--:-- Georgia Howe: The NFL is back, and FanDuel's got everything you need to play your game. From same-game parlays to live betting. Right now, new customers bet $5 and get $300 in bonus bets if you win. 21-plus in president select states. 18-plus in Kentucky and Wyoming. Must be first online real money waging. $5 deposit required. Bonus issued is non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See full terms at FanDuel.com slash sportsbook. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: A busy day on Capitol Hill. Hunter Biden testifies behind closed doors in his father's impeachment inquiry. While Senator Mitch McConnell announces he'll retire from his GOP leadership post.
--:-- John Bickley: I still have enough gas in my tank to thoroughly disappoint my critics. And I intend to do so with all the enthusiasm with which they become accustomed.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Thursday, February 29th, which is a leap day, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: President Biden touted low crime rates and his administration's support for law and order yesterday, but failed to mention one key criminal demographic.
--:-- Georgia Howe: My administration is going to choose progress over politics, and communities across the country are safer as a result of that.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- Georgia Howe: How do you protect your family in the midst of all the chaos in the world? Well, a great place to start is by protecting your savings. Invest in gold with Birch Gold Group today. Birch Gold will help you convert an existing IRA or 401k into a tax-sheltered IRA in gold. and it doesn't cost you a penny out of pocket. While diversification does not eliminate risk entirely, Birch Gold's experts can help you build a more resilient foundation for your financial well-being. Just text WIRE to 989898 and Birch Gold will send you a free info kit on gold. That's WIRE to 989898 today.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: On Wednesday, Hunter Biden made his long-awaited appearance before House investigators. Meanwhile, the Senate was shaken by news of Republican leader Mitch McConnell stepping down from leadership. Here with the latest is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So Cabot, another big day on Capitol Hill. Let's start with the high-profile hearing in the House.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, so on Wednesday, Hunter Biden appeared under oath before investigators from the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees as part of the Republican impeachment inquiry into his father. Hunter began his testimony with a prepared opening statement criticizing who he called, quote, MAGA Republicans for taking his past comments out of context and conducting a, quote, partisan political pursuit of his father. Quote, I did not involve my father in my business, he said. You do not have evidence to support the baseless and MAGA-motivated conspiracies about my father because there isn't any.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: For their part, Democrats framed the hearing as a political stunt devoid of any evidence against President Biden. Here's Missouri Rep Jasmine Crockett.
--:-- Jasmine Crockett: I'm telling you that this is a waste of time and we need to get back to this people's work. I am tired. The Republicans are going to lose the House and y'all run this back for them when they do. They're going to lose the House because they have lost focus of what our job is.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, coming out of the hearing, Republicans are quick to point to a number of falsehoods they say Biden shared with them under oath. And here's Florida Rep Matt Gaetz speaking after the testimony.
--:-- Matt Gaetz: I don't get this construct that unless Joe Biden himself received cash, that he somehow wasn't involved in the bribery operation. Joe Biden was doing the bidding of Burisma He was doing the bidding of Chinese communists and his family was getting enriched as a consequence To me that a pretty strong case for bribery So Biden said he appeared to prove the quote uncontestable fact that should end the false premise of this inquiry. I did not involve my father in my business. That's a standard message we've heard from him repeatedly, but there is overwhelming evidence which contradicts that claim.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: For example, in 2017, he sent a text message to a Chinese business associate saying, quote, I'm sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. He then says if a deal is not made shortly, quote, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me, his father, and every person he knows, we will make him, quote, regret it.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Republicans have also unearthed a number of other messages between Hunter and business associates similar to that one, along with bank records showing millions of dollars flowing to the Biden family. Kentucky Rep James Comer said after the latest testimony that his investigation is nearing completion.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So now the question becomes, if Republicans have enough votes to pass articles of impeachment in the House.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, before you go, I want to talk about the Senate. We saw a major shakeup today.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, shakeup is an understatement. This was more of an earthquake. On Wednesday afternoon, Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the longest tenured party leader in the history of the Senate, announced that he'd be stepping down in November from the role he's held since 2007.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, while he does plan to serve out the remaining three years of his term, saying, quote, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, McConnell conceded that, quote, the end of my contributions are closer than I'd prefer.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The 82-year-old McConnell has been plagued by health issues in recent years, including a number of incidents where he appeared to freeze during public appearances. But he has remained a force in Washington throughout those struggles. Father time remains undefeated. I'm no longer the young man sitting in the back, hoping colleagues would remember my name. It's time for the next generation of leadership.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So if Republicans regain the Senate in November, the expectation is that a hardline conservative member would have challenged him for that top spot. So now that position is wide open, let the jockeying begin. It's going to be a hotly contested battle to replace him.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, I think a lot of people probably saw this coming over the past few months. Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: President Biden spoke on crime and his administration's support for law and order from the White House on Wednesday. The event further highlighted the fact that crime has become a top election issue that Democrats have struggled with. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to break down the president's message.
--:-- Tim Pierce: So, Tim, what did Biden tell voters on Wednesday?
--:-- Georgia Howe: First of all, Biden tried to position himself as a law and order president. He was surrounded by a dozen top police officials from some of America's biggest cities. Biden touted national crime levels in 2023. Last year, the United States had one of the lowest rates of all violent crime, of all violent crimes in more than 50 years. Murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery all dropped sharply, along with burglary, property, crime, and theft. And it matters. And crime for the most part was down in 2023 to levels not so out of place with pre numbers except for motor vehicle theft which did see a significant increase
--:-- Tim Pierce: Meanwhile Democrats have been hampered by anti sentiments in their party much of that a result of the defund the police movement popular with progressives. Biden tried to counter that perception as well. And we're also working hard to ensure bonds of trust between officers and the people you all serve. My budget calls for more officers in the street, trained in community policing, walking the beat, working hard hand in hand with community leaders and partners to gain public trust and advance public safety. The chiefs in this room know that when their communities trust the police, we can solve a hell of a lot more crimes a hell of a lot faster.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, what about illegal immigration? I think a lot of Americans consider inaction on that to be a breakdown of law and order, not to mention the secondary crimes like the murder of Lake and Riley we saw last week. Did the president address immigration and or the related crimes?
--:-- Tim Pierce: No, that was noticeably absent from his remarks, but he is feeling the pressure. That's likely why he'll visit the border later today for only the second time since taking office. We'll have to see if he addresses that there. But to your point, illegal immigration has been a serious concern of voters, and it's another one of those major election issues where Biden has fallen behind. The death of Lake and Riley and other violent crimes committed by illegal aliens makes the issue that much greater. For instance, we saw recently an illegal immigrant charged with the rape of a 14-year-old girl in Virginia. In Louisiana, an illegal immigrant is under arrest and suspected of committing the same crime in addition to stabbing a man.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So immigration is a federal issue, but crime is obviously more of a local issue. How are officials at the state and local level handling this?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Well, you're starting to see some pushback to federal immigration policy on the state level. Texas, for instance, has essentially taken over border security in Eagle Pass, and Governor Abbott has signed a law that makes illegal immigration a state crime. There's a push in Georgia right now for something similar, a law that would allow law enforcement to detain illegal immigrants for deportation. Here's Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on Fox News.
--:-- Brian Kemp: That's the big problem that the Biden-Harris administration has, is the American people know exactly what happened. The southern border was open, and they were hoping the American people We're going to ignore this issue. And now we have a dead young woman because of it. And it's not just Republicans. New York's Democratic Mayor Eric Adams told a town hall meeting he wants to overhaul New York's sanctuary city policies. We need to modify the sanctuary city law that if you commit a felony, a violent act, we should be able to turn you over the ice and have you deported. It is a right to live in this city and you should be not committing crimes in our city.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, it sounds like a lot of bipartisan frustration here. Tim, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Numerous senior House Democrats have gone on record saying they would potentially not certify a 2024 presidential win for presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, citing insurrectionist claims. Here to discuss is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presta-Giacomo.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Hey, Amanda. So given all the condemnation from Democrats about attempts to overthrow the 2020 election, some might find this development surprising.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah. First, which Democrats are signaling they might not certify a Trump win?
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Well, there are quite a few who are on record in The Atlantic discussing this issue. We have reps James Clyburn, Jamie Raskin, Adam Schiff, Zoe Lofgren, and Eric Swalwell, all refusing to confirm that they would certify a legitimate Trump win in 2024. Their basis for this relies on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment and the Capitol breach on January 6th. Democrats claim Trump is an insurrectionist and thus ineligible from holding office Some of the standout quotes came from Clyburn and Raskin Clyburn outright called Trump an insurrectionist despite Trump never officially being charged with that And as for Raskin he acknowledged the political instability that would ensue if Democrats do try to disqualify Trump post-election, and even suggested there would be violence in that scenario, and said it was something they would need to prepare for.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, we already know numerous states are currently trying to kick Trump off the 2024 ballot based on this 14th Amendment argument. And that's reached the Supreme Court. How is that wrapped up in all this?
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: So the Supreme Court has so far heard oral arguments on this, and nearly all the justices have expressed real hesitation about allowing a state to dictate who's on the ballot. But Democrats are arguing that the real issue is if and how the Supreme Court rules on Trump's eligibility for office. Democrats have signaled that without a ruling, they view Trump as an insurrectionist and would likely object to a Trump 2024 certification. Some of these Democrats, like Eric Swalwell, for example, they say they will certify a potential Trump win if the Supreme Court rules Trump is eligible for office. But how are Democrats arguing now that Trump fits this definition as an insurrectionist without a formal conviction?
--:-- Georgia Howe: So the Section 3 provision was added following the Civil War and limits office eligibility to those who've engaged in insurrection or rebellion or given aid or comfort to America's enemies. Trump has been indicted on dozens of charges relating to the 2020 election by Biden's DOJ, but insurrection is not one of them. And then, of course, Trump was acquitted by the Senate after the House impeached him on charges that included inciting an insurrection. The House could potentially pass a new definition of this term insurrectionist in an effort to disqualify Trump. But with the GOP controlling the House, that's very unlikely.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: Indeed. What are the chances that Democrats in the House actually do sustain an objection to a potential Trump win? I mean, it's really not that far fetched. We know Democrats have routinely called Trump illegitimate or an insurrectionist, and they've launched numerous efforts to keep him from gaining the White House. And that includes some really unprecedented legal action. Analysis from National Review's Dan McLaughlin said this could happen if Democrats take control of the House, which they might do. He noted that only a simple majority would be required here and said Democrats could be playing with, quote, live ammunition. Still, though, a majority of senators would have to object to a Trump win too, and that looks less likely. This would likely take 51 senators, so Democrats would have to hold every seat they currently occupy or take a Republican-held seat.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right. So not very likely, but still a chance. Amanda, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Amanda Presta-Giacomo: You're welcome.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Another story we're tracking this week, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear former President Trump's immunity claims. The court will decide whether he is immune from prosecution for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election. In their statement, the court said they will decide the following, quote, whether and if so, to what extent does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office. Arguments are scheduled for April 22nd.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more of the news you need to know.
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