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Massie Slams DOJ, Trump Administration Over Epstein Files: ‘This Is the Epstein Administration’

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Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) delivered sharp criticism of President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi during a fiery appearance Sunday on ABC’s This Week, accusing the administration of failing to deliver real transparency on the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Speaking with host Martha Raddatz, Massie — one of the most outspoken Republicans pushing for full disclosure of Epstein-related records — questioned Bondi’s performance during last week’s high-profile House Judiciary hearing.

“She came with a book full of insults, one for each congressperson,” Massie said. “She obviously had one for me. And, you know, I’ve been there when [former AG] Merrick Garland was there. Obviously, politically, I don’t agree with him, but he performed much better in terms of at least not looking bad. And, unfortunately, we didn’t get the answers we wanted about the Epstein Files Transparency Act from her.”

Massie also took aim at Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche over a letter sent Saturday claiming the Department of Justice has now produced “all” Epstein files.

“I know the DOJ wants to say they’re done with this document production,” Massie said. “The problem is they’ve taken down documents before we were able to go over to the DOJ and look at the unredacted versions. They took down some of the most significant documents. Two of them involving Virginia Giuffre’s case and other things, the picture of Epstein at — in a room where it’s got CIA written on the boxes. That’s been taken down. We want to be able to look at all these files. They can’t keep those documents down after they’ve already produced them.”

New Report Raises Questions About DOJ’s “Full Release” Claim

Massie’s concerns come as a new investigation by Channel 4 News is raising fresh doubts about whether the Justice Department has truly released the full Epstein archive.

According to internal emails reviewed by the broadcaster, federal investigators expected to process between 20 and 40 terabytes of data seized from Epstein’s properties — including his Florida mansion, New York townhouse, and private island. Other early-stage emails referenced totals as high as 50 terabytes.

In one internal email from 2025, officials reportedly said they were “looking at approximately 14.6 terabytes of archived data.”

By contrast, Channel 4 noted that the most recent release of roughly 3.5 million documents amounted to just over 300GB — which the outlet said represents only about 2% of the data investigators were discussing.

“They claimed that 6 million pages were identified, including duplicates — they released over 3 million,” Channel 4’s U.S. editor Asnushka Asthana said. “Both those numbers are tiny compared to the amount collected according to today’s emails.”

One investigator described the data dump as chaotic and incomplete:

“Imagine if we had seized the papers from approximately 100,000 filing cabinets. Then that all just got dumped in one big pile… And then any of those documents that was larger than 100 pages couldn’t be opened. That’s what we’ve got.”

Massie Turns Fire on Trump

Raddatz closed the interview by asking Massie directly about President Trump, who has thrown his support behind Massie’s primary challenger, Ed Gallrein, and has repeatedly attacked the Kentucky congressman over his push for transparency.

Massie did not hold back.

“Look, this is about the Epstein class, the people who are funding the attacks against me,” Massie said. “They may or may not be implicated in these files, but they were certainly rubbing shoulders with the people who are in these files. They’re billionaires who are friends with these people. And that’s what I’m up against in Washington, D.C. Donald Trump told us that even though, you know, he had dinner with these kinds of people in New York City and West Palm Beach, that he would be transparent. But he’s not. He’s still in with the Epstein class. This is the Epstein administration, and they’re attacking me for trying to get these files released.”

Watch:

Bondi Stands By DOJ Position

Despite the mounting scrutiny, Bondi has insisted the Justice Department has complied fully with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

In a February 14 letter to lawmakers, she stated that the department had “released all ‘records, documents, communications and investigative materials’” in its possession, along with a list of “all government officials and politically exposed persons” referenced in the released materials.

Trump Orders Reopening Of Alcatraz Prison

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On Sunday, President Trump said that he wants to reopen the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, the historic prison offshore from San Francisco that closed more than 60 years ago.

“For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering. When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

“That’s the way it’s supposed to be. No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets. That is why, today, I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders,” he added.

The island, which sits less than 2 miles offshore, was first developed in the mid-19th century, with the original structures including a lighthouse.

Notable figures including Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly were once held at Alcatraz, which was a federal prison from 1934-63. 

“Both the institution and the men confined within its walls reflect our society during this era,” the National Park Service adds on a web page about the prison, which was also known as The Rock and gave that name to a popular Michael Bay action film set on the island.

In his Sunday post, Trump said Alcatraz’s “reopening” is going to “serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE.”

The Bureau of Prisons notes on its website that “USP [United States Penitentiary] Alcatraz closed after 29 years of operation” due to soaring costs.

“An estimated $3-5 million was needed just for restoration and maintenance work to keep the prison open. That figure did not include daily operating costs — Alcatraz was nearly three times more expensive to operate than any other Federal prison,” the bureau says.

The move comes as the Trump administration has also sought to revitalize Guantanamo Bay and use it to house illegal migrants.

The plan has faced roadblocks, however, with a federal court issuing a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from sending three Venezuelan immigrants held in New Mexico to the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, detention camp.

Lawyers for the trio said in a legal filing that the detainees “fit the profile of those the administration has prioritized for detention in Guantánamo, i.e. Venezuelan men detained in the El Paso area with (false) charges of connections with the Tren de Aragua gang.”

Inside The White House Correspondents’ Dinner Suspect’s ‘Manifesto’

The man accused of opening fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner left behind a detailed “manifesto” describing his intent to target members of the Trump administration, “prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest,” according to a copy obtained by CBS News.

Cole Allen, 31, allegedly sent the writing to family members before the attack. In it, he stated that while law enforcement, hotel employees, and guests were not his intended targets, he was willing to harm them if necessary to reach administration officials. “I really hope it doesn’t come to that,” he wrote.

Authorities say Allen charged a security checkpoint outside the Washington Hilton on Saturday night armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and knives. President Donald Trump and other officials were quickly escorted from the event, which was later canceled. A Secret Service agent who was shot during the incident, while wearing a bulletproof vest, has since been released from the hospital.

The suspect’s brother reportedly alerted police in Connecticut after receiving the email, prompting law enforcement to intervene. Investigators later recovered additional writings from Allen’s home in Torrance, California, and his hotel room at the Hilton.

A chilling and ironic tone

Throughout the message, Allen adopted a matter-of-fact tone, at times veering into irony.

“Hello everybody!” he began. “So I may have given a lot of people a surprise today.”

He apologized to his parents “for saying I had an interview without specifying it was for ‘Most Wanted,’” and to colleagues and students for claiming he had a personal emergency. He suggested that by the time the email was read, he might already require medical attention, referring to potential injuries as “self-inflicted status.”

Declared targets — with one exception

Allen wrote that he chose to act because he did not want the administration’s alleged “crimes” to “coat [his] hands.” While he did not explicitly name Trump or the event, he described a plan to target officials in descending order of rank.

He made one notable exception: “not including Mr. Patel,” he wrote, referencing the FBI director, who was also in attendance.

Allen added that he would avoid targeting Secret Service, Capitol Police, or National Guard personnel unless necessary. “I hope they are wearing body armor,” he wrote.

He also detailed tactical decisions, claiming, “In order to minimize casualties, I will also be using buckshot rather than slugs (less penetration through walls).”

Anticipating criticism

The manifesto included a section addressing hypothetical objections to his actions, along with rebuttals.

“As a half-black, half-white person, you shouldn’t be the one doing this,” he wrote as a potential criticism. “Rebuttal: I don’t see anyone else picking up the slack.”

He also referenced his Christian faith, writing that some might argue he should “turn the other cheek.”

“Rebuttal,” he continued, “Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed.”

Allen then described various unnamed individuals experiencing hardship, in some cases attributing their struggles to the administration.

“I don’t expect forgiveness, but if I could have seen any other way to get this close, I would have taken it,” he added.

Criticism of security

In a postscript, Allen sharply criticized security measures at the event.

“PS… what the hell is the Secret Service doing? … No damn security. Not in transport. Not in the hotel. Not in the event,” he wrote.

He claimed that if he had been a foreign agent, he could have brought in heavier weaponry without detection. Officials note that while the Washington Hilton hosted the event, it remained an operational hotel with public access, and only specific areas were secured.

Family warnings and prior behavior

Allen’s sister reportedly told investigators that he frequently used “radical” rhetoric and had previously discussed doing “something” to address what he saw as problems in society and government.

She also revealed her brother was a regular visitor to the shooting range, was a member of a group called “The Wide Awakes” and had previously attended a “No Kings” rally in California. 

Political reaction and unanswered questions

The motive behind the attack remains under investigation.

Former President Barack Obama emphasized the lack of confirmed details while condemning political violence broadly.

“Although we don’t yet have the details about the motives behind last night’s shooting… it’s incumbent upon all of us to reject the idea that violence has any place in our democracy,” Obama wrote. He also praised the Secret Service, calling their work “a sobering reminder of the courage and sacrifice” they show.

During a “60 Minutes” interview, Trump reacted angrily after host Norah O’Donnell read excerpts from the alleged manifesto.

“You read that crap from some sick person? I got associated with all stuff that has nothing to do with me,” Trump said, adding, “You should be ashamed of yourself… You’re a disgrace.”

More than 2,500 people had gathered for the annual dinner, which celebrates the First Amendment. Trump, who has typically declined to attend during his presidency, had made a historic appearance this year and has since said he hopes to reschedule the event within 30 days.

The Full Manifesto

To read Allen’s full 1,052-word manifesto as published by The New York Post, with minor edits to improve profanity, see below:

Hello everybody!

So I may have given a lot of people a surprise today. Let me start off by apologizing to everyone whose trust I abused.

I apologize to my parents for saying I had an interview without specifying it was for “Most Wanted.”

I apologize to my colleagues and students for saying I had a personal emergency (by the time anyone reads this, I probably most certainly DO need to go to the ER, but can hardly call that not a self-inflicted status.)

I apologize to all of the people I traveled next to, all the workers who handled my luggage, and all the other non-targeted people at the hotel who I put in danger simply by being near.

I apologize to everyone who was abused and/or murdered before this, to all those who suffered before I was able to attempt this, to all who may still suffer after, regardless of my success or failure.

I don’t expect forgiveness, but if I could have seen any other way to get this close, I would have taken it. Again, my sincere apologies.

On to why I did any of this:

I am a citizen of the United States of America.

What my representatives do reflects on me.

And I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.

(Well, to be completely honest, I was no longer willing a long time ago, but this is the first real opportunity I’ve had to do something about it.)

While I’m discussing this, I’ll also go over my expected rules of engagement (probably in a terrible format, but I’m not military so too bad.)

Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest

Secret Service: they are targets only if necessary, and to be incapacitated non-lethally if possible (aka, I hope they’re wearing body armor because center mass with shotguns messes up people who *aren’t*

Hotel Security: not targets if at all possible (aka unless they shoot at me)

Capitol Police: same as Hotel Security

National Guard: same as Hotel Security

Hotel Employees: not targets at all

Guests: not targets at all

In order to minimize casualties I will also be using buckshot rather than slugs (less penetration through walls)

I would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary (on the basis that most people *chose* to attend a speech by a pedophile, rapist, and traitor, and are thus complicit) but I really hope it doesn’t come to that.

Rebuttals to objections:

Objection 1: As a Christian, you should turn the other cheek.

Rebuttal: Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed. I’m not the person raped in a detention camp. I’m not the fisherman executed without trial. I’m not a schoolkid blown up or a child starved or a teenage girl abused by the many criminals in this administration.

Turning the other cheek when *someone else* is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes.

Objection 2: This is not a convenient time for you to do this.

Rebuttal: I need whoever thinks this way to take a couple minutes and realize that the world isn’t about them. Do you think that when I see someone raped or murdered or abused, I should walk on by because it would be “inconvenient” for people who aren’t the victim?

This was the best timing and chance of success I could come up with.

Objection 3: You didn’t get them all.

Rebuttal: Gotta start somewhere.

Objection 4: As a half-black, half-white person, you shouldn’t be the one doing this.

Rebuttal: I don’t see anyone else picking up the slack

Objection 5: Yield unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.

Rebuttal: The United States of America are ruled by the law, not by any one or several people. In so far as representatives and judges do not follow the law, no one is required to yield them anything so unlawfully ordered.

I would also like to extend my appreciation to a great many people since I will not be likely to be able to talk with them again (unless the Secret Service is *astoundingly* incompetent.)

Thank you to my family, both personal and church, for your love over these 31 years.

Thank you to my friends, for your companionship over many years.

Thank you to my colleagues over many jobs, for your positivity and professionalism.

Thank you to my students for your enthusiasm and love of learning.

Thank you to the many acquaintances I’ve met, in person and online, for short interactions and long-term relationships, for your perspectives and inspiration.

Thank you all for everything.

Sincerely,

Cole “coldForce” “Friendly Federal Assassin” Allen

PS: Ok now that all the sappy stuff is done, what the hell is the Secret Service doing? Sorry, gonna rant a bit here and drop the formal tone.

Like, I expected security cameras at every bend, bugged hotel rooms, armed agents every 10 feet, metal detectors out the wazoo.

What I got (who knows, maybe they’re pranking me!) is nothing.

No damn security.

Not in transport.

Not in the hotel.

Not in the event.

Like, the one thing that I immediately noticed walking into the hotel is the sense of arrogance.

I walk in with multiple weapons and not a single person there considers the possibility that I could be a threat.

The security at the event is all outside, focused on protestors and current arrivals, because apparently no one thought about what happens if someone checks in the day before.

Like, this level of incompetence is insane, and I very sincerely hope it’s corrected by the time this country gets actually competent leadership again.

Like, if I was an Iranian agent, instead of an American citizen, I could have brought a damn Ma Deuce in here and no one would have noticed s**t.

Actually insane.

Oh and if anyone is curious is how doing something like feels: it’s awful. I want to throw up; I want to cry for all the things I wanted to do and never will, for all the people whose trust this betrays; I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done.

Can’t really recommend it! Stay in school, kids.

Newsweek Editor Receives Backlash For Calling For Tucker Carlson Should Be ‘Neutralized’

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Newsweek senior editor-at-large Josh Hammer came under fire Wednesday after publishing a column that some critics mischaracterized as calling for harm against Tucker Carlson — an accusation Hammer says is rooted in bad faith and deliberate misinterpretation.

In his Daily Mail piece, Hammer criticized Carlson for his recent interview with controversial commentator Nick Fuentes, arguing that Carlson’s platforming of Fuentes’ “repugnant beliefs” undermines what Hammer described as “the forces of civilizational sanity on the MAGA Right.”

The line that drew the most attention, however, came at the end of the article:

“The fox is now comfortably ensconced in the hen house. And unless the fox is neutralized, the victim could be the entire extant GOP coalition itself.”

Critics — many of them fellow conservatives — quickly pounced on the word “neutralized”, accusing Hammer of reckless rhetoric, particularly in light of recent violence targeting right-leaning public figures.

Conservative Figures Sound the Alarm Over Dangerous Climate

Among those voicing concern was The Blaze host Jason Whitlock, who called the phrasing “irresponsible,” noting that the statement came just weeks after the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. “Josh Hammer calls for Tucker Carlson to be neutralized,” Whitlock wrote on X. “This is a Keith Olbermann-style Twitter post, not something that should be published by a news outlet. We just witnessed the assassination of Charlie Kirk. This is irresponsible by the Daily Mail.”

The article was also condemned by Kirk’s former friend Candace Owens, who wrote, “I cannot believe the @DailyMail allowed this to be published.”

Whitlock’s remarks reflect a growing anxiety across conservative media as political violence against the right has intensified. In addition to the shocking murder of Kirk, former President Donald Trump has survived multiple assassination attempts — including a rally shooting this summer that left several attendees wounded. Other conservative officials and commentators have faced threats, doxxing campaigns, and physical harassment in recent months.

Republicans argue that these attacks are part of a broader cultural and political escalation — one amplified by a media ecosystem that downplays or outright ignores violence directed at conservatives, while eagerly condemning right-wing rhetoric as “dangerous.”

Hammer Pushes Back: “Quit Lying”

In response to the online backlash, Hammer took to social media to clarify his meaning and denounce what he described as willful misrepresentation.

“One has to be truly stupid or willfully disingenuous (or both, as the case may be) to think that ‘neutralized’ here means anything other than its most common usages,” he wrote. “Quit lying.”

He later posted a screenshot of a dictionary definition of “neutralize,” which reads: “To make (something) ineffective; counteract; nullify.” Hammer emphasized that his critique of Carlson was political — not personal — and that he was calling for Carlson’s influence to be curtailed, not for violence of any kind.

Trump DEA Nominee Withdraws From Consideration

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Another one bites the dust…

President-elect Trump’s choice to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced on Tuesday he is withdrawing from consideration.

Florida’s Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a post on X Tuesday evening that he would instead tend to his current duties overseeing an area of the Sunshine State that includes Tampa Bay.

“Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I’ve concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration,” Chronister said.

“There is more work to be done for the citizens of Hillsborough County and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling,” Chronister continued. “I sincerely appreciate the nomination, outpouring of support by the American people, and look forward to continuing my service as Sheriff of Hillsborough County.”

Trump just announced Chronister as his choice to lead the DEA in a Truth Social post on Saturday, tapping the local sheriff to take charge of the agency tasked with seizing illegal substances ranging from fentanyl to other opioids.

“I am pleased to nominate Sheriff Chad Chronister for Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA),” Trump wrote.

“For over 32 years, Sheriff Chad Chronister has served the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and received countless commendations and awards for keeping his community SAFE,” Trump added.

Chronister marks the second nominee to withdraw from consideration after former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration to be the next U.S. attorney general.

Man Arrested After Chilling Ben Shapiro Countdown

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Arrest image via Pixabay

A Kansas man is behind bars in Florida after authorities say he unleashed a string of antisemitic death threats against conservative commentator Ben Shapiro — including a countdown that appeared to point toward Yom Kippur.

Korby Aaren Strube, 29, of Horton, Kansas, was arrested Sept. 12 and charged with 25 felonies in Palm Beach County, according to court records cited by JNS and local reporting.

The charges include 23 counts alleging written or electronic threats to kill or cause bodily harm with evidence of prejudice, plus two counts alleging the use of a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony with evidence of prejudice.

A judge ordered Strube held without bond following a court appearance one day after his arrest, according to reporting based on Palm Beach County court documents.

Posts Allegedly Targeted Shapiro’s Faith

The case centers on a series of social media posts allegedly published between July 31 and Aug. 2.

In one post quoted in an arrest affidavit obtained by JNS, the account said it would be “giving the world a boost by killing Ben Shapiro for being Jewish.” Another allegedly threatened to kill the Daily Wire co-founder while using an antisemitic slur.

Investigators said the messages also leaned on antisemitic conspiracy theories, invoking “semites,” “Tel Aviv” and a “foreign government” as supposed justification for the threats.

Two of the posts allegedly included countdowns of 52 and 51 days. Authorities believed those messages pointed toward Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

Shapiro told investigators he considered the threats serious, believed he was being targeted because of his Jewish faith and wanted to pursue charges, according to the affidavit. He also reportedly said he had never communicated with the person behind the account.

Security Team Sounded The Alarm

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office opened its investigation Aug. 4 after a private security firm protecting Shapiro alerted authorities and supplied screenshots of the posts.

Investigators traced the account to Strube using records from technology, telephone and internet companies, the sheriff’s office said. The account was later suspended.

The case reflects a danger Shapiro has said follows him far beyond the studio. In a recent CBN News interview, the commentator described the personal toll of years of public controversy and rising antisemitism. Additional reporting from the New York Post said Shapiro has relied on round-the-clock security for a decade, including during routine family outings.

A Separate Threat Investigation

Authorities were also examining Strube over alleged threats involving President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama and his family.

According to the Palm Beach County affidavit, Secret Service agents and Brown County sheriff’s deputies went to Strube’s Kansas home on Aug. 4 as part of that separate inquiry. Strube allegedly acknowledged making a threatening post about Trump and the Obamas but denied wanting or intending to kill Trump.

Strube also admitted controlling the social media accounts at issue, authorities said, while claiming they had been hacked. Investigators wrote that the hacking claim was contradicted by both his own statements and the digital evidence they gathered.

Law enforcement officers found firearms secured inside a gun safe at the home, but Strube did not have access to them, according to the affidavit. His parents reportedly told investigators he had no history of mental illness.

The New York Post reported that Strube had previously worked in information technology but had been unemployed and living with his parents for roughly two years.

Strube has not been convicted, and the allegations against him remain to be tested in court. It was not immediately clear whether he had entered a plea or retained an attorney.

Trump Administration Moves To Deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia – To Uganda

Gage Skidmore Flickr

New court filings reveal that the Trump administration is threatening to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda — a move his attorneys describe as coercive. Abrego, a Salvadoran man mistakenly deported to El Salvador earlier this year, declined a plea deal tied to human smuggling charges. In response, prosecutors withdrew an offer that would have allowed him to enter Costa Rica — a safe, Spanish-speaking country where he’d face no detention after serving time — and instead pursued deportation to Uganda.

His attorneys argue immigration authorities are essentially offering a forced choice: accept guilt and a path to Costa Rica, or refuse and risk being sent to Uganda, where his safety — and legal protections — are uncertain at best.

As The Hill reports:

Federal prosecutors on Thursday offered Abrego Garcia the option to “live freely” with refugee or residency status in Costa Rica after serving prison time for federal human smuggling charges in exchange for a guilty plea, per his lawyers in the Saturday filings.

Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to a notorious prison in his native El Salvador, declined the offer on Friday to instead return to his family in Maryland. He had been imprisoned in a Tennessee jail.

After his return to Maryland, Abrego Garcia’s attorneys were notified later in the day that he must report to an Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) field office in Baltimore on Monday — and that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intends to deport him to Uganda.

…

“The only thing that happened between Thursday—Costa Rica—and Friday—Uganda— was Mr. Abrego’s exercise of his legal entitlement to release under the Bail Reform Act and the Fifth Amendment…,” Abrego Garcia’s defense team wrote.

Saturday’s revelations mark a significant escalation, as Uganda recently entered into a U.S. agreement to accept third-country deportees— but explicitly excluding individuals with criminal records or unaccompanied minors. Abrego’s legal team contends that his criminal charges make such deportation both inappropriate and potentially dangerous.

READ NEXT: Dem Forced To Eat Words After Defending Alleged Criminal

Trump To Sign Order To Prepare Guantanamo Bay For 30K Prisoners

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President Donald J. Trump participates in a roundtable discussion on immigration and border security at the U.S. Border Patrol Calexico Station Friday, April 5, 2019, in Calexico, Calif. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he would sign an executive order for the Pentagon to prepare Guantanamo Bay to detain 30,000 “criminal illegal aliens.”

David B. Gleason from Chicago, IL, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

“Today I’m also signing an executive order to instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000 person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay,” Trump said. “Most people don’t even know about it.”

He said they need 30,000 beds to house the detainees, adding that putting them there will ensure they do not come back.

“It’s a tough place to get out of,” Trump added.

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

Suspect Arrested In Attempted Murder Plot Targeting OMB Director Russell Vought

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A Maryland man has been accused of attempting to murder Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought, according to NewsNation.

Court records from Arlington General District Court show that Colin Demarco was arrested on Jan. 22 and arraigned the following day. Records indicate he faces multiple charges, including first-degree attempted murder, first-degree solicitation to commit murder, wearing a mask in certain places, and carrying a concealed firearm, a misdemeanor.

Demarco is accused of plotting to kill Vought, a law enforcement source briefed on the case told NewsNation.

Police say they were called to a Virginia residence on Aug. 10 after a witness reported that a man wearing a surgical mask and rubber gloves appeared to be standing on Vought’s porch while possibly concealing a firearm under his shirt.

According to authorities, the suspect approached the witness and asked about Vought before leaving the scene.

Investigators later identified Demarco as the man described and executed search warrants that reportedly uncovered evidence tying him to the alleged plot. NewsNation reported that authorities found Demarco had obtained directions to the budget director’s home, had posted online about the victim, and had engaged in online discussions that appeared to solicit others to murder Vought.

Demarco is currently being held without bond. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Feb. 23 for a preliminary hearing. Court records list him as being represented by a public defender.

The case comes amid heightened concern nationwide over threats directed at public officials. In recent years, federal authorities have warned of an increase in violent rhetoric and plots targeting government figures across the political spectrum, including presidents, members of Congress, and senior administration officials.

Earlier this week, Ryan Routh was sentenced to life in prison plus seven years over his attempt to assassinate Donald Trump on a Florida golf course.

Prosecutors argued that Routh, 60, should get a life sentence after a jury last year convicted him on five counts for allegedly plotting “painstakingly to kill President Trump, and [taking] significant steps toward making that happen.” 

“Routh’s crimes undeniably warrant a life sentence — he took steps over the course of months to assassinate a major presidential candidate, demonstrated the will to kill anybody in the way, and has since expressed neither regret nor remorse to his victims,” prosecutors argued in a court filing. 

During the September trial, a jury quickly found Routh guilty on five felony counts, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal officer. 

Routh allegedly hid in the bushes of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach and pointed a military-grade SKS rifle towards Trump and a Secret Service agent. 

Steve Bannon Pleads Guilty To Defrauding MAGA Donors

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Thor Brødreskift / Nordiske Mediedager, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Steve Bannon, the former chief strategist for the Trump White House, pleaded guilty to defrauding donors who thought they were giving money to help build a wall at the United States’ southern border on Tuesday.

Bannon had faced five felony counts and up to fifteen years in prison. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Bannon pled guilty to one count and received a three-year conditional discharge. He will face no jail time so long as he does not re-offend.

The longtime ally of President Donald Trump had previously faced federal charges pertaining to the same scheme. In an indictment unsealed in 2020, Bannon was accused of soliciting millions of dollars to build the wall and the funneling the money to himself and his associates. 

Audrey Strauss, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York at the time, said in a statement that Bannon and his co-conspirators had “defrauded hundreds of thousands of donors, capitalizing on their interest in funding a border wall to raise millions of dollars, under the false pretense that all of that money would be spent on construction.”

Bannon received a presidential pardon from Trump on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, the final full day of Trump’s first term in office. In 2022, the Manhattan district attorney’s office charged him over the same scheme.

Last month, Bannon openly declared war on billionaire businessman Elon Musk ahead of Trump’s second inauguration.

In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, as highlighted by Mediaite, Bannon sharply criticized Musk, who was tapped by Trump to co-lead the “Department of Government Efficiency.”

“I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day,” Bannon said. “He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down.”