: Sen. Lindsey Graham is demanding answers on reporting that British International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan was accused of misconduct at the same time he was pursuing criminal charges against Israeli officials. 

‘Public reports indicate that allegations of harassment surfaced in early May – just a few days before Prosecutor Khan applied for arrest warrants against the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Israel for alleged violations of law during the defensive Israeli-Hamas War,’ Graham, R-S.C., wrote in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital. 

‘The timing of the allegations is troubling, and only compounds the other strong legal, jurisdictional, and prudential objections I have expressed regarding the Prosecutor’s decision to seek arrest warrants.’

On May 20, Khan requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif. All three Hamas leaders have been killed in the past year. 

Khan’s application was unprecedented – the first time the criminal court had sought arrests for Western-allied officials. 

Graham said that prior to Khan’s warrants, he along with a group of senators was working to urge Khan to ‘adhere to the Rome Statute’ and have a dialogue with Israeli officials before moving forward with their prosecution. 

On May 20, Khan was set to travel to Israel to meet with officials before deciding whether to move forward with the warrant requests. 

But he never showed up. 

He publicly announced his warrant requests without any warning to the Israelis who had planned to make their case against them, according to Graham. 

‘It has now come to my attention through media reports that Prosecutor Khan was facing allegations of misconduct around the same time, and the resolution of this matter remains a mystery,’ the senator wrote in the letter. 

‘The abrupt decision to cancel this visit to Israel, along with these contemporaneous allegations needs to be explained, and I request full transparency on the matter to ensure there is no conflict of interest.’ 

Graham said he was ‘shocked’ to learn Khan never showed up for his trip to Israel. 

‘It was a complete change of what we were told that was going to happen, and we never really understood what happened – never made sense to me.’ 

But last week, the Mail on Sunday reported that around the same time, a female employee with the court informed senior managers about harassment claims made by another female employee against Khan. The woman ‘was so upset she was in tears.’ 

The Independent Oversight Mechanism (IOM), which probes misconduct allegations by ICC employees, reportedly questioned the alleged victim, but she decided not to make a formal complaint. The IOM did not launch a formal investigation and recommended measures intended to ‘safeguard everyone’s rights.’  

‘I’ve never understood what led to such a change in position. So my concern is, did these two events have anything to do with each other?’ Graham questioned. 

‘We need transparency here. You know, is it a coincidence the guy is being accused of inappropriate conduct, and again, I have no idea if it’s legitimate or not, but just weeks later, there’s a change of course here.’

An annual report released by the IOM on Friday said that on May 3, the watchdog had been told about allegations that an elected official engaged in behavior that would breach the court’s harassment rules. It confirmed the woman ‘declined to pursue a formal complaint.’ She refused to explicitly confirm or deny to the IOM the allegations that had been reported by a third party. 

When asked for comment on the letter, the ICC prosecutor’s office referred Fox News Digital to comments Khan made to the Mail on Sunday: ‘I absolutely can confirm there is no truth to suggestions of misconduct.’

‘This is a moment in which myself and the International Criminal Court are subject to a wide range of attacks and threats. In recent months my family including my wife and child have also been targeted,’ Khan added. 

He said he would cooperate with the IOM if asked to do so. ‘I underline that I stand with any victim of sexual harassment or abuse and would encourage all survivors to raise their voice and come forward with such accounts wherever they may occur. I have always been supportive of a proactive approach in this regard.’

The court’s panel of judges has not yet issued the warrants. It took them only three weeks to issue the warrant for President Vladimir Putin’s arrest after Khan requested it following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

The U.S. and Israel are not party to the Rome Statute that founded the ICC 22 years ago and do not recognize its jurisdiction. Palestinians were granted membership in 2015. 

Since the court’s establishment in 2002, it has issued 55 arrest warrants in 32 cases. Twenty-one people have been detained and tried at The Hague while 26 remain at-large. 

Israel is also facing accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice in a case brought forth by South Africa. 

Despite the ICC prosecutor’s arrest warrant requests, Graham insisted that the international law body does hold an important role. 

‘There’s a place for the ICC. I mean, like Putin’s collapsed every legal system in Russia, truly is a despot.’

Graham added: ‘But bringing charges against the defense minister and the prime minister of Israel in the middle of a war for the survival of the Jewish people without even talking to them, canceling a meeting, just doesn’t pass the smell test. I want to know what the hell happened.’

This file has been updated to include the ICC prosecutor’s office’s comments. 

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin declined to say whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been a reliable ally, even as he reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel’s defense. 

‘There’s been growing frustration by you and others in the administration that during the past year, Israel has not been careful enough about civilian casualties in Gaza and now in Lebanon. The U.S. has been blindsided at times, with Israel not telling it in advance about striking certain targets. And that has threatened to spread the war as well as draw the U.S. into a direct conflict with Iran. Is Netanyahu a reliable ally?’ Fox News asked Austin in an exclusive interview from Rome. 

‘I won’t comment on the prime minister,’ Austin said.

‘We’re going to continue to support Israel in its right to defend itself. Protecting civilians in the battlespace and achieving military objectives are not mutually exclusive.

‘I continuously emphasize the need to make sure that they’re doing the right things, to prevent excessive casualties,’ said the secretary. ‘Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah have made this a tough fight… putting their military command post in ammunition stores, underneath hospitals and in schools and mosques.’

The conversation, conducted ahead of Austin’s private audience with Pope Francis, came as the world awaits Israel’s response to Iran raining down some 200 missiles on Tel Aviv on Oct. 1. 

The Biden administration has privately urged Israel to avoid hitting nuclear or energy sites – a move that would be viewed as too escalatory.

Israel’s response is ‘their choice,’ according to Austin, but ‘from my perspective, I think you know if you’re conducting a military strike, it ought to be against military targets.’ 

Some 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive campaign since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. The killing of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ leader in Gaza and the Oct. 7 mastermind, prompted U.S. officials to pressure Netanyahu to agree to a deal that secures the release of the hostages and ends the war in Gaza. 

In September, Israel launched its assault in Lebanon, promising to continue until the group was no longer able to launch rockets and drones into northern Israel. Hezbollah has fired more than 10,000 weapons at Israel in support of Hamas, its fellow Iranian proxy, since Oct. 7. 

The Houthis, meanwhile, have directly antagonized the U.S., launching at least 270 attacks on U.S. Navy ships, commercial shipping and coalition ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since last November. 

They’ve shot down eight MQ-9 Reaper drones, valued at up to $32 million each, and cost billions in international trade. 

After criticism mounted that the U.S. was not doing enough to hit back at such attacks, U.S. bombers struck Yemen weapons facilities controlled by Houthi forces last week with B-2 strategic bombers flown from Missouri. That followed strikes on more than a dozen Houthi targets on Oct. 4. 

‘Do you regret not going on offense sooner?’ Austin was asked. 

He denied the assumption that up until this month, the U.S. had only conducted defensive strikes against incoming Houthi attacks. 

‘We have been striking the Houthis on a near-daily basis over the last many months. And our goal is to take away as much capability from the Houthis as possible. 

‘Most recently, you saw us conduct a strike using our global strike capabilities. And again, we were going after underground facilities, and it was a very effective strike. We will continue to do things to take away their capability on a daily basis.’

The FBI is investigating the leak of classified documents that included top secret U.S. intelligence describing Israeli preparations for a possible attack on Iran, Fox News Digital confirmed. 

‘The FBI is investigating the alleged leak of classified documents and working closely with our partners in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community,’ the bureau said in a statement. ‘As this is an ongoing investigation, we have no further comment.’ 

The Department of Defense has already confirmed it is investigating the unauthorized release.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday that he did not have information on whether the unauthorized release was a result of a hack or an employee leak. 

‘We’re not exactly sure how these documents found their way into the public domain. I know the Department of Defense is investigating this,’ Kirby said. ‘I’m just not able to answer your question whether it was a leak or a hack. At this point, we’ll let the investigation pursue its logical course.’ 

‘We’re deeply concerned, and the president remains deeply concerned about any leakage of classified information into the public domain,’ Kirby said. ‘That is not supposed to happen. And it’s unacceptable when it does.’ 

Kirby said he did not have any indication that additional classified documents would find their way into the public domain and that the U.S. has been in communication with Israeli counterparts about the disclosure.

‘I’ll let the Israelis speak to if, what, how and when they decide to take additional military action in response to Iran’s Oct. 1 attack,’ Kirby said. ‘That’s really for them to speak to.’ 

The documents are descriptions of satellite images showing Israeli warplanes preparing for a strike and practicing air refueling, according to officials. There is no information in the leaked documents about what the targets are or what Israeli plans to strike.

‘These are NOT Israeli war plans for Iran,’ a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News.

The documents, which are marked top secret, were posted to the Telegram messaging app last week. 

The documents were attributed to the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency and noted that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1. The documents were sharable within the ‘Five Eyes,’ which are the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The United States is investigating the unauthorized release of classified documents describing Israel’s preparations for a possible attack against Iran, The Associated Press reported.

The documents, attributed to the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, note that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1. They were sharable within the ‘Five Eyes,’ which are the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The documents, which are marked top secret, were posted to the Telegram messaging app last week and first reported by CNN and Axios. The AP first reported Sunday about the U.S. investigation into the unauthorized release, citing three U.S. officials. The AP said a fourth U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, indicated that the documents appeared to be legitimate. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also confirmed the investigation in an appearance on CNN. 

‘The leak is very concerning. There’s some serious allegations being made, there’s an investigation underway, and I’ll get a briefing on that in a couple of hours,’ Johnson said Sunday on CNN’s ‘State of the Union.’ ‘There’s a classified level briefing and then another. But we’re following it closely.’ 

The investigation is also examining how the documents were obtained – including whether it was an intentional leak by a member of the U.S. intelligence community or by another method, like a hack – and whether any other intelligence information was compromised, one of the officials told the AP, adding that officials are working to determine who had access to the documents before they were posted. 

The documents first appeared online Friday via a channel on Telegram, claiming they had been leaked by someone in the U.S. intelligence community, then later the U.S. Defense Department. The information appeared entirely gathered through the use of satellite image analysis.

The documents are descriptions of satellite images showing Israeli warplanes preparing for a strike and practicing air refueling, according to officials. There is no information in the leaked documents about what the targets are or what Israeli plans to strike.

‘These are NOT Israeli war plans for Iran,’ a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News.

The AP reported that one of the two documents resembled the style of other material from the U.S. National Geospatial Intelligence Agency leaked by Jack Teixeira, an Air National Guardsman who pleaded guilty in March to leaking highly classified military documents about Russia’s war on Ukraine and other national security secrets.

The Telegram channel involved in the leak identifies itself as being based in Tehran, Iran’s capital. It previously published memes featuring Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and material in support of Tehran’s self-described ‘Axis of Resistance,’ which includes Middle East terrorist groups armed by the Islamic republic.

In a statement to the AP, the Pentagon said it was aware of the reports of the documents but did not elaborate further. The AP said the Israeli military did not immediately return their request for comment.

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The United Kingdom’s Labour Party is pushing back Wednesday on allegations from the Trump campaign that it is providing ‘illegal foreign assistance’ to Kamala Harris. 

Representatives for Trump announced last night they have ‘filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against the Harris-Walz Campaign and the Labour Party of the United Kingdom for illegal foreign campaign contributions and interference in our elections.’ 

‘The far-left Labour Party has inspired Kamala’s dangerously liberal policies and rhetoric. In recent weeks, they have recruited and sent party members to campaign for Kamala in critical battleground states, attempting to influence our election,’ Trump-Vance Campaign Co-Manager Susie Wiles said in a statement. 

However, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday that any members of his Labour Party that are in the U.S. are acting as volunteers and ‘what they’ve done in previous elections, is what they’re doing in this election,’ according to The Associated Press. 

‘I spent time in New York with President Trump, had dinner with him, and my purpose in doing that was to make sure that between the two of us, we established a good relationship, which we did, and I was very grateful to him for making the time,’ Starmer added. ‘Of course, as prime minister of the United Kingdom, I will work with whoever the American people return as their president in the elections.’ 

The filing from Trump’s campaign mentions a now-deleted social media post from Labour Party leader Sofia Patel, who took to LinkedIn to solicit help from current and former members of the party who would be willing to campaign for Harris in the key battleground state of North Carolina. 

READ THE LETTER BELOW. APP USERS: CLICK HERE

Patel indicated in her post that she had already organized ‘nearly 100 Labour Party staff’ to stump across the key battleground states of Nevada, Pennsylvania and Virginia but had about 10 spots left for anyone willing to head to North Carolina.   

‘We will sort your housing,’ Patel assured anyone interested.  

An attorney for the Trump campaign wrote in the filing that ‘the language of her post supports a reasonable inference that the Labour Party will finance at least travel and facilitate room and board.’ 

‘Press reports further support a reasonable inference that the Harris campaign is aware of these efforts, and thus has accepted a prohibited foreign national contribution,’ he continued. ‘Moreover, even if the individuals traveling to the United States were ‘volunteers,’ the Labour Party appears to be using party resources, including paid staff time, to coordinate their travel.’ 

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Fox News’ Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

Wealthy business magnate Elon Musk and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are trading jabs as Election Day 2024 draws near, with Walz accusing Musk of ‘skippin’ like a dips—‘ and Musk most recently comparing Walz to the clown face emoji.

On the campaign trail in Wisconsin on Tuesday, Walz facetiously referred to Musk as former President Donald Trump’s ‘running mate.’

The billionaire business tycoon has endorsed Trump and is campaigning for him.

‘Elon’s on that stage, jumpin’ around, skippin’ like a dips— … ‘ Walz said.

Musk poured millions of dollars into the America PAC, which is awarding $1 million each day to one person who has signed a petition expressing support for the First and Second Amendments. 

‘Every day, from now through Nov 5, @America PAC will be giving away $1M to someone in swing states who signed our petition to support free speech & the right to bear arms! We want to make sure that everyone in swing states hears about this and I suspect this will ensure they do,’ Musk recently tweeted.

Trump has said that as president he would establish a ‘government efficiency commission,’ and that Musk has agreed to helm the task force.

‘That guy is literally the richest man in the world, spending millions of dollars to help Donald Trump buy an election,’ Walz said. ‘Donald Trump has already promised that he would put Elon in charge of government regulations that oversee the businesses that Elon runs.’

Musk is mocking Walz in posts on X.

‘You’re gonna lose, @Tim_Walz,’ Musk tweeted along with the clown emoji when responding to a clip of Walz’s remarks. ‘Saving the American people from the torture of hearing you speak for 4 years was worth it,’ he added, concluding the post with the tears of joy emoji.

Musk also shared a meme mocking Walz, and commented, ‘It’s as if the [clown face] emoji came to life.’

A ballot initiative to implement open primary voting across six states is gaining momentum, according to advocates of the proposal who say it will eliminate ‘polarizing’ and ‘extreme’ candidates from making it onto the ballot, allowing a more diverse group of candidates to represent voters.

Proponents hope this year’s success is indicative of future changes to U.S. elections.

Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, South Dakota, Montana and Nevada qualified for an open primary initiative for the 2024 ballot, Unite America – a philanthropic venture fund – found. Other states across the country already have an open primary system, including Alaska, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Virginia, among others.

Research from the Unite America Institute reveals that just 8% of voters elected 83% of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022. In 2024, 7% have already elected 84%. Unite America attributed this ‘primary problem’ to the polarization and gridlock hindering Congress and state legislatures from addressing key issues important to voters that often go unnoticed come election season.

Nick Troiano, executive director of Unite America, told Fox News Digital that an open primary system ‘would literally enfranchise millions of Americans closed out, and that includes independents.’

In an open primary system, voters can choose which party’s primary to participate in, regardless of their own party affiliation. This allows registered voters, including independents, to vote in any party’s primary, promoting broader participation.

By contrast, a closed primary system requires voters to be registered with a specific party to vote in that party’s primary. This approach ensures that only party members can influence the selection of their candidates, often leading to more ideologically consistent nominees but potentially excluding independent voters from the process.

‘So this gives voters a lot more freedom to vote for whom they want, you know, regardless of party. And that’s the belief at the end of the day is that our election system should serve voters, not parties as private organizations,’ Troiano told Fox News Digital.

Another advocate of the open primary system is former Colorado Congressman Ken Buck. Buck, who retired as a representative earlier this year to work behind-the-scenes on election reform projects, said that many American voters are currently frustrated with their presidential choices. 

He noted that recent election reforms in various states are primarily focused on Senate and gubernatorial races, rather than the presidential election. This discontent may create an opportunity for meaningful reform in the electoral system, he said.

‘AOC beat a member of leadership in the Democratic primary, and she did it again with a very small percentage,’ Buck, who endorsed the open primary ballot inititative in his state, told Fox News Digital. ‘It’s like 12% of the overall registered voters in the in her district, voted for her in that primary, and then, because it’s a blue district, she becomes the member. That’s the example.’

Buck believes that these changes could lead to higher-quality candidates, as current primary systems often allow candidates to win with a small percentage of the vote—sometimes as low as 38%—due to a crowded field. He suggested that such candidates often lack broad support among voters and may prioritize social media appeal over addressing the pressing issues facing constituents. 

Buck and Troiano said so far, typically the party that is most in control of the state are opposed to the ballot measure.

‘So in Nevada, the Democratic Party, and Idaho, it’s the Republican Party,’ Troiano said. ‘But we make the case that this is good for voters today and is good for democracy.’

While Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz have drawn backlash over awkward moments during the presidential race, their surrogates have not escaped criticism for their own gaffes. 

In addition to Walz saying he is ‘friends with school shooters’ and Harris calling North Korea ‘an alliance,’ their campaign surrogates have mispronounced the vice president’s name, called Tim Walz ‘Tom,’ told males they are misogynists, attempted to imitate former President Trump, accidentally supported his policies and more.

‘Not sure we’ve ever seen such a colossally inept campaign like the one run by Kamala Harris,’ Fox Business ‘Evening Edit’ anchor Elizabeth MacDonald said last week.

Former President Clinton, for example, committed many of those gaffes. 

During the Democratic National Convention, he was blasted for mispronouncing Harris’ name, referring to her as ‘Camel-la.’ Last week, Clinton continued his gaffes when he confused a crowd of North Carolinians with a very dry imitation of Donald Trump, suggesting at the same time the former president might send him to a ‘supermax’ prison for life. The former Democratic president struck again that same week with yet another gaffe when he suggested college nursing student Laken Riley would still be alive if the Biden-Harris administration secured the border properly. 

‘You had a case in Georgia not very long ago, didn’t you? They made an ad about it, a young woman who had been killed by an immigrant,’ Clinton said from Georgia. ‘Yeah, well, if they’d all been properly vetted that probably wouldn’t have happened.’

Critics roundly mocked the former Democratic president and chimed in following the comments about Riley, pointing out that Clinton was ‘right.’ 

Meanwhile, former President Obama received some backlash of his own after his latest gaffe earlier this month at a campaign event in Pittsburgh. Speaking to a group of Black men, Obama insisted to them that men ‘just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president.’

‘Barack Obama — we’re not sexist or misogynist. We’re disappointed and sick of the bullsh—,’ responded former professional basketball player and U.S. Senate candidate in Minnesota Royce White.’ DO NOT vote for me because I’m Black. Vote for me because you have enough self-respect to think.’

Another Harris campaign surrogate, Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, has not escaped criticism either. During the Democratic National Convention, Evers awkwardly stammered through his state’s roll call vote after declaring he was ‘jazzed as hell’ that all but a single delegate in his state voted for Harris. More recently, Evers referred to Harris’ vice presidential running mate Tim Walz as ‘Tom’ during a Labor Day stump speech for Harris.

This week, Maria Shriver, the former first lady of California, was also lumped into the cadre of gaffe-prone Harris camp supporters. The moment came when she was moderating a town hall event in Michigan with Harris and former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney. Shriver told the audience at the event that only ‘predetermined’ questions would be allowed to be asked. 

‘Are we going to be able to ask a question?’ asked a woman in the audience.

‘You’re not, unfortunately,’ Shriver replied. ‘We have some predetermined questions, and, hopefully, I’ll be able to ask some of the questions that might be in your head. I hope so.’ 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign but did not receive a response by press time.