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    House GOP Pressures Attorney General To Prosecute Officials Helping Subvert Deportations

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    Multiple House Republicans are demanding the Justice Department prosecute elected officials and left-wing activist groups allegedly attempting to undermine the administration’s deportation efforts.

    GOP Reps. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Andy Harris of Maryland, Eric Burlison of Missouri and Pete Sessions of Texas sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi Tuesday, exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. 

    “We write today to applaud your prosecution of Governor Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James and to respectfully request that you continue prosecuting individuals, organizations and elected officials who aid and abet illegal aliens in evading Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers,” the Republican lawmakers wrote. “Assisting aliens in avoiding deportation is illegal; therefore, we urge you to continue upholding the integrity of the American system.”

    “Far-left politicians and nongovernmental organizations [NGOs] are flouting the law under the assumption that it will not be enforced. We ask that you demonstrate that such violations will not be tolerated.”

    Read:

    829767401-House-Republicans-Letter-to-AG-Pam-BondiDownload

    The letter alleges that left-wing organizations such as Code Pink, Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network and the Immigration Defense Project are actively providing resources to illegal migrants to evade detection by ICE.

    The GOP congressmen also urged Bondi to prosecute elected officials helping illegal migrants evade detection by ICE.

    Democrat New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy appeared to suggest that he was harboring an illegal migrant on his property on Feb. 3, leading border czar Tom Homan vowing to prosecute the elected official for appearing to violate federal law.

    “And good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her,” the Democrat then added, speaking at an open discussion at Montclair State University.

    Murphy walked back the shocking claim days later.

    Homan warned New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that he is working with the DOJ to determine whether the left-wing firebrand violated federal law by hosting a virtual webinar advising illegal migrants on how to handle encounters with ICE on Jan. 11.

    “Let’s hope she’s not educating the next person who gets out and murders a young college student in Georgia,” Homan said on Fox News on Feb. 16. “These are bad people we’re looking for. So she can call it education all she wants, but we all know it’s about evading law enforcement. These people have been ordered removed. The people we’re looking for now have final orders. They’re criminals. They’re in the country illegally.”

    Bondi filed a lawsuit against Hochul and James on Feb. 12, citing a New York state law allowing immigrants to obtain a driver’s license regardless of legal status. The Trump administration hit Chicago and the state of Illinois with lawsuits on Feb. 6 over the city and state’s sanctuary laws, which restrict cooperation between local officials and ICE.

    “This is a new DOJ,” Bondi said during a press conference announcing the Justice Department’s lawsuit against the state of New York. “We are taking steps to protect Americans, American citizens and angel moms.”

    “New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops today,” Bondi added. “We sued Illinois. New York did not listen. Now you’re next.”

    Former Democrat Candidate Charged With Domestic Battery

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    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.

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    Smartmatic Execs Accused Of Bribery Scheme Tied To $300M LA Voting Contract

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    4

    Federal prosecutors in Miami say top Smartmatic executives funneled money from a $300 million Los Angeles County voting contract into an illegal slush fund.

    According to the Justice Department, Smartmatic co-founder Roger Alejandro Piñate Martinez and two others used shell companies and fake invoices to siphon off cash from the taxpayer-funded deal. That money allegedly ended up in bribes paid to government officials in Venezuela and the Philippines.

    Joe DePaolo of Mediaite offers further insights:

    Smartmatic is suing Fox News for $2.7 billion — alleging the network defamed them by promoting President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election in the days and weeks after the 2020 vote.

    The new filing is part of a corruption case in Florida against the three Smartmatic executives for allegedly operating a bribery and money-laundering scheme in which they are accused of paying off an election official in the Philippines to help secure $182 million in contracts. The DOJ also claims the executives carried a similar plot with a Venezuelan official — whom the executives gave a home with a pool in 2019, according to prosecutors.

    The DOJ hasn’t charged Smartmatic as a company, nor has it accused any L.A. County officials of wrongdoing. Still, the department is clearly using the L.A. contract to establish a pattern of corrupt practices tied to the voting tech firm.

    DePaolo continues:

    Notably, the original case against the Smartmatic executives was brought in August 2024, during the final months of the Biden administration.

    In a statement provided to the Los Angeles Times, Smartmatic spokesperson Samira Saba said the DOJ’s filing contained misrepresentations that were “untethered from reality.”

    The DOJ’s latest move builds on earlier charges against the same executives. Federal prosecutors had previously accused Piñate of laundering money through a similar slush fund to bribe election officials in the Philippines during the 2016 elections.

    To be clear, no one is alleging votes were tampered with or election results altered. The charges focus strictly on financial corruption — kickbacks, shell firms, and international bribery.

    READ NEXT: Former Trump Ally Issues Fiery Response To Shock Report

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    Intelligence Director Calls On Justice Department To Prosecute Obama Officials

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4
    The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard is pushing the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute Obama administration officials linked to the debunked report alleging the 2016 Trump campaign engaged in Russian collusion.

    More details are coming out concerning alleged efforts by former President Barack Obama and his team’s efforts to drum up intelligence to create a narrative of Russian interference in the 2016 election, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Sunday. (RELATED: Report: Obama Admin. ‘Manufactured’ Intelligence To Establish Russian Collusion Narrative)

    Gabbard appeared on Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News, where she alleged a massive cover-up by intelligence officials in the Obama administration.

    “There was direct intent to cover up the truth about what occurred and who was responsible, and the broad network of how this seditious conspiracy was concocted and who exactly was responsible for carrying it out,” Gabbard claimed.

    “So at the end of the day, we need to look at Pam Bondi?” host Maria Bartiromo asked. “Is that the person who, at the end of the day, is gonna bring us accountability. Pam Bondi?”

    Gabbard confirmed took the rare step of publicly calling on fellow administration officials to take action.

    “Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI director Kash Patel,” the director responded. “It is their responsibility to gather all of the evidence, both that we have released, the facts that have already been known previously, the information that will continue to come out, and move forward with this prosecution and these indictments.”

    Gabbard told Bartiromo that her team released 100 documents on Friday.

    They “provide evidence of how this treasonous conspiracy was directed by President Obama just weeks before he was due to leave office after President Trump had already gotten elected,” she noted. Gabbard also said they were referring all the records to the Department of Justice and FBI for a criminal referral.

    “So the effect of what President Obama and his senior national security team did was subvert the will of the American people, undermining our democratic republic, and enacting what would be essentially a years-long coup against President Trump, who was duly elected by the American people,” Gabbard declared.

    Pressed on whether she expects future indictments and prosecutions, Gabbard replied, “I’m not a lawyer. In my view, we have the evidence to be able to move forward and bring about justice, yes, to prosecute and indict those responsible.”

    In a thread posted to X on Friday, Gabbard shared clips of documents and contended that Obama directed his top intelligence officials to “create” a new intelligence assessment in December 2016 that contradicted prior analyses, after which they “leaned on their allies in the media to advance their falsehoods” and push the narrative that Russia “intervened to hack the election in Trump’s favor.”

    Watch:

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    Accused Kirk Assassin’s Shaky Aim Could Keep Death Penalty Alive, Prosecutors Say

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    The accused assassin of conservative activist Charlie Kirk may have hit his alleged target, but prosecutors say his history of misses could help keep the death penalty on the table.

    Tyler Robinson, 23, allegedly “seldom hit the bullseye and sometimes missed the target altogether” while practicing with the rifle authorities believe was used to kill Kirk, Utah prosecutors said in a court filing made public Tuesday.

    The claim strikes directly at the defense’s bid to knock out the aggravating factor that could make Robinson eligible for execution if he is convicted.

    Robinson’s attorneys argue that the fatal bullet traveled above the crowd at Utah Valley University rather than through it. Only one round was fired, Kirk was the only person struck and no bystanders were wounded, the defense noted.

    But prosecutors say that argument ignores the risk Robinson allegedly knew he was taking when he fired a high-powered rifle from the roof of the campus’s Losee Center toward a courtyard packed with thousands of people.

    Evidence recovered from Robinson’s southern Utah home allegedly included targets he had used to practice with his grandfather’s rifle, according to Fox News Digital and KSL’s coverage of the filing.

    Those targets, prosecutors contend, show Robinson knew he was capable of missing — and that a miss from the rooftop could have sent a bullet into the crowd or struck someone standing near Kirk.

    The state also pointed to evidence that the alleged gunman had to race across the roof, reassemble the rifle, get into position and fire within roughly one minute. He allegedly loaded four cartridges before taking the shot.

    Taken together, prosecutors say, Robinson’s hurried setup, extra ammunition and spotty practice record support a reasonable inference that he understood the danger to people other than Kirk.

    Several spectators were allegedly positioned between the rooftop and Kirk, while others were gathered close to the Turning Point USA founder onstage, prosecutors wrote.

    Robinson’s lawyers see the scene very differently.

    In a 41-page defense brief, they described an open-air shooting with a “clear line of sight.” They argued that the bullet struck its intended target, no second round was chambered and no one else was directly behind or beside Kirk in the bullet’s path.

    The defense maintains that the state has shown only that harm to a bystander was possible — not that Robinson knowingly created the high probability of another death required to sustain the aggravator.

    That distinction could decide whether Robinson faces a possible death sentence.

    Utah’s aggravated-murder statute allows prosecutors to rely on evidence that a defendant knowingly created a great risk of death to someone other than the person killed. Robinson’s lawyers want Judge Tony Graf Jr. to strike that aggravating circumstance before trial, which would remove capital punishment as a possible sentence.

    At this stage, however, prosecutors need only establish probable cause to send the charges to trial. They argue that Graf must draw reasonable inferences in the state’s favor rather than weigh competing interpretations as a jury would.

    Prosecutors went further in their latest filing, accusing Robinson’s attorneys of ignoring controlling case law and saying they had “violated their ethical duty of candor to the Court.”

    The state is also pressing a separate claim that Kirk was targeted because of his political expression. Prosecutors have cited an allegedly political message engraved on one of the cartridges, as well as messages Robinson allegedly sent about Kirk before surrendering.

    Robinson is accused of driving from southern Utah to Orem and fatally shooting Kirk in the neck as the 31-year-old activist answered questions during a Turning Point USA event on Sept. 10, 2025.

    Prosecutors allege that Robinson later admitted responsibility to several people and instructed his roommate to delete incriminating messages. He is charged with aggravated murder and six additional crimes but has not yet entered a plea.

    The two sides presented evidence during a weeklong preliminary hearing in July and have since traded written arguments over whether the case — and its potential death penalty — should proceed.

    Graf is scheduled to hear closing arguments on Sept. 1 before deciding whether Robinson will stand trial on all seven charges.

    For Robinson’s defense, the argument is that the fatal shot was precise enough to spare everyone else.

    For prosecutors, his battered practice targets tell the more dangerous story.

    END THE INDOCTRINATION OF AMERICA’S STUDENTS – your input is urgent.

    Man Who Falsely Claimed To shoot Charlie Kirk Sentenced To Prison

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Image via Pixabay

    In a strikingly bizarre footnote to the tragic assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a Utah man who falsely claimed responsibility for the fatal shooting has now been sentenced and faces up to 15 years in prison.

    Seventy-one-year-old George Hodgson Zinn — who dramatically approached law enforcement at Utah Valley University, yelling “I shot him — now shoot me” moments after Kirk was gunned down — has now pleaded no contest to obstruction of justice and guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to court records.

    While Zinn’s initial false confession drew headlines and confusion during the chaotic aftermath of the shooting — leading some to believe he was the shooter — investigators quickly ruled him out as a suspect in Kirk’s assassination.

    During questioning at a hospital after the incident, Zinn shocked authorities by admitting he had child sexual abuse material on his phone. A warrant later uncovered more than 20 images depicting abused minors, and prosecutors charged him accordingly.

    In Salt Lake County district court, Zinn was sentenced to zero to five years for obstruction and one to 15 years for each exploitation count, with the judge ordering the terms to run concurrently. The exact amount of time he will serve will be decided by the Utah parole board.

    Remembering Charlie Kirk: A Conservative Voice Silenced

    The backdrop to this strange prosecution is one of the most shocking episodes of political violence in recent U.S. history. On Sept. 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk — founder and executive director of the conservative youth advocacy group Turning Point USA and a leading voice in the MAGA movement — was assassinated by a sniper while speaking at an outdoor event on the Utah Valley University campus.

    Kirk, just 31 years old, had become one of the most recognizable young conservative figures in America. He built Turning Point USA from a student organization into a powerful grassroots force shaping Republican campaigns, energizing young voters, and challenging campus liberal orthodoxy across the country.

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

    His death prompted an outpouring of grief and outrage from Republican leaders and conservative grassroots activists, who saw the attack as not just a crime but part of a broader pattern of hostility toward conservatives. Thousands attended memorial events, and his legacy has become a rallying point in debates over political violence and free speech on college campuses and beyond.

    The suspect in the shooting — 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson — was later arrested and charged with aggravated murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, underscoring the gravity of the crime and the national attention still focused on the case.

    What This Means Going Forward

    Zinn’s sentencing closes one strange chapter in the unfolding story of the Kirk assassination, but it also highlights the turmoil that followed one of the most prominent conservative leaders of his generation. A man who tried — for reasons still unclear — to throw law enforcement off the trail of the real shooter now faces prison time for his own criminal behavior.

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    Nancy Mace Attacked Amid Fight To Protect Women’s Rights

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    3

    Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) revealed that she was physically attacked Tuesday evening on Capitol grounds, an alarming incident that underscores the contentious debate surrounding her efforts to protect women’s spaces.

    “I was physically accosted tonight on Capitol grounds over my fight to protect women,” Mace announced on X. “Capitol police have arrested him.” The U.S. Capitol Police confirmed the arrest of 33-year-old James McIntyre of Illinois, who now faces charges of assaulting a government official.

    The assault occurred just before 6 p.m. inside the Rayburn House Office Building, a federal government office on Capitol Hill. Capitol Police and Threat Assessment Section agents quickly apprehended McIntyre, who had entered the building after passing through routine security checks.

    While the police statement did not explicitly name Mace, her public account of the attack has reignited focus on her uncompromising legislative push. Mace has introduced a bill aimed at barring transgender women from using women’s restrooms and locker rooms on Capitol Hill, arguing it’s a necessary safeguard for biological women’s safety and privacy.

    “All the violence and threats keep proving our point,” Mace declared. “Women deserve to be safe. Your threats will not stop my fight for women!”

    Battling Backlash and Violence

    Mace’s advocacy has drawn fierce opposition from LGBTQ+ groups, who argue her legislation is discriminatory. Despite this, Mace remains steadfast, framing the debate as one about safeguarding women’s rights.

    Her resolve is deeply personal. “Look, I am a rape survivor, a survivor of sexual violence and abuse,” Mace shared in a recent interview with NewsNation. “I know how vulnerable women and girls are in private spaces. At the end of the day, the question is: do women have rights or not?”

    Mace also highlighted concerns about the Capitol’s shared spaces, noting her discomfort with the potential presence of biological men in women’s locker rooms and restrooms. “If I’m in the women’s gym in D.C., changing clothes, and a man shows up with his genitalia in the room, that’s not okay. This is about protecting privacy and safety.”

    Speaker’s Support Amid Controversy

    House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) recently affirmed Mace’s position, announcing that biological men would no longer be permitted in women’s bathrooms and locker rooms on Capitol grounds. “Women deserve women’s-only spaces,” Johnson stated, providing legislative backing to Mace’s campaign.

    The congresswoman, previously known for her socially moderate views, has drawn a definitive “red line” in this debate. “At some point, we have to draw a line with this insanity,” she stated firmly. “This is about protecting the rights and safety of women everywhere.”

    As the dust settles on this latest chapter in Mace’s fight, one thing remains clear: the debate over women’s spaces and privacy is far from over.

    READ NEXT: Matt Gaetz Reveals Major Career Move – January Will Be Huge

    Retired 4-Star Navy Admiral Found Guilty In Bribery Case

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    A retired four-star admiral who once served as the Navy’s second-highest ranking officer, was convicted of bribery and other conspiracy charges on Monday. The conviction marks the most senior member of the U.S. military ever convicted of committing a federal crime while on active duty.

    Following a five-day trial, retired four-star Adm. Robert Burke, 62, was found guilty on Monday of a scheme to direct lucrative contracts to the training company Next Jump in exchange for a $500,000-a-year job after leaving the Navy, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. 

    Burke is facing up to 30 years in prison for his role in the scheme to direct contracts potentially worth millions of dollars to a New York City-based company that offered training programs to the Navy.

    Burke, who served aboard attack and ballistic missile submarines, rose through the ranks to eventually become chief of naval personnel in 2016 followed by vice chief of naval operations in June 2019. He then took command of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and Allied Joint Forces Command in June 2020 before retiring in summer 2022.

    Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger, co-CEOs of Next Jump, allegedly participated in the scheme to get a government contract in exchange for offering Burke a position with the company.

    Kim and Messenger were each charged with bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery, according to the case’s unsealed indictment. They face trial in August, which is when Burke will be sentenced. 

    Kim and Messenger, via their company Next Jump, provided a workforce training pilot program to a small component of the Navy from August 2018 through July 2019. However, the deal appeared to go downhill and the Navy terminated a contract with the company in late 2019 and directed it not to contact Burke.

    The Hill reports:

    But in summer 2021, Messenger and Kim met with Burke in Washington, D.C., to reestablish their company’s business relationship with the Navy. While at the meeting, the two “agreed that Burke would use his position as a Navy Admiral to steer a contract” to their firm — as well as influence other Navy officers to award another contract to the company — in exchange for his future employment there, according to the Justice Department. 

    Burke in December 2021 then ordered his staff to award a $355,000 contract to Next Jump to train personnel under Burke’s command in Italy and Spain, which the company performed in January 2022. 

    In October 2022, Burke began working at Next Jump with an annual salary of $500,000 and a grant of $100,000 in stock options. 

    Burke was accused of making several false and misleading statements to the Navy to conceal the scheme, such as implying that his discussions to join Next Jump began months after the contract was awarded.

    “When you abuse your position and betray the public trust to line your own pockets, it undermines the confidence in the government you represent,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro wrote in a post on X following the conviction. 

    Taxpayers May Be Forced To Cover Legal Fees For NY AG Letitia James Amid Fraud Probe

    By
    Seijah Drake
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    5
    Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    New York taxpayers could soon find themselves footing the legal bill for Attorney General Letitia James as she prepares to defend herself against a federal investigation into alleged mortgage and real estate fraud. Buried in New York’s newly approved operations budget is language that opens a $10 million fund to reimburse state officials — including James — for “reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses” tied to investigations launched by the federal government after January 1, 2025.

    Though the budget provision does not mention James by name, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to The New York Post that the fund was included with her case in mind. The fund could also apply to other state officials targeted by a Trump administration-led Department of Justice as it reopens investigations into political and institutional corruption.

    The controversy stems from a criminal referral issued last month by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), whose director, William Pulte, accused James of falsifying mortgage documents and misrepresenting her residency status. According to the referral sent to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, James claimed a Virginia home — allegedly purchased on behalf of her niece — as her primary residence, a move that could constitute mortgage fraud.

    James, who gained national prominence for her high-profile civil fraud case against Donald Trump, has come under scrutiny for what critics now call a double standard. Once the face of the “no one is above the law” mantra, she now finds herself leaning on state funds and a private legal defense to fight the allegations. A spokesperson for her office called the probe “political retribution” and vowed to fight what they characterized as a “revenge tour” orchestrated by Trump.

    But Republicans are not buying the victim narrative.

    “This is what corruption looks like in plain sight: political insiders rigging the system to protect their own, while hardworking families get shortchanged,” said New York GOP Chair Ed Cox. “Tish James used her office to wage partisan lawfare against her political opponents, and now New Yorkers are footing the bill for the consequences.”

    Critics also slammed what they describe as a legal “bailout” hidden in plain sight. The language in the budget states that any state employee facing a federal investigation related to their duties may seek reimbursement — a clause that could be used broadly and, according to opponents, easily abused.

    The legal support fund is likely to inflame already tense debates over partisanship, misuse of public resources, and institutional trust. With New York’s top law enforcement officer now potentially under federal investigation, questions will continue to mount over the ethical boundaries between public office and political warfare — and who ends up paying the price.

    Transgender Plotter Gets 6 Years After Vowing to Kill Scott Bessent

    By
    admin
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    2

    Two miniature vodka bottles, strips of gray cloth, a folding knife—and a plan to kill one of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees.

    That is what federal authorities said Riley Jane English brought to Washington before abandoning an assassination plot against Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and surrendering to police.

    English, a biological male who identifies as a transgender woman, was sentenced Tuesday to 73 months—six years and one month—in federal prison.

    The sentence was two years below the bottom of the recommended range and four years shorter than the 121-month term sought by federal prosecutors.

    Federal records identify the defendant as Ryan Michael English, while defense filings use the name Riley Jane English.

    English pleaded guilty March 26 to one count of unlawful receipt, possession or transfer of a firearm and one count of carrying a firearm, dangerous weapon, explosive or incendiary device on Capitol grounds.

    U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, also imposed three years of supervised release.

    “The offense is very serious,” Contreras said at the sentencing, according to Fox News.

    But the judge concluded that the federal sentencing range of 97 to 121 months was too severe.

    Contreras noted that no one was injured, the makeshift firebombs probably would not have ignited and English surrendered before getting close to Bessent. The judge called the plan “basically impossible to succeed.”

    The probation department had recommended a five-year prison term. English has already spent roughly 20 months in custody and will receive credit for that time.

    English’s bizarre path to the Capitol began in South Deerfield, Massachusetts, on Jan. 26, 2025.

    According to Roll Call, English traveled without a cellphone and used a road atlas for navigation. The original plans reportedly included killing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or House Speaker Mike Johnson and possibly burning down the conservative Heritage Foundation.

    The target changed after English stopped at a library in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and learned that Bessent was facing a Senate confirmation vote.

    A clip of Bessent discussing the federal minimum wage allegedly pushed English over the edge.

    “He said it with a smile on his face and that got under my skin,” English later told investigators, according to court records cited by Fox News.

    English reportedly went to Capitol Hill planning to throw the Molotov cocktails at Bessent’s feet or stab the Treasury nominee if an opportunity emerged.

    But the plan began unraveling almost immediately.

    The security presence was far greater than English expected. There were also concerns that bystanders, including people who had nothing to do with the intended targets, could be injured.

    At approximately 3:12 p.m. on Jan. 27, English approached a Capitol Police officer near the building’s South Door.

    “I’d like to turn myself in,” English said.

    Officers searched English and recovered a folding knife, a green lighter and two improvised incendiary devices from the defendant’s jacket.

    The devices were made from 50-milliliter Absolut vodka bottles. Each had a strip of gray cloth attached to the top and soaked in alcohol-based hand sanitizer, according to the Justice Department.

    Police later searched English’s car, parked near Independence Avenue, and found a 750-milliliter bottle of 100-proof vodka and a gray sweatshirt with fabric cut from its sleeves.

    When investigators asked English to explain the intended target, the answer was unmistakable.

    “I was going to kill Scott Bessent,” English said.

    Investigators also found a handwritten note referring to “nazis” killing “my sisters” and apologizing for “lying and plotting.”

    English told investigators that the plot had been influenced in part by Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. But English also said Mangione’s imprisonment prompted second thoughts about throwing away a life for a brief act of vengeance.

    At sentencing, English apologized for causing fear and blamed an unstable mental state.

    “I never wanted to hurt anyone,” English told Contreras, according to Fox News.

    The judge said English’s physical and mental-health problems had been worsened by drug use but noted the defendant’s progress toward sobriety while in custody.

    English’s attorneys asked that the defendant be sent to a women’s federal prison. Contreras said he would forward that request to the Bureau of Prisons, which will ultimately determine where English serves the sentence.

    U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro responded to the sentence by warning that threats against government officials would bring serious consequences.

    “My office will not tolerate attempts to intimidate or harm public officials,” Pirro said in the DOJ announcement.

    “The defendant is now a convicted felon,” she added, “and is headed where he belongs: prison.”

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