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Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime accountant testified behind closed doors that he was never aware of any payments the late financier and sex offender made to President Donald Trump, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said Wednesday.

Richard Kahn, one of the executors of Epstein’s estate, is the latest person to be deposed in the committee’s investigation into how the federal government handled Epstein’s case.

“Mr. Kahn testified under oath that — because the Democrats asked this question — that he had never seen any type of transaction to Trump or anyone in his family,” Comer told reporters. “That makes the fifth witness now that’s testified under oath that they’ve never seen any involvement by Donald Trump or the family.”

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NEW MEXICO DOJ ANNOUNCES SEARCH OF FORMER JEFFREY EPSTEIN PROPERTY ZORRO RANCH

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President Donald Trump’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein has been the subject of partisan debate in the House.(Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Comer said that Kahn did confirm, however, that five people paid money to Epstein: ex-Victoria’s Secret CEO Les Wexner, hedge fund manager Glenn Dubin, businessman Steven Sinofsky, the Rothschilds and investor Leon Black. Epstein was known to have served as a financial advisor for each of them.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS DESCEND ON CLINTONS’ HOMETOWN FOR HIGH-STAKES EPSTEIN PROBE GRILLING

“What Kahn said is he was under the impression that Epstein made his money as a tax advisor and a financial planner. So these were the five people that transferred significant sums of money to Epstein,” Comer said.

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Richard Kahn, an accountant for convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, arrives for a House Oversight Committee deposition about Epstein, in the Rayburn Building on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

But when it comes to Trump, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., gave a slightly different account of what Kahn said behind closed doors.

He told reporters that Kahn said a “person who was an accuser of Donald Trump was given a settlement by Jeffrey Epstein’s estate.”

That does not necessarily mean that the alleged settlement was regarding Trump.

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House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., speaks to reporters after a closed-door deposition with Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and confidante of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 9, 2026.(J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

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The former president was known to be a friend of Epstein’s until the two had a falling out before the late pedophile’s first federal investigation.

He has not been implicated in any wrongdoing related to his crimes.

Subramanyam said Kahn also testified that “there was another head of state that was mentioned as having financial transactions with Jeffrey Epstein,” though he did not elaborate on who that was.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

Trump asks Supreme Court to let protections for Haitians expire

By John Fritze, Tami Luhby | 31 min ago | PUBLISHED Mar 11, 2026, 3:16 PM ET

The UU Supreme Court is seen on February 20, 2026.
Samuel Corum/Sipa USA/AP

President Donald Trump urged the Supreme Court on Wednesday to let his administration end temporary immigration protections for some 350,000 Haitians who have lived in the US legally for years, escalating another fast-moving fight over immigration to the nation’s highest court.

The appeal followed a scathing ruling from a federal district court in Washington, DC, in February that blocked the administration from letting Temporary Protected Status expire for Haitian nationals.

The justices are already considering the administration’s decision to end similar protections for more than 6,000 Syrians.

Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Ketanji Brown Jackson Getty Images Kavanaugh and Jackson appearance gets testy when emergency docket comes up 3 min read

In its appeal, the administration asked the Supreme Court to take up the broader of question of its power to end TPS for various groups. If the justices agree to do so, it would put Trump’s aggressive immigration policies front and center at a court that is already considering Trump’s push to end birthright citizenship.

“Unless the court resolves the merits of these challenges — issues that have now been ventilated in courts nationwide — this unsustainable cycle will repeat again and again, spawning more competing rulings and competing views of what to make of this court’s interim orders,” US Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote. “This court should break that cycle.”

The Supreme Court has repeatedly sided with the Trump administration on fast-track immigration appeals over the past year, including on a TPS issue involving Venezuela and the administration’s so-called roving patrols. In other cases, it has taken a more nuanced approach. The court froze certain deportations under the Alien Enemies Act last spring and it required the administration to “facilitate” the return of a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador last year.

Haitian TPS holders are among the latest foreign-born residents whose lives are being upended by the Trump administration, which is focused on slashing the number of immigrants entering and living in the US. The Department of Homeland Security has sought to terminate TPS for other countries as well, including Honduras, Nepal and South Sudan.

TPS allows an administration to permit people who arrived from certain countries at times of upheaval to temporarily live and work in the US legally. Haitian nationals became eligible after an earthquake rocked the country in 2010 and the designation has been repeatedly renewed since then as the country faced a host of crises, including widespread violence by armed gangs and the assassination of its president in 2021.

Recipients are vetted and are ineligible if they’ve been convicted of any felony or more than one misdemeanor in the US. The Homeland Security secretary has discretion to designate a country for TPS.

Critics, including DHS officials, say the designations were never intended to be permanent. And the Supreme Court has afforded the administration wide deference to cancel the designations in the past, including in a case involving Venezuelans with TPS status that the court decided in May.

That case, and others percolating in lower federal courts, have involved the Trump administration’s effort to cancel designations before they naturally expired. The status for Haitians, however, was last extended by the Biden administration in 2024 for an 18-month period that was set to expire earlier this year.

As it has in many other cases, the administration argued that federal courts are not permitted to review a discretionary decision to extend TPS.

But five Haitian nationals who benefit from TPS claimed that the administration violated federal law by failing to conduct an adequate review and argued the administration violated the equal protection clause because, they said, the decision appeared to be motivated by racial animus towards Haitians.

A nurse visiting a senior patient at home. LPETTET/E+/Getty Images Many Haitians may soon not be able to work in the US. That will make caring for the elderly much harder 6 min read

In an 83-page opinion, US District Judge Ana Reyes agreed with the plaintiffs.

Calling attention to Trump’s false claims during the election that Haitian migrants in Ohio were eating their neighbors’ pets, Reyes wrote that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to end the protections was likely not based on a thorough review of conditions on the ground. (Noem was fired by Trump earlier this month.)

“Taken together, the record strongly suggests that Secretary Noem’s decision to terminate Haiti’s TPS designation was motivated, at least in part, by racial animus,” wrote Reyes, who was nominated to the federal bench by President Joe Biden. “The mismatch between what the secretary said in the termination and what the evidence shows confirms that the termination of Haiti’s TPS designation was not the product of reasoned decision-making, but of a preordained outcome justified by pretextual reasons.”

Noem, Reyes wrote, “has a First Amendment right to call immigrants killers, leeches, entitlement junkies, and any other inapt name she wants.”

But, she said, the administration is constrained by both the Constitution and federal law to apply the facts to the law in implementing the TPS program.

“The record to-date,” Reyes wrote, “shows she has yet to do that.”

What is XMoney, Elon Musk’s new digital payments platform?

March 11, 2026 / 2:51 PM EDT / CBS News

Elon Musk is planning to launch a new payments platform, called XMoney, in beta form to select users in April.

In announcing a planned partnership between XMoney and Visa more than a year ago, then X CEO Linda Yaccarino referred to the platform as a so-called “Everything App” — a reference to the kind of all-in-one digital products that combine messaging, social networking, shopping, payments and other services in a single app, such as China’s WeChat.

In a brief post on social media Tuesday, Musk, also the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, didn’t specify when the first users will be offered early access to XMoney, which Musk previously described as a platform “intended to be the place where all the money is.”

Here’s what to know about XMoney.

What is it?

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XMoney, an offshoot of the social media platform X, is designed as a financial payments platform that enables peer-to-peer transactions, similar to services such as PayPal, Venmo or Zelle.

As originally conceived, the new tool will let users fund an X-branded digital wallet via Visa Direct, the card issuer’s digital payment network, according to Yaccarino’s post. Users can also connect their debit card to an XMoney account and make direct payments to other users on the platform.

Additional details on the new product are scant. Neither X nor Visa responded to a request for more information about XMoney, including how many people are being invited to test the app.

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Beam me $100, Scotty

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Actor William Shatner of “Star Trek” fame teased the preliminary launch of XMoney last month, posting screenshots of his invitation to sign up for the payment app on Instagram, along with Musk’s confirmation that Shatner’s account would be “activated shortly.”

Shatner was sharing information about the new app to promote a charitable cause, saying that he would share about 100 invitations to become XMoney beta testers for donations of $1,000 apiece.

Where will XMoney be available?

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XMoney will initially launch in the U.S. and is already licensed to operate in 40 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C.

By contrast, some states have sought to block XMoney. In May of 2025, New York officials sent a letter to the state’s Department of Financial Services urging it not to authorize the app and expressing concern that XMoney will not conduct business “honestly, fairly, equitably, carefully and efficiently.”

Musk himself “has engaged in a pattern of reckless conduct, in both business and government, that has put consumers at risk and demonstrated a lack of character and general fitness,” the New York officials said in urging the department not to license XMoney.

Despite such opposition, along with the prospect of scaling up in the fiercely competitive digital payments space, at least some technology experts aren’t writing off XMoney’s chances.

Wedbush Securities analyst Scott Devitt, who focuses on the internet and e-commerce, told CBS News that “anything Elon focuses on has a good chance of success.” Devitt also underlined Musk’s deep understanding of payment systems, commerce and generative AI.

Indeed, this isn’t Musk’s first foray into digital financial services. During the dot-com boom in the 1990s, he co-founded online bank X.com, which later became far better known after rechristening itself as PayPal in 1999.

Edited by Alain Sherter

Hawley introduces bill to strip FDA approval from ‘inherently dangerous’ abortion pill

New Senate bill would prohibit mifepristone, which was used in 63% of all abortions in 2023, according to Guttmacher Institute data

By Preston MizellFox News

Published March 11, 2026 2:34pm EDT

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is introducing a new bill to strip FDA approval from the popular abortion pill mifepristone. The new bill builds upon proposed legislation Hawley introduced last year that would ban mifepristone and allow women to sue manufacturers profiting off of what the lawmaker deems an “inherently dangerous” drug.

The Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act was introduced in the Senate Tuesday and would prohibit the use of mifepristone for ending pregnancies.

“The science is clear: The chemical abortion drug is inherently dangerous to women and prone to abuse. Yet major companies like Danco Laboratories are making billions off it,” Hawley told Fox News Digital in a statement. “That’s why I am introducing new legislation to ban the use of mifepristone for abortion and empower women to sue its manufacturers. Congress must act now to protect the health and safety of women.”

If passed, the legislation would withdraw FDA approval for the drug and classify its distribution for abortion as a violation of federal law. In 2023, mifepristone was used in 63% of all abortions in the U.S., according to data from the Guttmacher Institute.

PRO-LIFE ORGANIZATION CALLS ON HHS AND FDA TO SUSPEND ABORTION PILL APPROVAL, TIGHTEN SAFETY RULES

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced new legislation Tuesday that would ban the abortion pill mifepristone nationwide, calling it an “inherently dangerous” drug and seeking to revoke its FDA approval.(Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit research organization formerly affiliated with Planned Parenthood, also estimates there were 1,038,100 clinician-provided abortions in 2024. However, that figure accounts only for states without abortion bans and does not include abortions performed outside the formal healthcare system or in states where abortion laws differ.

Hawley raised concerns about the abortion pill last May when he introduced a separate bill that would direct the FDA to create safeguards on mifepristone, allowing women who suffered complications the right to sue telehealth providers and pharmacies for damages.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., cited research from the Ethics and Public Policy Center claiming higher rates of complications from mifepristone than listed on the FDA-approved label.(Charlie Neibergall/AP)

Research by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) in Washington, D.C., showed the rate of side effects when using mifepristone is 22 times higher than indications from the FDA-approved drug label.

PRO-LIFE GROUP URGES SENATE TO PRESS RFK JR. ON ABORTION PILL SAFETY, DEMAND SAFEGUARDS RETURN

The study revealed more than 1 in 10 women have reported experiencing “infection, hemorrhaging, or another serious or life-threatening adverse event.”

EPPC assessed 865,727 insurance claims between 2017 and 2023 for women who used the medication to terminate early pregnancy. The pill can be taken up to “70 days since the first day of their last menstrual period,” according to the FDA.

During the Biden administration, the FDA revised rules allowing mifepristone to be prescribed via telehealth, meaning patients would not have to physically go to the doctor to receive the abortion drug.

SOUTH CAROLINA GOP LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE BILL TO CRIMINALIZE ABORTION AS MURDER

In 2024, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected an Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine challenge that was brought to reverse the FDA’s approval and expansion for access to the drug. The ruling allowed mifepristone to remain available through telehealth and mail.

Hawley penned a letter to FDA Commissioner Marty Makary urging him to review the data and act against the abortion drug mifepristone.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The Supreme Court’s rejection was based on the group’s inability to bring a lawsuit, saying Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine lacked the legal standing to challenge FDA approval. The merits of the abortion drug were never discussed or questioned in the ruling.

Last May, Hawley sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, whom Hawley questioned during Makary’s Senate confirmation hearing last year.

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“[D]uring your confirmation hearing, you pledged to me that you would ‘review the totality of the data and ongoing data’ to inform action on the drug,” Hawley’s letter to the FDA chief states. “I urge you to follow this new data and take all appropriate action to restore critical safeguards on the use of mifepristone.

“The health and safety of American women depend on it.”

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news.

Unity is elusive for House Republicans on key election-year affordability bill

March 11, 2026 6:23 PM UTC / Reuters

DORAL, Florida, March 11 (Reuters) – U.S. House Republicans hope to enact one last piece of signature legislation addressing affordability concerns to try to set them apart from ​Democrats before the November midterm elections, a time when voters traditionally punish the party of the sitting president.

But unifying the ‌party, which holds a slim 218-214 majority in the House, is proving challenging even as they agree that bringing down the cost of living for American families is their No. 1 priority. Concerns about cost may only grow in salience as [retail gasoline prices], the most visceral signal of price fluctuations to regular Americans, have spiked to near-two-year highs following the joint ​U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

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Party leaders hope to agree on a legislative package on affordability issues like healthcare and housing that would be ​able to pass the Senate by a simple majority through a maneuver called

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Top House Dem: ‘It’s time to stop the war’ | CNN Politics

2026-03-11T17:15:42.655Z / CNN

Top House Dem: ‘It’s time to stop the war’

By Dana Bash, CNN

Published 1:15 PM EDT, Wed March 11, 2026

Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, tells CNN’s Dana Bash that “it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to be able to eliminate” Iran’s military capabilities.

7:52 • Source: CNN

3 brothers of Iraqi origin arrested in connection with U.S. embassy explosion in Norway

Updated on: March 11, 2026 / 1:42 PM EDT / CBS/AFP

Three brothers have been arrested in connection with the explosion at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Norway, authorities said Wednesday.

The brothers were Norwegian citizens of Iraqi origin, police prosecutor Christian Hatlo said in a news conference. They have been arrested around 3:30 p.m. local time Wednesday on suspicion of a “terrorist bombing” at the building. The men are in their 20s and were not previously known to police, Hatlo said. Investigators are still working to determine a motive, Hatlo said.

“We are still working from several hypotheses. One of them is whether this is an order from a government entity,” Hatlo said. “This is quite natural given the target — the U.S. embassy — and the security situation the world is in today,” he said.

Hatlo said investigators are still working to determine what role the brothers played in the bombing, which caused minor damage to the building but did not result in any casualties or injuries. Hatlo said that police believe one man placed the bomb outside the embassy and the other two were “complicit in the act.” Hatlo said police are not ruling out links to “criminal networks.”

The explosion occurred at one of the entrances to the U.S. Embassy around 1 a.m. local time, Oslo police previously said. Police incident commander Michael Dellemyr told public broadcaster NRK that the blast hit the entrance of the embassy’s consular section.

Police reinforced security measures in Oslo and increased their presence around the embassy after the blast. Police also upped security measures to protect the Iranian diaspora and Jewish communities in Norway. Officials said that there were no indications of a lingering threat after the explosion.

Frode Larsen, head of the Oslo police investigation unit, told reporters at a news conference that it may have been a deliberate attack linked to the crisis in the Middle East, Reuters reported. He later told NRK that terrorism was one of several motives authorities were investigating.

In its annual threat assessment, the Norwegian security service PST said last month that Iran could rely on “proxy actors,” including “criminal networks,” to commit such acts.

Rep. Rick Crawford, chair of the House Intel Committee, told Fox News on Sunday that he believed the explosion “may have been a terrorist attack.” U.S. embassies around the world have been placed on high alert since the war in Iran began. Several have faced attacks as Tehran hits back at industrial and diplomatic targets.

“We need to be very diligent about not only our security here at home, but obviously targets around (the) world where there are U.S. assets including embassies and so on,” Crawford said.

A record number of Republicans are leaving the House

Published Mar 11, 2026, 1:16 PM ET / Updated Mar 11, 2026, 2:27 PM ET / CNN Politics

By [Molly English]

The US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 31, 2026. The US government entered a partial shutdown on January 31 as a midnight funding deadline passed without Congress approving a 2026 budget, though disruption was expected to be limited with the House set to move early next week to ratify a Senate-backed deal. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz / AFP via Getty Images)

Aaron Schwartz/AFP/Getty Images

The number of Republicans leaving the US House of Representatives after this term has reached a historic high, deepening concern in the conference over the chamber’s already razor-thin margins.

Thirty-five House Republicans are now retiring or running for higher office. That’s the most since at least 1930, according to data from the Brookings Institution, and surpasses the previous record from 2018, a midterm cycle when Republicans lost a whopping 41 House seats. (Members who lost renomination, like Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw, are not included in these numbers.)

Oklahoma Republican Rep. Kevin Hern became the 35th member of the GOP conference to announce his departure Wednesday, saying he would run for the US Senate.

Hern is hoping to fill Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s seat for a full term, should he be confirmed as homeland security secretary. A former businessman, Hern was first elected to the House in 2018 and is the first to jump into the race since Mullin was nominated.

“The American dream is under threat by the radical left and RINO Republicans who oppose President Trump’s America First agenda and want to turn the United States into a third world country,” Hern said in his announcement video.

“That’s why I’m running for U.S. Senate: to ensure President Trump has a loyal ally.”

House Republicans headed toward the exits had already made history this cycle.

There are 10 House Republicans running for governor this cycle, the most who have run from either party in the available data compiled by CNN dating back to 1974.

Hern’s announcement comes as Speaker Mike Johnson already needs near-unanimous support of his party to advance legislation, adding to what increasingly looks like a tough midterm environment for Republicans.

In total, 56 House members from both parties are retiring or running for other offices, still short of the overall record of 65 set in 1992. Sixteen of those members, including Hern, are running for Senate.

Pro-Iran hackers claim cyberattack on major US medical device maker

2 hr ago | PUBLISHED Mar 11, 2026, 1:54 PM ET | CNN Politics

By [Sean Lyngaas]

The logo of Stryker medical technology is seen on their plant in Carrigtwohill, County Cork, Ireland, on March 28, 2025.

Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters/File

A cyberattack claimed by pro-Iran hackers has caused a “global network disruption” to a major US medical device maker, according to a company statement.

Michigan-based Stryker “is experiencing a global network disruption to our Microsoft environment as a result of a cyberattack,” the company said in a statement to CNN. “We have no indication of ransomware or malware and believe the incident is contained. Our teams are working rapidly to understand the impact of the attack on our systems. Stryker has business continuity measures in place to continue to support our customers and partners.”

Stryker makes a range of hospital equipment, from defibrillators to ambulance cots. The company’s computers in Ireland were also hit by the cyberattack, according to local media reports. Stryker say it serves more than 150 million patients through its health equipment and services.

It was unclear what immediate impacts, if any, the hack had on Stryker’s provision of medical equipment to US hospitals. Cybersecurity executives across the health sector told CNN on Wednesday they were on alert for any impacts.

The cyberattack appears to be one of the first notable pro-Iranian hacks against US infrastructure since the US and Israel began bombing Iran last month. US intelligence officials have warned about the possibility of Tehran-linked hackers retaliating for the US and Israeli bombing of Iran that began last month.

In a social media post on Wednesday, the hacking group that claimed responsibility said the Stryker hack was retaliation for a missile strike on an elementary school in Iran, which Iranian state media has claimed killed at least 168 children. The Pentagon is investigating that incident.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on the pro-Iran hack. Stryker’s shares fell more than 3% following that report.

Iran-linked hackers had been largely quiet in terms of attacks on US organizations since the war began last month.

Email security firm Proofpoint said Wednesday that its tracking of known Iranian groups had turned up only one hacking campaign — an attempt to hack a US think tank employee — since the war began.

“Too much of cybersecurity is focused on lower consequence breaches from financially motivated enemies, while we’re increasing our exposures to nation states and other enemies who seek to disrupt and destroy,” Joshua Corman, a cybersecurity expert who has focused on the health sector for years, told CNN. “China, Iran, Russia, etc. all have the means, motive, and opportunity to deal us devastating disruptions.”

House GOP leader launches Senate bid as Trump taps Markwayne Mullin for DHS

By Elizabeth Elkind, Alex Miller | Fox News
Published March 11, 2026 1:00pm EDT

A member of House GOP leadership is jumping into the open race for a Senate seat likely being vacated by Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., after he was tapped to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

House GOP Policy Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., is officially launching his campaign for the Senate on Wednesday with support from at least four Republicans in the upper chamber.

“The American dream is under threat by the radical left and RINO Republicans who oppose President Trump’s America First agenda and want to turn the United States into a third-world country,” he says in his campaign debut video.

“That’s why I’m running for U.S. Senate — to ensure President Trump has a loyal ally, a leader who stood by his side when RINOs turned their backs on him, who will fight against Democrat insanity, keep the southern border secure, deport dangerous illegal immigrants, stand with law enforcement, and deliver economic affordability.”

40+ HOUSE REPUBLICANS RALLY BEHIND MARKWAYNE MULLIN FOR DHS, CALL IT A ‘CRITICAL MOMENT’ FOR BORDER SECURITY

House GOP Policy Committee Chairman Kevin Hern is running for the Senate seat that will likely open up in November after Sen. Markwayne Mullin was tapped to lead DHS.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

Hern, who grew up in poverty without indoor plumbing until his teenage years, found considerable wealth as a McDonald’s franchisee before coming to Congress in 2018.

He’s the first major Republican candidate to declare his intent to run for Mullin’s seat in November — and whoever wins the GOP primary in the deep-red Midwestern state is the likely favorite to win.

Mullin is expected to leave the Senate after being tapped by President Donald Trump to lead DHS following Kristi Noem’s firing. He’s facing a confirmation hearing later this month.

Traditionally, Senate vacancies are filled by the state’s governor to serve out the remainder of the previous senator’s term. That person is also usually the favorite to win the seat in the subsequent election cycle.

But in Oklahoma, the governor’s appointee must sign an affidavit swearing they will not run in the next election — which in this case is coming in November, with Mullin’s term ending at the end of 2026.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem delivers remarks during a working lunch at the “Shield of the Americas” Summit at Trump National Doral in Miami, on March 7, 2026.(Rebecca Blackwell/AFP via Getty Images)

It’s not clear yet how crowded the GOP primary for Mullin’s open seat will get. Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., has previously said she is considering her own campaign but has not made any final decisions.

MULLIN PROMISES TO EARN DEM VOTES AS GOP COLLEAGUES POUNCE ON HIS SEAT

Hern, meanwhile, is already stacking his team with Trump operatives.

He’s recruited pollster Tony Fabrizio, who is closely aligned with the president, as his campaign’s senior advisor.

Fabrizio said in a statement that Hern is in a “strong position” to win the seat, citing his “record of support for President Trump’s agenda, the trust he has built with Oklahoma voters, and his experience in public service and in business.”

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s, R-S.D., first goal is to get Mullin’s seat quickly filled. He is set to meet with Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a common practice when an appointment needs to be made, this week, a source familiar told Fox News Digital.

It’s common practice for a governor to meet with the leader of the Senate to work on appointing a replacement, as is the case with Mullin, who is set to begin his confirmation process in the upper chamber next week.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt updates the media on a deadly tornado that ripped through Barnsdall, northeast Oklahoma, on May 7, 2024.(Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Further down the line, Thune has no preference as to who would replace Mullin, who is currently a member of his leadership team.

“You know, obviously we want — we’re going to have to fill that seat for Markwayne here by the end of the month in the near term, and then the long-term issue will be decided by the voters of Oklahoma,” Thune said. “So whoever they decide to send us, we’ll be happy to receive.”

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Still, Hern has already snatched up the endorsement of a handful of senators, including Sens. Jim Banks, R-Ind., Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis.

Trump has given a deadline of March 31 for Mullin to take over and for Noem to get out, and he is expected to easily pass through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Whether Mullin hits hurdles during a full confirmation vote remains an open question.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

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