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Rather than attacking the merits of the impending alleged hush money case against Donald Trump, Republicans on Fox News suggested that the news of former presidents potential arrest is part of a secret plan to distract from the allegations against Hunter Biden.

Well, its very odd that [the news of a possible Trump indictment] would come out just the very next day after I revealed bank records which showed that the Biden family the president in particular hasnt been truthful with respect to his family receiving payments directly from the Chinese communist party, Republican Rep. James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, said on Foxs Sunday Morning Futures. Comer is referring to a memo he released Friday alleging that Hunter Biden and two other Biden relatives received $1.3 million from one of Hunters connections who is linked to a Chinese energy company. While this news had been reported last year, Comer claimed that new evidence shows that Hallie Biden, the widow of the presidents son Beau Biden, received two payments adding up to $35,000.

Comer continued, It almost looks like its an effort to detract. But at the very least its another example of the two-tiered system of justice.

Comer does not offer any evidence aside from the timing of the news breaking to prove that a years-long case against Trump in the Manhattan district attorneys office is somehow a wag the dog situation to cover up for Hunter Biden. Fox News reported Friday that officials were preparing to arrest Trump, and the former president publicized the possibility of his arrest in a post to Truth Social on Saturday.

A spokesperson for Hunter Bidens legal team issued a statement responding to the release of Comers Friday memo: Hunter Biden, a private citizen with every right to pursue his own business endeavors, joined several business partners in seeking a joint venture with a privately-owned, legitimate energy company in China, the spokesperson said. As part of that joint venture, Hunter received his portion of good faith seed funds which he shared with his uncle, James Biden, and Hallie Biden, with whom he was involved at the time, and sharing expenses. The accounts so dramatically listed by Rep. Comer belonged to Hunter, his uncle and Hallie nobody else.Editors picks

Democrats also responded to Comers allegations against the Bidens, telling NBC News that one of the payments to Hallie Biden that Comer cited came before Hunter Biden or his associate received the funds from the Chinese energy company. Concealing this context paints a typically distorted picture and marks another depressing low for this investigation, said a spokesperson for the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. Hunter Biden has said that he and Hallie were in a romantic relationship at the time she received funds from him.

Comer was not the only Republican to suggest that Biden somehow may be using the Stormy Daniels hush money case against Trump to divert attention from his sons finances. John Ratcliffe, who served as Director of National Intelligence under Trump, hinted that the prosecution may have ulterior motives.

This is so incredibly disturbing, Fox host Maria Bartiromo said while interviewing Ratcliffe. Do you think theres a coincidence that as soon as Comer comes out and exposes those bank records that suddenly Trump is going be indicted?

I dont really believe much in coincidences, Ratcliffe said. And so I do think that theyre I think that its important what Congressman Comer is doing, and its a way for the American people to find out whats really happening, and I hope that effort continues.

Ratcliffe also accused Democrats of being a mix of socialists and communists who dont like the American justice system. Trending

This distraction theory is just one part of Republicans attempts to discredit the investigation into Trump. Trumps former vice president, Mike Pence, has maligned the case as political prosecution and accused prosecutors of being part of the radical left. Meanwhile, the former presidents supporters are calling for civil war and suggesting the formation of a Patriot moat around Mar-a-Lago to prevent law enforcement from arresting Trump.

Trump denies Daniels claims that they had a sexual relationship and says the case has no legal basis. But that case is just one of many investigations the former president faces. Trump is currently under investigation for removing classified government documents from the White House and for allegedly attempting to influence the 2020 election results in Georgia. The Justice Department is also pursuing a criminal probe regarding Trumps role in Jan. 6 as well as his attempts to overturn the election.

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Republicans Suggest Possible Trump Indictment Is to Distract from Hunter Biden Allegations - Rolling Stone

Del. Christopher Eric Bouchat (R-Carroll) in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. Photo by Josh Kurtz.

It was a typical day for Republicans on the floor of the House of Delegates on Tuesday.

GOP lawmakers launched lengthy debates on gun regulations, transportation funding and tax breaks for retirees, only to see the latter two discussions lead to predictably resounding defeats as they attempted to add amendments to Democratic bills. The third debate, on guns, will continue into Wednesday, but is likely to result in the same lop-sided futility.

For many Republicans, it was all in a days work a chance to shine a spotlight on what they characterize as Democratic overreach and to put Democrats on record supporting policies that the GOP will invariably use on the campaign trail and in fundraising appeals.

But freshman Republican Del. Christopher Eric Bouchat of Carroll County is suggesting that such a strategy has its limits. He asserts that Republicans have become too performative during floor debates in the House and that they run the risk of obsolescence in a chamber where they are badly outnumbered.

That lament has angered several of Bouchats more senior colleagues who characterize his stanceas a form of surrender.

The strategic debate was a topic of heated discussion in the weekly House Republican Caucus meeting Tuesday morning and could come up again when the caucus gathers Wednesday morning. To some Republicans, the messenger was just as objectionable as the message.

The internecine conflict started when Bouchat, a conservative who arrived in Annapolis this year after serving a term on the Carroll County Board of Commissioners,sent a letter to his GOP colleagues last week, questioning their tactics and urging them to look inward for corrective measures that increase our future success rates.

Bouchat, a self-proclaimed political nerd and one of the original Republican plaintiffs who challenged Marylands congressional district map in court following the 2010 Census, observed that many of his fellow Republicans have become show horses on the House floor, offering meaningless messaging amendments to bills that have no chance of passing or of influencing the broader State House debate.

We as a party have limited resources with 39 proverbial troops opposing 102 troops in military terms, Bouchat wrote in the letter. Any individual with officer training in combat will tell you it is a waste of resources, energy, and life to continuously execute a frontal assault upon a superior entrenched force, yet that is what we keep doing only to be repulsed and laughed atIf we were a military unit our commander would be court martialed. I feel we are stuck in a perpetual loop of failure.

In an interview, Bouchat said he believes that committees, rather than the House floor, are the appropriate venues for lengthy debates over legislation.Once its out of committee, its a done deal.

He added that by rhetorically torching Democratic proposals, Republicans are making it more difficult to work with their colleagues who control the agenda and the purse strings in Annapolis. Democrats, he noted, won a clear and decisive victory in Maryland last fall.

Bouchat, who owns a welding and metal fabricating business, likens the situation to a workplace: An employee who routinely irritates the boss isnt going to be able to credibly ask for a raise. And 95% of the Republican attempts to amend a bill, he calculated, are defeated.

If I had an employee who was successful 5% of the time, Id fire them, Bouchat said.

The GOP intramural debate comes as both houses of the General Assembly become steadily more polarized. While the level of partisan rancor isnt anywhere near what it is on Capitol Hill, the fact is that while conservative Democrats held sway for decades in Annapolis until very recently, the Democratic caucuses have moved steadily to the left over the last few elections, while the Republican caucuses have moved to the right. True ideological moderates in both parties are hard to come by.

And with supermajorities in both chambers, Democrats can largely move their agenda without paying the Republicans much heed especially with Democrat Wes Moore now serving as governor.

Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Montgomery), who served until recently as House parliamentarian and fought fiercely with Republicans over procedural and ideological questions during the past few legislative sessions, said House Democrats are still willing to work with their GOP colleagues.

We are bringing out Republican bills and theyre gaining support, especially when the [Republican] members are working to build relationships, she said.

According to several House Republicans, Bouchats letter became part of the agenda during the 75-minute GOP caucus meeting Tuesday.

I would say we had a lively discussion with respect to peoples ideas and how best to serve our constituents and our state, said House Minority Leader Jason Buckel (R-Allegany), as lawmakers walked from the caucus to the House floor session. I would suggest that [Bouchats letter] was not well-received by his colleagues, but there wont be any consequences for the freshman lawmaker.

Buckel said House Republicans take different approaches when it comes to floor debates: Some speak and offer amendments frequently, others do so occasionally, and many choose to stay silent.

Theres no right strategy, he said. Everybody is going to do what they think is best for their communities and the state.

In interviews as the caucus meeting ended, two firebrand conservatives in the GOP caucus, Del. Matt Morgan (R-St. Marys) and Del. Mark Fisher (R-Calvert), suggested that Bouchats strategy essentially amounted to surrender.

I dont think the Republicans should be waving the white flag, Morgan said.

Fisher added: You have three things down here: Your voice, your vote and your reputation. He wants to give up his voice.

Del. Carl Anderton (R-Lower Shore), who works more closely with Democrats than many of his colleagues, took issue with both the substance and tone of Bouchats letter.

You just got here, Anderton said. Youre calling people whove been here a lot longer losers when you havent really seen the process yet?

GOP strategy on display

During a three-hour House session Tuesday, as lawmakers cycled through dozens of bills, Republicans peppered Democratic floor leaders with questions on several measures. Most dramatically, Republicans used a bill by Del. Mark Edelson (D-Baltimore City) that would change the way fare hikes are calculated for Maryland Transit Administration bus and rail service, to remove a provision in state law that raises the state gasoline tax annually based on the Consumer Price Index. The amendment, introduced by Morgan, was hotly debated for about 20 minutes.

Several Republicans argued that the legislature shouldnt consider a bill that effectively decouples transit fares from the inflation rate without doing the same for motorists especially during a period of persistent inflation, when a significant gas tax hike on July 1 is inevitable. Morgan estimated that the state could be collecting an additional $62.4 million in gas taxes then.

We talk a lot about equity in this body, Buckel said. Equity to me means fairness. It means treating people in an equally situated way.

Fisher warned that tax increases are crushing the middle class in Maryland.

Defending Edelsons bill, Del. Marc Korman (D-Montgomery), the chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and the Environment, said transit fares and gas taxes are significantly different, because the states Transportation Trust Fund, which is replenished with gas tax revenues, is so big.

Its really not comparable to what were talking about in terms of scale, he said, adding that the trust fund could be severely depleted and major transportation projects jeopardized if the amendment went through.

But Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore County) boiled the debate down to its political essence.

So a vote for your amendment, Szeliga asked Morgan, is a vote to tell the citizens of Maryland that we dont want their gas taxes to go up on July 1?

Yes, Morgan replied. And a vote against this amendment says I support a $62.4 million tax increase.

Nevertheless, the amendment failed on a 38-90 vote. Two Democrats Dels. Brian Crosby (St. Marys) and Chou Wu (D-Howard) voted for it. Bouchat was the lone Republican to vote against it. He said in an interview that the floor debate essentially illustrated everything he had written about in his letter to colleagues.

Urging Republicans to be more outspoken

But the days drama did not end there. About an hour after the floor session came to an end Tuesday, six of the most vocal conservatives in the House Republican Caucus Fisher, Morgan, Szeliga and Dels. Lauren Arikan (Harford), Brian Chisholm (Anne Arundel) and Robin Grammer (Baltimore County) issued a statement criticizing Bouchat and rebutting the points in his missive. Arikan, who serves with Bouchat on the Judiciary Committee and on the Criminal Law subcommittee, said she cannot recall a single time he spoke up in an attempt to impact the legislation in our committee.

The statement blasted Bouchat for voting against Morgans amendment on the gasoline tax, saying he failed a basic litmus test of Conservatism.

The six Republicans also took their GOP colleagues to task for not speaking up more on the House floor.

It deeply concerns us that this erroneous concept of rarely or never standing on the floor to articulate Republican and Conservative ideals appears to be the new accepted norm, they wrote.

The lawmakers argued that the House GOP hit its modern-era high water mark 50 seats in the 141-member chamber after speaking out against Democratic taxes and spending during the 2014 election.

Our communities and voters did not send us here to be the handmaidens of the Maryland Democrat Party, the six Republicans wrote. We must stand in solidarity and combat the Lefts ever-growing radical agenda. Our unified vision, unwavering stance, and proactive leadership will allow us to maintain our values against those who seek to destroy them.

Bouchat said he agreed that Republicans should vigorously contest the Democrats in the next legislative elections, which are 3 1/2 years away, and that political opportunities may present themselves for the GOP then. But for now, he said, we need to stop annoying them.

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Freshman House Republican riles colleagues with suggestion they ... - Maryland Matters

WASHINGTON House Republicans have quietly halted a congressional investigation into whether Donald J. Trump profited improperly from the presidency, declining to enforce a court-supervised settlement agreement that demanded that Mazars USA, his former accounting firm, produce his financial records to Congress.

Representative James R. Comer, Republican of Kentucky and the chairman of the Oversight and Accountability Committee, made clear he had abandoned any investigation into the former presidents financial dealings professing ignorance about the inquiry Democrats opened when they controlled the House and was instead focusing on whether President Biden and members of his family were involved in an influence-peddling scheme.

I honestly didnt even know who or what Mazars was, said Mr. Comer, who was the senior Republican on the oversight panel during the last Congress, while Democrats waged a lengthy legal fight over obtaining documents from the firm.

What exactly are they looking for? Mr. Comer added in a brief statement to The New York Times on Monday. Theyve been investigating Trump for six years. I know exactly what Im investigating: money the Bidens received from China.

He confirmed the end to the inquiry into Mr. Trump after Democrats wrote to Mr. Comer raising concerns about the fact that Mazars, the former presidents longtime accounting firm that cut ties with him last year, had stopped turning over documents related to his financial dealings. The top Democrat on the panel suggested that Mr. Comer had worked with Mr. Trumps lawyers to effectively kill the investigation, an accusation the chairman denied.

It has come to my attention that you may have acted in league with attorneys for former President Donald Trump to block the committee from receiving documents subpoenaed in its investigation of unauthorized, unreported and unlawful payments by foreign governments and others to then-President Trump, Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the panel, wrote on Sunday evening to Mr. Comer.

Mr. Comer on Monday denied knowledge of any attempt to coordinate with Mr. Trumps lawyers to block the investigation, but he made it clear he did not plan to keep it going. His committee has issued no subpoenas concerning Mr. Trumps finances.

Democrats fought in court for years to get financial documents from Mr. Trumps former accounting firm, and only last year after entering into a court-ordered settlement began receiving the documents and gaining new insights into how foreign governments sought influence using the Trump International Hotel. The company has been delivering the documents to the committee in batches.

In the letter, Mr. Raskin wrote that he had reviewed communications between Patrick Strawbridge, Mr. Trumps counsel, and a lawyer for Mazars in which the Trump lawyer indicated he had been told that House Republicans would no longer insist on additional document production. On Jan. 19, Mr. Strawbridge wrote, I do not know the status of Mazars production, but my understanding is that the committee has no interest in forcing Mazars to complete it and is willing to release it from further obligations under the settlement agreement.

Mr. Raskin wrote that Mr. Strawbridge had confirmed that assertion had been made to him twice by the acting general counsel of the House of Representatives, who at the time was Todd Tatelman.

Mr. Tatelman did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Mr. Strawbridge or lawyers for Mazars.

Democratic staff aides on the committee said they had repeatedly sought written confirmation from Mazars that House Republicans had agreed to release the firm from its obligations under the subpoena and court-supervised settlement agreement. But Mazars said it had not received such a release nor was any filed with the court, which has retained jurisdiction over the matter.

How Times reporters cover politics.We rely on our journalists to be independent observers. So while Times staff members may vote, they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. This includes participating in marches or rallies in support of a movement or giving money to, or raising money for, any political candidate or election cause.

Even so, Mazars informed Democratic staff members that, as a result of Mr. Strawbridges assertions, it would cease production after the delivery of a small tranche of documents that it had already identified as responsive to the subpoena, the letter states.

Enforcement of a court-supervised settlement agreement made with one Congress during a subsequent Congress under new leadership remains a legally murky gray area. Subpoenas in cases involving the House expire at the end of each Congress, but Mazars had continued to produce documents even after the House changed hands into Republican control. Still, a judge would be unlikely to enforce the settlement if the parties involved were no longer interested in enforcement, according to lawyers in both parties.

The documents from Mazars have thus far provided new evidence about how foreign governments sought to influence the Trump administration. In November, for instance, documents the committee received from Mazars detailed how officials from six nations spent more than $750,000 at Mr. Trumps hotel in Washington when they were seeking to influence his administration, renting rooms for more than $10,000 per night.

In the face of mounting evidence that foreign governments sought to influence the Trump administration by playing to President Trumps financial interests, you and President Trumps representatives appear to have acted in coordination to bury evidence of such misconduct, Mr. Raskin wrote to Mr. Comer.

At the same time that Mazars has stopped producing documents about Mr. Trumps finances, Mr. Comer has ramped up his investigation into Mr. Biden and his relatives.

Mr. Comer has issued a broad subpoena to obtain bank records of associates of the Biden family, requiring Bank of America to produce all financial records for three private individuals from Jan. 20, 2009, to the present a 14-year period, Mr. Raskin wrote.

He has focused in particular on John R. Walker, an associate of Hunter Biden, the presidents son, whose business dealings are under investigation by the Justice Department. Mr. Walker was involved in a joint venture with CEFC China executives, a now-bankrupt Chinese energy conglomerate.

Mr. Raskin accused Mr. Comer of using a wildly overbroad subpoena to conduct a dragnet of political opposition research on behalf of former President Trump.

Mr. Comer responded that Mr. Raskin was trying to distract from the real issue here, and that is the Biden family money trail from China.

I now possess documents to prove it; Raskin knows it, and Raskin has had a meltdown, Mr. Comer added.

When Congress was in Democratic hands, the House Oversight Committee waged a yearslong battle to obtain Mr. Trumps financial records from Mazars in one of the major legal sagas of the Trump presidency.

Mazars cut ties with the Trump Organization in 2022, saying it could no longer stand by a decade of financial statements it had prepared.

Charlie Savage contributed reporting.

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House Republicans Quietly Halt Inquiry Into Trumps Finances - The New York Times

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin will travel to Texas next month to be the guest of honor at a reception and dinner hosted by a billionaire Republican political donor as speculation grows about the term-limited governors national political ambitions.

On the same April trip, Youngkin will speak at George W. Bush's presidential library, part of an event billed as a "Forum on Leadership: Answering the Call." Such events are often an opportunity for prospective candidates to lay out policy visions before potential donors.

While in Texas, Youngkin will also be hosted by GOP megadonor Robert Rowling, the owner of the Omni hotel chain, and his wife, Terry, according to a copy of the invitation obtained by NBC News. Forbes places Rowlings net worth at $5.5 billion.

This dinner was first reported by The Washington Post.

The Texas trip comes as Youngkin, term-limited by Virginia law, has been building his national profile as he weighs a possible 2024 presidential run. In the 2022 midterms, he campaigned for Republican candidates in key battleground states, including Georgia and Arizona. Last week he participated in a nationally televised town hall on CNN focused on education the signature issue of his 2021 gubernatorial campaign.

In January, Youngkin toldNBC Newshe was overwhelmingly humbled by talk of a presidential campaign, but he remained focused on Virginia. That remains the case, according to a source familiar with Youngkins thinking on the issue, but who also noted that in 2016, the last open GOP primary, candidates announced well into the summer, and that candidates who entered the race early, like Jeb Bush and Scott Walker, quickly faded from contention.

Youngkin has barely registered in early 2024 polling, but his victory in a purple state, and his ability to significantly self-fund a national campaign, may leave him a lane in a potentially crowded GOP field.

The Dallas trip could further introduce Youngkin to Texas fertile GOP fundraising grounds especially with no Texas candidate currently expected to enter the race.

Rowling alone was a prodigious supporter of Republican campaigns in the 2022 midterms giving half a million dollars to the main House GOP super PAC, and a quarter-million to the McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund.

Garrett Haake is an NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent.

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Republican Gov. Youngkin heads to Texas as speculation about 2024 grows - NBC News

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WASHINGTON U.S. House Republicans want Vicente Gonzalez gone again.

The Republican conferences campaign arm announced Monday it is adding the South Texas Democrat to its main target list in the 2024 congressional elections, singling him out as a top priority for next year in a sign that they believe his district is still flippable. His inclusion on the list means they intend to pour serious outside cash into a yet-unknown Republican challenger, ending the days when Democrats could run in the region without having to put up much of a fight.

Republicans are in the majority and on offense. We will grow our House majority by building strong campaigns around talented recruits in these districts who can communicate the dangers of Democrats extreme agenda, said National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson in a statement. These House Democrats should be shaking in their boots.

Gonzalez ran in the 34th congressional district last year after redistricting moved his home out of the McAllen-based 15th district, which he previously represented. Both the 34th and 15th districts were among the most competitive races in the state, with influxes of outside cash from both parties flowing into the campaigns. Gonzalez ran against incumbent Republican Rep. Mayra Flores, who had won the seat the summer before in a special election after Rep. Filemon Vela retired early from Congress to become a lobbyist.

Flores victory in the special election came with a massive surge in cash from out of the district, giving Republicans their first-ever seat in the Rio Grande Valley. But national Democrats opted not to match the spending spree and essentially abandoned the district, leaving their candidate Dan Sanchez vastly underfunded. Local Democrats were furious that giving the seat away to the Republicans would create a substantially greater challenge for Gonzalez in the general election, but national Democratic operatives contended it would be more advantageous to keep their powder dry to have more to spend in November.

Gonzalezs victory was not a knockout. In a district that was drawn to be more Democratic and would have voted for President Joe Biden with a margin of over 15 percentage points, Gonzalez won by roughly 8 percentage points.

His campaign in the 34th district ended up being his most expensive and, he admitted at the time, his most challenging. Both campaigns spent over $3 million in the race, and Republicans blasted Gonzalez for a number of verbal gaffes. Gonzalez told Newsweek that he didnt come here through chain migration, I didnt come through asylum or amnesty or whatever in a bid to distinguish himself from Flores, who was the first Mexican-born woman ever elected to Congress.

Flores also had her share of difficulties, including allegations of sexual assault against her district director. She denied knowledge of the alleged assault.

In a statement to The Texas Tribune, Gonzalez credited his election last November to his ability to bring federal dollars back to the district over the six years he's been in office. Flores held her seat for only about seven months, coinciding with a slow legislative period when most members of Congress were focused on campaigning.

In 2022, South Texas voters sent a message: they want someone who delivers," Gonzalez said in his statement. "Since coming to congress, Ive brought over $6 billion to South Texas for VFWs and community centers, drainage and roads, and Title 1 funding for our students. And I intend to keep putting the needs of South Texans first.

The national partys investments in Gonzalezs race also left less money for other candidates, whom the party did not deem viable or established enough to receive steady, robust support. National Democrats essentially let the tap run dry on Michelle Vallejo, a progressive, young Democrat who ran to replace Gonzalez in his old district next door, much to the ire of progressives in the state. President Donald Trump-endorsed Republican Monica De La Cruz ended up winning that race, becoming the first of her party to represent the 15th congressional district.

Flores has since joined the Texas Public Policy Foundation as a senior fellow. In a statement to The Texas Tribune, Flores said she was glad to hear about the NRCC's decision.

"Our region has seen historic shifts towards the Republican Party as more and more Hispanics realize that our conservative policies are all about God, Family, and the American Dream. I am confident this trend will continue and that this district will turn Red soon." When asked if she would run again in the district, Flores said she hasn't yet decided.

Republicans assert their messages of strict border enforcement, abortion restrictions and support for the local oil and gas sector will resonate with culturally conservative Latino voters in the region. South Texas Democrats have historically been among the most moderate in their caucus.

Border security is also top of the list among Republican priorities and attack points against the Biden administration, and the party is eager to have more Texas border Republicans to put at the forefront of their messaging on the issue. Texas contains more of the southern border than any other state.

Disclosure: The Texas Public Policy Foundation has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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National Republicans say they will spend big to oust Rep. Vicente ... - The Texas Tribune