Former Vice President Kamala Harris is reportedly “not surprised” that California Governor Gavin Newsom and his wife are being investigated by the Justice Department. During an Austrian […]
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proactive defense in the face of multiple federal investigations — the governor is accusing President Trump of lawfare and rampant corruption — is starting to draw pushback, as the California leader’s own record has frequently raised questions of pay to play.
A Democrat-aligned lawfare outfit filed a lawsuit on behalf of a pair of anti-Trump protesters earlier this month in the hope of shutting down the UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn last Sunday.Evidently, the Public Integrity Project and activist plaintiffs were not the only ones keen to rain on President Donald Trump's parade.'The landscape has changed.'The FBI announced on Tuesday that an alleged assassination plot targeting the UFC event was uncovered on June 10 and ultimately thwarted thanks to a timely phone call from a concerned mother and the rapid action of local and federal law enforcement agencies.Five men have been charged in the alleged plot to assassinate "high value targets" at the UFC event: Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio; Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, California; Michael Alan Thomas 32, of Pinon Hills, California; Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Missouri; and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska.According to the Justice Department, the suspects' plan consisted of two parts: First, they would use explosive drones in and around the event to prompt an evacuation; and second, they would deploy snipers to assassinate specific individuals within the fleeing crowd. In addition to the estimated 4,300 people present for the invite-only event on the South Lawn, there were roughly 85,000 additional people gathered nearby during the back-to-back fights.One of the suspects, Michael Thomas, allegedly discussed the four "tiers" of this anti-government plot: the first being the gunmen on the ground; the second being the drivers and drone operators; the third being logistical suppliers; and the fourth being social media suppliers.In addition to allegedly advocating for jail breaks for surviving tier 1 members in the aftermath of the planned attack, Thomas allegedly underscored the need for suspects to train for "gorilla [sic] style warfare."Another suspect, Daniel Eskridge, allegedly proposed that they form "5 teams of 3 each team consisting of 1 sniper, 1 tier one operator as support/ look out, [and] one drone operator."RELATED: James Comey-style 'threat' against Trump apparently etched into National Mall grass Screenshots of messages and maps on a suspect's phone and a photo of another suspect's equipment. Justice Department.Another suspect, Alvarez, allegedly suggested that snipers could escape to the Potomac River after taking their shots and identified an old church in Nebraska as a potential safe house.Multiple federal complaints filed in relation to the case across the country allege that Tycen C. Proper told investigators that the ball got rolling on the plan around March. While there were apparently more individuals involved in the discussions at the outset — roughly 19 — Proper allegedly claimed that the more serious plotters migrated their conversations to an encrypted chat app.The FBI alleged beyond amassing firearms, ammunition, and tactical gear at his Ohio home, Proper identified multiple targets, including multiple members of Congress and business executives.According to an affidavit submitted with Proper's complaint, the Ohio suspect proposed the following lawmakers as targets: Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), Jim Justice (W.Va.), and Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), and Republican Representatives for West Virginia Carol Miller and Riley Moore.The targets were allegedly chosen in part because of their perceived coziness with the Israeli lobby.Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Elon Musk's names were also allegedly floated as targets in the suspects' conversations.The affidavit indicates that the alleged plot — the purpose of which was to "jumpstart" a revolution in the United States — was foiled thanks to the vigilance of Proper's mother, who called law enforcement on the evening of June 10, expressing concerns about her son's recent conduct, including his firearm purchases and communications online.The Knox County Sheriff's Office and Danville Police Department arrived 20 minutes later and soon learned from Proper's father that the teen, who lived at home, was allegedly planning "recons" with individuals he met online; planning to leave to meet up with those individuals on the weekend of June 13; had spent roughly $3,000 of his graduation money to purchase camping gear, firearms, ammunition, plate carriers, and food; and had quit his job recently in preparation for his big excursion.The following day, the Knox County Sheriff's Office got the FBI involved.If convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, each of the defendants faces a maximum of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. They each face an additional five years in prison apiece if convicted of conspiracy to commit violence on the White House grounds."The FBI, our law enforcement partners and our U.S.
Embattled California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, are reportedly currently worth $30 million, making the governor’s $245,929 annual salary look like chump change. […]
Kash Patel’s big mouth might have just gummed up another investigation.The FBI director frustrated Secret Service officials by prematurely announcing the details of an investigation into a violent attack planned for the White House UFC event, according to multiple sources that spoke with MS NOW Tuesday.Patel revealed components of the investigation via a social media post earlier in the day, sharing that “multiple individuals” were in custody.“On June 10, FBI and our law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat to the UFC America 250 event in Washington, D.C. involving individuals outside of the National Capital Region,” Patel wrote.Nearly two dozen people participated in Signal group chats discussing an alleged plot to strike the UFC’s America 250 event with explosive-laden drones so as to rush the evacuating crowd into the crosshairs of a pre-staged sniper team, reported Fox News. Five people are reportedly in custody in connection with the scheme.“While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team—we are built to detect, respond to, and bring to justice those who threaten the lives of American citizens—particularly during large gatherings like the historic UFC 250 fight,” Patel continued in his X post. “That’s exactly what we did here. I want to thank our great agents and partners, this work remains ongoing and we will continue to update the public as permitted.”A White House spokesman claimed that the incident was exactly why the White House needed the proposed $400 million ballroom—though the 90,000-square-foot space still would not have been capable of housing the UFC event, nor was the fight ever planned to be indoors.It’s not the first time that Patel has flubbed a federal investigation. In September, Patel’s reliance on the bureau’s planes waylaid the investigation into Charlie Kirk’s assassination by at least a day, preventing a critical analysis team from accessing a flight to the crime scene. His personal flights interfered with another FBI investigation on December 13, when the FBI’s shooting reconstruction team was unable to immediately respond to a shooting at Brown University due to a lack of available bureau planes at an airport in Richmond, Virginia, according to Senator Dick Durbin.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) took aim at Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) in his first campaign ad since the Republican won the Senate GOP primary runoff election late Tuesday. The two will be facing off in the general election, with the Democratic incumbent looking to hold onto his seat for a second term. In the new […]
Newsom accused the nation's top law enforcement official of applying double standards in their handling of investigations and public accountability.
The Department of Justice made an unusual concession to six protesters arrested during an immigration crackdown in Chicago that experts say shows how "desperate" government lawyers are to make the failed prosecution go away.Defense attorneys for the "Broadview Six" have asked U.S. District Judge April Perry to appoint an independent special counsel to investigate alleged misconduct in the case, which they argued extends far beyond Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Mecklenburg – possibly all the way up to the top of the Justice Department, reported the Chicago Tribune.“Indeed, these steps must be taken in large part because of what appears to be a determined effort to blame a single prosecutor when the misconduct now known … runs much deeper and indeed to the highest levels of the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office and likely to the Department of Justice in Washington D.C.,” defense lawyers argued in their motion.Associate Attorney General Aakash Singh was reportedly in contact with the office of Chicago U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros during Operation Midway Blitz, and defense attorneys for the “Broadview Six” are seeking records that could tie him to the tainted case against protesters arrested during the immigration crackdown.The six protesters — most with connections to local Democratic politics — were charged following a September protest outside a suburban immigration detention facility in Broadview, but the case collapsed last month after Perry uncovered what she described as apparent prosecutorial misconduct during grand jury proceedings.The judge found that transcripts submitted to her by federal prosecutors had been altered to conceal what had actually taken place, and the U.S. attorney's office subsequently dropped all charges.Defense attorneys filed a motion Tuesday that set aside their request for a special counsel but showed the judge that the government's response actually strengthened their case for more evidence."The government had decided it would not contest that Defendants are entitled to their legal fees, albeit 'without admitting or conceding to the fact,'" the filing stated. "The government asked defense counsel to provide information contemplated by local rules to engage in good faith discussions on the amount of fees and related expenses. Defense counsel fully intend to provide this information and to engage in those good faith discussions to reach agreement on the amount.""However, as noteworthy and rare as it is, the government’s acknowledgment that Defendants are entitled to recover their legal fees does not end the issue of discovery that is authorized under the Hyde Amendment," the filing added. "If anything, the government’s recognition that Defendants are entitled to their legal fees supports the need for fuller discovery."Former federal prosecutor Ken White, now a defense attorney and online legal analyst, was stunned by the government's response."Holy s---," White posted on Bluesky. "The government is conceding it will pay some amount of fees to the Broadview Six. They are DESPERATE to stop further inquiry into the case. Never heard of such a thing.""Seriously, though, it’s VERY hard to make the showing to win fees on a Hyde Amendment motion," White added. "It’s very winnable for the government even when there’s bad misconduct, and it suggests that there is even WORSE stuff that hasn’t come out that they are willing to do ANYTHING to keep quiet."
Federal prosecutors in Minnesota have announced criminal charges against 15 people in connection with anti-ICE protests in the Twin Cities. The defendants are accused of “conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers” and of allegedly “violently” impeding immigration enforcement in Minneapolis during Trump’s so-called Operation Metro Surge, during which thousands of federal immigration agents were deployed and fatally shot two U.S. citizens. The indictment focuses on Direct Action Minnesota, or DAMN, a broad activist coalition that prosecutors have linked to anti-fascist, or “antifa,” groups. Last fall, President Trump categorized antifa as a “domestic terror organization” even though it is not an actual group. “All 15 of the defendants are members of the community, active in mutual aid, union members, workers, neighbors,” says defense attorney Bruce Nestor, who represents one of the 15 defendants. “The point of this is to spread fear to try to divide us.”