White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is facing heavy criticism after sending mixed messages on whether the Biden-Harris administration has been using FEMA resources to support migrants last week.

Jean-Pierre flatly denied that FEMA resources were going to migrants in a press conference last week, but she stated the opposite when asked about the issue in the fall of 2022.

“Former President Trump is accusing the Biden administration of using FEMA funding to support undocumented migrants.  How is the White House responding to that?” a reporter asked during a Friday press conference.

“I mean, it’s just categorically false. It is not true. It is a false statement,” Jean-Pierre responded, going on to cite a Washington Post fact-check article on the subject.

LAWMAKERS OUTRAGED OVER FEMA FUNDING CONCERNS

Social media critics then compared her statement to comments made in 2022, where she appeared to explicitly state that FEMA resources were available to illegal immigrants.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ‘FAILED TO ACT’ IN HURRICANE HELENE AFTERMATH: REP. CORY MILLS

She made the statement during a Sept. 16, 2022, press conference when Jean-Pierre was asked about assisting cities in handling the busloads of migrants being sent across the country from Texas.

“FEMA Regional Administrators have been meeting with city officials on site to coordinate — to coordinate available federal support from FEMA and other federal agencies,” Jean-Pierre told reporters at the time.

GEOGRAPHIC TERRITORY OF HURRICANE DISASTER IS ‘GIGANTIC’: REP JARED MOSKOWITZ

“Funding is also available through FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter program to eligible local governments and not-for-profit organizations upon request to support humanitarian relief for migrants,” she added.

Scrutiny on the Biden-Harris administration’s use of FEMA funds comes amid catastrophic flooding in North Carolina. Vice President Kamala Harris announced a $100 million package to support the state.

Critics pointed out, however, that the package was much smaller than the $157 million in foreign humanitarian support Harris had announced for Lebanon the same day.

“The people of Lebanon are facing an increasingly dire humanitarian situation. I am concerned about the security and well-being of civilians suffering in Lebanon and will continue working to help meet the needs of all civilians there,” she wrote on X.

“To that end, the United States will provide nearly $157 million in additional assistance to the people of Lebanon for essential needs such as food, shelter, water, protection, and sanitation to help those who have been displaced by the recent conflict. This additional support brings total U.S. assistance to Lebanon over the last year to over $385 million,” she added.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

A 100-foot wide “Vote for Trump” sign in upstate New York is stirring controversy after the City of Amsterdam claimed it’s a big, glowing code violation.

Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino told Fox News Digital he installed the sign on top of the old Fownes glove factory to symbolize the return of American manufacturing and what he calls “the triumph of the underdog against insurmountable adversity.” 

“I think that’s what President Trump did. He triumphed against massive adversity. He’s still doing that with bullets flying by his head,” Constantino said. “And we triumph too. Nobody thought we could build a massive sticker company or a massive tech company in upstate New York.”

But his company now faces adversity in the form of legal action by the City of Amsterdam to prevent the “displaying” and “illumination” of the pro-Trump sign, which is visible from the New York State Thruway. 

TRUMP’S RETURN TO BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, SITE OF FIRST ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, IS ‘GUTSY,’ SUPPORTERS SAY

According to court documents, the sign violates city code because it “presents a dangerous distraction and impacts traffic flow,” especially at night when it is illuminated. Local officials allege Sticker Mule was informed it would need a permit and several variances to install the sign in August, but the company never responded before the sign went up Oct. 1.

Constantino and his legal team contest the city’s claims. The CEO believes Amsterdam’s Democratic Party-endorsed independent mayor is anti-Trump and has vowed to fight a temporary injunction that requires the sign to be covered up. Amsterdam Mayor Michael Cinquanti did not respond to requests for comment. 

Dressed in a black T-shirt that said “Trump For Peace,” Constantino describes Sticker Mule as “the internet’s fastest growing printing company” with 1,200 employees in 39 countries. His online business began by making stickers but has since expanded to print T-shirts, buttons and magnets and even operates its own online store platform, Sticker Mule Stores. He is proud to report that Sticker Mule has created nearly 1,000 manufacturing jobs in the U.S. over the past few years.

“I like to move fast and do interesting things,” Constantino told Fox News Digital. Success in business gave him the means to reinvest in his hometown of Amsterdam, and the Fownes factory was one of several buildings he bought and restored, filling them with machines and workers. 

FORMER NFL STAR AND TRUMP SUPPORTER ANTONIO BROWN JOINS VOTER REGISTRATION EFFORT IN KEY SWING STATE

“Fownes was a glove manufacturer that left my hometown when I was 2 years old in 1984,” he said, explaining that Amsterdam was “decimated” by job loss when the factory, with its iconic “Fownes” sign, closed its doors.  

“This Fownes sign for years symbolized American manufacturing going to China,” Constantino said. Now, the $150,000 “Vote for Trump” sign sits in its place, heralding a new era of American manufacturing jobs.

The impossible-to-miss sign attracted “major interest,” according to Constantino. To celebrate its installation, his political action committee, StickerPAC, plans to host a “Trump Sign Lighting Party” Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. A news release about the event says UFC superstars Henry Cejudo, Kelvin Gastelum and Tracy Cortez will join Constantino to speak and support the “historic event.” 

According to a representative for Constantino, House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is also expected to speak at the event. Stefanik’s office did not respond to a request for comment. 

“The enthusiasm just went through the roof. We’ve got three UFC superstars that wanted to come see it. We’ve got people that want to come from all over the state of New York, people that want to fly in or drive in from all over the country, really, to see the sign get lit up,” Constantino said.

‘TIGHTEST RACE SINCE 2000’: HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN HITS FINAL STRETCH UNTIL ELECTION DAY

But the festivities may be cut short by legal action from Amsterdam. On Oct. 3, the city code enforcer sent a notice of violation to Sticker Mule that gave the company two days to remove the “Vote for Trump” sign. The city also requested an injunction from the Supreme Court of the State of New York to prevent the sign from being displayed.

“The affidavit claims, without evidence, that the city will suffer irreparable harm because the sign is a dangerous distraction for drivers due to its novelty and the fear that people will stop to take pictures of it,” said Sal Ferlazzo, general counsel for Sticker Mule. “The court, based solely on the city’s presentation and without any opportunity for me to respond, did initially grant a preliminary injunction and restraining order.” 

A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 8 at 10 a.m. Until that time, the court ordered Sticker Mule to refrain from “displaying any sign and/or illumination of any sign on the roof of 26 Elk Street.” 

On the advice of legal counsel, Sticker Mule has temporarily covered up the pro-Trump sign to comply with the court order.

TRUMP-VANCE TICKET HAS DONE COMBINED 63 INTERVIEWS SINCE AUGUST COMPARED TO 24 FOR HARRIS-WALZ

“I think it’s deeply disturbing,” Constantino said of the city’s action. “I brought nearly a thousand jobs to my hometown, which was decimated when the Fownes company and other companies left. And I’m trying to do something positive, exciting for the community.” 

He suggested Mayor Cinquanti has “TDS” — Trump derangement syndrome — and is fighting the sign for political reasons.

“They do know that they are in violation,” Cinquanti told The Daily Gazette. “They’ve been cited, and we’ll just let that play out as we would with any code violation.”

The mayor, who according to the newspaper has previously called Trump his least favorite president in American history, insisted the city’s objections to the sign are about safety, not politics. 

“I don’t care what the sign says, but distracting the attention of drivers on the freeway is something that needs to be looked at, and that’s what we’re doing,” he told the outlet. 

“Any sign that represents a hazard to the safety of drivers concerns me,” he added. “Anyone who violates city codes is an issue that we deal with, and we are in the process of dealing with it and trying to alleviate what I consider a hazard.”

Regardless of the city’s objections, Constantino said Monday’s event will continue as planned, “featuring UFC Superstars, Free Fish Filets, Cybertrucks and a beautiful Trump sign.”

“The sign is a beautiful sign whether you’re a Democrat or Republican. The sign is a big win for upstate New York, a big win for Amsterdam, New York. It’s a beautiful and uplifting sign. And I think it’s going to become a major tourist attraction, especially if Trump wins,” Constantino said. 

“It’s going to be a unifying event. I’m inviting Democrats and Republicans alike to come watch me unveil the sign. We don’t want all the division going on in this country anymore.” 

A growing group of Muslim voters in Georgia say they will not back either Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump in next month’s election because of both candidates’ support of Israel amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Harris has said she supports Israel’s right to defend itself and would not withhold weapons from the country, but has also called for a ceasefire in Gaza, while Trump said recently he is Israel’s “protector” and reaffirmed his support for the Jewish state.

In battleground Georgia, where Trump narrowly lost in 2020 to President Joe Biden, the Peach State could help determine whether Harris or Trump wins the presidency.

The Muslim population in Georgia could also impact which candidate wins the state’s 16 electoral votes. Muslim voters across the country are virtually tied between Harris and Trump, with Harris only securing a single-point advantage, according to a recent poll by the Arab American Institute.

KAMALA HARRIS’ SUPPORT WITH ARAB AND MUSLIM COMMUNITIES IN MICHIGAN IS ‘TENUOUS’: DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST

Kristen Truitt, a Muslim American voter in Atlanta, has voted for Democrats in prior elections but now says the party will not have his support over its position on Israel.

“Just to give unlimited funds and access to Israel, I think that is totally ridiculous,” Truitt told Fox 5 Atlanta.

This comes just ahead of the one-year mark of the ongoing war in Gaza between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists. The conflict began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel and took more than 250 hostages, which prompted retaliatory action from Israel’s military.

The Hamas-run government’s Gaza Health Ministry estimates that more than 41,000 people have been killed in the conflict, although it does not distinguish between civilian and terrorist deaths. More than 1,500 people have reportedly been killed in Israel since the start of the conflict, with most of them being killed on Oct. 7 and its immediate aftermath.

TRUMP SAYS ISRAEL SHOULD HIT IRAN’S NUCLEAR FACILITIES, SLAMMING BIDEN’S RESPONSE

The growing group of Muslim voters in Georgia and across the country have said they will not vote for Harris or Trump due to both sides’ vocal support of Israel in its war in Gaza, and the conflict is now expanding to include Israel attacking Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon.

“What we’re trying to say is we should really do away with the logic of voting for the ‘lesser of two evils,'” Kareem Rosshandler, Georgia co-chair of the “Abandon Harris” campaign, told Fox 5.

The “Abandon Harris” campaign group is urging Muslims to vote third-party to send a message to Republicans and Democrats that they need to earn the votes of the Muslim community.

“I think the main one is to say that the Muslim community in the United States won’t be taken for granted,” Rosshandler said.

Rosshandler said the group has already secured commitments from more than 10,000 Muslim voters to support third-party candidates. Some third-party candidates, including Libertarian Chase Oliver and the Green Party’s Jill Stein, have been critical of Israel’s war in Gaza.

The loss of Muslim voters is expected to hurt Harris more than Trump, as the Republican candidate has previously struggled to secure Muslim votes.

“That would essentially have a greater adverse impact on the Harris-Waltz ticket than it would on Trump-Vance,” Emory University assistant professor of law Alicia Hughes, who is also a voting expert, told Fox 5 Atlanta. “Trump, historically, has not been able to count on those votes.”

Hughes also says that if Harris or Trump were more vocally critical of Israel, it may not help their election chances either.

“There’s a great possibility that you would lose more from the change than you would actually gain,” she said.

Absentee voting in Maine is getting underway, with the state’s four Electoral College votes up for grabs and a number of other national, statewide and local races on the ballot.

Maine is one of two states in the U.S. — the other is Nebraska — that does not use a winner-take-all system for all its electors. In the presidential race, two electors are given to the winner of the statewide popular vote, while one elector is awarded to Maine’s District 1 and District 2, respectively.

Maine is one of several Democratic-leaning northeastern states. President Biden won here by about nine points in 2020, improving on Hillary Clinton’s margin four years earlier. And it hasn’t voted for a Republican at the statewide level since 1988. It is ranked Likely D on the Fox News Power Rankings.

Like Nebraska, it also allocates its electoral votes by congressional district. The winner of the statewide tally receives two votes, with another vote for the winner of the presidential tally in each of its two districts.

The small coastal 1st District is solid blue territory. The 2nd District, which is predominantly rural and represents almost all the land area of the state, leans conservative.

Trump won the 2nd District by 7.4 points in his last race, and it’s ranked Likely R this cycle. The former president will look for a win here to get one step closer to the 270 electoral votes he needs to win the presidency.

The same district is also home to a competitive House race.

Maine’s 2nd District: Incumbent Rep. Jared Golden is one of five Democrats running in districts Trump won in the last presidential election (Golden won by 6 points). The former Marine made headlines this year when he said he “didn’t know” whether he would vote for Biden again and was one of the first Democrats to question Biden’s mental fitness. This time, he’s up against Maine State Representative and former NASCAR driver Austin Theriault, who says he wants “more balance and less extremism” in politics. This race is a Power Rankings toss-up.

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Maine.

TRUMP CAN WIN ON THESE 3 KEY ISSUES, MICHIGAN VOTERS TELL FOX

Absentee ballots are beginning to be sent to voters after clerks were required to have received printed ballots to be sent out by Saturday. Applicants do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The state must receive a ballot application by Oct. 31, and that ballot must be delivered to county officials by Nov. 5.

OBAMA TO CAMPAIGN FOR HARRIS IN PENNSYLVANIA, OTHER KEY STATES

Maine counties offer early in-person voting, but the start date varies by location. Check the state’s website for more information. Residents may vote in person with an absentee ballot until the Thursday before Election Day.

Maine residents can register to vote online or by mail through Oct. 15. They can also register in person during early voting and on Election Day.

As the U.S. mulls over a plan to withdraw troops from Iraq, its Kurdish allies have a message: Don’t forget us. 

“This is not the time to reduce coalition forces in Iraq,” Treefa Aziz, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s special representative to the U.S., told Fox News Digital. 

“Extremist groups like ISIS and armed militias continue to pose a serious threat to the people of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.”

The U.S. announced plans to shrink the U.S. “footprint” in Iraq and end the current mission of coalition forces – including the Kurds – to fight ISIS, but declined to say how many of the 2,500 troops currently stationed there would remain. 

“A decade ago, Kurdish Peshmerga forces worked alongside U.S. troops to defeat ISIS and continue to actively combat ISIS remnants to prevent a resurgence of terror today,” Aziz said. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) “has been a reliable security partner for the United States and remains ready to enhance cooperation.”

But now, if Baghdad is pushing the U.S. out of Iraq, the U.S. could feel it must honor that request or risk making another enemy in the Middle East. The KRG says it would be “willing and able” to host U.S. coalition forces in its territory. 

The current mission is now set to end by September 2025, with a plan to keep the number of forces on the Iraqi side to back up the 900 U.S. troops in Syria until at least 2026. 

News of a plan that could amount to a significant drawdown of U.S. forces called to mind 2019, when former President Donald Trump announced plans to pull out of Syria and the Kurds felt abandoned by a partner they had fought alongside for years – leaving them open to an attack by Turkish forces.  

PENTAGON PLANS TO SHRINK US ‘FOOTPRINT’ IN IRAQ

Trump, at the time, left the Kurds with a warning to their longtime enemies: “I have told Turkey that if they do anything outside of what we would think is humane . . . they could suffer the wrath of an extremely decimated economy.”

The U.S. relationship with the Kurds – an indigenous group of daring fighters whose quest for their own formal state has been unsuccessful – spans back decades. 

When the Turks denied the U.S. passage into Iraq for the invasion in 2003, Iraqi Kurds helped the U.S. overthrow Saddam Hussein. 

The Kurds have fought with U.S. coalition forces since they reentered Iraq in 2014 to fight ISIS, and the U.S. pledged arms support and humanitarian aid. 

The group faces attacks from terror groups on all sides. And as Iran increasingly encroaches on the Iraqi government, Baghdad has the KRG in a choke-hold, officials say. 

US, IRAQ TEAM UP TO KILL 15 ISIS OPERATIVES

“There is growing concern regarding efforts to weaken the federal system in Iraq. The constitutional framework, which is designed to ensure shared governance, is disregarded,” one Kurdish official said.

“The continued suspension of oil exports from the Kurdistan region has placed significant economic strain. More than a year and half later, we have yet to see the resumption of these exports.” 

The KRG has been trying to work with the Iraqis on a power-sharing agreement with no real results.

“Some of these actions appear to align with external influences rather than the broader national interest,” the official said, referring to Iranian influence. “With the assistance of our allies, we believe these issues can be resolvable through constructive dialogue and cooperation.”

The KRG is also asking the U.S. government to “honor its commitment” included in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to “provide the KRG with a comprehensive air defense system. 

The law required the Department of Defense to submit and implement a plan for providing the Iraqi security forces and  Kurdistan Region with air defenses by July 2024. 

“As a steadfast U.S. ally that is regularly targeted by extremist violence, the KRG requires assurances that it will be protected from all threats, both internal and external,” said Aziz. 

Gen. Michael Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told the House Armed Services Committee in March that ISIS-K, which launched a horrific attack in Moscow earlier this year, “retains the capability and the will to attack U.S. and Western interests abroad in as little as six months with little to no warning.”

WISCONSIN — With only one month until the presidential election, very few voters are still uncertain about their choice, but in a battleground state like Wisconsin that has flipped in the past two elections, those undecided voters could make the difference. 

Estimates of still-undecided voters in Wisconsin are in the low single digits, with the latest Marquette Law School poll reporting that just 4% identified themselves as such. 

Fox News Digital spoke with two such voters, who laid out why they are still holding out and what they need to seal the deal. 

TRUMP ATTORNEYS ARGUE JACK SMITH’S OBSTRUCTION CHARGES BE DISMISSED, CITING SUPREME COURT’S ‘FISCHER’ DECISION

“I got to make up my mind when I fill out the paper,” said 86-year-old Edgar Schiekiera of Waukesha, Wisconsin. 

“I’m going to throw a dart,” he laughed. 

Schiekiera is an immigrant from Germany who noted that he grew up during the Second World War. For him, former President Trump’s comments on foreign policy have been troubling, enough so to make him hesitate to support Trump for a third time. 

“I voted for Trump the first year. I voted for him the second year. I don’t — this time, I don’t know,” he said. 

“I’m from Germany, and things that he’s said about [the] NATO Alliance — he wants quit it, and he doesn’t know what to do,” he said of what’s making him unsure of Trump. “A real danger lives overseas.”

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ENDORSES KAMALA HARRIS IN NEW INSTAGRAM VIDEO: ‘VISION OF AMERICA’

Schiekiera was also concerned about what Trump has said with relation to conflicts around the world, particularly involving Ukraine and Iran. “He can stop the war?” he asked, in reference to Trump’s own claims about the war between Ukraine and Russia. “He cannot stop the war.”

However, he added that “Biden or Kamala Harris—she doesn’t know what’s going to happen,” either. According to him, he isn’t confident that either of the top candidates can effectively lead on the world stage in the current geopolitical climate. 

There are other issues that Schiekiera is taking into consideration as well, such as abortion. “I got my own ideas,” he said. 

He noted that Trump has appeared to change positions on “issues nationally [and] worldwide.”

“Trump’s gone one way, and then he [goes] to another way. He’s undecided what he’s going to do, really.”

DEMOCRATS WORRY ABOUT HARRIS’ CAUTIOUS MEDIA APPROACH IN TIGHT 2024 RACE: ‘VOTERS DESERVE BETTER’

In contrast, Keon Pierce of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, isn’t considering Trump at all. But he is not sold on Vice President Kamala Harris either. 

“I’m leaning Kamala, but I have to see. She’s got to convince me a little more,” he told Fox News Digital.

“I’m waiting to see who has the best — the best protection for different groups of people. You know, the best rights and best laws that can help all groups of people.”

Pierce explained that he wanted to be sure the president would “help all people. Asian people, Indian people, Black people, everybody.”

When Fox News Digital noted that Harris is both Black and Indian, he responded, “We had a Black president before, and it didn’t necessarily translate to helping the people,” in reference to former President Barack Obama. 

TRUMP CAN WIN ON THESE THREE KEY ISSUES, MICHIGAN VOTERS TELL FOX

He said he was “open to” Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who will appear on the Wisconsin ballot after a court challenge to see her ousted was denied. 

“It’s possible that I wouldn’t vote as well,” he added. 

As for the Milwaukee area, Pierce explained, “It’s bad here. It’s really segregated here, and opportunities are limited.”

He said he needs to hear more about what will be done to bring more “opportunities, jobs, education, [and] a better school system in the inner city.”

In the latest Marquette Law School poll, Harris beat Trump among Wisconsin registered voters, 49% to 44%, with third-party options included. 

For the poll, 882 registered voters were interviewed between Sept. 18 and 26. It had a margin of error of +/-4.4 percentage points. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

FIRST ON FOX: A Democratic House candidate in one of the most closely watched races in the country was the subject of an ethics complaint alleging that she had failed to act on allegations of sexual harassment and assault against a man working with her campaign.

Fox News Digital obtained a complaint filed with the state’s Legislative Equality Office against Janelle Bynum, running for Congress in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, alleging that Bynum had failed to be a mandatory reporter of allegations against a man working for the PAC that staffed her State Representative campaign in 2022. 

The complaint also alleged that when confronted about the alleged actions, Bynum was dismissive and even threatened the individual who had reached out to her.

“During the 2024 primary election, I was contacted by an informant with information about Rep. Bynum and her willful coverup of a sexual assault of a minor volunteer who worked for her during the 2022 cycle,” the complaint reads. 

DEM HOUSE CANDIDATE INTRODUCED ‘SOFT-ON-CRIME’ BILL BACKED BY DEFUND-POLICE GROUPS: ‘SLAP IN THE FACE’

The complainant claims to have “personally spoken” with two former staff members who alleged that they had reported inappropriate sexual behavior by a field organizer “directly” to Bynum, along with two others associated with the campaign, “only for nothing to be done.”

“For me, the primary issue here is that all Legislators are mandatory reporters,” the complaint says. “Bynum received credible information regarding one of her campaign staff sexually harassing and assaulting young volunteers, and not only did she not report it, but she also threatened to report the person who blew the whistle. . . .”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Bynum campaign spokesperson said, “This attempt to smear Rep. Bynum is not based in reality. As a mom of two young women and a legislator who has spent her career advocating for others, Rep. Bynum takes this subject personally — which is why she flagged these accusations directly to the accuser’s employer, Future PAC, as soon as she was made aware of them after the 2022 election.”

“It’s also why she’s openly aided the Legislative Equity Office’s investigation into the matter. Rep. Bynum expected Future PAC to deal with these accusations fairly and swiftly and to ensure their employees’ well-being and safety. If Future PAC did anything less, that is unacceptable.” 

The Bynum campaign shared an email exchange between Bynum and the Legislative Equity Office on September 20 in which the office told her she is “not being investigated” by the office.

However, two sources familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital that state police have conducted interviews regarding the complaint which was recently forwarded to them in the last couple of weeks. The nature and scope of that investigation is not known at this time.

Fox News Digital obtained text messages between a former Bynum campaign manager and Bynum in which Bynum appeared to show little interest in bringing attention to the alleged impropriety against her former staffer.

“I asked you not to send me anything and I meant that,” Bynum says in a November 17th text in response to a warning from a former campaign manager about the staffer harassing women associated with the campaign. “I really can’t take anything else on my plate.”

The former campaign manager continued pressing the issue a few days later.

MCDONALD’S FRANCHISE OWNER BACKED BY TOP DEMS WINS KEY PRIMARY THAT COULD SWING CONTROL OF CONGRESS

“While as unfortunate as this may be for you or [redacted] I am NOT siting (sic) by while someone like this gets off scott free treating young women abusively like that,” the former campaign manager texted Bynum on November 21, 2022. “If he gets a job down there this won’t be the last you hear of it I promise.”

Bynum responds by asking, “Are you threatening me?”

“Woah, easy there,” the former campaign manager responds. “I am promising you and anyone else that I am not OK with someone treating young women like that.”

“I’ll consider reporting your actions,” Bynum responded. “Thank you for letting me know.”

In another text thread on November 14, 2022, a FuturePAC staffer says, “It’s best we handle telling Janelle” and says we will “certainly flag” the concerns.

It is unclear the exact date that Bynum flagged the concerns through the appropriate channels, but two sources familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital that the accused staffer has continued to be associated with FuturePAC in the last couple of years and held a position with the Oregon State Legislature after the 2022 campaign. FuturePAC did not respond to an inquiry related to this allegation shared with Fox News Digital.

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PRIORITIZES LOOPHOLES OVER COMPENSATION, ADVOCATES ARGUE

Fox News Digital reviewed text messages between Bynum and a FuturePAC staffer between November 22, four days after the text exchange with the former campaign manager, and November 30 where she attempted to get him on the phone about an unspecified matter. 

Two sources familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital that multiple staffers at FuturePAC, a campaign arm of Oregon House Democrats that staffs local campaigns, were aware of concerns and allegations against the individual during the campaign but told staffers it would be addressed after the campaign concluded. A spokesperson for FuturePAC denied these allegations.

“To our knowledge, during the 2022 cycle no official complaints that would have triggered [an] investigation under the contract were made regarding the staff assigned to Rep. Bynum’s campaign,” a FuturePAC spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “FuturePAC hires and manages the campaign staff working on campaigns that we are supporting — as such, campaign staffers are FuturePAC employees, not employees of individual candidates. We take all allegations regarding staff conduct during campaign work seriously.”

“Our union contract agreement with the Campaign Workers Guild requires official complaints and investigations to be handled through FuturePAC — campaigns and candidates are not allowed to be responsible for investigations of any workplace conduct. To our knowledge, during the 2022 cycle no official complaints were made that would have triggered investigation under the contract.”

Rule 27 of the Oregon State Legislature says, “Members of the Legislative Assembly … are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that is free of harassment and to discourage all harassment in the workplace and at professional meetings, seminars, or at any event at which the Legislative business is conducted.”

Multiple state laws on the books in Oregon deal with state legislators being required to report allegations of sexual assault, specifically related to children and minors, and legislators are commonly understood to be mandatory reporters of such allegations.

Bynum drew criticism in 2019 from sexual assault survivors for voting against a bill that would have given more time for victims to sue by expanding the statute of limitations for rape.

“It’s not popular to protect the accused, but it is our job,” Bynum said at the time.

A spokesperson for the Oregon State Police confirmed they have “received an initial complaint” regarding the July complaint against Bynum but would not comment “in regards to the status or scope of an investigation” or on where the complaint they received originated.

“Janelle is the only person in this race who has been a consistent champion for the underserved and underrepresented, and she’ll do what’s best for Oregonians in the halls of Congress,” DCCC spokesperson Dan Gottlieb told Fox News Digital. “Lori Chavez-DeRemer has no business lecturing anyone about standing up for victims and survivors.”

Congressional Black Caucus PAC Senior Advisor Chris Taylor told Fox News Digital that Bynum is not to blame for the complaint.

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“Future PAC and Oregon Speaker of the House Julie Fahey ought to take responsibility for the alleged HR failures in their organization – We won’t tolerate politically convenient blame shifting on the only Black woman in the State House,” Taylor said. “As a mother, small business owner and dedicated public servant, Janelle has a track record of delivering for Oregon and we know she’ll do even more good for Oregonians when she gets to Congress.” 

A spokesperson for EMILY’s List told Fox News Digital that Bynum “is a mother and a state representative who has been a steadfast advocate for Oregonians throughout her entire career.”

“Throughout this election, Republicans have shamefully tried to smear Bynum’s record and this is just their latest attempt to distract from the extremist agenda Lori Chavez-DeRemer and her MAGA allies are pushing. We are proud to stand by Bynum and we are confident she will continue to stand up for Oregonians against Republican extremism.”

A source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital that Bynum “would have received annual training on her duties as a mandatory reporter” making her certain of her “obligation to report this to law enforcement” and not to FuturePac.” 

“Her dereliction of duty is not on Fahey or anyone else.”

Bynum is running against Republican Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer in a race that some experts believe could tip the balance of power in the House.  

EXCLUSIVE: Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is criticizing the Biden administration’s response to Hurricane Helene while warning the price tag for its recovery could be “one of the most expensive” the U.S. has seen.

“There were some pretty ominous projections, and so Congress acted appropriately,” Johnson told Fox News Digital Friday evening, noting lawmakers freed up roughly $20 billion in immediate funding for FEMA in last month’s short-term federal funding bill. “But, so far, [President Biden, Vice President Harris and Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas] have failed in that response.”

Johnson said he was “alarmed and disappointed” by Biden officials’ comments immediately after the storm suggesting FEMA was too low on funds to deal with Helene’s wrath. 

Mayorkas said “we are meeting the immediate needs” of the hurricane earlier this week but said “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.”

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Biden suggested earlier this week he may want Congress to return for an emergency session to pass a supplemental disaster aid bill.

“They are scrambling to cover their egregious errors and mistakes. And there’s an effort to blame others or blame circumstances when this is just purely a lack of leadership and response,” the speaker said. He noted Mayorkas said in July that FEMA was “tremendously prepared” for weather crises this year. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and DHS for comment.

Johnson also argued lawmakers could not act until an assessment by state and local authorities produced projections of how much needs to be allocated.

“I don’t think those estimates could conceivably be completed until at least 30 days — until after the election, and that’s when Congress will be back in session again,” he said.

HURRICANE HELENE: NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS FIGHT FOR THEIR SURVIVAL AS BASIC GOODS BECOME SCARCE

The Republican leader is no stranger to hurricanes. He noted his native Louisiana is still dealing with the damage from Hurricane Katrina today, but his prediction was dire when asked about the cost of recovery after Helene ravaged the Southeast, killing more than 200 people.

He said it could be “one of the most expensive storms that the country has ever encountered.”

“It affects at least six states — a broad swath of destruction across many, many areas — and I think that’s why it’s going to take a while to assess,” Johnson said.

“As soon as those numbers are ready, Congress will be prepared to act,” Johnson vowed at another point.

“I certainly hope the administration is working overtime right now to … help get them prepared.”

As part of immediate response efforts, Johnson has toured areas in Georgia and Florida pummeled by the storm and is poised to visit hard-hit North Carolina in the coming days, he said.

Criticism over FEMA’s response has prompted some conservatives to accuse the Biden administration of diverting disaster aid funds toward supporting illegal immigrants at the border through the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), which was allocated roughly $650 million in the last fiscal year.

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Both the White House and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have vigorously denied any link between disaster aid and SSP beyond both being administered by FEMA and have said claims of any disaster relief dollars being used to support migrant housing services are false.

“No disaster relief funding at all was used to support migrants’ housing and services. None. At. All,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a memo on Friday. “In fact, the funding for communities to support migrants is directly appropriated by Congress to CBP, and is merely administered by FEMA. The funding is in no way related to FEMA’s response and recovery efforts.”

Johnson did not give a definitive answer when asked about the concerns echoed on the right, but he accused Mayorkas of mismanaging DHS.

“There is a lot of controversy about the nonsense that the Mayorkas Department of Homeland Security has engaged in. With their … dangerous open-borders policy and then the relocation efforts of taking illegal aliens and transporting them around the country,” Johnson said. “We have been working every day, House Republicans, to stop the madness.

“And, so, what happened is that FEMA, because it’s a division of DHS, it’s very clear that they should be focused on helping Americans recover from disasters and not straining resources that go to other programs that are catering to illegals.”

When pressed on whether DHS was able to divert congressionally appropriated funding for disaster aid into SSP, Johnson said, “There are different programs that have different funding.”

He pointed out that House Republicans are seeking to defund the SSP program in the current federal funding discussions for fiscal year 2025.

“We are doing everything within our power to prevent these abuses of the law and abuses of taxpayer dollars from the White House and the Democratic Party,” Johnson said.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report

Former President Trump on Friday said that Israel should attack Iran’s nuclear facilities while mocking President Biden’s answer earlier this week on the subject.  

While speaking at a campaign event in Fayetteville, North Carolina, he said when Biden was asked about Israel attacking Iran, the president answered, “’As long as they don’t hit the nuclear stuff.’ That’s the thing you wanna hit, right? I said, ‘I think he’s got that one wrong. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to hit?’” 

Trump went on to say that nuclear proliferation is the “biggest risk we have.” 

TRUMP SLAMS THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S RESPONSE TO HURRICANE HELENE

The former president said he rebuilt the “entire military, jets everything, I built it, including nuclear” while he was president. “I hated to build the nuclear, but I got to know firsthand the power of that stuff, and I’ll tell you what: we have to be totally prepared. We have to be absolutely prepared.”

He said when Biden was asked about Israel and Iran: “His answer should have been “‘Hit the nuclear first, worry about the rest later.'”

Trump made similar comments in an interview with Fox News on Thursday, telling correspondent Bill Melugin Biden’s response on Israel attacking Iran was the “craziest thing I’ve ever heard. That’s the biggest risk we have. The biggest risk we have is nuclear.” 

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He continued, “I mean, to make the statement, ‘Please leave their nuclear alone.’ I would tell you that that’s not the right answer. That was the craziest answer because, you know what? Soon, they’re going to have nuclear weapons. And then you’re going to have problems.” 

Former deputy director of national intelligence Kash Patel, who served under Trump, said this week: “Iran launched a war into Israel, so to say that the Israelis who are defending themselves and our hostages shouldn’t attack sites in Iran that could kill them – especially when you’re the one who gave Iran $7 billion as a commander in chief and then allowed them to acquire nuclear materials – is wildly political.”

Following Tuesday’s attack by Iran on Israel, Biden told reporters at Joint Base Andrews, “the answer is no,” of Israel potentially targeting the country’s nuclear program. 

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He added that he and the other members of the G-7 all “agree that [Israel has] a right to respond, but they should respond proportionally,”

Saturday marks one month to go until Election Day on November 5.

As the presidential campaign enters the home stretch, it remains a margin-of-error race nationally and in the seven key battleground states likely to determine the winner of the election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump.

Both national party chairs are confident of their chances.

“We’re playing offense right now,” Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley said in a Fox News Digital interview earlier this week. “We feel very, very good about the map.”

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His counterpart, Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison told reporters on Friday that “the enthusiasm is palatable in our party.”

But Harrison emphasized that “we know that this election will come down to the margins, and we’re not taking any vote for granted.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Since replacing President Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket in mid-July, Harris has enjoyed a wave of momentum and enjoyed a surge in fundraising. In the all-important cash dash, Harris and the DNC appear to hold a large advantage over Trump and the RNC.

And that’s helped bolster what was already a very impressive ground game organizational advantage the Democrats held over the Republicans.

“We started laying the foundation well before 2024 by investing in our ground game,” Harrison highlighted. “We have been on the ground since the earliest days of this campaign getting our message out.”

The DNC chair touted that there are “more than 312 coordinated offices across the battleground states,” with “over 2,000 coordinated staff…doing the hard work on the ground.”

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But Whatley wasn’t phased.

“The Democrats have a ton of money. The Democrats always have a ton of money,” Whatley said, noting that Trump was outraised in both the 2016 and 2020 elections.

The RNC chair emphasized that “we have the resources we need to get our message out to our voters and to every voter. I feel very, very comfortable about the campaign plan.”

And while the Harris campaign and allied groups have outspent Trump and his aligned groups in the ad wars, Whatley pointed to the former president’s ability to capture free media.

“Donald Trump is out there talking every single day to the voters in a way that only he can. He can generate news. He can go out there and generate social media hits. He can communicate directly with the American voters like no other politician of our generation, so it’s a huge advantage for us,” he said.

Veteran Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducted the Fox News Poll along with longtime Republican pollster Daron Shaw, said with four weeks to go, “my expectations of plausible outcomes range from a narrow Electoral College victory for Trump to a modestly more comfortable victory for Harris.”

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But while Harris holds a slight two-point edge in an average of the national surveys, Shaw noted that “the issue profile of this election continues to favor Trump.”

Veteran political scientist and New England College president Wayne Lesperance said that “this presidential contest is shaping up to be one of the closest in history, with the results likely to be slow-coming.”

And longtime Republican consultant Matt Gorman, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns, highlighted that “we’re slated for the tightest race since 2000.”

“There are no more debates. There’s going to be a vacuum of news,” he said. “It’s integral the Trump campaign fill that vacuum with a message that puts Harris on the defensive.”

Trump, like Biden, is a well-known commodity. 

But Harris, even after being in the spotlight for nearly two months, is still less well-defined.

“The more voters get to know Vice President Harris, the more they like her,” Democratic strategist and communicator Chris Moyer argued. 

“It’s imperative that she continues to get in front of swing state voters, and she could afford to do more in the final weeks,” he offered. “She should barnstorm the key states, filling up her schedule with rallies and local interviews and off-the-record stops that produce shareable clips that bounce around social media. They’ve run a nearly perfect race to this point, but many voters still want to know more about who she is, what she believes, and what she will do as president.”

With one month to go, there’s always the possibility of an October surprise that could rock the White House race.

The dockworkers strike earlier this week – which closed major ports – could have wreaked havoc on the nation’s supply chain. It could have turned into an October surprise, but the strike was suspended after just two days.

Hurricane Helene, which tore a path of destruction through the southeast, also made an impact on the presidential contest – and there were memories of how Superstorm Sandy rocked the 2012 White House race between then-President Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney.

And the strife in the Middle East – between Israel, Iran, and Hezbollah, also threatens to upend the election.

It’s important to note that while Election Day is a month away, in over two-dozen states, early in-person voting, absentee balloting, and voting by mail, are already underway.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.