Abdul El-Sayed’s former Democratic rival is getting hammered by fellow left-wingers online for failing to explicitly endorse him during a weekend television appearance.

Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination for Senate in Michigan, told CNN’s “State of the Union” that she broadly supports her state party’s ticket for the coming midterm elections.

“Look, I’m on the Democratic ticket. I can’t say that I agree with everything that’s gone on,” Stevens answered. “I’m looking to be on the team to support my next governor, Jocelyn Benson, and frankly, these great Democrats who are working their tails off, who are going to make Hakeem Jeffries the first Black Speaker of the House.”

BERNIE SANDERS CLAIMS SOME DEMOCRATS MAY WANT THEIR OWN SENATE NOMINEE TO LOSE

When pressed about El-Sayed specifically, she said, “Well, look, I would just say, if you had asked me if I’m still on the team, I’m on the team.”

But that was not enough for progressives, who promptly accused Stevens of undermining her fellow Democrat.

“Ridiculous. For all the folks still pretending El-Sayed’s race is the same as [Roy Cooper’s] or [Mary Peltola’s], do they have former Dem rivals refusing to fully endorse them on national TV? ‘Blue no matter who’ was a hypocritical centrist lie and this hypocrisy may hurt Dems in 2028,” Mehdi Hasan wrote on X, referring to Democrat Senate races in North Carolina and Alaska.

Leah Greenberg, who leads the progressive activist group Indivisible, wrote, “It is late October and people are voting every day, if you cannot give a full-throated endorsement to the Democratic nominee who could be the key vote in flipping the Senate, then stay the f— off television.”

MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT WHO LOST SENATE PRIMARY TO ABDUL EL-SAYED TAKES AIM AT BERNIE SANDERS OVER ISRAEL STANCE

Former congressional candidate Kyle Blomquist accused Stevens of “practically fawning over Mike Rogers” and said “her only real ideological commitment is to zionism.”

Progressive commentator Emma Vigeland wrote on X, “There are financial and institutional incentives to remain on the side of genocide. Stevens is sabotaging El-Sayed on national TV, one week before the midterm, to protect her pocketbook and career over democracy.”

More moderate and establishment-friendly Democrats pushed back on some of the criticism.

Strategist Lis Smith responded to Hasan, “People—Democrats, Republicans, Independents—clamoring to support the Peltolas and Coopers is actually a validation of their candidate quality! It’s good to have candidates people want to associate with and that should be a factor when assessing candidate quality!”

El-Sayed edged Stevens out by just 1% in the Michigan primary earlier this year, after fellow Democrat Mallory McMorrow dropped out of the race.

El-Sayed won 48.5% of the vote compared to Stevens’ 47.5%, with McMorrow netting 4%.

Stevens was notably the establishment-backed pick with support from top Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. El-Sayed is backed by “Squad” Democrats like Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Fox News Digital reached out to Stevens for comment on the online backlash but did not immediately hear back.

An Obama-appointed New York federal judge ruled Monday that the Trump Justice Department unlawfully fired former FBI Director James Comey’s daughter Maurene, rejecting the administration’s sweeping claim of executive authority and warning that its argument threatened the nation’s constitutional balance of power.

The Justice Department acknowledged in court filings that Comey’s firing was not for-cause and was not based on her performance, but argued that the attorney general had the authority to remove her under Article II of the Constitution.

“Defendants’ argument that [Constitution] Article II bars Congress from regulating the removal of AUSAs (assistant U.S. attorneys) flies in the face of nearly two centuries of Supreme Court precedent,” Judge Jesse Furman wrote, adding that accepting the administration’s argument would “unsettle the very equilibrium established by this nation’s constitutional system.”

TRUMP’S FIRING POWER FACES TWIN SUPREME COURT TESTS, BUT ONE AGENCY MAY GET SPECIAL TREATMENT

A DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital the department disagreed with the decision and will appeal it in “due course.” Furman ordered Comey retroactively reinstated and awarded back pay through Dec. 20, 2025, when she accepted another job.

While federal law gives the attorney general authority to fire assistant U.S. attorneys, Furman ruled that Congress placed limits on that power through the Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA), which generally requires cause for termination and procedural protections for government workers.

OBAMA JUDGE HALTS TRUMP FIRING BID AS DECADES-OLD LEGAL AUTHORITY TEES UP POSSIBLE MAJOR REVERSAL

The judge found that Comey’s firing violated those requirements, noting that the government conceded her removal was not based on misconduct or poor performance and that she received neither advance notice nor an opportunity to respond.

Comey had served about a decade in the prominent Southern District of New York, where she worked on some of the office’s biggest cases, including the prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell – associate and rumored partner of Jeffrey Epstein — as well as the sex trafficking trial of rapper Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.

Furman also recently rebuked the Trump administration during its efforts to deport pro-Palestinian Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil, leading the federal government to argue for a change of venue to New Jersey.

The judge, nominated in 2011, previously served as a federal prosecutor in the same Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office where both Comeys worked during their careers. Furman’s brother, Jason, served in the Obama administration as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.

James Comey served as the top prosecutor at SDNY early in the George W. Bush administration, where he investigated President Bill Clinton’s controversial pardon of financier Marc Rich as well as interior designer Martha Stewart.

The younger Comey was the second in her family to be fired under Trump, after the president terminated her father as FBI director in 2017 during the Russia collusion investigation.

The elder Comey later came under fire for posting a photo of seashells on a beach arranged to form the sentiment “86 47” – with critics saying “86” was a reference to killing something, such as in restaurant lingo, and “47” referred to Trump, the 47th president.

Maurene Comey’s attorneys said in a statement to The Associated Press that their victory was “hard-earned” for both their client and all civil servants.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

“As the court correctly held, to accept the government’s argument about unlimited executive power ‘would be to unsettle the very equilibrium established by this nation’s constitutional system.’ This decision reaffirms our bedrock system of checks and balances: the President is not above the law,” they said.

Voters in the battleground state of Pennsylvania tell Fox News Digital they are driven at the ballot box by a desire to rein in President Donald Trump and his administration’s agenda.

While many voting in next Tuesday’s midterm elections in the Keystone State don’t trust Democrats, they are willing to give them a chance to change the trajectory of the country on a myriad of issues — including affordability and rising prices, the Iran war and corruption in Washington, D.C.

“I didn’t say I trusted the Democrats,” Tomas from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, said when asked if he felt the opposition party would do better than the current one in power.

“I’m just gonna vote for them because [Trump] is just taking us down the tubes.”

LEAVITT SAYS TRUMP IS DEFYING MIDTERM HEADWINDS AS HE BARNSTORMS COUNTRY

Clay, another Pennsylvania voter, told Fox News Digital, “I don’t,” when asked why he trusts Democrats to tackle affordability better than Republicans.

“The party that we’re currently working with is so f—ed up, we might as well change it. I don’t trust the Democrats though,” he added.

Voters in Delaware County and Bucks County were pressed on the issue of affordability and whether Democrats would be better equipped to address bringing prices down, particularly after inflation surged during former President Joe Biden’s administration.

“Republicans have showed in the past two years that they really have made things worse,” Chris from Doylestown said when asked if he believes Democrats will bring down prices. “Gas is way up, the energy is way up, food’s way up. There’s nothing that’s cheaper, so they can’t argue that.”

“I mean, Donald Trump’s in office, how much worse can it get?” he went on. “Telling me that it can get worse than this? It’s the worst it’s ever been. You think that by having… Democrats in office… that somehow it’s gonna make things go even higher? I don’t think so.”

The results in Pennsylvania will play a key role in the battle for control of Congress, with Republicans fighting to maintain their majorities as Trump works to rally voters behind Republican candidates.

The outcome of the midterm elections, just eight days away, could have major implications for the remainder of Trump’s presidency, with a Democratic takeover of either chamber threatening to complicate his efforts to push his agenda through Congress.

FOX NEWS POLL: SQUEEZED BY COSTS, FRUSTRATED VOTERS TURN TO THE DEMOCRATS

Many who spoke with Fox News Digital had broader reasons to vote Democrat in next week’s midterms.

“We have a mentally ill president,” Nancy from Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, said. “We have a ball-less GOP party who will not rein him in.”

“I am voting for the Democratic congressional slate,” Tom from Media, Pennsylvania, said. “I really think that Donald Trump has not been good for our country, and we sort of need to… slow down what he’s doing.”

“I am voting straight Democrat,” a voter Fox News Digital spoke with named Bill said. “And the reason why is because the Republican Party refuses to stand up to the fascist actions of Donald Trump.”

BERNIE SANDERS ADMITS DEMOCRATS FAILED WORKING-CLASS VOTERS ON ECONOMICS, DRIVING THEM TO DONALD TRUMP

Another voter shared that affordability was not one of his concerns heading into the elections, instead citing issues more important to him, such as handling immigration and the renaming of the Kennedy Center.

He continued, “I’m concerned about things like ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement). I’m concerned about the Kennedy Center. I’m very concerned about Ukraine. Those are the things which make me want to vote for the Democrats.”

Some blamed COVID-19 for higher inflation during Biden’s presidency, citing the inflation rate trending downward toward the end of his term.

“No doubt about it Biden… overshot in trying to orchestrate the recovery from COVID,” said Tom.

But he doubled down that despite his perceived errors with a Democrat in office, he believes the Trump administration’s policies pose larger threats to the nation.

“I think that the Trump administration is doing more institutional changes in government that are going to be harder to overcome rather than just stopping spending money.”

Pennsylvania is home to several closely watched congressional races, including in Bucks County, where Fox News Digital interviewed voters.

Cook Political Report recently shifted Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s race against Democratic challenger Bob Harvie in the 1st Congressional District from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican,” signaling a more competitive contest as Election Day approaches.

This post appeared first on https://www.foxnews.com

President Donald Trump is considering giving the White House press corps the boot from its longtime briefing room — and has another use in mind for the space that doesn’t involve the swimming pool he insists was never on the table.

Trump said Sunday he is thinking about relocating reporters to make room for other White House needs, a day after suggesting the press could be moved to a “less obnoxious location.”

“I am not building a swimming pool in the White House Briefing Room, and never had any intention of doing so,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I am thinking about moving the Press, and putting them in a different location, but I will use that location for very badly needed space.”

The president’s comments come after The New York Times reported on Oct. 20 that Trump had discussed replacing the White House’s James S. Brady Press Briefing Room with an indoor swimming pool.

DAVID MARCUS: KAROLINE LEAVITT’S LASTING LEGACY IS OPENING THE WHITE HOUSE TO INDIE PRESS

When reached for additional comment, the White House referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s Sunday Truth Social post.

In a separate Truth Social post published Saturday, Trump shot down reports he planned to build a swimming pool, insisting he would never consider doing “such a stupid thing.”

“There is a Fake News report out there that I am going to remove the White House Press Room and bring back the old Swimming Pool, which lies directly underneath,” Trump wrote in the social media post. “Although I may move the Fake News to a less obnoxious location, the old swimming pool will never be brought back.”

TRUMP THREATENS TO ADD NY TIMES’ ‘TREASONOUS’ IRAN WAR COVERAGE TO $15B DEFAMATION LAWSUIT

The White House’s indoor swimming pool opened on June 2, 1933, following a New York Daily News campaign to raise funds for a pool for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had polio and regularly swam in therapy pools at his Hyde Park home or at a rehabilitation center in Warm Springs, Georgia, according to the White House Historical Association.

To meet the growing demand for television news, President Richard M. Nixon later arranged for a press briefing room to be constructed above the old pool.

TRUMP BYPASSES MEDIA GATEKEEPERS AS GOV SANDERS REVEALS LEGACY OUTLETS ARE LOSING THEIR GRIP

Trump touted the ongoing renovations to the White House during a rally in Florida last Friday, saying his administration is “building some beautiful things.” He also personally paid to install two 88-foot-tall flagpoles at the White House last July.

Democratic Party leaders and left-leaning media personalities have blasted Trump over various renovations on Pennsylvania Avenue, most notably in October 2025 when ground was broken for the new White House ballroom.