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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. 

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.  

FBI Director Kash Patel Shuts Down Charlie Kirk Foreign Intelligence Probe

Image via gage Skidmore Flickr

FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly shut down efforts by Joe Kent, head of the National Counterterrorism Center and a close ally of Tulsi Gabbard, to investigate whether a foreign power was behind the assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk.

Kent Pushes to Expose Possible Foreign Ties

According to The New York Times, Kent began reviewing FBI case files to determine if Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, received outside help. Robinson, 22, has been charged with fatally shooting Kirk with a sniper rifle while the Turning Point USA founder was addressing students at Utah Valley University on September 10.

Kent’s investigation raised alarms at the FBI. Patel reportedly believed Kent was overstepping his authority by digging into an active bureau investigation — even though Kent’s mandate at the Counterterrorism Center includes monitoring potential foreign threats to national security.

White House Tensions Boil Over

When Patel learned Kent had accessed internal FBI materials, he demanded a high-level White House meeting. The tense roundtable brought together Patel, Kent, Gabbard, Vice President JD Vance, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and senior DOJ officials.

Kent defended his actions, saying a lower-level FBI official had granted him access. Supporters of Kent argue he was doing his duty to ensure foreign adversaries weren’t behind the killing of one of the conservative movement’s most prominent voices.

However, Patel and other officials worried the probe could complicate the prosecution, possibly giving Robinson’s defense attorneys an opening to claim there were multiple suspects or motives at play.

Jurisdictional Turf War

The standoff reflects ongoing turf battles between the FBI and the Counterterrorism Center, particularly over how intelligence is shared during active criminal cases. Despite the controversy, Kent’s team reportedly collected intelligence from other agencies about potential foreign funding or coordination, including possible links to left-wing extremist groups like Antifa.

So far, it’s unclear whether either agency is still investigating possible foreign involvement in the attack.

Report: Trump Expected To Fire U.S. Attorney

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

President Donald Trump is expected to fire the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after his office was unable to find incriminating evidence of mortgage fraud against New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to sources. 

Federal prosecutors in Virginia had uncovered no clear evidence to prove that James had knowingly committed mortgage fraud when she purchased a home in the state in 2023, ABC News first reported earlier this week, but Trump officials pushed U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert to nevertheless bring criminal charges against her, according to sources.

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

The president has reportedly been leaning on federal prosecutors to bring charges against James for alleged mortgage fraud. She has been accused of falsely claiming her house in Virginia as her primary residence despite being legally required to live in New York as an elected official there.

ABC News reported on Wednesday that Siebert, who is the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was having difficulty finding enough evidence to sustain a conviction against James. On Thursday, the outlet said Trump is expected to fire the prosecutor.

“Administration officials have told Siebert of Trump’s intention to fire him, sources familiar with the matter said,” ABC News stated. “Siebert’s last day on the job is expected to be Friday.”

Trump nominated Siebert for the job in May.

“The decision to fire Siebert could throw into crisis one of the most prominent U.S. attorney’s offices, which handles a bulk of the country’s espionage and terrorism cases, and heighten concerns about Trump’s alleged use of the DOJ to target his political adversaries,” ABC News stated.

In May, the FBI opened an investigation into the notorious prosecutor. James has denied wrongdoing and called the investigation politically motivated, pointing to her office’s civil fraud case against Trump. That case ultimately resulted in a $354 million judgment against the president, which also bars his

During her 2018 campaign for attorney general, James publicly stated she intended to pursue legal action against Trump and investigate his business dealings in New York.

While campaigning, James vowed to shine a “bright light into every corner” of Trump’s “real estate dealings.” Her critics — including Trump himself — would later argue that her civil lawsuit against him was a political witch hunt.

In announcing the probe, US Attorney John A. Sarcone III took a swipe at James’s 2018 campaign rhetoric about investigating President Donald Trump.

The US attorney said James “unethically ran around the state campaigning on getting Donald Trump,” and essentially accused her of finding a criminal target without an alleged crime.

He added:

We stand prepared to act in the capacity that we need to when and if we are informed there’s a charge to be made. Unlike Letitia James, who unethically ran around the state campaigning on getting Donald Trump… my office conducts itself in a manner that is proper and professional.

Philly DA Vows to ‘Blow Up’ Trump’s White House Ballroom

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The White House during construction of the State Ballroom on 2026-01-14, Washington, DC

Philadelphia’s far-left district attorney is dreaming about demolishing President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom—and keeping a piece of the wreckage as a souvenir.

Larry Krasner made the stunning remarks Tuesday during Philadelphia’s annual slavery commemoration ceremony at the President’s House site near Independence Hall.

According to video obtained by NBC10 Philadelphia, Krasner predicted that Trump’s ballroom would be destroyed within the next 10 to 15 years.

“I’m gonna have a paperweight sitting on my desk,” Krasner said, according to the Washington Examiner. “You know what that paperweight is gonna be? It’s gonna be a piece of a ballroom after we all blow it up.”

Krasner later clarified that he envisioned the destruction taking place during an “official ceremony,” with pieces of the building sold as paperweights to reimburse taxpayers.

But the clarification did little to take the edge off the extraordinary image of an elected district attorney talking publicly about blowing up part of the White House complex.

Krasner also unleashed a personal tirade against Trump during the event, calling the president a “pain in the a–” and agreeing with an audience member who described Trump as “the devil.”

The progressive prosecutor accused Trump of embodying hatred and ignorance before turning his fury toward two of the president’s high-profile renovation projects.

“There will not be a ballroom,” Krasner declared. “There will not be a Kennedy Center renamed for a fool.”

The White House quickly fired back.

“Only people who suffer from a severe and incurable disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome would find a problem with that,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital.

Ingle said Trump was carrying out long-overdue renovations designed to beautify and preserve the White House for future generations as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary.

The Secret Service also took notice.

“The U.S. Secret Service investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees,” agency spokesman Nate Herring told Fox News Digital, while declining to discuss specific protective-intelligence matters.

Krasner’s outburst came amid an escalating fight over how American history is presented at the President’s House site, where George Washington lived while Philadelphia served as the nation’s capital.

Trump signed an executive order in March 2025 directing federal museums, parks and historical sites to eliminate what his administration considers divisive ideological narratives and instead emphasize America’s achievements and progress.

Acting under that order, the National Park Service removed interpretive panels and disabled video exhibits at the President’s House site in January. The displays focused heavily on the nine enslaved people Washington brought to the Philadelphia residence.

The city sued, and a federal judge initially ordered the displays restored. But the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later vacated that injunction, concluding that the lower court lacked jurisdiction over several of Philadelphia’s claims.

Krasner insisted Tuesday that the slavery memorial and its educational materials would ultimately survive the Trump administration.

His ballroom prediction, however, targeted a project that is still moving rapidly toward completion.

The approximately $400 million, 90,000-square-foot addition is designed to accommodate roughly 1,000 guests and includes major security infrastructure beneath the building. Trump has argued that the facility will allow presidents to host large events without leaving the heavily protected White House grounds.

The ballroom is reportedly about 65% complete. Chief Justice John Roberts recently issued a temporary order allowing construction to continue while the Supreme Court considers the administration’s challenge to lower-court restrictions on the project.

Former Democrat Candidate Charged With Domestic Battery

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Back in the spotlight…

A former Democrat candidate for the Virginia legislature, whose X-rated movies with her husband were exposed before the election, was charged with domestic violence this week.

Susanna Gibson Payne, 42, was arrested on September 22 for “assault and battery” against a family member. Payne claimed that her husband, 44-year-old John David Gibson, has been harassing her amid their divorce since last year.

“After my estranged husband, arrested three times since I filed for divorce, assaulted me during a June 2025 custody exchange while I protected our son, he filed a retaliatory criminal complaint against me,” she said.

Payne said she turned herself in after a misdemeanor warrant was issued.

The Democrat’s husband denied ever assaulting his wife. Mediaite reported that Gibson was arrested in December for violating a protection order and using threatening language with his wife. He said the incident stemmed from a tense argument with his wife’s new boyfriend.

Payne and Gibson grabbed headlines in 2023 when Payne was running for office, and videos the couple had posted on the porn site Chaturbate were discovered and exposed.

The couple was accused of making the videos for “tips,” though they denied that the videos were for profit. At the time, Payne said she was determined to stay in the race.

“My political opponents and their Republican allies have proven they’re willing to commit a sex crime to attack me and my family because there’s no line they won’t cross to silence women when they speak up,” she said.

State Prosecutors Hint At Possible New Charges After Trump Commutes Santos Sentence

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Arrest image via Pixabay

Former New York Republican congressman George Santos walked free on Friday after President Donald Trump commuted his federal sentence — but the move may not end his legal ordeal. A local prosecutor on Long Island appeared to signal that state-level charges could be used to sidestep the president’s act of clemency.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said on the social platform X that her office had been “at the forefront” of the effort to “bring Santos to justice.” Donnelly’s jurisdiction includes part of the district Santos once represented in Congress.

“I am proud of the work my office has done, and the conviction achieved in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s office,” Donnelly said. “While the office cannot comment on ongoing investigations, suffice it to say that I remain focused on prosecuting political corruption wherever it exists regardless of political affiliation.”

Her statement — vague but pointed — has fueled speculation that prosecutors could seek state charges mirroring the federal case, a move critics say would effectively undermine Trump’s commutation and keep Santos entangled in the court system despite his early release.

A spokesperson for the Nassau County D.A.’s office declined to elaborate when asked whether an investigation was ongoing.

Trump’s Message: “Unequal Justice” and Political Targeting

Announcing the commutation on Truth Social, President Trump praised Santos’s “Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN,” suggesting the former lawmaker’s punishment was disproportionate.

“George Santos was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison,” Trump wrote.

Santos had served just 84 days of a seven-year sentence after pleading guilty last summer to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors had accused him of multiple financial and campaign-related offenses — including money laundering and falsifying records — but supporters argue that he faced harsher treatment because of his party affiliation and outspoken loyalty to Trump.

Possible State Move Seen as Political

Republicans are already warning that a state prosecution would represent another example of “lawfare” — the use of legal mechanisms to target political opponents.

Santos himself, who had initially said he wouldn’t seek clemency before later telling interviewer Piers Morgan he’d accept “whatever the president is willing to give me,” has yet to comment on Donnelly’s remarks.

For now, the former congressman is free — but the signals from Nassau County suggest that the battle between Trump’s justice reform message and New York’s prosecutors may be far from over.

Attempted Trump Assassination Suspect Sentenced In Court

Just in…

On Wednesday, 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. 

“Routh’s crimes of conviction reflect careful plotting, extensive premeditation, and a cowardly disregard for human life,” prosecutors wrote. “Routh’s motive for his crimes was unconscionable – preventing the American people from electing the candidate of their choice for President. Routh’s gloss on his crimes has always been that anything he may have done was justified by events in Ukraine or American domestic politics.”

Since his conviction, Routh was appointed an attorney and has requested a 27-year sentence that would allow him to “experience freedom again as opposed to dying in prison.” His lawyer argued that Routh could not have a fair trial because he represented himself, even though Routh made that decision after repeated warnings about the potential consequences. 

Routh represented himself at trial and attempted to argue that he never intended to harm Trump or the Secret Service agent, claiming his actions were a form of protest

Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump-appointed judge, dismissed the criminal case against the president in 2024 related to his handling of classified documents. Routh unsuccessfully attempted to have Cannon removed from the case by arguing her appointment by Trump is a conflict of interest.

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

Trump Mulls Deploying National Guard To DC

President Donald J. Trump is presented with a 10th Combat Aviation Brigade challenge coin following an air assault and gun rain demonstration at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13. The demonstration was part of President Trump's visit to the 10th Mountain Division (LI) to sign the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, which increases the Army's authorized active-duty end strength by 4,000 enabling us to field critical capabilities in support of the National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Scaggs) 180813-A-TZ475-010

President Donald Trump is seriously considering deploying up to 1,000 National Guard troops to Washington D.C., a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.

The troops would likely be pulled from the DC National Guard, although the decision about sending National Guard troops is not final, the official said. 

Federal agents have deployed to DC streets in recent days, including officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Trump said on social media on Sunday that the news conference on crime and “beautification” will “not only involve ending the Crime, Murder, and Death in our Nation’s Capital, but will also be about Cleanliness and the General Physical Renovation and Condition of our once beautiful and well maintained Capital.”

“Washington, D.C. will be LIBERATED today!,” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social. “Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR. I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN! The days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people, are OVER! I quickly fixed the Border (ZERO ILLEGALS in last 3 months!), D.C. is next!!!” 

Trump described D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser – who publicly clashed with Trump during the George Floyd riots in 2020 – “a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances, and the Crime Numbers get worse, and the City only gets dirtier and less attractive.” 

“The American Public is not going to put up with it any longer,” the president wrote. “Just like I took care of the Border, where you had ZERO Illegals coming across last month, from millions the year before, I will take care of our cherished Capital, and we will make it, truly, GREAT AGAIN! Before the tents, squalor, filth, and Crime, it was the most beautiful Capital in the World. It will soon be that again. Thank you for your attention to this matter — See you tomorrow at 10 A.M.!” 

The president has reignited his warnings about a federal government takeover of Washington, and said he may even deploy the National Guard over recent crime. 

Bowser told MSNBC on Sunday that “it is always the president’s prerogative to use federal law enforcement of the National Guard.” 

On Sunday, police instituted a juvenile curfew in the popular Navy Yard neighborhood, after a stolen gun was discharged during a large gathering of young people late on Saturday. The incident came even as the White House had deployed a surge of federal law enforcement officers in the city over the weekend. 

Trump also said the homeless population would have to move “immediately,” posting photos of encampments and trash on the streets. 

“There will be no ‘MR. NICE GUY,’” Trump posted. “We want our Capital BACK.”

Last week, Trump teased taking federal control of D.C. after former Department of Government Efficiency employee Edward “Big Balls” Coristine was brutally beaten during an attempted carjacking by teenage suspects. 

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 of malicious damage 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 CEO Elon Musk’s involvement in the Trump administration.

The Department of Justice, in a news release announcing the federal jury’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 “THIEF.”

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 Moses’s pocket that had the letter “T” marking the dealership’s location.

“There is nothing American about burning down someone else’s business because you disagree with them politically,” Timothy Courchaine, the interim federal prosecutor for Arizona, said in a statement. “These 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.”

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

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement on Moses’s indictment that there would be “no negotiating” on the charges.

“If 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,” Bondi said.

Trump Vows Death Penalty For Nancy Guthrie Kidnappers

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President Donald Trump said Monday that he would direct the Department of Justice to pursue the death penalty against those responsible for kidnapping Nancy Guthrie if the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie is found dead.

In a brief phone interview with the New York Post, Trump made clear that the consequences would be “very, very severe — the most severe” if the abductors harm her. When asked directly whether the Justice Department would seek capital punishment in the case, the president responded, “The most, yeah — that’s true.”

Guthrie was last seen on the night of Jan. 31 at her home outside Tucson, Arizona. She was reported missing the following day, and investigators believe she was taken against her will in what authorities are treating as a kidnapping.

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to her location and/or the arrest and conviction of those involved. Surveillance images captured by Guthrie’s doorbell camera show a suspect described as a man standing between 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-10 with an average build. In footage released last week, the individual is seen wearing dark gloves, sweatpants, and a jacket, and carrying a black 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.

The case has drawn national attention, not only because of the victim’s age but also because of her daughter’s public profile. Savannah Guthrie has been a longtime journalist and co-anchor of NBC’s “Today” show.

President Trump personally reached out to Savannah Guthrie on Feb. 4 to offer support and underscore the federal government’s commitment to resolving the case. He later stated that he directed “ALL Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family’s, and Local Law Enforcement’s, complete disposal, IMMEDIATELY. We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely.”

On Friday, Trump said he believes “progress has been made” in the investigation.

Savannah Guthrie released a video Sunday urging anyone with information to come forward, saying, “it is never too late to do the right thing, and we are here.”

As the investigation continues, federal and local authorities remain engaged in what the president has described as a full-scale effort to bring Nancy Guthrie home safely and hold those responsible accountable.