Speculation on Capitol Hill is building that Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who is currently facing federal corruption charges, might consider switching parties if granted a presidential pardon. The potential shift has set political tongues wagging, fueled by Cuellar’s complicated legal battle and reactions from both sides of the aisle.
Who’s ready for some more tea on Capitol Hill?
I have some interesting news coming your way tomorrow…
It’s alleged someone is going to receive a pardon and flip from blue to red in the House of Representatives.
Now I fully believe that this person has only gotten indicted because of his wide open criticism of the current admin and his opposition to… https://t.co/WjCOGNNbca— George Santos (@MrSantosNY) December 26, 2024
Cuellar, a conservative Democrat, was indicted in May following a two-year investigation by the Department of Justice. The probe, linked to an ongoing corruption case, began after FBI agents raided his South Texas home and campaign office. While initial details were sparse, reports alleged that Cuellar cultivated relationships with Azerbaijani and Mexican business leaders, leveraging his congressional position to advance their interests in U.S. policy.
The indictment, if accurate, presents a damning picture. Between 2014 and 2021, Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, allegedly accepted $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities: an Azerbaijani state-owned oil and gas company and a Mexico City-based bank. Federal prosecutors claim these payments were funneled through bogus consulting contracts to shell companies under Imelda Cuellar’s name, with little to no actual work performed.
In exchange, Cuellar allegedly influenced U.S. foreign policy to benefit Azerbaijan and supported legislative activities favorable to the Mexican bank. The charges against the Cuellars are sweeping, with potential penalties stacking up as follows:
Two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery and acting as an unregistered foreign agent (up to 5 years each).
Two counts of bribery of a federal official (up to 15 years each).
Two counts of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud (up to 20 years each).
Two counts of violating laws against unregistered foreign agents (up to two years each).
One count of conspiracy to commit money laundering (up to 20 years).
Five counts of money laundering (up to 20 years each).
Both Henry and Imelda Cuellar have pleaded not guilty, with the congressman insisting his actions were focused on serving South Texans. Despite the charges, Cuellar secured an 11th term in November, showcasing his political resilience among his constituents.
President-elect Donald Trump has eagerly weighed in on the case. Writing on Truth Social shortly after the indictment, Trump accused the Biden administration of targeting Cuellar and his wife for his conservative stance on border policy.
“Biden just indicted Henry Cuellar because the respected Democrat Congressman wouldn’t play Crooked Joe’s open border game. He was for Border Control, so they said, ‘Let’s use the FBI and DOJ to take him out!’” Trump wrote, calling the administration “D.C. Thugs” and labeling President Biden a “threat to democracy.”
The drama surrounding Cuellar’s case, coupled with rumors of a potential party switch, has heightened tensions in Washington. Inside the Beltway, all eyes are on the congressman to see whether he will stay the course or make a stunning shift in a historically narrowly divided Congress.
Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News
On Thursday, President Trump’s Justice Department sued the state of Illinois, the city of Chicago, and local officials over laws creating a so-called “sanctuary city.”
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.”
🚨 JUST IN: The Trump DOJ has just SUED the the state of Illinois and City of Chicago for interfering in ICE’s deportation operations, per NYP
Pam Bondi’s laying down the law, and this is the “first of MANY” lawsuits to be filed, per DOJ officials.
“The challenged provisions of Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County law reflect their intentional effort to obstruct the Federal Government’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,” the lawsuit states.
The complaint cites Pritzker’s comments on CNN late last month, when he said he’s eager to cooperate with federal immigration officials to “get rid” of criminals but questioned the basis for targeting undocumented migrants that are “law-abiding” and have integrated into communities.
“In rejecting congressionally authorized means of enforcing federal immigration law, including detainers and administrative warrants, these provisions constitute unlawful direct regulation of the Federal Government,” the lawsuit states.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for update
A former federal prosecutor has been indicted after allegedly taking copies of a still-unreleased volume of former special counsel Jack Smith’s report on his investigation into President Donald Trump — and allegedly disguising the files with names like “Chocolate_Cake_Recipe.pdf.”
The case is raising fresh questions surrounding the highly controversial legal effort against Trump and how officials involved in the process handled sensitive government materials.
Federal prosecutors charged former Justice Department official Carmen Lineberger, 62, with four counts tied to allegedly stealing and concealing government records. During a court appearance Wednesday in West Palm Beach, Florida, Lineberger pleaded not guilty and was released on her own recognizance.
According to the indictment, Lineberger — formerly the managing assistant U.S. attorney in Fort Pierce, Florida — received a restricted copy of a volume of Smith’s report last year and allegedly forwarded it, along with internal Justice Department communications, to personal Hotmail and Gmail accounts.
Prosecutors claim she attempted to conceal the transfer by changing file names to appear harmless, including “Chocolate_Cake_Recipe.pdf” and “Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf.”
The indictment, however, does not allege why Lineberger moved the files to personal accounts, nor does it accuse her of leaking the materials publicly. Court records also do not specify what other internal DOJ records may have been transferred alongside the Smith report.
If convicted on all charges — including obstruction of justice, concealing government records, and two misdemeanor theft counts — Lineberger faces a maximum sentence of up to 25 years in prison, though actual sentences in federal cases are often significantly shorter under sentencing guidelines.
The report at the center of the controversy remains largely hidden from public view.
The volume reportedly focuses on Smith’s investigation into classified documents found at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence after he left office. That investigation became one of Smith’s two major prosecutions against Trump during the 2024 election cycle.
Smith, appointed as special counsel in late 2022, led the federal government’s aggressive legal campaign against Trump. Beyond the Mar-a-Lago documents case, he also spearheaded the federal election interference prosecution tied to Trump’s challenges to the 2020 election results.
Trump repeatedly blasted Smith as politically motivated and accused the Biden-era Justice Department of weaponizing federal law enforcement against him. His supporters argued that prosecutors were applying legal standards differently to Trump than to political allies and opponents.
The classified documents case eventually suffered major setbacks after Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that Smith’s appointment as special counsel violated constitutional requirements, throwing the future of the prosecution into uncertainty. Cannon also barred public release of the report volume involved in the current Lineberger case.
Now, the strange allegations involving hidden “cake recipe” file names are creating another unexpected chapter in the long-running legal and political saga surrounding Smith’s investigations of Trump.
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.”
A former longtime White House teleprompter operator will hand over more than $172,000 after federal regulators found he used advance knowledge of President Trump’s speeches to cash in on prediction-market bets.
Gabriel Perez, who ran the teleprompter for Trump since 2016, settled with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Friday. He must return $107,539 in profits and pay a $65,000 civil penalty. A three-year trading ban is also in place.
According to the CFTC, Perez traded so-called “mention market” contracts on Kalshi between December 2025 and February 2026. These contracts pay out based on whether specific words or phrases appear in a speech. As teleprompter operator, Perez saw the prepared remarks before the President delivered them and used that nonpublic information to place winning bets.
The agency said he misappropriated the material “in breach of his duty of trust and confidence,” generating over $107,500 in profits. The $65,000 penalty was reduced because of Perez’s “exemplary cooperation” with investigators. Kalshi flagged the activity and assisted the probe.
Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed earlier that Perez was placed on unpaid administrative leave after the allegations surfaced. He is no longer employed by the federal government. The White House has long maintained strict ethics rules and previously warned staff against using nonpublic information for prediction-market bets.
ABC News first reported the investigation last month. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan were notified but declined to pursue a criminal case.
Kalshi’s lead lawyer welcomed the outcome, stating that no one is above the rules. The settlement closes the matter on a staffer who broke trust—and underscores that even in the White House, the rules apply.
The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a pardon of Sean “Diddy” Combs after he was found guilty of prostitution charges earlier this month.
A jury found Combs guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. More importantly, he was found not guilty of the most serious charges of racketeering, conspiracy, and sex trafficking. Due to the fact that he likely avoided a lengthy prison sentence, the verdict was considered a major win for the defense.
Now, Combs’ team reportedly wants the president to do away with those lesser charges, as well. According to a Tuesday report from Deadline, sources from within the administration said Trump has given serious thought to pardoning the music mogul.
The report continued:
Nearly two months after Trump publicly entertained the notion of a Diddy pardon in an Oval Office gaggle, a comprehensive get out of jail card for Combs is being “seriously considered,” an administration source tells Deadline.
Additionally, as several associates of the much-accused and currently incarcerated “All About the Benjamins” performer have been pitching the White House, other insiders confirm the topic has leveled up from “just another Trump weave to an actionable event” since Combs was found partially guilty in the his NYC sex-trafficking trial earlier this month. Of course, as a number of parties attest, this being the roller coaster of Trumpworld, any decision on a Combs pardon is in flux until POTUS actually puts his signature on paper.
As the report stated, the idea of Trump pardoning Combs is not a new one. Back in May, fellow music executive Suge Knight predicted that the president would lend Combs a hand in the event that he was convicted.
WASHINGTON — FBI Director Kash Patel has reportedly uncovered a cache of sensitive documents tied to the origins of the now-discredited Trump–Russia investigation, according to sources with direct knowledge of the discovery.
The documents were allegedly found inside a concealed room at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., stored in multiple “burn bags” — containers typically used for the destruction of classified materials. The material is now under active review, with portions slated for declassification and eventual release to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA). (RELATED: Trump Issues Ultimatum To GOP Leader — Abolish This Rule Or Else)
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Among the most consequential items is a classified annex to former Special Counsel John Durham’s final report — a document that had previously been withheld from public and congressional view. Sources say the annex contains the raw intelligence Durham reviewed and includes information gathered before the FBI formally launched its “Crossfire Hurricane” probe into alleged ties between Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.
The annex reportedly outlines internal warnings about efforts within the federal government to elevate unsubstantiated claims of collusion — with some of the intelligence suggesting the narrative was intended to politically benefit the Clinton campaign.
A source familiar with the contents of the classified annex told Fox News Digital that while it may not have been exactly clear in the moment what the intelligence collection meant, with the benefit of hindsight, it predicted the FBI’s next move “with alarming specificity.”
“Ultimately, the release of the classified annex will lend more credibility to the assertion that there was a coordinated plan inside the U.S. government to help the Clinton campaign stir up controversy connecting Trump to Russia,” the source, who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters that have not yet been made public, told Fox News Digital.
Not Stated, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
“Mere days after this intelligence was collected, the FBI launched Crossfire Hurricane,” the source said. “It’s really hard to see how Brennan, Clapper and Comey are going to be able to explain this away.”
Sources told Fox News Digital that Patel and his team discovered a previously undisclosed sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) in the FBI headquarters.
Patel, who previously served as a top national security official during Trump’s presidency, is now overseeing the review of the trove, which reportedly consists of thousands of pages and digital records. Some of the documents are believed to directly relate to early surveillance activities and internal deliberations within the FBI in 2016. (RELATED: [WATCH] FBI’s Latest Target Isn’t Who You’d Expect…)
The declassification process is being coordinated with top national security officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and NSA Director Gen. William Hartman.
Former FBI Directors James Comey and Christopher Wray have yet to respond to request for comment as of this article’s publication.
Grassley Expected to Lead Congressional Oversight
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Grassley, who has long pressed for transparency surrounding the Durham probe, is expected to spearhead efforts to bring the annex and related documents before Congress.
The development has reignited conservative concerns about politicization within federal agencies and the weaponization of national security tools for partisan purposes.
As the annex moves toward declassification, key questions remain: How did this material remain hidden for so long? Who knew of its existence? And what political or legal consequences could follow its release?
On Monday evening, acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced that her office had charged Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) in connection with the congresswoman’s visit to an ICE detention facility in Newark.
McIver, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D) and Reps. Rob Menendez (D-NJ)and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) visited the center on May 9. Baraka was arrested on that day, and shortly afterward, Habba hailed his arrest. But on Monday, Habba announced she is dropping the charges against the mayor and will proceed with the prosecution of McIver, alleging the lawmaker “assaulted, impeded, and interfered with law enforcement.”
On X, Habba wrote, “Today my office has charged Congresswoman McIver with violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a)(1) for assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement.” In a statement, she added:
I take my obligations as U.S. Attorney seriously. I understand the responsibility that comes with my position, and I will work diligently to uphold the law and deliver justice to the people of New Jersey.
After extensive consideration, we have agreed to dismiss Mayor Baraka’s misdemeanor charge of trespass for the sake of moving forward.
In the spirit of public interest, I have invited the mayor to tour Delaney Hall. The government has nothing to hide at this facility, and I will personally accompany the mayor so he can see that firsthand.
The citizens of New Jersey deserve unified leadership so we can get to work to keep our state safe.
The dismissal against the mayor is not the end of this matter.
Congressional oversight is an important constitutional function and one that I fully support. However, that is not at issue in this case.
Representative LaMonica McIver assaulted, impeded, and interfered with law enforcement in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1 1 1 (a)(1). That conduct cannot be overlooked by the chief federal law enforcement official in the State of New Jersey, and it is my Constitutional obligation to ensure that our federal law enforcement is protected when executing their duties. I have persistently made efforts to address these issues without bringing criminal charges and have given Representative McIver every opportunity to come to a resolution, but she has unfortunately declined.
No one is above the law — politicians or otherwise. It is the job of this office to uphold justice impartially, regardless of who you are. Now we will let the justice system work.
🚨 Today my office has charged Congresswoman McIver with violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a)(1) for assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement. pic.twitter.com/TV00uwRtKq
“Earlier this month, I joined my colleagues to inspect the treatment of ICE detainees at Delaney Hall in my district,” McIver said. “We were fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities, as members of Congress have done many times before, and our visit should have been peaceful and short. Instead, ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation when they chose to arrest Mayor Baraka.
— Rep. LaMonica McIver (@RepLaMonica) May 20, 2025
Last week, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) warned against repercussions for his fellow Democrat lawmakers who clashed with federal agents at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, last week after Trump’s border czar Tom Homan issued a warning to the lawmakers that charges could soon follow.
During an exchange with Fox News reporter Chad Pergram, Jeffries repeatedly said “they’ll find out” when pressed what might happen if the House Democrats involved in the incident were to be arrested by federal authorities or get sanctioned.
REPORTER: "What happens if [DHS] were to go and arrest [Democrats who stormed the Newark ICE facility]?"
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.”
The FBI has taken into custody the suspect linked to the shooting into ABC10’s Sacramento station lobby under a federal hold for interference with licensed broadcasts.
Targeted acts of violence are unacceptable and will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law. pic.twitter.com/M9yy1tSjGv
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.
Anibal Hernandez-Santana is back in custody and is now facing federal charges.
The FBI arrested him Saturday for violating a statute that says no one can interfere with any communication of any station licensed by the U.S. Government. @kcranewshttps://t.co/5LrM9e6W17
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.
A man was arrested in Scotland after threatening to blow up an airplane with a bomb while denouncing America and President Donald Trump during his visit to Scotland over the weekend for golf and trade negotiations.
A video was posted to X showing the suspect, who is reportedly a 41-year-old Indian national residing in the United Kingdom, standing up in a plane’s aisle, shouting, “I am going to bomb the plane! Death to America! Death to Trump! Allahu akbar!”
“I’m going to bomb the plane. Death to America. Death to Trump. Allahu Akbar!”
— shouted by a Muslim aboard an easyJet flight from London to Glasgow today, which had to be diverted after he made the bomb threat.
As the man shouts, a passenger approaches him and tackles him to the floor. Another video reported by The Sun shows the man being interrogated while pinned to the floor, stating that he “[wanted] to send a message to Trump,” who he knew was in Scotland.
EasyJet EZY609, which was flying from London Luton Airport to Glasgow, Scotland, was forced to make an emergency landing at a separate runway in Glasgow to account for the man’s threats, at which point the man was arrested.
Passengers on the plane recalled the stressful event in statements to The Sun.
One passenger said, “I’ve never seen that before. The airline staff, they were all girls, they were really shaken up by it, but they were super professional.”
The Scotland police released a statement saying, “A 41-year-old man was arrested in connection and further enquiries are ongoing. … At this time we believe the incident was contained and that nobody else was involved.”
The statement mentioned that the videos available were being “assessed by counter terrorism officers.”
In a statement released by easyJet, a spokesperson confirmed that “Flight EZY609 from Luton to Glasgow this morning was met by police on arrival in Glasgow, where they boarded the aircraft and removed a passenger due to their behaviour onboard. … easyJet’s crew are trained to assess all situations and act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other customers is not compromised at any time.”
The witness said that the man “literally came out of the toilet shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ with his hands above his head,” noting that he did not see a cause of the outburst.
