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Trump team quickly rejects testimony request, blasts 'unconstitutional' trial
Former President Trump will not testify in his Senate impeachment trial, Fox News has learned. 

"The president will not testify in an unconstitutional proceeding," Trump senior adviser Jason Miller told Fox News Thursday. 

The former president's legal team fired back at impeachment manager Jamie Raskin's request Thursday for the former president to testify as part of the Senate impeachment trial, calling it a "public relations stunt" and saying they "cannot prove" the allegations against him.

The comments came after House impeachment managers requested that Trump provide testimony under oath either before or during the Senate impeachment trial about "his conduct" on Jan. 6, the day of the Capitol riot.

Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, reacted later Thursday to the response from the Trump camp.

"Today we offered President Trump the opportunity to testify about the events of January 6 and he refused to do so," Raskin wrote. "Despite his lawyers' rhetoric, any official accused of inciting armed violence against the government of the United States should welcome the chance to testify openly and honestly -- that is, if the official had a defense. ... His immediate refusal to testify speaks volumes and plainly establishes an adverse inference supporting his guilt." CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY.

In other developments:
- Trump impeachment trial sees wide partisan divide: polls
- Raskin says Trump's refusal to testify at impeachment supports 'his guilt'
- Jason Miller: Trump impeachment trial is unconstitutional – here's why Senate must dismiss it
- What is Trump being accused of in the Senate impeachment trial?
- Can the Senate stop Trump running for president again?
- Impeachment trial: How many Senate votes does it take to convict Trump?

Keeping National Guard in DC has cost an estimated $438 million
The price tag for keeping the National Guard in Washington D.C. since Jan. 6 has reached an estimated $438 million, a senior defense official told Fox News.

The estimate came nearly a month after the riot at the U.S. Capitol. Chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby recently said new Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had committed to ordering all units to "stand down" in the next 60 days.

Between 5,000 and 7,000 troops are scheduled to stay in D.C. until mid-March, a significant reduction from the 26,000 that were deployed to help secure the Biden inauguration.

A spokesman previously confirmed to Fox News that the D.C. National Guard would "remain on orders until March 31, 2021." CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

In other developments:
- Ingraham: Biden defense chief starting 'ideological and un-American purge of the US military'
- Pentagon orders 'stand down' across military to investigate extremism in the ranks
- Feds considering charging Capitol rioters using law typically applied to mafia, organized crime cases: report
- Rep. Waltz urges Army to press Congress, FBI for details on threats to Capitol that require National Guard

Recall bid against California's Gov. Gavin Newsom clears 1.4 million signatures
The effort to force a recall vote against California Gov. Gavin Newsom is looking increasingly likely as more than 1.4 million signatures were collected as of Thursday, according to the Recall Gavin Campaign.

The proponents of the recall effort hope to hit 2 million signatures by March 17, but only 1.5 million are needed to trigger a mid-year election.

The recall campaign of the Democratic governor was launched by Orrin Heatlie, chairman of The California Patriot Coalition, but other groups have joined the effort – including Republican congressional hopeful Joe Collins, who launched a 28-day "Recall Road Trip" earlier this week.

Collins will visit 16 cities, hoping to collect more signatures from Californians who are frustrated with Newsom’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. 

"Gavin has been less than mediocre for California," Collins told Fox News on Thursday. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

In other developments:
- Could Gavin Newsom really get kicked out of office? Fox News talks to a recall expert
- California high school football player goes viral after calling out Newsom for 'wasted final year'
- California Republican taking on Gov. Newsom: People 'united by frustration' with pandemic lockdowns
- Ex-San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer announces bid to unseat California Gov. Newsom

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TODAY'S MUST-READS:
- House ousts Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from committees in unprecedented vote
- Tucker Carlson: Bank of America handed over customer data to feds following Capitol riot
- Fact-check site Snopes panned for 'weird' post about AOC's Capitol claim
- Lara Logan witnesses gun, grenade battle at US-Mexico border: 'War raging on America's doorstep'
- Pompeo on Biden declaring 'America is back': 'Back to when ISIS controlled a caliphate'?
- Chicago records highest January murder rate in four years

THE LATEST FROM FOX BUSINESS:
- Hiring may have rebounded from 1st monthly loss since April
- Robinhood lifts trading restrictions on all stocks, including GameStop
- Some baby foods tainted with 'dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals', congressional report finds
- Disney pops after new bill proposes speeding up theme park re-openings
- Ford beats earnings estimates, announces $29 billion electric and autonomous car plan
- T-Mobile to spend up to $3B on saying bye to Sprint

#The Flashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on "This Day in History."

SOME PARTING WORDS

By removing U.S. Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., from House committees, Democrats have set a dangerous precedent, Fox News host Sean Hannity warned Thursday on "Hannity."

"In the House, Democrats are waging a campaign against an obscure House Republican who has been on the job for one month and one day," Hannity said. "Tonight during a House-wide vote, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene was stripped of all committee assignments because of some things she has said."

"For Democrats, this is not at all about Majorie Taylor Greene," he continued. "Instead they want to smear her. It’s a mere political ploy. The idea is they want to smear her, all Republicans and all conservatives."  

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Fox News First was compiled by Fox News' Jack Durschlag. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! Have a good weekend, stay safe and we’ll see you in your inbox first thing Monday.