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

Corruption

Department of Justice

Eric Adams

General

Kathy Hochul

New York City

Politics

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

New York

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.”

US-NEWS-NYC-MAYOR-ADAMS-CAMPAIGN-NY

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.

Leftist Democrat Arrested By Feds Over Bribery Scheme

Boston

Crime

Massachusetts

U.S. Politics

Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD), who was elected in November to serve as the next Senate Majority Leader when the new Congress is sworn in next month, signaled on Monday that Congress will continue investigating corruption involving the Biden family after President Joe Biden pardoned his son this week.
&#8220;President Biden repeatedly lied to the American people,&#8221; Thune said in an exclusive statement to The Daily Wire. &#8220;His &#8216;full and unconditional&#8217; pardon for his son, which covers time when President Biden was a private citizen, raises further questions about the extent of Hunter Biden’s crimes.&#8221;
&#8220;This pardon, and the repeated lies the president and his administration told about it, will be a shameful bookend to President Biden’s tenure in office, and I would be supportive of Congress continuing to look into allegations of corrupt behavior,&#8221; he added.
Thune&#8217;s statement comes after President Biden granted a &#8220;full and unconditional pardon&#8221; for his son, convicted felon Hunter Biden, of all crimes &#8220;he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.&#8221;
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Hunter Biden was convicted in June of three federal felonies related to an illegal purchase of a firearm in 2018, including lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, lying on a federal background check form by falsely claiming that he was not a drug user, and being in illegal possession of a firearm.
He subsequently pled guilty in September in federal court to three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses.
The Department of Justice <a href="https://www.justice.gov/sco-weiss/pr/robert-hunter-biden-convicted-three-felony-tax-offenses-and-six-misdemeanor-tax-offenses?utm_source=chatgpt.com">said</a>, &#8220;Hunter Biden engaged in a four-year scheme in which he chose not to pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019 and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns.&#8221;

Senators Meet For Their Weekly Policy Luncheons

EXCLUSIVE: Thune Signals Senate Will Continue To Probe Biden Corruption After Pardon

Congress

Executive

Hunter Biden

John Thune

When Kamala Harris took Joe Biden’s spot at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket, she also replaced him as the focus of Democrats’ favorite X account. 
In July, the popular “Biden’s Wins” account rebranded itself to “<a href="https://x.com/harris_wins">Kamala’s Wins</a>,” and now boasts that it’s the “largest online community supporting soon to be President Kamala Harris.” With over 765,000 followers, the account sits at the center of a Democratic influence operation, pushing false narratives to millions of potential voters. And its founder, a Biden-Harris administration staffer, may be violating federal law by running it.
The Biden’s Wins account was launched in January 2022 by Ethan Wolf, a recent college graduate who was working as deputy political director for Illinois Democrat Brad Schneider’s reelection campaign. Wolf’s account quickly became “a favorite of White House staffers” such as Ron Klain, Biden’s former chief of staff, and in July 2022, his account was <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/west-wing-playbook/2022/07/18/always-tweet-00046393">profiled by POLITICO</a>.
By September 2022, Wolf was <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ethan.wolf.167/posts/pfbid02kKvrEF2uQYdp2fnVCLqPBuraESLJ8SNLWHmk6ACdKBwHvoPTQa4dUrBGzuJKSFo2l">invited</a> to the White House “for a private briefing with the President, Vice-President, Ron Klain,” Wolf said on Facebook. A month later, Wolf was <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-6989521571837083649-xL7I/">back at the White House</a> for another content creator briefing, posing for photos with top White House officials and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-6989521571837083649-xL7I/">Doug Emhoff</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I am once again asking you to stand with President Biden and me. Retweet and vote in the poll below. <a href="https://t.co/1aJHPNLnNP">https://t.co/1aJHPNLnNP</a> <a href="https://t.co/ztbOvXrNUe">pic.twitter.com/ztbOvXrNUe</a>
— Ethan Wolf 🇺🇸 (@ethanmwolf) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethanmwolf/status/1773429447888171497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
Just over a year after launching the account praising Biden, Wolf had earned himself a job in the administration. In June 2023, Wolf was hired as a “communications specialist” in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, where he makes $94,000 a year, according to <a href="https://s.bookplum.org/live/hb2T9anuppRlDZ/1QDPUTHbp5uf4t/Ethan-Wolf-oge-278e.pdf">disclosure forms</a>. 
The timing of these events raises questions about the Biden-Harris administration&#8217;s relationship with Wolf. The Harris campaign, responding to one of the many viral lies that originated with his account, <a href="https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2024/aug/15/tweets/viral-photo-misleads-on-crowd-size-at-vances-michi/">told PolitiFact</a> it is not affiliated with Kamala’s Wins, though it seems that Harris and the administration have worked closely with Wolf from the beginning of his career, when he was fresh out of Ohio State University.
An administration official posting from the Kamala’s Wins account while working at the Commerce Department would be an apparent violation of the <a href="https://osc.gov/Services/Pages/HatchAct-Federal.aspx">Hatch Act</a>, which bars federal employees from engaging in political activity while on duty or in a federal building.
Asked about Wolf’s employment and political activity, a Commerce Department spokesman told The Daily Wire: “All Department of Commerce employees are subject to the Hatch Act, which is the law that governs political activities for federal employees.”
Wolf, who could not be reached for comment, would not be the first member of the Biden-Harris administration to violate the Hatch Act. In October 2022, Klain was found to have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-chief-of-staff-informed-he-violated-hatch-act">violated</a> the Hatch Act with a post from that previous May. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-government-watchdog-says-biden-hhs-chief-becerra-violated-hatch-act">charged</a> with a violation in April 2023, and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre just <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gov-watchdog-group-finds-press-sec-karine-jean-pierre-violated-hatch-act">two months later.</a> Jean-Pierre’s predecessor, Jen Psaki, received a <a href="https://www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/HA-22-000004.pdf">warning</a> about violating the Hatch Act in 2021.
Nor would Kamala’s Wins be the only thing that potentially put Wolf on the wrong side of the Hatch Act. He has <a href="https://x.com/ethanmwolf/status/1829551588782096473">repeatedly</a> <a href="https://x.com/ethanmwolf/status/1833961958451937759">shared</a> political content from his personal X account during work hours, as recently as <a href="https://x.com/ethanmwolf/status/1839032198436987296">September 25</a>. 
<div id="attachment_812415" style="width: 442px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-812415" class="size-large wp-image-812415" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/wolfbuttigieg-432x576.jpg" alt="" width="432" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/wolfbuttigieg-432x576.jpg 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/wolfbuttigieg-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/wolfbuttigieg-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/wolfbuttigieg-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/wolfbuttigieg.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px" />Wolf, Pete Buttigieg, and Democrat influencer Harry Sisson at the White House in 2022 (Ethan Wolf/Facebook)</div>
Wolf appears to have launched the Biden’s Wins account as part of a business strategy. 
The same year he launched the account, Wolf also <a href="https://apps.ilsos.gov/businessentitysearch/businessentitysearch">formed</a> a company called “Democratic Wins Media LLC.” The Biden’s Wins X account seems to have been part of that operation: in June 2023, the account and several other “wins” accounts — “Democratic Wins,” “Pete’s [Buttigieg] Wins,” and “[Hillary] Clinton’s Wins” — reposted a <a href="https://x.com/ShadiaMartini/status/1667679310109609984">campaign video</a> for Shadia Martini, a Democratic candidate for Michigan state representative. Two days later, Martini’s campaign <a href="https://miboecfr.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/cfr/exp_anls_res.cgi">paid</a> Wolf’s company $2,000.
Since transforming into Kamala’s Wins, the account has been a major source of false information. The account was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/30/politics/fact-check-nfl-quarterbacks-kamala-harris-fundraising-call/index.html">widely fact checked</a> after it erroneously claimed that a number of NFL quarterbacks, including Joe Burrow, were part of a “White Dudes for Harris” fundraising call. 
The account has promoted the false claim that former President Donald Trump is <a href="http://admitting">attached</a> to Project 2025, and repeated frequently debunked<a href="https://x.com/harris_wins/status/1834652339472417177"> claims</a> about Trump’s 2017 remarks in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The account has frequently misconstrued facts to present Harris’ record in a positive light, falsely claiming that Biden-Harris administration policies have caused inflation and grocery prices to <a href="https://x.com/harris_wins/status/1833523201923813719">plummet</a>, and led to a reduction in <a href="https://x.com/harris_wins/status/1840936148270563413">violent crime.</a>
Wolf’s political work for Biden and Harris began as a 20-year-old Ohio State University student in 2020, when he <a href="https://jewishjournal.com/news/united-states/315710/meet-jews-4-joe-the-jewish-student-movement-fighting-to-get-biden-elected/">launched “Jews 4 Joe” to help elect Biden</a>. He told <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/west-wing-playbook/2022/07/18/always-tweet-00046393">POLITICO</a> that his work was what initially put him on the White House’s radar. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Happy birthday, <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>. Thanks for all your doing for our great nation. Special thank you for giving young leaders a seat at your table. <a href="https://t.co/7zaRSFzBm5">pic.twitter.com/7zaRSFzBm5</a>
— Ethan Wolf 🇺🇸 (@ethanmwolf) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethanmwolf/status/1726678624051638737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Wolf also appears to have launched an X account that same year called <a href="https://x.com/jews4kanye/">Jews 4 Kanye</a>, a reference to the openly anti-Semitic rapper Kanye West. The account’s bio reads: “Jews love Kanye &amp; Kanye loves the Jews.” One of the account’s only six followers is an Ohio State classmate of Wolf’s.
Posts from Kamala’s Wins account continue to reach millions of people a day in the final stretch of the campaign. Over the past weekend, the account posted repeatedly that Trump is “senile.”
In his personal capacity, Wolf <a href="https://x.com/ethanmwolf/status/1755760573625581946">insisted</a> in February 2024 that Biden was mentally competent, just five months before a series of embarrassing mental gaffes forced Biden to suspend his presidential campaign.

Untitled (1000 x 620 px)

Viral Account Pushing Pro-Kamala Misinformation Was Launched By Biden Admin Employee

Doug Emhoff

Hatch Act

Kamala Harris

Ron Klain

Twitter

A retired <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-york" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York</a> judge, who was also a former prosecutor, allegedly committed suicide on Tuesday morning following a brief shootout with FBI agents trying to arrest him for bribery and corruption.
Sources <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/09/24/us-news/ex-nys-judge-prosecutor-apparently-kills-himself-as-fbi-arrives-to-arrest-him-on-corruption-rap/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the New York Post that Stewart Rosenwasser, 72, was the subject of an FBI investigation into bribery and corruption, and allegedly opened fire on federal agents when they approached his home in Orange County, New York. Sources <a href="https://abc7ny.com/post/retired-judge-stewart-rosenwasser-kills-campbell-hall-orange-county-home-fbi-arrive-arrest/15348982/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> ABC 7 that Rosenwasser pointed a gun at a federal agent, who then fired a shot.
Shortly after the shooting, Rosenwasser barricaded himself inside the home and allegedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound around 9:30 a.m., according to the Post’s law enforcement sources.
The FBI released a statement following the incident, saying the matter is under review.
&#8220;The FBI is reviewing an agent-involved shooting that occurred [Tuesday] morning in Campbell Hall, NY,” the statement said, according to ABC 7. &#8220;The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents seriously. In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under review by the FBI&#8217;s Inspection Division. As this is an ongoing matter, we have no further details to provide.&#8221;
Rossenwasser had been indicted by a federal grand jury on bribery charges, alleging that he had launched an investigation as a prosecutor in 2022 to help a longtime associate. That associate, Mout’z Soudani, had accused his sister and nephew of stealing about $2 million.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
Rossenwasser allegedly pocketed $63,000 to rig the case against the nephew, the Post reported.
“Any progress iam [sic] anxious thanks,” Soudani, who was also named in the indictment, texted Rosenwasser on November 18, 2022, according to the 43-page indictment obtained by the Post.
“Waiting to talk to investigator,” Rosenwasser allegedly replied. “Should know something today.”
“Believe me. I’m putting maximum effort into this,” Rosenwasser also allegedly said. “We will utilize all available assets.”
On March 8, 2023, Rosenwasser charged Soudani’s family members with grand larceny for allegedly stealing the money. Arrest warrants were issued, and when the family members appeared in court, they asked Rosenwasser to recuse himself because of his previous representation of Soudani in the 1990s.
Rosenwasser denied their request.
In June 2023, however, the District Attorney’s office removed Rosenwasser from the case. By March 2024, the case against Soudani’s sister was dropped and the nephew pleaded guilty to grand larceny in exchanged for a reduced sentence, the Post reported.
The sister and nephew later filed a $22.5 million lawsuit claiming the case against them was tainted due to Rosenwasser’s involvement. The scandal exploded in July when the FBI raided Rosenwasser’s home. Rosenwasser was also forced to resign from the District Attorney’s office at that time.
Rosenwasser’s son, Jason, seemed to throw water on reports that his father committed suicide.
“The only thing I feel compelled to point out is that the local news headlines are reporting that my father fatally shot himself while also reporting in the same article that the FBI field office issued a statement calling it an agent-involved shooting,” he told the outlet.

FBI Agent

Former NY Judge Dies By Apparent Suicide After FBI Standoff Over Corruption Charges

Bribery

U.S.

Senate Majority Leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/chuck-schumer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chuck Schumer</a> (D-NY) finally called on Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to resign this week after resisting making the call for months.
Menendez, 70, faces spending the rest of his life behind bars after he was convicted Tuesday on all 16 counts he faced in federal court, including charges of corruption, bribery, obstruction of justice, acting as a foreign agent, and conspiracy.
&#8220;In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,&#8221; Schumer said in a statement.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer/status/1813261987809210648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
Schumer had resisted calls to help force Menendez out of office, likely in order to protect Democrats&#8217; razor thin majority in the U.S. Senate.
At least 30 members of the Democrat caucus, including members of the party&#8217;s leadership team, had called on Menendez to resign in days following his indictment last year, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/27/politics/chuck-schumer-bob-menendez-reaction/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>.
New Jersey&#8217;s other Democrat senator, Cory Booker, called on Menendez to resign following his conviction, saying that it was &#8220;a dark, painful day for the people of New Jersey.&#8221;
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&#8220;When any elected official violates that trust, it is a betrayal of the oath we take to serve the people who&#8217;ve elected us,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Without that trust, our ability to do our work and perform our duties for our constituents is compromised. Senator Menendez was afforded his due process rights and mounted a full defense in a court of law, as every criminal defendant has the constitutional right to do.&#8221;
&#8220;This verdict means that a jury of Senator Menendez&#8217;s peers, sworn to be impartial, reviewed the evidence and unanimously concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that he had broken the law,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I call on Senator Menendez to resign. I originally did so last fall because of the severity of the allegations against him and how they shook the public&#8217;s trust. Now, with this conviction, the urgency for Senator Menendez to step down and for the governor to appoint a replacement has even more urgency.&#8221;

HILL

After Months Of Resisting, Schumer Finally Calls On Menendez To Resign

Bob Menendez

Chuck Schumer

U.S. Senate

California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom was condemned by a California Republican Congressman for his seemingly duplicitous efforts to forestall the passage of a drug policy proposition supported by mayors across the state, including San Francisco and San Jose in the north to San Diego and Santa Monica in the south.
Proposition 36, titled the “Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act,” is backed by district attorneys across California and intends to amend Proposition 47, passed in 2014,  by increasing penalties for some drug and theft crimes. “Among other provisions, Proposition 36 would allow prosecutors to charge certain cases of drug possession as ‘treatment-mandated felonies,’ rather than misdemeanors, according to a Legislative Analyst’s Office report,” the Sacramento Bee <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article289978959.html#campaignName=sacramento_afternoon_newsletter&amp;linkType=nmeintro" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>, adding, “The 2014 voter-approved initiative made some lower-level offenses misdemeanors and set a $950 felony threshold for shoplifting.”
“I’m very concerned about this drug policy reform that takes possession and makes it a felony,” Newsom said Thursday. “And increases the size of our prison population by tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, over the next decade at a profound cost to the taxpayers. And I don’t think an improvement of public safety.”
“We’re working with the Legislature on an independent parallel track — doesn’t require going on the ballot — to support an effort there that’s targeted and specific,” he continued. “Not the scattered shots that folks on the now-Prop. 36 are trying to advance, which would send us back to the 1980s, as it relates to drug policy in this state.”
Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) blistered Newson on the floor of the House of Representatives, declaring:
<blockquote>
This is the initiative to end the era of Proposition 47 in California, which has been responsible for a huge increase in theft, in other crimes, in homelessness, in drug use, in drug overdoses, and a whole host of other problems. The initiative has qualified for the ballot and will be voted on by Californians this November and I believe will pass overwhelmingly this November in spite of one of the most corrupt schemes in the history of our state that was cooked up by the governor of California. Actually a number of repeated schemes; all very novel and unprecedented in character; all directed to undermine the Democratic process in California; all meant to continue to make our communities unsafe, and all of which, despite the governor having an overwhelming supermajority legislature, failed.
</blockquote>
“I think that it’s simply important to note, for all Americans to see, when you have something like this that happens within our system; where you have an elected official, in this case, the governor, who directly seeks to undermine the democratic process,” Kiley charged.
Kiley recalled the efforts to stop the proposition from getting the requisite signatures to qualify for the ballot, then the effort to remove the proposition from the ballot by pressuring the organizers of the initiative to withdraw it, then the effort to “[insert] poison pills into a smattering of existing public safety bills in the legislature,” which stated “something truly incredible, which is to say they would be automatically reversed if voters passed the End Prop 47 initiative in November. The point of this was to give the Attorney General the pretext for lying to voters about what the initiative would do. They’d say, ‘Because now there was this poison pill that would reverse all of the public safety bills if voters passed the initiative, that the initiative is now actually an anti-public safety bill.’”
Kiley noted that the legislature rebuffed that action, but then, “In the 11th hour, when it was past the deadline even to put an initiative on the ballot, the governor offered up a Hail Mary where he said, ‘Okay, I can’t get the End Prop 47 initiative off the ballot so what I’m going to do is put on my own competing initiative which is watered down, which is a very weak initiative, but that will be enough to confuse voters.’ And what’s more, he put in there that if his initiative passed with higher numbers than the other initiative, then the other initiative would be wiped out in its entirety, even though there are a lot of things in it that didn’t conflict. It was literally a mechanism that the governor proposed, drafted, introduced in the legislature to overturn the results of a democratic election in California where the End 47 initiative could have passed with 60% of the vote and nevertheless it would have been null and void according to the trick the governor tried to implement. He even moved back the deadline for propositions to qualify; he even moved back the deadline for the Secretary of State to number the proposition so that his own fake proposition — the ‘imposter initiative’, we called it — would get a higher number and then have a better chance of getting more votes.”
“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the concerted efforts by the governor of California to thwart and undermine our democratic process in an attempt to keep our communities unsafe,” he concluded.
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MixCollage-12-Jul-2024-10-56-AM-1763

‘One Of The Most Corrupt Schemes In The History Of Our State’: GOP Congressman Blisters Newsom

California

Drugs

Gavin Newsom

Kevin Kiley