigan progressives by unequivocally rejecting the far-left online streamer Hasan Piker, who has a history of making antisemitic and pro-Hamas statements. 

Piker has described some Orthodox Jews as “inbred,” claimed the United States “deserved 9/11” and downplayed sexual violence that occurred during the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. He has denied accusations of antisemitism, but continues to maintain that Hamas is better than Israel. 

BATTLEGROUND DEM SAYS TERRORISTS ACT FROM ‘PAIN AND FRUSTRATION,’ ACCUSES AMERICANS OF BEING ‘HIGH AND MIGHTY’

Stevens has warned about the political fallout for Democrats if the party embraces Piker, telling Jewish Insider, “Someone who’s campaigning with someone like that is not going to win in Michigan.”

McMorrow, despite disavowing the pro-Israel stance, has also hammered El-Sayed for embracing Piker and has taken a tougher line against antisemitism than her left-wing foe.

Some attendees shouted “Abdul” when McMorrow exited the stage at the convention over the weekend, signaling support for the most radical Democrat candidate.

The swing state contest is viewed as a top pick-up opportunity for Republicans with former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, expected to cruise to the GOP nomination. Democrats are playing defense to keep the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., in the blue column.

The battleground race is one of three Senate contests rated as a “toss-up” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

Stevens, the only Democratic candidate in the race who has served in Congress, has been promoted by allies of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. TIME reported that Schumer has also opened the door to supporting McMorrow, though has continued to hold El-Sayed at arm’s length.

Fox News Digital reached out to Stevens’ campaign for comment.

Houston, a major red-state city run by Democrats, is in “crisis” mode as it faces an ultimatum to repay the State of Texas approximately $110 million if it does not repeal a “sanctuary”-type ordinance limiting cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The Houston City Council recently voted to end a policy requiring police to wait at least 30 minutes for ICE to arrive if a suspect had an immigration warrant. Afterward, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, drew a line in the sand, telling the city to immediately reverse its policy or face “extraordinarily difficult financial choices.”

Abbott asserted that Houston is “trying to renege on their obligations” after signing onto a public safety agreement to receive state funding that required it to cooperate with immigration enforcement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“The City of Houston right now is in breach of contract,” Abbott told reporters last week. “That’s going to require the City of Houston to immediately provide $110 million to the State of Texas.”

GOP WARNS DEMOCRATS’ DHS SHUTDOWN COULD JEOPARDIZE WORLD CUP SECURITY

Regardless of whether the city council cooperates, Abbott said city officials will face the consequences of their noncompliance. If officials refuse to repay Texas, Abbott said the state comptroller will withhold sales tax revenue that would otherwise go to the city.

“It’s not as if they’re going to say, ‘Well, we may or may not get around to writing a check,’” he said. “Know this, the way the law works… the comptroller will withhold the sales tax revenue that otherwise will go to the City of Houston and will be retained by the State of Texas until the State of Texas is fully repaid the $110 million that is owed by Houston to the state.”

Abbott shot down a reporter’s question on whether his ultimatum contradicts his public safety goals.

“Let’s be clear about a couple things,” he said. “If the city council was serious about public safety, they would not allow illegal immigrants to roam their streets and kill people like Jocelyn Nungaray.”

He added that “there are other people like that in Houston who have been raped, assaulted and victimized by people who are here illegally and allowed to roam the streets.”

STATE TOP COP MOVES TO CRUSH ALLEGED DHS RECORDS RESTRICTION AS COUNTY DENIES ICE-OUT

He further cautioned that the city council will have to find an alternate method of funding its police force, or it will be in violation of Texas law requiring cities to fully fund law enforcement forces.

“Houston will still be obligated to come up with the additional funds to fully fund their police,” he said.

He stressed to the city council that it is “in breach of contract,” adding, “We’ve given the opportunity to what’s called ‘cure’ that breach.”

“Failure to do so will lead to extraordinarily difficult financial choices that are purposefully made by the city council of Houston,” he concluded.

TEXAS AG SUES HOUSTON MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OVER NEW SANCTUARY CITY ORDINANCE LIMITING ICE COOPERATION

In response to the ultimatum, Houston Democratic Mayor John Whitmire has called on the city council to reexamine the policy and vote on possibly repealing it. Whitmire called the situation a “crisis” that affects the Houston police and fire departments, public safety services across the city and even preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

According to Whitmire, Abbott has given the city a deadline of this Wednesday before the state moves to enforce the contract. He said a special session of the Houston City Council has been called for that day, giving his office “additional time to continue productive discussions with the Governor’s office, City Council members, law enforcement, and the community.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the city council for comment.

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who is running as a Democrat for a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, is facing online blowback over a podcast appearance where he took several pointed shots at Vice President JD Vance’s personal life, including his relationship with Second Lady Usha Vance.

“What do you think is going through Usha’s head when he talks? She’s like, ‘Damn, I have to sleep with him,’” El-Sayed said on The Allen Analysis Show posted on Friday.

“I guess she’s pregnant so something is happening,” El-Sayed continued, “Can you imagine, he’s got brown kids, at some point he’s going to have a really awkward conversation with his kids, like, you made your career hating people who are different.”

El-Sayed went on to explain that Vance’s political philosophy is “incoherent” because of the racial makeup of his family and that the vice president’s soul is “corrupted” by power.

MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE CLAIMS ISRAEL ‘JUST AS EVIL’ AS HAMAS

“He’s got to look at his kids and be like, ‘Yeah, those are brown kids, they’re mine,’” El-Sayed said. “‘You know what I mean? And I had brown kids. I had brown kids?’”

Sayed continued, “I love my brown kids, and I think my brown kids are just as American as everyone else. JD Vance has brown kids who he thinks are less American than everyone else.”

El-Sayed also said on the podcast appearance that Vance has the “charisma of a doorknob” and the “aura of a toad” while urging Usha Vance to “get out” of the marriage.

BATTLEGROUND DEM SAYS TERRORISTS ACT FROM ‘PAIN AND FRUSTRATION,’ ACCUSES AMERICANS OF BEING ‘HIGH AND MIGHTY’

Former Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon was one of several people who took issue with El-Sayed’s comments and told Fox News Digital she doesn’t believe most Michigan voters will react positively to his message.

“When you’re running on racial division, you have to keep stoking racism, especially if you’re the racist,” Dixon said. “Imagine smugly trying to break up a family because you don’t believe a white man can love his children. Pretty pathetic, and I think Michigan voters will agree.”

Conservatives on social media quickly reacted to the clip, accusing El-Sayed of taking his criticism of the Vance family too far. 

“This isn’t politics,” Founder of Christians Against Antisemitism Institute Reverend Jordan Wells posted on X, calling the comments a “low blow.”

“This is personal, cruel, and straight-up disgusting.”

Conservative influencer Laura Loomer blasted the “derogatory sexual comments” in a post on X.

“Democrats are trash,” Townhall writer Amy Curtis posted on X.

Fox News Digital reached out to Vance’s office and El-Sayed’s campaign for comment. 

Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary will be held on Aug 4 as El-Sayed squares off against Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens to advance to the general election in November against former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers.

Top Virginia redistricting proponent and former Attorney General Eric Holder defended Democrats’ proposed changes to the Old Dominion’s congressional map, accusing Republicans of “stealing seats” in Missouri and Texas.

Voters go to the polls Tuesday to decide whether to “restore fairness” — in the words of the Democrat-crafted referendum itself — by essentially approving a new congressional map that would redraw Virginia’s districts to favor Democrats over Republicans 10-1.

In a CBS News interview, anchor Margaret Brennan pressed Holder on the need for a new map, noting that a president’s party — in this case the GOP — already historically underperforms in midterm elections.

Holder denied the move is an acknowledgment that the Democratic Party can’t win “on its own” and said that they can definitely win if it is a fair fight.

GLENN YOUNGKIN ACCUSES GOV SPANBERGER OF ‘ILLEGAL AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL’ GERRYMANDERING IN VIRGINIA MAP FIGHT

“What were we supposed to do, nothing?” Holder asked, citing Texas’ decision to redraw its districts at the behest of President Donald Trump and similar Republican-led redistricting efforts in Missouri and North Carolina.

Holder did not mention that Indiana legislative Republicans balked at calls to similarly redraw their map to favor the GOP, and Maryland Democrats also rejected a push to redraw their districts, ultimately preserving House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris’ Eastern Shore seat.

Holder said Democrats couldn’t allow Republicans to “stack the deck” nationally and “try to steal seats.”

“All we are trying to do is meet them and try to make the system as fair as it possibly can be, and that’s all this is about,” he said.

Holder’s comments sparked online criticism, as Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and others pushed back on the former Obama “wingman’s” logic.

“It’s only partisan gerrymandering and ‘stealing seats’ when Republicans do it,” Lee said on X.

VA DEM REJECTS ‘POWER GRAB’ CLAIMS ON SPANBERGER REDISTRICTING AS GOP WARNS 10–1 MAP WOULD SPLIT RURAL VOTE

“When it’s Democrats, it’s about ‘making the system as fair as it can be’ — Democrat logic is exhausting.”

Fox News contributor and media critic Joe Concha noted that Brennan also did not bring up several recent case of Democrats doing exactly what Holder criticized Republicans for.

“Margaret didn’t bother to push back and bring up the fact that several blue states have done this for years,” Concha said.

Critics have often pointed to the fact that the entirety of New England lacks a Republican member of congress, despite the true D-to-R population proportion.

Like the proposed Virginia map, which includes several districts painstakingly drawn into Fairfax County and another intentionally drawn to connect interior cities like Charlottesville, Lynchburg and Roanoke, Democratic states like Illinois have created similar awkwardly-drawn maps.

Reps. Eric Sorensen and Nikki Budzinski’s districts notably form thin, arcing lines connecting various Illinois cities that are otherwise nowhere near each other and not in a straight line or contour.

Sorensen’s covers Rockford, Moline, Peoria and Bloomington, while Budzinski’s snakes from East St. Louis to Decatur and Urbana while incidentally collecting a thin line of rural areas that happen to be in between.

In Maryland, until recently, the third district was in several distinct pieces connected only by waterways and tributaries — to the extent a federal judge derisively called it a “broken-winged pterodactyl” flying over Balt-Wash suburbs.

House Republicans are pressing multiple federal agencies for answers about reports that at least 10 individuals tied to sensitive U.S. nuclear and aerospace programs have died or disappeared in recent years, with lawmakers pointing to public reporting that raises questions about a possible “sinister connection” between the cases.

In letters sent Monday, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Subcommittee Chairman Eric Burlison, R-Mo., request briefings from the FBI, Department of Energy, NASA and Department of War, citing what they describe as “unconfirmed public reporting” surrounding the incidents.

The lawmakers say the reports involve individuals with connections to “U.S. nuclear secrets or rocket technology” who have “died or mysteriously vanished,” and are seeking to determine whether any broader national security risk exists.

“If the reports are accurate, these deaths and disappearances may represent a grave threat to U.S. national security and to U.S. personnel with access to scientific secrets,” Comer and Burlison wrote.

MISSING RETIRED AIR FORCE GENERAL CONSULTED ON UFOS FOR BLINK-182’S TOM DELONGE

In response to earlier outreach, the War Department said there are “no active national security investigations” involving any current or former personnel tied to the reported cases.

The White House has acknowledged the issue but has not confirmed any connection between the incidents. 

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt recently said officials are working with relevant agencies to gather more information, while President Donald Trump told reporters he had “just left a meeting” on the matter, calling it “pretty serious stuff” and indicating answers could come soon.

The letters cite several individuals whose deaths or disappearances have drawn public attention, including former NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist Michael David Hicks, who died in 2023.

COMER WARNS ‘SOMETHING SINISTER’ MAY BE BEHIND DEATHS, DISAPPEARANCES OF 11 NUCLEAR, SPACE-LINKED SCIENTISTS 

Among the more recent cases, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William “Neil” McCasland disappeared from his Albuquerque, New Mexico, home in February. Authorities said he left behind personal items but took his wallet and a firearm, and he has not been located.

NASA materials engineer Monica Reza, who served as director of the Materials Processing Group at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, also remains missing after disappearing during a hike in California in June 2025.

The cases cited in public reporting span a range of circumstances, including disappearances, confirmed homicides and deaths where no foul play has been identified. Authorities have not indicated that the incidents are linked.

Lawmakers also referenced reports suggesting a possible professional connection between some of the individuals through past Air Force–funded research programs involving advanced materials for space and weapons systems, though no confirmed link between the cases has been established.

Comer and Burlison said the situation warrants further review, requesting staff-level briefings from the agencies by April 27 on any information they have regarding the individuals, as well as the procedures in place to protect sensitive scientific personnel and classified research.

The inquiry spans agencies responsible for nuclear weapons infrastructure, advanced military research, federal law enforcement and space exploration — a wide-ranging effort to determine whether any risk to U.S. national security or personnel connected to advanced research programs exists.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the departments that received letters for comment. 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney asserted that many of his nation’s prior “strengths” stemming from its close relationship with the U.S. have turned into “weaknesses” that must be addressed.

“The U.S. has fundamentally changed its approach to trade, raising its tariffs to levels last seen during the Great Depression. Many of our former strengths, based on our close ties to America, have become our weaknesses, weaknesses that we must correct,” Carney said in a video message.

“Workers in our industries most affected by U.S. tariffs, in autos, in steel, in lumber, are under threat. Businesses are holding back investments, restrained by the pall of uncertainty that’s hanging over all of us. The U.S. has changed. And we must respond,” the Canadian leader declared.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

CARNEY CASTS HIMSELF AS NATO DEFENDER AMID TRUMP BEEF, DESPITE CANADA MISSING KEY BENCHMARK FOR DECADES

“It’s about taking back control of our security, our borders, and our future. There are some who say there’s no need for a comprehensive plan. They believe we should wait it out in the hope that the United States will return to normal, that the good old days will come back,” Carney continued.

“But hope isn’t a plan. And nostalgia is not a strategy,” he asserted.

SEATTLE, VANCOUVER COORDINATE CROSS-BORDER PLANNING FOR 2026 WORLD CUP TOURISM

FROM AUSCHWITZ, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR ISSUES URGENT WARNING OVER RISING ANTISEMITISM IN CANADA

“We have to take care of ourselves because we can’t rely on one foreign partner. We can’t control the disruption coming from our neighbors. We can’t bet our future on the hope that it will suddenly stop. But we can control what happens here. We can build a stronger country that can withstand disruptions from abroad, that creates good jobs here at home, that’s a leader in this new world, with a vast network of reliable allies,” Carney said.

President Donald Trump has implemented an aggressive tariff policy. The Supreme Court ruled against him in February, holding that Congress – not the president – holds authority over such taxes. Starting Monday, businesses are able to file for tariff refunds, as the federal government starts unwinding billions of dollars in import duties.

Fox News’ Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a Catholic parish’s argument after Colorado excluded its schools from the state’s program that pays for families to send their children to the preschool of their choice, public or private.

The oral arguments in the case of St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy are expected to take place this fall.

This is a developing news story; check back for updates.

Michigan is among states doubling down on rejecting Trump administration investigations and oversight into elections, claiming protection of the right to vote, potentially setting up a battle that could escalate to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Justice Department is demanding roughly 865,000 ballots and hundreds of thousands of related election records from the Detroit area’s 2024 election, threatening to seek a court order if the materials are not turned over within 14 days.

In an April 14 letter to Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon asked for “all ballots (including absentee and provisional), ballot receipts, and ballot envelopes” from the November 2024 federal election, saying the department was acting under federal records-retention law and investigating whether election laws were followed.

Dhillon wrote that the request was based on a “history of fraud convictions and other allegations” in Wayne County and warned that failure to comply “may result in the United States seeking a court order for production of such records.”

FEDERAL JUDGE REJECTS TRUMP ADMIN LAWSUIT SEEKING MICHIGAN VOTER ROLLS

“Here @theJusticeDept, ensuring election integrity is a paramount duty,” Dhillon wrote Sunday on X, sharing the video of her appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo. “Many states fail to clean noncitizen & deceased people from their voter rolls, and under my leadership, @CivilRights will continue working to ensure that ONLY eligible American citizens vote in our elections!”

Dhillon added her investigations seek to “ensure accountability for the outrageous weaponization of the deep state against President Trump and his team.”

“It must never be repeated!” she concluded.

WITHIN MINUTES OF TRUMP SIGNING VOTER DATABASE ORDER, DEM STATES THREATEN LAWSUITS

The demand marks the latest step in a broader push by the Trump administration to scrutinize election procedures in key swing states after earlier moves involving 2020 ballots in Georgia and election records in Arizona.

Democrat officials in Michigan blasted the request as baseless and politically motivated.

“If this administration wants to bring this circus to our state, my office is prepared to protect the people’s right to vote,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel told The Washington Post.

FBI SUBPOENAS 2020 ARIZONA VOTING DOCS AS FEDERAL PUSH INTO ELECTION ADMINISTRATION WIDENS

The Justice Department’s request covers ballots, ballot envelopes and ballot receipts in Wayne County, which includes Detroit.

Nessel wrote in a separate letter that the department is seeking about 865,000 ballots and that the request was directed to the wrong office because the ballots are held by 43 municipal clerks, not the Wayne County clerk.

In her letter, Dhillon cited three voter-fraud cases and repeated allegations raised in a 2020 lawsuit against Detroit and Wayne County over absentee-ballot handling. That suit was later dismissed, with a judge finding the allegations were not credible.

DOJ SUES 5 MORE STATES, DEMANDING ACCESS TO VOTER ROLLS: ‘WE WILL NOT BE DETERRED’

Nessel argued that Dhillon’s request is a “fishing expedition” that goes too far back in state election history, and the past findings of fraud in 2020 were not widespread, claiming the “the process worked” in rooting out fraud.

Further investigation will be “an unwarranted intrusion into Michigan elections,” she added, and would put an undue burden on elections officials before the Aug. 2 primary, which is more than three months away.

“Any form of federal interference in Michigan’s elections, including any attempt to seize election records, will be closely scrutinized,” she warned.

GOP GOVERNORS, AGS BACK TRUMP SAVE ACT PUSH, WARN SYSTEM GIVES ‘UNDUE INFLUENCE’ TO STATES WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called the request a “poorly disguised attempt to justify more doubt and misinformation about our elections,” while Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson described it as the administration’s “latest attempt to interfere in our elections,” according to the Post.

The Post report of Michigan’s letter to Dhillon came hours after her appearance on Fox News, where Dhillon laid out the work of the DOJ and the obstruction it faces from Democrat-run states like Michigan.

“I’ve requested the voter rolls from all states and the District of Columbia,” Dhillon told Bartiromo. “About a third of the states have voluntarily complied with us or reached settlements with us, and we’ve run some of those records.

FBI REVIEWING FULTON COUNTY VOTE-COUNT ‘DEFICIENCIES,’ COURT DOCS REVEAL

“I’m suing 29 states and the District of Columbia for their refusal to give us the voter rolls to which the attorney general or the acting attorney general is entitled under the Civil Rights Act of 1960. We’re doing that to make sure that states are in compliance,” she said. “And guess what? States are not in compliance, even those ones who want to do so.”

Dhillon noted that in the DOJ’s investigation into the states that have cooperated with transparency to her requests, “we found at least 350,000 dead people currently on the voter rolls in those jurisdictions.”

ELECTION INTEGRITY GROUPS PRESS SUPREME COURT TO REQUIRE BALLOTS BY ELECTION DAY

“And we’ve referred approximately 25,000 people with no citizenship records to Homeland Security to look at, you know, dig into that further and see the extent to which people voted,” she continued. “I’m in touch with voting rights activists who are showing me information about people who have voted, who are not American citizens.”

“So the left told us, this never happens. And it’s a myth,” Dhillon continued. “It definitely happened just recently, someone was indicted in Minnesota, of all places, for voting without being a citizen.”

Minnesota, Dhillon noted, “has a weird vouching law that allows citizens to vouch for each other’s citizenship.”

“That’s crazy and inconsistent with the Help America Vote Act, and we’re not going to rest until we complete this project,” Dhillon said.