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Report: Dan Bongino Quietly Clearing Out His Office in Preparation for FBI Exit

Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino is reportedly preparing to leave the Bureau in the coming weeks, fueling speculation that he may soon return to the conservative media landscape where he built a powerful national following. According to The New York Times, several individuals familiar with the situation say Bongino is already packing up his office and sending personal items back to Floridaโ€”an indication that an official announcement may be imminent.

These sources told the Times that Bongino could depart โ€œas soon as this week or as late as mid-January,โ€ though he has not yet publicly confirmed his plans. The former Secret Service agent and best-selling author was appointed to the FBI leadership team earlier this year by President Donald Trump, who tasked him with bringing greater transparency, accountability, and ideological clarity to an agency long accused by conservatives of political bias.

Dan Bongino via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Conflicting Signals About Bonginoโ€™s Plans

Other reports offer mixed signals. Fox News Digital, citing its own sources, noted Monday that Bongino has โ€œnot made a final decisionโ€ and disputed claims that his office was already empty. However, Foxโ€™s sources did acknowledge that he is expected to clarify his future โ€œin the coming weeks.โ€

If Bongino does leave the Bureau, many expect him to reenter the conservative media sphere in time for the 2026 midterm elections, when Republican strategists anticipate a major national referendum on the direction of the country.

Potentially Strategic Timing for His Exit

According to the Times, Bongino has privately floated the idea of aligning his departure with a major law-enforcement developmentโ€”specifically a press conference connected to the long-running federal investigation into the pipe bombs planted near the DNC and RNC headquarters on January 5, 2021.

The incident, still unsolved after nearly four years, remains a source of public frustration. Conservatives argue the lack of progress underscores deep institutional failures at the FBIโ€”failures Bongino has long criticized both before and during his time at the agency.

Repairing Tensions With Attorney General Pam Bondi

Behind the scenes, Bongino is also said to be smoothing tensions with Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom he sharply criticized earlier this year. In July, Bondiโ€™s office released a memo stating that the much-discussed โ€œEpstein client listโ€ did not exist, contradicting years of speculation amplified in part through Bonginoโ€™s own podcast prior to his government service.

The Times reports that Bongino was so dissatisfied with Bondiโ€™s handling of that matter that he threatened to resign at the time. Since then, he has reportedly worked to repair the relationshipโ€”an indication that he may be trying to ensure a clean exit from the Bureau, should he choose to move on.

Broader Political Context

Bonginoโ€™s potential departure comes at a pivotal moment for federal law enforcement. Republicans continue to push for sweeping reforms at the FBI, citing concerns about political motivations behind high-profile investigations dating back to the Russia probe. Bongino, viewed by many grassroots conservatives as a no-nonsense reformer, entered the FBI leadership at a time when trust in federal agencies has been sharply divided along partisan lines.

A return to broadcasting would position him once again as one of the most influential voices in conservative politicsโ€”a role he previously used to energize Republican voters, challenge media narratives, and champion pro-Trump policy priorities.

For now, the timeline remains unclear. But by all accounts, Bonginoโ€™s next moveโ€”whether announced this week or early in the new yearโ€”will be closely watched

Report: Minnesota Lawmaker Behind โ€˜Trump Derangement Syndromeโ€™ Bill Accused Of Soliciting Teen

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Arrest image via Pixabay

Hours after introducing a bill proposing โ€œTrump derangement syndromeโ€ (TDS) as a form of mental illness police arrested Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn for soliciting a minor.

According to The Hill, Bloomington Police Department detectives had communicated with Eichorn, who was under the assumption he was talking to a 17-year-old female.ย He arrived Monday to meet the teen in person but was instead met by localย officers.

He was later booked at the Bloomington Police Department jail and was expected to be transported to the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center. A felony charge of soliciting a minor to practice prostitution was pending, authorities said in a statement Tuesday.

โ€œAs a 40-year-old man, if you come to the Orange Jumpsuit District looking to have sex with someoneโ€™s child, you can expect that we are going to lock you up,โ€ Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said in a statement. โ€œI have always advocated stiffer penalties for these types of offensesโ€ฆWe need our state legislature to take this case and this type of conduct more seriously.โ€

Eichorn, who is married with four children, represents St. Paul, Minn., according to his legislative profile

The bill, sponsored by Republican State Senators Eric Lucero, Steve Drazkowski, Nathan Wesenberg, Justin Eichorn, and Glenn Gruenhagen, seeks to amend the stateโ€™s definition of mental illness by adding a specific reference to TDS. According to the text of the bill, mental illness would include โ€œTrump Derangement Syndromeโ€ or an organic disorder of the brain that significantly impairs an individualโ€™s ability to function in daily life. (RELATED: Minnesota Republicans Propose Bill Classifying โ€œTrump Derangement Syndromeโ€ as Mental Illness)

The bill describes TDS as โ€œthe acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump.โ€ According to the proposal, individuals affected by TDS exhibit symptoms of paranoia and an inability to separate legitimate political disagreements from perceived personal or psychological pathology in Trumpโ€™s behavior.

In the wake of Eichornโ€™s arrest, his colleagues have urged him to resign.

โ€œWe are shocked by these reports and this alleged conduct demands an immediate resignation,โ€ Minnesota State Republicans wrote in a statement, posted on X. โ€œJustin has a difficult road ahead and he needs to focus on his family.โ€

Trump Official Refers New York AG Letitia James For Prosecution – Again

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Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A senior Trump administration official has made new criminal referrals against New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte said in a letter Wednesday to prosecutors in Florida that James may have falsified information on a homeownerโ€™s insurance application submitted to Fort Lauderdale-based Universal Property Insurance. In a separate letter to prosecutors in Illinois, Pulte alleged that James may have also provided false information on an application to Allstate.

The referrals mark the latest development in a series of legal actions pursued by officials in President Trumpโ€™s administration against James, a longtime political adversary. In a Truth Social post Wednesday night, President Trump wrote that James had been โ€œreferred again for criminal prosecution for alleged homeowner insurance fraud.โ€

One of the referrals was sent to Jason Reding Quiรฑones, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Quiรฑones is currently leading an investigation into Obama-era officials, including former CIA Director John Brennan, related to intelligence findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to benefit Trump. Last year, Quiรฑones also sought records connected to special counsel Jack Smithโ€™s investigations into Trump.

The second referral was sent to Andrew Boutros, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

Abbe Lowell, an attorney for James, rejected the allegations and criticized the administrationโ€™s actions.

โ€œabusing their power to pursue a vendetta against her by trying to rename, refile, and repeat baseless allegations.โ€

โ€œThese desperate tactics will fail โ€” just as every previous attempt has failed โ€” and exposes an Administration that has abandoned its responsibility to the American people in favor of petty political payback,โ€ Lowell said.

The new referrals follow a previously dismissed federal case against James. Last fall, she was charged in federal court with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, based on allegations that she misrepresented details about a property in Virginia to secure more favorable mortgage terms. James denied wrongdoing, and the charges were later dismissed.

The earlier indictment came after Pulte referred James for possible mortgage fraud, though the charges ultimately focused on a different property than the one cited in his referral. A federal judge dismissed the case in November, ruling that interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan had been unlawfully appointed. A separate case brought by Halligan against former FBI Director James Comey was also dismissed, and two federal grand juries later declined to re-indict James on bank fraud charges.

According to the original indictment, James purchased a Virginia home in 2020 using a mortgage that required the property to be used as a second residence, but she allegedly rented it out as an investment property to obtain a lower interest rate.

James has argued that she is being targeted for political reasons, particularly after she sued Trump in civil court during the period between his presidential terms. A New York judge found Trump and his company liable for fraud and ordered them to pay hundreds of millions of dollars, though an appellate court later overturned the financial judgment.

In court filings last year, Jamesโ€™s attorneys accused Pulte of using the Federal Housing Finance Agency โ€” which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac โ€” as a โ€œweapon to be brandished against President Trumpโ€™s political enemies.โ€

CBS News previously reported that prosecutors have also examined financial transactions between James and her longtime hairdresser, Iyesata Marsh, as part of a separate line of inquiry. Pulte has since sought a protective security detail, citing threats he said were connected to the case.

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 โ€” 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 โ€” a safe, Spanish-speaking country where he’d face no detention after serving time โ€” 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 โ€” and legal protections โ€” are uncertain at best.

As The Hill reports:

Federal prosecutors on Thursday offered Abrego Garcia the option to โ€œlive freelyโ€ with refugee or residency status in Costa Rica after serving prison time forย federal human smuggling chargesย in exchange for a guilty plea, per his lawyers in the Saturday filings.

Abrego Garcia, who wasย mistakenly deportedย to a notorious prison in his native El Salvador, declined the offer on Fridayย to instead returnย to his family in Maryland. He had been imprisoned in a Tennessee jail.

After his return to Maryland, Abrego Garciaโ€™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 โ€” and that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intends to deport him to Uganda.

โ€œThe only thing that happened between Thursdayโ€”Costa Ricaโ€”and Fridayโ€”Ugandaโ€” was Mr. Abregoโ€™s exercise of his legal entitlement to release under the Bail Reform Act and the Fifth Amendmentโ€ฆ,โ€ Abrego Garciaโ€™s defense team wrote.

Saturday’s revelations mark a significant escalation, as Uganda recently entered into a U.S. agreement to accept third-country deporteesโ€” but explicitly excluding individuals with criminal records or unaccompanied minors. Abregoโ€™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

Man Who Falsely Claimed To shoot Charlie Kirk Sentenced To Prison

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Image via Pixabay

In a strikingly bizarre footnote to the tragic assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a Utah man who falsely claimed responsibility for the fatal shooting has now been sentenced and faces up to 15 years in prison.

Seventy-one-year-old George Hodgson Zinn โ€” who dramatically approached law enforcement at Utah Valley University, yelling โ€œI shot him โ€” now shoot meโ€ moments after Kirk was gunned down โ€” has now pleaded no contest to obstruction of justice and guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to court records.

While Zinnโ€™s initial false confession drew headlines and confusion during the chaotic aftermath of the shooting โ€” leading some to believe he was the shooter โ€” investigators quickly ruled him out as a suspect in Kirkโ€™s assassination.

During questioning at a hospital after the incident, Zinn shocked authorities by admitting he had child sexual abuse material on his phone. A warrant later uncovered more than 20 images depicting abused minors, and prosecutors charged him accordingly.

In Salt Lake County district court, Zinn was sentenced to zero to five years for obstruction and one to 15 years for each exploitation count, with the judge ordering the terms to run concurrently. The exact amount of time he will serve will be decided by the Utah parole board.


Remembering Charlie Kirk: A Conservative Voice Silenced

The backdrop to this strange prosecution is one of the most shocking episodes of political violence in recent U.S. history. On Sept. 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk โ€” founder and executive director of the conservative youth advocacy group Turning Point USA and a leading voice in the MAGA movement โ€” was assassinated by a sniper while speaking at an outdoor event on the Utah Valley University campus.

Kirk, just 31 years old, had become one of the most recognizable young conservative figures in America. He built Turning Point USA from a student organization into a powerful grassroots force shaping Republican campaigns, energizing young voters, and challenging campus liberal orthodoxy across the country.

Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

His death prompted an outpouring of grief and outrage from Republican leaders and conservative grassroots activists, who saw the attack as not just a crime but part of a broader pattern of hostility toward conservatives. Thousands attended memorial events, and his legacy has become a rallying point in debates over political violence and free speech on college campuses and beyond.

The suspect in the shooting โ€” 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson โ€” was later arrested and charged with aggravated murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, underscoring the gravity of the crime and the national attention still focused on the case.


What This Means Going Forward

Zinnโ€™s sentencing closes one strange chapter in the unfolding story of the Kirk assassination, but it also highlights the turmoil that followed one of the most prominent conservative leaders of his generation. A man who tried โ€” for reasons still unclear โ€” to throw law enforcement off the trail of the real shooter now faces prison time for his own criminal behavior.

Republican Says Hunter Biden Investigation Will Move Forward

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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)

The House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep.ย Jim Jordanย (R-Ohio) said the panel will continue its investigation into Hunter Bidenโ€™s criminal activity in a Thursdayย interview with Politico.

โ€œWe think we need to look atย David Weiss,ย the special counsel,โ€ Jordan told the outlet.ย 

โ€œThere will be some additional work we need to do, I think, there because when we deposed him, he wasnโ€™t willing to โ€” he didnโ€™t answer any questions, really, because it was [an] ongoing investigation,โ€ he added.

He criticizedย President Bidenย for pardoning his son ahead of his exit from the White House on all crimes committed in a 10-year period.

โ€œI didnโ€™t agree with it. I think a lot of Americans didnโ€™t,โ€ Jordan said.

But he added that โ€œthe president can pardon anyone he wants to pardon.โ€

Jordanโ€™s committee launched a broad probe intoย Hunter Bidenย and his uncle James Biden for alleged unethical business dealings which prompted their testimony before members of Congress last year.

Man Indicted In Arizona Tesla Dealership Fire

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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 ofย malicious damageย 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 CEOย Elon Muskโ€™sย involvement in the Trump administration.

The Department of Justice, in a news release announcing the federal juryโ€™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 โ€œTHIEF.โ€

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 Mosesโ€™s pocket that had the letter โ€œTโ€ marking the dealershipโ€™s location.

โ€œThere is nothing American about burning down someone elseโ€™s business because you disagree with them politically,โ€ Timothy Courchaine, the interim federal prosecutor for Arizona, said in a statement. โ€œThese 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.โ€

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

Attorney Generalย Pam Bondiย said in a statement on Mosesโ€™s indictment that there would be โ€œno negotiatingโ€ on the charges.

โ€œIf 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,โ€ Bondi said.

Pardoned Capitol Rioter Charged With Threatening To Kill Hakeem Jeffries

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Authorities arrested a pardoned Capitol rioter last weekend for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Court documents obtained by CBS News said Christopher Moynihan was arrested Sunday after saying in text messages that he planned to “eliminate” Jeffries when the top House Democrat spoke at an event in New York City on Monday. 

The House Minority Leader spoke at the Economic Club of New York on Monday.ย 

CBS News reports:

According to a court filing by prosecutors in the New York state criminal case, Moynihan wrote, “Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live.”

Moynihan also allegedly stated: “Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future,” the filing said.

Moynihan faces a felony charge of making a terroristic threat, according to court filings.

Moynihan was among the large group of Capitol riot defendants pardoned by President Trump nine months ago. In a shocking move only hours after returning to the White House, President Trump granted clemency to more than 1,500 other Capitol riot defendants.

Moynihan was found guilty in August 2022 of obstructing an official proceeding, and pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges. He was sentenced in February 2023 to 21 months in prison.

Elvert Barnes, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Moynihan’s arrest for allegedly threatening Jeffries was made by New York State Police, according to a statement by the agency that was confirmed by a state official. The investigation was initiated by the FBI, according to state police.

A state police statement said Moynihan was arraigned in local court in Clinton, a town in New York’s Hudson Valley region. He was remanded to the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center “in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, a $30,000 bond, or an $80,000 partially secured bond.” 

The alleged threat against Jeffries is only the latest threat in part of a rapidly growing wave of threats against legislators and political figures. In a statement last month, Capitol Police said the number of threat investigations in 2025 had already eclipsed 14,000, more than the number of cases in all of 2024. ย 

Verdict Reached In Attempted Trump Assassination Trial

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Just in…

A jury has reportedly reached a verdict in the trial of Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate then-candidate Trump on his golf course.

Routh was found guilty on all charges. Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen after learning the verdict. Multiple court marshals were needed to de-escalate the situation and temporarily removed Routh from the courtroom.

The case was heard by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who denied a motion from Routhโ€™s defense team seeking her recusal. A Trump appointee, Cannon was randomly assigned to the case.

Federal prosecutors alleged Routh camped near Trumpโ€™s golf course for 12 hours with a rifle and aimed at a Secret Service agent before being forced to drop the weapon. Investigators later discovered a letter in which Routh expressed regret that he failed to kill Trump, as well as evidence he sought anti-aircraft weapons and surveillance of Trumpโ€™s flights weeks before his arrest.

Routh was found guilty of the attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple gun violations โ€” crimes carrying potential life sentences.

Routh faces up to life in prison. Routh pleaded not guilty to all charges.

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

NYC Mayor โ€˜Welcomesโ€™ Possible Trump Support After Corruption Indictment

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams is looking for support anywhere he can get it.

Adams said he would โ€œwelcome support from every Americanโ€ in response to aย questionย from theย Washington Examinerย about whether he would accept former Presidentย Donald Trumpโ€™sย favor.

Trump recently said he had predicted Adams would be โ€œindicted within a yearโ€ as the mayor called for federal government funds to deal with the cityโ€™s migrant crisis.

โ€œListen, I welcome support from every American,โ€ Adams said Tuesday at a press conference. โ€œNo matter where they are and who they are, I welcome support from every American. Those who know me and know how I am, and those who are just reading up on this. So every American in this great country, I welcome support from.โ€

Trumpโ€™s comments last week suggested that he sympathized with the mayor.

โ€œI watched about a year ago when he talked about how the illegal migrants are hurting our city, and the federal government should pay us, and we shouldnโ€™t have to take them,โ€ the former president said. โ€œAnd I said, โ€˜You know what? Heโ€™ll be indicted within a year,โ€™ and I was exactly right.โ€

Watch:

An Adams spokesman believes press coverage of Adamsโ€™s remarks has been misguided.

โ€œThis is a distortion of what the mayor said today,โ€ Fabien Levy, Adamsโ€™s deputy mayor for communications, said in a social media post. โ€œHe never said he was looking for Trumpโ€™s support. Mayor Adams has said multiple times that he supports Kamala Harris for president. In fact, the mayor traveled to Chicago to support her historic nomination in August.โ€

Adams was recently indicted on five corruption charges, including bribery and wire fraud, for his actions allegedly soliciting benefits from foreign nationals, namely Turkish government officials, in exchange for favors.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams could be facing a bevy of new charges after being indicted last week in a federal corruption case. On Wednesday, prosecutors said that further counts are โ€œquite likelyโ€ and that more defendants may be implicated.