Federal prosecutors filed new terrorism-related charges against Elias Rodriguez, the keffiyeh-wearing man accused of murdering Israeli Embassy staffers Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim earlier this year.
The 13-count superseding <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/new-terrorism-related-charges-filed-against-alleged-killer-israeli-embassy-employees">indictment was unsealed</a> on Wednesday, showing that 31-year-old Rodriguez was charged with an additional four counts of committing acts of terrorism while armed, along with a federal aggravating factor alleging substantial planning and premeditation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Rodriguez’s previous charges included murder of a foreign official, causing death through the use of a firearm, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, two federal counts of hate crime resulting in death, and two counts each of first-degree premeditated murder while armed and assault with intent to kill while armed under the D.C. criminal code.
Some of the charges carry a possible sentence of death or life imprisonment.
“My office will not rest in our efforts to hold Elias Rodriguez accountable for this horrific and targeted act of terror against Yaron Lischinsky, Sarah Milgrim, and our Jewish community,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “These additional terrorism-related charges carry a mandatory life sentence under D.C. Code, while also reflecting the reality that this act was in fact an act of terror.”
Lischinsky, 30, and Milgrim, 28, were allegedly shot and killed by Rodriguez outside of an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in May. He allegedly fired approximately 20 shots from a handgun and shouted “Free Palestine,” according to the indictment.
After the shooting, he entered the museum wearing a red keffiyeh, where attendees were still present, and said, “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza.”
While being arrested, he shouted “shame on you” and “shame on Zio-nazi terror,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office, Rodriguez wrote and published a manifesto “attempting to morally justify his actions and inspire others to commit political violence.”
Lischinsky was a German-Israeli dual citizen and a devout evangelical Christian. He immigrated to Israel at 16, served in the Israel Defense Forces, and began working as a political analyst at the embassy in 2022.
He was planning to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/friends-family-react-to-murder-of-israeli-embassy-staffers-by-keffiyeh-wearing-terrorist">propose</a> to Milgrim, who grew up in the Kansas City suburbs and was a full-time employee at the embassy’s Department of Public Diplomacy.

TOPSHOT-US-ISRAEL-MUSEUM-SHOOTING

Suspect In Deadly Israeli Embassy Attack Hit With New Terrorism Charges

antisemitism

Courts

Crime

Department of Justice

Murder

U.S.

The man who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump at a Florida golf course during the 2024 presidential campaign may never step outside of a federal prison after Wednesday.
Ryan Routh, 59, will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon for plotting to shoot Trump while he golfed at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September 2024. Routh was convicted in September 2025 of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate.
The Justice Department has requested that Routh be sentenced to life in prison.
“Routh’s crimes undeniably warrant a life sentence—he took steps over the course of months to assassinate a major Presidential candidate, demonstrated the will to kill anybody in the way, and has since expressed neither regret nor remorse to his victims,” the department wrote in a January sentencing memo. “The Constitution affords citizens many peaceful avenues to oppose or express strong dissent about a Presidential candidate—murder is not one of them.”
The attempted assassination <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/jury-convicts-man-attempted-assassination-president-donald-j-trump-and-assault-federal-law">took place</a> on September 15, 2024, after weeks of planning when Routh was spotted by Secret Service Special Agent Robert Fercano embedded in a hedge near the sixth hole of the golf course with a rifle. Fercano opened fire on Routh, who fled the scene, leaving behind an SKS-style rifle with scope, an extra magazine with 19 rounds of ammo, steel armor plates, and a camera.
<div id="attachment_1038387" style="width: 1583px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1038387" class="size-full wp-image-1038387" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-03-at-4.16.04-PM.png" alt="" width="1573" height="1050" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-03-at-4.16.04-PM.png 1573w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-03-at-4.16.04-PM-300x200.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-03-at-4.16.04-PM-863x576.png 863w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-03-at-4.16.04-PM-768x513.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-03-at-4.16.04-PM-1536x1025.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-03-at-4.16.04-PM-1200x800.png 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 1573px) 100vw, 1573px" />Justice Department.</div>
Routh fled the scene in a black Nissan Xterra before he was arrested by officers with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, heading north on Interstate-95. Inside the vehicle, officers found multiple cell phones and a list of flights out of the country. A search of cell phone records found that they had pinged near the golf course and Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home multiple times from August 18 to September 15, 2024. Investigators also <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25171975/routh-detention-memo.pdf">said</a> that one of the phones had searched how to drive from Palm Beach County to Mexico.
Another list contained dates and venues where Trump was set to appear and a notebook that contained ramblings about how to fight on behalf of Ukraine. Routh was also the apparent author of a book called “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War: The Fatal Flaw of Democracy, World Abandonment and the Global Citizen-Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea, WWIII and the End of Humanity.”
Routh wrote in the book that he “must take part of the blame for the [person] that we elected for our next president that ended up being brainless, but I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake and Iran I apologize. You are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgment and the dismantling of the deal. No one here in the US seems to have the balls to put natural selection to work or even unnatural selection.”
According to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-would-be-assassin-tried-to-buy-a-rocket-propelled-grenade-from-ukraine-doj-filing?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Would-Be+Assassin+Tried+To+Buy+A+Rocket-Propelled+Grenade+From+Ukraine%3A+DOJ+Filing">another filing</a> from the Justice Department, Routh communicated with a person he believed to be a Ukrainian with access to military-grade weapons and requested a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), lamenting that then-presidential nominee Donald Trump &#8220;is not good for Ukraine.&#8221;
Over a year before the assassination attempt, Routh <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/25/world/europe/volunteers-us-ukraine-lies.html">was quoted</a> in The New York Times talking about recruiting foreigners to fight for Ukraine.
<div id="attachment_1038391" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1038391" class="size-full wp-image-1038391" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2171706745.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="654" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2171706745.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2171706745-300x192.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2171706745-902x576.jpg 902w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2171706745-768x491.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Routh detained in Florida: Photo by Martin County Sheriff&#8217;s Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images.</div>
The FBI also <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25171975/routh-detention-memo.pdf">obtained</a> a letter from Routh that was delivered in a box to a civilian witness.
“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you,” Routh wrote. “I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job.”
The letter also attacked Trump for ending “relations with Iran like a child and now the Middle East has unraveled.”
The would-be assassin was also convicted in September of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer, felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Routh had previous convictions in 2002 for possession of a weapon of mass destruction and in 2010 for multiple counts of possession of stolen goods.
As the verdict was delivered, Routh <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/attempted-trump-assassin-tries-to-stab-himself-in-neck-after-guilty-verdict">attempted</a> to stab himself in the neck with a pen, prompting law enforcement to restrain and shackle him. Routh has argued that his charges should not be enhanced with federal terrorism classifications. The Justice Department says he is a threat to American society.
“Routh is also a threat to the public collectively,” the Justice Department said in its sentencing memo. “He attempted to prevent the American people from exercising their right to elect the President of their choosing, by killing one of the two major candidates in the 2024 Presidential election. His conduct jeopardized the democratic process as well as multiple human lives.”
Cannon, the judge who will sentence Routh, was appointed by Trump. She previously dismissed the classified documents case against Trump, saying that special counsel Jack Smith was appointed unconstitutionally to oversee the case.

TOPSHOT-US-VOTE-TRUMP-GUN-SUSPECT

Attempted Trump Assassin Ryan Routh To Be Sentenced. Here’s What You Need To Know.

assassination attempt

Donald Trump

Florida

President Donald Trump suggested that Republicans may have to &#8220;nationalize the voting&#8221; in a Monday interview, predicting that &#8220;interesting&#8221; details would come out of the FBI&#8217;s probe of a Fulton County, Georgia, election office last week.
Trump <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2018378177387577835">told</a> conservative podcaster and former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino that Republicans &#8220;should take over the voting in at least 15 places,&#8221; citing his belief that it&#8217;s the only way to secure elections.
“The Republicans should say, we want to take over, we should take over the voting, the voting in at least many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting,” Trump told Bongino.
&#8220;We have states that are so crooked and they&#8217;re counting votes. We have states that I won that show I didn&#8217;t win,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Now, you&#8217;re going to see something in Georgia where they were able to get the ballots with the court order. You will see some interesting things come out. But like the 2020 election. I won that election by so much. Everybody knows it.&#8221;
Last Wednesday, the FBI raided a Georgia election office and took 700 boxes of election materials. The raid was reportedly related to a federal probe into allegations of interference in the 2020 election, which Trump lost to former President Joe Biden. Trump has argued that the 2020 election results from Georgia were rigged against him. Trump lost to Biden by fewer than 12,000 votes in Georgia in 2020.
Fulton County officials are questioning the legality of the FBI&#8217;s search and said the county would sue and attempt to &#8220;force the government to return the ballots taken.&#8221;
When asked about Trump&#8217;s comments to Bongino, a White House official told The Daily Wire on Tuesday morning that Trump doesn&#8217;t believe states taking election security seriously. The official <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/voter-id">highlighted</a> more than a dozen states, including California, New York, and Illinois, that do not require photo ID to vote, and accused many states of refusing to comply with federal law on sharing voter-roll information.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told The Daily Wire: &#8220;President Trump cares deeply about the safety and security of our elections – that’s why he’s urged Congress to pass the SAVE Act and other legislative proposals that would establish a uniform standard of photo ID for voting, prohibit no-excuse mail-in voting, and end the practice of ballot harvesting.&#8221;
The SAVE Act, which passed the House last year, would require voters to provide ID and proof of citizenship before casting their ballots in an attempt to prevent illegal immigrants and noncitizens from voting. It has stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Trump also told Bongino that Republicans must deport the millions of illegal immigrants who were allowed to flood the country under Biden, or the party &#8220;will never win another election.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s crazy how you can get these [illegal immigrants] to vote,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And if we don&#8217;t get them out, Republicans will never win another election. Think of it, I won in a landslide. I won every swing state. I won the popular vote by millions. I won everything.&#8221;
&#8220;But you&#8217;re never going to have that again if you don&#8217;t get these people out. These people were brought to our country to vote, and they vote illegally,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And it&#8217;s amazing that the Republicans aren&#8217;t tougher on it.&#8221;
Trump has also recently claimed that he won Minnesota in each of the past three elections as his administration focuses on the state&#8217;s fraud and immigration issues. Trump&#8217;s Democratic opponent carried the state in the past three presidential races.
“They’re crooked officials,” he said of Minnesota leaders. “I feel that I won Minnesota. I think I won it all three times &#8230; and I didn’t get credit for it.&#8221;

Trump Predicts FBI Georgia Raid Will Expose ‘Interesting Things,’ Calls To ‘Nationalize The Voting’

Trump Demands 'Nationalize The Vote,' Says FBI Georgia Raid Will Expose ‘Interesting Things’

Elections

Georgia

Republicans

A man posing as an FBI agent walked into the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on Wednesday night in an attempt to spring suspected assassin Luigi Mangione from jail, according to a criminal complaint.
The suspect, 36-year-old Mark Anderson of Minnesota, was charged on Thursday with impersonating a federal agent. Anderson allegedly illegally approached the jail&#8217;s intake area and told authorities at the jail that he had an order “signed by a judge” to free an inmate. While the criminal complaint does not specify who Anderson was allegedly attempting to free, law enforcement sources told <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-allegedly-break-luigi-mangione-jail-impersonating-fbi/story?utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=dhfacebook&amp;utm_content=app.dashsocial.com/abcnews/library/media/635358670&amp;id=129679620">ABC News</a> and the<a href="https://nypost.com/2026/01/29/us-news/lunatic-luigi-mangione-fan-posed-as-fbi-agent-in-botched-bid-to-break-accused-ceo-killer-out-of-nyc-jail-feds/"> New York Post</a> that it was Mangione.
Anderson told officials that he had weapons in his bag, and when officials searched the bag, they found a pizza cutter and a barbecue fork, according to the criminal complaint. When asked to provide his credentials, Anderson handed officials his Minnesota driver&#8217;s license, the complaint stated. Anderson reportedly moved to New York City recently and was working at a pizza parlor. The Minnesota man was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday afternoon.
<div id="attachment_1035785" style="width: 701px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1035785" class="wp-image-1035785 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-2026-01-29T172313.983-691x576.jpg" alt="" width="691" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-2026-01-29T172313.983-691x576.jpg 691w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-2026-01-29T172313.983-300x250.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-2026-01-29T172313.983-768x640.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-2026-01-29T172313.983.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 691px) 100vw, 691px" />U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York</div>
Mangione is being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center as his trial unfolds. The 27-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate is charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was gunned down on a New York City street on December 4, 2024.
Mangione has been charged at the state and federal levels, with his federal murder charge opening up the door to the death penalty if he is convicted. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the state and federal murder charges. The suspected assassin has attracted fans, who have called for him to be released. Some of Mangione&#8217;s supporters have used the murder of Thompson to condemn the U.S. health care system and to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/luigi-mangione-protesters-call-death-elon-musk-other-corrupt-healthcare-ceos.print">call</a> for other health care executives to be killed.
The Mangione fans, some of them wearing costumes of Luigi from Super Mario, have flocked together outside of the courthouse in New York City when the suspected killer was due in court. Mangione is due back in court for his federal case on Friday as the judge considers whether the death penalty can remain on the table.
The accused killer&#8217;s attorney&#8217;s wants the judge to prevent the prosecution from using items found in Mangione&#8217;s backpack when he was arrested as evidence. The lawyers argue that Altoona, Pennsylvania, police illegally searched Mangione&#8217;s backpack when they arrested him. Among the items found in Mangione&#8217;s backpack were a gun, a loaded magazine, and a notebook that allegedly described Mangione&#8217;s plan to &#8220;whack&#8221; the health care CEO &#8220;at the annual parasitic bean-counter convention.&#8221;
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said last week that Mangione&#8217;s federal trial will start on September 8.

Luigi Mangione

Man Armed With BBQ Fork And Pizza Cutter Posed As FBI Agent To Spring Luigi Mangione From Jail

Jail

New York

The FBI executed a search warrant at an election office in Fulton County, Georgia — just outside of Atlanta — on Wednesday. The raid was related to a federal government probe into allegations of interference in the 2020 election that President Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fbi-executing-search-warrant-election-office-georgia-related-2020-vote-fox-news-2026-01-28/">reported</a>.
FBI agents searched the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center in Fairburn, where they were looking to take custody of Fulton County election ballots from 2020, Fox 5 Atlanta <a href="https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/fbi-executes-court-authorized-action-fulton-election-facility">reported</a>. The Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center was opened in 2023 and is used to modernize election operations. The FBI said the search warrant was signed by a magistrate judge, but did not confirm what the warrant was for, according to Fox 5.
&#8220;The FBI is conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity. No other information is available at this time,&#8221; the FBI told The Daily Wire when reached for comment.
Since losing the 2020 election to Biden, Trump has claimed that Fulton County had major issues with counting ballots, such as counting ballots twice. Biden narrowly defeated Trump in Georgia in 2020, partly thanks to his wide margin of victory in Fulton County. Last month, Fulton County admitted it violated election procedures during the 2020 election, saying that more than 130 tabulator tapes used for around 315,000 early in-person votes were not signed, and 10 more tapes were reported missing.
Georgia Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, however, said that missing signatures do not mean that the votes should be invalidated. Raffensperger assured the public that Georgia&#8217;s voter ID laws were still followed and that the results had been audited.
&#8220;Georgia has the most secure elections in the country and all voters were verified with photo ID and lawfully cast their ballots,&#8221; Raffensperger <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GASecretaryofState/posts/georgia-has-the-most-secure-elections-in-the-country-and-all-voters-were-verifie/1184444390539256/">said</a>. &#8220;A clerical error at the end of the day does not erase valid, legal votes.&#8221;
Last month, the Justice Department sued the clerk of Fulton County superior and magistrate courts in an attempt to obtain documents from the 2020 election. The Justice Department said that it was seeking to ascertain &#8220;Georgia&#8217;s compliance with various federal election laws.&#8221; The Justice Department <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1420721/dl">argues</a> that the clerk&#8217;s refusal to hand over the documents violates the Civil Rights Act.
Fulton County was also the center of the election case against Trump that alleged the president attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Trump was indicted on racketeering charges in Fulton County in 2023 following an investigation by Democratic District Attorney Fani Willis. The case against Trump, however, was dismissed after it was revealed that Willis had a romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Trump was also indicted on election-related charges in a federal case led by former Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, who investigated Trump while Biden was in office. Smith recently defended his effort to go after Trump during a congressional testimony last week and said that Georgia was &#8220;ground zero&#8221; for Trump&#8217;s efforts to allegedly overturn the 2020 election. Smith argued that Trump pushed &#8220;knowingly false claims of fraud&#8221; to keep claims of a stolen election alive.
Smith filed a motion to dismiss the case against Trump after he won the 2024 election.

FBI Bulletproof Jacket

FBI Raids Fulton County Office As Part Of 2020 Election Interference Probe

fulton county

Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug trafficker Ryan Wedding has been arrested.
Attorney General Pam Bondi praised President Trump’s “law and order leadership” for helping to make the arrest possible. 
“At my direction, Department of Justice agents @FBI have apprehended yet another member of the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted List: Ryan Wedding, the onetime Olympian snowboarder-turned alleged violent cocaine kingpin,” Bondi wrote in an X post. “Wedding was flown to the United States where he will face justice. This is a direct result of President Trump’s law-and-order leadership. Under @POTUS, criminals have no safe harbor.”
The AG went on to thank FBI director Kash Patel, Ambassador Ron Johnson, and Mexican authorities for their assistance to capture one of the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” fugitives.
Patel also posted about Wedding’s capture, adding in some details about the former Olympian’s alleged crimes. 
“Wedding is believed to have been hiding in Mexico for over a decade &#8211; and has been wanted on charges for cocaine trafficking and murder since 2024,” Patel wrote.
“He was allegedly running and participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation that routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California to the United States and Canada &#8211; as a member of the Sinaloa Cartel.”
The FBI director also praised President Trump’s leadership and strong law and order stance. “This is the SIXTH Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitive this FBI has captured within a year &#8211; fugitives who had been on the run for almost 40 years combined. That’s no accident. President Trump is letting good cops be cops and the results speak for themselves,” he wrote on X. 
“This is a huge day for a safer North America, and the world, and a message that those who break our laws and harm our citizens will be brought to justice.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and commitment to global law enforcement &#8211; as of this morning, the DOJ/FBI officially apprehended our SIXTH Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitive within the last year. Thank you to <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a> for her relentless pursuit of justice, the US Attorney’s… <a href="https://t.co/fnSP4IXQRI">pic.twitter.com/fnSP4IXQRI</a>
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2014727053224841464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Wedding, who competed at the 2002 Olympics, was arrested in 2008 and accused of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine after being part of a sting operation, per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/us/former-olympic-snowboarder-fbi-fugitive-ryan-wedding-arrested">CNN</a>. His case went to trial, and he was found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison.
The latest indictment says that Wedding’s latest drug crimes began in 2011, after he was released from jail. Along with drug trafficking, Wedding is accused of murdering multiple people over drug feuds.

Ryan Wedding

‘Violent Cocaine Kingpin’: FBI Arrests Former Olympic Snowboarder After Years On The Lam

Former Olympic Snowboarder, One Of FBI Most Wanted, Arrested For Drug Crimes

drug trafficking

Olympics

The FBI doled out federal criminal investigation subpoenas to the offices of Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Attorney General Keith Ellison for allegedly conspiring to interfere with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s actions in the state.
Six offices were subpoenaed in total so far, Fox News&#8217; Bill Melugin <a href="https://x.com/BillMelugin_/status/2013692532375347699?s=20">reported</a>. Sources also told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/doj-serves-grand-jury-subpoenas-minnesota-dems-investigation-ice-obstruction-sources">the outlet </a>that “the FBI served the subpoenas, seeking records and communications.”
Frey&#8217;s office confirmed to The Daily Wire that they had received the FBI subpoena. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a> can independently confirm that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey&#8217;s office received an FBI subpoena
— Cameron Arcand (@cameron_arcand) <a href="https://twitter.com/cameron_arcand/status/2013691730751627403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Walz publicly blasted the investigation on Tuesday.
“But let me be absolutely clear: The State of Minnesota will not be drawn into political theater. This Justice Department investigation, sparked by calls for accountability in the face of violence, chaos, and the killing of Renee Good, does not seek justice,” Walz said in a <a href="https://x.com/GovTimWalz/status/2013670376220348484/photo/1">statement</a>.
“It is a partisan distraction. Minnesotans are more concerned with safety and peace rather than with baseless legal tactics aimed at intimidating public servants standing shoulder to shoulder with their community,” he continued.
Earlier on Tuesday, Ellison announced that he would seek a third term in his office, a contrast from Walz’s decision not to seek re-election in light of fraud scandals plaguing the state.
“As the federal government targets Minnesota, I’m staying in this race to defend our state as Attorney General,” he posted to X.
The Daily Wire reached out to the FBI to confirm. ICE’s Operation Metro Surge has yielded 3,000 arrests in recent weeks, including individuals in the country illegally with criminal convictions.
“We have arrested over 10,000 criminal illegal aliens who were killing Americans, hurting children and reigning terror in Minneapolis because Tim Walz and Jacob Frey refuse to protect their own people and instead protect criminals,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement on Tuesday. “In the last 6 weeks, our brave DHS law enforcement have arrested 3,000 criminal illegal aliens including vicious murderers, rapists, child pedophiles, and incredibly dangerous individuals. A huge victory for public safety.”
Tensions have run extraordinarily high in the state following the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer as she allegedly attempted to hit him with her car, which led to the officer suffering from internal bleeding, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Protests not only raged on in the Minneapolis area for days after the shooting, but hit a tipping point over the weekend when an anti-ICE protest interrupted a church service, accusing one of the pastors of working for ICE.

Jacob Frey/Tim Walz

FBI Subpoenas Walz, Top Minnesota Dems In Major ICE Interference Investigation

FBI Subpoenas Top Minnesota Dems As Feds Investigate Possible ICE Interference

ice protests

justice department

Minnesota

The FBI executed a search warrant at a Washington Post reporter&#8217;s Virginia home on Wednesday morning as the feds investigate a government contractor who&#8217;s accused of leaking classified government materials.
Reporter Hannah Natanson, who focuses on &#8220;covering the Trump administration&#8217;s reshaping of the government,&#8221; was at home when FBI agents showed up at her front door and proceeded to search her house and seize two laptops, a phone, and a Garmin watch, the Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/14/washington-post-reporter-search/">reported</a>. Investigators reportedly told Natanson that she is not the target of the investigation. According to the Post, the FBI is looking into Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a government contractor with top-secret security clearance.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Natanson was reporting on classified information that was &#8220;illegally leaked&#8221; by a &#8220;Pentagon contractor.&#8221; Bondi added that the accused leaker, whom she did not publicly identify, is in jail.
&#8220;This past week, at the request of the Department of War, the Department of Justice and FBI executed a search warrant at the home of a Washington Post journalist who was obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor,&#8221; Bondi said. &#8220;The leaker is currently behind bars. I am proud to work alongside Secretary Hegseth on this effort. The Trump Administration will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our Nation’s national security and the brave men and women who are serving our country.&#8221;
Perez-Lugones is a system administrator in Maryland who allegedly took classified intelligence reports to his home. The reports were found in his lunchbox and basement, according to the FBI.
Natanson, who was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize and describes herself as &#8220;the federal government whisperer,&#8221; <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/12/24/trump-federal-government-workers/">wrote</a> in an article published last month that she connected with more than 1,000 sources within the Trump administration after posting her phone number to an online forum for federal government employees. She said federal workers who reached out to her often expressed frustration with the administration.
U.S. law protects journalists who publish classified information, provided they obtained it without coercion and did not ask anyone to break the law. Some of Natanson&#8217;s colleagues took to social media to defend her after news broke of the FBI search.
Last year, Bondi ended a policy implemented under former President Joe Biden that prohibited federal agencies from searching reporters&#8217; devices to identify a leaker. Bondi said that under her leadership, federal authorities would search reporters&#8217; devices and records only when necessary and after all other investigative avenues had been exhausted.

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FBI Searches Washington Post Reporter’s Home In Classified Docs Probe, Leaker ‘Behind Bars’

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Former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino will return to the airwaves on February 2 with a new show streaming on Rumble.
Bongino announced his return to podcasting on Monday after exiting the FBI at the start of the year. &#8220;The Dan Bongino Show,&#8221; when it returns, will be live-streamed exclusively on Rumble from 10 a.m. to noon ET.
The show will bring “Bongino’s unique insider perspective back to his loyal audience following a year of government service,” according to a press release. After the livestream, the show will be released on all major podcast platforms.
“The new version of The Dan Bongino Show will expand on its legacy with a renewed focus on Washington insights, behind-the-scenes details from his time in government, and a message of hope and resilience in the conservative movement,” the release says.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Thank you all for allowing me to serve you. 
We’re back on air February 2nd at 10a ET, live on <a href="https://t.co/G2Wjvsa9dR">https://t.co/G2Wjvsa9dR</a>. 
There’s a lot to talk about. 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/6C4IEnXYMY">pic.twitter.com/6C4IEnXYMY</a>
— Dan Bongino (@dbongino) <a href="https://twitter.com/dbongino/status/2010716361077494269?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
Bongino was a popular conservative podcaster before he returned to public service as the deputy director of President Donald Trump’s FBI. After joining the administration early last year, Bongino took part in major Justice Department cases, including the release of files related to the late, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Bongino also played a leading role in the investigation into the person who left pipe bombs outside of the Democratic and Republican national headquarters in Washington, D.C., on January 5, 2021. Attorney General Pam Bondi <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-fbi-raids-home-of-suspected-january-6-pipe-bomber">noted</a> in a press conference last month that arresting the suspected bomber was “the best birthday present” Bongino could have asked for.
Bongino also reportedly clashed with Bondi throughout his tenure at the bureau over the handling of the Epstein files. Bondi teased potential bombshells to be revealed in additional documents made public, but the bombshells never materialized.
Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel, before release of the files, warned that the documents did not contain smoking guns such as a list of all of Epstein’s acquaintances suspected of sexually abusing underage girls.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-dan-bongino-wants-to-go-back-to-his-show">criticized</a> Bondi’s handling of the Epstein release last year. Wiles complimented Bongino and Patel, however.
“The people that really appreciated what a big deal this is are Kash [Patel] and [FBI deputy director] Dan Bongino,” she said, referring to the release of the Epstein files. She noted that the pair had been among the loudest calling for transparency in the case.

Dan Bongino

Dan Bongino Announces His Return To Air After Exit From Trump’s FBI

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Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro pleads “not guilty” in New York City, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz abruptly ends his re-election bid amid numerous fraud scandals, and new details regarding a foiled New Year&#8217;s Eve terror attack come to light.
It’s Tuesday, January 6, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/maduro-pleads-not-guilty-tim-walz-withdraws-1-6-26/id1576594336?i=1000743947459" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">U.S. v. Nicolás Maduro Begins</h2>
Captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro made his first appearance in an American courtroom Monday, as the Trump administration pushes ahead with its aggressive foreign policy. Barely 72 hours ago, Maduro was living lavishly in the country he ruled with an iron fist. But now he is wearing a prison jumpsuit and ankle shackles, preparing to face the U.S. justice system. His initial court hearing lasted just 30 minutes, during which the ousted strongman was defiant, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-united-states-strikes-venezuela-captures-president-maduro">telling</a> a judge through a translator: “I am innocent. I’m not guilty. I’m a decent man. I’m still the president of my country.” As he was led from the courtroom, a man stood up and yelled in Spanish that he would pay for his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-united-states-v-nicolas-maduro-the-cartel-of-the-suns-indictment">crimes</a>, to which Maduro replied that he would win his freedom, calling himself a “prisoner of war.” The next hearing is set for March 17.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Walz Bows Out Of Re-Election After Fraud Fracas</h2>
Political shockwaves <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tim-walz-drops-out-of-minnesota-governors-race-amid-fraud-concerns">ran</a> through Minnesota and the nation on Monday morning as Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz announced he would not seek re-election amid the state’s numerous fraud scandals. Walz made the announcement in a statement bemoaning the “sour note” on which 2025 ended for his state on account of allegations of rampant fraud, especially within Minnesota’s Somali community. Walz ultimately accused President Donald Trump and his allies of wanting to make Minnesota “a colder, meaner place” with political attacks because of the reports of fraud. Increasingly, reports about fraud flooding Minnesota have suggested that Walz and his administration may have played a role through feigned ignorance or corruption.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">FBI Foils ISIS-Inspired Attack In North Carolina</h2>
The FBI says it has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/feds-thwart-isis-inspired-terrorist-attack-planned-in-north-carolina">foiled</a> an ISIS-inspired attack in North Carolina. Authorities arrested a Charlotte-area man they say planned to launch a terror attack on New Year&#8217;s Eve. A federal court <a href="https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2026/01/02/fbi-disrupts-alleged-new-years-even-attack-man-charged-attempting">unsealed</a> the criminal complaint against 18-year-old Christian Sturdivant on Friday. U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said authorities closed in on Sturdivant after he contacted two law enforcement officials, believing them to be members of ISIS. Sturdivant allegedly detailed plans to the undercover officers to attack a crowded mall and fast food restaurant on New Year&#8217;s Eve. Sturdivant allegedly planned to wear a Kevlar vest and wield a knife and hammer to kill as many people as possible. Federal prosecutors have charged Sturdivant with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

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Morning Brief: Maduro In Shackles, Walz Bows Out, & FBI Stops Terror Attack

Morning Brief: Maduro In Court, Walz Bows Out, And FBI Foils NC Terror Plot

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Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino teased big announcements on Monday as he prepares to return to the airwaves following his short stint inside the Trump administration.
Bongino <a href="https://x.com/dbongino/status/2008286877355212879">said</a> he wants to push the conservative movement back to foundational principles and call out voices on the Right that he believes are threatening conservatism heading into the important 2026 midterm elections. Despite leaving the FBI last month, Bongino has remained a loyal supporter of President Donald Trump and his agenda.
&#8220;I started in this movement as a candidate during the Tea Party movement, and I began my political commentary career shortly thereafter. I helped build this movement and I sure as hell am not going to let it get hijacked by a group of black-pillers, life-losers, grifters and bums,&#8221; Bongino said.
&#8220;We are a movement guided by truth. The essence of conservative ideology is the preservation of eternal truths. We are not the &#8216;latest thing&#8217; group. We are not political cannibals,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I’ve watched quietly from the inside while doing the job I was hired to do, but I’m back now, and it’s time to restore balance to the force.&#8221;
Bongino&#8217;s return to podcasting and his vow to take on &#8220;grifters and bums&#8221; comes at a defining moment for the conservative movement. Last month, during Turning Point USA&#8217;s AmericaFest, one of the largest events of the year for conservatives, Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-shapiro-at-tpusa-the-right-needs-truth-not-grifters-and-frauds">called out</a> &#8220;grifters&#8221; on the Right — specifically, Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens — for spouting views that are antithetical to conservative ideals.
In an earlier post on Monday, Bongino <a href="https://x.com/dbongino/status/2008250081753927703">promised</a> to reveal the exact date he would return to his show &#8220;soon&#8221; after he spends some time with his family. Bongino <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-dan-bongino-wants-to-go-back-to-his-show?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Dan+Bongino+Leaving+FBI%3A+%E2%80%98God+Bless+America%2C+And+All+Those+Who+Defend+Her%E2%80%99">announced</a> on December 17 that he would be leaving the bureau and thanked President Trump, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Attorney General Pam Bondi for the opportunity to serve as deputy director. Bongino&#8217;s final day was on Saturday, and he appeared to leave on good terms with Trump and Patel.
&#8220;This FBI is saving lives, protecting innocent kids, and taking deadly drugs off our streets at levels not seen in decades. None of it would’ve been possible without Dan’s leadership and support. And he paved the way for even better things to come,&#8221; Patel said on Sunday.
Bongino addressed some of the &#8220;infighting&#8221; on the Right in his post on Monday. Some of the divisions in the conservative movement under the second Trump administration stemmed from the administration&#8217;s handling of the Epstein case, with the FBI playing a major role in the investigation. Bongino, along with Patel and Bondi, were criticized over their work investigating the Epstein files after they concluded that there was no Epstein client list.
Bongino did not mention the Epstein saga in his post on Monday, but said that conservatives need to focus on the upcoming midterm elections and blasted those on the Right who spend their time &#8220;b*tching and whining.&#8221;
&#8220;We’ve got midterms coming up, and there’s no time for bullsh*t. This administration is cooking and REAL change simmers. If you’re spending your entire day b*tching and whining with 3/4ths of the term still to go, then please find the exits,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There’s no time for it. It’s not &#8216;infighting&#8217; when you excise a cancer killing the host. It’s &#8216;outfighting&#8217; because you’re not part of any movement I’m familiar with.&#8221;

Bongino Prepares To Take On ‘Grifters And Bums’ In Return To Conservative Commentary

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Federal authorities said Friday that they thwarted an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack that was planned for New Year&#8217;s Eve at a grocery store and fast food restaurant in Mint Hill, North Carolina.
United States citizen Christian Sturdivant, 18, allegedly planned to massacre Americans using &#8220;knives and hammers&#8221; in the Charlotte suburb after he became radicalized online, federal authorities revealed during a press conference Friday. He planned to become a &#8220;martyr&#8221; in the attack.
&#8220;He was preparing for Jihad and innocent people were going to die,&#8221; Russ Ferguson, the United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, opened Friday&#8217;s presser.
&#8220;He was targeting Jews, Christians and LGBTQ individuals,&#8221; Ferguson said.
Sturdivant, who worked at a local Burger King, was previously on law enforcement&#8217;s radar in January 2022, when he was just 14-years-old and communicating on social media with an overseas ISIS member who instructed him to dress in all black, knock on people&#8217;s doors and attack them with a hammer, James Barnacle, FBI Special Agent in Charge in Charlotte, said Friday. He was stopped from carrying out the attack by his own family, Barnacle added. Sturdivant then underwent psychological care and did not face charges.
At the time, the FBI was told that Sturdivant &#8220;no longer had access to social media,&#8221; which they learned &#8220;wasn&#8217;t true&#8221; on Dec. 18, according to Barnacle.
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Sturdivant began reading ISIS websites, making TikToks before he reached out to an individual he believed was a member of the terrorist organization who turned out to be an undercover agent with the NYPD, with whom he &#8220;pledged his allegiance to ISIS&#8221; and &#8220;disclosed his plans to &#8216;do jihad soon,'&#8221; authorities said.
He later communicated with an undercover FBI agent, whom he believed was an ISIS operative, and shared &#8220;very specific&#8221; plans about where he planned to commit the attack and how he planned to do so.
He also asked the person for help obtaining firearms to execute his plans.
The FBI then executed a search warrant at the suspect&#8217;s residence, where they found hammers and knives that were hidden under his bed and notes showing his plans. His family previously hid knives from him in the home.
The alleged terrorist was arrested on New Year&#8217;s Eve as he was being released from a medical facility. He is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
&#8220;Without the swift action of the FBI, joint terrorism, task force, New York City, police department, the Mint Hill Police Department and our partners at the United States attorney&#8217;s office for the western district North Carolina, we could be announcing national tragedy. Instead, a terrorist attack was thwarted,&#8221; Barnacle said.
The planned attack comes just one year after Shamsud-Din Jabbar plowed through a crowd celebrating the new year on New Orleans&#8217; Bourbon Street while displaying an ISIS flag on his vehicle. He killed 14 people and injured 57 others before local police took him out.
Din-Jabbar also placed bombs in the area, which failed to detonate.

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Feds Thwart ISIS-Inspired Terrorist Attack Planned In North Carolina

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