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Trump’s DHS Chief Accuses Biden Administration Of ‘Cutting Terrorists Loose’

By
Madeleine Jackson
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DHSgov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Biden administration let them go. Now Trump’s Homeland Security chief says his department is hunting them down.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin leveled that explosive accusation Thursday, saying federal authorities have arrested 2,210 people he described as terrorists under President Donald Trump — and accusing the previous administration of releasing dangerous individuals into the country.

“Most of them came over and claimed asylum, gave a fake name,” Mullin told the Ruthless Podcast in a clip released Thursday morning, according to The Daily Wire.

“Some of them we caught, but a lot of them came in and … the Biden administration was just cutting them loose.”

Mullin credited Trump with giving DHS a more aggressive mission: pursue threats before they strike.

“One directive we had is we’re no longer just playing defense,” he said. “We’re on the offense. President Trump has given us the authority to go on the offensive.”

A Troubling Paper Trail

The accusation revives questions raised in an August 2024 report from the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee.

The committee reported that DHS released at least 99 migrants on the terrorist watchlist into American communities after Border Patrol encountered them at the southwest border between fiscal years 2021 and 2023.

That was out of more than 250 watchlisted migrants encountered during that period, according to the report. At least 34 others remained in DHS custody awaiting removal.

The report also examined eight Tajik nationals with potential ISIS ties arrested in June 2024. Three had entered through ports of entry using appointments scheduled through the Biden administration’s CBP One app, the committee said.

The distinction matters: appearing on the terrorist watchlist does not establish a terrorism conviction. The FBI describes the database as containing information about people reasonably suspected of involvement in terrorism or related activities.

DHS’s own September announcement likewise used the category “known or suspected terrorists.” It reported more than 2,150 arrests and 2,015 deportations between January 20, 2025, and September 9, 2026. Mullin’s latest figure raises the arrest total, but his comments, as reported by The Daily Wire, did not identify the detainees’ organizational affiliations.

Trump’s Bigger Offensive

Trump has pushed the crackdown beyond traditional border enforcement.

His January 20, 2025, executive order launched the process of designating international cartels and gangs as terrorist organizations, explicitly identifying Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as threats to American security. The administration subsequently designated those groups and the Sinaloa Cartel, among others.

Then, in a March 7, 2026, proclamation, Trump called for those networks to be stripped of territory, financing and the resources needed to spread violence.

They should be “demolished to the fullest extent possible consistent with applicable law,” the president declared. The proclamation also outlined plans to train and mobilize partner nations’ militaries against the cartels.

Those designations broaden the backdrop to Mullin’s announcement. His arrest figure cannot automatically be read as a tally of ISIS or al-Qaeda operatives; the administration’s terrorist designations also encompass major criminal gangs and drug cartels.

For Mullin, the message is pursuit — including in cyberspace.

“We’re swimming upstream now,” he told Ruthless, according to The Daily Wire. “We’re going after the people that are coming after us.”

Trump Says He Regrets All Three Of His Supreme Court Picks

By
Madeleine Jackson
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President Donald Trump answers questions from members of the media aboard Air Force One en route to Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, for a rally on the economy, Tuesday, December 9, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

President Donald Trump spent years celebrating the Supreme Court majority he helped build. Now, he says he regrets choosing all three of his appointees.

In a September 28 interview with Time magazine, Trump was asked whether he regretted nominating Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

“Yeah. Yeah. What can I do? I put them in,” Trump replied. “They voted against me too often.”

The blunt admission follows a string of clashes between the president and the court over his administration’s policies on tariffs, birthright citizenship and mail voting.

Trump appointed Gorsuch in 2017, Kavanaugh in 2018 and Barrett in 2020. Those selections helped establish the court’s 6–3 conservative majority — a transformation he has repeatedly touted as one of his biggest accomplishments.

But the president now says his nominees have fallen short of his expectations.

‘Very Disappointing’

During the Time interview, Trump complained that his appointees had received the “position of a lifetime” but nevertheless frequently ruled against his administration.

“They vote for me too,” he acknowledged.

Still, Trump contrasted their decisions with those of the court’s three liberal justices, whom he described as more consistent in voting together.

“The Democrats stick like glue — those three, they virtually never vary,” Trump said.

Although he criticized that approach, he added that “there’s something I admire about it: there’s loyalty.”

Asked whether he wanted loyalty from his own nominees, Trump rejected that characterization.

“No, I don’t want loyalty,” he said. “I want good decisions.”

His assessment of the justices he selected remained harsh.

“I put these people in. It is what it is,” Trump told Time. “Very disappointing, very disappointing for the country — their decisions.”

Mail Voting Clash Fueled His Anger

Trump had already publicly attacked his three appointees in September after the court blocked his administration’s attempt to restrict mail voting ahead of the midterm elections.

In that criticism, he said the justices “are not the people I interviewed to serve” and called them “shells of their former selves.”

The court’s order did not disclose a complete vote breakdown, leaving each justice’s position unclear. Kavanaugh wrote a concurring opinion, while Gorsuch and Barrett did not publicly join the dissent from Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

Trump praised Thomas and Alito as “legends both” while directing his frustration at the broader court.

Tariffs And Citizenship Remain Flashpoints

The president also singled out rulings involving his tariff policies and effort to narrow birthright citizenship.

“The tariff decision was disastrous for the country,” Trump told Time, calling it “an absolute crying shame.”

He argued that the court should have protected the substantial revenue collected under his trade policies.

Trump also criticized the court’s decision involving his attempt to restrict automatic citizenship for some children born in the United States — an executive action challenged under the 14th Amendment.

“It’s unfortunate what they did — not to me, to our country,” he said.

A Court He Once Celebrated

Trump’s frustration marks a striking turn in his public assessment of the court.

His appointees helped deliver major conservative victories, including overturning Roe v. Wade, expanding Second Amendment protections and restricting the use of race in college admissions.

Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for those outcomes, particularly the reversal of Roe.

But Supreme Court justices hold lifetime appointments and remain independent of the presidents who nominate them. Their selection carries no obligation to support an administration’s policies.

That independence has now become a recurring source of frustration for the president who helped shape the current bench.

Asked whether he regretted his three choices, Trump’s answer was unequivocal: “Yeah. Yeah.”

Lara Trump Unleashes Harsh Reality Check: Iran War Could Cost Trump The Midterms

By
Madeleine Jackson
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Image via gage Skidmore Flickr

Lara Trump acknowledged that the war with Iran could cost Republicans control of Congress this November — but said preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon would justify that political price.

The president’s daughter-in-law and former Republican National Committee co-chair made the admission during a Tuesday interview with British journalist Harry Cole on his YouTube program, “Harry Cole Saves the West,” according to The Hill.

Asked whether the prolonged conflict could damage President Donald Trump’s legacy, she pointed to a more immediate risk.

“Well, it could cost him these midterms,” Lara Trump said.

Still, she defended the president’s place in history, saying his legacy remains unfinished and predicting he would ultimately rank among America’s greatest presidents.

Losing Congress Would Be Worth It

Cole later pressed her on whether the administration’s campaign against Iran would be worth Republicans losing both the House and Senate to Democrats.

“Yeah,” she answered.

“Look, I think he just understands that when Iran gets a nuclear weapon, it doesn’t matter who is in charge of the House. It doesn’t matter the majority in the Senate,” she continued. “This world is a really frightening place and you really can’t come back from that.”

Her answer put the potential consequences plainly: even a Democratic takeover of Congress would be an acceptable price, in her view, for preventing a nuclear-armed Iran.

The comments were a warning about what could happen in November, rather than a prediction that Republicans will lose.

Accusing Iran Of Playing The Election Calendar

Lara Trump also acknowledged that the conflict has frustrated the president. She said he “really hates the way that things have gone with Iran” and wished progress had come more quickly.

But she blamed Tehran for prolonging the standoff, arguing that Iranian leaders believe Republican losses would improve their negotiating position.

“The Iranians are absolutely holding out until these midterm elections,” she said, accusing them of trying to damage the president’s electoral prospects.

That assertion conflicts with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s public position. According to The Hill, Pezeshkian told reporters during last week’s United Nations General Assembly that he wanted an agreement before November.

“We don’t want it to get to the midterm elections,” he said.

The competing statements underscore the disagreement over whether the election calendar is delaying a deal.

The Costs Keep Mounting

The interview comes as the conflict stretches beyond the brief operation Trump initially described, with higher fuel prices adding pressure on Republicans heading into November.

The financial burden also continues to grow. Roll Call reported that a Pentagon estimate put the war’s costs at $43.6 billion through September 3. That figure included $11.2 billion in operating expenses and $32.4 billion in replacement costs for munitions, damaged aircraft and other assets. It excluded some additional expenses, including damage to U.S. military facilities across the region.

Axios separately reported that Republican strategists remain uncertain whether their campaign advertising can overcome voter anger over prices and the Iran war.

A Call For A Stronger Explanation

Lara Trump’s defense of the war came with an acknowledgment that Republicans could do more to explain it.

When Cole questioned whether the administration had adequately made its case to Americans facing higher gasoline prices, she said many people feel geographically removed from Iran.

Although she said the president discusses the issue frequently, she urged other Republicans and White House officials to explain more clearly what they believe is at stake.

Her message left Republicans with a difficult argument heading into November: the war could help cost them Congress, but she believes its national security objective outweighs the price.

Charlie Kirk’s Mother Breaks Silence on Erika Kirk Rumors

By
Madeleine Jackson
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0
Xuthoria, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

More than a year after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, his mother is speaking publicly about a different source of pain: rumors that his grieving family has turned against his widow.

Kathryn Kirk rejected claims of a feud with Erika Kirk in a rare interview published by Vanity Fair on September 29. Her message was direct: The two women have become closer since losing Charlie.

“We were 100% behind her,” Kathryn said, according to The Daily Wire’s account of the interview.

A mother answers the rumors

Kathryn pushed back on speculation that Charlie’s parents blamed Erika for his death or disagreed with her over Turning Point USA’s future, The Daily Wire reported.

“Erika and I have, through the trauma, grown closer,” she told Vanity Fair. “We knew Charlie in a way that no one else did. We can look at each other’s eyes, and we know the depth of our despair.”

According to The Daily Wire’s report, Kathryn began crying when discussing how upset her son would be by the attacks directed at his wife on social media.

She had largely stayed away from interviews after Charlie was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. But staying out of public view did not spare her from attention.

Kathryn recalled that a TMZ reporter “called me even before I talked to my daughter. Before I was running the car,” she told Vanity Fair, according to The Daily Wire.

Her decision to speak now gives readers a direct account of her relationship with Erika, rather than speculation about what her silence might mean.

What Charlie wanted for Turning Point

The Vanity Fair profile also addressed Erika’s succession at Turning Point USA. Board members, Erika and close allies told the magazine that Charlie wanted his wife to take over if something happened to him.

Kathryn said Charlie had kept his parents out of those conversations to avoid heightening their fears. Her support for Erika adds a family perspective to the debate over the organization’s future.

United in the pursuit of justice

The family’s public rejection of division comes as the criminal case against Charlie’s accused killer moves toward trial.

On September 1, Utah Judge Tony Graf ruled that Tyler Robinson could stand trial on all charges, including aggravated murder, ABC News reported. Not guilty pleas were entered on Robinson’s behalf. Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.

The ruling allows the prosecution to proceed; it does not determine Robinson’s guilt. In a joint statement shared by Erika and quoted by The Daily Wire, the family emphasized the loss facing Charlie’s children, who will grow up without their father.

“As the next phase of the judicial process begins, our family remains united in our love for Charlie, our commitment to the pursuit of justice, and our prayer for a transparent and timely process,” the family said.

Supreme Court Gives Trump Green Light To Resume Third-Country Deportations

By
Madeleine Jackson
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0

President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign just got a green light from the Supreme Court — with a bigger legal showdown still ahead.

The justices on Tuesday, September 29, allowed the administration to resume its contested third-country removal policy, pausing a Massachusetts federal court judgment that had blocked it. The apparent 6–3 split left Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson opposing the stay.

The policy allows immigration officials to send people with final removal orders to countries other than those specified in their orders, often nations other than their homelands. The Court also agreed to hear the case in December, setting up a full review of the administration’s authority.

DHS Celebrates The Ruling

DHS General Counsel James Percival welcomed the decision, saying the department’s third-country removal policy was back in effect and calling it the administration’s second Supreme Court victory in less than a week.

“A bad day for criminal illegals and open borders activists alike,” Percival wrote on X, according to The Daily Wire.

The administration argues that third-country removals provide a way to deport people whose home countries will not accept them, including individuals convicted of serious crimes.

In its September 24 emergency application, Solicitor General D. John Sauer described the policy as “an essential tool to remove certain aliens, including some of the worst criminal aliens.”

A Dispute Over Notice And Safety

The fight centers on what protections migrants must receive before being sent to another country.

U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston found that the administration’s procedures did not provide adequate notice or a meaningful chance to raise fears of torture or persecution at the proposed destination, NPR reported.

The administration contends that credible assurances from a receiving country that it will not persecute or torture deportees can permit prompt removal. Its court filing says that, without those assurances, the policy provides notice and an opportunity to raise fears of mistreatment.

Government lawyers also said the lower-court ruling had forced officials to cancel a flight carrying 70 people with criminal convictions to three countries, triggering additional diplomatic negotiations. Those assertions were part of the administration’s request for emergency relief.

Attorneys challenging the policy argue that removing people without meaningful notice can expose them to serious harm. Their court papers described allegations of arbitrary detention, beatings, sexual assault and people being sent onward to countries from which they had already received protection, according to NPR.

December Brings The Larger Showdown

Tuesday’s order gives Trump an immediate enforcement victory, but the policy’s ultimate legality remains unresolved.

The justices will consider whether the district court had jurisdiction, whether it could grant relief covering the entire class of migrants, and whether the government’s policy violates federal immigration law, constitutional due process or protections against torture.

For now, the lower-court judgment remains paused while the Supreme Court proceeds toward a final decision.

Trump-backed Paxton Privately Says GOP Convention Hurt Republican Candidates

By
Madeleine Jackson
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0
Political representation of parties making money

President Donald Trump’s Dallas convention was supposed to give Republicans a boost before November. Behind closed doors, one of his most prominent Senate candidates reportedly offered a far less encouraging assessment.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for Senate, told conservative donors and lobbyists that the gathering had hurt his campaign’s numbers, according to an audio recording obtained by The New York Times.

“So to be honest with you, the numbers — when we did that convention — it dropped our numbers. Everybody’s numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good,” Paxton said, according to the newspaper.

The remarks put Paxton’s private assessment at odds with Trump’s public claim that the convention helped him. They also come as Republicans pour money into a surprisingly competitive fight to hold a Texas Senate seat.

Private remarks draw a campaign rebuttal

The Times reported that the recording came from a private Washington fundraiser on Sept. 24 attended by roughly a dozen people. An attendee who opposes Paxton’s campaign provided the audio and received anonymity because the remarks were private.

In the recording, a questioner asks, “Do you feel like he’s a little bit of a drag?”

The newspaper cautioned that the audio is muffled at times and does not clearly establish whom the questioner meant. Paxton’s response, however, specifically addressed the convention and what he described as declining numbers.

Three other people with knowledge of the event confirmed Paxton attended, according to the Times. Two remembered the question, and one recalled his response about the convention’s negative consequences.

Paxton’s campaign sharply disputed the report.

Nick Maddux, a senior adviser, called it “more manipulated nonsense from The New York Times to create a story that doesn’t exist.”

“Our latest poll from the last week has Ken Paxton leading by three points, and every serious pollster will tell you that our numbers have improved since early September,” Maddux told the newspaper.

He added that Paxton expects to win and looks forward to “closing strong alongside President Trump.”

Trump offered a different assessment

Paxton has closely aligned himself with Trump, whose support helped him defeat Sen. John Cornyn in this year’s Republican primary, the Times reported.

The Dallas convention gave Paxton a prominent platform in his home state and opportunities to connect with Republican donors. Trump praised him onstage, even while teasing his appearance.

Afterward, the president offered an assessment that directly contrasted with Paxton’s recorded remarks.

“The fact that we had such a successful convention really helped Ken Paxton,” Trump said, according to the Times. “He was a big part of it.”

“The convention helped Ken Paxton a lot,” he added.

Whether the gathering actually hurt Republican candidates remains unresolved. The Times reported that public surveys of the Texas Senate race did not appear to show a significant convention-related change.

A costly fight in Texas

The broader polling picture nevertheless shows why Republicans are concerned.

As of Sept. 30, RealClearPolling’s average put Democratic state Rep. James Talarico ahead of Paxton, 47.6% to 44.7%, a 2.9-point advantage. That differs from the campaign’s claim of a three-point lead in its own poll.

Kristi Noem Files for Divorce After 34 Years of Marriage

By
Madeleine Jackson
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0
The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has filed for divorce from her husband, Bryon, bringing a 34-year marriage to court after months of public speculation about the couple.

The case appeared in Hamlin County, South Dakota, court records this week. The filing cites irreconcilable differences, according to NewsNation’s report on the documents. The Noems married on May 23, 1992, and have three adult children.

The public filing gives no further explanation for the split. Bryon Noem told Nexstar’s KELO on Tuesday, “I can’t comment right now,” according to the NewsNation account. The outlet said it was unable to reach Kristi Noem.

Months of speculation

The marriage had drawn attention since late March, when the Daily Mail published photos and messages it said showed Bryon Noem interacting with online fetish performers. A representative for Kristi Noem said at the time that the family had been “blindsided” and asked for privacy and prayers. The public divorce filing does not establish what prompted Noem’s decision.

In July, Kristi Noem’s mother, Corinne Arnold, told the Daily Mail the couple was headed for divorce. Bryon was absent from the August unveiling of a statue honoring Kristi’s time as South Dakota governor. At the event, she said her family, including Bryon, had supported her during her years in office.

The Trump administration connection

The filing also renews attention on Noem’s final weeks at the Department of Homeland Security. During a March House Judiciary Committee hearing, a Democratic lawmaker asked about reports of a romantic relationship between Noem and Corey Lewandowski, a former Trump campaign manager who worked as an adviser at DHS. Noem dismissed the question as “tabloid garbage.” Both Noem and Lewandowski have denied the allegations. The divorce filing offers no evidence about those claims. cbsnews.com

Lewandowski’s authority at DHS had separately come under congressional scrutiny. ProPublica reported that agency records contradicted Noem’s testimony denying he had a role in approving contracts. That dispute concerned government oversight, separate from the couple’s divorce.

President Donald Trump removed Noem from DHS in March and named her special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a Western Hemisphere security initiative. She previously served as South Dakota’s governor from 2019 until joining Trump’s Cabinet in 2025.

For now, neither Noem has publicly explained the divorce filing beyond the irreconcilable differences stated in the court record.

Trump Publicly Rebukes His China Ambassador Over Stunning Xi Weapons Claim

By
Madeleine Jackson
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President Donald Trump poured cold water on a remarkable account from his own ambassador to China, saying he never discussed selling American weapons to Chinese President Xi Jinping and suggesting the envoy had confused China with Taiwan.

U.S. Ambassador David Perdue made the claim Sunday on Fox News Sunday while defending the administration’s approach to arms sales to Taiwan. Perdue said Trump had explained to Xi that the United States sells arms around the world, then added: “He actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some, at one point.” Perdue did not say when the purported exchange happened or describe Xi’s response.

Trump appeared caught off guard when a reporter raised the account at the White House on Monday.

“To China? You mean to Taiwan?” the president asked. After the reporter clarified, Trump replied, “I never heard of that one. I’m going to have to ask him.”

Watch:

Trump said China would probably want American equipment because, in his view, the United States makes better weapons. He briefly mused that selling them might be a good idea, but then rejected Perdue’s account: “We didn’t discuss that.” He suggested Perdue had been referring to Taiwan.

State Department Draws a Hard Line

The public contradiction followed a blunt response from the State Department. “U.S. law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China,” the department said in a statement to ABC News. A U.S. official separately told the outlet the government had no plans for such a sale.

Federal defense export rules list China among countries subject to a policy of denying approvals for defense articles and services. That makes Perdue’s account striking even as Trump insists the conversation never occurred.

Perdue’s comment arose from a different, long-running dispute: U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan, the self-governing island China claims as its territory. Fox host Shannon Bream pressed the ambassador about concerns that arms deliveries or approvals for Taiwan had been delayed to avoid angering Beijing. Perdue rejected the suggestion that Trump was abandoning Taiwan, saying the president remained strong on its defense and that the two leaders had discussed future arms sales to the island.

The White House’s summary of Xi’s state visit described talks on trade, Iran, strategic stability and trilateral arms control. It did not announce any proposed sale of American weapons to China.

For now, the ambassador’s account and the president’s account remain at odds. Trump said he would ask Perdue about the remark. Neither man has publicly explained what Perdue was referring to, while the State Department says an arms offer to China is off the table.

FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey Resigns as Trump Administration Sees More High-Profile Departures

By
Madeleine Jackson
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2

FBI co-deputy director Andrew Bailey announced Monday that he is leaving the bureau after just over a year, adding another senior departure to President Donald Trump’s administration.

Bailey, a former Missouri attorney general, said he is stepping down to return to his family in Missouri. He thanked Trump, Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel for the opportunity to serve. His resignation takes effect October 2, according to CBS News.

“With great pride in what we have accomplished, I am announcing that I am stepping down to return to my family in Missouri,” Bailey wrote on X. He expressed confidence that Patel would continue efforts to reform the FBI, fight violent crime and restore public trust. Patel praised Bailey’s work, saying the departing official helped return the bureau to its core mission.

Another Change at the FBI

Bailey joined the bureau in 2025 under an unusual arrangement that divided the deputy director role. He initially shared the title with Dan Bongino, the former Secret Service agent and conservative broadcaster who left the FBI in January. Career FBI official Christopher Raia later became the other co-deputy director. It remains unclear whether Raia will serve alone in the role after Bailey’s departure.

Bailey’s work included election-related investigations. He appeared with then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard when federal agents seized records from a Fulton County, Georgia, election facility in January, ABC News reported.

CBS News reported that Bailey had a strained working relationship with Patel, citing people familiar with the bureau’s internal dynamics. Bailey’s public statement gave family as his reason for leaving and voiced support for Patel. The reported tensions have not been established as the cause of his resignation.

Other Senior Trump Officials Have Left

The announcement follows several prominent departures elsewhere in the administration. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt completed her final day in August and moved to an outside advisory role. Trump also announced that White House counsel David Warrington would leave for the private sector, with Will Scharf succeeding him September 1.

James Braid, the White House’s director of legislative affairs and a key liaison to Congress, was another recent exit. Trump announced in August that Braid would leave in September.

The officials held different jobs and gave different reasons for leaving. Bailey’s departure is especially notable at the FBI because it follows Bongino’s exit and leaves the bureau’s shared deputy director structure in limbo.

Bush-Era White House Ethics Lawyer Raises Impeachment Alarm Over Trump TV Ads

By
Madeleine Jackson
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2
White House image via Wikimedia Commons

A former White House ethics lawyer says government-funded television ads promoting President Donald Trump could cross a line serious enough to warrant impeachment.

Richard Painter, who served as chief ethics lawyer in President George W. Bush’s White House, made the warning Sunday as ads featuring Trump aired ahead of the November midterms. “This could be an impeachable offense,” Painter wrote on X, referring to comments he made to The New York Times. He argued that a president has no right to use taxpayer money for campaign advertising.

The impeachment warning is Painter’s assessment. The White House disputes his description of the ads, calling them public service announcements.

The ads behind the fight

One 30-second spot flashes images of Trump while touting tax cuts, manufacturing and law enforcement. It uses audio of the president promising to defeat “communism, socialism and Marxism in America,” followed by praise from UFC CEO Dana White. The screen identifies it as “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” ABC News reported that the spot ran on Fox News and Newsmax in several markets; ad-tracking firm AdImpact estimated the buy at roughly $14,000 as of September 24.

A separate black-and-white spot features Trump’s 2024 campaign rhetoric about the “deep state,” “warmongers” and the news media. The New York Times reported that the footage had previously run as a campaign ad. Painter told the Times that using federal funds for the spots could constitute an abuse of power and an impeachable offense.

The dispute centers on whether the ads serve a government purpose or promote a political figure with public money. Painter contends that federal restrictions on government-funded political propaganda apply. His warning is not a legal finding or an announcement of impeachment proceedings.

Criticism reaches both parties

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., criticized the spending after being shown one of the ads on CBS’s Face the Nation Sunday. He said public officials, including Trump, should not spend public money on ads for themselves. Kennedy acknowledged that the White House sees the spot differently and said he believed there probably was a rule against using public funds for self-promotion.

The watchdog group Public Citizen filed a complaint Friday with the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Special Counsel. It alleged that the ads violate restrictions on government propaganda and political activity, and called for them to be pulled. The complaint states the group’s allegations; it does not establish that a violation occurred.

The White House said Friday that Trump is not on the November ballot and that the ads contain no call to vote. It cited government-funded public information campaigns under previous presidents, including messages about Medicare, health insurance enrollment and COVID-19 vaccination. The administration says its spots promote patriotism and clearly disclose who paid for them.

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