Data from the Department of Justice found nearly overwhelming positive response from Americans regarding their contacts with police, while 3 percent reported use of force and even fewer described that as misconduct.

However, neither the government nor the media seem interested in highlighting this information that challenges the narrative of politicians and activists, says Michael Letts, CEO and founder of In-Vest USA, a nonprofit law enforcement advocacy group that provides bulletproof vests for police departments.

‘The DOJ has the ability to make this a headline across the country if they wanted. I don’t see them doing that,’ Letts told Fox News Digital. ‘The DOJ can make headlines. It’s disappointing. But it’s because it refutes the narrative this administration wants to promote.’

The survey data from the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) was released in November but covers 2020 data, finding that about 21 percent of Americans ages 16 or older had contact with police that year, which is fewer than the 24 percent in 2018.

Of the residents that initiated contact with the police, 88 percent reported they were satisfied with the police response, while 93 percent said they would be more likely or just as likely to contact the police again for a problem. There was some drop-off among races, as 94 percent of white people said they were satisfied and 89 percent of Black people were satisfied. 

In both 2018 and 2020, just 3 percent reported experiencing the threat of force or nonfatal use of force from police, which was defined as including handcuffing, pushing, grabbing, hitting, kicking, using a chemical spray or pointing or shooting a gun. An even lower number, 1 percent, said they experienced police misconduct.

Within that narrow margin, there was a small racial disparity. The data showed 6 percent of Black Americans and 3 percent of Hispanics reported experiencing the threat of force or actual use of force from police. That’s compared to 2 percent of white people who reported the same.

The data applies to 2020, which marked the rise of a push among activists, politicians and some local governments to ‘defund the police’ or reapportion budgets from police departments to social services and other local government functions. The movement arose after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of police.

The Justice Department publicized the data through a press release and other means, said DOJ public affairs specialist Tannyr Watkins. 

‘BJS provides public notice of all of its reports and places each report on the BJS website. Currently, we also publicize our reports through our JustStats newsletter and our social media channels,’ Watkins said in an email statement.

‘We endeavor to increase exposure to and use of our data and products by the media and general public,’ Watkins continued. ‘Finally, the BJS Director and BJS statisticians present our statistical findings through meetings, interviews, webinars, workshops and other types of engagements with stakeholders, practitioners, congressional staff, the media, and the general public.’

But more could have definitely been done to get the word out and reverse the low morale among first responders, Letts said, as activists, the media and politicians have continued to cast police violence as an epidemic.

‘It’s a national crisis that first responders are retiring and leaving in droves. One of the main reasons is they are under attack by politicians and activists,’ Letts said. ‘The defund the police movement wants the public to get the idea that crime is on the rise — which it is — and that police [are] too incompetent or racist to do anything about it, which is false. This administration would rather back up the activists than the police.’

They survey found that males, at 11 percent, were more likely than females, 9 percent, to have police-initiated contact, and ages 18-24 were the most likely to have police-initiated contact.

Among those who initiated contact with police, about half — 49 percent — did so to report a possible crime. And three-fourths, or 75 percent, who had contact with police in a traffic stop didn’t experience any enforcement action.

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., says he’s not resigning. That is, if you believe him.

Still, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., isn’t doing anything about Santos. McCarthy will even assign Santos to House committees.

‘I try to stick by the Constitution, and the voters elected him to serve,’ said McCarthy. ‘He’s going to have to build the trust here, and he’s going to have the opportunity to try to do that.’

McCarthy noted that Santos ‘has a right to serve here.’

Santos is really putting House Republicans in a quandary over his fantastical stream of falsehoods. Most Republicans have said that Santos’ future is up to the people of his district. However, there are increasing calls from New York Republicans — notably freshman Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Brandon Williams, R-N.Y., Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., and Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., — for Santos to resign.

Langworthy also serves as the Empire State’s GOP chairman.

Here’s the operational problem for House Republicans:

Their majority is now 222-212. Democrats are expected to win a special election in Virginia on Feb. 21 to fulfill the unexpired term of late Rep. Donald McEachin, D-Va., who died shortly after voters reelected him last November.

A Democratic win in Virginia would shrink the GOP majority to 222-213. It dwindles to 221-213 if Santos weren’t a member and Democrats win the Virginia special election.

It’s about the math.

That would mean Republicans can only lose three votes on any given roll call. By rule, a tie vote fails in the House.

Democrats are already tying Santos to McCarthy and his tight victory for the speakership.

If Santos were to resign, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) must declare the seat vacant and schedule a special election in accordance with state law. A primary and general election could take months. Governors are allowed to appoint U.S. senators. But under the Constitution, no one scores an appointment to the House.

Secondly, it is unclear if Republicans would hold the Santos seat if he were to vacate and Hochul called a special election. This is a district that flipped from blue to red. It was held by former Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., in the previous Congress.

So, what are GOPers to do about Santos?

The easy alternative for Republicans would be to wait for the House Ethics Committee to conduct an investigation and recommend a penalty for Santos. We may know the winner of the 2023 World Series before that investigation is complete.

However, any member could introduce a resolution to potentially punish or expel Santos.

This is where things get interesting.

Such a step is considered under a provision in the House known as a ‘question of privilege.’ By rule, the House is required to consider such a resolution to sanction or expel Santos within two days — whether or not Santos goes before the Ethics Committee. However, the House must consider the issue immediately if offered by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

But Jeffries doesn’t seem inclined to act. Politically, it may be better for Democrats to let Santos drag House Republicans into the ethical quicksand and fantasyland.

‘It’s now the responsibility of House Republicans to do something about it,’ said Jeffries. ‘Clean up your house. And you can start with George Santos.’

Still, if any House member offered a resolution to punish or expel Santos on the fly, Republicans would have a decision to make. A tricky one.

Republicans could move to ‘table’ or kill the resolution to punish or expel Santos. A vote to ‘table’ is one parliamentary step removed from actually taking action on the resolution itself. A vote to table serves as a fig leaf for members who don’t want to be on the hook for judging Santos. If the House effectively votes in favor of tabling, it euthanizes the resolution to penalize Santos.

However, a vote to table could come at a serious political cost for Republicans.

Democrats and many GOPers may excoriate the House majority for not punishing or expelling Santos when they had the chance. And not acting creates a chasm for Democrats to chastise Republicans. The suggestion is that Republicans must protect Santos in order to safeguard their slim majority.

‘Kevin McCarthy owns George Santos, lock, stock and barrel,’ said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif. ‘If George Santos wasn’t seated, what would the math have been for Speaker McCarthy? He would have had to flip another vote or get two people to vote ‘present.’’

This isn’t the type of issue House Republicans want to tangle with to begin the Congress, especially after the GOP just incinerated five days trying to elect a speaker.

It’s also possible Republicans could move to counter a privileged resolution to sanction Santos by ‘referring’ the measure to the Ethics Committee. That gives GOPers a little more breathing room. It also bottles up the Santos problem for months on end.

Dispatching Santos to the Ethics panel probably gives Republicans some political cover. They could argue that they are dealing with Santos properly by referring him for an Ethics Committee review. But sending the matter to the Ethics Committee also allows the Santos question to fester.

That may not be a good political alternative for Republicans, either.

However, all of the attention on Santos could recalibrate public attention from the internecine fighting between Republicans during the speaker’s race.

There are three customary modes of discipline in the House: reprimand, censure and expulsion.

Former Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., was the last member censured by the House in late 2010.

Expulsion is a different animal.

The House has only expelled five members in history. The last was the late Rep. Jim Traficant, D-Ohio, in 2002. Under the Constitution, expulsion requires a two-thirds vote of the House.

An up or down vote on any punishment — or expulsion — could be a challenging roll call for some Republicans. The same with a vote to table or refer the resolution to the Ethics Committee. That could be viewed as trying to shield Santos.

‘What are the charges against him?’ asked a credulous McCarthy when speaking to reporters. ‘In America, you’re innocent until proven guilty.’

McCarthy eschewed the trappings of the House Radio/TV Gallery Studio for his first formal meet-up with the press corps as speaker on Thursday. Instead, McCarthy met with scribes in Statuary Hall of the Capitol — the old House chamber.

‘(This) is my favorite place in this building,’ beamed McCarthy.

The speaker then noted that a statue of Clio, the Muse of History, was perched from a ledge overlooking Statuary Hall. The statue depicts Clio holding a tablet, scribbling down the events that transpire in Congress below.

‘Clio continues to inscribe what has happened in the last five days,’ McCarthy said.

And the watchful eye of Clio will also document what Congress does or doesn’t do when it comes to George Santos.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a Thursday press conference that the Biden administration is being transparent about the classified document discoveries despite knowing about the issue for months.

Jean-Pierre made the comments after classified documents were found at the Penn Biden Center and at President Biden’s Wilmington, Delaware, garage.

The classified documents were found at Biden’s private office at the Penn Biden Center in November and at the Wilmington, Delaware residence garage this week.

‘Do you acknowledge that the fact that the White House did not reveal this to the public, despite the fact that you’ve known about it for months, undercuts the president’s promise of being transparent to the American public?,’ a reporter asked.

‘But here’s the thing. They were transparent,’ Jean-Pierre said. ‘There was transparency in doing what you’re supposed to do when these items were discovered,’ 

One reporter interjected, saying that the administration wasn’t transparent ‘with the American people.’

‘Look, I am here standing in front you, answering these questions, right? The president took two questions this week on this.’

White House special counsel Richard Sauber said on Thursday that additional documents were discovered which contain classified markings.

‘Lawyers discovered among personal and political papers a small number of additional Obama-Biden administration records with classified markings. All but one of these documents were found in storage space in the President’s Wilmington residence garage,’ Sauber wrote. ‘One document consisting of one page was discovered among stored materials in an adjacent room.’

On Thursday afternoon, Sauber said in an additional statement that the documents were ‘misplaced.’

‘As the President said, he takes classified information and materials seriously, and as we have said, we have cooperated from the moment we informed the Archives that a small number of documents were found, and we will continue to cooperate. We have cooperated closely with the Justice Department throughout its review, and we will continue that cooperation with the Special Counsel. We are confident that a thorough review will show that these documents were inadvertently misplaced, and the President and his lawyers acted promptly upon discovery of this mistake,’ Sauber said.

On Monday, Sauber said in a statement regarding documents found at the Penn Biden Center that Biden’s personal attorneys are cooperating with the Department of Justice.

‘The documents were not the subject of any previous request or inquiry by the Archives,’ Sauber said. ‘Since that discovery, the President’s personal attorneys have cooperated with the Archives and the Department of Justice in the process to ensure that any Obama-Biden Administration records are appropriately in the possession of the Archives.’

When Biden was asked about the second batch of classified documents in the Wilmington Garage, Biden told Fox News’ Peter Doocy that they were locked.

‘Classified documents next to your Corvette? What were you thinking?’ Doocy asked Biden.

‘I’m going to get the chance to speak on all of this, God willing it’ll be soon, but I said earlier this week — and by the way my Corvette is in a locked garage. It’s not like it’s sitting out in the street,’ Biden responded.

‘So the documents were in a locked garage,’ Doocy asked.

‘Yes, as well as my Corvette. But as I said earlier this week, people know I take classified documents and classified material seriously,’ Biden said. ‘I also said we’re cooperating fully and completely with the Justice Department’s review.’

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

Hunter Biden, who is under federal investigation for possible tax and foreign lobbying violations, listed his father’s Delaware address as his own residence, records show. 

Emails reviewed and verified by Fox News Digital show the younger Biden listed his father’s Wilmington, Delaware, address as his own permanent residence for his credit card and Apple account in 2018 and 2019, respectively. 

Separately, New York Post reporter Miranda Devine, author of the book ‘Laptop From Hell,’ shared a Twitter post showing a background screening document in which Hunter Biden also listed his father’s Delaware address as his own. 

The White House revealed this week that classified documents were discovered at the Washington, D.C., office for President Biden’s think tank, the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, in early November. 

On Wednesday, news broke that another trove of classified documents from Biden’s time as vice president had been discovered. It was revealed Thursday that the second batch of documents was found in the president’s garage in Wilmington. 

Later Thursday, Fox News’ White House correspondent Peter Doocy chastised President Biden for mishandling the documents. 

‘Classified documents next to your Corvette? What were you thinking?’ Doocy asked.

‘I’m going to get the chance to speak on all of this, God willing it’ll be soon, but I said earlier this week — and by the way, my Corvette is in a locked garage. It’s not like it’s sitting out in the street,’ Biden responded.  

‘So the documents were in a locked garage?’ Doocy prompted. 

‘Yes, as well as my Corvette. But as I said earlier this week, people know I take classified documents and classified material seriously,’ Biden said. ‘I also said we’re cooperating fully and completely with the Justice Department’s review.’ 

As the scandal over the classified documents erupted, a 2016 episode of CNBC’s ‘Jay Leno’s Garage,’ featuring then-Vice President Joe Biden, recirculated online. 

In the episode, Biden tells Leno that his two sons, Hunter and Beau — who passed away in 2015 — had the engine of their father’s 1967 Corvette rebuilt as a Christmas president. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and Hunter Biden’s legal team for comment. They have not responded.

President Biden acknowledged Thursday morning that a document with classified markings from his time as vice president was found in his personal library, along with other classified documents found in his garage. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Biden’s lawyers informed the Justice Department on Thursday of the discovery of a classified document at Biden’s home, after FBI agents first retrieved other documents from the garage in December. 

It was disclosed only on Monday that sensitive documents were found at the office of his former institute, the Biden Penn Center in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 2, just days before the midterm elections.

Fox News’ Cameron Cawthorne, Anders Hagstrom and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Hours after the Biden Administration blasted Governor Ron DeSantis’ move to deploy the National Guard as another ‘political stunt,’ the U.S. Coast Guard sent an email requesting Florida’s help with the migrant surge. 

When asked about the latest comments from the Biden administration, DeSantis pointed out that he activated the National Guard because the U.S. Coast Guard asked the state for help dealing with the sheer number of illegal boat landings.

‘Well I think it’s because the Coast Guard actually requested the state’s assistance to handle all of these vessels coming. But what I think we’ve done, and we’ve been very aggressive across the board, at mitigating the damage from Biden’s disastrous border policy,’ DeSantis said in a press briefing Thursday.

In an email obtained by Fox News, the U.S. Coast Guard wrote to a DeSantis administration official requesting a ‘twin engine FWC’ along with an aircraft to patrol the shoreline of Florida for migrant landings

The Florida governor added that the state will begin footing the bill for residents when migrants’ boats land on their private property, since state law states that the landowner is required to pay for the removal of the boat. 

‘We are going to clear the vessels free of charge for those residents because it wasn’t their fault – maybe we’ll send the bill to Biden,’ the Republican Governor added.

DeSantis’ clap back comes after White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said activating the Florida National Guard in response to the increase number of illegal boat landings was another political stunt.

‘We have seen Governor DeSantis do political stunts. That is how he perceives to fix this issue from Florida, we’re talking about people coming from countries who are dealing with political strife, who are dealing with issues where they’re trying to find asylum. And he treats them like pawns.’ Jean-Pierre said. ‘So we have called that out, over and over again. And we will continue to do that.’

Biden’s press secretary charged that DeSantis was ‘not dealing with the problem. He’s actually creating a problem.’

Last week, DeSantis deployed the National Guard to deal with the ‘alarming influx of migrants landing in the Florida Keys.’

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 300 migrants fleeing Cuba and other countries landed at Dry Tortugas National Park last week, and another 45 made landfall at Key West. The influx of migrants forced the National Park to close and depleted the Sunshine’s States resources. 

‘As the negative impacts of Biden’s lawless immigration policies continue unabated, the burden of the Biden administration’s failure falls on local law enforcement who lack the resources to deal with the crisis,’ DeSantis said. ‘That is why I am activating the National Guard and directing state resources to help alleviate the strain on local resources. When Biden continues to ignore his legal responsibilities, we will step in to support our communities.’

The Governor’s move came after President Biden announced a new ‘parole’ plan that would allow up to 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti to receive asylum in the United States. The plan also includes an agreement from Mexico to accept 30,000 deportees from those countries apprehended in the United States.

Intelligence officials are reviewing 510 sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena, better known as UFOs, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) wrote in an unclassified report for Congress. 

A preliminary assessment released in June 2021 counted 144 UFO sightings. Since then, there have been 366 sightings reported to the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), an increase that the DNI attributes to ‘reduced stigma’ and a better understanding of the threats UFOs could pose. 

Of the newly identified reports, about half were characterized as ‘unremarkable’ and attributed to unmanned aircraft systems, ‘balloon-like entities,’ or clutter. 

Some of the remaining uncharacterized UFO sightings ‘appear to have demonstrated unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities, and require further analysis,’ according to the report. 

Other sights could be attributed to ‘sensor irregularities or variances, such as operator or equipment error.’

Most new sightings have been reported by U.S. Navy and Air Force pilots. 

‘UAP events continue to occur in restricted or sensitive airspace, highlighting possible concerns for safety of flight or adversary collection activity,’ the report said. 

The AARO was established by Congress last year to track objects in the sky, underwater, and in space. 

Interest in UFOs spiked in 2021 after the DNI’s preliminary assessment on UFOs, which found that some of the objects had the ability to ‘remain stationary in winds aloft, move against the wind, maneuver abruptly, or move at considerable speed, without discernable means of propulsion.’ 

Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said that the AARO will continue documenting UFO sightings to guard against any possible threats. 

‘The safety of our service personnel, our bases and installations, and the protection of U.S. operations security on land, in the skies, seas, and space are paramount,’ Ryder said in a statement on Thursday. ‘We take reports of incursions into our designated space, land, sea, or airspaces seriously and examine each one.’

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dodged a question asking if visitor logs for President Biden’s Wilmington, Delaware home will be released after classified documents were found in a garage at the residence.

Jean-Pierre made the comments during a press conference on Thursday, where the press secretary was questioned on the classified documents.

‘When will the White House release a log of visitors to the Wilmington House?,’ Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked.

‘Let’s not forget what we did here in this White House. We instituted that the last administration got rid of, which is making sure that there was a White House log, extensive White House log. So the American people got to see again and again…I am telling you, we did something that the last administration got rid of, which is instituting the White House logs,’ Jean-Pierre responded.

Her remarks come after Obama-era classified documents were found at both Biden’s private office at the Penn Biden Center in November, and at his Wilmington, Delaware residence garage this week.

Biden was asked about the classified documents on Thursday, telling Fox News’ Peter Doocy that they were in a locked garage.

‘Classified documents next to your Corvette? What were you thinking?’ Doocy asked Biden.

‘I’m going to get the chance to speak on all of this, God willing it’ll be soon, but I said earlier this week — and by the way my Corvette is in a locked garage. It’s not like it’s sitting out in the street,’ Biden responded.

‘So the documents were in a locked garage,’ Doocy asked.

‘Yes, as well as my Corvette. But as I said earlier this week, people know I take classified documents and classified material seriously,’ Biden said. ‘I also said we’re cooperating fully and completely with the Justice Department’s review.’

White House special counsel Richard Sauber issued a statement on Thursday, which said that Biden’s lawyers discovered additional documents containing classified markings.

‘Lawyers discovered among personal and political papers a small number of additional Obama-Biden administration records with classified markings. All but one of these documents were found in storage space in the President’s Wilmington residence garage,’ Sauber wrote. ‘One document consisting of one page was discovered among stored materials in an adjacent room.’

Sauber issued another statement on Thursday afternoon stating that the documents were ‘misplaced.’

‘As the President said, he takes classified information and materials seriously, and as we have said, we have cooperated from the moment we informed the Archives that a small number of documents were found, and we will continue to cooperate. We have cooperated closely with the Justice Department throughout its review, and we will continue that cooperation with the Special Counsel. We are confident that a thorough review will show that these documents were inadvertently misplaced, and the President and his lawyers acted promptly upon discovery of this mistake,’ Sauber said.

He acknowledged on Monday that Biden’s personal attorneys are cooperating with the Department of Justice regarding documents found at the Penn Biden Center.

‘The documents were not the subject of any previous request or inquiry by the Archives,’ Sauber said. ‘Since that discovery, the President’s personal attorneys have cooperated with the Archives and the Department of Justice in the process to ensure that any Obama-Biden Administration records are appropriately in the possession of the Archives.’

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special council on Thursday to investigate Biden’s handling of Obama-era classified documents.

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

A federal appeals court has upheld a ban on forcing workers in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee who contract with the federal government to get a COVID-19 vaccine.  

An appeals court has affirmed a ban in three states on enforcing a federal vaccine mandate for workers who contract with the federal government.

A panel of the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Thursday affirmed a lower court’s ruling that said the mandate was unconstitutional. 

‘We decline the government’s invitation to construe as authorizing the President to ignore the limits inherent in the Property Act’s operative provisions in favor of an ‘anything goes’ pursuit of a broad statutory purpose,’ the panel wrote in its ruling. 

The Biden administration is not enforcing the rule while legal battles play out around the country.

A federal judge in Louisville, Kentucky, blocked the Biden rule in November 2021 for that state and two others: Tennessee and Ohio. The mandate requires workers contracting with the federal government to wear face masks and be vaccinated for COVID-19.

The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued a similar ruling in December for Indiana, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a Republican running for governor, brought the Kentucky lawsuit in 2021.

Cameron called the Sixth Circuit’s decision a ‘resounding victory against unlawful federal overreach into the personal medical decisions of Kentuckians.’ 

‘We argued that the federal contractor vaccine mandate is unlawful and that the Biden administration does not have the authority to impose such a sweeping mandate on Kentuckians,’ Cameron wrote in a statement. 

‘For over a year, the Biden administration has fought against us, but the court has agreed with our legal arguments and has halted the federal contractor vaccine mandate for Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee.’ 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Justice for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Former Vice President Mike Pence is staking a position on abortion to the right of his old running-mate and declared 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump, siding firmly with conservative groups who criticized Trump for blaming GOP midterm election losses on pro-lifers. 

In an interview with The Hill published Thursday morning, Pence contested Trump’s claim on Truth Social that it was the ”abortion issue,’ poorly handled by many Republicans, especially those that firmly insisted on No Exceptions, even in the case of Rape, Incest, or Life of the Mother, that lost large numbers of Voters.’

Pence, who was staunchly loyal to Trump during their four years in office, disagreed and told The Hill that Republican candidates who expressed a clear view on protecting the rights of unborn children outperformed GOP candidates who ran away from the issue after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion. 

‘I think going forward, it’s going to be incumbent on the men and women on our party to stand without apology for the sanctity of human life, to stand on that principle of the unalienable right to life, but also to express compassion for women that are facing crisis pregnancies,’ Pence said.  

Pence, who is on a national tour promoting his new memoir, ‘So Help Me God,’ is widely believed to be mulling a 2024 run for the White House. Were he to get into the race, he would face former President Trump in a Republican primary, where pro-life conservatives represent a significant bloc of support for any would-be GOP nominee. 

His comment contrasts with Trump, who was widely criticized by pro-life groups last week after blaming the pro-life cause for GOP election losses. It was a stunning statement from Trump, who had vowed to appoint pro-life justices to the Supreme Court who would overturn Roe v. Wade, a promise he kept. 

‘The approach to winning on abortion in federal races, proven for a decade is this: state clearly the ambitious consensus pro-life position and contrast that with the extreme view of Democrat opponents,’ Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America said in response to Trump’s comment. ‘We look forward to hearing that position fully articulated by Mr. Trump and all presidential candidates.’

‘Well said,’ Pence tweeted on Jan.2, quoting the pro-life group’s statement.

Pence has long been a champion on pro-life issues and has insisted that abortion should be outlawed in every state in America.

‘Now that Roe v. Wade has been consigned to the ash heap of history, a new arena in the cause of life has emerged, and it is incumbent on all who cherish the sanctity of life to resolve that we will take the defense of the unborn and the support for women in crisis pregnancy centers to every state in America,’ Pence said in a June interview with Breitbart News. ‘Having been given this second chance for Life, we must not rest and must not relent until the sanctity of life is restored to the center of American law in every state in the land.’

Pence’s relationship with Trump deteriorated after he refused the former president’s demands to overturn the 2020 election results. Trump has accused Pence of lacking ‘courage,’ while Pence, when asked about 2024, has consistently said the country is ready for ‘new leadership’ and that Republicans will have ‘better choices come 2024.’ 

While the former vice president has not officially announced a 2024 presidential campaign, he has consistently hinted at doing so, particularly as he’s visited early primary states on his book tour.

‘Over the coming months, we’re going to continue to travel,’ Pence told The Hill, speaking from his Washington, D.C., office. ‘We’re going to continue to listen very intently, and we’ll make a decision I’m sure that in the months ahead about what role we might play, whether it be as a national candidate or as a voice for our conservative values.’ 

Fox News’ Kyle Morris contributed to this report.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a conservative Republican and rising star within the party, is vowing to stand against the ‘excesses of the Biden administration’ in his quest to unseat vulnerable Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear in this year’s gubernatorial election.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Cameron touted his record fighting against the fentanyl crisis plaguing the state and Democrats’ controversial vaccine mandates, as well as his opposition to Biden’s environmental policies, arguing it was proof he was the ‘best option’ of the 12 Republican candidates vying for the party’s nomination to take on Beshear.

‘Well, I’m the best option because I fully believe that the proof is in the pudding,’ Cameron told Fox. ‘We have done our job without fear or favor over these last three years. We’ve stood up to the Biden administration when it came to the vaccine mandates that they were trying to force on the states.’

‘We stood up for energy industry and asking the Biden administration to label fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction, we’ve asked for the border to be secured, I’ve held companies accountable for the opioid epidemic and bringing over $800 million to the Commonwealth, and of course, we continue to fight to stand up for the constitutional values of our citizens,’ he added.

The crowded field of Republicans facing Cameron includes former U.N. Ambassador Kelly Craft, state auditor Mike Harmon and Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles. 

Cameron was among the first of the candidates to jump into the race last May, and said his decision to do so was driven by his view Kentucky needed a governor that ‘says yes’ to its citizens.

‘My wife and I fully believe in the work that we’ve done over these last three years to stand up for conservative values and constitutional rights and principles,’ he said. ‘We think Kentucky needs a governor that not only says yes to economic development and says yes to helping people in the midst of a pandemic or a crisis, flooding or tornadoes, but also says yes to the shared values of the men, women and children of all 120 counties.’

‘That’s what we’ve been doing over these last three years, is standing up for those shared values. And we need to restore common sense and fair play to our governor’s office. And that’s what I’m going to do,’ he added.

Cameron has been sharply critical of Biden’s environmental policies, including what he says is the overregulation of air quality standards and efforts to limit domestic energy production amidst the rising cost of energy.

He has also firmly pushed back on Beshear’s approach to a number of issues he says do not reflect the values of everyday Kentuckians, including on the state’s energy industry, the coronavirus pandemic, and standing up for law enforcement. He vowed such areas would be the first he would take action on should he win in November.

‘The first action that I would take is to make sure that you have a governor that is going to, again, stand up for those constitutional rights. You’re going to have a governor that is going to stand up and support the men and women of our law enforcement community. You’re going to have a governor that is going to use the bully pulpit of the governor’s office to make sure that we are standing up to the excesses of the Biden administration,’ he said.

‘You’re also going to have a governor that respects and shares your values, not a governor that’s going to shut down churches or small businesses, not a governor that is going to sit idly by as a Department of Justice labels parents domestic terrorists,’ Cameron said. ‘You’re not going to have a governor that allows for our coal and natural gas industry to be talked bad about and denigrated by the Biden administration that wants to destroy it. You’re going to have, again, a governor that’s going to stand up for the values of the commonwealth.’

Cameron will face his opponents in the Republican primary scheduled for Tuesday, May 16, when the winner will likely face Beshear in the November general election should he win the Democratic primary.