Authorities arrested a government employee in Virginia on Thursday over accusations he shared classified information with an officer or agent of a foreign government.
Nathan Vilas Laatsch, a 28-year-old IT specialist employed by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) since 2019, has been arrested and charged with attempting to transmit classified national defense information to a foreign government, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Laatsch, who held a Top Secret security clearance and worked in the DIA’s Insider Threat Division, was apprehended in northern Virginia after an undercover FBI operation. The investigation after the FBI received a tip that someone was offering to provide classified information to a friendly foreign government. Subsequent communications revealed that Laatsch expressed ideological disagreements with the current U.S. administration and a willingness to share sensitive materials.
Over several weeks, Laatsch engaged with an FBI agent posing as a foreign government representative. He allegedly transcribed classified information onto a notepad and, on May 1, deposited a thumb drive containing documents marked as Secret and Top Secret at a prearranged location in a northern Virginia park. The drive also included a message indicating his intent to provide a sample of the information he could access.
Following the initial drop, Laatsch communicated his desire for citizenship in the foreign country, citing concerns about the long-term trajectory of the United States. He also indicated openness to other forms of compensation. Between May 15 and May 27, he continued to transcribe and remove classified information, concealing notes in his clothing. On May 29, at another prearranged drop-off, Laatsch was arrested by the FBI upon delivering additional classified materials.
FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the persistent risk of insider threats, stating, “The FBI remains steadfast in protecting our national security and thanks our law enforcement partners for their critical support.”
Laatsch is scheduled to appear in court in Alexandria, Virginia on Friday.
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.”
James Comey just issued a call to action to murder the President of the United States.
As a former FBI Director and someone who spent most of his career prosecuting mobsters and gangsters, he knew exactly what he was doing and must be held accountable under the full force of the… pic.twitter.com/zvbu5Vf0zg
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.
We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump. 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.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) May 15, 2025
The slogan, written in red paint, read “AOC funds genocide in Gaza.” The vandals had also spread the paint all over the entrance to the campaign office before police arrived at roughly 1 a.m. Monday.
NEW — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) campaign headquarters in the Bronx was vandalized overnight with “AOC Funds Genocide in Gaza” written in red paint on the front gate.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) July 21, 2025
The incident came just days after Ocasio-Cortez voted against legislation from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) that would have cut funding for the Israeli Defense Forces.
The lawmaker, who has been vocally critical of Israel’s war in Gaza, said she voted against the bill because it only cut funding for the defensive “Iron Dome” and did nothing to cut off the “actual bombs killing Palestinians.”
Greene’s legislation would have cut off roughly $500 million in funding for Israel. Her proposed amendment, which failed on Thursday, came after Israeli Defense Forces bombed the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza.
“Israel bombed the Catholic Church in Gaza, and that entire population is being wiped out as they continue their aggressive war in Gaza,” Greene said.
Voting alongside Greene on the amendment were Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) members of the progressive so-called “squad” to which Ocasio-Cortez also belongs.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) raised eyebrows this week after making blunt remarks about corruption in Washington and the lingering unanswered questions surrounding the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
During a Monday appearance on Newsmax, Burchett argued that the Epstein scandal remains one of the clearest examples of how America’s political and elite class often operates under a different set of rules than everyday citizens.
Burchett’s comments came as discussion continues about potential upcoming depositions tied to the Epstein investigation, including speculation about former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
By Ralph Alswang, White House photographer – https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/clinton-epstein-maxwell/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=143417695
When asked about the possibility of questioning the Clintons, Burchett did not hold back, calling them an “evil pair” and suggesting they have long avoided accountability because of their political skill and influence.
“There’s a reason that they’re not in prison and a reason that he was in the White House for two terms and she was secretary of state, because they’re very slippery and they’re very smart and I think they’re an evil pair,” Burchett said.
He went on to argue that while many Americans want answers — particularly given Epstein’s high-profile connections — he doubts the Clintons or others in their circle will ever face serious consequences.
“I think she is probably the brains behind the operation, but I don’t think we’ll get much on them,” he continued. “I know a lot of people want us to get them, and it’d be great clickbait, I’m sure, but I think when it comes down to it they’ll either bail or they won’t answer very many questions and be very evasive and be very smug…”
Burchett also expressed frustration with what he described as a two-tiered justice system, where powerful political figures often escape scrutiny while ordinary Americans are held to stricter standards.
“…because in this world there are two forms of justice – those like the Clintons and for the rest of us,” he said.
While some commentators have speculated about dramatic legal consequences for high-profile individuals connected to Epstein, Burchett emphasized that Congress itself cannot directly jail anyone.
“Everybody says we’ll put them in handcuffs, all this stuff. All that’s talk,” he explained. “The law’s gotta back you up on it and, you know, we gotta define what those laws were that they broke, and Congress cannot send somebody to jail.”
🚨This is: United States Representative Tim Burchett:
Any pedophile, found guilty of crimes against children should be “hung publicly.”
In one of his most striking statements, Burchett suggested that Washington’s problems extend far beyond one scandal.
He concluded, “Oddly enough, a lot of congressmen probably should be in jail, but the truth is that we’re not gonna. I don’t think it’ll boil down to anything, and that’s gonna make a lot of people mad, but I believe that’s the truth.”
The Tennessee congressman also weighed in on Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a prison sentence for her role in Epstein’s sex trafficking operation.
Burchett predicted that if Maxwell were ever released early, her fate could mirror the suspicious circumstances many Americans still associate with Epstein’s death.
“I see maybe she gets out early on good behavior and does a humongous book deal and probably ends up committing suicide by getting shot in the back of the head five times because this thing goes very deep and the people involved in it are very powerful,” he said.
Burchett also repeated a belief shared by many skeptics across the country — that Epstein’s death in federal custody left far too many unanswered questions.
“And I’m still one of those that believe Epstein didn’t kill himself, ma’am. I just don’t think he did.”
Elon Musk reignited his very public, and very messy, feud with President Donald Trump, announcing plans to launch a third major political party just hours after Trump signed the $3.3 trillion One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law.
But Musk didn’t stop there.
By early Monday, the billionaire tech mogul was back to openly mocking the president following new reporting on the Department of Justice’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s death.
On X, the platform he owns, Musk posted a meme titled “The Official Jeffrey Epstein Pedophile Arrest Counter.” The image read “0,” with Musk captioning it:
“What’s the time? Oh look, it’s no-one-has-been-arrested-o’clock again …”
The DOJ and FBI concluded their joint probe into the disgraced financier’s 2019 death, reaffirming the official narrative that the child sex offender died by suicide and that there’s no evidence of a blackmail scheme or a so-called “client list.” The two-page memo, first reported by Axios late Sunday, noted that no further arrests are expected.
According to the memo, surveillance footage revealed no unauthorized access to Epstein’s cell, aligning with the medical examiner’s determination of suicide. The administration is also releasing footage showing no movement in Epstein’s section of the jail the night of his death.
But millions remain skeptical.
Dr. Michael Baden — a former New York City chief medical examiner hired by Epstein’s brother — disputes the ruling. Baden said several fractures in Epstein’s neck, including to the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage, were “extremely unusual” in suicide cases and more consistent with homicide. He also said he had never seen injuries like Epstein’s in his 50 years of investigating prison deaths.
Despite that, the DOJ insists the matter is closed.
Musk himself added to the speculation last month, claiming in a now-deleted tweet that Trump was implicated in the Epstein files.
“[Trump] is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,” Musk wrote.
He followed with: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
Trump has vigorously denied any involvement with Epstein’s nefarious activities, insisting, “I was never on Epstein’s Plane, or at his ‘stupid’ Island.”
Responding to Musk’s Epstein files claim, the president reposted a statement from Epstein’s former lawyer David Schoen, who insisted Epstein had “no information to hurt President Trump.”
While Trump’s name does appear in Epstein’s flight logs, no documented evidence of impropriety has emerged. Trump has acknowledged a past friendship with Epstein, which he says ended in the mid-2000s.
Unlike last month’s spat, Trump hit back immediately at his former ally.
In a post Sunday, the president called Musk’s behavior “off the rails,” accusing him of becoming a “TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks.” He slammed third parties as agents of “Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS” and said the U.S. system isn’t built to accommodate them.
“We have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats, who have lost their confidence and their minds!” Trump wrote.
Trump turned up the heat over the weekend, threatening to revoke Musk’s government contracts — a bold strike at the heart of his rival’s wallet.
So far, Ghislaine Maxwell remains the only person convicted in connection with Epstein’s sex trafficking operation. She is currently serving a 20-year sentence.
Rep. Dave Taylor (R-Ohio) is calling for a full investigation after a disturbing image surfaced showing what appeared to be an altered American flag — twisted into a swastika — displayed behind one of his staffers during a virtual meeting.
The image, first reported by Politico and amplified on social media by an Ohio blogger, quickly drew outrage. But Taylor’s office says it may not be what it appears.
“I am aware of an image that appears to depict a vile and deeply inappropriate symbol near an employee in my office,” Taylor said in a statement. “The content of that image does not reflect the values or standards of this office, my staff, or myself, and I condemn it in the strongest terms.”
Taylor emphasized that he acted immediately, directing Capitol Police to investigate what he described as a potentially malicious act.
“Upon learning of this matter, I immediately directed a thorough investigation alongside Capitol Police, which remains ongoing,” the statement continued.
A spokesperson for the congressman suggested the image might have been the result of “foul play or vandalism,” not any endorsement of the offensive imagery by his staff. The photo appeared to show Angelo “AJ” Elia, a legislative correspondent who joined Taylor’s office in January, sitting at his cubicle with the doctored flag visible behind him.
Elia — who recently earned a master’s degree in legislative affairs from George Washington University — has not commented publicly. Taylor’s office has not said whether any personnel actions have been taken while the investigation proceeds.
The controversy comes amid renewed scrutiny of conservative youth organizations after Politico reported on leaked Telegram messages allegedly showing racist and anti-Semitic comments from some Young Republican leaders. The timing of the leak, combined with the sudden surfacing of the photo from Taylor’s office, has raised questions among some Republicans about whether politically motivated actors are attempting to smear conservatives ahead of the 2024 election cycle.
The image was first posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Ohio blogger DJ Byrnes, who claimed a friend had a Zoom meeting with Taylor’s office and noticed the symbol. “A friend in DC had a Zoom call with Congressman Dave Taylor’s office today … Taylor’s legislative correspondent, Angelo Elia, had what can only be described as an American swastika flag prominently displayed in his background,” Byrnes wrote Wednesday.
A friend in DC had a Zoom call with Congressman Dave Taylor’s office today…
Taylor’s legislative correspondent, Angelo Elia, had what can only be described as an American swastika flag prominently displayed in his background. pic.twitter.com/zFn3QowS0c
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.
First Lady Melania Trump participates in the Senate Spouses Luncheon at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, May 21,2025. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)
Things are about to get ugly…
First Lady Melania Trump is threatening to sue former President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, for $1 billion over “defamatory” claims linking her to late financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Melania’s attorney Alejandro Brito demanded that Biden “immediately retract the false, defamatory, disparaging and inflammatory statements made about Mrs. Trump,” which were contained in a video interview with Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan and posted to Youtube in early August.
Read the full letter:
“Failure to comply will leave Mrs. Trump with no choice but to pursue any and all legal rights and remedies available to her to recover the overwhelming financial and reputational harm that you have caused her to suffer,” Brito wrote.
In the video interview, titled “Hunter Biden Returns” video earlier in August, the former first son claimed “Epstein introduced Melania to Trump. The connections are, like, so wide and deep.”
Biden also claimed that “Jeffrey Epstein introduced Melania, and that’s how Melania and the first lady and the President met.”
“If you do not comply with the above by August 7, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. EST, Mrs. Trump will be left with no alternative but to enforce her legal and equitable rights, all of which are expressly reserved and are not waived, including by filing legal action for over $1 Billion Dollars in damages,” Brito wrote. “You are on notice.”
A source close to the matter told Fox News that Biden did not comply with the requests by the set deadline.
After Fox News published the piece, however, Melania Trump got Biden’s reply addressing the attorney’s letter when Callaghan posted a further interview with him to YouTube on Thursday.
Callaghan, holding up a copy at the interview’s opening, declared: “The day of presidential litigation has arrived!”
“We’re here, maybe, to give you the platform to apologize to the first lady for your statements that you made about her possible connection to Jeffrey Epstein,” the host said to Biden.
“F*ck that! That’s not going to happen,” Biden laughed.
Defending his comments as citation, Biden continued:
First of all is that, what I said was what I have heard and seen reported and written, primarily from Michael Wolff but also dating back all the way to 2019 when the New York Times – I think Annie Carney and and Maggie Haberman – reported that sources said that Jeffrey Epstein claimed to be the person to introduce Donald Trump to Melania at that time.
Biden added that he would not bow down to pressure or lawsuit threats: “I also think they’re bullies and they think that a billion dollars is going to scare me.”
I have this to say to them: If they want to sit down for a deposition and clarify the the nature of the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein, if the president and the First Lady want to do that and all of the known associates around them at the time of whatever time that they met, I’m more than happy to provide them the platform to be able to do it.
The letter comes after the Daily Beast pulled the article detailing allegations by journalist Wolff that Melania Trump was introduced to her husband Donald Trump via a modeling agent connected to Epstein, after a challenge from the first lady’s lawyers.
“Editor’s Note. After this story was published, The Beast received a letter from First Lady Melania Trump’s attorney challenging the headline and framing of the article. After reviewing the matter, the Beast has taken down the article and apologizes for any confusion or misunderstanding,” The Daily Beast posted in place of the article. The url for the article appears to have been amended to remove the original headline and now reads: thedailybeast.com/epstein-this-story-has-been-removed.
It also comes after famed Democrat strategist James Carville apologized to the first lady after repeating the same claim.
“In last week’s podcast episode, we spoke with Judd Legum,” he said. “After the episode, we received a letter from Melania Trump’s lawyer. He took issue with our title of one of those YouTube videos from that episode and a couple of comments I made about the first lady. We took a look at what they complained about, and we took down the video and edited out those comments from the episode. I also take back these statements and apologize.”
An aide to the first lady, Nick Clemens, told Fox News in a statement, “First Lady Melania Trump’s attorneys are actively ensuring immediate retractions and apologies by those who spread malicious, defamatory falsehoods. The true account of how the First Lady met President Trump is in her best-selling book, ‘Melania.’”
The House Ethics Committee has found “substantial reason to believe” that Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) violated multiple federal laws, House rules, and ethical standards, according to a report released Thursday.
The bipartisan panel said its investigative subcommittee is formally “bringing the charges” against Cherfilus-McCormick, citing potential violations of campaign finance laws and regulations, criminal statutes tied to campaign finance misconduct, the Ethics in Government Act, the Code of Ethics for Government Service, and several House rules.
The findings come as Cherfilus-McCormick already faces serious legal trouble. In November, a federal grand jury indicted the congresswoman on charges that she stole $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds and used a portion of that money to bankroll her political campaign.
Prosecutors allege that in July 2021, Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother received a $5 million overpayment from FEMA while their health care company was working under a FEMA-funded staffing contract related to COVID-19 vaccinations. At the time, Cherfilus-McCormick was serving as the company’s CEO.
Rather than returning the money, federal authorities claim the congresswoman and her brother conspired to keep it, routing the funds through multiple bank accounts in an effort to “disguise” their source.
According to the Ethics Committee report, investigators uncovered evidence that aligns closely with the criminal indictment—and, in some cases, points to broader misconduct.
“The ISC’s [Investigative Subcommittee] investigation has revealed substantial evidence of conduct consistent with the allegations in the indictment, as well as more extensive misconduct as laid out in the following Statement of Facts in Support of Alleged Violations related to violations of federal laws and regulations, as well as ethical standards,” the report said.
Cherfilus-McCormick forcefully denied wrongdoing and criticized the committee’s process.
“Today’s action was taken without giving me a fair opportunity to rebut or defend myself due to the constraints of an ongoing legal process,” she said. “I reject these allegations and remain confident the full facts will make clear I did nothing wrong. Until then, my focus remains where it belongs: delivering for my constituents and continuing the work they sent me to Washington to do.”
The investigative subcommittee detailed the scope of its work, noting it reviewed more than 33,000 documents, conducted 28 witness interviews, sent 30 requests for information, issued 59 subpoenas, and met 12 times across the 118th and 119th Congresses.
The report also highlighted Cherfilus-McCormick’s lack of cooperation in the later stages of the investigation. While she initially produced some records, the congresswoman ultimately invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination after being subpoenaed for documents and testimony.
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.
🚨 HOLY CRAP. After Ryan Routh was found guilty of trying to assassinate President Trump, he tried to STAB HIMSELF in the NECK "with a pen."
Then, 4 Marshals dragged him out of the room, shackled him, and brought him back into the courtroom.
The case was heard by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who denied a motion from Routh’s defense team seeking her recusal. A Trump appointee, Cannon was randomly assigned to the case.
Today’s guilty verdict against would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence.
This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation…
Federal prosecutors alleged Routh camped near Trump’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 Trump’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 — 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.
