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

U.S.

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

Department of Justice

Donald Trump

fulton county

Georgia

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

Crime

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.

FBI/Washington Post

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

classified documents

journalist

Media

Pam Bondi

Politics

Washington Post

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

Trump Administration

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.

MRN_260106_V1

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

Morning Wire

New York City

Nicolas Maduro

North Carolina

Tim Walz

Venezuela

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

Epstein Files

Turning Point USA

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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The FBI officially closed the J. Edgar Hoover Building office in Washington, D.C., on Friday.
Director Kash Patel announced the move after reports over the summer that headquarters would now be relocated to the Ronald Reagan Building.
“After more than 20 years of failed attempts, we finalized a plan to permanently close the FBI’s Hoover headquarters and move the workforce into a safe, modern facility. Working directly with President Trump and Congress, we accomplished what no one else could,” Patel posted to X on Friday.
He also said a plan for a $5 billion, newly built headquarters was scrapped.
“Instead, we selected the already-existing Reagan Building, saving billions and allowing the transition to begin immediately with required safety and infrastructure upgrades already underway. Once complete, most of the HQ FBI workforce will move in, and the rest are continuing in our ongoing push to put more manpower in the field, where they will remain,” he continued, adding that the Hoover Building “will be shut down permanently.”
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In July, General Services Administration Public Buildings Service Commissioner Michael Peters said in a press release for the FBI that the decision to instead move to the Ronald Reagan building, which is only down the block from the Hoover building, would also cut costs on upkeep for the facility.
“This move not only provides a world-class location for the FBI’s public servants, but it also saves Americans billions of dollars on new construction and avoids more than $300 million in deferred maintenance costs at the J. Edgar Hoover facility,” Peters stated in July. “We are proud to partner with Director Patel to drive efficiency and improve the quality of space for a productive workforce in service to national security and taxpayers.”
The closure announcement comes amid other reports about the possible teardown of different federal buildings in the city, such as the Liberty Loan Building, Robert C. Weaver Federal Building, Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building, and the GSA Regional Office Building, according to the <a href="https://komonews.com/news/nation-world/controversy-over-new-arc-plans-as-ex-gsa-worker-claims-historic-buildings-at-risk-donald-trump-arc-de-triomphe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National News Desk</a>. However, the outlet reported that GSA Associate Administrator for Strategic Communications Marianne Copenhaver denied the accusations as “a manufactured narrative built on speculation.”
At the White House, Trump’s decision to demolish the East Wing and build a ballroom has earned both intense praise and criticism since it was announced in October.

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FBI Shuts Down Old Headquarters In Move That Could Save Taxpayers Billions

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation released an alert on Dec. 19 warning that phony text messages and AI are being used to scam people in the orbits of high-level government officials in the United States.
&#8220;Since at least 2023, malicious actors have sent text messages and <abbr title="artificial intelligence">AI</abbr>-generated voice messages — techniques known as smishing and vishing, respectively — that claim to come from a senior U.S. official to establish rapport with targeted individuals,&#8221; The FBI wrote in an <a href="https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2025/PSA251219">announcement</a>.
The bureau <a href="https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2025/PSA250515">released</a> a similar Public Service Announcement in May. It’s becoming increasingly common over the past two years for people to be duped by fake officials, including those from the Cabinet, Congress, and even the White House, according to the alert.
“Malicious actors are impersonating senior U.S. officials via text and AI-generated voice messages and targeting their contacts, including family members,” the FBI wrote in a <a href="https://x.com/FBI/status/2002083068245397752">recent tweet</a> on the issue. The alert noted that they will typically want to talk about policy or the news before getting them to another platform to continue the scam.
“In this scheme, actors reach out to victims and engage them in a brief conversation on a topic they are knowledgeable about. They quickly request to move the discussion to a secondary, encrypted messaging app,” the agency added.
When the “malicious actor” is able to move the conversation to an encrypted messaging software, like Signal or Telegram, they then might be asked to give away sensitive information like a passport, a code that would allow access to the “victim’s contact list,” and even “wire funds to an overseas financial institution under false pretenses.” As for the contact list request, it allows scammers to target others within that individual’s circle.
However, the FBI recommended that people take extra steps to verify whether or not a message is legitimate, like cross-checking phone numbers and other ways the person contacted.
The bureau acknowledged that the recent developments in AI have added an extra roadblock for people to identify these scams.
“AI-generated content has advanced to the point that it is often difficult to identify. When in doubt about the authenticity of someone wishing to communicate with you, contact your relevant security officials or the FBI for help,” the announcement stated.
Different types of AI scams have been increasing, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/artificial-intelligence-ai-scam-fraud-warning-tips/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS News</a> reported in October, as the technology rapidly develops.

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Criminals Are Now Using AI To Impersonate Senior U.S. Officials, FBI Warns

FBI Warns Of Scam Where Criminals Pretend To Be High Level American Officials

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The Justice Department said that evidence reviewed by the FBI showed that a purported letter from the late Jeffrey Epstein to convicted child molester Larry Nassar was &#8220;clearly fake.&#8221; 
The 2019 letter, which was released on Tuesday as part of the latest Epstein <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-drops-30000-more-epstein-docs-that-include-accusations-against-trump?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=DOJ+Drops+30%2C000+More+Epstein+Docs+That+Include+Accusations+Against+Trump">document drop</a>, included comments about Epstein taking the “short road home” and &#8220;our president&#8221; liking young girls. After the letter went viral, the Justice Department said the FBI would investigate its authenticity before later announcing it was not genuine. 
The FBI determined the letter to be fake, citing several inconsistencies: the handwriting did not appear to match Epstein’s; it was postmarked in Virginia three days after Epstein was found dead in a New York jail cell; and it lacked required information for outgoing federal jail mail. The letter did not include Epstein’s inmate number or housing unit, as is standard.
“There has been lots of sensationalism and even outright lies these past few days about the ‘Epstein Files.’ But let’s separate fact from fiction. Document production is just that. We produce documents, and sometimes this can result in releasing fake or false documents because they simply are in our possession because the law requires this,” <a href="https://x.com/DAGToddBlanche/status/2003612982161371186">said</a> Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. 
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“Case in point: the so-called Epstein Nassar letter is clearly FAKE &#8211; wrong handwriting, wrong return address, and postmarked three days after Epstein died. Fake videos of Epstein in his cell. Photos with no explanation. Sensational tales and lies by random people,” Blanche added. “These are not reality. We will continue to produce every document required by law. Let’s not let internet rumor engines outrun the facts.”
The letter was received at the federal prison where Nassar was being held and then flagged for the FBI. Nassar was convicted of sexually abusing young girls while being a doctor at Michigan State University and the trainer for the United States women’s Olympic gymnastics team.
“As you know by now, I have taken the ‘short route’ home. Good luck! We shared one thing … our love and caring for young ladies and the hope they’d reach their full potential. Our President also shares our love of young, nubile girls,” the letter reads. 
Around 30,000 documents related to Epstein were released by the Justice Department on Tuesday. The document release came after President Donald Trump signed a bill last month that mandated the department to release all the Epstein files. 
Trump has characterized questions about the case as a Democrat “hoax” meant to distract from his administration’s success. There has been no credible evidence that implicates Trump in any of Epstein’s misdeeds.

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Justice Department Says Epstein Letter To Larry Nassar Is ‘Clearly Fake’

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