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    Mexican President Pushes Back On Trump’s Latest Cartel Proposal

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54581054338/, Public Domain,

    Mexico’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, says she had “a very good conversation” with President Donald Trump on Monday — a call that focused heavily on cartel violence, cross-border drug trafficking, and the Trump administration’s push for tougher action against transnational criminal groups

    The call lasted about 15 minutes and came after Sheinbaum said she requested direct dialogue with the Trump administration, following a week of escalating rhetoric from Trump about the cartels and Mexico’s security crisis.

    A familiar dispute: U.S. military action vs. Mexican sovereignty

    Trump has repeatedly suggested the United States could use the U.S. military to strike cartel networks inside Mexico — an idea that resonates with many Republican voters who view the cartels as a direct national-security threat tied to fentanyl deaths, human trafficking, and illegal immigration.

    Sheinbaum, however, again rejected the idea of U.S. intervention, signaling that her government wants continued security cooperation, but on Mexico’s terms.

    Trump “still insisted that if we ask for it, they could help” with military forces, Sheinbaum said, adding that she rejected the offer again:

    “We told him, so far it’s going very well, it’s not necessary, and furthermore there is Mexico’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and he understood.”

    For Republican-leaning audiences, the tension here is straightforward: Mexico wants U.S. support — but not U.S. control, even as American communities continue facing the fallout of cartel-driven fentanyl trafficking.

    Trump presses the issue: “The cartels are running Mexico”

    Trump’s posture has been consistent: treat cartels like the enemy force they are.

    In a Fox News interview aired last week, he said:

    “We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water and we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico. It’s very sad to watch.”

    That message plays to a key Republican argument: the U.S. cannot allow criminal organizations to operate with near-military power just across the border, especially when those groups fuel drug deaths and destabilize communities on both sides.

    Venezuela raid adds new weight to Trump’s threats

    The conversation also came in the wake of a dramatic U.S. operation in Venezuela — the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — which Sheinbaum said Trump raised directly.

    “He (Trump) asked me my opinion about what they had done in Venezuela and I told him very clearly that our constitution is very clear, that we do not agree with interventions and that was it,” Sheinbaum said.

    Sheinbaum’s comments reflect a longstanding Mexican government position against foreign military interventions, but the timing matters: the Venezuela operation has made leaders across the region take Trump’s warnings more seriously — including when he talks about Mexico, Cuba, and even Greenland. AP News+1

    Rubio demands “tangible results” from Mexico

    The Trump administration’s pressure campaign hasn’t been limited to the president.

    Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente spoke Sunday with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called for “tangible results” and more cooperation to dismantle cartel power, according to the U.S. State Department.

    That demand reflects what many Republican voters have argued for years: Mexico must do more than make promises — it must deliver measurable enforcement.

    Sheinbaum claims progress — and wants credit

    Sheinbaum said Mexico shared results with the U.S. side, including:

    • a significant drop in homicides
    • falling U.S. fentanyl seizures
    • lower fentanyl overdose deaths in the U.S.

    Even so, U.S. officials and border-state Republicans have frequently questioned whether Mexico’s progress is durable and nationwide, or simply temporary or concentrated in certain regions while cartels continue adapting.

    Why intervention is still unlikely — for now

    Experts say U.S. intervention in Mexico remains unlikely because Mexico is currently doing much of what Washington has requested and remains one of America’s most important economic partners. But they also expect Trump to keep using hardline rhetoric to maintain pressure.

    Cuba left out — but still a point of friction

    Sheinbaum said the two leaders did not discuss Cuba, even though Trump has recently threatened action related to the island. Mexico remains an important ally of Cuba, including through oil shipments, which have become even more significant now that the Trump administration has moved to stop Venezuelan oil from reaching Cuba.

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    Campus Chaos Erupts At UC Berkeley Ahead Of Ending Tour by Turning Point USA

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3

    On Monday afternoon in Berkeley, a bloody confrontation broke out near the campus of the University of California, Berkeley as the conservative student-activist group Turning Point USA (TPUSA) held its final stop of the “This Is The Turning Point” tour. The event featured noted conservative voices Dr. Frank Turek and actor-activist Rob Schneider, and came just two months after the murder of TPUSA’s founder, Charlie Kirk, at a campus event in Utah on Sept. 10.

    According to video from Fox News Digital, the skirmish began around 4:30 p.m. PST. Two men were seen grappling in the altercation, with one suffering a serious facial injury and blood clearly visible. A mob of agitators—many wearing keffiyehs and carrying left-wing protest signs—surrounded the fight. The local police, including officers donning shields and batons, appeared challenged to regain control of the crowd.

    The Berkeley Police Department reported at least two arrests by 6 p.m.—one individual was arrested for battery. A university spokesperson clarified the brawl occurred off campus grounds and declined further comment.

    Turek, in a recent interview ahead of the event, said he urged Kirk to make the Berkeley stop of the tour: “If I could go to any one event with him, it would be that one… I wanted to go to UC Berkeley because it is so progressive and liberal in their views, and I wanted to provide evidence that Christianity was indeed true.”

    As departure began, protesters reportedly surrounded all exits to the venue, heckled attendees, and shouted obscenities as they filtered out. It remains unclear how many individuals were injured in the fight.

    Kirk, Trump & the Conservative Youth Movement
    Charlie Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012, with the mission of mobilizing conservative students on college campuses. His organization became a central pillar of conservative youth activism.

    Kirk’s relationship with Donald Trump evolved into a potent alignment:

    • Kirk was considered a key figure in helping Trump make inroads with younger voters, a segment Democrats long dominated.
    • He developed a direct line to the Trump orbit; multiple sources note that his influence extended beyond student activism into campaign strategy.

    Kirk’s impact on the GOP’s youthful base, combined with his focus on campus organizing, made him a strategic asset to the Trump-aligned Republican coalition. As one analysis put it: “Kirk’s efforts significantly contributed to Trump’s appeal among younger voters.”

    The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating the protests at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, in the wake of several arrests at a Turning Point USA event.

    “We saw all of this at Berkeley back in 2017. @UCBerkeley was sued, and settled the case,” Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon wrote on the social platform X Tuesday, responding to another post claiming that “Antifa has turned Turning Point’s event at UC Berkeley in California into an absolute WARZONE.”

    “The @CivilRights will investigate what happened here, and I see several issues of serious concern regarding campus and local security and Antifa’s ability to operate with impunity in CA,” she added.

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    Trump Commutes Prison Sentence Of Hunter Biden’s ‘Fall Guy’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)

    On Tuesday, President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of Jason Galanis, a convicted ex-business associate of Hunter Biden, whom Trump officials described as the “fall guy” for the former first son’s business dealings. 

    Galanis was sentenced in 2017 to 189 months, or 14 years, in prison, after pleading guilty to securities fraud based on bonds issued by a company affiliated with a Native American tribe in South Dakota. 

    The funds were reportedly supposed to be used for certain projects, but were instead used for his personal finances. 

    A Trump administration official told Fox News Digital that Galanis served eight years and eight months of his sentence and had an “unblemished record while in prison.” The official also said Galanis was sexually assaulted by a security guard while in prison. 

    The Trump official told Fox News Digital that Galanis “basically was the fall guy for Hunter Biden and Devon Archer.” The official noted Galanis was “extremely cooperative” during the 2024 House impeachment inquiry into the Biden family. 

    “After serving eight years and eight months in prison on good behavior, the administration felt it was time for him to regain his liberty and go on into his private life,” the official told Fox News Digital. 

    Congressional investigators interviewed Galanis while he was in prison to gather information on the Biden family’s business dealings and any “access” to then-Vice President Joe Biden. 

    Galanis testified that Joe Biden was considering joining the board of a joint venture created by Hunter Biden and his business associates with ties to the Chinese Communist Party after he left the vice presidency.

    Man Indicted In Arizona Tesla Dealership Fire

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    An Arizona man could face multiple decades in prison and more than $1 million in fines for allegedly torching a Tesla Cybertruck in Arizona.

    Ian William Moses, 35, of Mesa, was indicted this week on five felony counts of malicious damage to property used in interstate commerce. Authorities have alleged that Moses used gasoline and a starter log to try to set the dealership and three Tesla vehicles on fire on April 28, amid a wave of retaliation against tech billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s involvement in the Trump administration.

    The Department of Justice, in a news release announcing the federal jury’s indictment of Moses, shared photos of a burned-out Cybertruck that exploded during the attack.

    According to local media reports, the suspect spray-painted graffiti on the side of the building that misspelled the word “THIEF.”

    Mesa Police arrested Moses less than a mile away from the Tesla dealership shortly after the fire started, and he was wearing the same clothes as the person seen in surveillance footage pouring gasoline on the building. Officers also allegedly found a hand-drawn map in Moses’s pocket that had the letter “T” marking the dealership’s location.

    “There is nothing American about burning down someone else’s business because you disagree with them politically,” Timothy Courchaine, the interim federal prosecutor for Arizona, said in a statement. “These ongoing attacks against Tesla are not protests, they are acts of violence that have no place in Arizona or anywhere else. If someone targets Tesla with violence, they will be found and confronted with the full force of the law.”

    If convicted, each count carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

    Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement on Moses’s indictment that there would be “no negotiating” on the charges.

    “If you engage in domestic terrorism, this Department of Justice will find you, follow the facts, and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” Bondi said.

    GOP Congressman Floats Prospect Of Contempt Charges For Pam Bondi

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4
    Image via Pixabay

    Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) suggested this week that holding Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt remains an option as Congress presses the Justice Department over its handling of the long-awaited Epstein files.

    Massie, who helped author legislation requiring the release of government records tied to convicted sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, said lawmakers are still not receiving full access to unredacted documents — despite the deadline set by Congress.

    Appearing Tuesday on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Massie accused the Justice Department of failing to deliver what the law requires and raised concerns that redactions appear inconsistent and unjustified.

    “We have not had access to totally unredacted files,” Massie said, adding that names such as Epstein associate and former Victoria’s Secret CEO Leslie Wexner have been blacked out “for no apparent reason.”

    Massie said the DOJ’s refusal to acknowledge gaps in its production makes it difficult for Congress — and the public — to trust that the full truth is being released.

    “If they’ll admit that they’re making mistakes and that their document production is not done, I could trust them,” Massie said. “But I can’t trust them if they say… this is it, there’s no more.”

    The Kentucky Republican noted he would have limited time to question Bondi when she appeared Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee, warning that stronger measures could follow if answers are not forthcoming.

    Massie first raised the possibility of using Congress’s “inherent contempt” powers against Bondi in a weekend interview, calling it the most direct way to force compliance.

    “The quickest way… to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi,” he said.

    Still, Massie acknowledged the challenge of pursuing contempt charges against the nation’s top law enforcement official, noting that referrals often run through the same department under scrutiny.

    “You know, it’s hard to refer a contempt charge… on an attorney general to the attorney general,” Massie said. “This is the problem that you run into.”

    Instead, he suggested Congress may need to compel testimony from individuals named in the documents, similar to efforts already underway by the House Oversight Committee.

    Bondi’s appearance on Wednesday quickly turned tense as Democrats confronted her over the Justice Department’s redaction process — particularly allegations that some victims’ identities were improperly exposed while other information, including references to powerful individuals, was withheld.

    Watch:

    Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) pressed Bondi to apologize directly to Epstein survivors seated in the hearing room, accusing the DOJ of mishandling sensitive records.

    Bondi declined to issue a direct apology for the department’s release process, offering general sympathy for victims but defending the DOJ’s actions. The exchange escalated into a sharp back-and-forth, with Bondi accusing Jayapal of engaging in “theatrics.”

    Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) struggled to bring the room back to order as lawmakers debated whether the Justice Department has been transparent — or selective — in what it has released.

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    Multiple People Indicted Following Assault of Turning Point USA Journalist

    By
    Seijah Drake
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    2

    A federal grand jury has indicted two individuals in connection with the April assault of journalist Savanah Hernandez, marking a significant development in a case that drew national attention after video of the incident circulated online.

    The attack took place on April 11 near the Whipple Federal Building, where Hernandez, a reporter affiliated with Turning Point USA, was covering events on the ground. Footage later shared on social media appeared to show her being surrounded by a group, shoved, struck, and knocked to the ground during the confrontation.

    According to reports from Fox News, the indictment remains under seal, and authorities have not yet publicly confirmed the identities of those charged. Hernandez stated that she had been informed two individuals would face charges and expressed appreciation that the case is moving forward.

    Readers should note that at least one assailant that Hernandez identified after the fact was also involved in the storming of a St. Paul church in which demonstrators interrupted a service because a member of church leadership was believed to be employed by Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE).

    In the aftermath of the incident, Hernandez said she experienced physical symptoms including a headache and neck pain. She has also publicly identified individuals involved in the altercation, including an influencer father and daughter duo Chris and Paige Ostroushko that go by Minnesota Angry Man and Minnesota Angry Daughter, though they both appeared to scrub their social media presences following the altercation.

    Additional video that surfaced days after the attack appears to show moments leading up to the confrontation, including the father directing his daughter to retrieve and use a whistle near Hernandez before the situation escalated, depicting what appears to be a premeditated assault. Medical sources note that close-range exposure to loud noises, such as a whistle blown directly into the ear, can pose significant risks of hearing loss.

    The case drew attention from federal officials shortly after the footage gained traction online, including Harmeet Dhillon, who indicated that the Department of Justice was monitoring the situation.

    While details remain limited as the legal process unfolds, the indictments signal that federal authorities are pursuing charges tied to the incident. The case is likely to continue drawing scrutiny as more information becomes public and court proceedings move forward.

    This incident comes months after Charlie Kirk was assassinated on a Utah college campus while exercising his First Amendment Rights, almost exactly a year after pro-life influencer Savannah Hernandez was assaulted mid-interview, and shortly before a third assassination attempt on Trump’s life

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    Trump Announces ‘Permanent Pause’ On Migration From ‘Third World Countries’ After DC Shooting

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

    President Donald J. Trump announced Thursday that he will “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries” after two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot in Washington, D.C., earlier this week. “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover,” he wrote on his social-media platform.

    Earlier on Thursday, the administration revealed plans to re-examine green cards issued to immigrants from 19 countries. The June memo lists these countries — including Afghanistan, Burma, Cuba, Somalia, Venezuela and others — as of concern.

    The sharper policy response comes after the suspect in this week’s attack was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national. He entered the U.S. in 2021 under the humanitarian resettlement program launched following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

    The Washington, D.C. Shooting: What Happened

    On Wednesday afternoon near the White House, Lakanwal allegedly ambushed two West Virginia National Guard members. The victims, 20-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, were shot during what prosecutors are calling a “brazen, targeted attack.”

    Beckstrom died from her injuries late Thanksgiving Day, President Trump said. Wolfe remains in critical condition.

    According to prosecutors, Lakanwal drove cross-country from Washington state for the sole purpose of carrying out the ambush. He allegedly fired 10–15 rounds from a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver, striking one Guardsman, then leaning over to shoot a second time, and then firing on the other. Authorities said the remaining National Guard member then returned fire, and Lakanwal was apprehended.

    This horrific attack unfolded while hundreds of National Guard troops remain deployed across D.C., under Mr. Trump’s 2025 strategy to restore public safety in the capital.

    Administration Response: Immigration Crackdown

    In response to the ambush, President Trump not only called for a complete halt to migration from unspecified “Third World Countries,” but late Thursday the administration also announced an indefinite pause on Afghan immigration. Officials said they would conduct a sweeping review of green card approvals tied to the 19 countries flagged in June.

    In his statement, Trump did not list which additional countries would be subject to the pause — though the 19-country list already includes several nations the administration deemed high risk.

    Why This Matters — and What It Signals for National Security

    Supporters of the president’s crackdown argue that the D.C. ambush underscores the danger of lax vetting under previous administrations. The suspect in this case reportedly worked in a CIA-backed unit during the U.S. war in Afghanistan, then obtained resettlement under a program from the prior administration.

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    Tucker Carlson Claims Trump Shut Down Butler Probe After Bongino ‘Confession’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    6
    Tucker Carlson via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Former Fox News star Tucker Carlson is pushing a fresh conspiracy theory about the attempted assassination of President Trump — claiming the president himself ordered federal investigators to back off the probe into the July 2024 shooting in Butler, Pa.

    Carlson made the explosive allegation during an appearance on Thursday on entrepreneur Mario Nawfal’s show, where he recounted what he described as a series of conversations with former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel regarding lingering questions surrounding the attack.

    The claim was quickly shot down by Bongino, who publicly denied Carlson’s account on Friday and blasted the former cable news host as a “nepo baby.”

    “I know that, about Butler, I know that Trump shut down the investigation into Butler. That is a fact,” Carlson told Nawfal. “Dan Bongino told me that when he worked at the FBI.”

    Carlson alleged Bongino became visibly rattled after Carlson confronted him about social media posts purportedly written by gunman Thomas Crooks that Carlson claims the FBI falsely said did not exist.

    “Dan Bongino himself was terrified when I spoke to him in December,” Carlson said.

    The conservative commentator claimed he had “accidentally came into possession” of social media posts allegedly authored by Crooks in the months and years before the shooting. Carlson said he contacted both Patel and Bongino seeking answers about why the FBI had allegedly concealed their existence.

    “And Dan Bongino became hysterical with me on the phone,” Carlson claimed. “I’ve known Dan a long time for many years and always gotten along with him.”

    “He was clearly terrified. I didn’t get it at first, but he was hysterical,” Carlson continued. “And ultimately, after a long series of text exchanges, which I still have, and phone conversations, he said, ‘Look, take it up with Trump. He’s the one who shut down the investigation.’”

    Carlson said the alleged exchange occurred during the second week of December and left him questioning why Trump would halt an investigation into an attempt on his own life.

    “That was the moment and I realized, ‘Oh wow, there’s no good explanation for shutting down an investigation into your own attempted murder,’” Carlson said.

    Watch:

    Crooks, 20, opened fire during a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, grazing Trump’s ear, killing rally attendee Corey Comperatore and seriously wounding two others before Secret Service snipers fatally shot him.

    Authorities have said Crooks acted alone and have found no evidence linking him to a broader plot. However, the absence of a clear manifesto or publicly known motive has fueled persistent conspiracy theories online.

    Carlson, once one of Trump’s most influential media allies, has increasingly broken with the president in recent months. He has repeatedly criticized Trump over the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and U.S. involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran.

    Earlier this year, Carlson suggested Trump’s worldview changed after the Butler shooting.

    “He spent his campaign in the 2024 race arguing against regime change war, attacking people in favor of it — and then he launched it,” Carlson said on his own show. “And not just launched it, but became this kind of enthusiastic tool of the government of Israel.”

    Bongino forcefully rejected Carlson’s latest allegations Friday morning in a post on X, denying he ever told Carlson that Trump shut down the Butler investigation.

    The former FBI official also took a personal swipe at Carlson, dismissing the claims and mocking the commentator as a “nepo baby.”

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    Escaped Louisiana Inmate Releases Video Pleading With Trump For Help: Watch

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    A desperate plea for help…

    The man identifying himself as Antoine Massey, one of 10 escapees from the Orleans Justice Center (OJC) last month, claimed he was “let out” — and showed papers to the camera in a viral video supposedly backing up his story. The men fled the jail through an opening behind a toilet. Graffiti was left near the point of escape that read, “To Easy LoL.”

    Eight of the 10 men have been apprehended by authorities.

    “They say that I broke out,” he said. “I didn’t break out. I was let out.”

    Massey claimed he has a signed affidavit clearing him of an assault charge, alleging the person who accused him of the assault swore previous statements given were false.

    “If the individual depicted in the video is indeed Antoine Massey, we strongly urge him to come forward and turn himself in to the proper authorities,” the Orleans parish sheriff’s office said in a statement about the video. “Cooperating with law enforcement is in his best interest and may help avoid additional charges. It is important that justice is served appropriately and that due process is followed.”

    Massey has a history of being on the run. According to NOLA.com, Massey, 32, has made multiple escape attempts from detention centers dating back to 2007 when he was a minor.

    Massey also sought help from rappers like Lil Wayne and Meek Mill when he’s back in “custody.” He denied allegations of threatening a maintenance worker as part of the latest escape. There is a $50,000 reward being offered for information leading to Massey’s arrest.

    “I’m saying people that been through the system that know it’s corrupt. Lil Wayne, Donald Trump, please, I’m asking for help. You know what I’m saying?” he said.

    Trump-Appointed Judge Blocks DOJ Bid To Clear Steve Bannon

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    A federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump has thrown a temporary roadblock in front of the Justice Department’s effort to erase Steve Bannon’s contempt of Congress case.

    U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols declined to dismiss the indictment underlying Bannon’s 2022 conviction, ruling that federal prosecutors failed to provide an adequate explanation for abandoning the case.

    The Justice Department’s request “does not explain its motivations for seeking dismissal,” Nichols wrote, according to Bloomberg Law.

    Nichols said the government must provide “a statement of reasons and underlying factual basis” supporting its request—not merely a broad assertion that dropping the case would serve the interests of justice.

    The ruling leaves Bannon’s conviction intact for now, but it does not necessarily represent a lasting defeat. Nichols denied the motion “without prejudice,” allowing prosecutors to return with a more detailed justification.

    DOJ’s One-Sentence Explanation Falls Short

    Bannon, who served as Trump’s White House chief strategist during the president’s first term, was convicted on two counts of contempt of Congress after refusing to comply with a subpoena from the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

    The committee sought documents and testimony related to Bannon’s communications with Trump and efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election.

    Bannon maintained that he declined to comply after Trump asserted executive privilege. He was nevertheless convicted by a Washington jury in 2022 and served a four-month federal prison sentence in 2024.

    After Trump returned to office, the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington moved in February to vacate the judgment and dismiss the indictment with prejudice, which would prevent prosecutors from bringing the same case again.

    “The government has determined in its prosecutorial discretion that dismissal of this criminal case is in the interests of justice,” prosecutors wrote.

    That explanation, signed by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, did not satisfy Nichols. According to ABC News, the judge found that prosecutors had failed to comply with local court rules requiring the government to explain its reasons for seeking dismissal.

    Pirro and Nichols were both appointed by Trump.

    Supreme Court Cleared The Path—But Did Not End The Case

    The procedural showdown comes months after the Supreme Court handed Bannon a significant victory in his appeal.

    In April, the justices vacated the federal appeals court judgment that had upheld Bannon’s conviction and returned the case for further consideration in light of the government’s pending motion to dismiss the indictment.

    The high court did not directly dismiss Bannon’s charges. Its brief April 6 order instead cleared the procedural path for Nichols to consider the Justice Department’s request.

    In its Supreme Court filing, the Justice Department argued that Rule 48(a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure permits prosecutors—with a judge’s approval—to dismiss an indictment even after a jury has returned a guilty verdict and the court has entered judgment.

    Bannon had asked the Supreme Court to examine whether someone “willfully” defies a congressional subpoena when acting on a good-faith assertion of executive privilege. He also challenged the composition of the House Jan. 6 committee.

    The Justice Department’s reversal made it unlikely that the justices would reach those broader constitutional questions. Instead, the court vacated the appellate judgment and sent the case back down.

    Nichols’ latest ruling means the conviction remains on Bannon’s record while prosecutors decide whether to submit a renewed motion with the detailed factual and legal explanation the judge demanded.

    Because Bannon has already completed his prison sentence, the immediate consequences are largely symbolic. Clearing the conviction, however, would still deliver an important legal victory to one of Trump’s most prominent and outspoken allies.

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