Politics

The Pentagon on Wednesday released video footage of the raid that led to the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., commander of U.S. Central Command, gave a play-by-play of the special operations forces raid on an ISIS compound in northern Syria last Saturday that ended with Baghdadi killing himself with an explosive vest.

Overall, U.S. forces killed six ISIS members – four women and another man aside from Baghdadi – in the raid. McKenzie also clarified that Baghdadi’s explosive vest also killed two children he had brought with him into a tunnel when U.S. troops pursued him.

“He crawled into a hole with two small children and blew himself up while his people stayed on the ground,” the general said.

In a national address on Sunday, President Trump described the nighttime airborne raid in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, with American special operations forces flying over heavily militarized territory controlled by multiple nations and forces. No U.S. troops were killed in the operation, Trump said.

The death of Baghdadi was a milestone in the fight against ISIS, which brutalized swaths of Syria and Iraq and sought to direct a global campaign from a self-declared “caliphate.” A yearslong campaign by American and allied forces led to the recapture of the group’s territorial holding, but its violent ideology has continued to inspire attacks.

Baghdadi’s identity was confirmed by a DNA test conducted onsite, Trump said. The ISIS leader was later buried at sea.

The operation marked a significant foreign policy success for Trump, coming at a perceived low point in his presidency amid the House impeachment inquiry and widespread Republican condemnation for his Syria policy.

TRUMP TWEETED DOCTORED IMAGE TO THANK DOG IN BAGHDADI RAID

The recent pullback of U.S. troops he ordered from northern Syria raised a storm of bipartisan criticism in Washington that the militant group could regain strength after it had lost vast stretches of territory it had once controlled. Trump said the troop pullout “had nothing to do with this.”

A day earlier, the Pentagon said that the U.S. military dog injured in the raid was “fully recovering” after playing a role in the operation that led to the death of the leader of ISIS. Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that the dog “performed a tremendous service” and was “slightly wounded.”

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Officials were not releasing specific information about the dog, though Trump declassified and tweeted a photo of the canine. The dog has “returned to duty,” back “with its handler.” Milley said.

“We’re protecting the dog’s identity,” he added.

Fox News’ Alex Pappas and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton has been invited by Democrats to appear for a deposition on Capitol Hill as part of their impeachment inquiry, a source familiar with the situation told Fox News.

Deposition notices have also gone out to John Eisenberg, a deputy assistant to President Trump, and Michael Ellis from White House counsel’s office. Both Eisenberg and Ellis have served as legal advisers to the National Security Council, the source said.

Should he appear, Bolton will be the highest-profile person to be interviewed so far. It was not immediately clear if Bolton will accept the invitation. If he doesn’t, it’s possible Democrats could issue a subpoena to attempt to compel his testimony.

JOHN BOLTON RETAINS COUNSEL AMID SPECULATION OVER POSSIBLE APPEARANCE IN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Bolton has retained legal counsel and his lawyers have had “a conversation“ with the House committees conducting the impeachment inquiry, Fox News reported last week.

Bolton departed the White House last month over disagreements with the president on a range of foreign policy issues, including a planned troop drawdown in Afghanistan.

Last week, Bill Taylor, the top American diplomat to Ukraine, testified that he was told Bolton was concerned while serving in the White House about Trump’s actions toward Ukraine.

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Taylor said he was told Bolton referred to this as a “drug deal.”

Earlier this month, Fiona Hill, the former senior director for Russian and Eurasian affairs, told lawmakers that a July meeting with Ukrainian and U.S. officials about desired investigations left her and Bolton so concerned that he directed her to alert a lawyer in the National Security Council.

Fox News’ Mike Emanuel and Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CONCORD, N.H. – South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg took aim at Democratic presidential campaign rival Sen.  Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. over her “Medicare-for-all” plan on Wednesday, after becoming the first major candidate to file for the ballot in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary.

Buttigieg, who grabbed headlines at this month’s presidential debate for challenging Warren over how she’ll pay for her plan to implement a single-payer health care system, expanded on those concerns Wednesday.

NH PRIMARY GETS REAL AS FILING PERIOD GETS UNDERWAY

“I certainly think we all have a responsibility to explain how our plans are going to be paid for, and my concern about the plan she’s putting forward is not just the multi-trillion-dollar hole but also the fact that most Americans would prefer not to be told that they have to abandon their private plan,” Buttigieg said in an interview with Fox News and New Hampshire’s Concord Monitor newspaper.

“I want to create this public plan and then if it’s the right plan for everybody, everybody will want it,” Buttigieg added. “If it’s not the right plan for some people, then some people will keep what they’ve got. I think that’s the best policy. It’s definitely what most voters, including what most Democratic voters, believe. And I believe those voters are not wrong.”

Warren supports 2020 rival Bernie Sanders’ Medicare-for-all plan. Sanders has repeatedly acknowledged that taxes for most Americans would rise to pay for the program but has claimed that most people would save money in the long run due to the elimination of premiums, co-payments and deductibles. Yet at this month’s debate, Warren wouldn’t say if middle-class taxes would rise to pay for her Medicare-for-all system and pledged to unveil her plan for paying for it soon.

Warren also returned fire at Buttigieg on the debate stage, criticizing his health care plan as “Medicare for all who can afford it.”

Warren repeated her debate pledge while campaigning in New Hampshire Tuesday night, telling reporters: “I’ll have a plan out soon that shows both how much Medicare-for-all costs and how it is we’re going to pay for it. It’s coming out soon.”

Speaking with reporters Wednesday after filing at the New Hampshire State House, Buttigieg painted clear contrasts between himself and Warren and Sanders, the two populist standard-bearers in the large field of Democratic White House hopefuls.

“If as a voter you’ve decided you want the most ideologically left candidate possible, then of course you’ve already got your choice,” he said, taking an indirect jab at both Warren and Sanders. “But I think a lot of others are looking for real progressive solutions that can be achieved and that can command the support of a strong American majority. I think that’s where most Democratic voters are.”

And he vowed that if he won the White House, “I would be the most progressive president in my lifetime but I also would build out majorities to do these things in a way that can actually unify rather than further polarize the American people.”

BUTTIGIEG IN FOURTH PLACE IN NEW NH POLL, TRAILING SANDERS, WARREN AND BIDEN

Buttigieg arrived in the Granite State one day after a new poll from the University of New Hampshire for CNN put the one-time long-shot for the nomination in fourth place among likely Democratic primary voters, at 10 percent. Ahead of him were Sanders, I-Vt., at 21 percent, Warren at 18 percent, and former Vice President Joe Biden at 15 percent.

The 37-year old candidate, the youngest in the Democratic field, appeared to question Biden’s readiness.

“In order to win, we need to put forward a candidate who can demonstrate the readiness to lead this country forward. We’re going to have to turn the page. And it’s not as simple as going back to normal. We’ve really got to build up a new normal,” Buttigieg told Fox News.

“I’ll also say when it comes to electability, every single time my party has won the presidency in the last 50 years, it’s been with a candidate who’s new on the national scene, hadn’t spent a lot of time in Washington and represented a new generation of leadership. By contrast, every single time in the last 50 years we have put forward the most Washington-orientated candidate, we have come up short in November,” he added.

Hours before Buttigieg arrived in Concord, a new poll from Politico and Morning Consult suggested that 37 percent of registered voters said they were either definitely or probably not ready for a president who is gay.

Buttigieg, who would become the country’s first openly gay president if elected, said: “I think the biggest thing on the minds of voters is whether they’re getting paid enough, whether they’re going to be able to get health care, how they’re going to save for retirement.”

And he emphasized that “serving up” answers for such pocketbook concerns, “I think is how we can get past a lot of old prejudices as America has time and time again proven itself capable of moving forward and not back on these issues.”

Buttigieg has already gone up with TV ads in Iowa, which votes first in the presidential primary and caucus nominating calendar. When asked if he’ll go up on the airwaves in the Granite State, Buttigieg pledged that “you’ll be seeing a lot of us here in New Hampshire, both in terms of our commitments with investments, our large and growing ground game, and the use of my time. Because I think New Hampshire is the state that will really catapult me towards success in the nomination.”

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Asked where he needs to finish in New Hampshire, the candidate said: “I’m not going to set up the goalposts just yet.”

Pointing to Warren and Sanders, who hail from the neighboring states of Massachusetts and Vermont respectively, Buttigieg noted that “obviously there’s some competitors with a neighborhood advantage, but I do think that we can do well here and when we do, that that’ll be a key part of our path to the nomination.”

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., is dramatically restructuring her presidential campaign — cutting staff, reducing pay and renegotiating contracts — in an attempt to focus limited resources on Iowa and South Carolina.

“In a field of 18 candidates, we face an incredibly competitive resource environment,” campaign manager Juan Rodriguez said in a campaign memo obtained by Fox News. “To effectively compete with the top campaigns and make the necessary investments in the critical final 100 days to the [Iowa] caucus, we need to reduce expenditures elsewhere and realign resources.”

The memo, first reported by Politico, came as Harris’ 2020 campaign struggles to regain traction. The senator’s stand-out moment in the race came during the first Democratic debate in June when she challenged former Vice President Joe Biden over comments he made about segregationist U.S. senators and school busing. However, Harris struggled in the second debate after Biden and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, challenged her record as California’s attorney general and has struggled to shine in subsequent debates.

KAMALA HARRIS SCOLDS TRUMP FOR REMARKS ON BAGHDADI DEATH: IT WAS LIKE HE WAS COMMENTING ON A ‘VIDEO GAME’

Rodriguez’s memo announced that several dozen people would be laid off at the campaign’s Baltimore headquarters, while volunteers from New Hampshire, Nevada, and California as part of an effort to go “all-in” in Iowa. It was not immediately clear how many staff members would lose their jobs.

“These moves will increase the number of field organizers and staff we have on the ground in the first contest and give our campaign the organizational muscle needed to compete in every precinct,” said Rodriguez, who added that he and campaign consultants would take a pay cut, though he did not say by how much.

“Plenty of winning primary campaigns, like John Kerry’s in 2004 and John McCain’s in 2008, have had to make tough choices on their way to the nomination, and this is no different,” he added.

BUTTIGIEG SURGES IN IOWA, WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE OF BIDEN AND WARREN IN NEW POLL

The campaign, which has not yet run any television advertising, hopes to spend at least $1 million on a media campaign in the weeks before the Feb. 3 caucus, the memo said.

A Fox News poll of national Democratic primary voters earlier this month showed Harris polling in fourth place at 5 percent, 12 percentage points behind third-place Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and 27 percentage points behind Biden.

Politico reported that donors Harris’ decline was months in the making, pointing to how she fell behind other candidates in fundraising. “She’s from f—–g California. The idea that you don’t have support of high-dollar donors doesn’t make any sense,” a Harris donor told Politico. “I blame her.”

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Harris plans to spend significant time in Iowa again in November, including over Thanksgiving, her campaign said. She’s in Iowa through this weekend and has announced a trip to New Hampshire next week. Her campaign hasn’t released her schedule beyond that.

The senator had already pledged to go all-in on Iowa, joking she was moving there, and earlier Wednesday her campaign touted the 15 days she spent in the state this month as the “October Hustle.” It was more than any of her competitors spent there in October, but she’s still polling behind competitors such as Biden, Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Fox News’ Kelly Phares and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Evangelical pastors and leaders met and prayed with President Trump amid House Democrats‘ drive toward impeachment.

Fox News spoke with Pastor Jack Graham, Ralph Reed and the Rev. Johnnie Moore, three of the 25 leaders in attendance on Tuesday morning for an hourlong, wide-ranging meeting in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. There, Trump was greeted with a standing ovation.

“We discussed our support,” said Graham, the pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. “We assured him that evangelicals across America support him. …We are unwavering in our support for the president.”

TUCKER CARLSON: IMPEACHMENT INSANITY – IT’S NOT CLEAR EXACTLY WHAT ‘HIGH CRIME’ TRUMP COMMITTED

Trump did not appear preoccupied with the impeachment inquiry, the advisers said, adding that the majority of their time was focused on various accomplishments: the nomination of federal judges, criminal justice reform, the defense of religious freedom, abortion reduction, the child tax credit, opportunity zones, the battle against opioid addiction and human trafficking, the Islamic State and the targeted operation leading to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

“We prayed for the president, with thanksgiving, as always, that he would know God’s wisdom and strength as the president of the United States,” Graham said, noting they offer to pray for Trump frequently. It’s a gesture he “always welcomes,” ever “appreciative of the people who pray for him across the country.”

Trump handily won the evangelical vote in 2016, and the leaders believe he has gained more support for reelection.

PAULA WHITE ON HOW SHE BECAME TRUMP’S SPIRITUAL ADVISER AND WHY HE’LL CARRY EVANGELICAL VOTE IN 2020

Reed, the chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, added, “I have never seen a president more focused, more in command than what we saw with President Trump yesterday.”

When it comes to the impeachment push by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the pastors said Trump is coping well.

WHY PASTOR JOSEPH PRINCE TAKES COMMUNION DAILY — AND HIS ‘SIMPLE’ MESSAGE FOR AMERICA

“It was abundantly clear, he’s totally unfazed by this,” said Moore, president of the Congress of Christian Leaders. “Everybody felt this way. This isn’t actually about Donald Trump. … It’s about the agenda that he’s put forward, the success he’s had in advancing the agenda.”

“Evangelical leaders see this, not as impeaching Donald Trump, but they’re trying to impeach me and my values,” Moore said, adding, “Donald Trump is pretty good at fighting alone — but he isn’t going to have to on this one.”

“We take it very personally because they’re going after our values,” Graham said, calling the ongoing House impeachment inquiry a “sham of an investigation.”

TRUMP CELEBRATES YOUNG AFRICAN IMMIGRANT’S PRAYER AT WHITE HOUSE: ‘SO AMAZING!’

Reed, who says Christians are called to pray for their leaders regardless of political leanings, said they were there “as representatives of the tens of millions who intercede for this president every single day.”

The leaders described it as a meeting among friends.

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“He doesn’t try to be any different than he is,” Moore added. “That’s one of the things we appreciate about him.”

Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz filed an ethics complaint against House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff on Wednesday, citing “rules broken” and “false statements” as Schiff plays a starring role in the House impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

Gaetz sent a letter Wednesday to the House Ethics Committee urging the panel to open an official investigation into Schiff, accusing the Democrat of improper conduct during the impeachment inquiry and the Russia investigation.

FOP ACCUSES CONGRESS OF VIOLATING DUE PROCESS ‘TO SCORE POLITICAL POINTS’ AMID IMPEACHMENT DEBATE

“Today I filed an ethics complaint against @RepAdamSchiff for: Distorting @POTUS’s call with President Zelensky; Lying to the public about ‘Russian Collusion;’ Blocking Members of Congress from attending impeachment depositions,” Gaetz tweeted. “Schiff must be held accountable.”

Patrick Boland, a spokesman for Schiff, hit back at the Republican congressman, saying in a statement provided to Fox News, “We don’t think anyone takes Mr. Gaetz seriously, especially on the subject of ethics.”

In his letter to the Ethics Committee, Gaetz took issue with Schiff’s behavior during an Intelligence Committee hearing last month, saying the California Democrat “gave a wildly-inaccurate and distorted ‘retelling’” of the highly-controversial phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this summer.

Gaetz said Schiff was “grossly misrepresenting the content of the call to the American people” and argued Schiff’s “bizarre distortion” of the call was in violation of House rules.

“This behavior does not ‘reflect credibility on the House,’ nor does it follow ‘the spirit and the letter of the Rules of the House,’” Gaetz wrote. “It is incumbent on Members of Congress to be accurate and honest to the American people, and Chairman Schiff has been neither.”

He added that Schiff’s actions were a “blatant and clear-cut violation” of precedent, which he cited as specifically “prohibiting making ‘accusations that the President has committed a crime,’ or claiming ‘that the President has done something illegal.’

“Unfortunately, Mr. Schiff’s behavior cannot be construed as an ‘honest mistake,’ as it is long-standing and habitual,” Gaetz said, noting that the Intelligence Committee chairman claimed throughout the Russia investigation that he had “more than circumstantial evidence” that Trump and his campaign were “colluding” with the Russians during the 2016 presidential election.

Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report, though, stated the contrary—that there “was not sufficient evidence to charge a conspiracy” with regard to whether members of the Trump campaign coordinated with the Russian government in 2016.

“Mr. Schiff’s unprofessional and divisive behavior has caused conflict within the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence,” Gaetz wrote, recalling earlier this year when all Republican lawmakers on the panel signed a letter calling for his immediate resignation.

Gaetz’s formal complaint to the Ethics Committee comes after other run-ins with Schiff and Democrats conducting the impeachment inquiry this month.

Last week, Gaetz was among the approximately 30 House Republicans who stormed a closed-door session connected to the impeachment inquiry, prompting Schiff to suspend the proceedings.

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Gaetz, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, was also kicked out of another session earlier this month as former deputy assistant to the president Fiona Hill answered questions behind closed doors. Gaetz was told he could not attend because he is not part of the House Intelligence Committee, which is conducting the investigation along with the House Oversight and Foreign Affairs Committees.

This week, Pelosi announced the House would formalize and establish the parameters of the Trump impeachment inquiry with a vote expected to be held on Thursday.

The impeachment inquiry was opened after a whistleblower complaint alleged that Trump, during a July phone call, pushed Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter as military aid to the country was being withheld.

Schiff has responded to attacks from Republicans by accusing them of lacking “courage.”

“It will be said of House Republicans, When they found they lacked the courage to confront the most dangerous and unethical president in American history, They consoled themselves by attacking those who did,” Schiff said on Twitter earlier this month.

The Republican strategy, thus far, has been to blast the way in which Democrats have handled the impeachment process. On Wednesday, Trump weighed in, reportedly encouraging GOP lawmakers to, instead, “go after the details” of the case — something Schiff highlighted.

“Trump has urged Republicans to focus on the substance in the impeachment inquiry, not the process. I can confirm our focus will continue to be on the President’s own words and misconduct. Glad we all agree,” Schiff tweeted Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Tea Party Patriots, a conservative organization, filed an ethics complaint against Pelosi on Wednesday to the Office of Congressional Ethics, claiming the speaker has demonstrated “multiple violations” of House conduct in the impeachment inquiry.

The group argued that Pelosi has “weaponized” impeachment and “abused her power as Speaker of the House of Representatives,” and claimed she is “unfit” to serve.

Fox News’  Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

President Trump on Wednesday threw his support behind embattled Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy as a recall effort against the Republican intensifies.

“My friend Mike [Dunleavy] of the Great State of Alaska, is being treated very unfairly by the Democrats because he is doing an unbelievable job and fulfilling every one of his promises,” Trump tweeted.

He added: “Now they are trying to Recall him because his agenda is the Economy, Jobs, and protecting, our Military, 2nd Amendment, Energy, and so many other things that the Democrats don’t care about. Please stop the Dems from hurting a very good and hard-working man!”

After months of budgeting discord in Alaska, a group called “Recall Dunleavy” launched an effort back in August to obtain the necessary number of signatures needed for the recall vote to move forward. The group accuses Dunleavy of refusing to appoint a judge, misusing state funds, violating separation of powers and incompetently vetoing state funds.

The group needs to collect signatures from 10 percent of the people who voted in the general election for a recall to go ahead. Dunleavy took office last December.

ALASKA GOV. MIKE DUNLEAVY: US-MEXICO-CANADA TRADE WOULD BRING GREAT BENEFITS – DEMS SHOULD OK IT

Both Dunleavy and his opponents have gone on the offensive in an attempt to sway public opinion – both locally and nationally – toward their cause

“These folks started to talk about a recall a mere two months into my term and its more about the agenda I was elected on and the agenda I am implementing that some of the folks on the left don’t agree with,” Dunleavy said earlier this month in an interview with Fox News’ Neil Cavuto.

He added: “No governor or no president wants to have a tumultuous term, but sometimes when you’re trying to change the course of a state or a country to get in back on track, sometimes it’s difficult and you will have people and groups who are sometimes opposed to that.”

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Supporters of the “Recall Dunleavy” movement are currently awaiting a decision from the Alaska Division of Elections to see whether their effort gets certified. The Division of Elections is currently making a decision on the validity of the signatures and grounds for recall submitted by Recall Dunleavy, and is supposed to make a ruling by Nov. 4.

“If it’s certified, we print booklets and gather for phase two,” Recall Dunleavy Chair Meda DeWitt told local media. “If they don’t certify, then we go to court, but we know that our grounds are solid.”

The nation’s largest police organization on Tuesday accused Congress of violating the due process rights of American citizens “to score political points,” as Republican leaders claim Democrats are undermining President Trump’s rights in its impeachment inquiry.

“The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) exists, in part, to defend these rights, not just for police officers, but for all citizens at every level, from the indigent living on the street to the president living in the White House,” the statement from the National FOP President Patrick Yoes said.

TRUMP BLASTS CHICAGO POLICE CHIEF AS ‘DISGRACE’ IN FIERY TAKEDOWN AT LAW ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE

While the statement did not mention the impeachment inquiry explicitly, the reference to the president reflects concerns from Republicans that Trump’s rights are being infringed.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accused Democrats on Wednesday of denying Trump “basic due process rights and…cutting his counsel out of the process in an unprecedented way.” Republicans have cited as examples the closed-door nature of many of the hearings and limits on Republicans to call witnesses.

“House Democrats’ new resolution does not change any of that. It does not confer on President Trump the most basic rights of due process or, seemingly, alter [Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam] Schiff’s unfair process in the House Intelligence Community in any way whatsoever,” McConnell said. “Chairman Schiff can continue doing this behind closed doors without the President’s participation, so long as he holds at least one public hearing at some point.”

McConnell summarized the House impeachment resolution to be voted on Thursday as “No due process now, maybe some later, but only if we feel like it.”

The FOP, which backed Trump in 2016, accused lawmakers of undermining trust by ignoring the universal application of due process for political purposes.

“Just as local law enforcement are often convicted in the media after being denounced by local elected officials without collecting the facts, these Members are violating due process to score political points,” it said.

Yoes contrasted the treatment of due process rights of police by lawmakers with how they vigorously defend the rights of criminals and illegal immigrants.

“Members of Congress tirelessly and stridently defend the due process rights of criminals, while seeking to curtail the rights of those charged with protecting American citizens. They seek to shield people who come to our country unlawfully from being subjected to our laws, and yet ignore the violence to citizens and to our economy committed by those who violate our immigration laws,” he said.

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He also said that members of Congress frequently demand “transparency” from government agencies and law enforcement, but have developed different standards for themselves.

“You cannot have justice without due process,” the statement said. “Denying due process is a betrayal of our shared American ideals and a grave disservice to our Republic.”

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On the roster: Russia ambassador pick breaks with Trump on Ukraine – Under fire, Biden tells super PAC to not attack Dems – Sessions’ potential rival warns of Trump punishment – Shel Silverstein, call your office

RUSSIA AMBASSADOR PICK BREAKS WITH TRUMP ON UKRAINE

Politico: “Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan implicitly broke with President Donald Trump on Wednesday, telling lawmakers that it would not be ‘in accord with our values’ for a president to ask a foreign government to investigate a political rival. Sullivan was speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is vetting his nomination as the next U.S. ambassador to Russia. His appearance has offered Senate Democrats a rare chance to quiz a top Trump administration official on issues related to the House-led impeachment inquiry into Trump — and they took full advantage. Sullivan was grilled in particular by New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, the committee’s ranking Democrat, on impeachment-related topics, including the propriety of what Trump is accused of doing: pressuring Ukraine’s government to investigate a political rival, former vice president Joe Biden. On that aspect, Sullivan was fairly direct. ‘Soliciting investigations into a domestic political opponent — I don’t think that would be in accord with our values,’ he said.”

Trump attacks on Army colonel puts GOP in bind – WaPo: “Trump and his allies on TV lashed out at Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who said his concerns about what he heard in Trump’s July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky drove him to notify his superiors. Trump dismissed Vindman as a ‘Never Trumper,’ while some of his allies questioned the patriotism of the Army combat veteran because his family emigrated from the Soviet Union when he was 3. Trump’s attack on the Purple Heart recipient unnerved Republicans in Congress, with several pushing back, albeit without naming the president. … The response from Trump’s party created an unusual dynamic in which Republicans were defending a man who was simultaneously accusing the president of undermining national security for his own political purposes. Privately, several Republicans found Vindman’s testimony to be damaging and lamented that once again they were forced to defend the president.”

Officer said White House left out key parts of Trump call transcript – NYT: “Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, told House impeachment investigators on Tuesday that the White House transcript of a July call between President Trump and Ukraine’s president omitted crucial words and phrases, and that his attempts to include them failed, according to three people familiar with the testimony. The omissions, Colonel Vindman said, included Mr. Trump’s assertion that there were recordings of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. discussing Ukraine corruption, and an explicit mention by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, of Burisma Holdings, the energy company whose board employed Mr. Biden’s son Hunter.”

Pelosi tries to shoot the gap on impeachment rules – Fox News: “House Democrats on Tuesday introduced a resolution to formalize their impeachment inquiry and adopt rules to govern the proceedings, following sustained complaints by congressional Republicans and the White House that the inquiry hasn’t followed past precedent and violates the president’s due process rights. But … Democrats have adamantly denied that the document is an ‘impeachment resolution,’ perhaps out of concern for how that label would play in more moderate swing districts. The resolution directs the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, Financial Services, Judiciary, and Ways and Means Committees to ‘continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry…’ Republicans, however, have countered that there is no ‘existing’ impeachment inquiry because the House has not voted to open one as it did during the Clinton and Nixon impeachments — and Tuesday’s resolution does not explicitly open the probe, either.”

THE RULEBOOK: AIN’T THAT THE TRUTH


“The violent destruction of life and property incident to war, the continual effort and alarm attendant on a state of continual danger, will compel nations the most attached to liberty to resort for repose and security to institutions which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. To be more safe, they at length become willing to run the risk of being less free.” – Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 8

TIME OUT: AND HE WAS JUST 23 YEARS OLD

History: “‘War of the Worlds’ was not planned as a radio hoax, and [Orson] Welles had little idea of the havoc it would cause. The show began on Sunday, October 30, at 8 p.m. … Sunday evening in 1938 was prime-time in the golden age of radio, and millions of Americans had their radios turned on. … Welles introduced his radio play with a spoken introduction, followed by an announcer reading a weather report. Then, seemingly abandoning the storyline, the announcer took listeners to ‘the Meridian Room in the Hotel Park Plaza in downtown New York, where you will be entertained by the music of Ramon Raquello and his orchestra.’ Putrid dance music played for some time, and then the scare began. An announcer broke in to report that ‘Professor Farrell of the Mount Jenning Observatory’ had detected explosions on the planet Mars. Then the dance music came back on, followed by another interruption in which listeners were informed that a large meteor had crashed into a farmer’s field in Grovers Mills, New Jersey.”

Flag on the play? – Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM with your tips, comments or questions.

SCOREBOARD


DEMOCRATIC 2020 POWER RANKING

Biden: 27.6 points (↓ 1.2 from last wk.)

Warren: 24.8 points (↓ 0.4 from last wk.)

Sanders: 14.6 points (↑ 0.8 from last wk.)

Buttigieg: 6.4 points (↑ 0.4 from last wk.)

Harris: 4.8 points (↑ 0.2 from last wk.)


[Averages include: Quinnipiac University, CNN, Fox News, IBD and Monmouth University.]

TRUMP JOB PERFORMANCE 

Average approval: 41 percent

Average disapproval: 55.6 percent

Net Score: -14.6 percent

Change from one week ago: ↓ 0.4 points


[Average includes: Grinnell/Selzer: 43% approve – 51% disapprove; Quinnipiac University: 38% approve – 58% disapprove; CNN: 42% approve – 57% disapprove; Fox News: 43% approve – 55% disapprove; Gallup: 39% approve – 57% disapprove.]

WANT MORE HALFTIME REPORT? 


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UNDER FIRE, BIDEN TELLS SUPER PAC TO NOT ATTACK DEMS

CBS News: “Following days of criticism over an apparent softening of his stance toward super PACs, former Vice President Joe Biden‘s campaign warned a newly formed independent entity not to attack Biden’s Democratic competitors. ‘Our campaign would be extremely frustrated if the super PAC was used to attack other Democrats,’ Biden’s campaign manager Greg Schultz told reporters Tuesday. The new pro-Biden super PAC, named Unite The Country, was registered with the Federal Election Commission on Monday. Biden has denied changing his opinion over whether he would welcome the assistance of super PACs, which allow for backers to spend unlimited sums to boost a candidate. Federal law prohibits super PACs from coordinating directly with campaigns. ‘The super PAC was not encouraged. It was not discouraged. And the reality is Trump does not want to run against Joe Biden. He’s spending $10 million to date against him,’ said Schultz.”

Bernie goes all in for Latino vote – Politico: “…Latino activists say they hear all the time from voters in their community who are high on [Bernie] Sanders, and that’s backed by polling showing him leading or tied among Latinos. Sanders won the highly coveted endorsement of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. His campaign co-chair is San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz. Afro-Latina rapper Cardi B is a fan. … The fact that Joe Biden is counting on strong support from African Americans to win the Democratic nomination is widely known. Less understood is the similar bet that Sanders is making on Latino voters: His campaign believes that by driving up turnout among Latinos, as well as young and working-class voters of all ethnicities, he can build out the electorate, bring new voters into the fold, and expand the 15 to 20 percent of Democratic voters who zealously support the democratic socialist.”

Buttigieg downplays corporate resume – Politico: “Pete Buttigieg still lists ‘businessman’ in his Twitter bio. He just doesn’t talk much about the business anymore. For years, Buttigieg’s stint at McKinsey & Company, the international management consulting firm, formed a key part of his political biography… But the resume line has faded from Buttigieg’s stump speech amid revelations about McKinsey’s work with authoritarian governments and growing skepticism of large corporations. It’s unclear exactly what Buttigieg did in those formative years in business before he launched his political career. The South Bend, Ind., mayor has previously said he worked on projects involving renewable energy, ‘war zone economic development’ and grocery prices, but a shroud of confidentiality covers most of McKinsey’s activities. What Buttigieg does say now is that the company has changed from the one he knew.”

SESSIONS’ POTENTIAL RIVAL WARNS OF TRUMP PUNISHMENT

WaPo: “Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.), a top candidate in the U.S. Senate race in Alabama, said Tuesday that he would not back out if Jeff Sessions tries to reclaim his old seat and warned that the former attorney general’s antagonistic relationship with President Trump would damage him politically should he run again. In recent weeks, Sessions has actively weighed a comeback bid for the seat he held for two decades, speaking with allies and calling major donors and fundraisers in the state to gauge his level of support ahead of the Nov. 8 filing deadline. Both Byrne and Sessions draw their main base of political support from the Mobile area, triggering some speculation among insiders in the state that Byrne would bow out of the Senate race and run again for his old House seat if Sessions wages a bid. But Byrne said in an interview Tuesday that Sessions’s entry would not make ‘any difference to me’ and vowed to stay in the race regardless.”

Shimkus reconsidering retirement – Politico: “GOP Rep. John Shimkus is reconsidering his decision to retire now that the top Republican spot on the Energy and Commerce Committee will soon be up for grabs — a welcome reversal for a party that’s faced a string of high-profile retirements this year. ‘It’s true, I am at least reconsidering,’ Shimkus told reporters on Tuesday, saying lawmakers on the Hill and in his southeastern Illinois district have asked him to stick around. Shimkus, a close ally of leadership and roommate of House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), said a key factor in his reconsideration is Rep. Greg Walden’s decision to retire at the end of this Congress, which opens the chance for the veteran Illinois Republican to seek the top GOP slot on the Energy and Commerce Committee. Walden beat Shimkus in 2016 for that position.”

North Carolina may have delay primary – McClatchy: “Some members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation want the state’s legislature to redraw its congressional map — and do it fast. North Carolina is scheduled to hold its 2020 primaries on March 3, and a delay in redrawing districts as ordered by a three-judge panel of state judges on Monday night could postpone the congressional primaries. State Republican lawmakers could appeal the order, potentially pushing a final decision off for months. ‘I don’t understand how their rationale could be any different from the legislative districts, and they redrew those,’ Rep. George Holding, a Raleigh Republican, said of the state legislature, which recently — and quickly — redrew House and Senate maps after a court order. ‘The worst scenario is having standalone primaries. If the General Assembly doesn’t redraw them and it does get drawn out, we’ll have standalone primaries.’”

Georgia voter purge kicks up controversy – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “About 330,000 voter registrations in Georgia could soon be canceled because registrants haven’t participated in elections for several years. The purge comes after Georgia canceled 534,119 registrations in July 2017, the largest single removal of voters in U.S. history. Under a new state law, election officials will notify voters before canceling their registrations, a step that didn’t exist two years ago. The voter list cleanup, announced Monday by the secretary of state’s office, reinforces Georgia’s role as a voting rights and political battleground ahead of next year’s elections for president and two U.S. Senate seats. Last year, voting rights helped define the race for governor between Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp, who won by 1.4 percentage points.”

PLAY-BY-PLAY

Trump to headline the Republican Party of Florida’s annual fundraiser – Politico

Minor Mueller probe figure to seek seat vacated by sex-scandal congresswoman – Fox News

AUDIBLE: CANCEL CANCEL CULTURE


“This idea of purity and you’re never compromised and you’re always politically woke, and all that stuff, you should get over that quickly. The world is messy. There are ambiguities. People who do really good stuff have flaws.” – Former President Barack Obama during a discussion at the Obama Foundation Summit held at the Illinois Institute of Technology on Tuesday.

FROM THE BLEACHERS


“Really? If Michelle Obama leads [the Halftime Report] as someone who could enter the race and instantly be the front-runner, perhaps there are other reasons besides gender and race that are preventing the Harris campaign from getting any traction. Am I the 30,398th person to point this out today?” – Tracy Smith, Little Rock, Ark.

[Ed. note: You are the first, Ms. Smith but you are certainly quite right. I think Harris’ complaints are a great example of why her once-promising candidacy has failed. Her inability to take ownership of her own campaign has proven to be a fatal flaw.]

“I got behind on podcasts while on my anniversary vacation and just heard the installment from last week (A Grumbling Appendix). It is good that your man children are not Nat fans. It is unfortunate they cannot be Astro fans. However, I would suggest that if you are teaching them that American League baseball is not actually baseball, you can also teach them that the Astros are not actually an American League team. And let’s face it – the Nationals are still just the Expos and therefore not really deserving of a title.” – Scott Duncan, Wimberley, Texas

[Ed. note: Mr. Duncan, I like where your head’s at!]

Share your color commentary: Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM and please make sure to include your name and hometown.

SHEL SILVERSTEIN, CALL YOUR OFFICE

WRIC: “A homeowner in Richmond is searching for answers after the sidewalk near her home was ripped away without her permission or knowledge. ‘I’m not sure who did it, why they did it, I didn’t authorize it and it’s not in the budget,’ said homeowner Gina Coutlakis. Coutlakis told 8News sometime between Sept 24-26, someone came onto her private property while she was at work, ripped away the sidewalk and left with it. … Coutlakis has lived in the area for 20 years and has never experienced someone taking her walkway. … Neighbors have given different accounts on who may have been responsible for the strange act. No one remembered seeing any kind of company name that could help. Richmond Police told 8News a police report has been filed and a detective has been assigned to the case.”

AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES…


“Of course there will be medical errors. And there will be medical malefactors. The bad doctors need to be found, punished, defrocked. But why should their sins be paid for by the good doctors among them?” – Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) writing in Time magazine on Jan. 31, 2003.

Chris Stirewalt is the politics editor for Fox News. Brianna McClelland contributed to this report. Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? Sign up here.

One of President Trump‘s nominees for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals broke down in tears during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, as he disputed suggestions that he would not be fair to members of the LGBTQ community.

Lawrence VanDyke was the subject of a scathing letter from the American Bar Association, sent to committee leadership Tuesday night, which alleged that people they interviewed expressed this concern, and that VanDyke himself “would not say affirmatively that he would be fair to any litigant before him, notably members of the LGBTQ community.”

But conservatives have adamantly defended the nominee. And when asked about this at Wednesday’s hearing, VanDyke strongly disputed the ABA’s account.

TRUMP NOMINATES WAVE OF CALIFORNIA JUDGES, IN FRESH BID TO RESHAPE COURTS

“I did not say that,” VanDyke told Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., tears welling up in his eyes.

“No, I did not say that. I do not believe that. It is a fundamental belief of mine that all people are created in the image of God. They should all be treated with dignity and respect, senator,” he added, sobbing.

VanDyke also said that he was not given a fair opportunity to respond to the allegations during his ABA interview. He said when he was confronted with the concerns about his views, he began to answer but was told they were running out of time.

That interview was conducted by Marcia Davenport, the lead evaluator. Hawley noted that Davenport once contributed to the campaign of a judicial candidate who was running against VanDyke.

“I find that absolutely unbelievable,” Hawley said, stating it “probably explains the totally ad hominem nature of this disgraceful letter.”

The paragraph preceding the questioning of his attitude toward LGBTQ litigants included a list of other complaints against VanDyke, attributed to “the assessments of interviewees,” without detailing who or how many.

“Mr. VanDyke’s accomplishments are offset by the assessments of interviewees that Mr. VanDyke is arrogant, lazy, an ideologue, and lacking in knowledge of the day-to-day practice including procedural rules,” it said, explaining why despite his professional and academic experience, they gave him a “Not Qualified” rating. “There was a theme that the nominee lacks humility, has an ‘entitlement’ temperament, does not have an open mind, and does not always have a commitment to being candid and truthful.”

The ABA did note that VanDyke, a Harvard Law School graduate and former solicitor general for Montana and Nevada, is “clearly smart.”

The assessment drew a backlash from conservative groups.

“Even for the ABA, this is beyond the pale,” the Judicial Crisis Network’s Carrie Severino said in a statement, accusing the ABA of “bias against conservative nominees to the judiciary.”

Former Nevada State Bar president Alan Lefebvre also blasted the ABA’s evaluation in a statement prior to the hearing.

“Lawrence’s reputation for excellence in all he strives to do shines through by a sampling of his written product,” Lefebvre said, citing a number of cases on which VanDyke worked in the past. “It would be impossible for a reviewer to challenge such a qualified nominee’s abilities unless he was yoked with an ideologue’s agenda.”

The ABA did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.

Earlier in the hearing, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, brought up the ABA’s letter.

“The ABA has essentially called you a homophobic bigot,” Lee said to VanDyke. Earlier, he asked, “Do you have any personal animus against LGBT persons?”

“No, senator,” VanDyke replied, going on to add that he would not be influenced by a litigant’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

Lee then addressed the ABA itself, chastising them for the nature of their evaluation and questioning their methods.

“The time has come, Mr. Chairman,” Lee said, “to suspend the unique access that the American Bar Association has, until such time as a thorough investigation and review is undertaken to inquire into how these functions are performed.”

Hawley made a similar declaration, urging the White House counsel’s office “not to make nominees available any longer to the ABA for these interviews,” and that “they should be treated like any other special interest group.”

The ABA’s letter said the evaluation was based on 60 interviews but did not say who or how many people expressed concerns about VanDyke’s LGBTQ views.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., perhaps shedding light on where such concerns may have originated, asked VanDyke about a 2004 op-ed he wrote about how same-sex marriage may be harmful to children. VanDyke said his views have changed since then, but noted that personal views do not come into play in his judicial decision-making.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., asked VanDyke about his beliefs regarding situations where gay rights may be at odds with religious freedom. VanDyke recalled a pro bono case he worked on that dealt with such issues.

“One of my favorite cases was a case where I represented an LGBTQ advocacy group in the United States Supreme Court in a case involving religious liberty,” he said. “In the position we were in, it was illustrating that there doesn’t have to be a conflict.”

Committee Chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., took a more subtle approach to the LGBTQ issue at the beginning of the hearing.

“Do you think you can be fair to anybody who comes before you?” Graham asked.

“Absolutely, Chairman,” VanDyke replied.

“Do you know Patrick over here?” Graham said, referring to VanDyke’s fellow Ninth Circuit nominee, Patrick Bumatay, who is gay. “Could you be fair to him?”

“I would sure hope so. Yes, I would,” VanDyke said.