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    Secret Service Investigating Former FBI Director Over Alleged ‘Assassination’ Threat

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1

    A former FBI official is being investigated over his alleged threats against President Trump.

    Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem accused former FBI Director James Comey of calling for President Trump’s “assassination,” saying federal law enforcement authorities are now investigating the “threat.”

    “Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump,” Noem wrote on the social platform X on Thursday evening.

    “DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately,” she added.

    Comey, a longtime critic of Trump’s, posted a photo earlier Thursday on Instagram of seashells on a beach arranged to form the numbers “8647.” The post garnered significant blowback from much of Trump’s base, with many understanding the numbers to be a call for violence against the 47th president, Trump. Others suggested the “86” could be calling for the president to be impeached or removed from office.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

    Comey removed the photo Thursday evening and clarified in a new post that he did not intend to call for violence and didn’t realize his message would be interpreted that way.

    “I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,” Comey wrote on Instagram.

    “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,” he continued. “It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

    In a statement to The Hill, a spokesperson for the Secret Service said the agency “vigorously investigates anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees.”

    “We take this responsibility very seriously and we are aware of the social media posts in question,” the spokesperson continued. “Beyond that, we do not comment on protective intelligence matters.”

    FBI Director Kash Patel also weighed in on the matter in a post Thursday.

    “We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump,” Patel wrote on X.

    “We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support,” he continued.

    FBI Foils Alleged Drone-and-Sniper Plot Targeting White House UFC Spectacle

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Image via gage Skidmore Flickr

    The FBI says it thwarted a chilling attack plot aimed at President Donald Trump’s blockbuster UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House lawn — an alleged scheme involving explosive drones, sniper teams, and even a planned rush on the White House gates.

    FBI Director Kash Patel revealed Tuesday that federal agents and law enforcement partners disrupted the plot just days before the historic event, which drew thousands of spectators to Washington, D.C., over the weekend.

    “Multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” Patel said in a statement released Tuesday.

    According to reporting first detailed by Fox News Digital, investigators uncovered an alleged plan to launch explosive-laden drones at buildings near the UFC Freedom 250 venue, triggering panic and forcing a mass evacuation. Authorities say the conspirators allegedly intended to funnel fleeing crowds toward a pre-positioned sniper team waiting to open fire.

    Even more alarming, officials told Fox News Digital that a “second wave” of attackers allegedly planned to storm the White House gates amid the chaos.

    The FBI first learned of the threat on June 10 and quickly launched a multi-state investigation. One suspect was arrested in Cincinnati after investigators established probable cause, while additional arrests followed as agents unraveled what officials described as a broader network spanning multiple states. Five suspects were in custody as of Monday, and investigators identified at least 23 individuals allegedly discussing operational plans in encrypted Signal chats.

    According to Fox News Digital, investigators discovered messages detailing pre-operational activity and travel plans to Fredericksburg, Virginia, where some suspects allegedly intended to prepare for the attack.

    One suspect reportedly told investigators that potential targets included “capitalist elites,” billionaires, and politicians who had received donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), according to Fox News Digital.

    The operation involved at least a dozen FBI field offices and close coordination with the Department of Justice and U.S. Secret Service. Secret Service Director Sean Curran praised agents who worked “around the clock” to identify those responsible and prevent the alleged attack.

    Patel said the case demonstrated the FBI’s ability to move quickly when credible threats emerge against large public events.

    “We are built to detect, respond to, and bring to justice those who threaten the lives of American citizens — particularly during large gatherings like the historic UFC 250 fight,” Patel said.

    The UFC Freedom 250 event was one of the biggest spectacles ever held on White House grounds. Staged on the South Lawn as part of celebrations surrounding America’s upcoming 250th anniversary and Trump’s 80th birthday, the event attracted roughly 4,300 attendees, including approximately 1,200 active-duty service members.

    Trump himself attended the fights and later praised the event as “incredible,” calling it “one of the most exciting days in the history of the White House.”

    When asked about the alleged plot while attending the G7 summit in France, Trump said he had not yet been briefed on the details.

    Vice President JD Vance reacted to the revelations Tuesday morning, describing the allegations as “very, very dark stuff” and warning that heated political rhetoric can fuel violence.

    “This is what happens when people turn the rhetoric up so loud that disagreeing with somebody is a cause for violence,” Vance said during an appearance on Fox & Friends.

    The investigation remains ongoing, and officials say additional charges and court filings could reveal more details in the coming days.

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    House GOP Pressures Attorney General To Prosecute Officials Helping Subvert Deportations

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    Multiple House Republicans are demanding the Justice Department prosecute elected officials and left-wing activist groups allegedly attempting to undermine the administration’s deportation efforts.

    GOP Reps. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Andy Harris of Maryland, Eric Burlison of Missouri and Pete Sessions of Texas sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi Tuesday, exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. 

    “We write today to applaud your prosecution of Governor Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James and to respectfully request that you continue prosecuting individuals, organizations and elected officials who aid and abet illegal aliens in evading Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers,” the Republican lawmakers wrote. “Assisting aliens in avoiding deportation is illegal; therefore, we urge you to continue upholding the integrity of the American system.”

    “Far-left politicians and nongovernmental organizations [NGOs] are flouting the law under the assumption that it will not be enforced. We ask that you demonstrate that such violations will not be tolerated.”

    Read:

    829767401-House-Republicans-Letter-to-AG-Pam-BondiDownload

    The letter alleges that left-wing organizations such as Code Pink, Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network and the Immigration Defense Project are actively providing resources to illegal migrants to evade detection by ICE.

    The GOP congressmen also urged Bondi to prosecute elected officials helping illegal migrants evade detection by ICE.

    Democrat New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy appeared to suggest that he was harboring an illegal migrant on his property on Feb. 3, leading border czar Tom Homan vowing to prosecute the elected official for appearing to violate federal law.

    “And good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her,” the Democrat then added, speaking at an open discussion at Montclair State University.

    Murphy walked back the shocking claim days later.

    Homan warned New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that he is working with the DOJ to determine whether the left-wing firebrand violated federal law by hosting a virtual webinar advising illegal migrants on how to handle encounters with ICE on Jan. 11.

    “Let’s hope she’s not educating the next person who gets out and murders a young college student in Georgia,” Homan said on Fox News on Feb. 16. “These are bad people we’re looking for. So she can call it education all she wants, but we all know it’s about evading law enforcement. These people have been ordered removed. The people we’re looking for now have final orders. They’re criminals. They’re in the country illegally.”

    Bondi filed a lawsuit against Hochul and James on Feb. 12, citing a New York state law allowing immigrants to obtain a driver’s license regardless of legal status. The Trump administration hit Chicago and the state of Illinois with lawsuits on Feb. 6 over the city and state’s sanctuary laws, which restrict cooperation between local officials and ICE.

    “This is a new DOJ,” Bondi said during a press conference announcing the Justice Department’s lawsuit against the state of New York. “We are taking steps to protect Americans, American citizens and angel moms.”

    “New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops today,” Bondi added. “We sued Illinois. New York did not listen. Now you’re next.”

    Woman Who Admitted Trump Death Threats To Secret Service Released By Judge

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4

    A woman arrested last month for allegedly making death threats against President Donald Trump has been released by a federal judge who has clashed with the Trump administration several times this year.

    Federal Chief Judge James Boasberg ordered the release of 50-year-old Nathalie Rose Jones under electronic monitoring and instructed her to visit a psychiatrist in New York City once she obtains her personal belongings from a local police station.

    Her release comes after U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya had ordered her held without bond, citing alarming conduct, including online posts proclaiming willingness to “disembowel” Trump and stage his arrest, and statements admitting she would kill him with a bladed weapon at “the compound.”

    Jones took part in a “dignified arrest ceremony” for Trump at a protest in Washington, D.C., which circumnavigated the White House complex and was arrested following an investigation into her series of concerning Instagram and Facebook posts. 

    In early August, Jones labeled Trump a terrorist, referred to his administration as a dictatorship, and stated that Trump had caused extreme and unnecessary loss of life in relation to the coronavirus. 

    “I am willing to sacrificially kill this POTUS by disemboweling him and cutting out his trachea with Liz Cheney and all The Affirmation present,” an Aug. 6 post directed at the FBI states.

    The next day, Jones voluntarily agreed to an interview with the Secret Service, during which she called Trump a “terrorist” and a “nazi,” authorities said. 

    She said that if she had the opportunity, she would kill Trump at “the compound” if she had to and that she had a “bladed object,” which she said was the weapon she would use to “carry out her mission of killing” the president.

    Following the protest in Washington, D.C on Aug. 16, Jones was interviewed again by the Secret Service, during which she admitted that she had made threats towards Trump during her interview the previous day. 

    She was charged with threatening to kill, kidnap, or seriously hurt the president and sending messages across state lines that contained threats to kidnap or harm someone.

    However, Jones’s lawyers argued their client was unarmed and had no real desire to follow through with the threats, appealed Upadhyaya’s detention decision, and Boasberg overturned Upadhyaya’s detention order.

    U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro, whose office pushed for the indictment, blasted the jury’s refusal on Tuesday.

    “A Washington D.C. grand jury refused to indict someone who threatened to kill the President of the United States. Her intent was clear, traveling through five states to do so,” Pirro told Fox News in an exclusive statement. 

    “She even confirmed the same to the U.S. Secret Service. This is the essence of a politicized jury. The system here is broken on many levels. Instead of the outrage that should be engendered by a specific threat to kill the president, the grand jury in D.C. refuses to even let the judicial process begin. Justice should not depend on politics,” Pirro added.

    Judge Boasberg’s Background
    Judge Boasberg, a Barack Obama appointee, has repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration. In March, he issued a restraining order halting deportations of Venezuelans under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, ordering planes to return to U.S. soil and demanding an investigation into compliance. He later threatened contempt proceedings, prompting appellate review and momentum that led to Supreme Court rulings affirming due‑process requirements. Trump publicly labeled Boasberg a “Radical Left Lunatic” and sought his impeachment. Additionally, Trump‑aligned officials, including AG Pam Bondi, filed a complaint over Boasberg’s remarks warning of a constitutional crisis and criticizing the administration—remarks Bondi argued had no factual basis and undermined judicial impartiality. (RELATED: DOJ Files Complaint Against Judge Boasberg Over Anti-Trump Comments, Deportation Case Actions)

    Recent Assassination Attempts Targeting Donald Trump

    1. Butler, Pennsylvania Rally — July 13, 2024

    • What happened: Former President Trump was addressed at a campaign rally near Butler, PA, when 20‑year‑old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a nearby rooftop with an AR‑15‑style rifle. Trump was grazed in the upper right ear; one attendee, firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed, and two others critically injured. Secret Service counter‑snipers neutralized Crooks seconds after he began firing.

    Aftermath & investigations: A House task force released a report by December 2024. A Government Accountability Office audit (July 2025) found that the Secret Service failed to share vital threat intelligence internally, and suffered planning and communication breakdowns. Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley criticized entrenched mismanagement and cited funding under a recent bill to help rebuild the agency. Meanwhile, six Secret Service agents received suspensions—the longest up to 42 days—for their roles in the security failure. The agency has since overhauled protocols, including deploying drones and increasing law enforcement coordination.

    2. West Palm Beach, Florida Golf Course — September 15, 2024

    • What happened: While golfing at his Trump International Golf Club, Trump was threatened by 59-year‑old Ryan Wesley Routh. The suspect was seen aiming a rifle from shrubbery. A Secret Service agent intervened, no shots were fired at Trump, and Routh fled but was later detained.
    • Legal proceedings: Routh faces federal charges including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate. He remains in custody, and a federal trial is scheduled to begin September 8, 2025.

    READ NEXT: Trump Calls for RICO as the Answer to Sanctuary City Chaos

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    Trump’s Teenage Granddaughter Granted Restraining Order Against 26-Year-Old Creep

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Arrest image via Pixabay

    President Donald Trump’s oldest granddaughter, Kai Trump, has won court-ordered protection from a man she described as a threat after a judge extended a restraining order against him, according to a report from TMZ.

    The 19-year-old daughter of Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump petitioned a Palm Beach County court for protection from 26-year-old Gabriel Garza Jr., whom she described in court filings as “homeless” and living “in a car in area of Jupiter/Palm Beach County,” according to documents obtained by TMZ.

    A judge initially issued a temporary restraining order in April, restricting Garza from stalking, cyberstalking, or committing “any criminal offense resulting in physical injury or death.” Following a later hearing, the order was extended and will remain in effect through May 2027.

    Under the terms of the order, Garza is prohibited from coming within 500 feet of Kai’s residence and workplace. He is also barred from attending events she attends and must surrender any firearms in his possession.

    The restrictions will reportedly extend to the next chapter of Kai’s life as well.

    The teenager announced earlier this month that she plans to attend the University of Miami in the fall, and TMZ reported the protective order would apply there too.

    Court proceedings were briefly delayed after Kai requested a scheduling change due to a major milestone in her personal life.

    “My last day of high school. I can’t leave until 3:00 pm. Please reschedule for the following Thursday,” she wrote in a request cited by TMZ.

    The situation marks the second frightening encounter involving an alleged stalker in recent years.

    Last year, a then-23-year-old man identified as Anthony Reyes was arrested after allegedly scaling a wall at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

    According to an arrest report previously obtained by NBC News, Reyes allegedly told authorities he wanted to “spread the gospel” to Trump and “marry Kai.”

    “Shortly after midnight, the individual scaled a perimeter fence and triggered alarms. U.S. Secret Service personnel detained him without incident at the scene,” a Secret Service spokesperson said at the time.

    Palm Beach police later took Reyes into custody on trespassing charges. He was ultimately ordered not to contact Trump or members of his family.

    Kai Trump has increasingly stepped into the public eye over the last several years. An avid golfer who shares her grandfather’s enthusiasm for the sport, she has built a large social media following and became a familiar face during the 2024 presidential campaign. In 2025, Trump made her LPGA debut at The Annika on a sponsor invitation.

    She also made her political debut at the Republican National Convention, where she offered a more personal portrait of her grandfather.

    “To me, he’s just a normal grandpa,” Kai told attendees.

    Kai was likely in the Bahamas over the weekend for her father’s wedding to Bettina Anderson… an event that Grandpa Trump missed to focus on government issues, specifically the conflict in Iran.

    Despite her growing public profile, the recent court order underscores one of the risks that can accompany life in the spotlight.

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    Report: House Task Force Releases Scathing Assassination Disclosure

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    Americans still want answers…

    On Monday, the House Task Force investigating the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania released its initial findings.

    Lack of adequate planning, a narrow field of vision for local snipers, the absence of a unified command post and fragmented communication were among the main findings in the 53-page report that examined how 20-year-old shooter Matthew Crooks was able to climb atop a building with a line of sight to Trump and fire at him. 

    “Although the findings in this report are preliminary, the information obtained during the first phase of the Task Force’s investigation clearly shows a lack of planning and coordination between the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners before the rally,” the report said.

    U.S. Secret Service (USSS) personnel at the event “did not give clear guidance” to state and local authorities about how to manage security outside of their hard perimeter, nor was there a central meeting between USSS and the law enforcement agencies supporting them the morning of the rally – two findings presented as key failures in the 51-page report.

    The House Task Force investigating the attempts on Trump’s life is expected to release its final report by Dec. 13.

    Read the interim report in its entirety:

    5d5fdc40-house-task-force-trump-interim-reportDownload

    Crooks’s bullet came within inches of killing the former president and injured his ear. Shots also killed one rally attendee and seriously wounded two others. 

    The latest report also detailed information about Crooks’ autopsy report and the chain of events that led to release of the remains to the Crooks’s family. The Butler County Coroner’s office released the remains after the FBI concurred that no additional evidence was necessary, the report said. 

    The autopsy report found that Crooks died from one gunshot wound to the head, found negative results for alcohol or drugs of abuse, but was positive for antimony, selenium, and lead. Heightened levels of lead could have been due to time spent at the shooting range, the Allegheny County Chief Medical Examiner said.

    The House force is made up of a bipartisan group of lawmakers and has also been assigned to investigate the September apparent assassination attempt on Trump in at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

    “The Task Force will continue to rigorously investigate the July 13 assassination attempt in the coming months,” the report said, adding that it is “in the process of conducting more than 20 transcribed interviews of federal officials and others who may have knowledge relevant to the events of July 13.” 

    This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

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    Republican Lawmaker Gets Into Physical Altercation Outside US Capitol

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    Things were heated on Capitol Hill this week…

    Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) was caught in a run-in outside the Capitol on Thursday with a protester who challenged him over his stance on Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

    The Republican reportedly shoved the man, who he later claimed had intentionally “bumped” into him after being approached near the Longworth House Office Building, according to Politico.

    The incident occurred shortly after lawmakers wrapped up their final votes of the week.

    Burchett’s spokesperson Will Garrett defended the congressman’s reaction in a comment to Politico, saying the protester had crossed a line.

    “Everyone has a right to their opinion, and they can say all of the filthy stuff they want. But they don’t have the right to bump the congressman,” Burchett spokesperson Will Garrett said in a statement to The Hill. 

    Capitol Police briefly detained and questioned the protester, though the department has not commented publicly.

    Burchett, meanwhile, dismissed the confrontation with characteristic bite, telling reporters the activist “had bad breath.”

    Last year, Burchett introduced a resolution to reject the United Nations’s decision to place the Israeli military on a list of child’s rights abusers.

    “Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle East and their leadership tries to protect life. Hamas, on the other hand, hides behind innocent civilians like a bunch of cowards. We need to make it clear to the United Nations that the United States completely supports Israel’s efforts to wipe these terrorists off the map,” Burchett said at the time. 

    Cuban Regime Finally Loses a Longtime Fugitive: Joanne “Assata” Shakur Dies in Havana

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3

    Havana, Cuba — On September 25, 2025, Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Joanne Deborah Byron — better known by her aliases Joanne Chesimard and Assata Shakur — died in Havana at the age of 78 due to health complications and the rigors of old age.

    This news brings to a close a decades-long saga in which a convicted murderer escaped justice, was shielded by a hostile foreign regime, and became a symbol for radical causes.

    A Fugitive’s Origin: From Violent Crime to Escape to Cuba

    In 1977, Chesimard was convicted on multiple serious charges including first-degree murder, armed robbery, and other felonies after a 1973 shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike that left State Trooper Werner Foerster dead.

    She escaped prison in 1979, spent years underground, and resurfaced in 1984 under asylum in Cuba — a regime that refused U.S. extradition requests.

    For decades, the United States and New Jersey authorities pushed Cuba to hand her over. She carried the dubious distinction of being the first woman ever placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list, with a $1 million reward for her capture.

    A Death Without Accountability

    Her passing in Havana presents a bitter irony: after decades of immunity facilitated by a foreign government, she dies free — far from the prison cell where she was supposed to serve life in the U.S.

    New Jersey officials immediately expressed outrage. They reiterated that justice was never fully served for Trooper Foerster’s family.

    Cuba’s complicity in harboring Chesimard has long been roundly condemned by American leaders. Senator Marco Rubio recently denounced Havana for providing “a safe haven for terrorists and criminals, including fugitives from the United States.”

    What She Represented — and What the U.S. Must Learn

    For defenders of law and order, her story is a cautionary tale of diplomatic failure and ideological double standards.

    • Rule of Law Must Be Absolute: A convicted cop killer escaping and living with impunity is a stain on the integrity of the justice system.
    • Foreign Regimes Should Not Shield Criminals: Cuba’s refusal to extradite Chesimard fashioned her into a political symbol, rather than merely a criminal. That sets a dangerous precedent.
    • Consistency in Foreign Policy Matters: If the U.S. does not forcefully demand accountability from regimes that shelter fugitives, it weakens its moral and strategic footing.

    Now that she has died abroad, the question of bringing her remains home may arise. But more importantly, the memory of Trooper Foerster — his sacrifice and service — must remain central. And the mission remains: to hold foreign governments accountable when they interfere with American justice.

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    Judge Tosses Hunter Biden FBI Case in Stunning Courtroom Rebuke

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    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)

    Federal judge accuses administration of “weaponization” after throwing out charges against two former FBI officials accused of misleading Congress.

    A federal judge delivered a stunning setback to President Donald Trump’s Justice Department on Monday, throwing out criminal charges against two former FBI officials accused of lying to Congress about the Hunter Biden investigation — and accusing the administration of using the justice system for political purposes.

    U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui dismissed the criminal complaint against Nikki Cole Floris and Bradley Benavides following days of contentious hearings that exposed serious questions about how the FBI investigation was launched and how federal prosecutors pursued the charges.

    “What has transpired here cannot be described as anything other than weaponization,” Faruqui declared, according to Fox News and the New York Post.

    The judge also characterized the prosecution as a “rush job,” taking aim at the involvement of Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel in an investigation that began years after the officials testified before Congress.

    The ruling represents a high-profile defeat for an administration that has repeatedly promised to expose alleged political misconduct inside federal law enforcement.

    Trump, Patel and a controversial investigation

    The criminal case centered on allegations that Floris and Benavides misled congressional investigators in 2023 about their knowledge of the FBI’s handling of investigations involving Hunter Biden ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

    But testimony during last week’s hearings raised uncomfortable questions for prosecutors.

    According to CBS News, FBI Special Agent Bryan Witt acknowledged that the investigation began following a July speech in which Trump revisited allegations of election interference.

    Witt testified that Patel had directed the investigation and that he was concerned about its political appearance.

    “I had concerns that this would be political,” Witt told the court.

    The agent also described the assignment as a major distraction from his other investigative responsibilities.

    The New York Post reported that Patel received weekly updates about the investigation, an unusually direct level of oversight for a case involving alleged false statements.

    Prosecutors face a courtroom showdown

    The controversy escalated when prosecutors attempted to introduce an additional obstruction charge through an amended criminal complaint.

    Faruqui rejected that filing after determining that the government had submitted it without obtaining the necessary judicial approval.

    The procedural dispute prompted a series of sharp exchanges between the judge and prosecutors, who were forced to defend their handling of the case.

    According to Roll Call, Faruqui questioned why prosecutors had departed from established charging procedures and warned that their actions were strengthening the defense’s accusations of political motivation.

    Monday’s ruling went further.

    The judge concluded that the government had not established probable cause to support the false-statement charges, effectively ending the prosecution in its current form.

    Trump administration had promised accountability

    The dismissal is particularly striking given the administration’s aggressive public statements when the charges were first announced.

    In an October 23 Justice Department announcement, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro argued that the allegations reflected serious misconduct by senior law enforcement officials.

    “Lying to Congress by anyone strikes at the heart of our democratic system,” Pirro said.

    Attorney General Todd Blanche also promised that the Justice Department would pursue government officials who broke federal law.

    Patel accused former FBI personnel of engaging in political weaponization, saying his leadership would not tolerate abuses of public trust.

    Those allegations remain disputed, and neither former official has been convicted of wrongdoing in the case.

    Now, the administration faces a pointed accusation of weaponization from the very judge overseeing its attempt to prosecute alleged FBI misconduct.

    The legal fight may not be finished.

    The Justice Department could seek a grand jury indictment or pursue an appeal, according to The Washington Post. But Monday’s dismissal leaves prosecutors facing significant questions about their evidence, investigative decisions and political independence.

    Report: New Charges Filed Against Attempted Trump Assassin

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    The state of Florida charged Ryan Wesley Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate President-elect Trump at one of his Florida golf courses, with attempted felony murder, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Wednesday.

    The charge stems from Routh’s attempt to escape law enforcement following the alleged assassination attempt. Moody said that when Routh fled the scene, law enforcement shut down traffic, which caused an accident that nearly killed a young girl. 

    “As a result of that, we felt compelled to seek justice on her behalf and her family that will never be the same as they cope with her injuries,” the state attorney general said.

    In her announcement, Moody said state law enforcement received a “lack of cooperation and support” from federal officials investigating the alleged assassination attempt. She accused them of blocking access to the crime scene, evidence and witness interviews, and said when the state expressed interest in charging Routh over the girl’s injuries, it was discouraged from doing so.

    “It was made known that they intended to shut down our investigation and invoke federal jurisdiction in doing so,” she said, adding that Florida authorities decided to continue their investigation regardless.

    Routh is accused by federal prosecutors of plotting to kill Trump as he golfed earlier this year, staking out the perimeter of the president-elect’s course near its sixth hole for about 12 hours until he was noticed and fled.

    He faces five charges, including counts saying he attempted to assassinate a major political candidate while possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number despite being a convicted felon, and has pleaded not guilty.

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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