Politics

Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., a 16-term congresswoman and chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, announced Thursday that she will retire after the 2020 elections.

Lowey, who represents New York’s 17th Congressional District, located in the southeastern part of the state – including Westchester, Queens and the Bronx – touted the record she built over her 31-year career and promised to continue representing her constituents through 2020.

“Thank you to the people of my district for the opportunity to serve,” she said in a statement. “I will continue working as hard as ever – with the same optimism and energy – through the end of this term in Congress.”

Lowey became the first-ever woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee and has championed legislation on drunk driving, gender equality and support for Israel.

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“I am especially thankful for the dedication and wisdom of my current and former staff in New York, in Washington and on the House Appropriations Committee,” she wrote. “I look forward to more time with my husband Steve and our family, who have strongly supported my career in public service.”

Lowey’s retirement comes as the number of House GOP members not running for reelection has mounted, especially in Texas, where Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, recently became the sixth Republican to decide not to seek another term. He is the 19th House Republican leaving Congress, including two members who resigned.

Lowey’s district won’t be in any danger of turning red as it’s located in a Democratic stronghold and she won her most recent reelection 88 percent to 12 percent. There’s previously been chatter that Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton, might be interested in the seat.

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Those news reports have speculated the youngest Clinton might run for the 17th District seat after Lowey’s retirement, and the Clinton’s hometown is Chappaqua, which is currently represented by Lowey. Clinton has been an outspoken critic of President Trump since her mother lost to him in the 2016 election and would likely have the highest name recognition of any Democratic candidate for the seat were she to run.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

For a second straight day, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders is trying to allay speculation that he would be cutting back on his campaign appearances after suffering a heart attack last week.

The 78-year-old independent senator from Vermont emphasized at the beginning of a video he sent to supporters and posted on Twitter on Thursday that “I am feeling great. I am getting my endurance back and I look forward to getting out on the campaign trail as soon as possible.”

And to hammer home the point, the populist lawmaker, who’s making his second straight White House bid, concluded the video by highlighting that “I am feeling really good. I’m getting stronger every day. We’re going to be out there on the campaign trail. We’re going to be in the debate in Columbus, Ohio next week.”

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Sanders has been off the campaign trail since being hospitalized early last week after he experienced chest pains at an event in Nevada. He’s been resting at his Vermont home since being released from the hospital on Friday.

Sanders, who’s the oldest candidate in either party running in the 2020 presidential campaign, told reporters outside his home earlier this week that he would be slowing the pace of his normally frenetic campaigning.

“We were doing in some cases five or six meetings a day, three or four rallies and town meetings and meeting with groups of people,” he explained. “I don’t think I’m going to do that. But I certainly intend to be actively campaigning. I think we can change the nature of the campaign a bit. Make sure that I have the strength to do what I have to do.”

Those comments made headlines, sparking speculation about Sanders’ endurance.

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In an interview Wednesday with NBC News, Sanders said: “I misspoke the other day. I said a word I should not have said and media drives me a little bit nuts to make a big deal about it.”

“We’re going to get back into the groove of a very vigorous campaign, I love doing rallies and I love doing town meetings,” he explained before adding that “I want to start off slower and build up and build up and build up.”

In Wednesday’s interview, Sanders also pushed back against criticism that his campaign was not transparent about the heart attack. When he was hospitalized, his campaign initially said it was because of a blockage in the senator’s artery.

“That’s nonsense,” Sanders said. “I don’t know what people think campaigns are, you know we’re dealing with all kinds of doctors and we wanted to have a sense of what the hell was going on…I think we acted absolutely appropriately.”

The governor of Tennessee declared Thursday as a “day of prayer, humility, and fasting” for the Volunteer State, but an atheist group is claiming the initiative is a “disservice to the Constitution.”

Republican Gov. Bill Lee, along with his wife, Maria Lee, invited “all Tennesseans who wish to participate to join us in a day of prayer for this remarkable state we’re blessed to call home” earlier this month for the day set aside on Oct. 10.

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“I wanted to share with you something I’ve had on my heart these nine months since I’ve become governor,” Lee said in a video posted on Twitter. “Everywhere that Maria and I travel to across this great state, we’re met with countless numbers of people that come up to me and say, ‘Governor, we’re praying for you and for Maria, and for your family.’ I want you to know that we deeply appreciate those prayers because we know that God hears them.”

He added, “We know that prayer accomplishes much. Prayer strengthens our families and it strengthens our communities. It strengthens our relationship with our neighbors. It strengthens our relationship with God himself.”

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But not everyone is a fan of the proposal.

The co-presidents of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, wrote an op-ed in the Knoxville News Sentinel calling Lee’s proclamation “inappropriate” and a “disservice to the Constitution — and his citizens”

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“The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits government sponsorship of religious messages, as the governor must know,” the leaders of the Wisconsin-based atheist group wrote, encouraging the governor to “issue a proclamation celebrating the freedom of conscience afforded by the constitutional separation between religion and government.”

David Plazas, the director of opinion and engagement for the USA Today Network, wrote a similar op-ed in the Nashville Tennessean, titled, “Gov. Bill Lee’s call to pray does not violate the law, but it creates a slippery slope.”

Plazas wrote, “there are some problematic passages in Lee’s proclamation for a day of prayer on Thursday that challenge the spirit of the Constitution’s religious freedom clause…because his words create the impression that the governor is speaking for all Tennesseans when it comes to their faith or lack of religious affiliation.”

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However, Jeremy Dys, First Liberty Institute special counsel for litigation and communications, told Fox News Lee’s proclamation is “consistent with some of the most cherished and longstanding traditions of our country — traditions the Supreme Court recently explained ‘bear a presumption of constitutionality.’”

“Presidents and governors alike have issued proclamations urging citizens to pray since the earliest days of our nation,” Dys said. “The First Amendment to the Constitution supports Governor Lee’s proclamation in the same way it approved of similar proclamations from George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, or Franklin D. Roosevelt.”

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, is threatening to boycott next week’s Democratic presidential debate amid accusations that the Democratic National Committee and the media are “rigging” the 2020 primary elections against dark horse candidates like herself.

Gabbard, who reached the qualification thresholds for next Tuesday’s debate in Ohio, called the qualifications “arbitrary” and said DNC leaders “are trying to hijack the entire election process.” She said she will decide in the next few days whether she will participate in the debate.

“The DNC and corporate media are trying to hijack the entire election process,” Gabbard said in a video posted on Twitter. “In order to bring attention to this serious threat to our democracy, and ensure your voice is heard, I am giving serious consideration to boycotting the next debate on October 15th.”

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Gabbard’s complaint about the DNC “rigging” the primary election dredges up similar objections from 2016 when the DNC was accused of favoring former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

“The 2016 Democratic Primary election was rigged by the DNC and their partners in the corporate media against Bernie Sanders,” Gabbard said. “In this 2020 election, the DNC and corporate media are rigging the election again, but this time against the American people in the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada.”

Gabbard’s move to possibly boycott the debate is a double-edged sword for the candidate, as she would miss the opportunity to reach millions of voters tuning into the debate, while the boycott would draw a great deal of attention to her campaign. The Hawaii Democrat did not qualify for September’s DNC debate in Houston, but has met the criteria of 130,000 unique donors and hitting at least 2 percent in four approval polls to qualify for Tuesday’s debate.

Twelve candidates have qualified for Tuesday’s debate – leaving four who are still in the race on the sidelines.

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“They are attempting to replace the roles of voters in the early states, using polling and other arbitrary methods which are not transparent or democratic, and holding so-called debates which are not debates at all but rather commercialized reality television meant to entertain, not inform or enlighten,” Gabbard said. “In short, the DNC and corporate media are trying to hijack the entire election process.”

To qualify for November’s debate, a candidate must reach 165,000 unique donors and reach 3 percent in four approved polls. So far only eight candidates have hit that mark, with Gabbard not being among them.

Tragedy struck 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., as his daughter-in-law, Rainè Riggs, died of cancer shortly after she was diagnosed.

The shocking news came as Sanders was recovering from a heart attack he suffered last week, which forced him to temporarily suspend campaign events while he recuperated.

The 46-year-old Riggs reportedly died Saturday, two days after her diagnosis and the day Sanders returned to Vermont following his release from the hospital. She was suffering from neuroendocrine cancer, which causes rare tumors to sprout up on various parts of the body.

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Riggs’ obituary says she worked as a neuropsychologist and frequently volunteered with pediatric hospice. She was married to Bernie’s son Levi Sanders and met him while they both worked at a food shelter in Vermont. They had three children.

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The obituary also states Riggs worked as the director of behavioral medicine at Dartmouth Medical School and was the owner of Riggs Geriatric Psychology.

Sanders received an outpouring of support on Twitter from media figures and his fellow political colleagues, including Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., fellow 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang, and Meghan McCain.

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Earlier, Sanders said he is recovering well from his heart surgery and plans to continue on with his campaign for the White House.

“I have no pain, I’m out walking now, getting back to work, feel good,” he told NBC’s Harry Smith during an interview that aired Wednesday.

Washington, D.C. city council members rushed to approve legislation renaming Columbus Day “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” this week before its Oct. 14 commemoration, citing similar moves by several states and a slew of cities in recent years.

The D.C. Council invoked a special provision for emergency legislation Tuesday that allowed the bill’s sponsors to force a vote without the standard process involving committees, multiple votes and congressional approval. Another bill in the works would make the change permanent — the emergency bill will be in effect for “no longer than 90 days” after Mayor Muriel Bowser signs it.

“Columbus Day was officially designated as a federal holiday in 1937 despite the fact that Columbus did not discover North America, despite the fact that millions of people were already living in North America upon his arrival in the Americas, and despite the fact that Columbus never set foot on the shores of the current United States,” at-large Councilmember David Grosso said in a statement Monday. “Columbus enslaved, colonized, mutilated, and massacred thousands of Indigenous People in the Americas.”

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The temporary provision passed easily with 12 of 13 members voting for it and just one member, Jack Evans, voting present.

Grosso’s Monday statement blamed Council Chairman Phil Mendelson for stalling the legislation for at least five years, “without any public input or hearing,” though Mendelson voted for the emergency bill Tuesday. Curbed D.C. reported that Evans voted present because his Italian American constituents reached out to oppose the move.

Also on Tuesday the body approved a similar “temporary” bill that would last for just over seven months if signed, and passed a resolution declaring the need for the council to rename Columbus Day before Oct. 14 “an emergency.”

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“Columbus Day is in reverence to a divisive figure whose actions against Indigenous People run counter to the values of equality, diversity, and inclusion — values that the District of Columbia has long embodied — and serves only to perpetuate hate and oppression, in contrast to the values the District espouses on a daily basis,” the resolution reads. “The Council acknowledges the negative historic and continuing impacts of European colonization on the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas and reaffirms the District’s commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion for all.”

Two associates of Rudy Giuliani who have been linked to his investigations in Ukraine have been indicted for campaign finance violations, according to court documents released Thursday.

Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman are accused of using a limited liability company to make political contributions related to American elections, in violation of FEC prohibitions against contributions from foreign nationals. Both men have been linked to Giuliani’s efforts to conduct investigations in Ukraine.

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“Parnas and Fruman, who had no significant prior history of political donations, sought to advance their personal financial interests and the political interests of at least one Ukrainian government official with whom they were working,” the indictment, filed in the Southern District of New York, says.

A federal law enforcement source told Fox News that Parnas and Fruman were arrested Wednesday at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Attorney General Bill Barr has been “aware and supportive” of SDNY officials and knew that both men would be arrested and charged Wednesday, a senior Justice Department official told Fox News.

Giuliani told Fox News that he represents Parnas and Fruman on a separate matter and called their arrest and indictment “timing suspect.” He stated that he “will reveal relevant facts very very shortly.”

Giuliani, an attorney for President Trump, said he finds it “extremely suspicious” that the arrest was made in connection with an FEC matter that has yet to be resolved, and which Giuliani said is a civil matter. Giuliani acknowledged that both men “logistically helped” in his collection of evidence against Hunter Biden, and that they helped connect him with former Ukrainian top prosecutors Viktor Shokin and Yuriy Lutsenko.

Parnas and Fruman created Global Energy Producers (GEP), and allegedly funneled money through the company. This included contributions of $325,000 and $15,000 to committees in May 2018, “to obtain access to exclusive policital events and gain influence with politicians,” the indictment says. They allegedly incorporated GEP around the time the contributions were made.

According to FEC records, GEP contributed $325,000 in May 2018 to pro-Trump super PAC America First Action.  In a statement, a spokesperson for America First Action noted that a complaint was filed with the FEC in July 2018 over this contribution, as well as separate litigation in Florida. The statement said that the money was placed “in a segregated bank account,” was not used, and “will remain in this segregated account until these matters are resolved.”

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“We take our legal obligations seriously and scrupulously comply with the law and any suggestion otherwise is false,” the statement said.

Both men are accused of making false statements in response to the FEC complaint, related to the nature of GEP and the contribution.

Additionally, contributions from Fruman were allegedly made in Parnas’ name to get around federal contribution limits, and several contributions were made under the name “Igor Furman” instead of “Fruman,” allegedly “to conceal the source of the funds and to evade federal reporting requirements.”

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The indictment also claims that Parnas and Fruman “committed to raise $20,000 or more for a then-sitting U.S. Congressman”  whom they had met at a political event. At approximately the same time that they made that commitment, Parnas and the Congressman discussed the Congressman’s assistance in securing the removal of the then-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, and this was done “at least in part, at the request of one or more Ukrainian government officials,” the indictment alleges.

The indictment also lays out allegations of a separate “foreign national donor scheme” involving the two men and two other defendants, American David Correia, and Ukrainian national Andrey Kukushkin, where they allegedly engaged in a conspiracy to make political contributions funded by an unnamed Russian national to obtain influence with political candidates regarding policies to benefit a recreational marijuana business venture, and to help obtain retail marijuana licenses.

Following the indictment, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md., and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Eliot L. Engel, D-N.Y., sent a letter accompanying subpoenas for Parnas and Fruman for documents pertaining to the impeachment investigation of President Trump.

“In addition to providing the subpoenaed documents, the Committees also expect your clients to appear to testify about these matters at a later date,” the letter said.

Fox News’ Catherine Herridge, John Roberts and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.