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Epstein Files Threaten Tp Upend Trump Legacy

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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

Tensions are rising after the Justice Department claimed it had no evidence that notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein had a client list, blackmailed powerful people, or was murdered.

Democrats in Congressย sayย they will introduce measures this week to press for the disclosure of files reported to Epstein, a wealthy financier and convicted sex offender who was found dead at the age of 66 in his New York City jail cell in 2019 after being arrested on sex trafficking charges involving young girls.ย 

Rep.ย Ro Khannaย (D-Calif.) is calling on House Republicans to hold a vote demanding the Trump administration release the โ€œFULL Epstein files.โ€

โ€œWhy are the Epstein files still hidden? Who are the rich & powerful being protected?โ€ Khanna said in a post on the social platform X over the weekend.

โ€œOn Tuesday, Iโ€™m introducing an amendment to force a vote demanding the FULL Epstein files be released to the public,โ€ he continued. โ€œThe Speaker must call a vote & put every Congress member on record.โ€

The Justice Department last week released a memo concluding there was no evidence suggesting the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender kept a โ€œclient listโ€ to blackmail high-profile individuals. The memo also found no evidence to suggest foul play in Epsteinโ€™s death, which had previously been ruled a suicide.

The memo spurred fierce backlash from many Trump supporters, who had long called on the government to release material on Epstein that they argue would expose wrongdoing at the highest level of elite circles.

Far-right activistย Laura Loomer,ย a staunch ally ofย President Trump,ย said Sunday night there should be a special counsel toย examine the handling of filesย related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Loomer, who has bashed Attorney Generalย Pam Bondiย for her handling ofย the Epstein documents, told Politicoโ€™s Playbook newsletter that aย special counsel should be appointedย โ€œso that people can feel like this issue is being investigated, and perhaps take it out of [Bondiโ€™s] hands, because I donโ€™t think that she has been transparent or done a good job handling this issue.โ€

Much of the frustration from MAGA allies has been directed at Attorney Generalย Pam Bondi,ย who said earlier this year that files were on her desk but then seemed to suggest they did not exist by releasing the memo last week. Bondi argued she was referring to the case file on Epstein, not a specific โ€œclient list.โ€

Trump has remained adamant in his position andย has fiercely defendedย Bondi against the onslaught of backlash.ย 

โ€œWhatโ€™s going on with my โ€˜boysโ€™ and, in some cases, โ€˜gals?โ€™ Theyโ€™re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! Weโ€™re on one Team, MAGA, and I donโ€™t like whatโ€™s happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and โ€˜selfish peopleโ€™ are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies,ย Jeffrey Epstein,โ€ Trump said in the social media post on Saturday.

Dan Bongino, the Deputy Director of the FBI, reportedly threatened to leave the bureau if Attorney General Pam Bondi remains on the job due to her handling of the Epstein files, a source close to Bongino told The Daily Wire.

One source close to Bongino predicted to Axios, โ€œHe ainโ€™t coming back.โ€ Trump administration officials, however, are saying that Bongino remains on the job.

President Donald Trump said on Sunday he believes FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is โ€œin good shapeโ€ following a reported clash with Attorney General Pam Bondi.

โ€œI spoke to him today,โ€ Trumpย toldย reporters at Joint Base Andrews. โ€œDan Bongino, very good guy. Iโ€™ve known him a long time. Iโ€™ve done his show many, many times. And he sounded terrific actually. No, I think heโ€™s in good shape.โ€

Watch:

FBI Director Kash Patelย broke his silenceย on Saturday amid rumors that he might also consider leaving if Bondi stayed, saying in a post to X that the โ€œconspiracy theoriesโ€ were not true and that he would continue to serve under Trump as long as the president wanted him to be there.

House Democrats Release Emails Linking Epstein and Trump in Ongoing Oversight Probe

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

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday released a new batch of emails connected to Jeffrey Epstein that reference President Donald Trump.

The correspondence, which includes messages between Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and author Michael Wolff, was reportedly obtained from Epsteinโ€™s estate as part of an ongoing congressional review of more than 23,000 documents.

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

In a 2011 email to Maxwell, Epstein wrote that Mr. Trump โ€œspent hours at my houseโ€ with one of Epsteinโ€™s alleged victims, whose name was redacted. โ€œI want you to realize that that dog that hasnโ€™t barked is Trump. [Victim 1] spent hours at my house with him, he has never once been mentioned,โ€ Epstein wrote. Maxwell responded, โ€œI have been thinking about thatโ€ฆโ€

Another message, dated January 31, 2019, appears to show Epstein corresponding with Wolff about Mr. Trump and Mar-a-Lago. โ€œTrump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever. of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop,โ€ Epstein wrote.

A third exchange between Epstein and Wolff, dated December 15, 2015, discusses how then-candidate Trump might respond to media questions about his connection to Epstein. Wolff wrote, โ€œI hear CNN planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with youโ€”either on air or in scrum afterwards.โ€ Epstein replied, โ€œif we were able to craft an answer for him, what do you think it should be?โ€ Wolff responded, โ€œI think you should let him hang himself. If he says he hasnโ€™t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency… Of course, it is possible that, when asked, heโ€™ll say Jeffrey is a great guy and has gotten a raw deal and is a victim of political correctness, which is to be outlawed in a Trump regime.โ€

Mr. Trump announced his first presidential campaign in June 2015. Wolff later wrote Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, published in 2018.

Epstein and Mr. Trump were social acquaintances in New York and Florida from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. The President has said he cut ties with Epstein in 2004, long before Epsteinโ€™s 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking charges. Mr. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing.

Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan federal jail in 2019 while awaiting trial. Maxwell was later convicted of conspiring in Epsteinโ€™s sex trafficking operation and is serving a 20-year sentence.

Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said in a statement that the Justice Department should release its full Epstein files โ€œimmediately.โ€

He added, โ€œThe more Donald Trump tries to cover up the Epstein files, the more we uncover. These latest emails and correspondence raise glaring questions about what else the White House is hiding and the nature of the relationship between Epstein and the President.โ€

The email release coincides with a broader congressional push for transparency in the Epstein case. Lawmakers are reviewing materials from Epsteinโ€™s estate and have sought information from former officials, including past attorneys general and FBI directors. The committee has also questioned Alex Acosta, the former U.S. attorney who oversaw Epsteinโ€™s controversial plea deal in Florida and later served as Labor Secretary under Mr. Trump. Acosta resigned in 2019 amid scrutiny over his handling of the Epstein case.

The House returned to session Wednesday for the first time since mid-September, with Democrats expected to advance a discharge petition to compel the Justice Department to make public its Epstein investigation files. A vote on the measure is not expected until next month.

Suspect Arrested After Ramming Car Into White House Barricade

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A man was arrested Tuesday night after driving his vehicle into a security gate at the White House complex, the United States Secret Service (USSS) announced. According to the agency, at approximately 10:37 p.m. on October 21, the individual drove his vehicle into the Secret Service vehicle gate located at 17th and E Streets NW in Washington.

Arrest image via Pixabay

Uniformed Division officers of the Secret Service immediately arrested the driver. The vehicle was assessed in coordination with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and was โ€œdeemed safe.โ€

The agency said the investigation into the cause of the collision is ongoing, and no motive has yet been publicly identified.

While officials noted there was no known breach of the core residence or threat to the Presidentโ€™s safety at the time, the incident raises fresh questions about security.

Since President Trump returned to office for his second term, the nation has witnessed a number of alarming incidentsโ€”some narrowly averted, some still under investigation. Two recent events in particular stand out:

1. The hunting-stand incident near Air Force One
Over the weekend, the Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched a federal probe after agents discovered a โ€œhunting standโ€ positioned in a tree with a direct line of sight toward where Air Force One touches down at Palmโ€ฏBeachโ€ฏInternationalโ€ฏAirport in Florida, ahead of President Trumpโ€™s arrival at his estate in Mar-a-Lago.

While officials stressed that no individuals, ammunition or explosives were found at the site, the discovery of an elevated platform within view of the presidential aircraft sparked serious concern. It comes on the heels of past assassination attempts targeting the Republican President.

2. The July-and-September 2024 assassination attempts
On July 13, 2024, while President Trump was speaking at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, a gunman climbed onto a rooftop and fired multiple shots; one grazed Trumpโ€™s ear and a spectator was killed.

Then on September 15, 2024, at the Trumpโ€ฏInternationalโ€ฏGolfโ€ฏClub,โ€ฏWestโ€ฏPalmโ€ฏBeach in Florida, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh was spotted hiding in shrubbery with a rifle aimed at Trump. Secret Service agents intervened and arrested him later that day.

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 

Former Congressman Madison Cawthorn Arrested

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Former Congressman Madison Cawthorn was briefly arrested this week in Cape Coral, Florida โ€” yet the setback may not slow what many believe is a mounting effort to reenter national politics.

Authorities took Cawthorn into custody on a warrant stemming from an August 19 citation for driving without a valid license in Naples. He was released shortly thereafter on a $2,000 bond and is expected to appear in court to resolve the matter. Supporters have dismissed the incident as a minor technicality, unlikely to derail his ambitions.


From Conservative Trailblazer to Political Lightning Rod

Cawthorn burst onto the national stage in 2020 as one of the youngest Republicans ever elected to Congress, winning his North Carolina seat at just 25 years old. He quickly became a symbol of youthful conservative energy and unapologetic defiance of the Washington establishment.

But his meteoric rise ran into turbulence during his lone term. In early 2022, he alleged that some D.C. elites had invited him to a cocaine-fueled โ€œorgy,โ€ a claim that drew sharp criticism from GOP leadership. Weeks later, police body camera footage showed him being pulled over while driving a car he mistakenly believed he owned, and he was also cited for bringing a firearm through airport security โ€” his second such incident in less than a year.

Republican leadership, once supportive, gradually distanced themselves. The controversies overshadowed his legislative work and contributed to his loss in the 2022 Republican primary.


Florida Could Offer a Second Act

Now, Cawthorn may be plotting a political revival โ€” this time from Floridaโ€™s 19th Congressional District, where Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) is expected to step down to run for governor. Axios recently reported that Cawthorn has been exploring a run to fill the soon-to-be-open seat, potentially offering him a clean slate and new political base in one of the countryโ€™s most Republican-leaning regions.

If he enters the race, Cawthorn could return to Washington older, more seasoned, and still armed with the anti-establishment instincts that made him a grassroots favorite. For many conservatives, his resilience โ€” and willingness to challenge entrenched power โ€” could be the very qualities the GOP needs in its next generation of leadership. for the second time in nine months.

Santos Begs Trump For ‘Pardon, Commutation, Clemency, Whateverโ€™

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A desperate plea…

Former Rep.ย George Santosย (R-N.Y.), whoย faces more than seven yearsย behind bars afterย pleading guiltyย to wire fraud and identity theft, is seeking clemency from President Trump.

โ€œIโ€™ll take a commutation, clemency, whatever the president is willing to give me,โ€ Santos told British media personality Piers Morgan in an episode of Morganโ€™s YouTube show โ€œUncensoredโ€ on Thursday.

โ€œSeven years and three months in prison for a first-time offender over campaign matters just screams โ€˜over the top,โ€™ and I would appreciate if the president would consider,โ€ he added.

Theย disgraced former lawmakerย also noted he is filling out paperwork to formally seek intervention from the White House before he reports to prison in July.

By U.S. House Office of Photography – https://santos.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/santos.house.gov/files/evo-media-image/rep_santos_george_official.jpg, Public Domain,

In his interview with Morgan, Santos blasted former Biden administration Attorney General Merrick Garland, whom Trump and other conservative alliesย have criticizedย and accused of weaponizing the Department of Justice against the president and his allies.

โ€œI do believe this is an unfair judgment handed down to me,โ€ he said Thursday. โ€œI think there was a lot of politicization over the process.โ€

โ€œMerrick Garlandย was by far the most disgraceful and disgraced political [attorney general] to ever serve in that capacity of the United States,โ€ Santos said.

Santos was elected to represent New Yorkโ€™s affluent Long Island-centered 3rd District in 2022, becoming the first openly gay Republican to win a House seat as a nonincumbent before his fall from grace.ย The Houseย expelled Santosย from the chamber in a 311โ€“114 vote in 2023, as ethics charges mounted against him.

Democrat Senator Warns Trump Planning a โ€˜Coordinated Effort to Try to Interfereโ€™ in the Midterms

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Missvain, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, is raising concerns about what he claims could be an effort by President Donald Trump and his allies to influence the 2026 midterm elections.

Speaking with reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday, Warner suggested that Trumpโ€™s recent comments about Republicans needing to โ€œtake overโ€ elections from the states could signal broader plans to challenge state-run election systems.

โ€œIt appears there may be a coordinated effort to try to interfere in the โ€˜26 midterms,โ€ Warner said. He added that he is concerned, โ€œThey may even start to interfere in the primaries.โ€

Watch:

Trump and many Republicans have argued for years that election administration should be strengthened through tighter oversight and more uniform standards, particularly after disputes over voting procedures in 2020. Democrats, however, have increasingly framed these efforts as threats to democracy.

Warner Criticizes Tulsi Gabbardโ€™s Role in Georgia Investigation

Warner also expressed anger over Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbardโ€™s reported involvement in a federal raid in Fulton County, Georgia, where officials seized ballots and voter information as part of an investigation.

While details surrounding the raid remain unclear, Warner compared the situation to Watergate-era abuses of power โ€” an analogy Democrats have frequently used in recent years when criticizing Trump.

In a clip posted to social media, Warner said:

โ€œThe Nixon era is back. What do I mean? Richard Nixon is most infamously known for Watergate, where he intervened in a domestic political effort under the guise of the Watergate break-in. He knew what was going on before the fact. Well, it appears the same is true.โ€

Warner claimed testimony suggested Gabbard traveled to Atlanta because Trump personally asked her to.

โ€œIt appears the same is true. We got testimony yesterday that Tulsi Gabbard was down in Atlanta for that crazy raid on the voting machines because Trump asked her to go.โ€

Warner then questioned how Trump would have known about the investigation ahead of time:

โ€œWell, how the hell did Trump know there was about to be a warrant issued in a lame criminal investigation before the act took place? How did he let Gabbard know to go there?โ€

He also criticized reports that Trump spoke directly with FBI agents involved in the case:

โ€œThis is not how American justice should work. When, when, when will any of my Republican colleagues find a spine?โ€

Democrats Claim Raid May Have Been Improper

In another clip posted Wednesday, Warner suggested the FBI raid itself may have been unlawful, pointing to leadership changes under FBI Director Kash Patel.

โ€œWe have seen Kash Patel basically decimate the leadership of the FBI to the point that that raidโ€ฆ the FBI agent in charge of that office got fired because I donโ€™t believe he felt this was legal.โ€

Warner also argued that Gabbard, as DNI, should not have been involved in what he called a โ€œdomestic criminal investigation.โ€

โ€œThe director of national intelligence, who showed up at that domestic criminal investigation where she had no right to be thereโ€ฆโ€

He continued by questioning whether anyone in the administration attempted to stop Trump from contacting agents directly:

โ€œI know Trump doesnโ€™t know the law, but wasnโ€™t there anybody in the White House Counsel that said, โ€˜Mr. President, you shouldnโ€™t be talking to FBI agentsโ€ฆโ€™โ€

Warner concluded with a sharp personal attack on Gabbard:

โ€œThis is a guy thatโ€™s being enhanced by a rogue DNI whoโ€™s way over her skis in terms of knowledge or competency.โ€

Political Stakes Rising as 2026 Approaches

Warnerโ€™s comments come as Democrats increasingly warn of authoritarianism and election manipulation, themes expected to dominate campaign messaging heading into 2026.

Republicans, meanwhile, have argued that ensuring election integrity โ€” including investigating irregularities and enforcing stricter standards โ€” is a legitimate government responsibility, not โ€œinterference.โ€

Justice Department Sues Chicago Over Sanctuary City Laws

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

On Thursday, President Trumpโ€™s Justice Department sued the state of Illinois, the city of Chicago, and local officials over laws creating a so-called โ€œsanctuary city.โ€ 

The lawsuit filed in Illinois, against Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and others, claimed that several state and local laws are “designed to and in fact interfere with and discriminate against the Federal Government’s enforcement of federal immigration law in violation of the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution.”

โ€œThe challenged provisions of Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County law reflect their intentional effort to obstruct the Federal Governmentโ€™s enforcement of federal immigration law and to impede consultation and communication between federal, state, and local law enforcement officials that is necessary for federal officials to carry out federal immigration law and keep Americans safe,โ€ the lawsuit states.

The complaint cites Pritzkerโ€™s comments on CNN late last month, when he said heโ€™s eager to cooperate with federal immigration officials to โ€œget ridโ€ of criminals but questioned the basis for targeting undocumented migrants that are โ€œlaw-abidingโ€ and have integrated into communities. 

โ€œIn rejecting congressionally authorized means of enforcing federal immigration law, including detainers and administrative warrants, these provisions constitute unlawful direct regulation of the Federal Government,โ€ the lawsuit states. 

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

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.

Wisconsin Teen Plotted To Kill Trump To Start ‘Political Revolution’

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Disturbing…

A 17-year-old Wisconsin teen accused of killing his mother and stepfather had also plotted to assassinate Presidentย Donald Trumpย to start a “political revolution,” according to court documents.

Nikita Casap, 17, had images and messages on his phone that referenced a “self-described manifesto regarding assassinating the president, making bombs, and terrorist attacks,” FOX6 Milwaukee reported, citing a search warrant filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Images of a three-page document titled “Accelerate the Collapse” called for the assassination of Trump, according to the report. 

Trump was specifically referenced in an excerpt from the document, which said “getting rid of the president and perhaps the vice president” is “guaranteed to bring in some chaos. โ€ฆ Point being this manifesto is specifically for the attack that targets Trump.”

Casap was charged earlier this month in theย shooting deathsย of his mother, Tatiana Casap, and his stepfather, Donald Mayer. The couple were found severely decomposed in their home on Feb 28 โ€“ more than two weeks after prosecutors allege Casap killed them.ย 

During an interview with one of Casapโ€™s classmates, authorities learned that Casap told the female classmate he had been in contact with aย man from Russia, who they claim knew about the teenโ€™s scheme to take passports, a car and the family dog and flee to Ukraine, according to the report.

A recent study by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) has revealed a concerning trend: a significant portion of left-leaning Americans believe that political violence, including assassination, is justifiable against figures such as President Donald Trump and the de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk. The study surveyed over 1,200 U.S. adults and found that 38% of respondents felt that assassinating Trump would be at least “somewhat justified,” with this figure rising to 55% among those identifying as left-leaning. Similarly, 31% of overall participants, and 48% of left-leaning individuals, expressed some level of justification for assassinating Musk.

This data suggests a troubling normalization of violent political rhetoric within certain segments of the population. The NCRI report highlights that this shift has been particularly pronounced following the December 2024 assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, allegedly by Luigi Mangione. Mangione’s actions have been glamorized in various online communities, leading to a proliferation of memes and discussions that endorse political violence.

Screenshot via X [Credit: Elon Musk]