Federal prosecutors in Miami say top Smartmatic executives funneled money from a $300 million Los Angeles County voting contract into an illegal slush fund.
According to the Justice Department, Smartmatic co-founder Roger Alejandro Piñate Martinez and two others used shell companies and fake invoices to siphon off cash from the taxpayer-funded deal. That money allegedly ended up in bribes paid to government officials in Venezuela and the Philippines.
Smartmatic is suing Fox News for $2.7 billion — alleging the network defamed them by promoting President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election in the days and weeks after the 2020 vote.
The new filing is part of a corruption case in Florida against the three Smartmatic executives for allegedly operating a bribery and money-laundering scheme in which they are accused of paying off an election official in the Philippines to help secure $182 million in contracts. The DOJ also claims the executives carried a similar plot with a Venezuelan official — whom the executives gave a home with a pool in 2019, according to prosecutors.
The DOJ hasn’t charged Smartmatic as a company, nor has it accused any L.A. County officials of wrongdoing. Still, the department is clearly using the L.A. contract to establish a pattern of corrupt practices tied to the voting tech firm.
The DOJ’s latest move builds on earlier charges against the same executives. Federal prosecutors had previously accused Piñate of laundering money through a similar slush fund to bribe election officials in the Philippines during the 2016 elections.
To be clear, no one is alleging votes were tampered with or election results altered. The charges focus strictly on financial corruption — kickbacks, shell firms, and international bribery.
An Indiana woman has been arrested after threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump.
On Monday, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced Nathalie Jones, 50, of Lafayette, Indiana, was arrested in the District of Columbia on Saturday in connection with making a series of threats on social media in which she threatened to kill President Trump.
“Hi everyone, it’s Judge Jeanine. I just wanted to let you know here from the United States Attorney’s Office in D.C. that an individual by the name of Nathalie Rose Jones is now in custody, charged with two federal crimes for knowingly and willfully threatening to take the life of the President of the United States,” Pirro said in a clip she released on social media.
“She did come from New York to Washington, D.C. and she has been threatening and calling for the removal of the president and even worse as she got to D.C. Her threats were on Facebook and Instagram and she continued to call the president a terrorist and was working to have him eliminated. She is now in custody. She will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Make no mistake about that,” Pirro said with a hint of a smile.
On Facebook between August 6 and August 15, “Nath.Jones” allegedly continued to post threatening comments about President Trump. In an August 6 post directed at the FBI, Nath.Jones wrote that “I am willing to sacrificially kill this POTUS by disemboweling him and cutting out his trachea with Liz Cheney and all The Affirmation present.”
On August 14, in a post directed to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Nath Jones allegedly wrote “please arrange the arrest and removal ceremony of POTUS Trump as a terrorist on the American People from 10-2pm at the White House on Saturday, August 16th, 2025.”
On August 15, the U.S. Secret Service conducted a voluntary interview with Jones, during which she stated the President was a “terrorist” and a “nazi,” that if she had the opportunity, she would take the President’s life and would kill him at “the compound” if she had to, that she had a “bladed object,” which she said was the weapon she would use to “carry out her mission of killing” the president, and that she wanted to “avenge all the lives lost during the Covid-19 pandemic,” which she atrributed to President Trump’s administration and its position on vaccinations.
On August 16, Jones joined a protest demonstration that started at Dupont Circle, and circumnavigated the White House complex. Following the march, the U.S. Secret Service interviewed Jones for a second time, during which she admitted that she had made threats towards President Trump during her interview the previous day. She denied having any present desire to harm the President of the United States. Law enforcement arrested her and she confirmed that she was the owner of the Facebook user account “Nath Jones” and that she had posted the threatening statements.
Pirro, who was best known in recent years for her hot takes on The Five, is now the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Her office also put out a statement on the arrest, which read, “Nathalie Rose Jones, 50, of Lafayette, Indiana, was arrested in the District of Columbia on Saturday, August 16, and charged in connection with making a series of threats on social media in which she threatened to kill President Trump, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.”
“Jones was charged in a complaint in U.S. District Court with threatening to take the life of, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States, and transmitting in interstate commerce communications containing threats to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another,” added the statement.
First Lady Melania Trump participates in the Senate Spouses Luncheon at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, May 21,2025. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)
Things are about to get ugly…
First Lady Melania Trump is threatening to sue former President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, for $1 billion over “defamatory” claims linking her to late financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Melania’s attorney Alejandro Brito demanded that Biden “immediately retract the false, defamatory, disparaging and inflammatory statements made about Mrs. Trump,” which were contained in a video interview with Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan and posted to Youtube in early August.
Read the full letter:
“Failure to comply will leave Mrs. Trump with no choice but to pursue any and all legal rights and remedies available to her to recover the overwhelming financial and reputational harm that you have caused her to suffer,” Brito wrote.
In the video interview, titled “Hunter Biden Returns” video earlier in August, the former first son claimed “Epstein introduced Melania to Trump. The connections are, like, so wide and deep.”
Biden also claimed that “Jeffrey Epstein introduced Melania, and that’s how Melania and the first lady and the President met.”
“If you do not comply with the above by August 7, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. EST, Mrs. Trump will be left with no alternative but to enforce her legal and equitable rights, all of which are expressly reserved and are not waived, including by filing legal action for over $1 Billion Dollars in damages,” Brito wrote. “You are on notice.”
A source close to the matter told Fox News that Biden did not comply with the requests by the set deadline.
After Fox News published the piece, however, Melania Trump got Biden’s reply addressing the attorney’s letter when Callaghan posted a further interview with him to YouTube on Thursday.
Callaghan, holding up a copy at the interview’s opening, declared: “The day of presidential litigation has arrived!”
“We’re here, maybe, to give you the platform to apologize to the first lady for your statements that you made about her possible connection to Jeffrey Epstein,” the host said to Biden.
“F*ck that! That’s not going to happen,” Biden laughed.
Defending his comments as citation, Biden continued:
First of all is that, what I said was what I have heard and seen reported and written, primarily from Michael Wolff but also dating back all the way to 2019 when the New York Times – I think Annie Carney and and Maggie Haberman – reported that sources said that Jeffrey Epstein claimed to be the person to introduce Donald Trump to Melania at that time.
Biden added that he would not bow down to pressure or lawsuit threats: “I also think they’re bullies and they think that a billion dollars is going to scare me.”
I have this to say to them: If they want to sit down for a deposition and clarify the the nature of the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein, if the president and the First Lady want to do that and all of the known associates around them at the time of whatever time that they met, I’m more than happy to provide them the platform to be able to do it.
The letter comes after the Daily Beast pulled the article detailing allegations by journalist Wolff that Melania Trump was introduced to her husband Donald Trump via a modeling agent connected to Epstein, after a challenge from the first lady’s lawyers.
“Editor’s Note. After this story was published, The Beast received a letter from First Lady Melania Trump’s attorney challenging the headline and framing of the article. After reviewing the matter, the Beast has taken down the article and apologizes for any confusion or misunderstanding,” The Daily Beast posted in place of the article. The url for the article appears to have been amended to remove the original headline and now reads: thedailybeast.com/epstein-this-story-has-been-removed.
It also comes after famed Democrat strategist James Carville apologized to the first lady after repeating the same claim.
“In last week’s podcast episode, we spoke with Judd Legum,” he said. “After the episode, we received a letter from Melania Trump’s lawyer. He took issue with our title of one of those YouTube videos from that episode and a couple of comments I made about the first lady. We took a look at what they complained about, and we took down the video and edited out those comments from the episode. I also take back these statements and apologize.”
An aide to the first lady, Nick Clemens, told Fox News in a statement, “First Lady Melania Trump’s attorneys are actively ensuring immediate retractions and apologies by those who spread malicious, defamatory falsehoods. The true account of how the First Lady met President Trump is in her best-selling book, ‘Melania.’”
President Donald J. Trump is presented with a 10th Combat Aviation Brigade challenge coin following an air assault and gun rain demonstration at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13. The demonstration was part of President Trump's visit to the 10th Mountain Division (LI) to sign the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, which increases the Army's authorized active-duty end strength by 4,000 enabling us to field critical capabilities in support of the National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Scaggs) 180813-A-TZ475-010
President Donald Trump is seriously considering deploying up to 1,000 National Guard troops to Washington D.C., a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.
The troops would likely be pulled from the DC National Guard, although the decision about sending National Guard troops is not final, the official said.
Federal agents have deployed to DC streets in recent days, including officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Trump said on social media on Sunday that the news conference on crime and “beautification” will “not only involve ending the Crime, Murder, and Death in our Nation’s Capital, but will also be about Cleanliness and the General Physical Renovation and Condition of our once beautiful and well maintained Capital.”
“Washington, D.C. will be LIBERATED today!,” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social. “Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR. I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN! The days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people, are OVER! I quickly fixed the Border (ZERO ILLEGALS in last 3 months!), D.C. is next!!!”
"Washington, D.C. will be LIBERATED today! Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR. I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN… Thank you for your attention to this matter." – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/ymFYPsxUYI
Trump described D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser – who publicly clashed with Trump during the George Floyd riots in 2020 – “a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances, and the Crime Numbers get worse, and the City only gets dirtier and less attractive.”
“The American Public is not going to put up with it any longer,” the president wrote. “Just like I took care of the Border, where you had ZERO Illegals coming across last month, from millions the year before, I will take care of our cherished Capital, and we will make it, truly, GREAT AGAIN! Before the tents, squalor, filth, and Crime, it was the most beautiful Capital in the World. It will soon be that again. Thank you for your attention to this matter — See you tomorrow at 10 A.M.!”
The president has reignited his warnings about a federal government takeover of Washington, and said he may even deploy the National Guard over recent crime.
Bowser told MSNBC on Sunday that “it is always the president’s prerogative to use federal law enforcement of the National Guard.”
On Sunday, police instituted a juvenile curfew in the popular Navy Yard neighborhood, after a stolen gun was discharged during a large gathering of young people late on Saturday. The incident came even as the White House had deployed a surge of federal law enforcement officers in the city over the weekend.
Trump also said the homeless population would have to move “immediately,” posting photos of encampments and trash on the streets.
“There will be no ‘MR. NICE GUY,’” Trump posted. “We want our Capital BACK.”
Last week, Trump teased taking federal control of D.C. after former Department of Government Efficiency employee Edward “Big Balls” Coristine was brutally beaten during an attempted carjacking by teenage suspects.
Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) is coming to the defense of disgraced former Congressman George Santos, who is currently serving out his prison sentence.
On Monday, Greene called on President Trump to issue a pardon to Santos, who began his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey last month after being sentenced to 87 months in prison for wire fraud and identity theft. (RELATED:Disgraced Former Rep. George Santos Gets Over 7 Years In Prison)
In a letter to President Trump’s U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin, Greene wrote:
I am writing to request that your office urge the President to commute the sentence of former Congressman George Santos. In April 2025, Mr. Santos was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. I wholeheartedly believe in justice and the rule of the law, and I understand the gravity of such actions. However, I believe a seven-year sentence for such campaign-related matters for an individual with no prior criminal record extends far beyond what is warranted.
As a Member of Congress, I worked with Mr. Santos on many issues and can attest to his willingness and dedication to serve the people of New York who elected him to office. He committed himself to serving his constituents and did whatever it took to represent their interests in Washington, D.C. He is sincerely remorseful and has accepted full responsibility for his actions. Furthermore, my office has spoken with a pastor of his who discussed the regret and remorse of Mr. Santos, agreeing that the sentence imposed is a grave injustice.
While his crimes warrant punishment, many of my colleagues who I serve with have committed far worse offenses than Mr. Santos yet have faced zero criminal charges. I strongly believe in accountability for one’s actions, but I believe the sentencing of Mr. Santos is an abusive overreach by the judicial system.
Commuting his sentence would acknowledge the severity of his actions and simultaneously provide a path forward in allowing him to make amends for his crimes and strive to better serve the people in his community.
🚨 BREAKING: I just sent a letter to the Office of the Pardon Attorney urging President Trump to commute the sentence of former Congressman @MrSantosNY.
A 7-year prison sentence for campaign-related charges is excessive, especially when Members of Congress who’ve done far worse… pic.twitter.com/Isj2mxlhsd
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) August 4, 2025
In May, Santos teared up on Piers Morgan Uncensored and pleaded with Trump for a pardon, “commutation, clemency, whatever the president is willing to give me,” after being sentenced.
The former congressman also requested protective custody after expressing fear of being “brutalized” in prison.
“I’m not fearful of dying in there, I’m more fearful of being severely brutalized and harmed, if you get my drift,” he said.
Watch:
Last month, during an interview with Tucker Carlson, Santos also expressed concern that his time in prison could be a “death sentence.”
“Tucker, can I be honest with you?” Santos asked Carlson, who called Santos’s prison sentence unfair compared to lesser sentences handed to violent criminals.
“I hope you will,” Carlson responded.
“I don’t know that I survive it. They’re putting me in a violent prison. It’s a medium facility. I’m not a street-wise guy. I don’t know how to fight. I’m a gay man. We– statistics tell you what happens to gay men in prison. I didn’t know I survived this. I, I’m being honest. I mean, I can’t change that,” Santos said, later saying his only hope is prayer and a longshot pardon from President Donald Trump.
When Carlson pressed Santos on whether he was being serious, Santos insisted he is not “exaggerating” his fear, saying he’s lived a “sheltered” life that in no way prepared him for prison.
I’m heading to prison, folks and I need you to hear this loud and clear:
I’m not suicidal. I’m not depressed. I have no intentions of harming myself, and I will not willingly engage in any sexual activity while I’m in there.
If anything comes out suggesting otherwise, consider…
California Senator Adam Schiff (D) is under criminal investigation.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham broke the news on Tuesday night on “The Ingraham Angle,” saying the source said a criminal investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland on possible charges involving mortgage fraud.
The investigation comes a month after a story broke about the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) sending a criminal referral to the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleging that Schiff, in multiple instances, falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms.
In a 2011 affidavit signed by the then-California congressman, Schiff certified that a property in Montgomery County, Maryland, is his primary residence.
Schiff also owns a condominium in Burbank, California, which he has also claimed as his primary residence as recently as 2023, during his campaign for Senate.
Pulte later received a memo from the Fannie Mae financial crimes investigations concluding that Schiff allegedly engaged in “a sustained pattern of possible occupancy misrepresentation” on five Fannie Mae loans.
Schiff and his wife purchased a home in Potomac, Maryland, in 2003 for $870,000, according to the letter. They entered into a Fannie Mae-backed mortgage agreement for $610,000 at a rate of 5.625% over a term of 30 years, asserting the property would be their primary and principal residence.
The letter said they reaffirmed that the Maryland home was their primary residence in mortgage refinancing filings in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013, despite Schiff being an elected official representing the state of California at the same time.
In 2023, the letter notes, a spokesperson for Schiff asserted that, “Adam’s primary residence is Burbank, California, and will remain so when he wins the Senate seat.”
A spokesperson for Schiff in 2023 told CNN that, “Adam’s California and Maryland addresses have been listed as primary residences for loan purposes because they are both occupied throughout the year and to distinguish them from a vacation property.”
The federal housing official wrote that he believes Schiff’s alleged misconduct could be violations of federal criminal codes banning wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, and false statements to financial institutions.
President Donald Trump participates in a welcome ceremony with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud at the Royal Court Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
A 22-year-old Pennsylvania man is facing federal charges after allegedly making violent threats against President-elect Donald Trump just days before he was set to take office.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Jacob Buckley of Port Matilda posted several alarming threats on TikTok under the username “Jacob_buckley” on January 16. His posts included, “I’m going to kill Trump” and other comments targeting MAGA supporters.
He also wrote on the TikTok account, “I’m going to kill Trump,” and, “Bro we going into a literal oligarchy in 4 days and im going to kill Trump,” according to prosecutors.
Federal prosecutors confirmed that Buckley was charged by criminal information for threatening Trump as the incoming President. The investigation was led by the U.S. Secret Service.
“The maximum penalty upon conviction on the Information is 5 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, a fine, and the imposition of a special assessment,” the office added.
If convicted, Buckley could face up to five years in prison, along with fines and supervised release.
This case comes just weeks after another man—37-year-old Carl Montague of Rhode Island—was charged for allegedly threatening to kill Trump and members of his incoming administration on Truth Social. Montague’s posts included violent threats aimed at Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
WASHINGTON — FBI Director Kash Patel has reportedly uncovered a cache of sensitive documents tied to the origins of the now-discredited Trump–Russia investigation, according to sources with direct knowledge of the discovery.
The documents were allegedly found inside a concealed room at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., stored in multiple “burn bags” — containers typically used for the destruction of classified materials. The material is now under active review, with portions slated for declassification and eventual release to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA). (RELATED: Trump Issues Ultimatum To GOP Leader — Abolish This Rule Or Else)
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Among the most consequential items is a classified annex to former Special Counsel John Durham’s final report — a document that had previously been withheld from public and congressional view. Sources say the annex contains the raw intelligence Durham reviewed and includes information gathered before the FBI formally launched its “Crossfire Hurricane” probe into alleged ties between Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.
The annex reportedly outlines internal warnings about efforts within the federal government to elevate unsubstantiated claims of collusion — with some of the intelligence suggesting the narrative was intended to politically benefit the Clinton campaign.
A source familiar with the contents of the classified annex told Fox News Digital that while it may not have been exactly clear in the moment what the intelligence collection meant, with the benefit of hindsight, it predicted the FBI’s next move “with alarming specificity.”
“Ultimately, the release of the classified annex will lend more credibility to the assertion that there was a coordinated plan inside the U.S. government to help the Clinton campaign stir up controversy connecting Trump to Russia,” the source, who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters that have not yet been made public, told Fox News Digital.
Not Stated, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
“Mere days after this intelligence was collected, the FBI launched Crossfire Hurricane,” the source said. “It’s really hard to see how Brennan, Clapper and Comey are going to be able to explain this away.”
Sources told Fox News Digital that Patel and his team discovered a previously undisclosed sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) in the FBI headquarters.
Patel, who previously served as a top national security official during Trump’s presidency, is now overseeing the review of the trove, which reportedly consists of thousands of pages and digital records. Some of the documents are believed to directly relate to early surveillance activities and internal deliberations within the FBI in 2016. (RELATED: [WATCH] FBI’s Latest Target Isn’t Who You’d Expect…)
The declassification process is being coordinated with top national security officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and NSA Director Gen. William Hartman.
Former FBI Directors James Comey and Christopher Wray have yet to respond to request for comment as of this article’s publication.
Grassley Expected to Lead Congressional Oversight
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Grassley, who has long pressed for transparency surrounding the Durham probe, is expected to spearhead efforts to bring the annex and related documents before Congress.
The development has reignited conservative concerns about politicization within federal agencies and the weaponization of national security tools for partisan purposes.
As the annex moves toward declassification, key questions remain: How did this material remain hidden for so long? Who knew of its existence? And what political or legal consequences could follow its release?
The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a pardon of Sean “Diddy” Combs after he was found guilty of prostitution charges earlier this month.
A jury found Combs guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. More importantly, he was found not guilty of the most serious charges of racketeering, conspiracy, and sex trafficking. Due to the fact that he likely avoided a lengthy prison sentence, the verdict was considered a major win for the defense.
Now, Combs’ team reportedly wants the president to do away with those lesser charges, as well. According to a Tuesday report from Deadline, sources from within the administration said Trump has given serious thought to pardoning the music mogul.
The report continued:
Nearly two months after Trump publicly entertained the notion of a Diddy pardon in an Oval Office gaggle, a comprehensive get out of jail card for Combs is being “seriously considered,” an administration source tells Deadline.
Additionally, as several associates of the much-accused and currently incarcerated “All About the Benjamins” performer have been pitching the White House, other insiders confirm the topic has leveled up from “just another Trump weave to an actionable event” since Combs was found partially guilty in the his NYC sex-trafficking trial earlier this month. Of course, as a number of parties attest, this being the roller coaster of Trumpworld, any decision on a Combs pardon is in flux until POTUS actually puts his signature on paper.
As the report stated, the idea of Trump pardoning Combs is not a new one. Back in May, fellow music executive Suge Knight predicted that the president would lend Combs a hand in the event that he was convicted.
A man was arrested in Scotland after threatening to blow up an airplane with a bomb while denouncing America and President Donald Trump during his visit to Scotland over the weekend for golf and trade negotiations.
A video was posted to X showing the suspect, who is reportedly a 41-year-old Indian national residing in the United Kingdom, standing up in a plane’s aisle, shouting, “I am going to bomb the plane! Death to America! Death to Trump! Allahu akbar!”
“I’m going to bomb the plane. Death to America. Death to Trump. Allahu Akbar!”
— shouted by a Muslim aboard an easyJet flight from London to Glasgow today, which had to be diverted after he made the bomb threat.
As the man shouts, a passenger approaches him and tackles him to the floor. Another video reported by The Sun shows the man being interrogated while pinned to the floor, stating that he “[wanted] to send a message to Trump,” who he knew was in Scotland.
EasyJet EZY609, which was flying from London Luton Airport to Glasgow, Scotland, was forced to make an emergency landing at a separate runway in Glasgow to account for the man’s threats, at which point the man was arrested.
Passengers on the plane recalled the stressful event in statements to The Sun.
One passenger said, “I’ve never seen that before. The airline staff, they were all girls, they were really shaken up by it, but they were super professional.”
The Scotland police released a statement saying, “A 41-year-old man was arrested in connection and further enquiries are ongoing. … At this time we believe the incident was contained and that nobody else was involved.”
The statement mentioned that the videos available were being “assessed by counter terrorism officers.”
In a statement released by easyJet, a spokesperson confirmed that “Flight EZY609 from Luton to Glasgow this morning was met by police on arrival in Glasgow, where they boarded the aircraft and removed a passenger due to their behaviour onboard. … easyJet’s crew are trained to assess all situations and act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other customers is not compromised at any time.”
The witness said that the man “literally came out of the toilet shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ with his hands above his head,” noting that he did not see a cause of the outburst.
