Former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers is no longer under consideration to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the incoming administration, according to a senior adviser to President-elect Donald Trump.

Dan Scavino, who will serve as deputy chief of staff in the new White House, posted on social media Friday that a Rogers hire is ‘not happening.’ 

‘Just spoke to President Trump regarding Mike Rogers going to the FBI. It’s not happening — In his own words, ‘I have never even given it a thought.’ Not happening,’ Scavino said.

Rogers, the 2024 Republican Senate nominee in Michigan who lost his election last week by a razor-thin margin, was considered a leading candidate to be the next FBI director since Trump intends to fire the current director, Christopher Wray. 

A Republican source familiar told Fox News Digital that Rogers met with Trump last week at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago residence. He also met with Trump’s transition team to discuss potentially serving as FBI director, sources familiar said.

Trump transition spokesman Brian Hughes declined to comment on Scavino’s post specifically. 

‘For transition, we don’t speculate on selections and don’t get ahead of official announcements from President Trump,’ he said.

Rogers told ‘FOX & Friends’ earlier Friday that ‘the culture of the FBI on the seventh floor needs to be changed.’

Rogers, who worked as a special agent with the FBI in its Chicago office and served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee during the final four years of his decade-long tenure in Congress, was interviewed in 2017 during Trump’s first administration to serve as FBI director after James Comey was dismissed.

But Trump at the time decided to appoint Christopher Wray to the traditional 10-year term steering the federal law enforcement agency.

Trump, throughout his 2024 White House bid, campaigned in part on cleaning house at the FBI and has repeatedly claimed — without providing proof — that the bureau is chocked full of politically motivated and corrupt executives. And while not as much as others, Wray at times has been a target of Trump’s criticism.

Another name that has been floated in media reports to potentially serve as FBI director in the second Trump administration is Kash Patel, the controversial aide and adviser who served roles at the National Security Council and Defense Department during the final two years of Trump’s first administration.

The Department of Justice declined to comment on Scavino ruling out Rogers.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the new chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, says President-elect Trump is on-board to help the senator in his mission to protect and expand the newly won GOP majority in the Senate.

Scott, who last week was elected by his Republican colleagues as chair of the Senate GOP campaign committee, met with the former and future president at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

‘Just had a great meeting with President @realDonaldTrump! He’s all in to help the @NRSC keep a Republican majority for his entire four years AND create a generation of opportunity!’ Scott wrote in a social media post on Thursday night.

After losing the Senate majority in the 2020 elections, the GOP flipped four Democrat-held seats earlier this month, and will control the chamber 53-47 when the next Congress convenes at the beginning of the new year.

In his first interview following his election as NRSC chair, Scott told Fox News Digital last week that ‘what we’re going to do is defend the seats that we have and expand the map so that we can increase the majority brought to us by the Trump victory.’

In this month’s elections, unlike in 2016 and 2020, Trump outperformed many of the GOP’s Senate candidates.

Scott told Fox News Digital that he wants Trump to participate as much as he can in the 2026 Senate contests.

‘Every day and every way, President Trump, I know you have a full-time job. I’m going to ask you to have two full-time jobs. Let’s expand this map,’ Scott emphasized.

He said ‘that means that every single day we need President Trump on the campaign trail, doing fundraisers, talking to folks, because this is President Donald J. Trump’s party, and we need to make sure we expand it, from the man to the movement. We need him to do it.’

Scott last year unsuccessfully ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, before ending his bid and endorsing Trump. The senator was a high-profile surrogate for Trump on the campaign trail this year.

While not as favorable as the 2024 Senate map, the 2026 electoral landscape does give the Republicans some opportunities to flip seats.

Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Gary Peters of Michigan are up for re-election in two years in key battleground states Trump flipped last week.

And Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire will be up for re-election in a perennial swing state that Trump lost but over-performed from his 2020 showing. In Virginia, where Trump lost by just five points last week, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner will be up for re-election.

‘How do you expand the map?’ Scott asked. ‘You look at Georgia and Michigan and New Hampshire and Virginia. And if you’re stretching – take a look at New Mexico and Minnesota. President Trump was very competitive in those states.’

But Republicans will also have to play defense. GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is up for re-election in a reliably blue state. And Sen. Thom Tills of North Carolina is also up in 2026, in a battleground state that Trump narrowly won.

Scott emphasized that ‘the good news is as long as Susan Collins is running, I think we have a shot to win. Last time, she won by several points. This time, she’ll win by several points. Thom Tillis staying in North Carolina is good for our party.’

In the 2022 election cycle, when the Republicans blew a chance to win back the majority, NRSC chair Sen. Rick Scott of Florida was criticized for a hands-off approach in the GOP Senate primaries. 

This past cycle, now-former NRSC chair Sen. Steve Daines of Montana got involved in Senate Republican nomination battles.

Asked whether the NRSC will take sides in competitive Republican Senate primaries during his tenure the next two years, Scott told Fox News, ‘I think the best thing for us to do is have a family conversation next year about what we’re looking at. How we’re going to defend that map and then make the best decisions we can as it relates to making sure that we end up with more seats than we currently have.’

‘Thank God we’re at 53. I’d like to see 55,’ Scott added. 

Asked whether holding 55 seats was his goal, Scott joked, ‘if it were up to me, we’d have 100 seats.’

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who easily won re-election earlier this month in blue-state New York, is expected to take over as chair of the rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Senate Democrats will hold their leadership elections later this year.

David Bergstein, the DSCC communications director for the past couple of election cycles, told Fox News that ‘in a challenging political environment, Democrats made history. We won multiple races in states won by Trump. We dramatically over-performed the presidential results. And for the first time in over a decade, Senate Democrats have won multiple races in states won by the opposite party’s presidential nominee.’

‘The outcome of this cycle puts Senate Democrats in the strongest possible position to reclaim the majority in 2026,’ Bergstein touted.

The Trump-Vance transition team has still not signed documents required to formally begin the transition of power, the White House says. 

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday that ‘Our teams continue to stay in touch’ and ‘as of now… the Trump-Vance transition team has not yet entered into the agreements with the White House and the General Service Administration (GSA).’ 

Not signing the documents means the government can’t provide security clearances and briefings to incoming administration officials and the FBI can’t screen Trump’s picks for the Cabinet and other key posts. The agreements also provide ‘office space, IT equipment, office supplies, fleet vehicles, mail management, and payment of compensation and other expenses,’ according to the GSA. 

‘President Biden met with the president-elect to show that transition of power and obviously offering, any assistance, needed to make sure that happens in a way that is peaceful, obviously, and efficient,’ according to Jean-Pierre. 

‘So were going to continue to engage with the Trump transition team, to ensure that we do have that efficient, effective, transition of power,’ she added. ‘And in those conversations, we certainly are stressing that the White House and the administration stand ready to provide assistance and that access to services and information certainly outlined in the GSA, and the White House memorandum of agreement. So, those conversations continue. And we want this to go smoothly, and that’s what we’re trying to get to.’ 

The continued delay on agreeing to start the formal transition process may eventually force senators to vote on Trump’s Cabinet picks without the benefit of the usual background checks, the Associated Press reported. 

That process is designed to uncover personal problems, criminal histories and other potential red flags that would raise questions about a nominee’s suitability for key jobs. 

It’s unclear why the documents haven’t been signed yet.  

Transition spokesman Brian Hughes said earlier this month that the team’s ‘lawyers continue to constructively engage with’ lawyers and officials from President Joe Biden’s outgoing administration and promised updates ‘once a decision is made.’ 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Outgoing Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced that he will chair the Senate Rules Committee as well as the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense during the 119th Congress.

‘America’s national security interests face the gravest array of threats since the Second World War. At this critical moment, a new Senate Republican majority has a responsibility to secure the future of U.S. leadership and primacy,’ McConnell said in a statement. 

‘I intend to play an active role in this urgent mission as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and I look forward to working closely with incoming Chair Susan Collins to accomplish our shared goal,’ he noted.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is currently the vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. 

‘The Senate Rules Committee will also have important work to accomplish in the 119th Congress, and I look forward to leading it as Chairman,’ McConnell said in the statement.

‘Defending the Senate as an institution and protecting the right to political speech in our elections remain among my longest-standing priorities. Ranking Member Deb Fischer has done an outstanding job advancing these causes, and I know she will remain a key partner in the committee’s ongoing work,’ he noted.

McConnell, 82, has served in the U.S. Senate since 1985, which means he will soon reach his 40-year-anniversary in the chamber. His current term ends in early 2027.

While he has helmed the Senate GOP since 2007, McConnell announced earlier this year that his current term as Senate Republican leader would be his last in the position.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. has been tapped to succeed McConnell in the role next year. 

Republicans won the Senate majority during the 2024 elections — Thune will be Senate majority leader.

‘John Thune’s election is a clear endorsement of a consummate leader. The confidence our colleagues have placed in John’s legislative experience and political skill is well deserved,’ McConnell said in a statement.

‘The American people elected Republicans to restore stability and order after four years of Washington Democrats’ failure. John Thune will take the reins with a tremendous opportunity to lead this transformation, and Senate Republicans stand behind him, ready to get to work,’ he added.

The Pentagon said it rejects the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday.

Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters during a press briefing on Thursday that the U.S. ‘fundamentally rejects’ the ICC’s decision to issue the arrest warrants.

‘We remain concerned by the prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants, and, you know, some of the processes that have played out,’ Singh said. ‘And again, we’ve been very clear that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over this matter.’

The ICC charged Netanyahu and Gallant with ‘crimes against humanity and war crimes,’ including the use of starvation as a method of warfare and targeting civilians.

President Biden blasted the court’s decision to issue arrest warrants against the two senior Israeli officials.

‘The ICC issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous,’ Biden said. ‘Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.’

Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the court’s actions in a statement on Thursday.

‘Taken in bad faith, the outrageous decision at the ICC has turned universal justice into a universal laughingstock,’ Herzog wrote. ‘It makes a mockery of the sacrifice of all those who fight for justice – from the Allied victory over the Nazis till today.’

Herzog argued that the ICC’s decision ignores Hamas’ use of human shields and its Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks that started the war, as well as the Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza.

Israel made several efforts to block the ICC from approving the arrest warrants. They first argued that the ICC has no jurisdiction over Israel, but the court said it could issue the arrest warrants as part of the ‘territorial jurisdiction of Palestine.’

Israel also made other procedural challenges, but they were rejected.

The ICC’s move comes just days after Senate Majority Leader-elect John Thune threatened to hit the court with sanctions if it moved forward with the arrest warrants.

The U.S. does not officially recognize the ICC’s authority, but it is not the first time Washington has looked to halt the court’s actions.

In 2020, the Trump administration opposed attempts by the ICC to investigate U.S. soldiers and the CIA involved in alleged war crimes between 2003-2004 ‘in secret detention facilities in Afghanistan,’ and issued sanctions against ICC prosecutors.

Biden’s administration undid those sanctions shortly after entering office.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

Two U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News Thursday that a Russian ‘experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile’ (IRBM) launched at Ukraine was not hypersonic.

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed the attack Thursday evening in an address to the nation and said it was in direct response to the U.S. and the U.K. jointly approving Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles to target Russia.

Putin and U.S. sources have since confirmed the strike was not an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), but the Kremlin chief also claimed the weapon used poses a significant challenge for Western nations.

Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed to reporters during a press briefing Thursday that Russia had launched an IRBM based on one of Russia’s ICBM models. She sometimes called the IRBM ‘experimental,’ explaining it was the first time the missile had been used on the battlefield.

‘This was a new type of lethal capability that was employed on the battlefield, so that’s certainly a concern to us,’ Singh said.

She also said the U.S. was notified briefly before the launch through nuclear or risk reduction channels.

Still, Singh told reporters the Department of Defense has not seen any adjustment in Russia’s nuclear posture, nor has the U.S. made any changes to its own.

Putin said, according to a translation, that the missile attacked targets at a speed of Mach 10.

‘That’s 2.5 miles per second,’ Putin said. ‘The world’s current air defense systems and the missile defense systems developed by the Americans in Europe do not intercept such missiles.’

Despite Putin’s claim, two U.S. defense officials told Fox News the missile was not hypersonic, which, according to NASA, is a speed greater than 3,000 mph and faster than Mach 5.

Singh told reporters the only escalation in the war between Russia and Ukraine is that the former invaded a sovereign border country and turned to North Korea to bring about 11,000 soldiers to fight against Ukraine.

Following President Biden’s position reversal this week to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) against the Russian homeland, Kyiv immediately levied strikes against a military arsenal in the Russian region of Bryansk, more than 70 miles from Ukraine’s border. 

While Ukrainian troops officially fired the sophisticated missiles, the weapons system still relies on U.S. satellites to hit its target, an issue Putin touched on in his unannounced speech Thursday. 

‘We are testing the Oreshnik missile systems in combat conditions in response to NATO countries’ aggressive actions against Russia. We will decide on the further deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles depending on the actions of the U.S. and its satellites,’ he said.

Putin claimed Russia will alert Ukrainian citizens of an impending attack like the strike he carried out on Thursday, though it remains unclear if he issued a warning to the Ukrainians living in Dnipro. 

The Kremlin chief said the ‘defense industry’ was targeted, though images released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense showed what appeared to be civilian infrastructure caught in the fray. 

Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.