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    Report: Trump Says He Will ‘Look At’ Pardon For Gretchen Whitmer Kidnapping Conspiracy

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers remarks during a press briefing at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., on April 29, 2025.​ The visit marked President Trump’s 100th day in office, during which he announced the basing of F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets at Selfridge—underscoring the installation’s growing strategic role. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by 2nd Lt. Paige Bodine)

    Speaking to reporters Wednesday from the Oval Office, President Donald J. Trump said he is open to reviewing the cases of those convicted in connection with the 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, calling the prosecutions potentially unjust and saying “a lot of people think they got railroaded.”

    “I’m going to look at it. I will take a look at it. It’s been brought to my attention,” Trump said in response to questions about possible pardons for the men convicted in the case.

    “I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job, I’ll be honest with you. It looked to me like some people said some stupid things—you know, they were drinking—and I think they said stupid things.”

    The comments come as President Trump continues to highlight what he calls the Biden administration’s weaponization of federal law enforcement and the justice system—a message that resonates with many conservatives concerned about double standards in legal prosecutions.

    “A lot of people think they got railroaded,” Trump repeated. “And probably some people don’t. But I’ll take a look at it.”

    The case involved Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr., who were convicted in 2022 for what federal prosecutors described as a plot to kidnap Gov. Whitmer from her Michigan vacation home during the COVID lockdowns. The prosecution’s narrative focused on the pair’s frustration over pandemic mandates, which they said amounted to government overreach.

    Fox was sentenced to 16 years in prison, and Croft to 19 years, on multiple conspiracy charges, including a scheme to use a weapon of mass destruction. Prosecutors claimed they were part of a larger militia movement called the “Wolverine Watchmen.”

    However, even mainstream legal analysts and civil liberties watchdogs raised concerns at the time about the FBI’s heavy involvement in the case, including the use of over a dozen informants and undercover agents who appeared to guide, encourage, and escalate the planning efforts.

    Some defense attorneys went so far as to claim that the plot was manufactured by federal operatives, with one legal team calling it a “federal setup from day one.” In fact, three other men tried later in connection with the plot were acquitted on all charges in 2023, further fueling criticism that the entire case may have been an exercise in political theater during a heated election cycle.

    President Trump’s interest in revisiting the case follows his recent high-profile pardon of former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins, a well-known Virginia conservative convicted in a controversial cash-for-badges case. Trump described Jenkins as a victim of a “corrupt and weaponized Biden DOJ,” echoing his belief that the justice system has been used selectively to punish his political allies.

    Musk Signals Plan To Be Less Involved In Future Political Campaigns

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1

    Elon Musk is backing away from politics…

    Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, said this week that he will dial back his spending on future political campaigns.

    Asked about his plans for political contributions at Bloomberg’s Qatar Economic Forum, Musk said over video that he’s “going to do a lot less in the future.” Musk spent nearly $240 million through his political action committee, America PAC, helping Trump and Republicans in the 2024 election cycle. His comments on Tuesday, however, indicate that he won’t be as aggressive in pushing Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections.

    “I think I’ve done enough,” Musk said, adding, “If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I do not currently see a reason.”

    Watch:

    Along with his major donations to the Republican effort last election cycle, Musk was also a major fixture on the campaign trail, appearing multiple times alongside Trump. After Trump took office in January, Musk led the effort, alongside the Department of Government Efficiency project, to find waste and fraud within the federal government.

    After joining Trump in the White House, Musk got behind the conservative candidate in the closely watched Wisconsin Supreme Court election, saying the race could affect the “entire destiny” of humanity. Musk’s America PAC spent millions of dollars on race, but conservative candidate Brad Schimel lost to liberal candidate Susan Crawford by 10 percentage points, and the liberals maintained a majority on the court.

    Musk, who was regularly seen with the president during the Trump administration’s first 100 days, has taken a step back from overseeing Trump’s DOGE initiative.

    “I’ll be allocating far more of my time to Tesla…” Musk said last month.

    The Tesla CEO added in his interview on Tuesday that he is committed to leading the electric car company for at least the next five years, saying that he wants “sufficient voting control” to keep Tesla from falling into the hands of activist investors.

    “It’s not a money thing,” Musk said. “It’s a reasonable control thing over the future of the company.”

    Musk’s shift back to focusing on Tesla comes after the company saw a drop in revenue and net income over the first quarter of 2025. 

    After Musk became a senior adviser to Trump and pushed for major government spending cuts, Tesla has been targeted by leftist activists who have set fires to and vandalized vehicles and threatened Tesla dealerships.

    “Firing bullets into showrooms and burning down cars is unacceptable. Those people will go to prison, and the people that funded them and organized them will also go to prison. Don’t worry, we’re coming for you,” Musk said on Tuesday’s video call to the applause of the crowd.

    Secret Service Investigating Former FBI Director Over Alleged ‘Assassination’ Threat

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    A former FBI official is being investigated over his alleged threats against President Trump.

    Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem accused former FBI Director James Comey of calling for President Trump’s “assassination,” saying federal law enforcement authorities are now investigating the “threat.”

    “Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump,” Noem wrote on the social platform X on Thursday evening.

    “DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately,” she added.

    Comey, a longtime critic of Trump’s, posted a photo earlier Thursday on Instagram of seashells on a beach arranged to form the numbers “8647.” The post garnered significant blowback from much of Trump’s base, with many understanding the numbers to be a call for violence against the 47th president, Trump. Others suggested the “86” could be calling for the president to be impeached or removed from office.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

    Comey removed the photo Thursday evening and clarified in a new post that he did not intend to call for violence and didn’t realize his message would be interpreted that way.

    “I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,” Comey wrote on Instagram.

    “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,” he continued. “It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

    In a statement to The Hill, a spokesperson for the Secret Service said the agency “vigorously investigates anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees.”

    “We take this responsibility very seriously and we are aware of the social media posts in question,” the spokesperson continued. “Beyond that, we do not comment on protective intelligence matters.”

    FBI Director Kash Patel also weighed in on the matter in a post Thursday.

    “We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump,” Patel wrote on X.

    “We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support,” he continued.

    Pete Buttigieg Signals Openness to 2028 Run

    By
    Seijah Drake
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    4
    By NCDOTcommunications - https://www.flickr.com/photos/39320593@N03/53833141855/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=149981273

    Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is offering unusually candid reflections on President Joe Biden’s failed 2024 reelection campaign, acknowledging that the decision to run for a second term may have harmed the Democratic Party — while carefully laying the groundwork for a potential 2028 presidential bid.

    Speaking to reporters after a veterans-focused town hall in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday night, Buttigieg said “maybe” Biden’s 2024 candidacy was a mistake, adding that “with the benefit of hindsight, I think most people would agree that that’s the case.”

    The remarks came amid renewed scrutiny over Biden’s final year in office, spurred in part by revelations from the new book Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, which alleges that White House aides masked signs of cognitive decline in the then-president. Biden dropped out of the 2024 race in July after a widely criticized debate performance against now-President Donald Trump, a moment that triggered a wave of Democratic defections and calls for him to step aside.

    He was replaced by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who went on to lose the general election to Trump in November.

    While offering a subtle critique, Buttigieg also defended his former boss’s capabilities during key moments in 2024, citing the administration’s response to the Baltimore bridge collapse.

    “Every time I needed something from him from the West Wing, I got it,” Buttigieg said. “The same president the world saw addressing that [collapse] was the president I was in the Oval with, insisting that we do a good job, do right by Baltimore.”

    Readers should note that the bridge’s reconstruction has yet to begin.

    Buttigieg was one of Biden’s earliest and most high-profile endorsers after dropping out of the 2020 Democratic primary, and later became a key member of the administration.

    Buttigieg’s Iowa visit — which included a town hall attended by 1,800 people, meetings with former 2020 campaign staffers, and a videographer from his political action group Win the Era — has fueled speculation about a White House run in 2028. His decision earlier this year not to pursue an open Senate seat in Michigan, where he now resides, added to the chatter.

    When asked if his trip signaled the start of a 2028 exploratory phase, Buttigieg offered a carefully measured response.

    “Right now, I’m not running for anything,” he said. “What’s exciting and compelling about an opportunity like this is to be campaigning for values and for ideas rather than a specific electoral campaign.”

    Still, when informed that many audience members said they would support him in 2028, Buttigieg responded with appreciation.

    “Of course, it means a lot to hear that people who supported me then continue to believe in what I have to say.”

    Though Iowa’s status in the Democratic primary calendar was downgraded for 2024, it remains a symbolic and strategic stop for presidential hopefuls. Buttigieg famously won the Iowa caucuses in 2020, edging out Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and building momentum that carried him into the top tier of Democratic contenders before ultimately endorsing Biden.

    The Democratic Party continues to grapple with the fallout of the 2024 loss. Biden’s decision to run again — despite growing concerns about his age and health — divided the party and is now seen by some as a major factor in the GOP’s return to power.

    With Vice President Harris having failed to secure victory in the general election and many long-time party leaders aging, figures like Buttigieg are increasingly in focus.

    As Buttigieg tests the waters in early states and maintains a national platform through veterans advocacy and public speaking, it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to emerge as a top potential contender for the next Democratic presidential nomination.

    Fox News Host Mark Levin Skewers Trump Middle East Visit

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    Fox News host Mark Levin had a lot to say about President Trump’s current visit to the Middle East…

    Without mentioning President Trump by name, Levin was remarkably critical of the commander-in-chief, taking to social media to blast Saudi Arabia for playing a “significant role on the 9/11 slaughter of our people.” He also condemned Qatar for having “protected the leader of the 9/11 attack from the FBI, before he was able to launch his war on America that killed our people.”

    Levin posted on X:

    Saudi Arabia played a significant role on the 9/11 slaughter of our people. I didn’t hear their Crown Prince even apologize once yesterday for what they did to us. And I know the 9/11 families are reeling from this.

    And Qatar protected the leader of the 9/11 attack from the FBI, before he was able to launch his war on America that killed our people. The debate about whether the plane is a legal gift is beside the point. Qatar is a terrorist regime that has murdered Americans.

    I cannot let bygones be bygones and those Americans who suffered the consequences of what these monarchies did cannot either. I can’t stop thinking about all the innocent people who went to work that day, and were on those planes, and all the firefighters and police officers who died horrible deaths.

    As for Iran, if they get a nuclear weapon that’s on our generation. And our country will suffer the horrible consequences. These are terrorists. They don’t think like us and they don’t love life like us. We must have the guts and wisdom to protect ourselves.

    In a separate post, Levin praised Trump, but not without dinging him for using “lines used by the Soros-Koch isolationist crowd about neocons and interventionists” in his speech to the Saudis. Levin linked to a Jewish Insider article about the speech and noted via X:

    Isolationism or globalism? Or both?

    Actually, POTUS’s speech included some of the lines used by the Soros-Koch isolationist crowd about neocons and interventionists, but the irony is that it was given in the context of a globalist outreach effort to make economic and military deals with and between Middle East monarchies/dictatorships and the biggest of America’s globalists/internationalists/corporatists. We don’t know the details but if they’re great deals for we, the people, that’s wonderful. I truly believe the President is THE best at making GREAT deals. Nonetheless, this looks like globalism wrapped in isolationist language.

    Levin’s comments come as President Trump faces scrutiny over his decision to accept Qatar’s gift of a luxurious $400 million “flying palace” to serve as Air Force One. (RELATED: Trump Announces Plan To Drop Sanctions On Syria)

    The prospect has drawn bipartisan pushback, which Trump has met with indifference. 

    “[The Qataris] said to me, ‘we would like to, in effect, we would like to make a gift. You’ve done so many things. and we’d like to make you a gift to the Defense Department,’ which is where it’s going. and I said, ‘Well, that’s nice.’ Now, some people say, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t accept gifts for the country.’ My attitude is, why wouldn’t I accept the gift? We’re giving to everybody else, why wouldn’t I accept a gift?” Trump explained to Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Tuesdsay. 

    U.S. relations with Doha have come a long way since 2017, when Trump accused Qatar of harboring terrorism: “The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level,” Trump said at the time. 

    From there, Qatar became a major non-NATO ally to the U.S. in 2022 under President Biden and is home to Al Udeid Air Base, one of the U.S.’ largest Middle East bases and a key hub for U.S. Central Command operations. 

    “Qatar is not, in my opinion, a great ally. I mean, they support Hamas. So what I’m worried about is the safety of the president,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) told reporters on Tuesday.

    The Constitution states that accepting a gift from an overseas power requires congressional approval. However, Trump has not requested permission to receive the plane, an offering made months after his family business agreed to develop a multi-billion dollar golf course in the Middle Eastern country. 

    House Democrat Moves To Force Trump Impeachment Vote

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    2

    A House Democrat is attempting to force a vote to impeach President Donald Trump.

    Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) introduced his impeachment resolution as privileged on Tuesday afternoon, meaning leaders have two days of the House in session to take up the legislation.

    House GOP leaders could move to table the motion, a procedural vote aimed to scuttle a piece of legislation without having lawmakers vote on the legislation itself.

    No Republicans are likely to support impeaching Trump, however, meaning Thanedar’s measure will likely fail.

    “Donald Trump has unlawfully conducted himself, bringing shame to the presidency and the people of the United States,” Thanedar said when deeming his resolution privileged.

    Thanedar also took a swing at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), calling it a “flagrantly unconstitutional creation.”

    The India-born Michigan Democrat first introduced seven articles of impeachment against Trump in late April.

    They include charges of obstruction of justice, tyranny, bribery and corruption, and abuse of trade powers, among others. 

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

    New Poll Shows MAGA Candidate Overtaking Incumbent By Double Digits

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1

    Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is trailing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) by a whopping 16 points in the 2026 Republican Senate primary, according to an internal poll reported by Punchbowl News on Monday.

    The poll from the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) found Paxton leading with 50% support to Cornyn’s 34%, with 17% undecided.

    Paxton, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, officially announced his candidacy last month. He is positioning himself as a more pro-MAGA alternative to Cornyn, who hardline Texas conservatives have painted as a moderate. Cornyn, Texas’s senior senator, has held his seat since 2002 and served in Senate leadership. He was a leading contender to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as GOP leader, but eventually lost the race to Sen. John Thune (R-SD).

    Cornyn faced backlash over his work in crafting the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a gun safety law passed in 2022 after a massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

    The legislation included enhanced background checks for gun buyers under 21 and was the first major federal gun control measure in decades.

    Punchbowl News reported in a hypothetical three-way GOP primary, Paxton leads with 44%, followed by Sen. John Cornyn at 34% and Rep. Wesley Hunt at 19%, according to an internal Tarrance Group poll conducted April 27 to May 1.

    In general election matchups against potential Democratic challenger Colin Allred, Cornyn leads by six points.

    Santos Begs Trump For ‘Pardon, Commutation, Clemency, Whatever’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    A desperate plea…

    Former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who faces more than seven years behind bars after pleading guilty to wire fraud and identity theft, is seeking clemency from President Trump.

    “I’ll take a commutation, clemency, whatever the president is willing to give me,” Santos told British media personality Piers Morgan in an episode of Morgan’s YouTube show “Uncensored” on Thursday.

    “Seven years and three months in prison for a first-time offender over campaign matters just screams ‘over the top,’ and I would appreciate if the president would consider,” he added.

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

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

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

    “I do believe this is an unfair judgment handed down to me,” he said Thursday. “I think there was a lot of politicization over the process.”

    “Merrick Garland was by far the most disgraceful and disgraced political [attorney general] to ever serve in that capacity of the United States,” Santos said.

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

    CNN Facing Widespread Ridicule After Cartel Interview Goes Off The Rails

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1

    The lamestream media is at it again…

    CNN is in hot water after an interview with a Mexican drug cartel member took an unexpected turn.

    The interview, aired Saturday, featured CNN correspondent Isobel Yeung questioning a heavily disguised cartel member in an undisclosed hideout in Mexico, according to the New York Post.

    Trump designated the Mexico-based Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in a January 20 executive order, with the State Department writing that the cartel is “one of the largest producers and traffickers of fentanyl and other illicit drugs to the United States.”

    “According to the Trump administration, you are a terrorist. … What do you make of that?” Yeung asked.

    The masked gangster, wearing sunglasses and latex gloves to conceal his identity, initially responded, “Well, the situation is ugly, but we have to eat.”

    When asked what he would say directly to Trump, the cartel member didn’t take the bait.

    “My respect. According to him, he’s looking out for his people,” the gangster stated, adding, “But the problem is the consumers are in the United States. If there weren’t any consumers, we would stop.”

    Social media immediately mocked CNN’s apparent attempt to elicit anti-Trump commentary from a member of a violent drug trafficking organization.

    “CNN tried to create a scandal and accidentally gave Trump a campaign ad. You can’t script this kind of desperation,” one user remarked.

    “Unbelievably, CNN gives Sinaloa cartel member a chance to throw a pity party about being labeled a terrorist, but the cartel member tells them President Trump is just rightly ‘looking after his people,’” another social media user pointed out.

    Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) suggested, “Let them [CNN] live under the rule of foreign terrorist drug traffickers for a few months. And then tell us how they feel.”

    On Monday night’s edition of Fox News Channel’s Hannity, Leavitt firmly joined the backlash camp when host Sean Hannity asked for her response to the interview, calling it “despicable”:

    HANNITY: Karoline, what did you and the administration make of the Sinaloa cartel gang member interviewed on CNN? Why would they care what he thinks?

    LEAVITT: Well, it was fascinating to me, Sean. I was actually scrolling on Instagram when I came across this interview and it stopped me in my tracks, not just because they sat down with a member of a Mexican cartel that is now designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States government, but because of the nature of the questions of this notorious foreign terrorist. It — it was a softball interview, giving a platform to a notorious drug cartel that has killed American citizens. I thought it was quite despicable. But, again, this is just another reason why the — the trust in the legacy media is at an all-time low amongst the American public.

    Over the weekend, President Trump hit back at Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum after she rejected his offer to send U.S. troops to Mexico to help fight against cartels.

    While addressing reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he proposed the idea of sending American troops to deal with the Mexican cartels facilitating drug trafficking, and criticized Sheinbaum for refusing his offer.

    “She’s so afraid of the cartels she can’t walk … And I think she’s a lovely woman. The president of Mexico is a lovely woman, but she is so afraid of the cartels that she can’t even think straight,” Trump said.

    Sheinbaum said she told Trump at the time that Mexico would “never accept” a U.S. military presence.

    “No, President Trump, our territory is inalienable, sovereignty is inalienable,” Sheinbaum claimed to have said. “We can collaborate. We can work together, but with you in your territory and us in ours. We can share information, but we will never accept the presence of the United States Army on our territory.”

    Tim Walz Says He Was Selected As 2024 Running Mate ‘To Code Talk To White Guys’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    2

    The truth comes out…

    Former vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) is pulling back the curtain on the reasoning behind Democrats’ disastrous 2024 election decision-making.

    The unsuccessful vice presidential candidate who is currently on a self-described “listening tour” across the country at a Harvard Kennedy School forum on Monday night said Harris chose him to be her running mate, in part, because, “I could code talk to White guys watching football, fixing their truck” and “put them at ease.”

    Office of Governor Tim Walz & Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    The Minnesota governor described himself as the “permission structure” for White men from rural America to vote for Democrats. 

    “I think I’ll give you pretty good stuff, but I’ll also give you 10% problematic,” Walz added when pushed by moderator Brittany Shepherd, ABC News national political reporter, about why he didn’t take that message to cable news to reach a larger audience. Walz laughed off criticism over inconsistencies in his background on the 2024 campaign trail, describing himself as a “knucklehead.”

    Despite the claim the Walz was chosen by the Harris campaign to relate to White men, he has been unable to escape the nickname “Tampon Tim,” coined by conservatives for his bill providing free menstrual products to “all menstruating students” in school restrooms grades 4 to 12, including the boys’ room. (RELATED: Watch: Veterans Heckle Tim Walz For Stolen Valor Claims, China Ties)

    Regardless of the comment or legislation, conservatives find a way to criticize “Tampon Tim,” including when Walz claimed he could fight most Trump supporters earlier this year. (RELATED: Tim Walz Complains About Attacks On His Masculinity)

    Earlier this month, Walz confirmed to CNN’s Jake Tapper that he was considering a third bid for Minnesota governor but was not mulling a run for president in 2028.

    When asked what he would have done differently in 2024, Walz replied, “We would have won.” While acknowledging that Democrats lost in November, Walz said the party is “better off doing more” in “every forum,” following criticism that Democrats didn’t prioritize media appearances enough in 2024, whether long-form podcasts or traditional network news shows. 

    Further reflecting on the Democrats’ 2024 losses, Walz said the party wins on the issues and “competency,” but “we lose the message, and we lose power.”

    “Why have we lost the self-identity that the Democratic Party is for personal freedoms, middle-class folks, for labor folks. How did we lose it, where people didn’t self-identify with that? How did we get to a point where people didn’t feel like this was an important enough election to get out and vote?” Walz asked during his speech Monday. 

    Does Walz stand any chance of rebuilding his political reputation? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

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