Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) reintroduced the anti-corruption PELOSI Act on Friday, aiming to ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks, while President Trump signaled he would sign such legislation into law.
The legislation, whose acronym PELOSI stands for &#8220;Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments,&#8221; and is named after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose husband has drawn <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/deceptive-tactic-nancy-pelosi-disclosed-180000159.html">scrutiny</a> for millions in suspected insider trading.
&#8220;Members of Congress should be fighting for the people they were elected to serve — not day trading at the expense of their constituents,&#8221; Hawley <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-reintroduces-pelosi-act-to-ban-congress-from-trading-stocks/">stated</a>, according to a press release from his office.
&#8220;Americans have seen politician after politician turn a profit using information not available to the general public,&#8221; the Missouri Republican added. &#8220;It&#8217;s time we ban all members of Congress from trading and holding stocks and restore Americans&#8217; trust in our nation&#8217;s legislative body.&#8221;
Under Hawley&#8217;s proposal, elected officials and their spouses would be barred from owning individual stocks while serving in Congress.
The legislation would still allow investment in broader financial instruments such as mutual funds, ETFs, and Treasury bonds.
The bill provides a six-month grace period for compliance after enactment. Any lawmaker refusing to divest would face financial penalties and surrender profits to the federal treasury.
The Government Accountability Office would be required to audit congressional compliance with the law within two years of enactment and submit a report to congressional ethics committees, according to the <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Hawley-PELOSI-Act.pdf">legislation</a>.
When asked on Friday by a reporter if he would support a ban on congressional stock trading, President Trump said he would “absolutely” sign such a bill.
&#8220;Well, I watched Nancy Pelosi get rich through insider information, and I would be okay with it. If they send that to me, I would do it,&#8221; the President said.
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It is time! Pass my PELOSI Act now &#8211; no stock trading by members of Congress <a href="https://t.co/w1enBmv0BG">https://t.co/w1enBmv0BG</a>
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1915759963386822771?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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A 2022 New York Times investigation <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/09/13/us/politics/congress-members-stock-trading-list.html">identified</a> at least 97 members of Congress who reported stock trades that potentially intersected with their committee work, raising questions about whether elected officials were using privileged information to enrich themselves.
The issue has <a href="https://publicconsultation.org/united-states/stock-trading-by-members-of-congress/">garnered</a> bipartisan support for reform, with polls consistently showing over 80% of Americans favor banning congressional stock trading.
Similar legislation has been introduced in previous sessions of Congress but failed to advance to a floor vote in either chamber despite widespread public support.

119th Congress Begins Its Term On Capitol Hill

Sen. Hawley Reintroduces PELOSI Act To Curb Congressional Stock Trading, Trump Signals Approval

Congress

Corruption

Insider Trading

Josh Hawley

Nancy Pelosi

Paul Pelosi

Stock Market

Former Rep. George Santos (R-NY), who was expelled from Congress last year after extensive fraud revelations, received a hefty 87-month prison term on Friday.
Santos, 36, pleaded guilty last year to committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft while also admitting he “filed fraudulent FEC reports, embezzled funds from campaign donors, charged credit cards without authorization, stole identities, obtained unemployment benefits through fraud, and lied in reports to the House of Representatives,” per a Department of Justice press <a href="https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/former-congressman-george-santos-pleads-guilty-fraud-and-identity-theft#:~:text=In%20pleading%20guilty%2C%20Santos%2C%2036,to%20the%20House%20of%20Representatives">release</a>.
As U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert handed down the sentencing, Santos could be seen putting his hands over his head in apparent disbelief, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/former-congressman-george-santos-sentenced-to-seven-years-for-fraud-90d88f55">reported</a>.
Despite Santos saying in a Monday <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/852698897/Letter-From-George-Santos">letter</a> to the presiding judge that he &#8220;accepted full responsibility&#8221; for his crimes and was &#8220;profoundly sorry&#8221; for his actions, John J. Durham, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York under President Donald Trump&#8217;s DOJ, had pushed for an 87-month sentence, characterizing Santos as “unrepentant,” and “blamed his circumstances on misplaced trust in others,” per The Wall Street Journal.
Judge Seybert reportedly concurred with this sentiment, saying at the sentencing, &#8220;Where’s the remorse? Where do I see it?&#8221;
After his expulsion from Congress, Santos attempted to monetize his notoriety, likely in an attempt to pay the $375,000 in restitution, through personalized videos on Cameo and launching a podcast aptly titled &#8220;Pants on Fire&#8221; – a possible reference to his numerous falsehoods about his education, work history, and personal background, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/25/nyregion/george-santos-sentencing-prison.html">according</a> to The New York Times.
Santos was making &#8220;twice his congressional salary&#8221; through the personalized video platform, according to The Times, with the former congressman pushing a &#8220;last week on Cameo&#8221; promotion in a last-ditch effort to raise money before his sentencing.
Durham <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nyed.497086/gov.uscourts.nyed.497086.118.0.pdf">argued</a> in a supplemental court memo that Santos&#8217; recent social media posts claiming he is a “<a href="https://x.com/MrSantosNY/status/1909311390160240990">scapegoat</a>” and a victim of DOJ overreach and selective prosecution &#8220;suggested he had little remorse for his actions.&#8221;
“His actions speak louder than any words, and they cry out for a significant carceral sentence in this case,” the U.S. attorney said.
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Hi my name is George Santos and the DOJ has had a hard on for me since December of 2022.
I refuse to let them break me or my spirit and that makes them big Mad… they have used elaborate language to drag me and hinder my ability to earn income…
Long story short, I will NOT…
&mdash; Pants On Fire with George Santos (@MrSantosNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrSantosNY/status/1908567430403596655?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Santos&#8217; dramatic fall began shortly after his 2022 election victory when it was <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/new-york-congressman-elect-santos-admits-to-lying-about-employment-history-and-college-education?utm_source=chatgpt.com">revealed</a> that he had fabricated much of his background, such as graduating from Baruch College, working for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and even playing collegiate volleyball.
“I didn’t graduate from any institution of higher learning. I’m embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my resume,&#8221; Santos admitted in 2023, adding, “I own up to that. … We do stupid things in life.”
Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives after fellow Republicans led the charge following a bipartisan House Ethics Committee report, which found that he had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors. Some funds were <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/onlyfans-botox-george-santos-ethics-report-b2457313.html">reportedly</a> spent on luxury goods, OnlyFans, and Botox.
His attorneys had requested the minimum 24-month sentence, arguing that his actions &#8220;stemmed largely from a misguided desperation related to his political campaign, rather than inherent malice,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/05/nyregion/george-santos-sentencing-prison.html">according</a> to The New York Times, with the judge ultimately accepting the prosecution&#8217;s recommended sentence.

Former Representative George Santos Faces Sentencing For Fraud

Disgraced Ex-Congressman George Santos Sentenced To More Than 7 Years In Prison

Courts

Department of Justice

Fraud

George Santos

New York

Politics

U.S. House of Representatives

The World Economic Forum is investigating its founder and former chairman Klaus Schwab over whistleblower complaints of unethical conduct and misappropriating organization funds.
Schwab stepped down as chair and as a member of the board of trustees on Monday, just days after the board received an anonymous letter with allegations against Schwab and his wife, Hilde, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/world-economic-forum-opens-new-probe-into-founder-klaus-schwab-e2f061d6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a>. Schwab had announced earlier this month that he planned to resign as the non-executive chairman of WEF by January of next year amid an investigation into the WEF’s workplace culture.
The earlier probe into WEF’s workplace culture also implicated Schwab, but the WEF said that the allegations against him were not substantiated. Schwab and his wife have denied all allegations against them in both probes.
The letter stated that it is from current and former employees of the WEF.
“We feel compelled to share a comprehensive account of systemic governance failures and abuses of power that have taken place over many years under the unchecked authority of Klaus Schwab,” the letter says.
The letter included accusations against the Schwabs such as using WEF funds to pay for massages, setting “token” meetings in ritzy spots around the world to justify the use of WEF funds for vacations, and using WEF property as personal getaways.
The WEF board said it unanimously supported an investigation “following a whistleblower letter containing allegations against former Chairman Klaus Schwab. This decision was made after consultation with external legal counsel.”
The WEF takes “these allegations seriously, but they remain unproven, and will await the outcome of the investigation to comment further,” the board said.
Schwab, who denied a request to address the allegations to the board personally, said through a spokesman that he planned to file a lawsuit against whoever is responsible for the letter and “anybody who spreads these mistruths.”
Schwab announced his plans to eventually leave WEF earlier this month, but the letter expedited his departure from the organization he founded.
“Following my recent announcement, and as I enter my 88th year, I have decided to step down from the position of Chair and as a member of the Board of Trustees, with immediate effect,” Schwab said in a <a href="https://www.weforum.org/press/2025/04/world-economic-forum-announces-governance-transition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> on Monday.
Schwab’s departure comes amid an exodus of other top executives at the group as it <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/davos-founder-klaus-schwab-to-step-aside-as-forums-chair-0f3231b0?mod=article_inline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grapples</a> with an investigation and accusations of a workplace culture that ignored discrimination against women and black people.

Klaus Schwab

WEF Investigating After Klaus Schwab Accused Of Ritzy Spending On Personal Perks

General

World

World Economic Forum

Elon Musk hinted at a Wisconsin town hall that he and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project might be planning to do some digging on Capitol Hill.
Musk was in Wisconsin ahead of the state&#8217;s Tuesday Supreme Court election, which conservative Brad Schimel ultimately lost to liberal Susan Crawford, and some of the questions he took from those in the audience centered around his work in President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration with DOGE.
One attendee asked whether DOGE had uncovered any payments from USAID to far-Left members of Congress like Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) or Sens. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) — and Musk noted that it wasn&#8217;t quite as simple as finding bank records that showed direct payments to specific members of Congress.
WATCH;
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Elon Musk: “There is a massive amount of corruption… effectively there’s a giant fraud loophole where the government can send money to an NGO that is then no longer the government by the laws of the U.S., let’s just say there are a lot of strangely wealthy members of Congress..” <a href="https://t.co/Gy2Q38o5hj">pic.twitter.com/Gy2Q38o5hj</a>
&mdash; America (@america) <a href="https://twitter.com/america/status/1906516590595572106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;There is a massive amount of corruption,&#8221; Musk began. &#8220;But it is circuitous, so what happens is there&#8217;s money that — obviously it&#8217;s your taxpayer money — that is then sent to various government organizations who then send it to NGOs. An NGO is a Non-Governmental Organization, but obviously if it&#8217;s a government-funded Non Governmental Organization, it&#8217;s just an organization, it&#8217;s just the government.&#8221;
&#8220;And effectively, there’s a giant fraud loophole, which is that the government can send money to an NGO that is then no longer governed by law — the laws of the United States,&#8221; Musk continued. &#8220;They’ll send the money overseas to one NGO, then they’ll go through a bunch of them, and then I’m highly confident that a bunch of that money then comes back to the United States and lands in the pockets of the people you just mentioned.&#8221;
&#8220;But it is a circuitous route,&#8221; he repeated. &#8220;It doesn’t go directly, but let’s just say that there’s a lot of strangely wealthy members of Congress where I’m trying to connect the dots of, ‘How did they become rich?&#8217;”

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Elon Musk Hints Next DOGE Target Could Be The ‘Strangely Wealthy’ Members Of Congress

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Donald Trump

Elon Musk

USAID

A French court has now banned Marine Le Pen, who is highly likely to win the next election in France, from seeking public office for five years. The court convicted her of misusing European Union funds.
&#8220;The court ruled that Le Pen and other members of her party illegally used 4.4 million euros, equivalent to $4.8 million, in EU funding that was earmarked for assistants helping lawmakers in the European Parliament with their work,&#8221; The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/frances-marine-le-pen-found-guilty-of-embezzlement-b8c42dac" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. &#8220;Monday’s sentence bars Le Pen from seeking public office for the next five years, thrusting her far-right party into limbo. Le Pen also received a four-year prison sentence. Half of that term was suspended, judges said, adding that she could serve the remaining two years by using an electronic bracelet or other alternatives to jail time. The ruling takes Le Pen out of contention for the 2027 race, unless she can win a swift appeal. Le Pen had been expected to enter that contest as a front-runner as President Emmanuel Macron will be term limited and other prominent contenders have yet to emerge.&#8221;
This is crazy — but this is part and parcel of the broader attempt by Left-wing judiciary activists across the globe to stop “populist politicians” from being able to run.
We saw it with President Trump, where the DOJ went after him for supposed crimes, the same crimes for which they let Joe Biden off the hook. We saw it in New York, where a New York attorney general filed a civil fraud lawsuit in an attempt to stop then-candidate Trump.
We have seen it in Brazil, where the entire judicial apparatus has been brought down on the head of Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, in favor of Lula da Silva, who was then freed by that same exact judiciary.
We&#8217;ve seen it in Romania, where Cǎlin Georgescu won the election in 2024 and then the judiciary decided the election had been rigged by the Russians and annulled it. 
We have seen it in Israel, where the attorney general of Israel has been targeting Benjamin Netanyahu on specious charges for literally years, and the judiciary keep saying that Netanyahu can&#8217;t perform the basic functions of an executive, such as fire his attorney general or fire anyone in the executive branch.
And now we are seeing it in France.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2169-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
It is absolutely amazing to watch these unelected officials going out of their way to thwart the will of the people in supposed democracies. It&#8217;s really insane.
You want to talk about undermining democracy itself? This undermines democracy because the reaction to this is, “Okay, what if we just overthrow the judicial institutions?”
Why do I feel like this is a put-up job? Because it takes effect immediately. The point is to get her out of the elections. Thus they&#8217;re suspending her jail sentence but they are not suspending her ban from running.
Le Pen had denied the charges, “testifying in court that it was appropriate for the assistants to perform other party-related work because they were political aides, not direct employees of the European Parliament,” the Journal noted.
In other words, if the European Parliament didn’t want them focused solely on party-related tasks, perhaps it should have hired them directly, rather than paying the party to handle some of its work. That sounds like a strong defense.
Is the idea here that Marine Le Pen desperately needed a couple of million euros in order to pay off her political party? I feel like she probably could have raised it. Her party&#8217;s pretty big in France.
This is just the latest NATO member to reject a populist candidate by some sort of judicial intervention.
If you want to talk about undermining the argument that democracy must flourish in Europe, this would be a great way to do it.

FRANCE-POLITICS-JUSTICE-TRIAL-RN

Marine Le Pen Banned From Running

Ben Shapiro

Conservatives

Europe

European Union

France

Judiciary

Leftists

Marine Le Pen

Opinion

Parliament

Populism

Prison

New York Governor Kathy Hochul will announce that New York City Mayor Eric Adams will not be immediately removed from office, instead proposing new oversight measures after federal prosecutors dropped Adams’ corruption case.
Hochul will <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nyc-mayor-new-york-trump-14be53dca175ef4bf8a3c4204ba7ff05">hold</a> a news conference on Thursday to rebuke Adams for the conduct alleged in the now-dropped corruption case and will propose measures to curtail the mayor’s independence, per the AP.
Hochul has consulted with top New York Democrats for several days regarding Adams, with the governor having “serious questions about the long-term future of this mayoral administration.” However, she has been reluctant to remove Adams, an action she has deemed &#8220;undemocratic,&#8221; and is nearly unprecedented in state history.
Among the measures Hochul will propose is a fund that would enable the city’s comptroller, public advocate, and council speaker to bring lawsuits against the federal government if local interests clash with federal policy. Hochul is even proposing the appointment of a new deputy inspector charged solely with overseeing Adams’ government.
In addition, a significant increase in resources for the state comptroller has been outlined, with the aim of bolstering investigations into city finances.
While details of how these oversight mechanisms will be enforced remain unclear, officials familiar with the plan say these guardrails could have far-reaching consequences for the balance of authority between state and city governance.
Mayor Adams has remained resolute amid mounting pressure to resign. “I will never surrender, never step down … I’m going to step up and fight,” he said Wednesday as he continued to insist that he committed no wrongdoing.
Although Adams’ short-term future looks slightly more secure, Hochul’s proposed oversight initiatives pose yet another challenge to an administration already plagued by resignations from top officials and the threat of removal via a so-called Committee of Mayoral Inability; likely to be assembled if Adams does not provide the comptroller with a governance plan within the next several days.
According to The New York Times, the committee would be <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/17/nyregion/adrienne-adams-mayor-resign.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comprised</a> of five members if assembled: &#8220;a deputy mayor chosen by the mayor; his corporation counsel; the speaker of the City Council; New York City comptroller, and the most senior of the five borough presidents.&#8221; Adams can be removed if four of the five members vote the mayor is unable to govern effectively.
Federal prosecutors’ decision to drop Mayor Adams’ case still awaits final court approval, leaving several unanswered questions about how or when the oversight legislation might move forward.

US-NEWS-NYC-MAYOR-INDICTMENT-HOCHUL-2-NY

New York Governor Hochul Moves To Rein In Mayor Adams’ Power After Corruption Case Dropped

Eric Adams

Kathy Hochul

New York City

New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul suggested this week that she may remove New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams from office due to the &#8220;alleged conduct&#8221; that has occurred at City Hall in recent weeks.
Hochul&#8217;s statement comes after four top officials resigned from Adams&#8217; administration — Deputy Mayors Maria Torres-Springer, Anne Williams-Isom, Meera Joshi, and Chauncey Parker — because of recent developments.
Critics have <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jamie-raskin-justice-department-eric-adams-face-the-nation/">accused</a> Adams and the Trump administration of corruption after the new administration dropped federal bribery charges against Adams, alleging a deal in exchange for Adams complying with federal immigration authorities.
&#8220;I recognize the immense responsibility I hold as governor and the constitutional powers granted to this office,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;In the 235 years of New York State history, these powers have never been utilized to remove a duly-elected mayor; overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly. That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored.&#8221;
Hochul said that she was meeting with key leaders at her office in Manhattan on Tuesday to discuss &#8220;the path forward, with the goal of ensuring stability for the City of New York.&#8221;
&#8220;Let me be clear: my most urgent concern is the well-being of my 8.3 million constituents who live in New York City,&#8221; she concluded. &#8220;I will be monitoring this situation extraordinarily closely to ensure that New Yorkers are not being shortchanged by the current crisis in City government.&#8221;
Adams was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nyc-democrat-mayor-eric-adams-charged-with-bribery-fraud-acting-as-foreign-agent">indicted</a> in September on one count of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Federal Program Bribery, and to Receive Campaign Contributions By Foreign Nationals; one count of Wire Fraud; one count of Bribery, and two counts of Solicitation of a Contribution by a Foreign National.
Prosecutors had alleged that Adams began soliciting and accepting improper benefits as a public official dating back to 2014, including luxury international travel from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him.
Adams “not only accepted, but sought illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign, as well as other things of value, from foreign nationals,” the indictment said.
Prosecutors said those who had illegally donated to Adams’ campaign sought to cash in on their investment and were rewarded with “favorable treatment.”
Adams “sought and accepted illegal campaign contributions in the form of ‘nominee’ or ‘straw’ contributions, meaning that the true contributors conveyed their money through nominal donors, who falsely certified they were contributing their own money,” <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/new-york-city-mayor-eric-adams-charged-bribery-and-campaign-finance-offenses#_ftn1">the indictment</a> said.
He allegedly compounded his corrupt gains by using them to defraud the city and steal from public funds.
“New York City has a matching funds program that matches small-dollar contributions from individual City residents with up to eight times their amount in public funds, to give New Yorkers a greater voice in elections,” the indictment said. “Adam’s campaigns applied for matching funds based on known straw donations, fraudulently obtaining as much as $2,000 in public funds for each illegal contribution.”
Adams sought and received improper benefits from some of the foreigners illegally funding his campaign, court documents alleged, including paying for numerous luxury travel benefits that totaled $100,000.
The mayor “and others working at his direction, repeatedly took steps to shield his solicitation and acceptance of these benefits from public scrutiny,” the indictment said. “Adams did not disclose the travel benefits he had obtained in annual financial disclosures he was required to file as a New York City employee. Sometimes, Adams agreed to pay a nominal fee to create the appearance of having paid for travel that was in fact heavily discounted. Other times, Adams created and instructed others to create fake paper trails, falsely suggesting that he had paid.”
According to the indictment, one of the Turkish officials who gave to Adams told him in September 2021 that it was his turn to repay the illegal donations he received by “pressuring the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) to facilitate the opening of a new Turkish consular building – a 36-story skyscraper – without a fire inspection, in time for a high-profile visit by Turkey’s president.”
“At the time, the building would have failed an FDNY inspection,” the indictment said. “In exchange for free travel and other travel-related bribes in 2021 and 2022 arranged by the Turkish Official, Adams did as instructed. Because of Adams’s pressure on the FDNY, the FDNY official responsible for the FDNY’s assessment of the skyscraper’s fire safety was told that he would lose his job if he failed to acquiesce, and, after ADAMS intervened, the skyscraper opened as requested by the Turkish Official.”
If convicted on all charges, Adams faced up to 45 years in prison.

Kathy Hochul Suggests She Might Remove Eric Adams From Office

Border Czar Tom Homan pushed back over the weekend against suggestions that there was a corrupt deal between President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Eric Adams that led to Adams allowing local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration officials in removing illegal aliens from the city.
Homan made the remarks during a Sunday interview with CNN&#8217;s Dana Bash on &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; when asked if federal corruption charges against Adams were dropped in-exchange for Adams&#8217; compliance with executing Trump&#8217;s immigration agenda.
&#8220;No, I think that&#8217;s ridiculous,&#8221; Homan responded. &#8220;Me and Mayor Adams met a couple months ago. I think it was probably eight, nine weeks ago we met. And we had the same discussion. And we talked about getting a presence in Rikers Island. We talked about how we can collaborate on public safety threats and finding the missing children that were &#8212; that can be found after they release the sponsors.&#8221;
&#8220;We had that a couple months ago, long before this other discussion,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;So I don&#8217;t think it had anything to do with it. Matter of fact, the meeting went very well. It was the same meeting we had a few weeks ago. The reason we had the follow-up meeting because there was no action being done.&#8221;
Homan pushed back against claims that he was unsatisfied with the previous meeting that he&#8217;d had with Adams.
&#8220;No, I didn&#8217;t come out of that meeting unsatisfied,&#8221; he said. &#8220;After several weeks, I was taken back that we hadn&#8217;t gotten the action yet about getting to Rikers Island.&#8221;
&#8220;So we rescheduled the meeting to talk about, OK, well, we talked about how — what things we need to put in place how we can make this happen,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And that&#8217;s what the meeting Thursday was about. And we came out Thursday with a plan in how we can get in Rikers Island in the Criminal Intelligence Division, so we can understand who&#8217;s in there, who&#8217;s foreign-born in Rikers Island that&#8217;s a significant public safety threat.&#8221;
&#8220;We also talked about how we can collaborate on the missing children, many of them are going to be in New York City,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And that&#8217;s what we talked about. I really don&#8217;t think it had anything to do with whatever&#8217;s going on in Justice Department. We never talked about that. It&#8217;s kind of out of my lane.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
&#8220;No, I think that&#8217;s ridiculous&#8230; I don&#8217;t think it had anything to do with it.&#8221;
White House border czar Tom Homan denies allegations of a quid pro quo between New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the Trump administration, after Adams agreed to give ICE access to Rikers Island… <a href="https://t.co/tXMvcymLwg">pic.twitter.com/tXMvcymLwg</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1891164150811738205?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2025</a></blockquote>

Tom Homan

‘That’s Ridiculous’: Tom Homan Blasts CNN For Suggesting Corrupt Deal Between Trump, Eric Adams

Illegal Immigration

The U.S. Department of Justice ordered federal prosecutors this week to dismiss the criminal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D).
The DOJ sent a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25517976-doj-eric-adams-memo/">memo</a> to the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York directing them to &#8220;dismiss the pending charges in United States v. Adams, No. 24 Cr. 556 (SDNY) as soon as is practicable.&#8221;
The order, which was authorized by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, indicated that there conditions that must be met for the charges to be dropped, including a review of the case &#8220;by the confirmed U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, following the November 2025 mayoral election.&#8221;
&#8220;There shall be no further targeting of Mayor Adams or additional investigative steps prior to that review, and you are further directed to take all steps within your power to cause Mayor Adams&#8217; security clearances to be restored,&#8221; the memo stated.
The DOJ said that it has not assessed &#8220;the strength of the evidence or the legal theories on which the case is based&#8221; which is why it is deferring the case to the U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office.
The memo states that the order &#8220;in no way calls into question the integrity and efforts of the line prosecutors responsible for the case, or your efforts in leading those prosecutors in connection with a matter you inherited.&#8221;
Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove said that there were two reasons why it reached the decision that it did.
&#8220;First, the timing of the charges and more recent public actions by the former U.S. Attorney responsible for initiating the case have threatened the integrity of the proceedings, including by increasing prejudicial pretrial publicity that risks impacting potential witnesses and the jury pool,&#8221; the memo said.
The memo claimed that Adams&#8217; criticisms of the Biden administration&#8217;s immigration policies could have played a factor in the decision to charge Adams.
&#8220;Second, the pending prosecution has unduly restricted Mayor Adams&#8217; ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime that escalated under the policies of the prior Administration,&#8221; the memo said. &#8220;We are particularly concerned about the impact of the prosecution on Mayor Adams&#8217; ability to support critical, ongoing federal efforts &#8216;to protect the American people from the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement,&#8217; as described in Executive Order 14165.&#8221;
&#8220;Accomplishing the immigration objectives established by President Trump and the Attorney General is every bit as important— if not more so as the objectives that the prior Administration pursued by releasing violent criminals such as Viktor Bout, the &#8216;Merchant of Death,'&#8221; the memo concluded. &#8220;Accordingly, based on these additional concerns that are distinct from the weaponization problems, dismissal without prejudice is also necessary at this time.&#8221;

NYC Mayor Eric Adams Speaks With Media After Meeting With Incoming Border Czar

DOJ Orders Charges To Be Dismissed Against NYC Mayor Eric Adams On Certain Conditions

Joe Biden

President Trump is expected to pardon disgraced former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, potentially offering him the U.S. Ambassadorship to Serbia, according to reports.
According to the New York Post, Trump <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/02/10/us-news/donald-trump-set-to-pardon-disgraced-ex-illinois-gov-rod-blagojevich-source/">commuted</a> Blagojevich’s 14-year sentence on federal corruption charges in February 2020, though he did not grant him a full pardon at that time.
The former Illinois governor, 68, was convicted in 2011 on 18 counts, including attempting to exchange then-President Barack Obama’s Senate seat for campaign contributions and forcing a children’s hospital CEO to pay $25,000 under threat of withholding pediatric funding approvals.
Blagojevich was recorded saying about his sale of Obama’s senate seat, “I’ve got this thing and it’s f***ing golden … I’m just not giving it up for … nothing.”
Blagojevich denies the bribery to this day, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/blagojevich-they-are-coming-for-trump-the-same-way-they-came-after-me">writing</a> in a Daily Wire op-ed last year, “It was all political talk, initiated by an emissary sent to me by then-President-elect Barack Obama. None of us broke any laws. It was politics, nothing more than political horse-trading.&#8221;
During his trial, Blagojevich insisted his remarks about filling the Senate seat were simply references to a “unique opportunity” to negotiate political support.
Court proceedings, however, introduced wiretap evidence in which he allegedly suggested an offer of $500,000, while prosecutors maintained he aimed for as much as $1.5 million in return for the appointment.
The former governor described himself in the op-ed as a target of “Bush-appointed Republican prosecutors,” contending that then-Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was determined to claim a second successive Illinois governor’s conviction.
Blagojevich also drew parallels to Trump’s recent legal fights, claiming the government obtained “convictions for things that weren’t crimes” in the Manhattan case where Trump faced 34 felony charges related to hush money payments during the 2016 presidential campaign. The former governor argued those proceedings mirrored aspects of his own experience.
Following his initial commutation, Blagojevich credited his wife Patti’s determined lobbying efforts on his behalf. Trump, for his part, had publicly criticized the severity of the original penalty, calling the sentence “ridiculous” and suggesting it was disproportionate to the offenses of which Blagojevich was convicted.
According to the Daily Mail, Blagojevich’s Serbian heritage has <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14382083/trump-pardon-rod-blagejevich-serbian-ambassador.html">put him</a> “in a strong position” for a possible ambassadorship to the country, as he was seen meeting with the Serbian president last week.
Given his history, some are skeptical that he will be confirmed by the Senate if he is nominated.

US-NEWS-RNC-BLAGOJEVICH-TB

Trump Weighs Pardon, Possible Ambassadorship For Governor Convicted In Corruption Scandal

Pardon

Trump Administration

New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ troubles regarding alleged corruption just got deeper.
In September, federal prosecutors charged Adams with conspiracy, wire fraud, and bribery over events that dated back years; he was accused of permitting Turkish officials and businesspeople to buy his influence, and of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nyc-mayor-eric-adams-indictment-fbi-5aad135d1808cb9d049fccd74604e5d4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">receiving campaign contributions from straw donors</a>.
On Monday, real estate construction firm owner Erden Arkan, who was named in the September indictment, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/23/turkish-construction-executive-adams-indictment-guilty-plea-00195930" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pled guilty</a> to a conspiracy charge. He allegedly committed wire fraud by using straw donors.
The September <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000192-2ee4-df4e-a3be-aee7ca500000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indictment</a> noted that Adams became Brooklyn Borough President in 2014. “Thereafter, for nearly a decade, Adams sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign business people and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him.”
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“By 2018, Adams – who had by then made known his plans to run for Mayor of New York City – not only accepted, but sought illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign, as well as other things of value, from foreign nationals,” the September indictment declared. “As Adams’s prominence and power grew, his foreign-national benefactors sought to cash in on their corrupt relationships with him, particularly when, in 2021, it became clear that Adams would become New York City’s mayor. Adams agreed, providing favorable treatment in exchange for the illicit benefits he received. … Eric Adams, the defendant, sought and accepted illegal campaign contributions in the form of ‘nominee’ or ‘straw’ contributions, meaning that the true contributors conveyed their money through nominal donors, who falsely certified they were contributing their own money.”
“On May 7, 2021, Businessman-5 held a fundraiser for the 2021 Campaign at his construction company’s offices,” the indictment continued. “Adams, Businessman-5, the Adams Fundraiser and the Adams Staffer attended. The Turkish official did not attend but sent his driver to deliver several additional contribution checks. Prior to the fundraiser, Businessman-5’s construction company, at the direction of Businessman-5, had provided $1,250 per employee to ten of its employees. Each of those employees then contributed that amount to the 2021 campaign, with the exception of one employee who donated in his wife’s name, and another who donated $1,200 of the funds.”
“Adams then used those funds to fraudulently obtain public funding under the city’s matching funds program, which provides a generous match for small-dollar donations, prosecutors allege,” AP <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nyc-mayor-adams-new-york-b15b5b96cae3a5b01daf73fceffec5a9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Alex Spiro, a lawyer representing Adams, stated, “We know from the government’s own interviews that Mr. Arkan repeatedly said that Mayor Adams had no knowledge of his actions.”

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Eric Adams’ Troubles Deepen: Alleged Corruption Connection Pleads Guilty

Federal authorities have arrested a leftist Democratic <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leftist-boston-city-councilwomans-rhetoric-is-so-vitriolic-that-it-disturbs-democratic-colleagues-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">city councilwoman</a> in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/boston" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston</a> after being accused of defrauding the city and giving kickbacks to a family member on her staff. 
Tania Fernandes Anderson, who immigrated to the U.S. illegally from Cape Verde, was <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/12/06/boston-city-councilor-arrested-by-feds-on-corruption-charges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charged</a> by the Justice Department with five counts of wire fraud and one count of stealing federal funds, including a charge for providing a $13,000 bonus to an unnamed relative she employed at city hall. The two allegedly shared the money.
&#8220;The charges stem from an alleged kickback scheme she orchestrated to obtain several thousand dollars in taxpayer money in exchange for bribes paid,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/boston-city-councilor-tania-fernandes-anderson-arrest/3570143/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy on Friday. 
The indictment alleged that at the time of the illegal activity, Fernandes Anderson was “facing personal financial difficulty,” including missing rent and car payments and a civil penalty from her previous ethics violation, in which she was fined for hiring her sister and son.
Prosecutors say that Fernandes Anderson hatched a scheme to hire a family member and pay them a $13,000 bonus. An email included in the indictment shows her falsely claiming to a Boston official that the staffer was not related to her. Investigators said Fernandes Anderson took $7,000 in cash during a drop in a city hall bathroom.
&#8220;On or about June 9, 2023, at approximately 4:11 p.m., Staff Member A texted Fernandes Anderson, ‘Bathroom’ to let Fernandes Anderson know that Staff Member A was waiting in the bathroom to hand the $7,000 cash to Fernandes Anderson,&#8221; the indictment said. &#8220;Within seconds, Fernandes Anderson texted Staff Member A, ‘Ready&#8217; to confirm that Fernandes Anderson was ready to accept the $7,000 cash kickback from Staff Member A.”
&#8220;When they met in that bathroom, Ms. Fernandes Anderson put $7,000 in her pocket,&#8221; Levy said. &#8220;All of that money was funded by the taxpayers of Boston.&#8221;
The indictment also accused Fernandes Anderson of embezzling money from a federal grant program meant for the city of Boston. 
On Wednesday, after news broke that she may have been under investigation, Fernandes Anderson <a href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/boston-city-councilor-tania-fernandes-anderson-reacts-to-reported-federal-probe/3567998/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> she couldn’t comment on the allegations. 
&#8220;To my people, District 7 constituents: You know that I am always transparent with you and always available. My job is to show up and fight for you, and I will continue to do just that&#8211;the people&#8217;s work,&#8221; the city councilor said. &#8220;Unfortunately, I am not able to comment on this matter at this time. As soon as I can, I will be sure to share more with you.&#8221;
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Fernandes Anderson, who was elected in 2021, has become known for her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leftist-boston-city-councilwomans-rhetoric-is-so-vitriolic-that-it-disturbs-democratic-colleagues-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">racially charged rhetoric</a> and calls for “a revolution” to combat “systemic racism.” 
“I can’t even call you cowards because desperation deserves mercy. Your votes here sometimes are racist … I am here to represent every black woman and man in the community … What the f*** do I have to do in this f***ing council to get respect as a black woman,” Fernandes Anderson said to fellow council members during a meeting in August 2023.
She was set to appear before a federal judge Friday afternoon.

‘I’m not … stepping down.’ Boston Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson pledges to continue her work amid federal probe.

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