Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., is accusing President Donald Trump of escalating a coordinated “weaponization” campaign against her after he ordered the Justice Department to examine remarks she made warning young Republicans they could face “a ton of problems” if they joined his administration.

In a Truth Social post over the weekend, President Trump accused Democrats of political weaponization and singled out Slotkin for “go[ing] after all young people that believe in Republican values” in her October remarks. “By copy of this statement, I am ordering the Department of Justice to look into this criminal act, immediately!” Trump wrote.

In a video response posted Monday, Slotkin defended her remarks, saying she was referring to people who might be asked to violate the law or misuse taxpayer dollars and citing her First Amendment rights.

“A couple weeks ago, I talked about how anyone who is violating the law or misusing taxpayer dollars should be held accountable, and if there’s young people who are thinking of joining people who are doing that, they should think twice,” Slotkin said. “If you’re not violating the law — no problem.”

DEMS PIVOT FROM ‘AFFORDABILITY’ PITCH TO DHS PROBE THREATS AFTER MIDTERM WINS

Slotkin said Trump began targeting her after her October remarks, first by “name-checking” her from the Oval Office before he “really ramped up his coordinated play” following Democrats’ midterm election gains. She also pointed to Attorney General Todd Blanche’s Sunday television appearances discussing possible investigations. Slotkin said her attorney sent the Justice Department a letter Monday asking, “What are you going to do?”

The Justice Department has not confirmed whether it has opened an investigation into Slotkin. During an interview Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Blanche declined to identify a specific crime when asked whether Democrats’ rhetoric could constitute one, saying, “It depends on what’s said. So, yes, it could be.” 

A DOJ spokesperson separately told NBC News that Slotkin’s comments should be evaluated under the facts and law but did not confirm an investigation.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.

OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE AT CENTER OF TRUMP’S ANTI-WEAPONIZATION FUND CASE HIT WITH MISCONDUCT CLAIM

Slotkin’s original remarks also prompted a congressional ethics complaint. Michael Bicksel, a University of Chicago student who first publicized her comments, filed the complaint with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics on Oct. 22.

Bicksel argued that Slotkin had proposed using congressional investigations and potential prosecutions to deter young people from joining a Republican administration, asking the committee to determine whether her comments amounted to “improper conduct which may reflect upon the Senate.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Slotkin for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.

“It’s a coordinated, manufactured response,” Slotkin previously said about the backlash to her remarks concerning young Trump supporters. “They want to intimidate you to be quiet.”

Slotkin made the remarks Oct. 13 during a University of Chicago discussion about how Democrats could exercise congressional power if they regained control of Congress. Fox News Digital previously reported that Slotkin advocated pursuing “signature cases” against people who enabled Trump rather than focusing exclusively on the president. She also argued that the prospect of legal trouble could deter young Republicans from joining his administration.

The latest dispute follows an earlier Justice Department investigation involving Slotkin and five other Democratic lawmakers who posted a video reminding military personnel and intelligence officials that they were not required to follow unlawful orders. A federal grand jury declined to indict the lawmakers.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

In a letter to Blanche made public Monday, Slotkin’s attorney, Preet Bharara, argued that her remarks were protected by the First Amendment and the Constitution’s speech or debate clause. Bharara demanded that Blanche publicly confirm the Justice Department would not investigate the senator.

“Just like last time, Senator Slotkin will not be deterred,” Bharara wrote. “She will continue to call out corruption by this administration and to exercise her First Amendment rights to speak out against the President’s many abuses of power.”

EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump is closing in on a new press secretary, and administration insiders are advocating for a person who will break the mold

“His name has been brought up to the president by many people,” a source close to the president told Fox News Digital Tuesday, referring to conservative commentator Ben Ferguson.

“[Trump’s] instincts are to pick a man,” the source said. “Which many people have told him that’s a good idea.”

LEAVITT OPENS UP ON HELPING TRUMP FIND NEW PRESS SECRETARY AFTER ZACHARIA DEBACLE: ‘WAS NOT FOR HER’

The source said Trump intends to choose someone to fill the vacant position soon and that he values the role of press secretary in the administration.

A second person familiar with the matter confirmed Trump is planning to pick a man as his next press secretary and said Ferguson is a frontrunner.

The last seven press secretaries, spanning Trump’s second term, former President Joe Biden’s single term and Trump’s first term have all been women. Sean Spicer was the last man to serve in the role. He was Trump’s first press secretary from January 2017 to June of that same year. He was replaced by Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who is now governor of Arkansas.

Ferguson is a conservative commentator who hosts the nationally syndicated radio show, “The Ben Ferguson Show.” He’s also a political commentator on CNN.

But Trump is still weighing his options.

“POTUS is not sold on the idea,” the source said of Ferguson. “I think it’s safe to say [Ferguson is] pursuing the job, and the president is aware.”

Scott Jennings, the conservative CNN contributor who frequently appears on “Newsnight with Abby Phillip” and worked in former President George W. Bush’s administration, is also in the running for the job.

“The president keeps going back and forth on Scott Jennings,” the source said. “I don’t think it will happen.”

A few other names have been floated but not emerged as clear picks for the job. This includes White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, Breitbart chief Matthew Boyle and Ari Fleischer, who was White House press secretary during President George W. Bush’s first term.

Many woman have also made the short list, but the two sources who spoke with Fox News Digital insist the next person to hold the job will likely be a man.

ALINA HABBA SHUTS DOWN SPECULATION SHE COULD REPLACE KAROLINE LEAVITT AS WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY

Ferguson has support from within the Trump administration, Fox News Digital has learned.

“Ben is one of loudest supporters of President Trump in the 21st century,” a senior White House official told Fox News Digital. “While many supporters don’t have the courage to take to the fake news, Ben consistently walks into the lion’s den and faces the media bias head on.”

The official said Ferguson runs circles around some people who are currently paid to defend Trump.

JEN PSAKI MOCKS TRUMP’S NEW PRESS SECRETARY, QUESTIONS IF SHE’S A ‘POTENTIALLY FAKE LAWYER’

“His resumé and experience are exactly what the administration will need when they face a Congress hell-bent on dismantling our efforts to Make America Great Again,” the official continued.

Another Trump administration official echoed that sentiment, claiming, “Ben has always been a skilled and talented commentator.”

“He and Scott are screamed at by the radical left everyday as they defend the president to a hostile audience,” the official said, adding that the hostility the pair face on cable news is not unlike what they would face standing behind the podium in the White House press briefing room.

“The president needs a tireless, talented communicator at the podium who’ll relay his success for the nation and how he’ll be a bulwark against Democrats’ attempts to dismantle our Republic,” the official said.

The White House has been without a press secretary since Oct. 13, when Katie Zacharia left the job at Trump’s urging after only a week.

Zacharia’s brief tenure was marked by controversy over her claims to be an attorney and a disastrous press conference that lasted only 14 minutes and was widely condemned as a train wreck.

She was selected to replace Karoline Leavitt at the podium after the former press secretary served as a Trump world powerhouse through the 2024 campaign and into his first year-and-a-half back in office.

Leavitt resigned from the post in August after returning from maternity leave, citing a desire to spend more time with her growing family.

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

A newly elected Democratic socialist congressman from Philadelphia did not respond to questions about a boycott targeting Jewish-owned businesses in the city, even as prominent Pennsylvania Democrats condemned the demonstration, which coincided with the anniversary of Kristallnacht.

Rep.-elect Christopher Rabb, D-Pa., who currently represents part of Northwest Philadelphia in the state House, did not respond to requests for comment about the boycott, which drew a large counterprotest supporting Jewish residents and businesses in Rittenhouse Square.

A staff member at Rabb’s Harrisburg office acknowledged Fox News Digital’s inquiry and the two-hour deadline for a response. Fox News Digital also contacted Rabb’s Harrisburg and campaign offices by email.

TENSIONS FLARE AS DEMONSTRATORS TARGET JEWISH RESTAURANTS, DRAWING MASSIVE COUNTERPROTEST

Over the weekend, the left-wing cycling group Philly Bike on Your Left helped organize a boycott targeting Jewish-owned businesses in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square neighborhood.

Flyers promoting the rally carried the slogans “No business for Zionists” and “Not in our city,” according to published reports. Philly Bike on Your Left could not immediately be reached for comment. Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, refers to the November 1938 Nazi-organized attacks on Jews, synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses across Germany and Austria.

DSA ACCUSED OF ‘ELEVATING’ ANTISEMITIC, PRO-TERROR RHETORIC AFTER HASAN PIKER HOSTS ELECTION STREAM

Rabb has been an outspoken critic of Israel. He previously declared that the “Nakba never ended” — a reference to the displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war — and has appeared with anti-Israel streamer Hasan Piker. Rabb has also called for Pennsylvania and the federal government to divest from Israel and participated in “war criminal” protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the United Nations.

Rabb’s lack of response contrasted with public condemnations from several prominent Pennsylvania Democrats, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish, Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson and Sen. John Fetterman.

Rabb currently represents part of Northwest Philadelphia in the state legislature but is set to represent a much larger portion of the city in Congress, including Center City and Rittenhouse Square, where the boycott took place.

Fox News Digital asked Rabb whether he supports the boycott’s objectives, whether Jewish-owned businesses should be targeted over the Israeli government’s actions and whether he agrees with fellow Democrats who condemned the demonstration, including progressive Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.

Krasner noted the boycott’s proximity to the anniversary of Kristallnacht and described the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel as a “terrorist attack”. He also emphasized that “there is a difference between the leadership of a country and the people who reside there.”

He drew a comparison between criticism of Netanyahu and opposition to President Donald Trump, arguing that people should not be held responsible for the actions of their political leaders.

“Donald Trump didn’t do so well in this last election. Are all Americans the same as Donald Trump? Can they all be blamed for the things that he has done — is that fair?” he said, adding that legitimate demonstrations should not include epithets such as “ZioBusiness” — language he compared to rhetoric used by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.

Although the boycott drew support from socialist activists, the Philadelphia chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America denied organizing or endorsing the demonstration, telling Fox News Digital that the group had no official involvement.

The group nevertheless criticized Shapiro, Johnson and Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., accusing them of participating in a “chorus of bad-faith and dangerous conflation of antisemitism with anti-Zionism and invoking comparisons of Kristallnacht that trivialize trauma and suppress political speech.”

GAZA-BORN DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST LAUNCHES PRIMARY BID AGAINST SEN JOHN FETTERMAN

Top Democrats are lining up behind Republican Rep. Thomas Massie’s effort to impeach War Secretary Pete Hegseth, signaling that the fight could continue when Democrats take control of Congress in January.

“Hard yes on the Hegseth impeachment resolution,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said ahead of its introduction.

The Democratic reactions online telegraph an appetite to scrutinize Trump’s administration through congressional power once their majorities are formally sworn in in January, at the start of the 120th Congress.

HAKEEM JEFFRIES DECLARES BID FOR HOUSE SPEAKER AFTER GOP’S MIDTERM MASSACRE

Massie himself framed the effort as likely to be repeated in the new year.

“My Hegseth impeachment resolution is a much gentler version of what’s coming when Dems control Congress,” Massie said.

Already, Rep. Al Green, D-Texas — who has repeatedly introduced impeachment resolutions against President Donald Trump — urged his colleagues to expand their horizons for impeachment moments after Massie introduced his resolution.

“If the Constitution is to be honored and Congress respected, a president whom many members of Congress have declared impeachable must be impeached. Failure to do so would be another step toward making the Constitution meaningless and Congress powerless,” Green wrote online.

Massie is filing eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, accusing him of violating the War Powers Resolution in Iran and Yemen, failing to prevent civilian casualties, using lethal force in an extrajudicial manner, suppressing free speech and kidnapping a sovereign foreign leader without congressional authorization with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Although he didn’t mention Massie by name, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., echoed Jeffries’ enthusiasm.

“The Senate needs to put Pete Hegseth on trial so we can remove him for his catastrophic failure in Iran,” Schumer said in remarks on the Senate floor.

Even beyond a review of Hegseth’s record as war secretary, some Democrats argued that removing Hegseth would help end the conflict — a war that Democrats believe has extended far beyond Trump’s power to use the military in a conflict without a declaration of war from Congress.

“Impeach Hegseth. End the war,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said in a post to X.

7 REPUBLICANS REBEL AGAINST TRUMP, VOTE WITH DEMS TO REIN IN IRAN WAR POWERS

Calls for Hegseth’s impeachment have circulated among Democrats for months. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has frequently called for Hegseth to step down.

“It’s way past time,” Omar, who shares her home state of Minnesota with Hegseth, said in September.

“He has made a mockery of our country; it risks our national security and it’s losing us respect.”

On Monday afternoon, Omar doubled down on those calls, arguing that Hegseth had operated beyond the boundaries of his office in conducting strikes on boats off the coast of Venezuela for allegedly carrying narcotics.

“Pete Hegseth has grossly abused his position as Secretary of Defense. He is waging an illegal war in Iran, conducting extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean and continues to put innocent civilians in harm’s way,” Omar said.

Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, echoed Omar’s list of grievances.

“He has caused the military and the members therein to have the lowest morale we’ve seen by his actions — firing individuals just based upon just cultural issues, basically. That kind of thing is not who we want to be a representative of us in the United States defense, and I think he should resign. And if I have to vote on it, whether it’s today or tomorrow or next week, to say that he should be impeached, I will vote so,” Meeks said on Tuesday.

When asked if Democrats should renew the effort in January should Massie’s resolution face defeat, Meeks hinted that he believed so.

GOP LAWMAKER SAYS MORE QUALIFIED OFFICIALS SHOULD LEAD PENTAGON, QUESTIONS HEGSETH’S ‘MORAL COMPASS’

“I’m not going to let it go,” Meeks said. “We’re going to continue to dig into him, his involvement, his advice that led us to this illegal war in the first place.”

The House must approve articles of impeachment, and the Senate must vote to convict Hegseth for him to be removed from office.

The resolution can clear the House with a simple majority but requires two-thirds of senators to affirm a guilty verdict.