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ICE Detains Canadian Woman Accused Of Slapping Teen Over Trump Gear At Jersey Shore

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By U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - https://www.ice.gov/about-ice/ero, Public Domain,

A Canadian woman accused of slapping a teenage girl because she was wearing pro-Trump clothing at the Jersey Shore has landed in the custody of the very agency featured on the teen’s outfit.

Kaitlyn E. Tracey, 33, is being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after police say she assaulted a 16-year-old girl during a Fourth of July weekend confrontation on the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk. ICE records show Tracey is currently being held at the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark.

According to NJ.com, the incident unfolded after Tracey allegedly approached a group of teenagers while recording them with her cellphone. Police say she took issue with the group’s “patriotic colored sweatpants with political wording,” including pants displaying the words “Trump” and “ICE.”

Investigators allege Tracey then “slapped the victim across her face and body.”

The Point Pleasant Beach Police Department said surveillance video captured Tracey allegedly “striking the juvenile female, once to the body and once to the face, with an open hand” before fleeing the scene.

Authorities later identified Tracey through surveillance footage and other investigative methods before taking her into custody. She has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault, harassment and obstruction.

The case took another turn when federal immigration authorities became involved.

According to reports, Tracey entered the United States from Canada in 2024 but remained after her authorized stay expired, making her subject to immigration enforcement.

A Department of Homeland Security official told the New York Post that the case reflects the Trump administration’s enforcement policy.

“Illegal aliens who break our laws will be arrested and deported,” the official said, confirming Tracey is being held in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings.

On Tuesday, a man identifying himself as Tracey’s husband posted an emotional video on social media announcing that she had been detained.

“Yesterday, July 13, my wife was detained by ICE and brought to Delaney Hall in North New Jersey,” he said.

He has since argued that the confrontation has been exaggerated, telling NJ.com, “This whole situation has been blown out of proportion and a person like Kate does not belong in any facility.”

Although he acknowledged he was not present during the incident, he insisted his wife was not the aggressor and blamed online backlash for drawing national attention to the case.

The allegations have fueled widespread reaction online because of the apparent irony that the woman accused of attacking a teenager over clothing supporting Trump and ICE ultimately ended up in ICE custody herself.

Tracey is expected to appear in New Jersey court to face the criminal charges while separate immigration proceedings determine whether she will be deported to Canada.

Trump Announces Plan To Seek Death Penalty For D.C. Murders

President Trump said Tuesday the federal government would seek the death penalty for murders committed in Washington, D.C.

“Anybody murders something in the capital, capital punishment,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. “Capital, capital punishment. If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we’re going to be seeking the death penalty. And that’s a very strong preventative.”

The District of Columbia hasn’t executed anyone since 1957, after Robert Carter was convicted of fatally shooting an off-duty police officer.

CBS News reported that previously, D.C. had mandatory death sentences for first-degree murders, a policy the Supreme Court later voided in the 1972 case Furman v. Georgia when it found that the death penalty was being applied in an unconstitutionally arbitrary manner. Four years later, the high court allowed capital punishment to be reinstated with clearer sentencing guidelines. The D.C. City Council, however, abolished the death penalty in 1981. 

Washington went 12 days without a murder during the federal government’s crime crackdown, a streak broken early Tuesday with the killing of a 31-year-old man in Southeast D.C., according to the Metropolitan Police Department. 

Vice President JD Vance, a day earlier, said the capital typically averaged one murder every other day, before commending the president on saving 6-7 lives since deploying the National Guard

On his first day in office, the president signed an executive order directing the attorney general to seek the death penalty in cases involving the murder of a law enforcement officer or “a capital crime committed by an alien illegally present in this country.”

Speaker Johnson Says Trump Deserves Nobel Peace Prize For DC Police Takeover

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

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is calling for President Donald Trump to be recognized on the world stage after his decisive leadership brought unprecedented safety to the nation’s capital.

On Monday, Johnson said Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize following 11 straight days without a single reported murder in Washington, D.C. — a stunning turnaround after Trump took charge of the city’s police force.

“There are MANY reasons why President Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize – but 11 straight days with ZERO murders in Washington, D.C. might top the list,” Johnson posted on social media. “SAFER streets. STRONGER communities. AMERICA IS BACK!”

Trump Delivers Where Democrats Failed

The numbers come from the Metropolitan Police Department’s own preliminary data: from August 14 through August 24, not one homicide was reported in the city.

This sharp decline follows Trump’s August 11 takeover of D.C.’s police department, a bold move to re-establish law and order in a city long plagued by violent crime under Democrat leadership. Since Trump stepped in, only two killings have been reported — one on August 11, and another on August 13.

Critics may try to downplay the results, noting there was a 16-day stretch earlier this year without a murder, but it’s clear that Trump’s hands-on leadership and “law and order” agenda have already had a direct impact on restoring peace and safety to America’s capital.

A President Who Gets Results

President Trump has never hidden his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize — and many argue he has already earned it for his historic Middle East peace agreements, his refusal to drag America into new foreign wars, and now, for bringing real results to America’s streets.

Even world leaders agree. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, recognizing Trump’s unmatched record of delivering peace and stability.

The Bottom Line

While Democrats and the mainstream media remain silent, the facts are clear: Trump’s leadership is saving lives. Speaker Johnson’s call for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize isn’t just political theater — it reflects the reality that Trump’s America First agenda delivers real safety, real security, and real peace.

Newly Unsealed Complaint Reveals Disturbing Threat Against Ivanka Trump

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

A newly unsealed federal terrorism complaint has revealed a deeply unsettling detail tied to an alleged Iran-backed terror network — and it appears to place First Daughter Ivanka Trump alarmingly close to potential danger during a family trip to Disneyland Paris earlier this year.

According to the complaint, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya — a group prosecutors say operates as part of the U.S.-designated terror organization Kata’ib Hizballah — issued a disturbing Snapchat message to President Donald Trump on April 20 that specifically referenced Ivanka Trump in graphic and threatening language.

“From the heart of the matter, where your daughter Ivanka, that whore who throws herself into the arms of men, adorns her face lightly and breathes with delight wherever she falls upon the edge of a rich wealthy man,” the message read before adding: “You moron, your daughter was on the brink of death thirteen days ago, but our men don’t kill whores.”

The post then encouraged followers to kill “arrogant, criminal, cursed Trump.”

The timing immediately raised alarms.

Exactly thirteen days before the April 20 threat was posted was April 7 — the same day Ivanka Trump was publicly photographed visiting Disneyland Paris with her children. TMZ reported at the time that the Trump family traveled with heavy security, including guards stationed outside rides and throughout the park.

No major media outlet appears to have previously connected the “thirteen days ago” reference in the terror message to Ivanka’s highly publicized Paris trip.

The revelation comes as federal prosecutors pursue charges against 32-year-old Iraqi national Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, described in court filings as a senior Kata’ib Hizballah operative with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

According to investigators, Al-Saadi and associates were allegedly operating in Paris around the same time as Ivanka Trump’s visit. Prosecutors say the terror network had also plotted attacks against Western targets in Europe, including an alleged attempt to bomb the Bank of America building in Paris.

Federal authorities say Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya released a propaganda video on March 16 previewing an attack against the exact building.

The allegations add new weight to longstanding concerns about threats directed at members of the Trump family — especially after the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian terror mastermind Qassem Soleimani.

According to The New York Post, Al-Saadi allegedly made explicit statements about targeting Ivanka Trump in retaliation.

“After Qassem was killed, he went around telling people ‘we need to kill Ivanka to burn down the house of Trump the way he burned down our house,’” former Iraqi diplomat Entifadh Qanbar told the outlet.

The complaint also points to social media posts allegedly tied to Al-Saadi dating back years.

In posts on X from 2021 and 2023, Al-Saadi allegedly shared maps showing the Florida neighborhood where Ivanka Trump lives with her husband Jared Kushner and their three children.

“I say to the Americans look at this picture and know that neither your palaces nor the Secret Service will protect you,” one post read. “We are currently in the stage of surveillance and analysis. I told you, our revenge is a matter of time.”

Ivanka Trump has long faced heightened security concerns due to her role in the Trump administration and her family’s high profile. During Donald Trump’s first term, federal authorities repeatedly warned of escalating threats from Iran-linked actors following Soleimani’s death, including assassination plots targeting top Trump administration officials.

The newly unsealed complaint alleges Al-Saadi either coordinated or inspired nearly 20 terror attacks across Europe and Canada through Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, a group prosecutors say was specifically created to mask operational ties to Kata’ib Hizballah, Hezbollah, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The allegations paint an increasingly disturbing picture: a terror network allegedly obsessed with revenge against the Trump family — and possibly operating frighteningly close to Ivanka Trump during a family vacation packed with innocent children and tourists.

Woman Who Admitted Trump Death Threats To Secret Service Released By Judge

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A woman arrested last month for allegedly making death threats against President Donald Trump has been released by a federal judge who has clashed with the Trump administration several times this year.

Federal Chief Judge James Boasberg ordered the release of 50-year-old Nathalie Rose Jones under electronic monitoring and instructed her to visit a psychiatrist in New York City once she obtains her personal belongings from a local police station.

Her release comes after U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya had ordered her held without bond, citing alarming conduct, including online posts proclaiming willingness to “disembowel” Trump and stage his arrest, and statements admitting she would kill him with a bladed weapon at “the compound.”

Jones took part in a “dignified arrest ceremony” for Trump at a protest in Washington, D.C., which circumnavigated the White House complex and was arrested following an investigation into her series of concerning Instagram and Facebook posts. 

In early August, Jones labeled Trump a terrorist, referred to his administration as a dictatorship, and stated that Trump had caused extreme and unnecessary loss of life in relation to the coronavirus

“I am willing to sacrificially kill this POTUS by disemboweling him and cutting out his trachea with Liz Cheney and all The Affirmation present,” an Aug. 6 post directed at the FBI states.

The next day, Jones voluntarily agreed to an interview with the Secret Service, during which she called Trump a “terrorist” and a “nazi,” authorities said. 

She said that if she had the opportunity, she would kill Trump at “the compound” if she had to and that she had a “bladed object,” which she said was the weapon she would use to “carry out her mission of killing” the president.

Following the protest in Washington, D.C on Aug. 16, Jones was interviewed again by the Secret Service, during which she admitted that she had made threats towards Trump during her interview the previous day. 

She was charged with threatening to kill, kidnap, or seriously hurt the president and sending messages across state lines that contained threats to kidnap or harm someone.

However, Jones’s lawyers argued their client was unarmed and had no real desire to follow through with the threats, appealed Upadhyaya’s detention decision, and Boasberg overturned Upadhyaya’s detention order.

U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro, whose office pushed for the indictment, blasted the jury’s refusal on Tuesday.

“A Washington D.C. grand jury refused to indict someone who threatened to kill the President of the United States. Her intent was clear, traveling through five states to do so,” Pirro told Fox News in an exclusive statement. 

“She even confirmed the same to the U.S. Secret Service. This is the essence of a politicized jury. The system here is broken on many levels. Instead of the outrage that should be engendered by a specific threat to kill the president, the grand jury in D.C. refuses to even let the judicial process begin. Justice should not depend on politics,” Pirro added.

Judge Boasberg’s Background
Judge Boasberg, a Barack Obama appointee, has repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration. In March, he issued a restraining order halting deportations of Venezuelans under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, ordering planes to return to U.S. soil and demanding an investigation into compliance. He later threatened contempt proceedings, prompting appellate review and momentum that led to Supreme Court rulings affirming due‑process requirements. Trump publicly labeled Boasberg a “Radical Left Lunatic” and sought his impeachment. Additionally, Trump‑aligned officials, including AG Pam Bondi, filed a complaint over Boasberg’s remarks warning of a constitutional crisis and criticizing the administration—remarks Bondi argued had no factual basis and undermined judicial impartiality. (RELATED: DOJ Files Complaint Against Judge Boasberg Over Anti-Trump Comments, Deportation Case Actions)

Recent Assassination Attempts Targeting Donald Trump

1. Butler, Pennsylvania Rally — July 13, 2024

  • What happened: Former President Trump was addressed at a campaign rally near Butler, PA, when 20‑year‑old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a nearby rooftop with an AR‑15‑style rifle. Trump was grazed in the upper right ear; one attendee, firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed, and two others critically injured. Secret Service counter‑snipers neutralized Crooks seconds after he began firing.

Aftermath & investigations: A House task force released a report by December 2024. A Government Accountability Office audit (July 2025) found that the Secret Service failed to share vital threat intelligence internally, and suffered planning and communication breakdowns. Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley criticized entrenched mismanagement and cited funding under a recent bill to help rebuild the agency. Meanwhile, six Secret Service agents received suspensions—the longest up to 42 days—for their roles in the security failure. The agency has since overhauled protocols, including deploying drones and increasing law enforcement coordination.

2. West Palm Beach, Florida Golf Course — September 15, 2024

  • What happened: While golfing at his Trump International Golf Club, Trump was threatened by 59-year‑old Ryan Wesley Routh. The suspect was seen aiming a rifle from shrubbery. A Secret Service agent intervened, no shots were fired at Trump, and Routh fled but was later detained.
  • Legal proceedings: Routh faces federal charges including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate. He remains in custody, and a federal trial is scheduled to begin September 8, 2025.

READ NEXT: Trump Calls for RICO as the Answer to Sanctuary City Chaos

Tucker Carlson Claims Trump Shut Down Butler Probe After Bongino ‘Confession’

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Tucker Carlson via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Former Fox News star Tucker Carlson is pushing a fresh conspiracy theory about the attempted assassination of President Trump — claiming the president himself ordered federal investigators to back off the probe into the July 2024 shooting in Butler, Pa.

Carlson made the explosive allegation during an appearance on Thursday on entrepreneur Mario Nawfal’s show, where he recounted what he described as a series of conversations with former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel regarding lingering questions surrounding the attack.

The claim was quickly shot down by Bongino, who publicly denied Carlson’s account on Friday and blasted the former cable news host as a “nepo baby.”

“I know that, about Butler, I know that Trump shut down the investigation into Butler. That is a fact,” Carlson told Nawfal. “Dan Bongino told me that when he worked at the FBI.”

Carlson alleged Bongino became visibly rattled after Carlson confronted him about social media posts purportedly written by gunman Thomas Crooks that Carlson claims the FBI falsely said did not exist.

“Dan Bongino himself was terrified when I spoke to him in December,” Carlson said.

The conservative commentator claimed he had “accidentally came into possession” of social media posts allegedly authored by Crooks in the months and years before the shooting. Carlson said he contacted both Patel and Bongino seeking answers about why the FBI had allegedly concealed their existence.

“And Dan Bongino became hysterical with me on the phone,” Carlson claimed. “I’ve known Dan a long time for many years and always gotten along with him.”

“He was clearly terrified. I didn’t get it at first, but he was hysterical,” Carlson continued. “And ultimately, after a long series of text exchanges, which I still have, and phone conversations, he said, ‘Look, take it up with Trump. He’s the one who shut down the investigation.’”

Carlson said the alleged exchange occurred during the second week of December and left him questioning why Trump would halt an investigation into an attempt on his own life.

“That was the moment and I realized, ‘Oh wow, there’s no good explanation for shutting down an investigation into your own attempted murder,’” Carlson said.

Watch:

Crooks, 20, opened fire during a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, grazing Trump’s ear, killing rally attendee Corey Comperatore and seriously wounding two others before Secret Service snipers fatally shot him.

Authorities have said Crooks acted alone and have found no evidence linking him to a broader plot. However, the absence of a clear manifesto or publicly known motive has fueled persistent conspiracy theories online.

Carlson, once one of Trump’s most influential media allies, has increasingly broken with the president in recent months. He has repeatedly criticized Trump over the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and U.S. involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran.

Earlier this year, Carlson suggested Trump’s worldview changed after the Butler shooting.

“He spent his campaign in the 2024 race arguing against regime change war, attacking people in favor of it — and then he launched it,” Carlson said on his own show. “And not just launched it, but became this kind of enthusiastic tool of the government of Israel.”

Bongino forcefully rejected Carlson’s latest allegations Friday morning in a post on X, denying he ever told Carlson that Trump shut down the Butler investigation.

The former FBI official also took a personal swipe at Carlson, dismissing the claims and mocking the commentator as a “nepo baby.”

FBI Arrests ‘Anti-Trump’ Gunman Who Shot ABC Studio After Kimmel Suspension

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The FBI arrested the “anti-Trump” gunman who fired three shots into a local ABC studio after late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was suspended last week just hours after he posted bail in California.

FBI Director Kash Patel on Monday morning posted on X that Hernandez-Santana was taken into custody “under a federal hold for interference with licensed broadcasts.”

He added: “Targeted acts of violence are unacceptable and will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law.”

Anibal Hernandez-Santana, the 64-year old suspected shooter, was arrested by the FBI on Saturday, one day after he opened fired on ABC 10 in Sacramento in a drive-by shooting. Hernandez-Santana had posted $200,000 bail earlier on Saturday before he was arrested by the FBI for “violating a statute that says no one can interfere with any communication of any station licensed by the U.S. Government,” KCRA 3 reporter Peyton Headlee reported on Sunday.

The suspect is now facing federal charges and is ineligible for bail, according to Mediaite.

The suspect is now facing federal charges and is ineligible for bail.

Variety, over the weekend, reported Hernandez-Santana’s X account contained “a steady stream of anti-Trump commentary.”

“Where is a good heart attack when we need it the most?? Please Join in my thoughts and prayers for the physical demise of our fearful leader,” Hernandez-Santana posted last Thursday.

His attorney, Mark Reichel, told KCRA 3 that Hernandez-Santana is being overly scrutinized because of his anti-Trump posts.

“If you look at his social media, they’re going to say, ‘Boy, it sure shows that he’s liberal and left wing.’ So you think they’re going to overlook something like that? I don’t think so,” Reichel said.

The shooting happened during the early hours of Sept. 19, a day after a protest was held in front of ABC 10 following Kimmel’s suspension. About 15 people showed up for the protest, the Sacramento Bee reported.

Kimmel had his show pulled after he implied the person who shot Charlie Kirk was a Trump supporter.

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

Kilmar Abrego Garcia Taken Into Custody By ICE

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Arrest image via Pixabay

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the immigrant deported to El Salvador who became a political flashpoint for the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, was detained again on Monday

Speaking to reporters outside the ICE Field Office in Baltimore after Abrego Garcia was detained, his lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said ICE officials had declined to tell them where they were detaining Abrego Garcia prior to his removal, or tell them why they were arresting him. 

“As of the last five minutes, Mr. Abrego Garcia has filed a new lawsuit in the federal district court for the District of Maryland challenging his confinement and challenging his deportation to Uganda, or to any other country unless and until he’s had a fair trial— as in, an immigration court, as well as his full appeal rights,,” Sandoval-Moshenberg sad.

The habeas petition, filed in the U.S. District Court of Maryland, was assigned to U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who has presided since March over his civil case.

Abrego Garcia, who fled El Salvador as a teenager and lived in Maryland, addressed supporters before entering his appointment.

“My name is Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and I want you to remember this, remember that I am free and I was able to be reunited with my family,” he said. “This was a miracle. Thank you to God and thank you to the community. I want to thank each and every one of you who marched, lift your voices, never stop praying, and continue to fight in my name.”

Abrego Garcia’s legal fight for months has dominated U.S. headlines, after he was deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador in violation of a 2019 court order. He faces a possible second deportation, this time to Uganda.

Shortly before his arrival Monday morning, immigration advocates, faith leaders, and other community members massed outside the field office at sunrise for a vigil, organized by two immigration advocacy groups.

The Trump administration returned him to the U.S. months after sending him to El Salvador, under orders from a federal judge and from the Supreme Court.

He was arrested upon return to the U.S. on human smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennesee. He remained in federal detention until Friday, when he was released from U.S. custody and ordered to return to Maryland, where a judge said he could remain under electronic surveillance and under ICE supervision while awaiting trial.

ICE officials notified Abrego Garcia’s attorneys shortly after his release on Friday that they planned to deport him to Uganda.

The notice, sent by ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Adviser, said it was intended to “serve as notice that DHS may remove your client, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, to Uganda no earlier than 72 hours from now (absent weekends).”

Trump’s border czar Tom Homan told Fox News in an interview Sunday night that Abrego Garcia was “absolutely” going to be deported from the U.S, and said Uganda is “on the table” as the third country of removal. 

“We have an agreement with them. It’s on a table, absolutely,” Homan said in an interview on “The Big Weekend Show” Sunday evening.

“He is absolutely going to be deported,” Homan reiterated. 

For now, he said, Abrego Garcia “can enjoy the little time he has with his family. And for the person who says we’re not going to separate family, his family can go with him, because he’s leaving.”

Multiple House Democrats Report Bomb Threats On Thanksgiving

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On Thanksgiving Day, three House Democrats reported receiving bomb threats prompting law enforcement to investigate the concerning trend.

In each case, Reps. Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Jim Himes (D-CT), and John Larson (D-CT) reported they were threatened with explosives early in the morning. After police got involved, each was deemed safe and the threats did not appear to be credible.

Himes said in a statement:

This morning, I was notified of a bomb threat targeting my home where I was celebrating Thanksgiving with my family. Thankfully, after a swift and thorough response from the United States Capitol Police, the Greenwich Police Department, and the Stamford Police Department, no evidence of a bomb was found. Mary, Emma, Linley, and I extend our utmost gratitude to our local law enforcement officers for their immediate action to ensure our safety. There is no place for political violence in this country, and I hope that we may all continue through the holiday season with peace and civility.

Hayes also released the following statement:

At 7:47am I was notified by Chief Edward Stephens of the Wolcott Police Department that they received a threatening email stating a pipe bomb had been placed in the mailbox at my home. State police, U.S. Capitol Police, and the Sergeant at Arms were immediately notified. The Wolcott Police Department and State Police responded and no bomb or explosive materials were discovered and the scene was cleared.

At this time the investigation is ongoing. I thank law enforcement for their swift attention to this matter, their actions demonstrate there is no place in our country for political violence. On this Thanksgiving, I am grateful for my family and loved ones. I plan to spend the day with them and hope you all do the same. May you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Larson said in a statement he was visited early Thursday at his home by officers in East Hartford.

“The police determined no bomb was present at the property and the Larson family is safe,” the congressman said. “I would like to thank the East Hartford Police Department for their swift and professional response in ensuring the safety of my family. I am grateful that my colleagues in the Connecticut Congressional Delegation, who received similar threats, are also safe. Thanks again to law enforcement at every level, from local, to state, to federal.”

The trio of threats comes days after incoming White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reported that multiple Trump Cabinet nominees have also received death threats.

Nearly a dozen of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees and other appointees tapped for the incoming administration were targeted Tuesday night with “violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them,” prompting a “swift” law enforcement response.

The “attacks ranged from bomb threats to ‘swatting,’” according to Karoline Leavitt.

“[Tuesday] night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them,” she told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. “In response, law enforcement acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted. President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action.” 

Rubio Hits ICC President With Sanctions as Trump Escalates Sovereignty Fight

(Miami - Flórida, 09/03/2020) Presidente da República Jair Bolsonaro durante encontro com o Senador Marco Rubio..Foto: Alan Santos/PR

Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed sanctions Tuesday on the president of the International Criminal Court and one of its senior trial lawyers, escalating the Trump administration’s campaign against the Hague-based tribunal.

The new designations target ICC President Tomoko Akane, a Japanese judge, and Abdoulaye Seye, a Senegalese senior trial lawyer.

“These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction,” Rubio said, according to CNN.

The sanctions generally block any property or financial interests the two officials have within the United States or under the control of U.S. citizens. Americans are also prohibited from conducting most transactions with them, effectively cutting Akane and Seye off from the U.S. financial system.

Rubio described the ICC as a corrupt, politically driven institution that has exceeded its authority. He said the sanctions were part of the administration’s “unwavering mission to protect Americans from this sham of a court.”

The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. Israel is also not a member and does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction.

The ICC nevertheless maintains that it can prosecute alleged crimes committed on the territory of member states, even when the accused comes from a country that has not joined the court. That jurisdictional dispute lies at the heart of Washington’s confrontation with the tribunal.

Trump Laid the Groundwork

President Donald Trump did not immediately issue a separate public statement on Tuesday’s sanctions. However, the White House established the administration’s position in a February 2025 executive order authorizing penalties against ICC personnel.

In that order, Trump accused the court of taking “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”

Trump said the ICC had endangered American service members and officials while abusing its authority against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity connected to the war in Gaza. Both Israel and the United States have rejected the accusations and the court’s authority.

Trump’s executive order declared the ICC’s efforts against protected American and allied officials an extraordinary threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy.

Washington has also fought the court over its past investigation into the conduct of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

A Campaign to Dismantle the Court

The latest sanctions are part of a broader State Department-led campaign to weaken the ICC’s ability to operate.

Rubio announced that effort in July, promising to use sanctions, visa restrictions, diplomatic pressure and other government powers to dismantle the court “brick by brick” if necessary.

The administration is also pressuring other countries to withdraw their funding and participation. Nations that cooperate with American law enforcement, host U.S. forces or rely on Washington’s security support have been urged to reject the ICC’s authority over American personnel.

Rubio said Tuesday that the administration is prepared to take additional action until the court is no longer capable of threatening American sovereignty. The State Department has described the effort as a whole-of-government response.

The administration has already sanctioned multiple ICC prosecutors and judges. Prosecutor Karim Khan was among the first officials targeted after pursuing the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.

According to The Guardian, Seye has also been linked to investigations involving Israeli settlement funding and the distribution of weapons to settlers in the West Bank, although Rubio’s announcement did not identify the specific actions that led to Tuesday’s designation.

Court Fight Moves to U.S. Soil

The sanctions campaign is now facing several legal challenges inside the United States.

Three ICC judges sued the Trump administration in New York in June, arguing that the penalties imposed against them were unlawful. Human rights organizations have filed separate lawsuits claiming the sanctions interfere with their ability to document alleged crimes and assist international investigations.

Two advocacy groups said the restrictions had produced a “chilling effect” on their work. Four additional organizations filed another lawsuit last week, arguing that the administration was unlawfully obstructing their international justice work.

The ICC had not issued a public response to the new designations as of Tuesday afternoon.